It’s September y’all! It’s been a miserable, soul-wrenching slog of a year, full of gratuitous brutality and barbarism, endless war. a slow-burning slide into fascism and economic collapse. But somehow, the year has raced by. Summer is almost over. And we’re still here surviving as best as we can.
Music, art and community matter more than ever. Let’s not forget that fact. As always, I will spend some time celebrating the birthday of a series of favorites and legends while we still have them.
- Gloria Estefan celebrated her 68th birthday on September 1
- The Bee Gees‘ Barry Gibb celebrated his 80th birthday on September 1
- Soundgarden guitarist
- Kim Thayil celebrated his 66th birthday on September 4
- Freddie Mercury, one of the greatest vocalists and entertainers in rock history was born 80 years ago on September 5
- Disco and dance music icon Sylvester was born 79 years ago on September 6
- Pink Floyd‘s co-founder and creative force Roger Waters celebrates his 83rd on September 6
- Hip hop pioneer Easy E was born 62 years ago on September 7
- The legendary Patsy Cline was born 94 years ago on September 8
- Dave Stewart, best known for being one-half of smash-hit pop/New Wave duo Eurythmics, celebrated his 74th birthday on September 9
- The legendary, King of Soul, Otis Redding was born on this day 85 years ago on September 9
- Big Daddy Kane, one of the most entertaining and talented emcees in hip-hop history celebrated his 58th birthday on September 10
- Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker founder and frontman David Lowery celebrated his 66th birthday on September 10
- Cracker co-founder and lead guitarist Johnny Hickman celebrated his 67th birthday on September 10
- Aerosmith co-founder and lead guitarist Joe Perry celebrated his 76th birthday on September 10
- Roy Ayers was born 86 years ago on September 10
The Verve is one of my favorite bands ever. And those who know me, know that I absolutely adored them. The first copy of Urban Hymns I owned, I played so much that it cracked in half in the CD ROM tray of an old desktop computer. That album — and all of their albums I carried with me and played throughout most of my adult life.
When they went on their reunion tour to support 2008’s Forth, I remember saying to an ex that “I’d give my left arm to see them,” and that “I’d pay almost anything to see them.” Seeing them live, and being just a few feet from them was the thrill of my life — and one of the best concerts I had ever attended as a fan or as a journalist.
The Verve’s frontman Richard Ashcroft celebrates his 53rd birthday today.. Happy birthday, Richard! Thank you for music that’s been such a major part of me and my life. And may there be many, many more!
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