July 31

 

R.E.M.'s steady heartbeat Bill Berry celebrates his 67th birthday today, the drummer whose rock-solid rhythms anchored the Athens quartet through their rise from college radio darlings to alternative rock superstars…

 

Country music lost a velvet voice on this day in 1964 when Jim Reeves was killed at 40 when his single-engine aircraft crashed in thick fog, silencing the "Gentleman Jim" who gave us classics like "He'll Have to Go."…

 

Music industry royalty was born on this day in 1923 when Ahmet Ertegun entered the world, the visionary who co-founded Atlantic Records and helped bring rhythm and blues, soul, and rock to mainstream America before his death in 2006…

 

Comedy royalty spawned rock nobility today in 1946 when Gary Lewis was born, the son of comedian Jerry Lewis who found his own fame fronting Gary Lewis and The Playboys with hits like "This Diamond Ring."…

 

Reggae's king received royal treatment today in 1995 when Jamaica issued a commemorative series of postage stamps honoring Bob Marley, officially celebrating the island nation's most famous musical ambassador…

 

Rock and politics collided today in 2002 when Bryan Ferry's son Otis was arrested by police outside Prime Minister Tony Blair's country home while staging a demonstration, proving activism runs in musical families.