March 1

The Who's golden throat Roger Daltrey celebrates his 82nd birthday today, the former sheet metal worker whose powerful vocals and stage presence made him one of rock's most distinctive frontmen while his solo career and charitable work proved his talents extended beyond windmilling Pete Townshend…

 

Big band's most successful bandleader Glenn Miller was born on this day in 1904, the trombonist whose smooth orchestrations on "In the Mood" and "Moonlight Serenade" defined the swing era before his plane disappeared over the English Channel in 1944, making him a wartime legend…

 

We remember calypso's king Harry Belafonte on his birthday today in 1927, the singer-actor-activist whose "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" brought Caribbean music to America while his civil rights work and humanitarian efforts proved entertainment could advance social justice before his death in 2023…

 

Grunge's flame extinguished today in 1994 when Nirvana played their final concert at Terminal Einz in Munich, Germany, Kurt Cobain's deteriorating health and addiction making the performance a haunting farewell six weeks before his suicide ended the band forever…

 

Rock criticism found its most passionate voice when Dave Marsh was born today in 1950, the writer whose work at Rolling Stone and Creem championed Bruce Springsteen and working-class rock while his advocacy elevated music journalism from fan service to serious cultural commentary…

 

Progressive rock achieved perfection today in 1973 with the release of Pink Floyd's 'The Dark Side of the Moon,' the album about madness and modern life that would spend 741 weeks on the Billboard charts, becoming one of the best-selling and most influential records ever made.