Happy Birthday today (Jan.4 ) to frontman Michael Stipe of R.E.M. who turns 59. Also today, we remember Peter Steele of Type O Negative who would have been 57.
Michael Stipe was R.E.M. singer from the when the band formed in 1980 until their split in 2011. R.E.M. were one of the first popular alternative rock band’s. They first achieved mainstream success in 1987 with the single “The One I Love” and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1988. The band’s two most commercially successful releases were in the early 1990’s with 1991’s Out of Time and 1992’s Automatic for the People. The band rose to International fame and saw success continue with 1994’s Monster. The band re-signed with Warner Bros. for a reported $80 million in 1996 and released the album New Adventures in Hi-Fi. A year later, drummer Bill Berry left the band. The band continued to record and tour as a trio. R.E.M. sold over 85 million records worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. The band split up in 2011. Cheers to Michael Stipe on his birthday today!
Photo credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images