by Britt Ryan | Sep 5, 2020 | Today in Music History
Farrokh Bulsara was born in Zanzibar on this day in 1946. Who’s that? Where’s that? Answers: Freddie Mercury and a small island off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean. Here are two clips from his incredible career as the lead singer of Queen — the band’s...
by Britt Ryan | Sep 4, 2020 | Today in Music History
Destiny had something special in store for a child born in Houston on this day in 1981 — Beyoncé Knowles. Here, Beyoncé channels blues legend Etta James, whom she portrayed in the 2008 film “Cadillac Records.” She also performed “At Last” for First Couple Barack and...
by Britt Ryan | Sep 3, 2020 | Today in Music History
Born in Gilmer, Texas, on this day in 1934 and raised in the South Side of Chicago, Freddie King was a famed blues guitarist known for his powerful, soulful voice, distinctive guitar style and hard-partying lifestyle (he died at 42 in 1976). His Rock & Roll Hall...
by Britt Ryan | Sep 2, 2020 | Today in Music History
OK, you knew that Billy Preston had several huge hits during the 1970s and that he was famous for performing with The Beatles (“Get Back”) and other top acts. But did you know that he jammed with the legendary Nat King Cole at age 11? Here, he nails a duet of...
by Britt Ryan | Sep 1, 2020 | Today in Music History, Uncategorized
Willie Ruff wasn’t just a jazz man. He was also a Yale man who served his country alongside the famed Tuskegee airmen. He enlisted in the Army at age 14 and was inspired by an article he read about Charlie Parker to attend the Yale School of Music, where he earned a...
by Britt Ryan | Aug 31, 2020 | Today in Music History
Sir Van Morrison — that’s what the blue-eyed soul singer from Belfast, Northern Ireland, is known as in the U.K., where in 2016 he was knighted by the Prince of Wales. Born on this day in 1945, his path to musical fame started as the lead singer for Them (or “Les...
by Britt Ryan | Aug 30, 2020 | Today in Music History
The Mamas and the Papas channeled an emerging West Coast counterculture sound when they recorded “California Dreamin’” in 1965. John Phillips, who co-wrote the song with wife Michelle Phillips, was born in Parris Island, South Carolina on this day in 1935 (he died in...
by Britt Ryan | Aug 29, 2020 | Today in Music History
Hey, guess who just turned 100. Jazz saxophone superstar Charlie Parker was born on this day in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1920. His addiction to heroin led to his premature death at age 34 in 1955, but the legacy of the bebop virtuoso known as “Bird” burns as brightly...
by Britt Ryan | Aug 28, 2020 | Today in Music History
Jack Black. Funny guy. Movie star. And … natural-born rock ‘n’ roll animal. Born in Santa Monica, California, on this day in 1969, the star of “School of Rock” is also the frontman of Tenacious D, his satiric rock power duo with Kyle Gass. Black brings a manic...
by Britt Ryan | Aug 27, 2020 | Today in Music History
Tragedy struck on this day in 1990, when Stevie Ray Vaughn and four others were killed in a helicopter crash after Vaughn played a show with Eric Clapton and Robert Cray in East Troy, Wisconsin. He was just 35 years old. Born in Dallas, Texas, he was widely considered...
