Say what you will about his delightfully weird synth additions to Roxy Music or his elevation (if not invention) of the ambient genre, through his work producing other artists, Brian Eno has done more than anyone shape the sound of modern pop music, with the possible exception of Phil Spektor.

And through experimentation with new media has raised the bar with respect to the interplay between music, art and technology. Not to mention he just seems like a cool dude.

Happy birthday, Mr. Eno.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Eno