Chapter 01 — Today in music
On a day like today December 21
1940
Frank Zappa is born, the composer who used rock as a laboratory
Frank Zappa is born in Baltimore: a self-taught musician raised on Varèse and doo-wop in equal measure. With the Mothers of Invention he turned satire into high composition — “Freak Out!” was among history's first conceptual double albums. A ferocious guitarist, serious orchestrator and independent businessman, he made skepticism a musical genre.
Frank Zappa
1942
Carla Thomas is born, the queen of Memphis soul who also earned a master's degree
On December 21, 1942, Carla Thomas was born in Memphis, daughter of singer and disc jockey Rufus Thomas. In 1960 she recorded "Gee Whiz", one of the first hits for the Stax label, which until then was little more than a converted cinema. She later cut a full album of duets with Otis Redding and, in parallel, completed a master's degree at Howard University.
Carla Thomas
Otis Redding
Rufus Thomas
1946
Carl Wilson is born, the voice of “God Only Knows”
Carl Wilson, youngest of the Beach Boys' founding brothers, is born in Hawthorne, California. His serene performance of “God Only Knows”, recorded at 19, is for many, McCartney included, one of pop's most beautiful vocal moments. When Brian withdrew from the stage, it was Carl who held the band together with a gentle hand.
Carl Wilson
The Beach Boys
1947
Paco de Lucía is born, who brought the Peruvian cajón into flamenco and changed its pulse
On December 21, 1947, Francisco Sánchez Gómez was born in Algeciras, son of a guitarist who made him practise twelve hours a day. As Paco de Lucía he revolutionised flamenco from within: he recorded with Camarón de la Isla, played with jazz musicians and, after a trip to Peru in 1977, brought in the cajón, now indispensable in any flamenco group. He died in 2014 on a Mexican beach.
Paco de Lucía
Camarón de la Isla
1953
Betty Wright is born, who recorded "Clean Up Woman" at seventeen and ended up training half the industry
On December 21, 1953, Betty Wright was born in Miami. At seventeen she released "Clean Up Woman", a soul track with a guitar figure so recognisable that half of hip hop sampled it. Decades later she turned to teaching singing and production: she worked with Joss Stone, Jennifer Lopez and on Beyoncé's "Lemonade". She died in 2020, aged sixty-six.
Betty Wright
Beyoncé
1872
Lorenzo Perosi is born, the priest who directed the Sistine Chapel for half a century
On December 21, 1872, Lorenzo Perosi was born in Tortona, a priest and composer who at twenty-six was put in charge of the music of the Sistine Chapel, a post he held for almost fifty years. He wrote dozens of oratorios and became famous across Europe. In 1922 a severe mental illness kept him from work for years; he later recovered and went back to composing.
Lorenzo Perosi
1943
Albert Lee is born, the Englishman Nashville guitarists went to copy
On December 21, 1943, Albert Lee was born in Herefordshire, son of a pianist, and fell in love with American country music without ever having set foot in the United States. He developed a pick-and-fingers technique so fast that when he finally crossed the Atlantic he ended up playing with Emmylou Harris, with the Everly Brothers and for five years in Eric Clapton's band.
Albert Lee
Emmylou Harris
Eric Clapton
1953
András Schiff is born, who refused to play in his own country again
On December 21, 1953, András Schiff was born in Budapest, son of Holocaust survivors. He settled in the West in 1979 and became one of the great interpreters of Bach, Schubert and Beethoven, with a stripped-back sound that avoids any display. In 2011 he announced he would no longer perform in Hungary, in protest at the rise of the far right.
András Schiff
1971
Matthieu Chedid is born, who invented a character in order to get on stage
On December 21, 1971, Matthieu Chedid was born near Paris, son of songwriter Louis Chedid and grandson of the poet Andrée Chedid. Too shy to perform under his own name, he created "-M-", a character with spiked hair and glittering suits. Behind the costume is a formidable guitarist, who recorded in Mali with the kora master Toumani Diabaté.
Matthieu Chedid
Toumani Diabaté
1978
Shaun Morgan is born, who took South African rock onto American radio
On December 21, 1978, Shaun Morgan was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, founder of Seether. The band left the country in 2002 and settled in the United States, where they found an audience missing the heavy rock of the nineties. Their version of "Broken" as a duet with Evanescence's Amy Lee was the song that introduced them to a mass audience.
Shaun Morgan
Seether
Amy Lee
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