This Week’s Birthdays (September 9 – 15)

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Happy Birthday this week to:

September 09
1940 ● Joe Negroni → Founding member and baritone vocals for R&B/doo wop Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” (#6, 1956), died from a cerebral hemorrhage on 9/5/1978, age 37
1941 ● Otis Redding → The “King of Soul,” highly-influential and talented Southern soul vocalist, Stax Records artist and rising crossover star, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” (#1, 1968), died in a plane crash on 12/10/1967, age 26
1941 ● Duffy Power / (Raymond Leslie Howard) → 60s Britpop singer and guitarist in the style of Billy Fury and Georgie Fame but with far less appeal, turned to a career as a talented but commercially unsuccessful blues rock musician, recorded and toured intermittently up to his death on 2/19/2014, age 72
1942 ● Inez Foxx → With brother Charlie, one half of the one hit wonder R&B/soul duo Inez & Charlie Foxx, “Mockingbird” (#7, 1963)
1942 ● Luther Simmons, Jr. → Founding member and vocals for R&B/romantic soul The Main Ingredient, “Everybody Plays The Fool” (#3, 1972)
1945 ● Dee Dee Sharp / (Dione LaRue) → Early black female teen idol R&B/soul singer, “Mashed Potato Time” (#2, 1962)
1945 ● Doug Ingle → Founding member, keyboards, vocals and primary songwriter for psych-rock Iron Butterfly, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” (#30, 1970)
1945 ● Andrea Simpson → With partner Lois Wilkinson, one half of the British Invasion pop-rock girl duo The Caravelles, “You Don’t Have To Be A Baby To Cry” (#3, 1963)
1946 ● Trevor Oakes → Guitarist for Brit rock ‘n’ roll revival Showaddywaddy, “Under The Moon Of Love” (UK #1, 1976) and over 20 other UK Top 40 singles
1946 ● Bruce Palmer → Original bassist Buffalo Springfield, “For What It’s Worth” (#7, 1967), died after suffering a heart attack on 10/1/2004, age 58
1947 ● Freddy Weller / (Wilton Frederick Weller) → Session guitarist, then lead guitar for hard-edged rock ‘n’ roll Paul Revere & The Raiders, “Just Like Me” (#11, 1965), songwriter who worked with and co-wrote hits for and with Reba McEntire, Joe South, Tommy James and others
1948 ● Pamela Des Barres / (Pamela Anne Miller) → Rock groupie, singer, author and magazine writer known for her numerous sexual partners including Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page and Grams Parsons and her memoir I’m With The Band (1987), performed with Frank Zappa-sponsored musical group The GTOs and had small parts in several films, TV shows and commercials, once married to Michael Des Barres, lead singer in hard rock Detective
1950 ● John McFee → Guitarist for California soul-pop-rock The Doobie Brothers, “Listen To The Music” (#11, 1972), then co-founded country-rock Southern Pacific, “New Shade Of Blue” (Country #2, 1988)
1952 ● David Allan Stewart → Guitarist, songwriter and producer, one half of groundbreaking synth-pop duo Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams” (Are Made Of This)” (#1, 1983), then solo and multiple collaborations, co-writing and side projects
1967 ● Chris Caffery → Guitarist, singer and songwriter for heavy metal Savatage (“Edge Of Thorns”, Mainstream Rock #26, 1993) and prog metal Trans Siberian Orchestra, plus several solo albums
1970 ● Krazy Drazyz / (Andre Weston) → One half of hip hop streaming nonsense lyrics duo Das EFX, “Straight From The Sewer” (Rap #3, 1993)
1975 ● Michael Bublé → Canadian jazz-pop, swing , big band and adult contemporary crooner, “Haven’t Met You Yet” (#23, 2009)

September 10
1898 ● Waldo Lonsbury Semon → Chemist and inventor of the synthetic polymer compound polyvinyl chloride (PVC), commonly known as vinyl, the substance used in hundreds of millions of music records since the 1940s, died from natural causes on 5/26/1999, age 100
1925 ● Roy Brown → Pioneering R&B/gospel and rock ‘n’ roll singer and songwriter, wrote and recorded the oft-covered “Good Rockin’ Tonight” (R&B #13, 1947) and other rock standards, died of a heart attack on 5/25/1981, age 55
1939 ● Cynthia Lennon / (Cynthia Powell) → First wife of John Lennon, mother of his son, Julian Lennon, and author of two memoirs on their troubled union, married on 8/23/1962 and divorced on 11/8/1968 after John took up with Yoko Ono, died from cancer on 4/1/2015, age 75
1940 ● Roy Ayers → Jazz-funk-soul (and proto-rap) vibraphonist, composer and bandleader, Roy Ayers Ubiquity, “Move To Groove” (1972)
1942 ● Danny Hutton → Co-founder and one of three lead vocalists for top-tier pop-rock Three Dog Night, “Joy To The World” (#1, 1971) and ten other Top 10 hits between 1969 and 1974
1945 ● José Feliciano → Latino folk-pop singer, songwriter and guitarist, covered The Doors‘ “Light My Fire” (#3, 1968), won seven Grammys over a 40 year recording career
1946 ● Don Powell → Drummer for Brit glam-metal Slade, “Run Runaway” (#20, 1984)
1949 ● Barriemore Barlow → Drums and percussion for long-lived Brit folk-rock Jethro Tull, “Living In The Past” (#11, 1973), session work and producer
1950 ● Joe Perry → Guitarist for Grammy-winning, venerable hard rockers Aerosmith, “Dream On” (#6, 1976), “Angel” (#3, 1988), “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” (#1, 1998), “Baby, Please Don’t Go” (Mainstream Rock #7, 2004), solo and bandleader
1951 ● Peter Tolson → Guitarist for raunchy R&B/blues-rock British Invasion band The Pretty Things, “Don’t Bring Me Down” (UK #10, 1964)
1955 ● Pat Mastelotto / (Lee Patrick Mastelotto) → Drums and percussion for 80s atmospheric pop-rock quartet Mr. Mister, “Kyrie” (#1, 1985)
1956 ● Johnnie Fingers / (John Peter Moylett) → Founding member and pianist for Irish pop-punk Boomtown Rats, “I Don’t Like Mondays” (#73, 1979) and “Rat Trap” (UK #1, 1979), the first rock song by an Irish band to reach #1 in the UK
1957 ● Carol Decker → Vocals for New Wave pop-rock T’Pau, “Heart And Soul” (#4, 1987)
1957 ● Siobhan Fahey → Vocals for hugely successful Brit synth-dance-pop girl group Bananarama, covered “Venus” (#1, 1986), then for R&B/synth-pop duo Shakespear’s Sister, “Stay” (#4, 1992)
1960 ● David Lowery → Singer, songwriter, guitarist and frontman for eclectic alt rock pop-ska-punk-folk fusion Camper Van Beethoven, “Take The Skinheads Bowling” (1985), later founded and fronted roots rock Cracker, “I Hate My Generation” (Mainstream Rock #24, 1996)
1966 ● Miles Zuniga → Guitars, vocals and songwriting for alt rock/power pop Fastball, “Out Of My Head” (#20, Adult Top 40 #3, 1999)
1966 ● Robin Goodridge → Drummer for alt-rock Bush, “Glycerine” (Mainstream #4, 1995)
1968 ● Big Daddy Kane / (Antonio Hardy) → Early and influential sophisticated rapper, first with East Coast rap consortium Juice Crew, then solo, “Smooth Operator” (Rap #1, 1989)
1980 ● Mikey Way / (Michael James Way) → Bass guitar in 00s alt rock/emo band My Chemical Romance, “Welcome To The Black Parade” (#9, 2006)
1984 ● Cameron Matthew Followill → Lead guitar for Southern blues-indie rock Kings Of Leon, “Sex On Fire” (Modern Rock #1, 2008)
1985 ● Matthew Johnson → Vocals in teen pop boy band One True Voice, “Sacred Trust / After You’re Gone” (UK #2, 2002)

September 11
1918 ● Estelle Axton → With her younger brother, Jim Stewart, co-founder of legendary Memphis-based soul label and Motown rival Stax Records, the widely-renowned home to Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers and others, died from natural causes on 2/24/2004, age 85
1938 ● Charles Patrick → Lead vocals for one hit wonder R&B/doo wop sextet The Monotones, “(Who Wrote) The Book Of Love” (#5, 1958)
1940 ● Bernie Dwyer → Drummer for British Invasion novelty/comedy pop-rock ‘n’ roll Freddie & The Dreamers, “I’m Telling You Now” (#1, 1965), died of lung cancer on 12/4/2002, age 62
1943 ● Mickey Hart → Drums and percussion for Grateful Dead, “Touch Of Grey” (# 9, 1987), bandleader for Rolling Thunder Review, solo career with two Grammy-winning world music albums, author and film score composer
1943 ● Jack Ely → Guitarist, vocalist, co-founder of garage rock one hit wonder The Kingsmen and singer of their version of “Louie Louie” (#2, 1963), left for an unsuccessful solo career, recovered from alcoholism and recorded an album of Christian music in 2011, died from skin cancer on 4/29/2015, age 71
1945 ● Leo Kottke → Virtuoso acoustic folk guitar singer and songwriter with 21 albums and numerous collaborations with John Fahey, Lyle Lovett, Mike Gordon, Rickie Lee Jones and others
1946 ● Dennis Tufano → Original lead singer for Chicago-based pop-horn-rock The Buckinghams, “Kind Of A Drag” (#1, 1967), continues with the band on the oldies circuit
1947 ● Richard Jaeger → Session and backing band percussionist for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Paul McCartney, The Pointer Sisters, Ringo Starr and others, died on 8/27/2000, age 52
1948 ● John Martyn / (Iain David McGeachy) → Largely overlooked, innovative folk-blues-jazz rock fusion singer, songwriter and guitarist, Brit folk genre-defining album Solid Air (1970) and 19 other studio discs, died from pneumonia on 1/29/2009, age 60
1953 ● Tommy Shaw → Guitar for prototypical arena rockers Styx, “Too Much Time On My Hands” (#9, 1981), then in pop metal/arena rock supergroup Damn Yankees, “High Enough” (#3, 1990)
1957 ● Jon Langford → Co-founder, guitar, vocals and one of two constant members of long-running punk rock The Mekons, “Never Been In A Riot” (1978), solo plus visual and comic artist
1957 ● Jon Moss → Drummer for new romantic synth-pop Culture Club, “Karma Chameleon” (#12, 1984) and first-wave punk rockers The Damned, “Eloise” (UK #3, 1986)
1958 ● Mick Talbot → Keyboards for New Wave pop-rock Dexys Midnight Runners, “Come On Eileen” (#1, 1983), then sophisti-pop-soul The Style Council, “My Ever Changing Moods” (#29, UK #5, 1984) and The Bureau
1959 ● Rory Lyons → Drummer for rockabilly revival (“psychobilly”) King Kurt, “Destination Zululand” (UK #38, 1983)
1964 ● Victor Wooten → Composer, author, producer and Grammy-winning bassist with progressive folk-bluegrass Béla Fleck And The Flecktones, “The Sinister Minister” (Best Pop Instrumental, 1997), collaborations with Stanley Clarke and others, three-time winner of Bass Player magazine’s “Bassist of the Year” award
1965 ● Moby / (Richard Melville Hall) → Multi-instrumentalist one man band techno-dance-pop artist, “South Side” (#14, 2000), producer, descendent of Moby Dick author Herman Melville
1966 ● Greg Kane → Scottish pianist and co-member with brother Pat in contemporary dance-pop/electronica Hue And Cry, “Labour Of Love” (UK #6, 1987)
1967 ● Harry Connick, Jr. → Three-time Grammy-winning big band and jazz-pop singer, “Hear Me In The Harmony” (Adult Contemporary #18, 1996)
1971 ● Richard Ashcroft → Guitar and vocals for neo-psych-pop The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (#12, 1998), solo
1975 ● Brad Fischetti → Vocals for pop/rap trio LFO (Lyte Funkie Ones or Low Frequency Oscillator), “Summer Girls” (#3, 1999)
1977 ● Jon Buckland → Lead guitarist for Brit-pop/anthem rock Coldplay, “Speed Of Sound” (#8, 2005)
1977 ● Ludacris / (Christopher Brian Bridges) → Grammy-winning “Dirty South” movement rapper, “Stand Up” (#1, 2004), co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace label, actor and philanthropist
1981 ● Charles Kelley → Founding member, vocals and songwriting for country-rock harmony group Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now” (#2, Country #1, 2009) plus solo albums and collaborative songwriting

September 12
1924 ● Ella Mae Morse → Country, pop, jazz and R&B singer who flirted at the edges of what would become rock ‘n’ roll, first as a teenage vocalist with 40s big bands (“Cow Cow Boogie,” #1, 1942, Capitol Records‘ first million-selling record) and later as a 50s solo artist (“The Blacksmith Blues,” #1, 1952), retired by 1960 and died from respiratory failure on 10/16/1999, age 75
1931 ● George Jones → Hard-partying and hardcore honky tonk and later smooth ballad country star with 70 Country Top 10 hits, including “She Thinks I Still Care” (#1, 1962), married four times including six years to country queen Tammy Wynette, died from hypoxic respiratory failure on 4/26/2013, age 81
1943 ● Maria Muldaur / (Maria Grazia Rosa Domenica D’Amato) → Greenwich Village folk scene bandmember, then solo folk-pop singer/songwriter, “Midnight at the Oasis” (#6, 1970), backing vocals for Grateful Dead in late-70s
1944 ● Colin Young → Lead singer for Brit R&B/soul-pop The Foundations, “Baby Now That I’ve Found You” (#11, 1967)
1944 ● Barry White / (Barry Eugene Carter) → Deep baritone R&B/soul singer, songwriter, producer/bandleader for the Love Unlimited Orchestra, his soaring instrumental “Love’s Theme” (#1, 1973) is widely considered the first “disco” hit and was followed by a string of solo R&B and Pop hits in the early 70s, including “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe” (#1, R&B #1, 1974), enjoyed a Grammy-winning career resurgence in the late 80s and died from kidney failure caused by hypertension on 7/4/2003, age 58
1946 ● Dickie Peterson / (Richard Allan Peterson) → Lead vocals and bass guitar for early metal/psych-blues-rock power trio Blue Cheer, “Summertime Blues” (#14, 1968), plus two solo albums, continued to perform in various lineups of the band until his death from liver cancer on 10/12/2009, age 63
1946 ● T-Bone Bellamy / (Robert Anthony Bellamy) → Lead guitar, piano and vocals for Native American rockers Redbone, “Come And Get Your Love” (#5, 1974), died from liver failure on 12/25/2009, age 63
1952 ● Gerry Beckley → Founding member, guitar, piano, vocals and songwriter for folk-pop America, “A Horse With No Name” (#1, 1972)
1952 ● Neal Peart → Drummer and principal lyricist with Canadian arena rock/power trio Rush, “New World Man” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1982) and 24 other Mainstream Rock Top 20 singles
1956 ● Barry Andrews → Vocals and keyboards for quirky New Wave synth-pop XTC, “Making Plans For Nigel” (UK #17, 1979), left in 1979 for solo career and session work
1956 ● Brian Robertson → Guitar for underrated Irish hard rock Thin Lizzy, “The Boys Are Back In Town” (#12, 1976)
1957 ● Hans Zimmer / (Hans Florian Zimmer) → Four-time Grammy-winning film score composer and record producer with over 150 movie credits, including blockbusters The Lion King (1994), the various Batman flicks and Interstellar (2014), worked for DreamWorks as head of film music and for his own production company
1965 ● John Norwood Fisher → Bass and vocals for alt rock ska-punk-funk fusion Fishbone, “Sunless Saturday” (Modern Rock #7, 1991)
1966 ● Ben Folds → Singer, songwriter, keyboards and frontman for piano-based indie pop-rock Ben Folds Five, “Brick” (1998)
1967 ● Jon Stewart → Guitar for Britpop Sleeper, “Sale Of The Century” (UK #10, 1996)
1968 ● Kenny Thomas → R&B/soul-pop singer, “Thinking About Your Love” (UK #4, 1991), certified acupuncturist
1968 ● Larry LaLonde / (Reid Lawrence LaLonde) → Guitarist in early 80s death metal group Possessed, joined thrash metal Blind Illusion in 1987, now with funk-metal Primus, “N.I.B.” (Mainstream Rock #2, 2000)
1974 ● Jennifer Nettles → Two-time Grammy-winning country music star, lead vocals for duo Sugarland, “All I Want To Do” (#18, Country #1, 2008), duet with Jon Bon Jovi, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” (Country #1, 2005)
1978 ● Ruben Studdard → R&B/soul-pop and gospel crooner, “Flying Without Wings” (#2, 2003), winner of the second series of American Idol
1981 ● Jennifer Hudson → Third season American Idol finalist, Academy Award-winning actress in Dreamgirls (2006), Grammy-winning R&B/soul-pop singer, “Spotlight” (#24, Dance/Club #8, 2008)

September 13
1911 ● Bill Monroe → The “Father of Bluegrass”, Grammy-winning singer, guitarist, composer and bandleader for the Blue Grass Boys, solo, “Gotta Travel On” (Country #15, 1959), suffered a stroke and died six weeks later on 9/9/1996, age 84
1916 ● Dick Haymes / (Richard Benjamin Haymes) → Argentina-born actor and singer hugely popular in the pre-rock ‘n’ roll era, recorded dozens of solo singles, including “Little White Lies” (#2, 1948) plus duets withJudy Garland, the Andrews Sisters and others, starred in numerous films through the early 50s, died from lung cancer on 3/28/1980, age 63
1922 ● Charles Brown / (Tony Russell Brown) → Texas blues and R&B/soul balladeer, member of influential Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers and key player in the development of rock ‘n’ roll, bridged 40s cool jazz with blues to form a bluesy R&B precursor to early rock ‘n’ roll, scored several hits in the early 50s, including “Black Night” (R&B #1, 1951), continued to record and perform into the 90s, died from congestive heart failure on 1/21/1999, age 76
1922 ● Yma Sumac / (Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo) → Peruvian-American easy listening lounge music act rumored at times to be a descendant of Incan kings or a housewife named Amy Camus, but known for her five-octave vocal range, flamboyant costumes, full figure and recordings of 50s erotica music, continued to tour and perform periodically through the 90s before dying from colon cancer on 11/1/2008, age 86
1925 ● Mel Tormé / (Melvin Howard Tormé) → The “Velvet Fog,” virtuoso smooth-toned, Grammy-winning jazz-pop nightclub and showroom singer, “Lover’s Roulette” (Adult Contemporary #6, 1967), composed the music for “The Christmas Song,” better known as the now-standard “Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire,” died from complications of a 1996 stroke on 6/5/1999, age 73
1933 ● Lewie Steinberg → Original bass player in Stax Records house band Booker T. & The MG’s, “Green Onions” (#3, 1962), session work outside Stax
1935 ● Bruce Lundvall → Wannabe jazz musician turned career record company executive, first at Columbia Records where he built the label’s jazz roster, later with the Elektra/Musician (jazz) and Manhattan (pop) labels, and, starting in 1984 and continuing for 25 years, as the head of Blue Note Records, where he revived the brand and signed artists such as Norah Jones, Wynton Marsalis and Dianne Reeves, died during surgery related to Parkinson’s disease on 5/19/2015, age 79
1939 ● Dave Quincy → Saxophonist with top notch Brit progressive jazz-rock band If
1939 ● Gene Page → Prolific composer, arranger and conductor, worked with a wide variety of artists from Barry White, The Supremes and other Motown acts to Johnny Mathis and Jefferson Starship, managed smooth soul trio Love Unlimited (“I Belong To You,” #27, R&B #1, 1975), scored multiple films including cult Blaxploitation flick Blacula (1972) and comedy Fun With Dick And Jane (1977), died after a long illness on 8/24/1998, age 58
1941 ● David Clayton-Thomas / (David Henry Thomsett) → Canadian-born lead singer in jazz-rock/pop-rock fusion band Blood, Sweat & Tears, “Spinning Wheel” (#2, 1969), solo
1943 ● Ray Elliot → Keyboards, saxophone and flute for Irish garage-rock, proto-punk Them, “Gloria” (#71, 1966)
1944 ● Peter Cetera → Original member, bassist, lead vocals and songwriter for jazz-rock-pop fusion Chicago, wrote “Baby What A Big Surprise” (#4, 1977), solo, “Glory Of Love” (#1, 1986) and four other Top 40 singles, producer
1944 ● Les Harvey → Scottish rock guitarist and backing vocalist with his brother in the Alex Harvey Soul Band, joined hard rock Cartoone in 1969 and toured with Led Zeppelinn and Spirit, then co-founded blues-rock Stone The Crows, died from electrocution on stage during a concert on 5/3/1972, age 27
1952 ● Don Was / (Donald Fagenson) → Vocals and co-frontman for eclectic R&B and rock fusion Was (Not Was), “Walk The Dinosaur” (#7, 1989), producer for The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Iggy Pop, Stevie Nicks, The Barenaked Ladies and many others
1952 ● Randy Jones → Vocals (and cowboy character) for campy R&B/disco suggestively gay Village People, “Y.M.C.A.” (#2, 1978)
1954 ● Denis Hegarty → Bass singer, arranger and music director in Brit doo wop/rock ‘n’ roll revival vocal group Darts, “Don’t Let It Fade Away” (UK #18, 1978), TV actor, BBC Radio 1 DJ
1954 ● Steven John Kilbey → Bass and lead vocals for Aussie New Wave psych-pop then prog rock The Church, “Under The Milky Way” (#30, 1989)
1957 ● Joni Sledge / (Joan Elise Sledge) → With her three siblings, lead vocals for family R&B/disco girl-group Sister Sledge and the disco anthem “We Are Family” (#2, 1979) plus ten other R&B Top 10 hits, also produced the group’s Grammy-nominated album, African Eyes (1997), found unresponsive at home and later pronounced dead on 3/10/2017, age 60
1961 ● Dave Mustaine → Original lead guitarist and co-songwriter for heavy metal Metallica, fired in 1983 and became founder, chief songwriter, lead guitarist and lead vocalist for thrash-metal Megadeth, “Symphony Of Destruction” (Mainstream #29, 1992)
1965 ● Zak Starkey → Drummer, son of Ringo Starr, third skinman in Grammy-nominated Brit pop Oasis, “Wonderwall” (#8, 1996), unofficial member of The Who since 1996, collaborations with Paul Weller, The Waterboys, The Icicle Works and others
1967 ● Ripper Owens / (Timothy S. Owens) → Lead singer (1996-2003) for influential “New Wave” heavy metal band Judas Priest, left to join heavy/thrash metal Iced Earth, “I Walk Among You” (#3, 2008)
1967 ● Stephen Perkins → Drums and percussion for alt rock/post-punk Jane’s Addiction, “Been Caught Stealing” (Mainstream Rock #29, 1990), then hard art-rock Porno For Pyros, “Pets” (Mainstream Rock #25, 1993), sessions
1972 ● Matt Everitt → Drummer for short-lived, super-hyped 90s Britpop Menswear, “Being Brave” (UK #10, 1996)
1975 ● Joe Don Rooney → Guitar for country-pop Rascal Flatts, “Here Come Goodbye” (#11, Country #1, 2009)
1977 ● Fiona Apple / (Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart) → One hit wonder alt pop-rock singer-songwriter, “Criminal” (#21, 1996) was voted Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 1997 Grammy Awards, now a cult artist
1983 ● James Bourne → Co-founder, singer and songwriter in Brit pop-punk boyband Busted, “You Said No” (UK #1, 2003)
1993 ● Niall James Horan → Vocals in Brit-Irish boy band quintet One Direction, “What Makes You Beautiful” (#4, UK #1, 2011)

September 14
1914 ● Mae Boren Axton → Country songwriter, the “Queen Mother of Nashville,” wrote or co-wrote over 200 songs including Elvis Presley‘s hit “Heartbreak Hotel” (#1, 1956), died from drowning in her bath at home after a suspected heart attack on 4/9/1997, age 82
1918 ● Cachao / (Israel López Valdés) → The “Original Mambo King,” Cuban bassist and composer credited with developing the mambo in the 30s and influencing modern Cuban music and, over time, dance-pop and Latin-rock sounds in the rest of the world, recorded dozens of albums in an 80-year performing career and won Grammy Awards in the 90s, died from kidney failure on 3/22/2008, age 89
1939 ● Nini Harp / (Cornelius Harp) → Lead vocals for bi-racial doo wop The Marcels (“Blue Moon,” #1, 1961), left in 1963 but rejoined the group for tours in 1975 and a TV special, Doo Wop 50, in 1999, died from natural causes on 6/4/2013, age 73
1944 ● Joey Heatherton / (Davenie Johanna Heatherton) → Purring blond sexpot 60s and 70s TV and film actress and two hit wonder pop singer, “Gone” (#24, 1972) and “I’m Sorry” (#87, 1972), her career decline after 1975 was marked by eating, drinking and public conduct disorders
1946 ● Pete Agnew → Bassist, co-founder and constant member of Scottish hard rock Nazareth, “Love Hurts” (#8, 1976)
1947 ● Bowzer Bauman / (Jon Bauman) → Vocals for “greaser” revival parody rock-and-doo-wop Sha Na Na (“(Just Like) Romeo And Juliet,” #55, 1975)
1949 ● Edward C. King → Guitarist for 60s psych-pop-rock Strawberry Alarm Clock, “Incense And Peppermints” (#1, 1967), replaced Leon Wilkeson on bass in raunchy Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Sweet Home Alabama” (#8, 1974), switched to guitar when Wilkeson returned to the band and created the signature triple-guitar attack sound, left in 1976 but returned to the reunited band in 1987, left for good due to health problems in 1996
1949 ● Steve Gaines → Guitar for raunchy Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Sweet Home Alabama” (#8, 1974), wrote “I Know A Little” (1977), died in a plane crash along with other bandmembers on 10/20/1977, age 28
1949 ● Sonic Smith / (Fred Smith) → Lead guitarist for Detroit proto-punk rockers MC5, “Kick Out The Jams” (1969), married punk singer and poet Patti Smith in 1980, died from heart failure on 11/4/1994, age 45
1950 ● Paul Kossoff → Guitarist for proto-metal/hard rock Free, “All Right Now” (#4, 1970), later formed hard rock Back Street Crawler and did session work before dying aboard a New York/L.A. commercial flight of a heart attack resulting from drug abuse on 3/19/1976, age 25
1954 ● Barry Cowsill → Vocals for family pop band The Cowsills, “The Rain, The Park And Other Things” (#2, 1967) and theme song from Broadway musical Hair, (#2, 1969), inspiration for the TV show The Partridge Family, died in the flooding of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina on 8/29/2005, age 50
1955 ● Steve Berlin → Saxophonist and keyboardist for all-American roots rock The Blasters, in 1984 joined Tex-Mex roots rock Los Lobos, “La Bamba” (#1, 1987), sessions and collaborations
1959 ● Morten Harket → Lead vocals in Norwegian synth-poppers A-ha, “Take On Me” (#1, 1985), solo
1967 ● John Power → Bass and vocals for Brit jangle pop The La’s, “There She Goes” (#49, UK #13, 1991)
1970 ● Craig Montoya → Bassist for Pacific Northwest post-grunge/punk Everclear, “Wonderful” (#11, Alt Rock #3, 2000)
1970 ● Mark Webber → Joined alt rock/Britpop Pulp as second guitarist in 1995, “Common People” (UK #2, 1995), now produces avant-garde films
1973 ● Nas / (Nasir Jones) → Self-appointed “King of New York,” acclaimed and influential hip hop performer and East Coast rapper, “If I Ruled The World” (#53, Rhythmic Top 40 #8, 1996), US #1 album Hip Hop Is Dead (2006)
1981 ● Ashley Roberts → Vocalist for burlesque dance-pop girl troupe The Pussycat Dolls, “Don’t Cha” (#2, 2005) featuring Busta Rhymes
1983 ● Amy Winehouse → Grammy-winning R&B/soul-pop and jazz-pop singer and songwriter, “Rehab” (#9, 2007), died from unknown causes at her London home on 7/23/2011, age 27

September 15
1903 ● Roy Acuff / (Roy Claxton Acuff) → The “King of Country Music,” singer, fiddler and country music promoter credited with “mainstreaming” early country music, co-founder of Acuff-Rose Music, which signed Hank Williams, Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers and others, died of heart failure on 11/23/1992, age 89
1924 ● Bobby Short / (Robert Waltrip Short) → Sophisticated New York cabaret singer with a seven-decade career entertaining through pre-rock popular standards by Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin and others, recorded dozens of albums of jazz, blues, pop, easy listening, cabaret and swing music, continued to perform into the early 00s, died from leukemia on 3/21/2005, age 80
1928 ● Cannonball Adderley / (Julian Edwin Adderley) → High school band director turned renowned, Grammy-winning alto jazz saxophonist, bandleader and solo artist, “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” (#11, R&B #2, 1967), died of a stroke on 8/8/1975, age 46
1931 ● Jac Holzman → Music business executive, founded Elektra Records in 1950 and started other important music labels, signed fledging acts such as The Doors, Carly Simon, Bread and others, went on to various music industry executive positions, including stints with Time-Warner, Sony and Panavision
1933 ● Pat Barrett → High tenor for Canadian pop cover vocal quartet The Crew Cuts, “Sh-Boom” (#1, 1954)
1938 ● Sylvia Moy / (Sylvia Rose Moy) → Motown Records songwriter and producer, the first such female at the label, worked extensively with Stevie Wonder, co-writing his hits “I Was Made To Lover Her” (#2, R&B #1, UK #5, 1965), “Mon Cherie Amour” (#7, R&B #5, UK #2, 1969) and others plus hits for other Motown soul acts such as Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston (“It Takes Two,” #14, R&B #4, UK #16, 1966) and The Isley Brothers (“This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You),” #12, R&B #6, UK #3, 1956), later formed a not-for-profit to mentor underprivileged Detroit children in the arts, died from complications of pneumonia on 4/15/2017, age 78
1940 ● Jimmy Gilmer → Frontman and vocals for early rock & roll/surf pioneers The Fireballs, “Sugar Shack” (#1, 1963)
1941 ● Les Braid → Bassist for Brit pop-rock The Swinging Blue Jeans, “Hippy Hippy Shake” (#21, 1964)
1941 ● Signe Toly Anderson → Original female vocalist for psych-rock Jefferson Airplane, appeared on their debut album Takes Off (1966) as harmony vocalist and lead on “Chauffeur Blues,” left in October 1966 to spend time with her new daughter, was replaced by Grace Slick and faded from view, died from obstructive pulmonary disease on 1/28/2016. age 74
1942 ● Lee Dorman → Bassist for psych rock Iron Butterfly, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” (#30, 1970), later hard rock Captain Beyond, died of unknown causes at home on 12/21/2012, age 70
1946 ● Ola Brunkert → Swedish drummer in the backing band for internationally successful Scandinavian pop group ABBA, “Dancing Queen” (#1, 1976), bled to death after hitting his head on a glass door and suffering a slit throat from a shard of broken glass 3/17/2008, age 61
1956 ● Jaki Graham → UK star but US one hit wonder R&B/dance-pop singer, “Ain’t Nobody” (Dance/Club #1,1994)
1958 ● Tim Whelan → Guitar for Brit New Wave synth-pop Furniture, “Brilliant Mind” (UK #21, 1986)
1960 ● Mitch Dorge / (Michel Dorge) → Drummer, songwriter and producer for Canadian alt pop-rock Crash Test Dummies, “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” (#4, 1993)
1969 ● Allen Shellenberger → Drummer for indie rock/pop punk Lit (“My Own Worst Enemy,” #51, Modern Rock #1, 1999), died from a malignant brain tumor on 8/13/2009, age 39
1976 ● Ivette Sosa → Vocals for all-girl teen dance-pop quintet Eden’s Crush, “Get Over Yourself” (#1, 2001), the first #1 debut single by an all-female group
1976 ● KG Goldsmith / (Kingsley Goldsmith) → Lead vocals for Brit R&B/swingbeat soul boy band MN8, “I’ve Got A Little Something For You” (UK #2, 1995)
1977 ● Paul Thomson → Drummer for Scottish art-pop-rock Franz Ferdinand, “Take Me Out” (Alt Rock #3, 2004)
1978 ● Zachary Filkens → Lead guitarist of self-proclaimed “genreless” pop-rock OneRepublic, their “Apologize” (#1, 2006) is the most popular digital download/highest airplay song ever to-date

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