Happy Birthday this week to:
June 21
1926 ● Nick Noble / (Nicholas Valkan) → Pop and easy listening singer with several Top 40 hits in the 50s and 60s, including “A Fallen Star” (#22, 1957) and a minor but near-career reviving country-pop crossover hit, “Stay With Me” (AC #38, Country #40, 1978), died on 3/24/2012, age 85
1926 ● Lou Ottens / (Lodewijk Frederik Ottens) → Dutch engineer for technology giant Phillips AG who led the team that developed the cassette tape audio recording medium in 1963, eventually revolutionizing listening habits and creating the first portable medium for entire albums and mixtapes (the successor to stacked 45s on a record player spindle), later led the same effort to develop the audio CD, thus obsoleting his own creation but advancing a new technology, retired from Phillips in 1986 and died from natural causes on 3/6/2021, age 93.
1931 ● Johnny Worth (aka John Worsley, Les Vandyke) / (Yani Panakos Paraskeva Skoradalides) → English pop music songwriter, actor and comedian variously operating as John Worsley, Johnny Worth and/or Les Vandyke, best known for penning 19 Top 20 hits in the UK in the 60s and early 70s, including “What Do You Want?” (Adam Faith, UK #1, 1969) and “Jack In The Box” (Clodagh Rodgers, UK #4, 1971), his last Top 20 hit was recorded by his then-wife Catherine Stock, “To Have And To Hold” (UK #17, 1986), retired into relative obscurity and died at home from natural causes on 8/6/2021, age 90.
1932 ● Lalo Schifrin / (Boris Claudio Schifrin) → Argentine-American, Grammy-winning composer best known for writing the theme to the TV series Mission: Impossible (1966-1973) among over 100 other film and TV scores, including the Dirty Harry film series (1971-1988), The Amityville Horror (1979), the Rush Hour trilogy (1998-2007) and the Paramount Pictures fanfare score used from 1976 to 2004, co-wrote a symphonic tribute to his native Argentina in 2024 using nearly 100 musicians, died from complications from pneumonia on 6/23/2025, age 93.
1932 ● Carl White → Lead vocals and songwriter for 60s R&B/doo wop two hit wonder quartet The Rivingtons, co-wrote their novelty pop classics “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” (#48, 1962) and “The Bird’s The Word” (#52, 1963), died from acute tonsillitis on 1/7/1980, age 47
1938 ● Eddie Adcock / (Edward Windsor Adcock) → Five-string banjo virtuoso and acoustic guitarist with a six decade career spanning traditional bluegrass music of the 50s to the innovative “new grass” movement of the late 70s and beyond, member of the “classic” lineup of legendary Country Gentlemen in the 60s, met his future wife, Martha, in 1973 and recorded and performed with her as a duo or in various bands for over 30 years, had deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery in 2008 to correct hand tremors that affected his playing ability, suffered from multiple chronic health issues in his last years and died on 3/20/2025, age 86.
1942 ● O.C. Smith / (Ocie Lee Smith) → Jazz vocalist in Count Basie‘s band, then country-R&B-pop solo singer, “Little Green Apples” (#2, 1968), later became a pastor and church leader, died on 11/23/2001, age 59
1944 ● Philip John Hiseman / (Jon Hiseman) → British jazz-, blues- and progressive rock drummer, recording engineer, producer and prolific music publisher, often in collaboration with his wife, saxophonist and composer Barbara Thompson, replaced Ginger Baker (who joined with Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton in Cream) in 1966 in John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, left to form prog rock Colosseum, (album Valentyne Suite, UK #15, 1969) and Tempest in 1971, formed Colosseum II in 1976, after 1979 worked with various jazz-rock ensembles until reuniting the original Colosseum in 1994 for two decades, continued to record and perform up to his suffering complications from brain tumor surgery and dying several weeks later on 6/12/2018, age 73
1944 ● Miquel Vicens Danus → Bassist for Spanish rock ‘n roll band Los Bravos, “Black Is Black” (US #4, 1966), the first US Top 10 hit by a Spanish band
1944 ● Ray Davies → Founding member, frontman, guitar, vocals and songwriter for British Invasion pop-rock The Kinks, “Lola” (#9, 1970) and “Come Dancing” (#6, 1983)
1946 ● Brenda Holloway → Second-tier Motown Records R&B/soul singer, “Every Little Bit Hurts” (#13, 1964), left the label in the late 60s for “religious reasons” and to raise a family, released a one-off gospel album in 1980, returned to recording and performing on the revival circuit and continues as of 2015
1947 ● Joey Molland / (Joseph Charles Molland II) → Guitar, vocals and songwriter for Brit power pop Badfinger (“Come And Get It,” #7, 1970) from 1969 through 1974 and in various incarnations of the band for the next four decades, in the early 70s moonlighted as a session musician with members of The Beatles on their solo projects, enjoyed a moderately successful solo career with several singles and six albums, the last LP, Be True To Yourself in 2021, was the sole surviving member of the classic 70s lineup of Badfinger on his death from complications of diabetes on 3/1/2025, age 77.
1949 ● Greg Munford → Lead vocals for 60s psych-pop-rock Strawberry Alarm Clock, “Incense And Peppermints” (#1, 1967)
1950 ● Joey Kramer / (Joseph Michael Kramer) → Long-time drummer 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)
1951 ● Alan Silson → Lead guitar and vocals for pop-rock Smokie, “Living Next Door To Alice” (#25, UK #3, 1977)
1951 ● Nils Lofgren → Rock guitarist, pianist, songwriter and vocals, joined Neil Young‘s Crazy Horse in 1968, from 1971 to 1974 recorded four albums with his own band, Grin, solo, “Valentine”, (Mainstream Rock #37, 1991), joined Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band in 1984 and is a two-time member with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band.
1957 ● Mark Brzezicki → Drummer for Scottish art-folk-rock Big Country, “In A Big Country” (Mainstream Rock #3, 1983), also stints with The Cult, Ultravox and Procol Harum, plus session work for The Pretenders, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and others
1959 ● Kathy Mattea → Grammy-winning bluegrass and country-pop singer/songwriter, “Goin’ Gone” (Country #1, 1987) and 13 other Country Top 10 singles
1959 ● Marcella Detroit / (Marcella Levy) → Back-up singer for Eric Clapton, then vocalist and songwriter in R&B/synth-pop duo Shakespear’s Sister, “Stay” (#4, 1992), sessions, solo
1967 ● Tim Simenon → Hip hop producer, co-produced for Neneh Cherry and Seal, composer and frontman for one man electronic/sampladelic Bomb The Bass, “Beat Dis” (Dance/Club #1, 1988).
1968 ● Sonique / (Sonia Clarke) → Brit dance-pop diva and DJ, first with dance-pop acid house S’Express, “Theme From S’Express” (Dance/Club #1, 1988), then solo, “Feels So Good” (#8, Dance/Club #1, 2000)
1969 ● Pat Sansone → Multi-instrumentalist for alt country-rock Wilco, “Outtasite (Outta Mind)” (Mainstream Rock #22, 1997)
1975 ● Justin Cary → Bassist for Christian pop-rock Sixpence None The Richer, “Kiss Me” (#2, 1998)
1976 ● Michael Aaron Einziger → Guitarist for alt-metal Incubus, “Drive” (#9, 2001)
1981 ● Brandon Flowers → Vocals and keyboards for pop-alt hard rock The Killers, “Mr. Brightside” (#10, 2005)
1985 ● Lana Del Ray / (Elizabeth Grant) → Model, guitarist and trip hop/house singer, “Summertime Sadness” (#6, 2012)
June 22
1913 ● Dotty Todd / (Doris Dabb) → With her husband in one hit wonder pop singing duo Art & Dotty Todd, “Chanson D’Amour” (“Love Song”) (#6, 1958), continued to perform on radio and in Las Vegas cabarets until retiring in 1980, died from natural causes on 10/10/2007, age 87
1927 ● Remo Delmo Belli → Creator of the less expensive, more durable synthetic drumhead cover in the late 50s, which launched thousands of 60s garage bands and fueled the rock ‘n’ roll boom, died from pneumonia on 4/25/2016, age 88
1930 ● Roy Drusky → Countrypolitan music singer and songwriter with twelve Country Top 10 hits in the 60s and 70s but only one crossover single, “Three Hearts In A Triangle” (#35, Country #2, 1961), died from lung cancer on 9/23/2004, age 74
1936 ● Kris Kristofferson → Nashville studio janitor turned Grammy-winning “outlaw country” singer/songwriter with hundreds of songs covered by others, most notably “Me & Bobby McGee” (Janis Joplin, #1, 1971) and “Sunday Morning Coming Down” (Johnny Cash, #46, Country #1, 1970), charted ten singles as a solo artist, including “Why Me” (#16, Country #1, 1973), turned to acting in the early-70s and appeared in more than 50 films over four decades, including A Star Is Born (1976) opposite Barbra Streisand, and the neo-western Lone Star (1996), husband of folkie Rita Coolidge from 1973 to 1980, retired from performing in 2021 and died at home in Hawaii on 9/28/2024, age 88.
1936 ● Hermeto Pascoal / (Hermeto Pascoal Oliveira da Costa) → Self-taught multi-instrumentalist and virtuoso in several, rose from rural Brazilian poverty to become a prolific composer with over 2,000 individual songs, including one written for each day of the year (plus February 29) and over fifty solo and collaborative albums, along with dozens of appearances as a contributor to top jazz artists, among them Miles Davis, Airto Moreira, and Flora Purim, won a Latin Grammy award in 2019 for the album Hermeto Pascoal e Sua Visão Original do Forró, died from multiple organ failure on 9/13/2025, age 89.
1937 ● Chris Blackwell → Highly-influential Brit music executive and producer, founder of fiercely independent Island Records, which forged the early careers of Traffic, Bob Marley, Grace Jones, U2 and countless other rock acts, founded Mango Records and Palm Records, currently oversees Jamaican resort properties and philanthropic organizations
1942 ● Deodato / (Eumir Deodato de Almeida) → Brazilian multi-instrumentalist producer and arranger known for mixing rock, R&B/funk and heavy Latin influences in a crossover orchestral jazz sound, scored several instrumental pop and disco dance-pop hits in the 70s and 80s, including a rendition of “Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)” (#2, 1973), also arranged and produced hundreds of albums for multiple artists over three decades through the 00s
1943 ● Steve Weber / (Steven P. Weber) → Early 60s Greenwich Village folk revival guitarist and partner with Peter Stampfel in several duets that eventually became quirky psychedelic folk Holy Modal Rounders, the band became cult legends and influenced countless underground musicians with their rewrite of lyrics for traditional folk songs and oddball vocal deliveries, played with various incarnations of the band over the decades, but always in a strained relationship with his original partner, died at home from unspecified causes on 2/7/2020, age 76.
1944 ● Peter Asher → With Gordon Waller, one half of the acclaimed British Invasion pop-rock duo Peter & Gordon, “A World Without Love” (#1, 1964) and nine other Top 30 hits in the mid-60s, manager, record producer and one-time head of Apple Records
1944 ● Bill Thompson → Manager for psychedelic rock Jefferson Airplane (“Somebody To Love,” #5, 1967) through successful but turbulent times from 1968 to 1972, stayed with the band members for various solo projects, including folk-rock Hot Tuna (LP Burgers, 1972) and reformation as electric folk/pop-rock Jefferson Starship (“Miracles,” #3, 1975) and spinoff pop-rock Starship (“We Built This City,” #1, 1985), died of a heart attack on 1/12/2015, age 70
1947 ● Howard Kaylan / (Howard Kaplan) → With long-time collaborator Mark Vollman, co-founder and vocals for pop-rock The Turtles, “Happy Together” (#1, 1967), then Frank Zappa-led satirical rock group The Mothers Of Invention, “Brown Shoes Don’t Make It” (1967), formed Flo & Eddie with Vollman, continues with him in TV, film, radio and reconstituted Turtles projects
1948 ● Todd Rundgren → Guitarist, singer/songwriter, bandleader for pop-rock The Nazz, “Hello It’s Me” (#71, 1969) and Utopia, “Set Me Free” (#27, 1980), solo, “I Saw The Light” (#16, 1972), member of The New Cars, “Not Tonight” (2006) and producer of albums by Meat Loaf, The Band, Badfinger and Grand Funk Railroad, among others
1949 ● Alan Osmond / (Alan Ralph Osmond) → Oldest sibling and de facto leader of 50s-60s mostly barbershop pop vocal quartet The Osmond Brothers, which became bumblegum pop quintet The Osmonds in the early 70s with the addition of youngest brother Donny; co-wrote many of the group’s songs and co-produced most of the recordings, including “Down By The Lazy River” (#4, CAN #1, 1972) and “Crazy Horses” (#14, CAN #12, UK #2, 1972); led the brothers’ shift to country music in the 80s and eleven mid-chart singles, with two reaching the Country Top 30; diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in the early 80s and largely stopped performing in the 90s; reunited for a final show in Hawaii in 2013 and with two brothers for sister Marie’s 60th birthday celebration in 2019; published an autobiography, One Way Ticket in 2024 and died at home in hospice care after a long struggle with MS on 4/20/2026, age 76.
1949 ● Larry Junstrom / (Lawrence E. Junstrom) → “The Big Man on the Big Bass,” founding member and original bassist for Southern rock, Ronnie Van Zant-fronted Lynyrd Skynyrd, left in 1971 and joined Donnie Van Zant-fronted .38 Special (“Caught Up In You,” #10, 1982) in 1976, played bass on all of the band’s albums until forced to retire in 2014 after hand surgery restricted his playing ability, died from undisclosed causes on 10/6/2019, age 70.
1953 ● Cyndi Lauper → Nasally-voiced, rag-tag early MTV star pop-rock girl solo singer, “Time After Time” (#1, 1983)
1956 ● Derek Forbes → Bassist for Scottish New Wave pop-rock Simple Minds, “(Don’t You) Forget About Me” ($1, 1985)
1956 ● Green Gartside / (Paul Julian Strohmeyer) → Wales-born founding member, frontman, songwriter, vocals and only constant member of left-wing post-punk then pop-punk Scritti Politti, “Perfect Way” (#11, Dance/Club #6, 1985)
1957 ● Gary Beers → Bassist for Aussie New Wave dance-groove-pop INXS, “Need You Tonight” (#1, 1987)
1958 ● Ruby Turner → Jamaican-born R&B/soul singer, backing vocals for R&B/reggae UB40 and Culture Club, then solo, “It’s Gonna Be Alright” (R&B #1, Dance/Club #5, 1989)
1959 ● Alan Anton / (Alan Alizojvodic) → Bassist for Canadian alt-art-country-blues-rock Cowboy Junkies, “Sweet Jane” (Modern Rock #5, 1989)
1961 ● Jimmy Somerville → Lead vocals and songwriter for early-out gay synth-pop Bronski Beat, “Smalltown Boy” (#48, Dance/Pop #1, 1984), then vocals for outwardly gay dance-pop The Communards, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (#40, Dance/Club #1, 1986)
1962 ● Stephen Vaughan → Bassist for alt rock/punk-revival trio PJ Harvey, “Sheela-Na-Gig” (Alt Rock #9, 1991)
1964 ● Bobby Gillespie → Drummer for Scottish alt-pop-rock Jesus And Mary Chain, “Sometimes Always” (Modern Rock #4, 1994), then founding member, guitar and vocals for jangle pop/dance fusion Primal Scream, “Movin’ On Up” (Modern Rock #2, 1992)
1964 ● Dicky Barrett / (Richard Michael Barrett) → Frontman and lead vocals for ska punk The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “The Impression That I Get” (Top 40 #17, Modern Rock #1, 1997), radio DJ, TV voice-over artist and announcer for the Jimmy Kimmel Show
1964 ● Mike Edwards → Vocals for techno-electronic pop-dance Jesus Jones, “Right Here, Right Now” (#2, 1991)
1965 ● Tommy Cunningham → Drummer for Scottish pop-rock Wet Wet Wet, “Love Is All Around” (#41, UK #1, 1994)
1970 ● Steven Page → Guitar and vocals for Canadian alt-rock Barenaked Ladies, “One Week” (#1, 1998)
1973 ● Chris Traynor → Guitarist and co-founder of post-hardcore Orange 9mm, then joined alt heavy metal Helmet, “Exactly What You Wanted” (Mainstream Rock #19, 1997), worked with alt-rock Bush, “The People That We love” (Mainstream Rock #10, 2001), studio soundtrack sessions for Blue Man Group, touring and sessions with Blur, Rival Schools, Katy Perry and others
1976 ● Sally Polihronas → Singer in pre-fab Aussie all-girl pop vocal quintet Bardot, “Poison” (Aus. #1, 2000)
1981 ● Chris Urbanowicz → Guitarist for 00s punk revival/indie rock Editors, “Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors” (UK #7, 2007)
June 23
1907 ● Eddie Pola / (Sydney Edward Pollacsek) → Radio and TV program producer, actor and songwriter best known for co-writing several enduring pop tunes with George Wyle, including “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” (1963), retired from the industry and taught elementary school music, died on 111/3/1995, age 88
1929 ● June Carter Cash / (Valerie June Carter) → Singer, songwriter, actress and country music matriarch, The Carter Family, solo, “Jackson” (Country #2, 1967), duets with her husband Johnny, the “Man in Black”, died on 5/15/2003, age 73
1933 ● Lazy Lester / (Leslie Carswell Johnson) → Louisiana blues musician, guitarist, percussionist, harmonica player and key figure in the development of swamp blues, a blend of blues, Cajun, zydeco and country influences, played and recorded alongside Buddy Guy, Lightnin’ Hopkins and others, his songs have been recorded by next generation blues rockers The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Dave Edmunds, Dwight Yoakam and others, appeared in concert with B. B. King, Bonnie Raitt and other blues musicians at Radio City Music Hall in New York and on the subsequent documentary film, Lightning In A Bottle (2004), played harmonica in a 2018 Geico Insurance TV ad that first aired just before his death from cancer on 8/22/2018, age 85.
1937 ● Niki Sullivan → Original member, rhythm guitar and backing vocals for Buddy Holly‘s backing group, The Crickets, co-wrote and/or sang on many of Holly‘s hit songs before leaving the band in 1957, died of a heart attack on 4/6/2004, age 66
1938 ● Alan Vega / (Boruch Alan Bermowitz) → Singer and guitarist with Martin Rev in highly influential, confrontational, proto-punk/minimalist duo Suicide, their eponymous debut album (1977) is considered a landmark of electronic music and a precursor to post-punk industrial rock, died in his sleep on 7/16/2016, age 78
1940 ● Stuart Sutcliffe / (Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe) → First Beatles bassist for 18 months in 1960-61, left the band when the others returned to England in July 1961 and remained in Hamburg, Germany where he died from a brain hemorrhage on 4/10/1962, age 21
1940 ● Adam Faith / (Terence Nelhams-Wright) → Brit teen-idol pop singer, “What Do You Want” (UK #1, 1959) and 10 other UK Top 10 hits, successful TV, film and stage actor with multiple roles, later became a largely unsuccessful financial advisor, died of a heart attack on 3/8/2003
1941 ● Robert Hunter → Folk-bluegrass musician, singer, songwriter and poet best known as the Grateful Dead‘s chief lyricist, wrote the words to dozens of the band’s best known songs, including “Truckin’,” “Friend Of The Devil,” “Touch Of Grey,” and “Uncle John’s Band,” also co-wrote songs with Bob Dylan, Bruce Hornsby, Elvis Costello and others, issued several folk-country-rock albums as a solo artist and published numerous books of poetry and his lyrics, died following an undisclosed surgery on 9/23/2019, age 78.
1944 ● Rosetta Hightower / (Rosetta Jeanette Hightower) → Lead vocals for mixed gender R&B doo-wop quartet The Orlons, “The Wah-Watusi” (#2, R&B #5, 1962), left the group in the late 60s for session work in England with Joe Cocker, John Lennon and others, died from a brain hemorrhage on 8/2/2014, age 70
1945 ● Paul Goddard → Founding member and bassist for Southern rock Atlanta Rhythm Section (“Imaginary Lover,” #7, 1978), left the group in 1984 for other opportunities, returned in 2011 for a short stint before dying from cancer on 4/29/2014, age 68.
1948 ● Myles Goodwyn / (Myles Francis Goodwyn) → Co-founder, guitarist, frontman and chief songwriter for the Nova Scotia garage rock band that eventually became multi-platinum Canadian rockers April Wine, wrote most of the band’s big hits, including “Just Between You And Me” (#22, CAN #11, UK #51, 1988), and produced or co-produced 14 of their 16 studios albums, issued two solo albums and a Canada Top 20 single, “My Girl” (CAN #18, 1988), fronted the band for five decades before a final performance in March 2023, abused alcohol for most of his adult life and died from undisclosed causes on 12/3/2023, age 75.
1951 ● Larry Cunningham → Tenor vocals with Detroit-based, one hit wonder R&B/soul quintet The Floaters (“Float On,” #2, R&B #1, UK #1, 1977), their hit song was used in the 90s in an advertisement for Cadbury chocolates, continued to perform as a gospel singer and with Floaters reunion tours until hospitalized with heart failure, died following a heart attack on 1/10/2019, age 67.
1952 ● Anthony Jackson / (Anthony Claiborne Jackson) → Jazz and pop electric bass virtuoso guitarist credited with developing the 6-string bass guitar now in use worldwide, in addition to session work for Billy Paul (“Me And Mrs. Jones,” #1, R&B #1, 1972) at age 20, The O’Jays (“For The Love Of Money,” #9, R&B #3, 1974) at age 21, and dozens of other singles over several decades, plus appearances on over 400 albums by R&B, soul, jazz and pop artists until declining health forced retirement in the late 10s, died from complications of Parkinson’s disease and recent strokes on 10/19/2025, age 73.
1955 ● Glenn Danzig / (Glenn Allen Anzalone) → Multi-instrumentalist singer, songwriter and founder/bandleader for hardcore “horror” punk The Misfits, “Dig Up Her Bones” (1997), left in 1983 to form heavy/death metal Samhain and later blues-metal Danzig, now runs an adult-entertainment comics magazine
1955 ● Jordan Mooney / (Pamela Anne Rooke) → English actress, model, shop clerk and key figure in the London punk scene in the 70s, wore audaciously hip outfits and became one of a small group generally credited with shaping punk culture and fashion of the time, worked in the boutique SEX on King’s Road where the owner created the iconic punk-rock band Sex Pistols as a promotional gimmick, managed and occasionally performed with post-punk Adam & the Ants and Wide Boy Awake, left London in the mid-80s and spent over thirty years breeding cats and nursing other animals until her death from bile duct cancer on 4/3/2022, age 66.
1956 ● Randall Darius Jackson → Session bass guitarist, bandmember for Carlos Santana and Jerry Garcia, record producer, label executive, solo artist and now judge on popular TV show American Idol
1957 ● Lee John / (John Leslie McGregor) → Vocals for R&B/electro-dance-soul Imagination, “Just An Illusion” (Dance/Club #15, 1982)
1960 ● Brendan O’Brien → Former Atlanta Rhythm Section guitarist and sessionman turned highly regarded and successful record producer and music company executive, worked with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Red Hot Chili Peppers and others, won a Grammy Award for Bruce Springsteen‘s The Rising (2002) and produced thirteen other Billboard #1 albums.
1962 ● Richard Coles → Multi-instrumentalist for outwardly gay dance-pop The Communards, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (#40, Dance/Club #1, 1986), now an ordained priest and BBC radio host
1962 ● Steve Shelley → Drummer for alt rock/avant-garde Sonic Youth, “100%” (Modern Rock #4, 1992)
1965 ● Bonehead Arthurs / (Paul Arthurs) → Guitar for Grammy-nominated Brit pop Oasis, “Wonderwall” (#8, 1996), the band had 22 consecutive UK Top 10 hits, left the band in 1999
1966 ● James MacPherson → Drummer for alt rock The Breeders, “Cannonball” (#44, 1993)
1966 ● Mark Chadwick → Guitar and vocals for alt folk-Celtic rock The Levellers, “Just The One” (UK #12, 1995)
1975 ● KT Tunstall / (Kate Victoria Tunstall) → Scottish singer/songwriter and guitarist, “Black Horse & The Cherry Tree” (#20, Adult Top 40 #9, 2006)
1977 ● Jason Mraz → Grammy-winning contemporary pop-rock singer/songwriter, “I’m Yours” (#6, 2008)
1980 ● Jessica Taylor → Singer for teen dance-pop Liberty X, “Just A Little” (UK #1, 2002)
1981 ● Antony Costa → Vocals in Brit R&B/soul-dance boy band Blue, “Too Close” (UK #1, 2001)
1984 ● Duffy / (Aimée Ann Duffy) → Grammy-winning Welsh singer-songwriter, “Mercy” (Adult Top 40 #9, 2008)
June 24
1921 ● Peggy DeCastro → Eldest of three sisters who formed the 50s Cuban-American pop singing trio The DeCastro Sisters (“Teach Me Tonight,” #2, 1954), left in the 60s for a mediocre solo career but continued to perform with her sisters and various other members until her death from lung cancer on 3/6/2004, age 82
1933 ● Rosalie Sorrels / (Rosalie Ann Stringfellow) → Influential folk singer-songwriter and social activist who performed at the Newport Folk Festival in 1966, at Woodstock in 1969 and at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1972 but never achieved commercial success despite inspiring younger artists in the 70s and 80s, appearing on National Public Radio (NPR) on numerous occasions and recorded over 20 folk albums, including the Grammy-nominated My Last Go ‘Round (2005), died from colon cancer and complications of dementia on 6/11/2017, age 83
1939 ● Oz Bach / (Paul Bach) → Founding member, bass guitar and backing vocals for folk-sunshine-pop Spanky & Our Gang, “Someday Will Never Be The Same” (#9, 1967), session work for Fred Neil, Tom Paxton, Linda Ronstadt and Steve Miller, among others, died of cancer on 9/21/1998, age 59
1944 ● Arthur Brown → Outlandish, theatrical, hellfire-bearing frontman for one hit wonder, psychedelic pop The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, “Fire” (#2, 1968), played the Priest in the rock film Tommy (1975)
1944 ● Charlie Whitney → Guitarist for blues/art rock Family, “In My Own Time” (UK #4, 1971)
1944 ● Jeff Beck / (Geoffrey Arnold Beck) → Highly influential, eight-time Grammy-winning rock guitar virtuoso, songwriter and bandleader, replaced Eric Clapton in 60s blues-rock The Yardbirds (“For Your Love,” #6, UK #3, 1965), formed heavy blues-rock Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood in 1967, issued multiple solo albums and singles showcasing his sonic wizardry, including LP Blow By Blow (#4, 1975) and “People Get Ready” (Mainstream Rock #5, 1985), formed The Honeydrippers with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and Nile Rodgers (“Sea Of Love,” #3, 1984), ranked #14 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Great Guitarists of All-Time, died from bacterial meningitis on 1/10/2022, age 78.
1944 ● Chris Wood → Founding member, saxophone and flute for folk-psych-rock Traffic, “Paper Sun” (#94, UK #5, 1967), joined Ginger Baker’s Air Force and later reformed Traffic, sessions, died of pneumonia on 7/12/1983, age 39
1945 ● Colin Blunstone → Founding member and lead vocals in underappreciated art-pop rock The Zombies, “Time Of The Season” (#3, 1969), then solo, “Say You Don’t Mind” (UK #15, 1972), contributed lead vocals for several Alan Parsons Project tracks
1947 ● Mick Fleetwood → Founding member, part namesake and drummer for Brit blues-rock then huge pop-rock Fleetwood Mac, “Go Your Own Way” (#10, 1977)
1948 ● Patrick Moraz → Prog and jazz-rock keyboardist, replaced Rick Wakeman in Yes 1974-76, then 1978-1991 with The Moody Blues, “Your Wildest Dreams” (#9, 1986), solo
1950 ● Duckie Simpson / (Derrick Simpson) → Co-founder and only constant member of Grammy-winning, second generation reggae band Black Uhuru, album Anthem was the Best Reggae Album of 1984
1957 ● Astro / (Terence Wilson) → Percussionist, vocalist and, beginning in 1979, thirty-four year member of English racially diverse reggae-pop UB40, supplemented the band’s biggest hit, “Red, Red Wine” (#1, UK #1, 1988) with a spoken word “toasting” section and provided backing vocals on all of the band’s fourteen other UK Top 10 hits, departed in 2013 and played in two splinter groups with other UB40 bandmates before dying following a short illness on 11/6/2021, age 64.
1959 ● Andy McCluskey → Vocals, guitar and keyboards for New wave synth-pop Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, “If You Leave” (#4, 1986)
1961 ● Curt Smith → Bass and vocals for New Wave synth-pop Tears For Fears, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (#1, 1085)
1961 ● Dennis Danell → Founding guitarist in Southern California punk revival band Social Distortion, “I Was Wrong” (#54, Alt Rock #4, 1996), died from a brain aneurysm on 2/29/2000, age 38
1967 ● Jeff Cease → Lead guitar for roots/raunch rock The Black Crowes, “Hard To Handle” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1991), left in 1991
1967 ● Richard Zven Kruspe → Lead guitarist for heavy metal/industrial Kraut rock Rammstein, “Sehnsucht” (Mainstream Rock #20, 1998)
1970 ● Glen Medeiros → Teen idol poster-boy singer, “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” (#12, UK #1, 1988) and duet with Bobby Brown, “She Ain’t Worth It” (#1, 1990)
June 25
1918 ● Sid Tepper → Songwriter and collaborator with Roy C. Bennett, with whom he wrote over 300 songs, including “Red Roses For A Blue Lady” for Vaughn Monroe (#4, 1948), “The Young Ones” for Cliff Richard (UK #1, 1962) and over 40 for ‘Elvis Presley, died from natural causes on 4/24/2015, age 96.
1925 ● Clifton Chenier → The undisputed “King of Zydeco,” Creole accordion player, songwriter and bandleader, blended French and Cajun waltzes with New Orleans R&B, blues and jazz to create the exuberant, dance-happy sounds of zydeco, won a Grammy Award in 1983, recognized with a National Heritage Fellowship and inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame, died of diabetes-related kidney disease on 12/12/1987, age 62
1934 ● Ron Lundy / (Fred Ronald Lundy) → Radio disc jockey who held the midday shift at WABC (New York) – the most successful Top 40 radio station ever – from 1965 until the station switched to talk radio in 1982, moved to WCBS-FM and remained there until his retirement in 1997, died from a heart attack on 3/15/2010, age 75
1935 ● Eddie Floyd → R&B/Memphis soul singer/songwriter, co-founded proto-soul The Falcons, “You’re So Fine” (#17, R&B #2, 1959), then solo artist, “Knock On Wood” (#28, R&B #1, 1966) and staff writer/producer at Stax Records, co-wrote “634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)” for Wilson Pickett (#13, R&B #1, 1966)
1937 ● Baron Wolman / (Baron Alan Wolman) → Rolling Stone magazine’s first staff photographer in a brief but prolific stint from 1967 to late 1970 that captured iconic images of top artists such as the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Frank Zappa and many more in the days of near-unlimited access before image sensibility overcame artists’ egos, later published numerous books of his best images, including aerial photography and those shot for Rolling Stone (2011), from the 1969 Woodstock festival (2014) and celebrating rock groupies (2015), died from complications of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) on 11/2/2020, age 83.
1939 ● Harold Melvin → Singer, pianist and bandleader for R&B/Philly soul Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” (#3, 1972), suffered a stroke in 1996 and died on 3/24/1997, age 57
1940 ● Clint Warwick / (Albert Clinton Eccles) → Original bassist for pop-rock The Moody Blues, “Go Now” (#1, UK #10, 1964), left in 1966 to become a carpenter, died of liver cancer on 5/15/2004, age 63
1943 ● Chris Huston → Teenage friend of John Lennon, in 1961 co-founded Merseybeat pop-rock The Undertakers, one of the strongest Britbeat groups that never charted in any Top 40, left in 1966 to tour with Joey Dee And The Starlighters, teamed up with The Rascals as producer and engineer, winning a gold disc for “Groovin'” (#1, 1967), later worked with The Who, Led Zeppelin, Todd Rundgren, War, Eric Burdon, Ben E. King and many others, currently an acoustic and building design consultant in Nashville
1945 ● Carly Simon → Grammy-winning pop-rock singer/songwriter, “You’re So Vain” (#1, 1973) and “Mockingbird” (#5, 1974), a duet with then-husband James Taylor
1946 ● Ian McDonald / (Ian Richard McDonald) → Multi-instrumentalist and co-founding member of two major rock bands, Brit prog/space-rock King Crimson in 1968 (“The Court Of The Crimson King,” #80, 1970) and British-American hard/arena rock Foreigner in 1976 (“Double Vision,” #2, 1978), co-wrote every song, played nine instruments and produced King Crimson‘s debut album before leaving for a short-lived solo career and playing with Foreigner until 1979, worked as a session saxophonist, formed his own touring bands, played in King Crimson spin-off group and performed with Foreigner reunions through the 2000s, died from colon cancer on 2/9/2022, age 75.
1946 ● Allen Lanier → Founding member, songwriter, guitar and vocals for hard rock/pop metal Blue Öyster Cult, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” (#12, 1976), also contributed music to Patti Smith, The Clash and others, died from lung disease on 8/14/2013, age 67
1948 ● Peggy Scott-Adams / (Peggy Stoutmeyer) → R&B/soul singer and teenaged vocalist backing Ben E. King on tour, scored four charting singles in the late 60s as a duet with Jo Jo Benson, including “Pickin’ Wild Mountain Berries” (#27, R&B #8, 1968), left the music industry around 1972 and dropped into relative obscurity before returning with a single, “Bill” (#87, 1996) and a “debut” solo album, Help Yourself (#72, R&B #9, 1996), issued eight more studio albums with moderate success before hanging up the microphone for good in 2012, died from undisclosed causes on 3/27/2023, age 74.
1952 ● Tim Finn / (Brian Timothy Finn) → Singer/songwriter with brother Neil in for New Wave pop-rock Split Enz, “I Got You” (#53, UK #12, 1980), left to form Crowded House, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” (#2, 1987) and Finn Brothers, “Won’t Give In” (UK #6, 2004)
1954 ● David Paich → Vocals and keyboards for Toto, “Hold The Line” (1978)
1963 ● George Michael / (Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou) → Vocals and co-frontman for pop-revival, early boyband duo Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” (#1, 1984), then mature Grammy-winning dance-pop solo career, “Faith” (#1, 1987) and 12 other Top 10 hits and three Dance/Club #1 singles, died from heart failure on 12/25/2016, age 53.
1968 ● Candyman / (Candell Manson) → Los Angeles crossover rapper, backed Tone-Loc before going solo, “Knockin’ Boots” (#9, Rap #1, 1990).
1972 ● Mike Kroeger → Bassist for Canadian post-grunge hard rock Nickelback, “How You Remind Me” (#1, 2001)
1974 ● Mario Calire → Drummer for roots rock The Wallflowers, “One Headlight” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1996), then Grammy-winning Latin salsa/hip hop/funk-rock blended Ozomatli, 2001 album Embrace The Chaos
1985 ● Hanna Nicole Pérez Mosa → Mexican-American singer and songwriter, with sister Ashley in contemporary Latin pop-rock duo Ha*Ash, “No Te Quiero Nada” (Latin Pop #6, 2008)
June 26
1893 ● Big Bill Broonzy / (William Lee Broonzy) → Pioneering Chicago blues guitarist and prolific songwriter with over 300 titles, including standards such as “All By Myself” (1941) and “Key To The Highway” (1941), died from throat cancer on 8/15/1958, age 65.
1909 ● Colonel Tom Parker / (Andreas Cornelius Van Kuijk) → Dutch-born entertainment impresario, manager for Gene Austin, Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow, then took over as Elvis Presley‘s manager in 1955, died from a stroke on 1/21/1997, age 87.
1934 ● Tony Middleton → Lead vocals for Harlem-based doo wop vocal quintet The Willows and their lone hit, “Church Bells May Ring (#62, R&B #14, 1956), left the group in 1965 and enjoyed a long and varied career in Broadway shows and screen films, as a backing vocalist for Burt Bacharach, Quincy Jones and others, as a jazz singer in nightclubs in Paris, London and New York, and as a member of several Willows reunions over the years, performed with a new version of The Willows until his death from chronic kidney disease on 2/7/2024, age 89.
1940 ● Billy Davis, Jr. → Founding member and vocals for mainstream R&B/soul-pop The 5th Dimension, “Up, Up And Away” (1967), solo, Grammy-winning duet with wife Marilyn McCoo,”You Don’t Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show)” (#1, 1976)
1942 ● Larry Taylor / (Samuel Lawrence Taylor) → Eighteen-year-old session bassist for Jerry Lee Lewis and later on several late-60s albums by The Monkees, co-founded blues/boogie-rock Canned Heat (“Going Up The Country,” #11, 1968) in 1967 and appeared at Monterrey (1967) and Woodstock (1969) plus on 26 albums with the original Canned Heat lineup and various reunions through 2015, worked as a session bassist for dozens of artists over the decades, from John Mayall to Tom Waits and Leo Kottke, died after a 12-year battle with cancer on 8/19/2019, age 77.
1943 ● Georgie Fame / (Clive Powell) → Brit R&B, jazz and pop-rock vocalist and keyboard player, “The Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde” (#7, UK #1, 1968)
1948 ● Richard McCarken → Bassist for Irish blues-rock power trio Taste, On The Boards album reached UK #18 in 1970
1949 ● John Illsley → Bass and vocals for post-punk New Wave pop-rock Dire Straits, “Sultans Of Swing” (#4, 1983)
1950 ● Junior Daye → Vocals for Philly-style Brit R&B/soul Sweet Sensation, “Sad Sweet Dreamer” (#14, UK #1, 1975).
1955 ● Ivan Julian → Guitarist and founding member of seminal punk/New Wave Richard Hell And The Voidoids, “Love Comes In Spurts” from the album Blank Generation (1977)
1955 ● Mick Jones / (Michael Geoffrey Jones) → Co-founder and lead guitarist of influential and acclaimed punk-ska-dance-rock The Clash, “Rock The Casbah” (#8, 1982), left in 1983 to form funk-punk Big Audio Dynamite, “V. Thirteen” (Dance/Club #15, 1987)
1956 ● Chris Isaak → Rockabilly and roots rock singer/songwriter/guitarist, “Wicked Game” (#6, 1990), occasional actor and TV talk show host
1957 ● Patty Smyth → Lead vocals for hard/arena rock Scandal, “The Warrior” (#7, 1984), left in 1984 for solo career, “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” (#2, 1992)
1959 ● Stef Burns → Guitarist for pop-rock bar band Huey Lewis & The News, “The Power Of Love” (#1, 1985)
1960 ● Chris Duffy → Vocals in Welsh pop-rock duo Waterfront, “Cry” (#10, 1989)
1961 ● Terri Nunn → Vocals for New Wave synth-pop Berlin, “Take My Breath Away” (#1, 1986)
1963 ● Harriet Wheeler → Vocals for Brit alt-indie-rock The Sundays, “Here’s Where The Story Ends” (Modern Rock #1, 1990)
1966 ● Par Wiksten → Guitar and vocals for Swedish alt rock The Wannadies, “You And Me Song” (UK #18, 1996)
1969 ● Colin Greenwood → Bassist for alt/indie rock Radiohead, “There There” (Modern Rock #14, 2003)
1969 ● Mark Decloedt → Drummer for Brit dance-rock quintet EMF (“Epsom Mad Funkers”), “Unbelievable” (#1, 1990)
1972 ● Jussi Sydänmaa → Guitarist for Finnish heavy metal monster-masked Lordi, winners if 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with “Hard Rock Hallelujah”
1973 ● Gretchen Wilson → Country singer/songwriter, “Redneck Woman” (#22, Country #1, 2004)
1975 ● Paul Phillips → On-again, off-again lead guitarist, singer and songwriter for post-grunge Puddle Of Mudd, “Blurry” (#5, 2001)
1979 ● Ivan Nathan Followill → Drummer for Southern blues-indie rock Kings Of Leon, “Sex On Fire” (Modern Rock #1, 2008)
1979 ● Ryan Tedder → Songwriter, producer, founding member for self-proclaimed “genreless” pop-rock OneRepublic, “Apologize” (#1, 2006), the most popular digital download/highest airplay song ever to-date
1980 ● Jason Schwartzman → Drummer for power pop/indie rock Phantom Planet, “California” (Modern Rock #35, 2002), TV and film actor plus solo music projects
1993 ● Ariana Grande (Butera) / (Ariana Grande-Butera) → Broadway and TV actor, voice artist and pop singer with seven Top 10 hits in the 10s including “Problem” (#2, 2014)
June 27
1925 ● Doc Pomus / (Jerome Felder) → Blues singer, guitarist and performer turned prolific rock and pop songwriter, wrote or co-wrote with collaborator and pianist Mort Shuman many memorable hits, including “Turn Me Loose” (Fabian, #9, 1959), “Teenager In Love” (Dion & The Belmonts, #5, 1959), “Save The Last Dance For Me” (The Drifters, #1, 1960), “Sweets For My Sweet” (The Drifters, #16, 1961), and “Viva Las Vegas” (Elvis Presley, #29, 1964), died from lung cancer on 3/14/1991, age 65
1942 ● Bruce Johnston / (Benjamin Baldwin) → Guitar and vocals for surf-pop-rock The Beach Boys, “Good Vibrations” (#1, 1966), solo, wrote Grammy-winning “I Write The Songs” for Barry Manilow (#1, 1976)
1944 ● Will Jennings / (Wilbur Herschel Jennings) → Junior college and university-level English professor turned renowned, award-winning lyrist with songwriting co-credits for dozens of hits, including “My Heart Will Go On” (worldwide #1, 1997) for Celine Deion, Higher Love” (#1, 1986) with Steve Winwood, “Up Where We Belong” (#1, 1982) for Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, and “Tears In Heaven” (#2, UK #5, 1992) with Eric Clapton, plus Oscar-awarded movie soundtracks and all or substantially all of the songs on multiple albums by top artists B. B. King, The Crusaders, Jimmy Buffett and others, died following a period of declining health on 9/6/2024, age 80.
1945 ● Joey Covington / (Joseph Edward Michno) → Session and touring drummer in the mid-60s, joined psych-rock Jefferson Airplane in 1969 and co-wrote the band’s last chart hit “Pretty As You Feel” (#60, 1972), left in the early 70s but continued in the San Francisco music scene, co-wrote “With Your Love” (#6, 1976) for Jefferson Starship and worked in a reformed Quicksilver Messenger Service and other Bay-area revival and all-star bands, died in a head-on car collision on 6/4/2013, age 67
1951 ● Gilson Lavis / (David Leslie Gilson Lavis) → Touring drummer for American bands in the UK in the 70s, including Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Dolly Parton, answered an ad and joined New Wave synth-pop Squeeze in 1976, suffered from alcoholism during the band’s initial run on the UK charts, including “Cool For Cats” (UK #2, 1979), “Up The Junction” (UK #2, 1979) and 11 other UK charting singles by 1982, regained sobriety and reunited with Squeezein 1985 for another seven years, fell of the wagon and was fired from the band in 1992 but accepted a hand-up from former bandmate Jools Holland and played with him in his groups the Jools Holland Big Band and Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra for the next 30 years, died from head trauma after a fall at home on 11/5/2025, age 74.
1958 ● Lisa Germano → American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, 1994 album Geek The Girl, session work for David Bowie, Sheryl Crow, Iggy Pop, Jewel, John Mellencamp, Simple Minds and others
1958 ● Jeffrey Lee Pierce → Hard-living guitarist, singer and founder of 80s L.A. alt punk rock/cowpunk The Gun Club, left for a brief solo career but returned in 1987, died from a drug addiction-related brain hemorrhage on 3/31/1996, age 37
1959 ● Lorrie Morgan / (Loretta Lynn Morgan) → Country-pop singer, “What Part Of No” (Country #1, 1992) and 17 other Country Top 20 hits
1962 ● Michael Ball → Brit TV host, stage actor and pop singer, “Love Changes Everything” (UK #2, 1989)
1970 ● Laurence Colbert → Drummer for Brit neo-psych shoegazing band Ride, “Twisterella” (Modern Rock #12, 1992)
1976 ● Leigh Nash → Singer for Christian pop-rock Sixpence None The Richer, “Kiss Me” (#2, 1998)
1983 ● Evan David Taubenfeld → Lead guitarist and vocals with Avril Lavigne, “Complicated” #2, 2002), formed punk-pop The Black List Club in 2004
