October 8

 

Pop's most versatile showman Bruno Mars was born today in 1985, the Hawaiian multi-instrumentalist whose retro-inspired hits like "Uptown Funk" and "Just the Way You Are" have made him one of the 21st century's most successful and charismatic performers…

 

Rock and roll history received postal recognition today in 1992 when the US Postal Service issued commemorative stamps featuring Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and other pioneers, officially acknowledging the genre's cultural importance and giving fans collectible tributes to their heroes…

 

Rock and roll's founding father Chuck Berry was awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame today in 1987, finally receiving the recognition due to the guitarist whose duck walk and guitar licks on songs like "Johnny B. Goode" essentially invented rock music…

 

We remember punk rock's most relentless guitarist Johnny Ramone on his birthday today in 1948, born John Cummings, the buzzsaw downstroker whose rapid-fire three-chord attack helped create the Ramones' blueprint for punk before his death from cancer in 2004…

 

Rock excess met physical limits today in 1966 when Cream drummer Ginger Baker collapsed during a gig after playing a 20-minute drum solo, proving that even superhuman percussionists have breaking points during the psychedelic era's extended jam sessions…

 

Alternative rock mourned another loss to addiction today in 2011 when Mikey Welsh, former Weezer bassist, died of an overdose-induced heart attack in Chicago at 40, adding another tragic name to the long list of musicians claimed by substance abuse…

 

Art-funk reached its zenith today in 1980 with the release of Talking Heads' 'Remain in Light,' the Brian Eno-produced masterpiece featuring "Once in a Lifetime" that fused African polyrhythms with new wave anxiety to create one of the era's most innovative albums.