September 15

 

New wave lost one of its most innovative voices on this date in 2019 when The Cars' Ric Ocasek died of heart disease at 75, ending the life of the songwriter and producer whose sleek pop sensibilities helped define the sound of the early MTV era…

 

Automotive entertainment took a major leap forward today in 1965 when Ford became the first automaker to offer 8-track tape players as an option across their entire US car line, revolutionizing how Americans would experience music on the road…

 

Punk rock's steady heartbeat stopped today in 2004 when Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone died in Los Angeles after a five-year battle with prostate cancer at 55, taking with him the man whose relentless downstrokes helped create punk's sonic blueprint…

 

We remember jazz giant Julian "Cannonball" Adderley on his birthday today in 1925, the alto saxophonist whose joyful playing and soul-jazz innovations brought accessibility to bebop before his death in 1975…

 

Pink Floyd's atmospheric architect Rick Wright passed away on this day in 2008 at 65 after battling cancer, silencing the keyboardist whose haunting textures were essential to masterpieces like "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here."…

 

Classical music suffered a tragic wartime loss today in 1945 when Austrian composer Anton Webern was accidentally shot and killed outside his home by a US Army soldier during the Allied occupation, ending the life of a twelve-tone pioneer at 61…

 

Rock guitar lost another hero today in 2015 when REO Speedwagon's Gary Richrath died at 65 after struggling with alcoholism, taking with him the guitarist whose arena-rock anthems like "Ridin' the Storm Out" defined Midwest rock…

 

Cultural tensions reached political rhetoric today in 1970 when Vice President Spiro Agnew declared that "The youth of America are being brainwashed into a drug culture," highlighting the generational divide that rock music had helped create…

 

Latin rock reached its artistic peak today in 1970 with the release of Santana's second album 'Abraxas,' featuring classics like "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va" that perfectly blended rock, blues, and Afro-Cuban rhythms.