March 19

British blues lost its most soulful guitarist today in 1976 when Free's Paul Kossoff died at 25 from heroin-related heart problems on a flight to New York, ending the career of the musician whose emotional playing on "All Right Now" influenced a generation before addiction destroyed his talent…

 

Grunge suffered a devastating pre-fame loss on this day in 1990 when Mother Love Bone's Andrew Wood died at 24 from a heroin overdose, the charismatic frontman's death destroying the band that would have rivaled Nirvana while his bandmates formed Pearl Jam from the ashes…

 

Heavy metal mourned a guitar prodigy today in 1982 when Randy Rhoads was killed at 25 when the small plane he was riding in crashed into Ozzy Osbourne's tour bus, ending the career of the classically-trained guitarist whose work on 'Blizzard of Ozz' had revolutionized metal guitar…

 

Folk's most important voice introduced himself today in 1962 with the release of Bob Dylan's self-titled debut album, the 20-year-old's acoustic traditionalism giving no hint of the electric revolutionary he would become just three years later…

 

Progressive rock met social commentary today in 1971 with the release of Jethro Tull's 'Aqualung,' Ian Anderson's concept album about homelessness and organized religion proving that flute-driven rock could tackle serious themes while achieving commercial success…

 

Garage rock's most explosive minimalism arrived on this day in 2003 with the release of The White Stripes' 'Elephant,' the album featuring "Seven Nation Army" and its iconic bass line that proved Jack and Meg White's red-white-and-black aesthetic could dominate the 2000s with just two people.