August 22

 

Rock’s greatest band closed a chapter today in 1969, when The Beatles met at John Lennon’s Tittenhurst Park for what would be their final official photo session, capturing the last photographs of the Fab Four together before their split….

 

Recorded music as we know it began its true home journey today in 1906, when the Victor Talking Machine Company started producing the world’s first mass-market record player, bringing music into living rooms across America…

 

The blues world gained a legend on this day in 1917 with the birth of John Lee Hooker, the Mississippi-born guitarist whose deep, hypnotic boogie rhythms and soulful growl made him one of the most influential figures in modern music…

 

Grunge’s tortured heart Layne Staley of Alice in Chains was born today in 1967, his searing voice and haunting lyrics becoming a defining sound of Seattle’s dark and powerful rock scene…

 

Guitar firebrand Vernon Reid of Living Colour celebrates his 67th birthday today, the visionary player whose riffs and solos pushed rock into daring new territory in the late ’80s and beyond…

 

Songwriter, singer, and producer Roland Orzabal of Tears for Fears turns 64 today, the creative force behind hits like Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Shout, which helped define the sound of ’80s pop…

 

Ethereal singer-songwriter Tori Amos marks her 62nd birthday today, the piano-driven storyteller whose fearless lyrics and mystical presence have made her one of alternative music’s most distinctive voices…

 

The Grateful Dead family grew today in 1947 with the birth of Donna Godchaux, the Alabama-born singer who brought her powerful harmonies and gospel-soul energy to the Dead’s sprawling live shows…

 

Legendary songwriter Jerry Leiber, one half of the Leiber & Stoller team that gave us classics like Hound Dog and Stand by Me, died on this day in 2011, leaving behind one of the richest catalogs in rock and roll history…

 

The world of jazz lost a gentle giant today in 2016 when harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans died at 94, ending a career that spanned seven decades and saw him collaborate with everyone from Charlie Parker to Paul Simon.