April 12

Avant-garde met rock and roll today in 2008 when Lou Reed married conceptual artist Laurie Anderson, his third wife, the union of two New York experimental icons proving that the Velvet Underground founder had finally found his artistic soulmate before his death in 2013…

 

Jazz's greatest living innovator Herbie Hancock celebrates his 86th birthday today, the pianist whose journey from Miles Davis sideman to funk pioneer with "Chameleon" to hip-hop collaborator proved that jazz could evolve with each decade while maintaining its improvisational soul…

 

Steppenwolf's howling frontman John Kay turns 82 today, the German-born singer whose "Born to Be Wild" became the motorcycle anthem that defined 'Easy Rider' while coining the term "heavy metal" in its immortal lyrics about thunder…

 

Folk-rock's most committed activists Amy Ray celebrates her 62nd birthday today, the Indigo Girls co-founder whose social justice advocacy and LGBTQ+ visibility proved as important as the duo's harmonies across four decades of conscious folk music…

 

Alternative rock's most earnest survivor Art Alexakis was born on this day in 1962, the Everclear frontman whose "Santa Monica" and songs about addiction drew from his traumatic childhood to create the 1990s' most autobiographically painful pop-rock…

 

We remember teen pop's most wholesome idol David Cassidy on his birthday today in 1950, the Partridge Family star whose real singing voice and solo hits made him a genuine talent beyond the TV show before alcoholism and his death in 2017 ended a troubled later life…

 

Country's most gentlemanly voice Vince Gill was born on this day in 1957, the Oklahoma guitarist-singer whose "When I Call Your Name" and 22 Grammy wins proved that Nashville could reward both virtuosity and humility across four decades of excellence…

 

Jazz Age glamour lost its greatest star on this day in 1975 when Josephine Baker died at 68 in Paris, ending the life of the American-born entertainer who had found fame in France while courageously working for the French Resistance during World War II…

 

Alternative rock found its defining sound today in 1983 with the release of R.E.M.'s debut 'Murmur,' the album's jangly guitars and Michael Stipe's mumbled lyrics establishing the Athens, Georgia template that would influence countless college rock bands.