This Week’s Birthdays (July 21 – 27)

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Happy Birthday this week to:

July 21
1922 ● Kay Starr / (Katherine LaVerne Starks) → Successful 30s and 40s Big Band jazz-pop singer who migrated to country-pop and early rock ‘n’ roll during the 50s with even more success, including two #1 hits, “Wheel Of Fortune” (#1, 1952) and “The Rock And Roll Waltz” (#1, UK #1, 1956), continued to record and perform to a loyal following well after her style went out and well into her 80s, died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on 11/3/2016, age 94
1942 ● Kim Vincent Fowley → Singer-songwriter, producer, disc jockey and band manager, best known for putting together the all-girl punk/hard rock The Runaways (“Cherry Bomb,” 1976), died from bladder cancer on 1/15/2015, age 72
1943 ● Henry McCullough → Irish guitarist in early folk-rock Sweeney’s Men and with Joe Cocker in the 60s, best known for his work with Paul McCartney‘s Wings in the 70s and his guitar solo on “My Love” (#1, 1973), continued to record and perform into the 10s, suffered a heart attack in 2012 and died four years later on 7/14/2016, age 72
1945 ● Mike Wilsh / (Michael Wilshaw) → Bass, keyboards and backing vocals for early 60s Brit pop The Four Pennies, “Juliet” (UK #1, 1964), the most important British Invasion era act with no chart presence in the US
1945 ● Rosie Hamlin / (Rosalie Hamlin) → 15-year old lead singer and principal songwriter in one hit wonder light pop/rock Rosie And The Originals, “Angel Baby” (#5, 1960), left the industry for motherhood in the early 60s but had her song covered by John Lennon and included on his posthumous 1986 album Menlove Avenue, died from “ill health” on 3/30/2017, age 71
1946 ● Bean Whitwam / (Barry “Bean” Whitwam) → Drummer for British Invasion pop-rock Herman’s Hermits, “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter” (#1. 1965)
1948 ● Cat Stevens / (Stephen Demitri Georgiou, now Yusuf Islam) → Singer, songwriter and guitarist, “Peace Train” (#7, 1971) and 10 other US Top 40 hits, converted to Muslim in 1977
1953 ● Eric Bazilian → Co-founder, guitarist and vocals for 80s MTV pop-rock The Hooters, “And We Danced” (#21, Mainstream Rock #3, 1985)
1955 ● Taco / (Taco Ockerse) → Pop-rock one hit wonder singer, “Puttin’ On The Ritz” (#4, 1983)
1955 ● Howie Epstein → Bassist for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, “Free Fallin'” (#7, 1989), died of a drug overdose on 2/23/2003, age 47
1961 ● Jim Martin / (James Blanco Martin) → Guitarist for influential metal/funk/hip hop/punk fusion band Faith No More, “Epic” (#9, 1990)
1962 ● Lee Aaron / (Karen Lynn Greening) → Award-winning Canadian pop, rock, jazz and singer/songwriter and guitarist with Broken Social Scene, “1 2 3 4” (UK #4, 2007), solo
1969 ● Emerson Hart → Founder, guitar and vocals for Grammy-nominated alt/roots rock Tonic, “If You Could Only See” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1997)
1974 ● Terry Caldwell → Vocalist and rapper for Brit teen dance-pop/hip hop boy band East 17, “Stay Another Day” (UK #1, 1994), plus over 15 other UK Top 40 hits
1981 ● Blake Lewis → Beatboxer and American Idol runner-up, “How Many Words” (Dance/Club #8, 2008)

July 22
1924 ● Margaret Whiting → Adult Contemporary, traditional popular and country music singer (“Only Love Can Break A Heart,” #96, AC #4, 1967), TV actress on variety shows, sitcoms and music history documentaries, daughter of Richard Whiting, composer of pop music standards, including “Hooray For Hollywood” and “The Good Ship Lollipop,” died from natural causes on 1/10/2011, age 86
1937 ● Chuck Jackson → R&B/pop-soul singer with doo wop The Del-Vikings, “Come Go With Me” (#4, 1957) and solo, “Any Day Now” (#23, R&B #2, 1962)
1940 ● Thomas Wayne / (Thomas Wayne Perkins) → One hit wonder R&B/doo wop balladeer, “Tragedy” (#5, 1959), brother of Elvis Presley‘s guitarist, Luther Perkins, died in a Memphis car accident on 8/15/1971, age 31
1941 ● George Clinton → Principal architect and frontman of “P-Funk”, the R&B/soul-funk sound of the interchangeable bands Parliament and Funkadelic, “One Nation Under A Groove” (#31, 1978)
1941 ● Estelle Bennett → With her sister, Ronnie Bennett Spector and cousin Nedra Talley, vocals for Phil Spector-produced pop girl group The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” (#2, 1963), suffered from mental and physical problems for many years until her death from colon cancer on 2/11/2009, age 67
1943 ● Bobby Sherman → 60s and 70s pop-rock teen idol singer, “Little Woman” (#3, 1969), regular on TV music variety show Shindig!, TV actor on sit com Here Come The Brides
1944 ● Rick Davies / (Richard Davies) → Founder, keyboardist, songwriter and vocalist – and only original and still active member – of Brit prog-art-pop-rock Supertramp, composed or co-wrote many of the band’s hits, including “The Logical Song” (#6, UK #7, 1979), worked as a solo artist during periods when Supertramp was on hiatus, including in the 10s
1947 ● Don Henley / (Donald Hugh Henley) → Drummer, vocalist and songwriter, member of Linda Ronstadt‘s early 70s backing band, with his bandmates formed L.A. sound/country rock Eagles, “One Of These Nights” (#1, 1975), co-wrote and/or sang lead vocals on ten Top 10 hits before embarking in 1980 on a Grammy-winning solo career with five Top 25 albums and four Top 10 hits, including “The Boys Of Summer” (#5, Mainstream Rock #1, 1984), continues to tour and record with the Eagles and as a solo act, and contributes to social and political causes into the 10s
1949 ● Alan Menken → With songwriting team partner/lyricist Howard Ashman, Academy Award-winning and 8-time Oscar composer and producer for stage and screen, co-wrote “Under The Sea” from Disney’s The Little Mermaid (1989), the title song to Beauty And The Beast (1991) and “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin (1992)
1956 ● Mick Pointer → Founding member and original drummer for Brit prog-rock revival group Marillion, “Kayleigh” (Mainstream Rock #14, 1985), left to form prog rock Arena
1957 ● Dennis Greaves → Guitar and lead vocals for Brit blues-rock/”mod revival” quartet Nine Below Zero, Don’t Point Your Finger album reached #56 on the UK album chart
1961 ● Keith Sweat → R&B/soul-New Jack swing singer, “Nobody” (#3, 1996), radio DJ, producer
1963 ● Emily Saliers → Guitar and vocals in indie-folk-pop duo Indigo Girls, “Closer To Fine” (#52, Modern Rock #26, 1989)
1964 ● Will Calhoun → Drummer for prog-funk-metal Living Colour, “Cult Of Personality” (#13, 1988), sessions
1967 ● Pat Badger → Bassist for funk metal/hard rock Extreme, “More Than Words” (#1, 1991)
1971 ● Chris Helme → Vocals for Britpop/indie rock The Seahorses, “Love Is The Law” (UK #3, 1997)
1973 ● Daniel Jones → Vocals, keyboards and sequencer, one-half of Australian dance-pop duo Savage Garden, “Truly Madly Deeply” (#1, 1998), now producer for Aussie pop-rock acts
1973 ● Rufus Wainwright → Canadian-American folk-pop singer, songwriter and guitarist, Rolling Stone magazine’s 1998 Best New Artist, son of folk musicians Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, brother of Martha Wainwright, album Release The Stars was US #23 in 2007

July 23
1929 ● Jack Richardson → Canadian record producer and Juno Award winner, produced all of The Guess Who‘s big albums and hits, including “American Woman” (#9, 1970), plus Alice Cooper‘s album Muscle Of Love (#10, 1973), Bob Seger‘s Night Moves (#8, 1977) and albums by Badfinger, Poco, Rough Trade, Starz and others, later became a college professor in music industry arts, died on 5/13/2011, age 81
1933 ● Bert Convy / (Bernard Whalen Convy) → Vocals in early rock ‘n’ roll The Cheers, their hit “(Bazoom) I Need Your Lovin'” (#3, 1954) was the first chart hit for the songwriting team of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller and one of the first hits by a white rock ‘n’ roll group, later became a Broadway stage performer (Fiddler On The Roof, 1964), a 60s and 70s television game show panelist (To Tell The Truth, Match Game, Password and others) and TV series guest star (Bewitched, Hawaii Five-O and others), died from a heart attack on 7/15/1991, age 58
1935 ● Cleveland “Cleve” Duncan / (Cleve Duncan) → Founding member and lead vocals for one hit wonder R&B/doo wop quartet The Penguins, their enduring “Earth Angel” (#8, R&B #1, 1954) was one of the earliest R&B-to-pop crossover hits, died on 11/7/2012, age 77
1942 ● Madeline Bell → R&B and pop-rock singer, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” (#26, 1968), joined Brit pop-rock Blue Mink, “Melting Pot” (UK #3, 1970), also session backing vocals for Dusty Springfield, Elton John, Kiki Dee and others
1943 ● Joe Santollo → Vocals for Italian-American doo wop The Duprees, “You Belong To Me” (#7, 1962), died from a heart attack as the band was preparing for a reunion tour on 6/3/1981, age 37
1944 ● Dino Danelli → Drums and vocals for blue-eyed soul The Rascals, “Groovin”” (#1, 1967), then pop-rock Bulldog, power pop Fotomaker, “Miles Away” (#63, 1978), Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul and The New Rascals
1946 ● Andy Mackay → Saxophone and woodwinds for prog rock Roxy Music, “Love Is The Drug” (#30, 1976), sessions and teaching
1947 ● David Essex / (David Albert Cook) → Pop-rock singer and songwriter, one hit wonder in the U.S., “Rock On” (#5, 1973), but with 19 UK Top 40 singles (including two #1s)
1948 ● John Hall → Guitarist, vocals and songwriter for pop-rock Orleans, “Still The One” (#5, 1976), sessions and touring, solo, “Power” (1979), now a member of the U.S. Congress (NY-D-19th)
1950 ● Blair Thornton → Guitarist for Canadian hard pop-rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” (#1, 1974)
1952 ● Janis Siegel → Vocals for Grammy-winning jazz-pop fusion vocal group Manhattan Transfer, “Boy From New York City” (#7, 1981)
1954 ● Marisa DeFranco → Vocals for teen bubblegum-pop The DeFranco Family, “Heartbeat-It’s A Lovebeat” (#3, 1973)
1964 ● Nick Menza → Drummer for thrash-metal Megadeth, “Symphony Of Destruction” (Mainstream #29, 1992)
1965 ● Rob Dickinson → Vocals for Brit indie rock/shoegazing band Catherine Wheel, “Black Metallic” (Modern Rock #9, 1991)
1965 ● Slash / (Saul Hudson) → Lead guitar for hard rock Guns N’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (#1, 1988), side project Slash’s Snakepit caused him to leave the band for good in 1997, formed Velvet Revolver in 2002 with ex-GNR bandmates Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, “Fall To Pieces” (Mainstream Rock #1, 2004)
1971 ● Chad Gracey → Drummer for alt rock Live, “Lightning Crashes” (Modern Rock #5, 1995), co-founded post-grunge The Gracious Few in 2009
1971 ● Dalvin DeGrate → Vocals in R&B/electro-dance “bad boy” quartet Jodeci, “Lately” (#4, 1993)
1973 ● Fran Healy → Guitar and vocals for Scottish trad rock Travis, “Why Does It Always Rain On Me” (#36, UK #10, 2000) plus 11 other UK Top 40 hits
1980 ● Steve Jocz → Drummer for Canadian indie punk-pop Sum 41, “We’re All To Blame” (Mainstream Rock #36, 2004)
1980 ● Tenitra Michelle Williams → Vocals for R&B/dance-pop Destiny’s Child, “Say My Name” (#1, 2000), solo , “The Greatest” (Dance/Club #1, 2008)

July 24
1941 ● Barbara Jean Love → Vocals for pop-rock vocal group The Friends Of Distinction, “Grazing In The Grass” (#3, 1969)
1942 ● Heinz Burt → Bassist for Brit instrumental rock ‘n’ roll The Tornados,”Telstar” (#1, 1962), the first major US hit by a British group, solo, died from complication of a neural disease on 4/7/2000, age 57
1944 ● Jim Armstrong → Guitarist for Northern Irish R&B/garage rock Them, Here Comes The Night” (#24, UK #2, 1965), since then in multiple Irish rock bands, including Truth, Light, The Belfast Blues Band and Jim Armstrong Band
1944 ● Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin / (Lawrance Padilla) → Solo artist and core member of 60s spoken-word, proto-rap group The Last Poets, credited with establishing the foundation for hip hop music and often called the “Grandfather of Rap,” influential works include The Lost Poets eponymous debut album (#29, Soul #3, 1970) and his solo album, Hustler’s Convention (1973), both combining spoken poetry and “toasting” – rhythmic chanting and talking over a simple beat – with jazz and funk music, died after a long battle with lung cancer on 6/4/2018, age 73
1947 ● Alan Whitehead → Founding member and drummer for Scottish pop-rock The Marmalade, “Reflections Of My Life” (#10, 1970)
1947 ● Chris Townson → Drummer and founding member of Brit pop art/mod rock John’s Children, “Desdemona” (1967), the band occasionally recognized as a punk and glam-rock precursor, died of cancer on 2/10/2008, age 60
1948 ● Kim Berly / (Kimball Meyer) → Founding member and drummer in Canadian pop-rock trio The Stampeders (“Sweet City Woman,” #8, CAN #1 , 1971), left in 1978 but reformed the band in the 90s and continues to tour and perform into the 10s
1951 ● Lynval Golding → Rhythm guitar and vocals for ska revival/punk rock The Specials, “Ghost Town” (UK #1, 1981), left to co-found New Wave pop Fun Boy Three, “Really Saying Something” (Club #16, UK #5, 1982)
1951 ● Gypie Mayo / (John Philip Cawhra) → Guitarist and songwriter for the mid-70s lineup of Brit pub-rock Dr. Feelgood, co-wrote the hit single “Milk And Alcohol” (UK #9, 1979) with Nick Lowe, played in the reborn Yardbirds from 1996 to 2004, died from undisclosed causes on 10/23/2013, age 62
1953 ● Diaper Man / (Garry Shider) → Guitarist, backing vocals, co-songwriter and musical director for R&B/soul-funk (“P-Funk”) Parliament-Funkadelic, “One Nation Under A Groove” (#31, 1978) and the P-Funk All-Stars, solo and collaborations, died of cancer on 6/16/2010, age 56
1957 ● Larry Gott → Guitarist for Brit alt pop-rock James, “Sit Down” (UK #2, 1991) and “Laid” (#61, Modern Rock #3, 1994)
1958 ● Mick Karn / (Anthony Michaelides) → Bassist and saxophone for Brit New Wave art-rock Japan, “Ghosts” (UK #5, 1982)
1961 ● Paul Geary → Drummer for funk metal/hard rock Extreme, “More Than Words” (#1, 1991), manager for Smashing Pumpkins, Godsmack, Creed and others
1969 ● J.Lo / (Jennifer Lynn Lopez) → Dancer, TV and film actress (Selena, 1997), R&B/dance-pop singer, “If You Had My Love”( #1, 1999), record producer and fashion designer, #1 on People magazine’s 2007 list of 100 Most Influential Hispanics
1986 ● Pete Reilly → Lead guitarist for Scottish retro-rock/ska punk The View, “Same Jeans” (UK #3, 2007)

July 25
1894 ● Walter Brennan / (Walter Andrew Brennan) → World War I veteran and country-pop singer with four charting singles in the early 60s, including “Old Rivers” (#5, AC #2, Country #3, 1962), but best known as three-time Grammy-winning actor on stage and film, and as Grampa Amos on TV’s The McCoys in the late 50s, died from emphysema on 9/21/1974, age 80
1925 ● Benny Benjamin / (William Benjamin) → Session drummer in Motown house band The Funk Brothers, which provided nearly all instrumentation behind every Motown hit, died from a stroke on 4/20/1969, age 43
1942 ● Bruce Woodley → Guitar, vocals and songwriting for Aussie folk-sunshine pop The Seekers, “Georgy Girl” (#2, 1967), penned the unofficial national anthem “I Am Australian” (1987)
1943 ● Jim McCarty → Drummer and vocals for blues-rock The Yardbirds, “For Your Love” (#6, 1965), left and co-founded prog-folk-rock Renaissance in 1969, then played acoustic guitar for prog rock Illusion, solo albums and reformed Yardbirds
1943 ● Tom Dawes → Bass guitar and vocals for upbeat folk-pop, two hit wonder The Cyrkle, “Red Rubber Ball” (#2, 1966) and “Turn Down Day” (#16, 1966), later headed his own advertising agency and wrote jingles for 7Up, Coca-Cola and Alka-Seltzer (“plop, plop, fizz, fizz”), died from complications of heart surgery on 10/13/2007, age 64
1946 ● José Chepitó Areas → Nicaraguan original member and percussionist for Latin-rock Santana, “Black Magic Woman” (#4, 1970)
1948 ● Steve Goodman → Grammy-winning folk and folk-pop singer, songwriter and guitarist, wrote “The City Of New Orleans” (covered by Arlo Guthrie, #18, 1972) and issued 12 solo albums, died of leukemia on 9/20/1984, age 36
1950 ● Mark Clarke → Journeyman bassist, sessions and/or touring with prog rock Colosseum, hard rock Uriah Heep, “Easy Livin'” (#39, 1972), Natural Gas, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Billy Squier, The (reformed) Monkees, Mountain, Ian Hunter and others
1951 ● Verdine White → Bass and vocals for R&B/soul-dance-pop Earth, Wind & Fire, “Shining Star” (#1, 1975)
1953 ● Gary Shaugnessy → Guitarist for Philly-style Brit R&B/soul Sweet Sensation (“Sad Sweet Dreamer,” #14, UK #1, 1975)
1955 ● Randy Bewley → Co-founding member and guitarist for Athens, GA-based seminal post-punk college rock Pylon (“Gyrate, “Dance/Club #41, 1981), later in several other local bands and music teacher, died following a heart attack on 2/25/2009, age 53
1958 ● Thurston Moore → Guitar and vocals for alt rock/avant-garde Sonic Youth, “100%” (Modern Rock #4, 1992)
1973 ● Ladybug Mecca / (Mary Ann Vieira) → Vocals and producer for hip hop rap-jazz fusion trio Digable Planets, “Reachin’ (A New Refutation Of Time And Space)” (#15, R&B #5, 1993), solo

July 26
1928 ● Joe Jackson / (Joseph Walter Jackson) → Former R&B guitarist, professional boxer and steelworker turned patriarch and manager of Motown pop-soul The Jackson 5 and later the solo careers of his son Michael Jackson and daughter Janet Jackson, known for his abusive treatment of his wife and children, who dismissed him as their manager in 1983 but publicly forgave him over the years, died from pancreatic cancer on 6/27/2018, age 89
1937 ● Al Banks → Soaring falsetto lead vocals for Philly R&B/doo wop The Turbans, “When You Dance” (#33, R&B #3, 1955), joined the reconstituted Drifters in 1972, died 7/7/1977, age 39
1938 ● Bobby Hebb → R&B/soul-pop singer and songwriter, “Sunny” (#2, 1966), died of lung cancer on 8/3/2010, age 72
1940 ● Dobie Gray (Lawrence Darrow Brown) → Versatile singer with Top 40 hits in four genres, R&B “The ‘In’ Crowd” (#13, R&B #11, 1965), pop “Drift Away” (#5, 1973), disco “You Can Do It” (#37, 1979) and country “That’s One To Grow On” (Country #35, 1986), died from complications following cancer surgery on 12/6/2011, age 71
1941 ● Brenton Wood / (Alfred Jesse Smith) → Two hit wonder R&B/soul-pop vocalist, “Gimme Little Sign” (#9, 1967) and “The Oogum Boogum Song” (#19, 1967)
1941 ● Darlene Love / (Darlene Wright) → Lead vocals for Phil Spector girl group The Blossoms, sang lead on “He’s A Rebel” (#1, 1962), which was credited to The Crystals, another Spector group, also sang backing vocals on “Monster Mash” (Bobby “Boris” Pickett, #1, 1962), “Johnny Angel” (Shelley Fabares, #1, 1962), and several hits credited to The Ronettes, including “Be My Baby” (#4, 1963), plus hits by Sam Cooke, Dionne Warwick, The Beach Boys and many others
1941 ● Neil Landon / (Patrick Cahill) → Vocals for pre-fab Brit psych-pop one hit wonder The Flower Pot Men, “Let’s Go To San Francisco” (UK #1, 1967), then moved over to pre-fab pop White Plains, “My Baby Loves Lovin'” (#13, 1970)
1943 ● Mick Jagger / (Michael Philip Jagger) → Frontman, lead singer and songwriter for megastar hard rock The Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar” (#1, 1971), duet with David Bowie, “Dancing In The Street” (#7, 1985) and solo, “Don’t Tear Me Up” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1993)
1943 ● Andrea True / (Andrea Truden) → Adult film star in 70s and 80s who moonlighted as a disco-era dance-pop singer with two Top 40 hits, “More, More, More” (#4, 1976) and “N.Y., You Got Me Dancing” (#27, Dance/Club #4, 1977), died from heart failure on 11/7/2011, age 68
1949 ● Roger Meddows Taylor → Founding member, drummer, songwriter and vocals for camp rock/mock-opera/hard pop Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody” (#9, 1976) and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” (#1, 1980), wrote and sang “Radio Ga Ga” (#16, 1984), solo
1961 ● Andy Connell → Founder and keyboards for Brit sophisti-pop Swing Out Sister, “Breakout” (#6, 1987), previously played with post-punk The Immediates and New Wave funk A Certain Radio, producer
1961 ● Gary Cherone → Co-founder and lead vocals for hard rock Extreme, “More Than Words” (#1, 1991), joined hard rock Van Halen in 1996 as lead vocalist, “Humans Being” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1996), solo
1962 ● Miranda Joyce → Saxophone and vocals for Brit all female ska/pop-rock The Belle Stars, “Sign Of The Times” (UK #3, 1983) and “Iko Iko” (#14, 1989)
1963 ● Scott Francis Crago → Session drummer, worked with Eagles since 1994, plus appearances for Bryan Adams, Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow, Chris Isaak, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Seger, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and others
1967 ● Headliner / (Timothy Barnwell) → DJ and rapper for progressive funk-soul-blues hip hop Arrested Development, “Mr. Wendal” (#6, 1992)
1980 ● Brown Sound / (Dave Baksh) → Guitarist for Canadian indie punk-pop Sum 41, “We’re All To Blame” (Mainstream Rock #36, 2004), quit in 2006 to form his own band Brown Brigade
1984 ● Alexandra Parks → Winner of the BBC talent contest show Fame Academy in 2003, “Maybe That’s What It Takes” (UK #3, 2003) from the UK #5 album Introduction (2003)

July 27
1920 ● Homer / (Henry D. Haynes) → With musical partner Kenneth C. Burns, one half the satirical country-pop radio and TV comedy/music duo Homer & Jethro, parodied country and pop hits and won a Grammy Award for “The Battle Of Kookamonga” (#14, 1959) , their take on Johnny Horton‘s #1 hit “The Battle Of New Orleans,” continued to perform with Burns until just prior to his death from a heart attack on 8/7/1971, age 51
1922 ● Bob Thiele → Jazz and jazz-pop record producer and record label executive, founded Signature and worked for Decca, Impulse, ABC/Bluesway, Flying Dutchman and others, co-wrote and produced “What A Wonderful World” for Louis Armstrong (#116, UK #1, 1967), worked with John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie and countless others, died from kidney failure on 1/30/1996, age 73
1927 ● Bob Morse → Baritone vocals in 50s a cappella jazz-pop quartet The Hi-Lo‘s, the group had three Top 20 albums in 1957 – Suddenly It’s The Hi-Lo’s (#13), Ring Around Rosie (#14) and Now Hear This (#19), continued touring until his death on 4/27/2001, age 73
1927 ● Guy Carawan → Folk musician and musicologist best known for introducing the black spiritual “We Shall Overcome” to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the American civil rights movement in 1960, the song has since become the standard for protests around the world, died from complications of dementia on 5/2/2015, age 87
1928 ● Harvey Fuqua → Founder and frontman for 50s R&B/doo wop The Moonglows, “Sincerely” (R&B #1, 1955), then Motown A&R director and producer, died of a heart attack on 7/6/2010, age 81
1930 ● Andy White → Scot session drummer with a long resume of 60s performances, among others Tom Jones‘ “It’s Not Unusual” (#10, UK #1, 1965) and Herman’s Hermit‘s “I’m Henry VIII, I Am” (#1, 1965), became a “5th Beatle” when he subbed for Ringo Starr on The Beatles‘ “Love Me Do” (#1, 1964 / UK #17, 1962), retired in 1975 to move to the U.S. to teach Scottish pipe drumming, died from a stroke on 11/9/2015, age 85
1933 ● Nick Reynolds → Founding member, vocals and guitar for definitive folk-pop The Kingston Trio, “Tom Dooley” (#1, 1958) and nine other Top 40 hits, died from respiratory complications on 10/1/2008, age 75
1943 ● Allan Ramsey → Bassist for pop-rock Gary Lewis & The Playboys, “This Diamond Ring” (#1, 1965) plus 11 other US Top 40 hits between 1965 and 1968
1944 ● Bobby Gentry / (Roberta Lee Streeter) → Grammy-winning country-pop and adult contemporary singer, songwriter and guitarist, “Ode to Billy Joe” (#1, 1967)
1947 ● Andy McMaster → Keyboards for early pub rock Ducks Deluxe, then power pop/rock The Motors, “Airport” (UK #4, 1978)
1949 ● H-Bomb / (Henry Weck) → Drummer for one hit wonder rock band Brownsville Station, “Smokin’ In The Boys Room” (#3, 1973)
1949 ● Maureen McGovern → Adult contemporary pop singer, “The Morning After” (#1, 1973) from the movie The Poseidon Adventure and the Academy Award-winning “We May Never Love This Way Again” from The Towering Inferno (1974)
1949 ● Rory Macdonald / (Roderick Macdonald) → Bass and vocals for Scottish Celtic folk-rock Runrig, “An Ubhal As Airde (The Highest Apple)” (UK #18, 1995) and 13 albums
1950 ● Mick Vaughan / (Michael Vaughan) → Guitarist for pop/rock one hit wonder Paper Lace, “The Night Chicago Died” (#1, UK #3, 1974), a second single “Billy, Don’t Be A Hero” (#96, UK #1, 1974) qualifies them as a two hit wonder in the UK
1953 ● Suzi Carr → Vocals for mellow adult pop-rock cover trio Will To Power, “Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird” (#1, 1988)
1960 ● Conway Savage → Bassist for alt rock Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, “Where The Wild Roses Grow” (Australia #2, UK #11, 1995)
1963 ● Karl Mueller → Bassist for garage rock superstar group Soul Asylum, “Runaway Train” (#5, 1993), died from throat cancer on 6/17/2005, age 41
1964 ● Rex Brown → Bassist in alt metal Pantera, “Planet Caravan” (Mainstream Rock #21, 1994)
1967 ● Juliana Hatfield → Singer, songwriter, guitarist and frontwoman for indie rock/power pop Blake Babies, solo, “My Sister” (Modern Rock #1, 1993) and “Spin The Bottle (#39, 1994)
1973 ● Abe Cunningham → Drummer for Grammy-winning alt heavy metal Deftones, “Change (In The House Of Flies)” (Mainstream Rock #9, 2000)
1974 ● Pete Yorn / (Peter Joseph Yorn) → Multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter, “For Nancy (‘Cos It Already Is)” (Modern Rock #28, 2001) from the critically-acclaimed debut album Musicforthemorningafter (2001)

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