November 23

 

Piano pop's most sophisticated voice Bruce Hornsby celebrates his 71st birthday today, the Virginia keyboardist whose crossover hits like "The Way It Is" and stint with the Grateful Dead proved that jazz chops and accessible melodies could coexist in 1980s radio…

 

Rock and roll darkness found legal resolution today in 1979 when Keith Richards' girlfriend Anita Pallenberg was cleared by a court in the shooting death of a 17-year-old found in her bed, the tragic incident adding another chapter to the couple's drug-fueled relationship…

 

Pop songwriting lost a hitmaker today in 1994 when Tommy Boyce took his own life at 55, ending the career of the songwriter who with partner Bobby Hart penned Monkees classics like "Last Train to Clarksville" before depression and career struggles overwhelmed him…

 

Country music mourned its king today in 1992 when Roy Acuff died at 89, ending the life of the Grand Ole Opry legend whose traditional style and "Wabash Cannonball" had helped establish Nashville as America's country music capital…

 

Soul music's most distinctive saxophone was silenced on this day in 1995 when Junior Walker died at 64, ending the career of the Motown instrumentalist whose gritty tenor sax and vocals on "Shotgun" and "(I'm a) Road Runner" brought raw R&B to the Detroit label…

 

North Mississippi hill country blues found its keeper when R.L. Burnside was born on this date in 1926, the guitarist whose hypnotic one-chord grooves wouldn't find wider recognition until his 60s when he became an unlikely indie rock favorite before his death in 2005…

 

Pop culture's most controversial evolution continues with Miley Cyrus turning 33 today, the former Disney star whose journey from Hannah Montana to provocative pop artist proved she was determined to escape her wholesome image at any cost…

 

Singer-songwriter introspection reached new peaks on this day in 1970 with the release of Cat Stevens' 'Tea for the Tillerman,' the album featuring "Wild World" and "Father and Son" that established the British musician as one of folk-rock's most thoughtful voices.