April 12
Avant-garde met rock and roll today in 2008 when Lou Reed married conceptual artist Laurie Anderson, his third wife, the union of two New York experimental icons proving that the Velvet Underground founder had finally found his artistic soulmate before his death in 2013… Jazz's greatest living innovator Herbie Hancock celebrates his 86th birthday today, the pianist whose journey from Miles Davis sideman to funk pioneer with "Chameleon" to hip-hop collaborator proved that jazz could evolve with each decade while maintaining its improvisational soul… Steppenwolf's howling frontman John Kay turns 82 today, the German-born singer whose "Born to Be Wild" became the motorcycle anthem that defined 'Easy Rider' while coining the term "heavy metal" in its immortal lyrics about thunder… Folk-rock's most committed activists Amy Ray celebrates her 62nd birthday today, the Indigo Girls co-founder whose social justice advocacy and L...
