August 10

 

Jethro Tull's flute-wielding frontman Ian Anderson was born on this day in 1947, the theatrical performer whose one-legged stance and progressive rock compositions made the band one of the most distinctive acts in rock history…

 

Rock royalty met Hollywood stardom today in 2002 when Lisa Marie Presley married actor Nicolas Cage at a Hawaiian resort, though this union of music and movie fame would prove to be brief, lasting only a few months…

 

Soul music lost a towering figure on this day in 2008 when Isaac Hayes died at his Memphis home at 65, silencing the composer behind "Theme from Shaft" and countless other classics who helped define the sound of Stax Records…

 

Electric guitar history began today in 1909 with the birth of Leo Fender, the visionary inventor whose Fender Electric Instrument Company would revolutionize popular music with the Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars that became rock's standard weapons…

 

The musical dynasty continues with Devon Allman celebrating his 53rd birthday today, the son of Gregg Allman who has carried on the family tradition of Southern rock with his own accomplished guitar work and songwriting…

 

One half of blue-eyed soul's greatest duo, Bobby Hatfield of The Righteous Brothers, was born on this day in 1940, the tenor whose soaring voice on classics like "Unchained Melody" helped define the "wall of sound" era before his death in 2003…

 

Rock's original bad girl Ronnie Spector was born today in 1947, the Ronettes' lead singer whose powerful voice and rebellious spirit made songs like "Be My Baby" timeless classics before her death in 2022.