Chapter 01 — Today in music
On a day like today May 20
1944
Joe Cocker is born, the Sheffield gas fitter who sang with his whole body
On May 20, 1944, Joe Cocker was born in Sheffield — a former gas fitter who turned 'With a Little Help from My Friends' into a soul hurricane and stole Woodstock with that version. His broken voice and onstage spasms were pure surrender: nobody faked less than Cocker. The absolute reference for how an interpreter can seize someone else's song and own it forever.
Joe Cocker
1946
Cher is born, the goddess of permanent reinvention
On May 20, 1946, Cherilyn Sarkisian — universally known as Cher — was born in California. From the folk-pop of Sonny & Cher to Oscar-winning film work and the dance smash 'Believe', she has spent six decades reinventing herself before the industry could retire her. Her pioneering use of Auto-Tune as an aesthetic effect in 1998 shaped the sound of 21st-century pop.
Cher
One ephemeris a day, one editorial a week. Zero spam, pure archive.