May 24
American music's greatest poet Bob Dylan celebrates his 85th birthday today, the Minnesota-born troubadour whose journey from folk purist to electric prophet revolutionized songwriting while his Nobel Prize proved that rock lyrics could be literature across seven decades of restless reinvention… Jazz lost its greatest composer today in 1974 when Duke Ellington died at 75 from lung cancer and pneumonia, ending the career of the bandleader whose sophisticated orchestrations elevated jazz to high art while his Cotton Club residency and 50-year output created an unmatched legacy… Blues lost its most influential slide guitarist on this day in 1963 when Elmore James died at 45 from a heart attack, ending the career of the Mississippi musician whose "Dust My Broom" lick influenced every rock guitarist while his three heart attacks proved the blues life was literally killing him… Rock and roll lost its fiercest survivor today in 2023 when Tina Turner died at 83 ...
