October 24

 

The Rolling Stones' stoic bassist Bill Wyman was born today in 1936, the quiet member whose solid playing anchored the world's greatest rock and roll band from 1962 until his retirement in 1993, proving restraint could be as powerful as flash…

 

Rock and roll lost one of its founding fathers on this day in 2016 when Fats Domino died of natural causes at 89, ending the life of the New Orleans pianist whose boogie-woogie piano and good-natured hits like "Blueberry Hill" helped establish rock's early sound…

 

Swamp rock's sultry master Tony Joe White died of a heart attack on this date in 2018 at 75, silencing the Louisiana songwriter whose "Polk Salad Annie" and productions for others captured the humid groove of the Deep South with gritty authenticity…

 

Death proved more lucrative than life today in 2006 when Forbes.com revealed that Kurt Cobain had overtaken Elvis Presley as the highest-earning dead celebrity, with Nirvana's ongoing catalog sales and licensing deals outpacing even the King's Graceland empire…

 

Motown's visionary founder Berry Gordy received Hollywood recognition today in 1996 when he was honored with a star on the Walk of Fame, celebrating the Detroit entrepreneur who built the most successful African-American-owned business in entertainment history…

 

We remember rock and roll's original party animal J.P. Richardson, better known as The Big Bopper, on his birthday today in 1930, the Texas DJ whose "Chantilly Lace" became a classic before his death in the 1959 plane crash that also claimed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens…

 

Soul music's rawest power was captured today in 1962 when James Brown recorded his legendary 'Live at the Apollo' album, the incendiary performance that proved the Godfather of Soul's stage show was an unstoppable force deserving documentation…

 

Jazz-rock lost a keyboard pioneer today in 2008 when Merl Saunders passed away at 74 from stroke complications, ending the career of the organist whose long collaboration with Jerry Garcia helped bridge the gap between jazz improvisation and psychedelic rock…

 

Alternative rock's most ambitious double album arrived today in 1995 with The Smashing Pumpkins' 'Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,' Billy Corgan's sprawling 28-song meditation on youth, angst, and grandiosity that proved 1990s rock could still think big…

 

The Grateful Dead delivered their definitive live statement today in 1971 with the release of their second double live album, officially titled 'Grateful Dead' but forever known to Deadheads as 'Skull and Roses,' capturing the band's improvisational magic at its early peak.