Yellow text on a red background

The singer and actor known as Meat Loaf was born Marvin Lee Aday in 1947. Meat Loaf performed on Broadway in the early 1970s, moving to the big screen with a role in the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1973. A best-selling album, “Bat Out of Hell,” followed in 1977.  Throughout his career, Meat Loaf has appeared in several movies and television shows and recorded several successful albums.

Black and white illustration of a man's head and shoulders inside a circle over black text on a light orange background

Ludwig Van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist who created some of the most famous classical pieces ever written. While he started off during the Classical Period, he eventually transitioned into the Romantic Period, in which he created darker and more expressive compositions. Beethoven suffered from a devastating hearing loss, which started sometime around 1800. Though his loss of hearing impacted him personally and professionally, he continued to compose music and even conduct orchestras. 

Photograph of Joey Lawrence on a white background with blue text

Joey Lawrence, an American actor and singer, was 16 when his debut album, Joey Lawrence, was released in 1993. Lawrence co-wrote a number of songs on the album, including "Nothin' My Love Can't Fix." The song became an international hit, and was featured in the popular film, Cop and a Half, and in an episode of Lawrence's television series, Blossom. 

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Wreckless Eric, also known as Eric Goulden, is an English rock and new wave musician. His most popular song is the 1977 single “Whole Wide World”, which has been hailed as one of the best punk rock singles of all time. Eric started out working under Stiff Records but was unhappy with their ideas, primarily their insistence that he work with songwriting teams and backing bands. By 1980 Eric left Stiff Records and went on to form bands such The Captains of Industry, The Hitsville House Band, and The Len Bright Combo, in addition to many self-produced solo albums.   

Red X with black flames coming off it on a polka dotted background.

The button depicts the cover of X's debut album "Los Angeles", released in 1980.  The album has been ranked 91st on Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s.

X is an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Los Angeles.  The original lineup consisted of vocalist Exene Cervenka, bassist/vocalist John Doe, drummer DJ Bonebrake and guitarist Billy Zoom.  The band's first four albums were produced by ex-Doors keybordist Ray Manzarek, who contributed on some of the songs.

X was originally active from 1980 until 1993.  After a short hiatus, the band reformed in the early 2000s.

Purple background with swatches of color in red, yellow and green with white outline forming a stylized human head and shoulder.  The letters "X", "T", and "C" form part of the face.  "Drums and wires" written in purple text on green shoulder area.

The British band XTC released their third album Drums and Wires in 1979. The album reached number 34 on the United Kingdom Albums Chart, and was the first to feature Dave Gregory, who joined the group as lead guitarist earlier that year.

The album's lead single, "Making Plans for Nigel," contained lyrics told from the perspective of parents making plans for their son Nigel's future, including their conservative aspiration that he will work for the company British Steel. Following the release of the single, British Steel reportedly gathered all employees named Nigel to discuss job satisfaction with the publication Steel News.

Orange text above and below an illustration of the yellow submarine

"Yellow Submarine" is a short film based off of the Beatles' 1966 song by the same name. The film centers around the Beatles accompanying a man named Captain Fred in his yellow submarine to free his home, Pepperland, from a group of people, the Blue Meanies, who hate music. While mainly geared toward children, the song still garnered a fair amount of attention by people for its possible social and political commentary.

White text over a black and white photograph of Yoko Ono and John Lennon

The image on this button comes from John Lennon's collaboration album with Yoko Ono titled "Double Fantasy." The album was released in 1980, three weeks before Lennon's murder, which elevated the album to becoming a commercial success. 

John Lennon, a member of The Beatles, and Yoko Ono, an artist, met in 1966 and married a few years later in 1969. It has been rumored that their relationship was the reason the Beatles broke up. Lennon and Ono, who collaborated on several recordings and were outspoken activists for peace throughout the 1970s, remained married until his death in 1980.

Illustration of blue eyes over blue text on a white background

Featuring the infamous blue eyes of singer Frank Sinatra, this button was designed for employees of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas whenever Sinatra was performing there. Many of Sinatra’s performances took place in Las Vegas venues, particularly the Sands. When the Sands was purchased in 1967 by Howard Hughes, who cut off Sinatra’s credit line, the singer signed with the newly opened Caesars Palace across the street. When Sinatra was performing the Palace marquee would read “He’s Here” or “Guess Who?”. 

Black and white photograph of  Hank Williams with red and blue text

This button is a gift shop item sold by The Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. Hank Williams (1923-1953) was an American musician. 35 of his singles reached the Top 10 Billboard Country and Western Best Sellers, making him one of the most iconic country performers of all time. In 1937 he began hosting a radio program and performing with a backup group, the Drifting Cowboys. After Williams was fired from the radio station due to alcohol abuse, he eventually signed on with MGM records in the mid 1940’s, releasing more singles and making his way into mainstream music. Later in the decade he joined the Grand Ole Opry, but after releasing a few more singles he was dismissed again for alcohol abuse. Williams was posthumously indicted into multiple halls of fame, including the Country Music Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.