It's Michael Stipe's birthday!
The singer for R.E.M. formed the band in 1980 with drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, and bassist Mike Mills, who were students at the University of Georgia. The band is key to the Alternative Rock rise of the 80's that eventually boomed in the 90's, selling 90 million albums worldwide.
R.E.M. hit the scene with their debut "Radio Free Europe", in 1981, but caught mainstream success with the 1987 single "The One I Love". The group signed to Warner Bros and released a string of hit albums including Out of Time and Automatic for the People. The single, "Losing My Religion", was their highest-charting and best-selling hit, and would lead to R.E.M. re-signing with Warner Bros. for $80 million dollars, making it the most expensive recording contract ever.