October 10

 

We remember folk storytelling's master John Prine on his birthday today in 1946, the mailman-turned-songwriter whose narrative gifts on songs like "Paradise" and "Hello in There" made him a writer's writer before COVID-19 claimed his life in 2020…

 

Van Halen's acrobatic frontman David Lee Roth celebrates his 71st birthday today, the spandex-clad showman whose over-the-top persona and athletic stage moves made him heavy metal's most charismatic performer during the band's commercial peak…

 

New wave's romantic architect Midge Ure turns 72 today, the Ultravox frontman and solo artist whose synth-pop sophistication on "Vienna" and charity work organizing Band Aid made him one of the 1980s' most respected musical figures…

 

Guitar manufacturing history began today in 1902 when Orville Gibson founded the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co., Ltd., establishing the company that would produce some of rock's most iconic instruments including the Les Paul and SG models…

 

Jazz piano's most angular genius Thelonious Monk was born on this day in 1917, the composer and improviser whose unconventional harmonies and rhythmic displacements on classics like "'Round Midnight" helped define modern jazz before his death in 1982…

 

Rock tragedy found its cinematic voice today in 1979 when 'The Rose' starring Bette Midler premiered in Los Angeles (wide release November 9th), the Janis Joplin-inspired film that showcased the dark side of fame and launched Midler's acting career…

 

We remember soul music's preacher Solomon Burke on this day in 2010 when he passed away, ending the life of the 300-pound showman whose gospel-infused R&B and hits like "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" influenced the Rolling Stones and countless others…

 

French music lost its most passionate voice today in 1963 when Édith Piaf died of liver cancer at 47, silencing "La Môme Piaf" whose emotional intensity on "La Vie en Rose" and "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" made her an international icon…

 

Psychedelic art found one of its greatest practitioners when Stanley "Mouse" Miller was born on this day in 1940, the artist whose concert posters for the Grateful Dead and other bands helped define the visual aesthetic of the San Francisco sound…

 

Progressive rock was officially born on this day in 1969 with the release of King Crimson's 'In the Court of the Crimson King,' the groundbreaking debut that established the genre's complexity and ambition with Robert Fripp's guitar and Greg Lake's vocals…

 

Deep Purple entered a new era today in 1975 with the release of 'Come Taste the Band,' the only studio album featuring guitar virtuoso Tommy Bolin, whose funk-influenced style marked the band's brief departure from their signature hard rock sound before his tragic overdose death.