May 4

America's innocence shattered today in 1970 when National Guard troops killed four students at Kent State during a Vietnam War demonstration, the massacre inspiring Neil Young's "Ohio" and proving that protest could turn deadly while galvanizing the anti-war movement's most violent confrontations…

 

Chicago blues lost its greatest white interpreter today in 1987 when Paul Butterfield died at 44 from drug-related heart failure, ending the career of the harmonica player whose multiracial band proved that authenticity mattered more than skin color while addiction destroyed his talent…

 

We remember psychedelic rock's oldest hippie Ed Cassidy on his birthday today in 1923, the Spirit drummer whose bald head and jazz background made him the most unlikely member of the 1960s counterculture before his death in 2012 ended a career bridging generations…

 

We honor It's a Beautiful Day's violin virtuoso David LaFlamme on his birthday today in 1941, the musician whose "White Bird" became San Francisco psychedelia's most delicate moment while proving that classical instruments could soar in rock contexts before his death in 2023…

 

We remember jazz fusion's highest-note trumpeter Maynard Ferguson on his birthday today in 1928, the Canadian whose screaming register and "Gonna Fly Now" disco arrangement proved that big band could survive into the 1970s before his death in 2006…

 

Soul's smoothest pleader Tyrone Davis was born this day in 1938, the Chicago singer whose "Can I Change My Mind" and "Turn Back the Hands of Time" showcased his ability to deliver heartbreak with sophisticated restraint before his death in 2005 ended four decades of quiet excellence.