February 20

We remember grunge's most tortured voice Kurt Cobain on his birthday today in 1967, the Nirvana frontman whose blend of punk fury and pop melody revolutionized rock before his suicide at 27 in 1994 ended the career of the reluctant spokesman for Generation X…

 

Hard rock suffered a devastating loss today in 1980 when AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott was pronounced dead at 33 after a night of heavy drinking in London, the charismatic frontman's death nearly ending the band before Brian Johnson's arrival allowed them to continue…

 

Gonzo journalism lost its founding outlaw on this day in 2005 when Hunter S. Thompson took his own life at 67, ending the career of the writer whose music criticism and friendship with the Grateful Dead made him as important to counterculture as any musician…

 

Rock's deadliest tragedy occurred on this day in 2003 when pyrotechnics ignited The Station nightclub during a Great White concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island, killing 100 people and forever changing venue safety regulations while devastating families and the music community…

 

Folk's most important Indigenous voice Buffy Sainte-Marie celebrates her 85th birthday today, the Cree singer-songwriter whose "Universal Soldier" and activism made her both a '60s icon and target of government blacklisting that nearly destroyed her career…

 

We remember Steely Dan's guitar genius Walter Becker on his birthday today in 1950, the bassist-guitarist whose jazz-influenced playing and cynical songwriting with Donald Fagen created some of rock's most sophisticated music before his death in 2017…

 

We honor blues-rock's most energetic frontman J. Geils on his birthday today in 1946, born Jerome Geils, the guitarist whose band's "Centerfold" and marathon live shows made them Boston legends before his death in 2017 ended five decades of R&B-influenced rock…

 

We remember Spirit's psychedelic guitarist Randy California on his birthday today in 1951, the musician whose "Nature's Way" and accusations that Led Zeppelin stole "Taurus" for "Stairway to Heaven" made him both influential and litigious before his drowning death saving his son in 1997…

 

Jazz-rock sophistication reached new heights today in 1974 with the release of Steely Dan's 'Pretzel Logic,' the album featuring "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" that proved Donald Fagen and Walter Becker could craft radio hits without sacrificing their musical complexity.