September 26

 

Smooth sophistication was silenced on this day in 2003 when Robert Palmer died of a heart attack in a Paris hotel room at 54, ending the career of the dapper British singer whose "Addicted to Love" and Duran Duran collaborations made him a stylish icon of 1980s rock…

 

The blues lost its empress today in 1937 when Bessie Smith died at 43 from injuries sustained in a car accident outside Memphis, Tennessee, ending the life of the powerful vocalist whose influence on jazz and blues singers remains immeasurable decades later…

 

American musical theater's greatest composer George Gershwin was born today in 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, destined to bridge classical and popular music with masterworks like "Rhapsody in Blue," "Porgy and Bess," and countless jazz standards before his death at just 38…

 

Roxy Music's suave architect Bryan Ferry celebrates his 80th birthday today, the British singer whose art-rock innovations and solo crooning helped define sophisticated pop music while influencing everyone from David Bowie to countless new wave acts…

 

We remember the sweet voice of Olivia Newton-John on her birthday today in 1948, the Australian singer whose wholesome image and hits like "Physical" made her a beloved international star before her death in 2022 after a long battle with breast cancer…

 

Everything But The Girl's ethereal voice Tracey Thorn turns 63 today, the British singer whose delicate vocals and intelligent songwriting with partner Ben Watt created some of the most sophisticated pop music of the 1980s and 1990s…

 

Cult cinema was born today in 1975 when 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' opened in Los Angeles, launching the interactive movie experience that continues to pack midnight screenings nearly five decades later with its gender-bending musical celebration…

 

The Beatles delivered their final masterpiece today in 1969 with the UK release of 'Abbey Road' (US release followed October 1st), the album featuring "Come Together" and the medley that proved the Fab Four could still create magic even as they were falling apart.