History Highlight:

On this day in 2004, New York indie rock band the Walkmen released their second album and major-label debut, Bows + Arrows. The record received mostly rave reviews, including a 9.2 score from Pitchfork. It features “The Rat,” which is arguably the hardest-hitting single of their career — both sonically and commercially. Dig deeper into Bows + Arrows, however, and it’s filled with raw and beautiful arrangements delivered on vintage instruments, as well as Hamilton Leithauser’s signature soaring vocals. After a 10-year-hiatus, the Walkmen reunited for a tour in 2023.

Also, today in:

1962 - The Beatles played their first professional gig outside of Liverpool at The Oasis Club in Manchester. The first song in their set was their cover of "Hippy Hippy Shake".

1974 - Barbra Streisand started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with the theme from the film The Way We Were. The single won an Oscar and a Grammy for Song of the Year.

1979 - Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious died of a heroin overdose in New York City.

1985 - Foreigner started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles charts with "I Want To Know What Love Is."

1989 - George Michael received undisclosed damages in excess of $170,000 from British tabloid The Sun over articles it printed that stated Michael had crashed a party given by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and that Michael was drunk and abusive while in attendance.

1993 - Willie Nelson agreed to pay $9 million of the $16.7 million he owed the Internal Revenue Service. His accountants, Price Waterhouse, had not been paying Nelson's taxes for years, and in addition to the unpaid taxes, Nelson's situation was exacerbated by weak investments he had made during the early 1980s.

1996 - Gene Kelly, one of the most famous dancers of his time, dies at age 83. Kelly was also an accomplished singer, known for crooning the title track of Singin' In The Rain.

1999 - Built to Spill released their fourth studio album, Keep It Like a Secret.

2004 - CBS apologized for the previous day's Super Bowl broadcast after Janet Jackson was left exposed when Justin Timberlake ripped her top as the two performed a duet during the halftime show. CBS quickly cut away from the scene but was flooded with calls from angry viewers. Timberlake insisted it had been an accident, saying, "I am sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl."

2004 - Glam-rock group Scissor Sisters released their self-titled debut album.

2014 - Electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy sent the U.S. government an invoice after finding out their music was used as torture device in Guantanamo Bay. Despite the band's aggressive sound, they said they had never envisioned their music being used in such a way. "Because we make unsettling music, we can see it being used in a weird way," singer Kevin "cEvin" Key said. "But [this] doesn't sit right with us."

2011 - The White Stripes split up after six albums, ending their run as one of the most successful rock duos. They specifically denied any artistic differences or health issues but cited "a myriad of reasons ... mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band".

2020 - Czech-born American musician, filmmaker, record producer and singer-songwriter Ivan Kral died at age 71. He played bass with Blondie, Patti Smith and Iggy Pop. His songs have been recorded by such artists as U2, Pearl Jam, David Bowie, Simple Minds and John Waite, among others.

Birthdays:

Stan Getz was born on this day in 1927.

Tom Smothers of the Smothers Brothers was born on this day in 1937.

Graham Nash was born on this day in 1942, making him 82 today. Best-known for being a member of The Hollies, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, he is also an incredible songwriter and has written hits such as "Our House", "Teach Your Children" and “Military Madness”. Nash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1997 and as a member of the Hollies in 2010. He also was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2010.

Howard Bellamy from the Bellamy Brothers is 78.

Al Mckay, guitarist with Earth, Wind & Fire is 76.

Ross Valory, bass player for Journey, is 75.

Rick Dufay of Aerosmith is 72.

Eva Cassidy was born on this day in 1963.

Robert DeLeo, bassist with Stone Temple Pilots, is 58.

John Spence, original member of No Doubt, was born today in 1969.

Rockwilder is 53.

Ben Mize of Counting Crows is 53.

Shakira is 47.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.