April 25

We remember jazz's greatest voice Ella Fitzgerald on her birthday today in 1918, the "First Lady of Song" whose three-octave range, scat singing mastery, and songbook interpretations made her the most technically perfect vocalist in any genre before her death in 1996…

 

Hip-hop R&B lost its most innovative rapper today in 2002 when TLC's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes died at 30 in a car accident in Honduras, ending the career of the musician whose creative vision and tumultuous personal life had made her the group's most unpredictable and essential member…

 

Novelty rock mourned its one-hit wonder today in 2007 when Bobby "Boris" Pickett died at 69 from leukemia, ending the life of the singer whose "Monster Mash" became Halloween's eternal soundtrack despite his never escaping that single gimmick across five decades…

 

We honor rock's greatest songwriting partnership Leiber and Stoller on Jerry Leiber's birthday today in 1933, the lyricist whose collaboration with Mike Stoller produced "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," and countless other hits that defined early rock and roll before his death in 2011…

 

We remember blues guitar's most expressive voice Albert King on his birthday today in 1923, the left-handed guitarist whose string-bending on a Flying V influenced Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan while his "Born Under a Bad Sign" became a blues standard before his death in 1992.