October 17

 

Hip-hop's most controversial wordsmith Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known as Eminem, celebrates his 53rd birthday today, the Detroit rapper whose technical brilliance and shocking content made him the best-selling artist of the 2000s while sparking endless debates about art versus offense…

 

Beatle devotion reached expensive heights today in 2000 when George Michael paid $2.1 million at a London charity auction for John Lennon's upright piano, the instrument on which "Imagine" was composed, proving some artifacts are priceless to true believers…

 

Reggae royalty continued today in 1968 with the birth of Ziggy Marley, Bob Marley's eldest son who would carry on his father's musical and spiritual legacy with the Melody Makers and solo work while maintaining the Rastafarian message…

 

Mock rock found its perfect frontman when Michael McKean was born on this day in 1947, the actor-musician who created David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap, proving that parody could be as musically accomplished as it was hilarious while skewering heavy metal's excesses…

 

Soft rock's smoothest duo got half its sound when Jim Seals was born on this day in 1941, the Seals and Crofts member whose harmonies with Dash Crofts created the mellow "Summer Breeze" sound that defined early 1970s AM radio before his death in 2022…

 

Hip-hop's most versatile voice Wyclef Jean turns 56 today, the Fugees producer-rapper whose Haitian heritage and musical eclecticism helped expand rap's boundaries while his humanitarian work brought attention to Caribbean issues…

 

Jazz guitar's bebop master Barney Kessel was born on this day in 1923, the versatile session player whose sophisticated chops graced countless recordings from Charlie Parker to Phil Spector before his death in 2004…

 

Theater and rock collided today in 1967 when 'Hair,' the world's first hippie rock musical, debuted at the New York Shakespeare Festival, launching the show that would scandalize and delight audiences with its nudity, drug references, and anti-war message.