Today in Music History

Rock group Marilyn Manson reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 album chart with their third studio album Mechanical Animals.

R&B singer Monica achieved her second consecutive No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with the single “The First Night.”

Akio Morita, co-founder of Sony, died on October 3, 1999, in Tokyo from pneumonia at the age of 78. Morita founded Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo with Masaru Ibuka in 1946; the company later became Sony. In 1957, the company introduced a pocket transistor radio, and in 1958 Morita decided to rename the company Sony; the name was derived from the Latin “sonus” (“sound”) and the then-common American expression “sonny.” Morita strongly supported the company's development of new products. In 1979, Sony introduced the portable Walkman player, which fundamentally changed the way people around the world listened to music; by 2010, cumulative Walkman sales had reached approximately 400 million units.

Tom Jones returned to No. 1 on the UK album chart with Reload after 25 years. At the age of 59, he became the oldest artist to reach the top of the UK album chart with newly recorded material. The album sold more than six million copies worldwide and featured, among others, Robbie Williams, Stereophonics, Barenaked Ladies, The Pretenders, and Mousse T. His collaboration with Mousse T. on the song "Sexbomb" reached No. 3 on the UK singles chart and later appeared in The Simpsons. Jones's age record was later surpassed in 2021 by the album Surrounded by Time, when he was 80.

Benjamin Orr, bassist, singer and co-founder of The Cars, died at his home in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 53 from pancreatic cancer. He sang lead vocals on many of the group's best-known hits, including “Just What I Needed,” “Bye Bye Love,” “Drive,” “Let's Go” and “Moving in Stereo.” In 1986, he also had a solo hit with “Stay the Night” from his debut album The Lace. The Cars were voted Best New Artist in a 1978 Rolling Stone readers' poll; their debut album The Cars sold six million copies and spent 139 weeks on the Billboard 200.

Mark David Chapman, the killer of John Lennon, was denied parole for the first time after 20 years in prison. He testified for approximately 50 minutes before the parole board. The board concluded that his release would “deprecate the seriousness of the crime.” Yoko Ono strongly supported his continued imprisonment through letters.

Paul Simon released You're the One, his tenth studio album, approximately ten years after his previous album The Rhythm of the Saints.

Keith Urban returned to Australia to receive a special ARIA Award. He received the Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of his sales and success on the US charts.

Rock band Powderfinger dominated the 15th annual Australian Record Industry Association Awards, winning a total of six awards at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney.

The original guitarist and singer of American psychedelic rock group Iron Butterfly died at the age of 56 from liver cancer. He joined the group in 1966, and its members were able to use his parents' garage as a rehearsal space. After recording the first album Heavy, he left the group a year later; on the album, he sang lead or co-lead vocals on all the songs and was credited as a writer on eight of the ten tracks, including the entire second side.

At a conference on domestic violence, the wife of Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich strongly criticized the way sex was presented to teenagers and said, “If I had the opportunity to shoot Britney Spears, I think I would.” A blogger named Nina commented that violence does not solve domestic violence.

The film School of Rock was released in cinemas. Jack Black plays a musician who poses as a substitute teacher and forms a band with his students. The film is filled with classic rock and includes songs such as “Highway to Hell,” “Smoke on the Water” and “Immigrant Song.” The latter song was obtained after Jack Black recorded a video literally begging Led Zeppelin for permission to use it. The film is also notable for the acting debut of Miranda Cosgrove.

The film The Concert For George, documenting the benefit concert and star-studded tribute to recently deceased former Beatles member George Harrison, premiered in US cinemas.

Tom Waits released his fifteenth studio album Real Gone. It contained several politically themed songs, including "Day After Tomorrow," described as an indirect protest against the Vietnam War. Harp Magazine named the album the best album of 2004.

VH1 held its first Hip-Hop Honors, honoring DJ Hollywood, DJ Kool Herc, KRS-One, Public Enemy, Rock Steady Crew, Run-D.M.C., Tupac, and The Sugarhill Gang. Public Enemy also performed at the ceremony.

Fiona Apple released her third album, Extraordinary Machine, her first album since 1999's When The Pawn.... The album had been completed and ready for release as early as 2003, but Apple changed her mind and postponed its release. After a leaked version appeared online in 2005, she re-recorded the songs and eventually released the album.

British alternative rock group Muse and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke were the major winners at the fifth annual BT Digital Music Awards in London. Each received two awards.

The song “Listen to Your Heart,” written by Per Gessle and Mats Persson, received several prestigious honors at the 2006 BMI London Awards, held at the Dorchester Hotel. Among them was the organization's highest honor, the Robert S. Musel Award, given for the most-played song of the year.

Skillet released their sixth studio album Comatose. For the Christian rock band, it was their first album to receive RIAA gold certification; the certification was awarded for 500,000 units. In 2016, the album received RIAA platinum certification for one million certified units.

American jazz bassist Lloyd Trotman died at the age of 84 from pneumonia. During the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, he accompanied numerous jazz and rock 'n' roll artists, including Sam Cooke, James Brown and The Everly Brothers. His bass can also be heard on Ben E. King's recording of “Stand by Me.”

The Rolling Stones set a new record for the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. Their A Bigger Bang Tour, which ran from autumn 2005 through August 26, 2007, grossed $558,255,524 and sold 4.68 million tickets. It surpassed the previous record held by U2's Vertigo Tour, which grossed approximately $389 million.

Madonna's album Celebration, her third greatest-hits compilation, was at No. 1 on the UK album chart on this day. The album was successful worldwide, reaching No. 1 on the charts in twelve countries and selling more than four million copies.

According to scientific research, Queen's “We Are The Champions” was identified as the catchiest song ever written. The research was led by Dr. Alisun Pawley of the University of York and music psychologist Dr. Daniel Müllensiefen of Goldsmiths University in London. Researchers observed thousands of volunteers singing selected songs and examined what makes a song easy to sing and remember. They identified four main elements: long and detailed melodic phrases, more pitch changes in the main motif, a male vocal and a strong vocal delivery by a male voice in higher registers. The list of the ten catchiest songs also included “Y.M.C.A.” by Village People, “Fat Lip” by Sum 41 and “The Final Countdown” by Europe.

Michael Jackson's family lost a negligence lawsuit against concert promoters AEG Live in connection with the singer's death. The jury concluded that the doctor responsible for Jackson's care before his concert tour was not unfit for the job, and therefore AEG had not been negligent in hiring him. Jackson died in 2009 after an overdose of a surgical anesthetic.

Fleetwood Mac's album Rumours received Double Diamond certification from the RIAA 37 years after its release for sales of more than 20 million copies in the US. It became only the ninth album to achieve this distinction.

A perfectly preserved copy of The Beatles' debut album Please Please Me, signed by George Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr, was sold at an auction in the USA for $36,655.

Former teen idol David Cassidy was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving with an expired registration following a September crash in Florida. Police said that 65-year-old Cassidy sideswiped a truck, attempted to conceal his license plate and drove away with a flat tire. His lawyer said Cassidy had handed his driver's license and registration to police before leaving. In March 2016, Cassidy accepted a no-contest plea agreement and received two years of probation.

The Weeknd replaced his previous hit "Can’t Feel My Face" at the top of the US chart when "The Hills" began a six-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Nickelodeon premiered the animated series Kuu Kuu Harajuku, produced by Gwen Stefani. The series follows a group of girls who make music and fight evil. Stefani introduced her “Harajuku Girls,” inspired by Tokyo's Harajuku district, on her solo debut Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and later incorporated her fascination with the culture into clothing and perfume collections.

Liam Gallagher reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with his second solo studio album Why Me? Why Not. The album's first single, “Shockwave,” became one of his biggest solo hits and the best-selling vinyl single of 2019 in the UK.

Sony acquired Pink Floyd's recording catalog along with the rights associated with the band's name and likeness. The value of the transaction was reported at $400 million, or approximately £301 million.

The British postal service Royal Mail announced the release of a special series of twelve stamps commemorating The Who's 60th anniversary. Eight stamps featured their iconic albums: My Generation (1965), Tommy (1969), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), Who Are You (1978), Face Dances (1981), Endless Wire (2006), and WHO (2019). Other stamps depicted the band and their live performances. The Who thus became the seventh musical act to receive their own Royal Mail stamp series, following The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, and the Spice Girls.

Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to a little over four years in prison after being found guilty of offenses related to prostitution involving two of his former partners. His lawyers sought a 14-month sentence, arguing that he had changed during his 13 months in a New York jail, while prosecutors sought 11 years, citing his history of domestic violence. Before being sentenced to 50 months, Combs addressed the court in what was his first public statement since the beginning of the trial.

Taylor Swift promoted her latest album The Life Of A Showgirl with an exceptionally extensive marketing campaign that encouraged fans to discover musical clues hidden behind orange doors in 12 cities around the world.