Throwback: Happy 68th Birthday, Ian Curtis!

July is a very busy month in music history:

• The iconic Debbie Harry celebrated her 79th birthday on July 1
• The B-52s Fred Schneider celebrated his 73rd birthday on July 1
• Missy Elliott, one of the most forward thinking artists of her generation — and perhaps of any generation, really — celebrated her 53rd birthday on July 1
• Evelyn “Champagne” King celebrated her 64th birthday on July 1
• Depeche Mode‘s Yaz’s/Yazoo’s and Erasure‘s Vince Clarke celebrated his 63rd birthday on July 3
• The great jazz organist Dr. Lonnie Smith was born 82 years ago on July 3
• Bill Withers was born 86 years ago on July 4 
• Huey Lewis and The News‘ frontman Huey Lewis celebrated his 74th birthday on July 5
• 50 Cent celebrated his 49th birthday on July 6
• The Beatles‘ Ringo Starr celebrated his 84th birthday on July 7
• Depeche Mode co-founder  
• Andy “Fletch” Fletcher was born 63 years ago on July 8
• Beck celebrated his 54th birthday on July 8
• AC/DC‘s first frontman, Bon Scott was born 78 years ago on July 9
• The legendary and incomparable Mavis Staples celebrated her 85th birthday on July 10
• Pet Shop Boys‘ frontman Neil Tennant celebrated his 70th — yes, 70th! — birthday on July 10
• Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy celebrates his 67th birthday today
• Lil’ Kim celebrated her 50th — yes, 50th! — birthday on July 11
• MF DOOM was born 53 years ago on July 13

Joy Division‘s Ian Curtis was born on this day 68 years ago. Largely considered the first band in the post-punk movement to emphasize mood and expression, their work — despite their short time as Joy Division — has had a wide-reaching influence, reverberating through the most important music of the past 50 years, with U2, Soundgarden, Tears for Fears, Hüsker Dü and a lengthy list of others citing the British post-punk outfit as an influence on their sound and approach.

This shouldn’t be surprising. Their sound is timeless — and captures the eerie coldness and loneliness of their time, as much as it does ours.

We may have lost Curtis 44 years ago. But his work with Joy Division — only two full-length albums and 12 singles — are towering and will likely inform the work of countless generations.

Happy birthday, Ian. Happy birthday, wherever you are!