Although known more for his solo success, Michael McDonald scaled great artistic and commercial heights as a member of The Doobie Brothers. It may seem hard to believe now, but that band was one of bigger - if not the biggest - bands that reigned throughout the 1970s.

Not all of the group's achievements relied on McDonald's handiwork, but the Ferguson native did play a big part in making Minute by Minute a commercial triumph. The album was number one on the Billboard Top 200 on this day in 1979.

McDonald was brought into the Doobie fold after lead singer Tom Johnston had become severely ill. Johnston eventually left the group altogether in 1977, paving the way for McDonald to become the permanent lead singer until the group dissolved in the early 1980s.

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After School Session was Chuck Berry's first LP.

Chuck Berry entered the music scene at a time when singles were the predominant manner of disseminating music. That's probably why the St. Louis native is known more for individual songs than, say, a seminal album.

But while songs such "Maybellene" and "Johnny B. Goode" get the lion's share of attention from music aficionados, it should be noted in the sacred scrolls of rock and roll history that Berry has released over twenty studio albums. In fact, Berry's first album that only featured his music - After School Session - was released on this day in 1957.

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Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is now 10 years old.

Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is rightfully associated with excellence, a piece of work commonly heralded as one of the best albums of the 2000s. It's the type of record with enough depth, lyricism and experimentation to get people interested in serious music, no small feat for any band, and this one features members from the St. Louis area.

But great records often have back stories. Radiohead's Kid A, for instance, was created after the band went through a disorienting and punishing promotional regiment for OK Computer. And Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here came about as the group was still coming to grips with Syd Barrett's disconnection with reality. Appropriately, the tale behind Yankee Hotel Foxtrot -- which was released ten years ago this week -- shows that a defining album doesn't come without patience or pain.

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Nelly's "Hot in Herre" is 10 years old. The song paved the wave to Nelly becoming a mainstream pop star.

Most of Nelly's monster hits have neat-and-tidy legacies. "Country Grammar," for instance, introduced the world to Nelly's distinctive style and persona. "Dilemma" showed that Nelly could put forth a commercially-successful slow jam. And "Air Force Ones" proved to be the landmark rap song about shoes, a feat that even Soulja Boy couldn't top.

"Hot in Herre's" contribution to Nelly's meteoric rise is a bit more intangible. It wasn't the most commercially successful, controversial or unusual song Nelly put forward in his career. But Nellyville's triumphant single - which is now ten years old - proved to be the St. Louis native's dominant foray into broadening his already sizable appeal to mainstream audiences.

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The 5th Dimension's spacey opus "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" hit number one on this day in 1969. It later won the Grammy for Record of the Year.

Pop quiz, hot shots: What was the second-highest charting song of 1969? "Come Together" by The Beatles? "Honky Tonk Women" by the Rolling Stones? "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone?

Those are all excellent guesses. But the correct answer is "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by The 5th Dimension. The medley of two songs from the musical Hair was the number one song in the country on this day in 1969.

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St. Louis-born Maya Angelou turns 84 today.

If there ever was a person who could be anointed as the queen of all media, it would be Maya Angelou. The St. Louis-born writer obtained widespread admiration for more than a half-century of work, from her groundbreaking autobiographies to her prolific writing for the stage and the screen.

So it's not too much of a surprise that Angelou - who was born on this day in 1928 - is also a highly-decorated recording artist. Most of that acclaim stems from Angelou's spoken-word albums, which have won three Grammy Awards since the 1990s

Angelou's diverse interests once extended into the music world. She was a professional dancer in the 1950s, and performed in the extensively popular opera Porgy and Bess during that same time period. And she even played a small role in the calypso craze of the 1950s.

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Gwen Stefani and Akon struck gold with "The Sweet Escape," a prime example of the St. Louis native's knack for popular collaboration.

Akon hasn't been perfect throughout his career, but it's hard to accuse him of being selfish. The St. Louis native developed a propensity to share the spotlight with other artists, even if it means his presence isn't always noticed. That cooperative mentality allowed Akon's behind-the-scenes career to flourish - and his bank account to expand.

Such is the case with "The Sweet Escape," a Gwen Stefani track that was the number one song on Billboard's European Hot 100 on this day in 2007. The song eventually ended up at number two on Billboard's Hot 100, behind - coincidentally - Akon's "It Don't Matter."

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Gilbert "Speck" Rhodes combined country music sensibilities with a little bit of humor. He died on this day in 2000.

From Spinal Tap to The Lonely Island, nearly every type of music has an act with purposeful comedic overtones. Country music is the elder statesman of this trend, as evidenced by a Missouri native that blended a down-home sound with a big dose of humor.

Gilbert "Speck" Rhodes made a name for himself bringing a comedic presence to the Porter Wagoner Show, one of the more popular country music programs in recent history. Rhodes died of cancer on this day in 2000.

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Leonard Chess

Musicians such as Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters are once-in-a-lifetime talents. And it's a safe bet that if Chess Records hadn't have made those artists' music accessible to the masses, another company would have pulled the trigger.

But fortunately for Leonard Chess, the label he ran with his brother Phillip gets a great deal of credit for bringing music legends into the forefront of popular culture. It's a seemingly improbable story. But in his relatively short lifetime, Chess - who was born on this day in 1917 - made a transition from an immigrant from Europe to purveyor of groundbreaking music.

Born Lejzor Czyz in Motal, Poland, Chess and his family settled down in Chicago in the 1920s. In the 1940s, Leonard and Phillip Chess were involved in the nightclub business in the Windy City. Along the way, the two purchased a record company called Aristocrat Records.

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"Country Grammar" is almost old enough to go to high school!

Mainstream superstardom often begins with a spark, rather than an explosion. It's hard to say whether Lady Gaga would have been more than a behind-the-scenes cog in Akon's machine without "Just Dance." And if 50 Cent had not delivered "In Da Club," it's possible that the world may never have tasted succulent Vitamin Water.

Nelly's twisty-turny career covers a lot of ground, including blockbuster albums, Adam Sandler movies, questionable credit card transactions and endorsements galore. And it's worth wondering whether any of those things would have occurred without "Country Grammar."

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