Ian McLagan: I Had Me a Real Good Time

"Had me a real good time." That's the title of a song by Faces, and it totally sums up my feelings every time I rock and roll to the music of that premier British bar band. Their keyboard player Ian McLagan, who died suddenly of a stroke on December 3, 2014, would have been 70 today. I know I refer to a lot of performers as "my favorite" this or that, but you can be certain of this: "Mac" was my favorite band keyboardist. I was thrilled to meet the charismatic musician in June 2013 after his intimate gig at The Tin Angel in Philadelphia (I even got a kiss - Ooh la la!).

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‘White Frankenstein’ Edgar Winter: The First to Wear a Strap-on

Today is the 68th birthday of multi-instrumentalist Edgar Winter, who - along with his deceased brother Johnny - was highly recognizable as one of the few albinos in rock. But far beyond that, he's also a talented keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist who's famous for fusing jazz, rock and blues. His Edgar Winter Band is best known for their monster instrumental track "Frankenstein," which hit the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100 in May 1973. The wild jam indeed raised the dead and helped pioneer the use of synthesizers in music.

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