March 30
Blues-rock's greatest guitarist Eric Clapton celebrates his 81st birthday today, "Slowhand" whose journey from the Yardbirds through Cream to solo stardom proved that traditional blues could be reinvented for each generation while his personal tragedies inspired some of rock's most emotional songs… Music production lost one of its greatest innovators today in 2013 when Phil Ramone died at 79, ending the career of the engineer-producer whose digital recording pioneering and work with Billy Joel, Paul Simon, and countless others earned him 14 Grammys and revolutionized studio technology… Folk's most socially conscious voice Tracy Chapman was born on this day in 1964, the singer-songwriter whose "Fast Car" and powerful acoustic performances proved that simplicity and honesty could create massive commercial success while addressing poverty and injustice… Jazz's most unexpected pop star Norah Jones was born today in 1979, Ravi Shankar...
