September 29

 

Rock and roll's wildest man Jerry Lee Lewis was born on this day in 1935, "The Killer" whose pounding piano style and outrageous performances on songs like "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" helped establish rock's rebellious spirit before his death in 2022…

 

Chicago blues lost one of its most expressive guitarists on this day in 2018 when Otis Rush died at 84, ending the career of the left-handed master whose emotional string-bending and hits like "I Can't Quit You Baby" influenced everyone from Eric Clapton to Stevie Ray Vaughan…

 

Women's empowerment lost its musical voice on this day in 2020 when Helen Reddy died at her Los Angeles home at 78, silencing the Australian singer whose anthem "I Am Woman" became a rallying cry for the feminist movement of the 1970s…

 

 

Environmental activism received presidential recognition today in 1997 when Bill Clinton awarded Don Henley a National Medal of Humanities for his dedication to the Walden Woods Project, honoring the Eagles drummer's work preserving Henry David Thoreau's Massachusetts sanctuary…

 

Music industry history began today in 1959 when Berry Gordy's first release on the newly established Motown Records entered the Billboard Pop chart, launching the Detroit label that would become synonymous with soul music and American popular culture…

 

Jazz fusion's violin virtuoso Jean-Luc Ponty celebrates his 83rd birthday today, the French musician whose electric violin innovations helped establish the instrument as a lead voice in jazz-rock throughout the 1970s and beyond…

 

The Grateful Dead's rhythmic expansion occurred on this day in 1967 when 24-year-old Mickey Hart joined as their second drummer, creating the dual percussion sound that would become essential to the band's hypnotic live performances for the next three decades…

 

Grand Funk Railroad's powerhouse Mark Farner was born today in 1948, the guitarist and vocalist whose driving riffs and populist lyrics helped make the Michigan trio one of the early 1970s' biggest arena rock acts despite critical dismissal…

 

Piano man perfection was achieved today in 1977 with the release of Billy Joel's 'The Stranger,' the album featuring "Just the Way You Are" and "Movin' Out" that transformed the Long Island singer-songwriter into one of America's most beloved entertainers.