January 4
Alternative rock's most enigmatic frontman Michael Stipe celebrates his 65th birthday today, the R.E.M. vocalist whose cryptic lyrics and passionate delivery helped make the Athens, Georgia band college rock's most important American group before their amicable 2011 breakup… Soft rock lost one of its most distinctive voices today in 2010 when Gerry Rafferty died at 63 after battling alcoholism and illness, ending the life of the Scottish singer-songwriter whose "Baker Street" saxophone solo and introspective lyrics made him a 1970s icon… Rock's most elegant sophisticate proved age was just a number on this day in 2012 when 66-year-old Bryan Ferry married 29-year-old Amanda Sheppard, the Roxy Music frontman's third marriage showing that his romantic appeal endured across generations… Jazz-fusion's most spiritual guitarist John McLaughlin was born today in 1942, the British virtuoso whose Mahavishnu Orchestra brought Eastern philosophy ...
