September is a busy month in music history.
- The Bee Gees‘ Barry Gibb celebrated his 78th birthday on September 1
- Gloria Estefan celebrated her 67th birthday on September 1
- Soundgarden‘s Kim Thayil celebrated his 64th birthday on September 4
- Freddie Mercury, one of the greatest vocalists and entertainers in rock history was born 79 years ago on September 5
- Pink Floyd‘s co-founder and creative force Roger Waters celebrated his 82nd birthday on September 6
- The legendary, King of Soul, Otis Redding was born 84 years ago on September 9
- Dave Stewart celebrated his 73rd birthday on September 9
- Big Daddy Kane, one of the most entertaining and talented emcees in hip-hop history celebrated his 57th birthday on September 10
- The legendary Roy Ayers was born 85 years ago on September 10
- Aerosmith‘s Joe Perry celebrated his 75th birthday on September 10
- The Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft celebrated his 53rd birthday on September 11
- Ludacris celebrated his 48th birthday on September 10
- The legendary Barry White, the Original King of Quiet Storm Soul was born 81 years ago on September 12
- Rush‘s Neal Peart, one the greatest rock drummers ever was born 73 years ago on September 12
- The Church frontman Steve Kilbey celebrated his 71st birthday on September 13
- Keith Murray, one of the most entertaining emcees I’ve ever seen live, celebrated his 51sh birthday on September 13
- The great and supremely talented Amy Winehouse was born 42 years ago on September 14
- Nas, one of the greatest living emcees to ever hold a mic celebrated his 52nd birthday on September 14
- The legendary B.B. King was born 100 years ago on September 15
- The Prodigy‘s Keith Flint was born 55 years ago on September 17
- The legendary and iconic Nile Rodgers celebrated his 73rd birthday on September 19
- Singer/songwriter, musician, poet, novelist, iconic Canadian and beloved Montealer, Leonard Cohen was born 91 years ago on September 21
- Joan Jett celebrated her 67th birthday on September 22
- John William Coltrane, one of the most influential, important and beloved musicians of the 20th century was born 99 years ago on September 23
- The legendary Ray Charles was born 95 years ago on September 23
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 to this point.
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 drummer Peter Salisbury celebrates his 54th birthday today. Happy birthday, Peter! Thank you for being part of music that’s been such a major part of me and my life. And may there be many, many more!
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