April 23

We remember rock's most operatic voice Roy Orbison on his birthday today in 1936, "The Big O" whose three-octave range and dark sunglasses on hits like "Crying" and "Pretty Woman" made him one of the era's most distinctive voices before his death in 1988 silenced pop's greatest balladeer…

 

Tin Pan Alley lost one of its greatest composers on this day in 1986 when Harold Arlen died at 81, ending the career of the songwriter whose "Over the Rainbow" and work with lyricist Yip Harburg created the Great American Songbook's most enduring standards…

 

Business met betrayal today in 1987 when Carole King sued her former mentor Lou Adler for $400,000 in royalties and publishing rights, the lawsuit exposing how even Brill Building's greatest songwriter had been exploited by the music industry's most trusted figures…

 

Punk lost its most self-destructive junkie today in 1991 when New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders died at 38 from a heroin overdose in New Orleans, ending the career of the musician whose proto-punk riffs influenced the Ramones despite his inability to escape addiction…

 

The Rolling Stones reached their sleazy peak today in 1971 with the release of 'Sticky Fingers,' the album featuring the Andy Warhol zipper cover and "Brown Sugar" that proved the band could embrace their darkest impulses while creating commercial masterpieces…

 

Punk's founding document arrived today in 1976 with the release of the Ramones' self-titled debut, the 29-minute album proving that rock and roll could be stripped to its three-chord essence while the CBGB regulars established the template for every punk band that followed.