Today in Music History

American multi-instrumentalist and songwriter William “Will” Butler, best known as a member of the indie rock band Arcade Fire, was born in Truckee, California.

Barry Manilow performed a benefit concert at London's Royal Festival Hall on October 6, 1983, attended by Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

David Bowie reached No. 1 in the UK with his sixteenth studio album Tonight, which included the single “Blue Jean.” The album also reached No. 1 in the Netherlands and the Top 10 in ten other countries.

Prince was at No. 1 on the rhythm and blues chart with “Let's Go Crazy.”

Stevie Ray Vaughan performed at the Orpheum Theater in Boston, Massachusetts.

Nelson Riddle, American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator known, among other things, for his long collaboration with Frank Sinatra, died in Los Angeles at the age of 64 from heart and kidney failure related to his health problems.

American songwriter Steph Jones was born. She has written songs for artists including Sabrina Carpenter, Selena Gomez, Florence + The Machine, Celine Dion, Keith Urban, Shania Twain and Teddy Swims.

Soundgarden, Iggy Pop, Ice-T, The Cramps, Joan Baez and Public Enemy performed at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in California as part of the A Gathering of Tribes event, organized by Ian Astbury of The Cult. The festival is considered an inspiration for Lollapalooza, which began a year later.

Reggae singer Maxi Priest reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Close to You.”

Metallica began recording their self-titled album, also known as The Black Album.

Soundgarden, Iggy Pop, Ice-T, The Cramps, Joan Baez, Public Enemy and other artists performed at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in California as part of the A Gathering of Tribes festival, organized by Ian Astbury of The Cult. The festival preceded Lollapalooza, which launched a year later.

Elizabeth Taylor married construction worker Larry Fortensky, whom she had met at the Betty Ford Center, in a lavish ceremony at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch near Los Angeles. It was her eighth marriage and Fortensky's third. Michael Jackson walked her down the aisle together with her son Michael Wilding Jr. Taylor and Fortensky divorced in 1996 but remained friends.

Michael Jackson walked Elizabeth Taylor down the aisle at her wedding to construction worker Larry Fortensky at his Neverland Ranch. It was Elizabeth Taylor's eighth marriage, while Fortensky became her seventh husband; Taylor later divorced Fortensky, with the divorce finalized in 1996.

Ray Charles was honored in a special Fox television program, “Ray Charles: 50 Years Of Music.” Highlights included Charles performing “Living For The City” with Stevie Wonder and “Busted” with Willie Nelson.

Prince and The New Power Generation released the home video “Diamonds and Pearls.”

Glenn Frey underwent abdominal surgery for diverticulitis, which led to the postponement of the remaining concerts of the Eagles' Hell Freezes Over reunion tour.

English hip-hop musician Loyle Carner was born.

The Eagles interrupted their Hell Freezes Over reunion tour after Glenn Frey underwent emergency surgery for diverticulitis in Los Angeles. The health problem temporarily canceled the final 17 concerts of their first tour in 14 years. Frey recovered and the group resumed performing in early 1995.

“Grind,” the first track from Alice in Chains' self-titled album, was released to radio stations via satellite uplink to prevent the recording from spreading uncontrollably. The song had previously leaked to radio stations in early October.

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw were married.

Country group Alabama received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7060 Hollywood Boulevard.

Gospel star Kirk Franklin and Interscope Records faced a $75 million lawsuit from Linda Searight, founder of the gospel group God's Property, who had recorded and performed with Franklin. Searight claimed that she had been denied compensation for her participation in the group God's Property.

The London magazine Time Out published a poll of the greatest music stars of the previous 30 years. Marvin Gaye came fifth, James Brown fourth, Bob Marley third, The Beatles second and David Bowie first.

Portuguese singer and actress Amália Rodrigues died in Lisbon, Portugal, at the age of 79.

Winners at the Mobo Awards included Kele Le Roc for Best Newcomer and Best Single, Shanks & Bigfoot for Best Dance Act, and TLC for Best Video for “No Scrubs.” Lauryn Hill won Best International Artist and Tina Turner received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rapper Busta Rhymes was sentenced by the Manhattan Supreme Court to five years of probation after pleading guilty to a weapons possession charge.

Three investors in Steven Seagal's unreleased album sued the actor, claiming that he had no intention of completing the project. Michael Vanderhoof, Michael Khaled and Donald Danks claimed that they had jointly invested $600,000 in recording the album and filming an accompanying documentary.

The television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS with “Who Are You” by The Who as its theme song. Three other series in the franchise also used The Who songs as their theme songs: CSI: Miami (“Won't Get Fooled Again”), CSI: NY (“Baba O'Riley”) and CSI: Cyber (“I Can See For Miles”).

Dido reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with her debut studio album No Angel. The album became an international hit and also reached No. 1 in nine other countries.

Mick Jagger donated £100,000 to his former school, Dartford Grammar School in Dartford, England, to purchase musical instruments and fund a music director. The Red Rooster project greatly expanded the school's musical opportunities, and the resulting music center was named the Mick Jagger Centre.

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline filed documents legally confirming their surprise wedding several weeks earlier. Spears had signed a prenuptial agreement, which proved useful during their divorce in 2007.

Britney Spears poured a full cup of cola over a photographer who was waiting outside a fast-food stand in Malibu for photographs of the singer and her new husband.

Howard Stern announced on his radio show that he would move to Sirius satellite radio, where he was scheduled to begin broadcasting in January 2006 under a five-year contract. His move significantly boosted the development of satellite radio and allowed him to broadcast without the same content restrictions imposed by the FCC on traditional terrestrial radio, with fewer commercials.

The Rolling Stones concert at Scott Stadium at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville was interrupted after eight songs because of a bomb threat directed at the stage. Police conducted an approximately 45-minute search using dogs and found nothing suspicious. The group then returned to the stage and completed the concert as part of the A Bigger Bang tour.

John Greek, an outstanding guitarist and trumpeter with The Wailers, died.

EMI Virgin India announced the withdrawal of all copies of Slayer's latest album Christ Illusion after the Christian organization Catholic Secular Forum from Mumbai protested against it.

The Four Tops sang the U.S. national anthem at Comerica Park before Game 3 of the American League Division Series between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees. In honor of the local sports teams, they wore Detroit Tigers, Lions, Pistons and Red Wings jerseys. The Detroit Tigers subsequently defeated the New York Yankees 6–0.

Bruce Springsteen faced an $850,000 lawsuit from a man who claimed that the singer had withdrawn from an agreement to purchase a horse. Florida court documents named Springsteen, his wife Patti Scialfa and a horse named Pavarotti. The man claimed that the couple had withdrawn from a $650,000 horse purchase agreement.

Foo Fighters reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with their sixth studio album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.

Queen's promotional video for the 1975 song “Bohemian Rhapsody” was voted the best music video in the UK in a poll of music fans. In the O2 survey, 30% of 1,051 adults voted.

Reba McEntire reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 with her twenty-seventh studio album Reba: Duets.

Rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em returned to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” and began a five-week run at the top.

Sugababes reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “About You Now,” beginning a four-week run at the top.

KISS released the album Sonic Boom, which was distributed exclusively through the Walmart retail chain; it was the group's first album with its lineup at the time.

The cast of the television series Glee surpassed The Beatles in the number of Billboard Hot 100 entries by a non-solo act. Glee had 75 songs compared with 71 songs by The Beatles.

The FBI seized a set of John Lennon's fingerprints from a New York music memorabilia dealer who wanted to sell them for a minimum bid of $100,000. The fingerprints had been taken at a New York police station in 1976 when Lennon applied for permanent residency in the United States. The FBI believed the card still belonged to the government and investigated how it had ended up in private hands.

Davy Jones announced plans to reunite The Monkees for a 2011 tour. The An Evening with The Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour brought Jones, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork together for their first live performances in ten years and became Jones's final tour with the group before his death in February 2012.

“We Built This City” by Jefferson Starship was named the “worst song of the 1980s” in a Rolling Stone magazine poll. “The Final Countdown” by Europe came second and “Lady in Red” by Chris de Burgh came third. The Top Five also included “Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go)” by Wham! and “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats.

“We Built This City” by Starship was named the “worst song of the 1980s” in a Rolling Stone magazine poll. “The Final Countdown” by Europe came second and “Lady in Red” by Chris de Burgh came third. The Top Five also included “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham! and “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats.

Mumford & Sons reached No. 1 on the UK chart with their second studio album Babel. The album also reached No. 1 in seven other countries, including the United States.