Chapter 01 — Today in music
On a day like today May 14
1998
Frank Sinatra dies: The Voice that invented the modern singer goes silent
On May 14, 1998, Frank Sinatra died in Los Angeles at 82. Before rock existed, he had already invented teenage hysteria, the concept album and the idea of the singer as dramatic interpreter. His phrasing taught entire generations how to sing, from ballads to pop. Even the toughest rockers acknowledge the debt: Sinatra defined what it means to stand in front of a microphone.
Frank Sinatra
1952
David Byrne is born, the brilliant bundle of nerves who made art danceable
On May 14, 1952, David Byrne was born in Scotland — the restless brain of Talking Heads. From New York's CBGB he turned modern anxiety into cerebral funk, and with 'Remain in Light' and the concert film 'Stop Making Sense' he redefined what a rock band could be. An insatiably curious mind, he has spent decades proving the avant-garde can also dance.
David Byrne
Talking Heads
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