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Photo: Winter/Getty Born May 28th, 1944 Key Tracks “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Neither One of Us,” “Midnight Train to Georgia” Influenced Mariah Carey, Jill Scott Gladys Knight’s advice about great singing: “Just sing the song and say the words.” Knight combined precise classic-pop elegance with pure soul power on songs like “Midnight Train [...]
Photo: Micelotta/Getty Born November 8th, 1949 Key Tracks “Nick of Time,” “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” “Angel from Montgomery,” “Love Me Like a Man” Influenced Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, the Dixie Chicks “For many years, I couldn’t stand listening to my own voice,” says Bonnie Raitt. “Not enough gravitas or experience to convey the [...]
Photo: Verona/Getty Born October 1st, 1945 (died January 13th, 1979) Key Tracks “The Ghetto, Pt. 1″ “Where Is the Love” Influenced Alicia Keys, R. Kelly, John Legend Donny Hathaway died in 1979, but his warm, suave soul has never been more influential. He’s been name-checked in songs by Amy Winehouse, Nas, Common and Fall Out [...]
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Born September 7th, 1936 (died February 3rd, 1959) Key Tracks “That’ll Be the Day,” “Rave On,” “Not Fade Away” Influenced John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger “He had this totally unique, perfect blend of old hillbilly and new rock & roll,” says singer-songwriter Joe Ely. “And he had that bit of [...]
Photo: Persson/Redferns/Retna Born December 8th, 1943 (died July 3rd, 1971) Key Tracks “Light My Fire,” “Break On Through (to the Other Side),” “L.A. Woman” Influenced Iggy Pop, Ian Astbury The difference between Jim Morrison and Elvis Presley, Patti Smith says, “is that Elvis had humility. I don’t think Jim had it.” Still, Morrison, who was [...]
Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Born September 8th, 1932 (died March 5th, 1963) Key Tracks “I Fall to Pieces,” “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “Crazy” Influenced Loretta Lynn, Linda Ronstadt, k.d. lang With her husky alto and aching hiccup on early-Sixties songs like “Crazy,” “I Fall to Pieces” and “Sweet Dreams (of You),” Cline was the first major [...]