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Born Claude Russell Bridges in Lawton, Oklahoma, on this day in 1942, Leon Russell mastered virtually every style of American popular music in his 60-year career, so it's fitting that his 1978 album bears the title AMERICANA. Released on Russell's own Paradise Records imprint, the self-produced set shows the singer-songwriter having plenty of fun with country and bluegrass, offering a non-traditional take on the genre in which Kim Fowley (who co-wrote most of these songs) and Chicago's horn section can peacefully coexist. “Elvis and Marilyn,” “Ladies Of The Night” and a fine cover of “When A Man Loves A Woman” are just a few of the highlights here, and AMERICANA presents the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer in peak form.

If Laura Branigan's “Gloria” announced the arrival of an exciting new talent, SELF CONTROL underlined the New York performer's versatility and passion. Released 35 years ago this week, the Atlantic collection serves as a showcase of her multi-octave voice; whether singing a ballad like “Ti Amo” or a pulsing dance song like “Satisfaction” (both co-written by Diane Warren), Laura is in complete control, and “The Lucky One” and the title track became Top 40 and Top 10 hits, respectively. The platinum-certified SELF CONTROL would prove to be Laura Branigan's most successful album, and it's one every '80s fan should hear.

Ginger Baker had been a highly regarded blues and jazz drummer long before he became a star in Cream, so the progressive jazz of COWARD OF THE COUNTY should come as no surprise. Baker shares credit on the release with the Denver Jazz Quintet-to-Octet, a group featuring the percussionist, trumpeter Ron Miles and bassist Artie Moore at its core (sax great James Carter sits in on three tracks here). The playing is remarkably cohesive on the Atlantic set, with Ginger's explosive drum work mixed to the fore. Baker penned two of these songs (“Dangle the Carrot” and “Cyril Davies,” a tribute to the U.K. blues pioneer) but Miles contributes the bulk of the varied originals and proves to be as gifted a songwriter as he is an instrumentalist. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, COWARD OF THE COUNTY is one of Ginger Baker's very best.

When asked to describe THE BLACK PARADE, My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way called it “way more dramatic, way more theatrical, completely over the top, borderline psychotic." The 2006 Reprise collection was a wildly ambitious venture for the group – a rock opera about a cancer patient looking back on his life – yet it succeeds thanks to the band's intense performances and hook-filled songcraft. On such highlights as “Welcome to the Black Parade,” “Famous Last Words” and “Teenagers,” MCR's goth-shaded emo achieves the grandeur of such '70s heroes as Queen and Pink Floyd, and the album became a triple-platinum hit. This is Gerard Way's birthday, and to help celebrate it, we'll march with THE BLACK PARADE.

Shortly after Rhino acquired the seminal Sugarhill Records catalog, it released a reunion album from the band that started it all – The Sugarhill Gang. The first new album from Big Bank Hank, Master G, and Wonder Mike in more than 15 years, JUMP ON IT! puts a new spin on the trio's genial old school rap with a set of songs aimed at kids. It's a remarkably natural fit - as the jump-rope cover art reminds, children's games and rhyming go hand-in-hand – and “The Vowels,” “Fireworks,” and “My Little Playmate” are as enjoyable as they are educational. The 10 tracks also include kid-friendly versions of hip-hop favorites like the group's classic “Rapper's Delight.” As JUMP ON IT! celebrates its 20th anniversary, its positive message and engaging performances still resonate with young and old.

After scoring a commercial breakthrough with 1997's INTERNATIONAL VELVET, Welsh band Catatonia built on that success with EQUALLY CURSED AND BLESSED. The set's 1999 release date puts it at the tail end of the Brit-pop era, and its confidence and punchy songs are in keeping with that scene - tracks like “Dead from the Waist Down,” “Londinium” and “Storm The Palace” remain irresistibly catchy. Yet Catatonia were more than mere ear candy; frontwoman Cerys Matthews skewers London, consumerism, the monarchy and more on these 11 originals, with a delivery that's as alluring as it is focused. EQUALLY CURSED AND BLESSED deservedly went platinum in the U.K., and we'll give the album another spin now to celebrate Matthews' 50th birthday.

With 40 million albums sold worldwide, Mana are among the biggest Latin American bands ever, and DONDE JUGARAN LOS NINOS was instrumental to their success. With the Mexican group touring relentlessly in support, the collection became the best-selling Spanish-language rock album of all time. “Vivir Sin Aire,” “Oye Mi Amor” and “De Pies a Cabeza” illustrate the appealing variety here, and you don't need to be fluent in Spanish to understand the passion of these performances. Mana's big breakthrough, DONDE JUGARAN LOS NINOS was released 25 years ago today in the U.S. (with a couple of bonus remixes), and it's still among the greatest rock albums from south of the border.

For the final album on their Elektra/Asylum contract, Eagles delivered their first concert recording, EAGLES LIVE. Drawn from several shows including 1976 L.A. Forum gigs with former member Randy Meisner, the 1980 double L.P. leans most heavily on meticulously recreated (and partially overdubbed) versions of favorites from HOTEL CALIFORNIA and THE LONG RUN. Beyond greatest-hits territory, there are also a couple of Joe Walsh solo songs and “Seven Bridges Road,” a showcase of the band's immaculate harmonies that became a Top 40 single - the album as a whole was a Top 10, multi-platinum smash. Though Eagles eventually reunited, this was for many years the last word from the legendary group, and we'll cue it up now to wish singer-songwriter-drummer Don Henley a happy birthday.

Between 1970 and 1976, James Taylor released six albums with Warner Bros. Records that became the foundation for his unparalleled career that includes five Grammy Awards, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and more than 100 million records sold worldwide. Now available, THE COMPLETE WARNER BROS. ALBUMS: 1970-1976 introduces newly remastered versions of those classic collections overseen by Taylor's longtime manager-producer Peter Asher. The 6-disc set is filled with such iconic and beloved songs as “Sweet Baby James,” “Fire And Rain,” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You),” “Shower The People” and James' #1 version of Carole King’s “You’ve Got A Friend.” Rhino.com will offer exclusive bundles that pair both the CD and LP versions of the set with a 12” x 12” lithograph of a classic Taylor photo from 1970; the first 350 LP pre-orders come with a signed version.

Born in Louisiana on this day in 1943, Tony Joe White came to prominence at the end of the 1960s with “Polk Salad Annie” and such artists as Elvis Presley and Brook Benton covering his work. A singer, songwriter and guitarist of the first order, Tony Joe's own performing career brought him to Warner Bros., and HOMEMADE ICE CREAM was his third and final studio album for the label. The 1973 collection, co-producer by Atlantic Records' Tom Dowd, brought acoustic textures to White's soulful Southern-fried rock. Cut with a small backing group, the 11 originals here have a wonderful back porch intimacy, and such songs as “Saturday Night In Oak Grove, Louisiana,” single “Backwoods Preacher Man” and “Did Somebody Make a Fool out of You” go down as easy as the set's titular treat. In honor of the Swamp Fox's birthday, we're serving up HOMEMADE ICE-CREAM.