February 17

Country met folk royalty today in 1969 when Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash recorded "Girl from the North Country" together at Nashville's CBS Studios, the duet capturing two American music giants at the peak of their powers during Dylan's country period…

 

Punk's most melodic revolutionary Billie Joe Armstrong celebrates his 54th birthday today, the Green Day frontman whose "Basket Case" and 'American Idiot' proved that three-chord punk could evolve into rock opera without losing its working-class edge…

 

Pop's most calculated troubadour Ed Sheeran was born today in 1991, the British singer-songwriter whose loop pedal performances and romantic ballads made him one of the 2010s' biggest stars while critics debated whether his ubiquity represented genuine talent or savvy marketing…

 

Southern rock's most versatile guitarist Rickey Medlocke was born today in 1950, the Blackfoot founder who would later join Lynyrd Skynyrd, proving his ability to master both Native American-influenced hard rock and classic Southern boogie across five decades…

 

Hair metal met MTV glamour on this day in 1989 when Whitesnake's David Coverdale married actress Tawny Kitaen, the "Here I Go Again" video vixen's marriage to the British rocker lasting just two years before divorce ended rock's most photogenic union…

 

Rock memorabilia reached new heights today in 2005 when a 1965 Fender Stratocaster belonging to Jimi Hendrix sold for $137,000 at a London auction, proving that any instrument touched by the guitar god commanded extraordinary prices from devoted collectors.