Today in rock history: On this date in 1958, Catherine Bush, better known as Kate Bush, was born in Bexleyheath, a town in Kent County, England. Beginning her colorful career as a teenager towards the end of the 1970s, Bush became the first female to ever top the British singles chart with a self-penned song. Her first single, “Wuthering Heights” was an instant smash and made Kate an overnight success in her native England, although she'd been writing songs since she was very young. Her career as a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, dancer and producer continued to gain momentum, and Bush soon became one of the most intriguing and interesting artists to emerge from the era. With a string of strong, ingenious, sporadically released albums and the desire to not tour, Kate has become an icon and one of the most influential artists of all time. This brilliant, genius artist turns 60 years old today and has spent the majority of her life writing songs and releasing some of the most original and distinctive albums ever created.

Today in rock history: On this date in 1979, American funk/R&B/disco outfit Chic released its third album, the critically acclaimed Risqué. The album was a huge hit and climbed high on both pop and R&B sales charts upon its release. A more sophisticated and grander sounding record than the band’s two previous releases, Risqué is often cited as Chic’s finest hour and contains some of the band’s biggest and most recognizable hit songs. “Good Times,” the album’s lead single, is one of the most sampled songs of all time; its familiar bassline has made it onto tracks by artists like Daft Punk, Beastie Boys and, most notably, on The Sugarhill Gang’s early hip-hop pioneering hit, “Rapper’s Delight.” Produced by the band’s versatile guitarist and bassist, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards respectively, the album is widely recognized as one of the most important and vital releases of the disco era. Another single from the record, “My Forbidden Lover” was also a huge hit and helped the album reach platinum sales status and exceed 1 million copies sold in America alone.

Today in rock history: On this date in 1936, blues legend Buddy Guy was born in Lettsworth, Louisiana. An early fixture on the Chicago blues scene, Guy was heavily involved with the quintessential blues record label, Chess Records, and served as guitarist for blues giant Muddy Waters for many years. Guy also partnered with harmonica player Junior Wells and has been cited as a major influence on other star guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards. Guy is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a multiple Grammy award winner.

Today in rock history: On this date in 1969, jazz giant Miles Davis released one of his most important and integral albums, In A Silent Way. Marking the beginning of Davis’s electric/fusion period, the record angered jazz purists who weren’t thrilled with the direction Miles was going in with this album, yet it gained accolades from journalists who appreciated the unpredictable, uncharted territory he was heading into. Featuring the talents of renowned musicians like saxophone player Wayne Shorter, guitarist John McLaughlin and keyboardist Herbie Hancock, In A Silent Way is now regarded as a milestone in Davis’s career and has spawned a multi-disc box set chronicling the recording sessions for this superb album (although all the sessions for the record were recorded throughout one single day in February of 1969).