October 26

 

10,000 Maniacs' poetic voice Natalie Merchant was born on this day in 1963, the thoughtful singer-songwriter whose literate lyrics and distinctive vocals made the band alternative rock darlings before her successful solo career proved her artistic vision could stand alone…

 

Rock and roll received royal recognition today in 1965 when Queen Elizabeth II invested The Beatles with their MBEs (Members of the Order of the British Empire) at Buckingham Palace, though some previous recipients returned their medals in protest of honoring mere pop musicians…

 

Folk music's most harmonious family lost its matriarch when we remember Maggie Roche on her birthday today in 1951, the eldest Roche sister whose distinctive voice and quirky songwriting helped create the trio's unique sound before her death from breast cancer in 2017…

 

Little Feat mourned a founding member on this day in 2019 when guitarist Paul Barrere died at 71, ending the career of the slide guitar master whose six-string conversations with Lowell George helped establish the band's swampy jazz-rock fusion sound…

 

Funk's most flamboyant bassist Bootsy Collins was born on this day in 1951, the space bass player whose work with James Brown and Parliament-Funkadequate established his cartoonish persona and rubber-band bass style as essential elements of P-Funk mythology…

 

New wave's rhythmic architect Keith Strickland was born today in 1953, The B-52's drummer-turned-guitarist whose steady beats and later guitar work helped propel the Athens, Georgia band's quirky party rock from underground cult to mainstream phenomenon…

 

Singer-songwriter introspection deepened today in 1973 with the release of Jackson Browne's 'For Everyman,' the sophomore album that moved beyond his debut's romantic concerns to explore broader themes of community and connection with California folk-rock sophistication…

 

Acoustic intimacy proved commercially viable today in 1993 when 10,000 Maniacs released their MTV Unplugged album, the stripped-down performance that became the band's biggest seller and marked Natalie Merchant's final recording with the group before her solo departure.