On this day in 1985, Wham!–the musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley–became the first-ever Western pop act to have an album released in China. Of course, Make It Big (the album in question) was merely the opener of the floodgates–Western music has since invaded the expansive country. In honor of this musical [...]
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Aretha Franklin, the singer and songwriter who Rolling Stone ranked at the top of its “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” list, celebrates her 70th birthday today. And if anyone deserves a little respect for her seventh decade on the planet, it’s the Queen of Soul! We thought the best way to honor the legendary [...]
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It’s easy to picture our greatest musical minds as utter geniuses, creating their own ideas and styles simply by drawing from some inexplicable inner wellspring. But like the rest of us, even the brightest have to take inspiration from somewhere–or someone else. On March 1, 1964 Jimi Hendrix began recording and performing with Little Richard, [...]
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Two years ago today, The White Stripes were taking on the US Air Force, complaining that it used one of the group’s songs without permission. The song at hand: “Fell In Love With A Girl,” which purportedly played during an ad for Super Bowl XLIV. In a statement on their website, the duo said they took “strong [...]
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On January 30, 1969, The Beatles play a lunchtime rooftop gig on top of the Apple building on Savile Row in London. Lasting for just over 40 minutes, it is the last time The Beatles perform live. The performance, which was filmed for the Let It Be movie, is stopped early by police after neighbors [...]
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