Happy Birthday this week to:
August 02
1923 ● Earl Shuman / (Earl Stanley Shuman) → Prolific songwriter and lyricist best known for co-writing “Hey There Lonely Girl,” originally recorded by Ruby & The Romantics as “Hey There Lonely Boy” (#27, 1963) but most recognized as the “girl” version by R&B singer Eddie Holman (#2, R&B #4, 1970), also co-wrote over 400 other songs, including “Seven Lonely Days” for Bonnie Lou (Country #7, 1953) and recordings by Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Tom Jones and many others, along the way published albums by Meat Loaf and Mountain, died after a brief hospitalization on 2/13/2019, age 95.
1932 ● John Cohen → Folk musician, musicologist, photographer, filmmaker and co-founder of influential 50s-60s roots-folk trio New Lost City Ramblers, his career focused on preserving and promoting the traditional music of the rural American South, influencing countless folk musicians who followed and inspiring the Grateful Dead song “Uncle John’s Band,” his collected works are enshrined in the Library of Congress and numerous museums country-wide, enjoyed a second career as a visual arts professor at SUNY Purchase College (New York) for 25 years and performed in several “old time” jug and string bands through the 00s, died from cancer on 9/16/2019, age 87.
1935 ● Hank Cochran / (Garland Perry “Hank” Cochran) → Country-pop music songwriter with seven charting hits of his own in the 60s-80s but better known for penning hits for Patsy Cline (“I Fall To Pieces,” #12, AC #6, Country #1, 1961) and Eddy Arnold (“Make The World Go Away,” #6, AC #1, Country #1, 1965), and songs covered by dozens of artists, including Elvis Costello, Linda Ronstadt and Norah Jones, died from pancreatic cancer on 7/15/2010, age 75.
1937 ● Garth Hudson / (Eric Garth Hudson) → Canadian organist, keyboardist and saxophonist for seminal roots rockers The Band, “Chest Fever” (1968), sessions and solo.
1939 ● Edward Patten → Vocals in R&B/soul-pop family quartet Gladys Knight & The Pips, “Midnight Train To Georgia” (#1, 1973).
1941 ● Doris Coley / (Doris Coley Kenner-Jackson) → Vocals for first 60s girl-group to achieve national prominence, The Shirelles, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (#1, 1961), died of breast cancer 2/4/2000, age 58.
1941 ● Andrew Steele → Drummer for Brit psych-rock band The Herd, “I Don’t Want Our Loving To Die” (UK #5, 1968), then Scottish folk-pop-rock Stealers Wheel, “Stuck In The Middle With You” (#6, 1973), died 4/18/2005, age 63.
1943 ● Kathy Lennon → With her sisters, vocals in semi-religious pop vocal quartet The Lennon Sisters (“Tonight You Belong To Me,” #15, 1956), performed regularly on TV variety shows, including The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1968, continues to record and perform as a trio in the 10s.
1946 ● John Fleck / (John Fleckenstein) → Bass guitarist (1965-1966) for influential garage/psych rock Love, “7 And 7 Is” (#33, 1966), then briefly with garage/proto-punk The Standells, “Dirty Water” (#11, 1966).
1948 ● Andrew Fairweather Low → Welsh roots rock guitarist, songwriter and singer, founding member of early prog rock septet Amen Corner, “(If Paradise Is) Half As Nice” (UK #1, 1969), then frontman for hard rock Fair Weather, “Natural Sinner” (UK #6, 1970), solo and sessions plus backing bands for The Who, Roger Waters, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Bill Wyman and others.
1949 ● “Fat Larry” James / (Larry E. James) → Drummer, singer and frontman for Philadelphia R&B/soul-funk Fat Larry’s Band and multpiple charting singles, including “Act Like You Know” (Dance/Club #24, 1982) and “Zoom” (R&B #24, UK #2, 1982), died from a heart attack on 12/5/1987, age 38.
1950 ● Ted Turner / (David Alan Turner) → Dual lead guitar and vocals for Brit prog-rock Wishbone Ash, “Time Was” (1972), session work for George Harrison, Billy Preston, Al Stewart and others.
1951 ● Joe Lynn Turner / (Joseph Linquito) → Guitar, vocals for hard rock Fandango, joined Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow in 1981 as lead vocalist, “Stone Cold” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1982), left in 1985 for solo career, “Endlessly” (Mainstream Rock #19, 1985), joined Deep Purple briefly, “King Of Dreams” (Mainstream Rock #6, 1990), solo.
1951 ● Andrew Gold → Pop and light rock (L. A. sound) singer/songwriter, “Lonely Boy” (#7, 1977), session musician for James Taylor, Carly Simon, Nicolette Larson and others, died in his sleep on 6/3/2011, age 59.
1953 ● Donnie Munro / (Donaidh Rothach) → Lead guitar and vocals for Scottish Celtic folk-rock Runrig, “An Ubhal As Airde (The Highest Apple)” (UK #18, 1995), solo.
1957 ● Butch Vig / (Bryan Vigorson) → Founding member and drummer for Scottish-American alt rock Garbage, “Stupid Girl” (Dance/Club #5, 1996), recording engineer and producer for Nirvana‘s Nevermind album (1991), Sonic Youth, The Smashing Pumpkins‘ Gish (1991), L7, Soul Asylum and others.
1957 ● Mojo Nixon / (Neill Kirby McMillan, Jr.) → Satirical comedy/novelty singer, songwriter and guitarist, “Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant With My Two-Headed Love Child” (Modern Rock #16, 1989).
1959 ● Johnny Kemp → Bahamian R&B/dance-pop singer, songwriter and session vocalist whose biggest hit, “Just Got Paid” (#10, R&B #1, 1988) was nominated for a Grammy Award, found floating off a beach and presumed drowned in an accident on 4/16/2015, age 55.
1961 ● Apollonia / (Patricia Kotero) → One of several female singers and musicians associated with Prince, lead actress in the film Purple Rain (1984), replaced singer Vanity in dance-pop trio Vanity 6 which was rechristened Apollonia 6 (“Sex Shooter” Dance/Club #32, 1984) plus solo a mildly successful solo career (“Since I Fell For You,” Dance/Club #6, 1988).
1961 ● Pete De Freitas → Drummer for gloomy post-punk psych-rock Echo & The Bunnymen, “Enlighten Me” (Modern Rock #8, 1990), died in a motorcycle accident on 6/14/1989, age 27.
1962 ● Lee Mavers → Guitar and vocals for Brit jangle pop The La’s, “There She Goes” (#49, UK #13, 1991).
1965 ● Al Macaulay → Drummer for Brit folk-pop-soul Tindersticks, “Bathtime” (UK #38, 1997).
1970 ● Zelma Davis → Vocals for dance-pop C+C Music Factory, “Gonna Make You Sweat” (#1, 1991).
August 03
1917 ● Les Elgart → Swing, dance and jazz-pop bandleader, with his brother, Larry, recorded the original version of “Bandstand Boogie,” the theme song long-running teen dance show American Bandstand, withdrew from performing in the late 60s, died from heart failure on 7/29/1995, age 78.
1921 ● Richard Adler → Lyricist, composer and producer of acclaimed 50s Broadway shows, with songwriting partner Jerry Ross created several hit songs, among them “Rags To Riches” (Tony Bennett, #1, 1953) and “Whatever Lola Wants” (Sarah Vaughan, #6, 1955), following Ross‘s death in 1955 continued to write and co-write but had little commercial success, died from natural causes on 6/21/2012, age 90.
1924 ● Gordon Stoker → Vocals and piano for premier Southern gospel backing group The Jordanaires, worked behind Elvis Presley for 25 years, backed Patsy Cline and other Nashville country stars, died after a long illness on 3/27/2013, age 88.
1926 ● Tony Bennett / (Anthony Dominic Benedetto) → Fourteen-time Grammy-winning pop and easy listening singer, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” (#19, 1962) and eight other Top 40 singles and four other Adult Contemporary Top 10 hits.
1929 ● Arthur Wood → Original keyboardist with Brit blues-rock Climax Blues Band, “Couldn’t Get It Right” (#3, 1977).
1936 ● Kenny Hodges → Bass and backing vocals for folk-sunshine-pop Spanky & Our Gang, “Someday Will Never Be The Same” (#9, 1967), died from viral pneumonia on 1/29/2013, age 76.
1938 ● Terry Wogan / (Sir Michael Terrence Wogan) → Irish-born BBC radio and TV personality, Radio 2 host of various programs over nearly 40 years, including Wake Up To Wogan and Eurovision Song Contest.
1939 ● Jimmy Nicol → Drummer and temporary member of The Beatles for nine Australian gigs in June 1964 at the height of Beatlemania, sitting in after Ringo Starr collapsed and was hospitalized on 6/3/64 with tonsillitis, returned to obscurity when Ringo rejoined the band on 6/14/1964.
1941 ● Beverly Lee → Vocals for first 60s girl-group to achieve national prominence, The Shirelles, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (#1, 1961).
1946 ● John Foley York → Bassist for The Byrds replacing departed Chris Hillman in 1968, “Lay Lady Lay” (#132, 1969), solo and various collaborations and Byrds spin-offs.
1949 ● B .B. Dickerson / (Morris Dickerson) → Bassist for laid-back R&B/soul-funk War, “Spill The Wine” (#3, 1970), continued with spin-off Lowrider Band.
1951 ● John Graham → Guitarist for R&B/soul-dance-pop Earth, Wind & Fire, “Shining Star” (#1, 1975).
1953 ● Ian Bairnson → Guitarist for soft pop-rock Pilot, “Magic” (#1, 1974).
1953 ● Randy Scruggs → Grammy-winning country singer/songwriter, producer and session player, solo artist, “It’s Only Love” (Country #67, 1998), son of legendary country/bluegrass great Earl Scruggs.
1956 ● Kirk Brandon → Co-founder, guitar and vocals for Brit post-punk/goth/indie rock Spear Of Destiny, “Strangers In Our Town” (Dance/Club #40, 1987).
1959 ● Martin Atkins → Session drummer and member of post-punk Public Image Ltd., “This Is Not A Love Song” (UK #5, 1983), fronted industrial music collective Pigface, worked in industrial metal band Ministry, “I Wanted To Tell Her” (Dance/Club #13, 1983), Nine Inch Nails, “The Day The World Went Away” (#17, 1999) and post-punk/gloom-industrial metal Killing Joke, “Follow The Leaders” (#25, 1981), Invisible Records founder and chief executive.
1963 ● Ed Roland → Founder, primary songwriter, guitarist and engineer/producer for post-grunge alt rock Collective Soul, “Shine” (#11, Mainstream Rock #1, 1994).
1963 ● James Hetfield → Co-founder, rhythm guitar, chief songwriter and lead vocals for Grammy-winning heavy metal Metallica, “Enter Sandman” (#16, 1991), ranked #24 in Hit Parader magazine’s 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time.
1966 ● Dean Sams → Keyboards and backing vocals for cross-over country-rockers Lonestar, “Amazed” (#1, 1999).
1966 ● Shirley Manson → Scottish lead vocalist for Scottish-American alt rock Garbage, “Stupid Girl” (Dance/Club #5, 1996).
1967 ● Skin / (Deborah Anne Dyer) → Vocals for Brit alt rock/metal Skunk Anansie, “All I Want” (UK #14, 1996).
1971 ● DJ Spinderella / (Deidra Muriel Roper) → Vocals for female hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa, “Let’s Talk About Sex” (#13, 1991).
1973 ● Stephen Carpenter → Guitar for Grammy-winning alt heavy metal Deftones, “Change (In The House Of Flies)” (Mainstream Rock #9, 2000).
1985 ● Brent Kutzle → Bass guitar and cello for self-proclaimed “genreless” pop-rock OneRepublic, “Apologize” (#1, 2006), most popular digital download/highest airplay song ever to-date.
1985 ● Holly Blake-Arnstein → Lead vocals for R&B/dance-pop all-girl quartet Dream, “He Loves U Not” (#2, 2000).
August 04
1901 ● Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong → Immensely influential jazz trumpeter and early soloist, enduring and Grammy-winning pop/easy listening singer and bandleader, “Hello, Dolly!” (#1, 1964) and “What a Wonderful World” (#116, UK #1, 1968) plus “When The Saints Go Marching In” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’”, died in his sleep from a heart attack on 7/6/1971, age 69.
1936 ● Elsbeary Hobbs → Bass vocals for Harlem-based R&B/doo wop The Five Crowns, the core of which became post-1958 R&B The Drifters, “Up On The Roof” (1963), died 5/31/1996, age 59.
1939 ● Frankie Ford / (Francis Guzzo) → One hit wonder blue-eyed New Orleans soul singer, “Sea Cruise” (#14, 1959), continued to record and perform on the oldies circuit into the 00s, died from natural causes on 9/28/2015, age 76.
1940 ● Larry Knechtel → Keyboard player and bass guitarist, performed and recorded with numerous bands, including early rocker Duane Eddy‘s Rebels and soft MOR pop-rock Bread, “Make It With You” (#1, 1970), stood in as bass player for several Doors albums, as a session musician was a member of the L.A.-based session group The Wrecking Crew, worked with Phil Spector as a pianist in the “Wall of Sound,” won a Grammy Award for his piano on Simon & Garfunkel‘s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and played harmonica and electric guitar on The Byrds‘ “Mr. Tambourine Man,” toured with Neil Diamond, Dixie Chicks and other artists and contributed to many albums through the 00s, died from a heart attack on 8/20/2009, age 69.
1941 ● Timi Yuro / (Rosemary Timotea Aurro) → Blue-eyed R&B/pop-soul one hit wonder singer, “Hurt” (#2, 1961), toured with Frank Sinatra and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, American Bandstand and other music variety programs in the 60s, died of cancer on 5/30/2004, age 62.
1943 ● David Carr → Keyboards and vocals for Brit pop/rock harmony vocals The Fortunes, “You’ve Got Your Troubles” (#7, 1965).
1945 ● Steve Martin → Emmy, Grammy and American Comedy award actor, comedian, producer and one hit wonder novelty song singer, “King Tut” (#17, 1975).
1947 ● Dave Manders → Guitar and lead vocals 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.
1947 ● Klaus Schulze → Pioneering German electronic music composer and multi-instrumentalist, in late-60s member of atmospheric space/new age electro-synth proto-Kraut rock Tangerine Dream, left to co-found “kosmiche rock” Ash Ra Tempel in 1971, subsequent solo career includes over 60 albums released over five decades.
1947 ● Paul Layton → Guitar and vocals for folk-sunshine pop The New Seekers, “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing” (#7, 1972).
1951 ● Roy Flowers → Jamaica-born vocalist and drummer for Philly-style, British R&B/soul Sweet Sensation, “Sad Sweet Dreamer” (US #14, UK #1, 1975).
1952 ● Moya Brennan / (Maire Ni Bhraonian) → The “First Lady Of Celtic Music,” Emmy-winning singer, songwriter, harpist and frontwoman in Celtic folk-pop sibling group Clannad, “Harry’s Game” (UK #5, 1982), the only British hit single ever to be sung in Irish.
1953 ● Vini Reilly / (Vincent Gerard Reilly) → Frontman for Manchester post-punk The Dunutti Column, the first act signed to Factory Records in the late 70s, also collaborated or did session work with Morrissey, Happy Mondays and other local bands, charted several solo albums in the U.K. Top 10 in the 80s, continues to record and perform in the 10s.
1958 ● Ian Broudie → Vocals, guitar and frontman for alt rock/Britpop studio project The Lightning Seeds, “Pure” (#31, UK #16, 1989) and later as a full alt rock band, “Three Lions” (UK #1, 1996).
1959 ● Robbin Crosby → Guitarist for hard rock/glam and hair metal Ratt, “Round And Round” (#12, 1984), died from AIDS on 6/6/2002, age 42.
1960 ● Graham Massey → Keyboards for electronic/acid-house band 808 State, “Pacific State” (, 1989).
1962 ● Joey Huffman → Keyboard and organ player, member of southern rock the Georgia Satellites (“Keep Your Hands To Yourself,” #2, 1986), did session work and toured with numerous bands, including Matchbox Twenty, Soul Asylum andLynyrd Skynyrd, currently in Hank Williams, Jr.‘s touring band.
1962 ● Paul Reynolds → Guitarist for bizarrely-teased hair New Wave pop-rock A Flock of Seagulls, “I Ran (So Far Away)” (#9, 1982).
1963 ● Sam Yaffa / (Sami Takamäki) → Bassist for Finnish glam-punk-metal Hanoi Rocks, covered Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s “Up Around The Bend” (UK #61, 1984)
1966 ● Andy Henderson → Drummer for Britpop Echobelly, “Great Things” (UK #13, 1995).
1968 ● Rob Cieka → Drummer for 90s Brit guitar-pop The Boo Radleys, “Barney (…And Me)” (Alt Rock #30, 1994).
1969 ● Max Cavalera → Guitar and vocals for Brazilian heavy metal/thrash metal Sepultura, “Roots Bloody Roots” (UK #19, 1996).
1971 ● Yo-Yo / (Yolanda Whitaker) → Grammy-nominated rapper, “You Can’t Play With My Yo Yo” (#36, Rap #1, 1991), protégé of gangsta rapper Ice Cube, actress in several films, including Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit (1993).
1981 ● Batman Houston / (Marques Houston) → Vocals for L.A. pre-teen R&B/pop-rap Immature, “Never Lie” (#5, 1994), then name change to Imx, “Stay The Night” (#23, 1999), TV actor, producer for B2K and Destiny’s Child, among others.
August 05
1930 ● Damita Jo Deblanc → Comedian, actress and R&B/lounge singer with two “answer songs,” “I’ll Save The Last Dance For You” (#22, 1960) and “I’ll Be There” (#12, 1961), toured with Redd Foxx, died from respiratory failure on 12/25/1998, age 68.
1933 ● Billy Lee Riley → Early Sun Records studio musician, rockabilly singer and songwriter, with his band The Little Green Men recorded several songs at Sun, among them “Flyin’ Saucers Rock & Roll” and “Red Hot,” but largely played behind other stars like Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins, continued to tour and perform until his death from colon cancer on 8/2/2009, age 76.
1941 ● Airto Moreira → Brazilian drummer for jazz-rock fusion group Weather Report, “Birdland” (1976), bandleader and solo.
1942 ● Rick Huxley → Bassist and vocals for Brit Invasion pop-rock Dave Clark Five, “Catch Us If You Can” (#4, 1965) and 11 other Top 25 hits in the US, died after a long bout with emphysema on 2/11/2013, age 70.
1943 ● Sammi Smith / (Jewel Raye Smith) → Country-pop crossover singer with one big hit, her cover of Kris Kristofferson‘s “Help Me Make It Though The Night” (#8, Country #1, 1971) among seven total Country Top 20 singles, one of the rare females in the “outlaw country” movement of the 70s, largely disappeared from the music business in the 80s, died from emphysema on 2/15/2005, age 61.
1943 ● Sandy Pearlman / (Samuel Clarke Pearlman) → Music critic for rock-culture Crawdaddy magazine, record producer, band manager, executive and college professor best known for managing, producing and writing for hard rock/pop-metal Blue Öyster Cult (“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” #12, 1976) and producing albums by The Dictators (The Dictators Go Girl Crazy, 1975) and The Clash (Give ‘Em Enough Rope, 1978), suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died from pneumonia seven months later on 7/26/2016, age 72.
1947 ● Greg Leskiw → Guitarist for Canadian rockers The Guess Who, “American Woman” (#1, 1970).
1947 ● Rick Derringer / (Ricky Dean Zehringer) → Rock guitarist, vocalist and founder of pop-rock The McCoys, “Hang On Sloopy” (#1, 1965), then joined hard rock Edgar Winter Group, “Frankenstein” (#1, 1973), then solo, “Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo” (#23, 1974) and session work with Steely Dan, Alice Cooper, Todd Rundgren, Led Zeppelin, Kiss and others, producer.
1952 ● Louis Walsh → Irish manager for pre-fab teen-pop boy bands Boyzone and Westlife, all-girl Euro-pop vocal group Girls Aloud, Samantha Mumba, G4 and others, judge on reality TV Popstars : The Rivals and with Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne on talent show The X Factor.
1953 ● Samantha Sang / (Cheryl Lau Sang) → One hit wonder Aussie pop vocalist, “Emotion” (#3, 1978), backing vocals for Eric Carmen and The Bee Gees.
1955 ● Eddie “Fingers” Ojeda → Guitarist for heavy metal Twisted Sister, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” (#21, 1983).
1959 ● Pat Smear / (Georg Albert Ruthenburg) → Guitarist and founding member of L.A. punk rock The Germs, “Lexicon Devil” (1979), bit-part TV actor and solo artist during the 80s, in 90s toured with grunge rock Nirvana and was briefly with post-grunge Foo Fighters.
1959 ● Pete Burns / (Peter Jozzeppi Burns) → Lead vocals, chief songwriter and androgynous frontman for Brit dance-pop Hi-NRG group Dead Or Alive, “You Spin Me ‘Round (Like A Record)” (#11, UK #1, 1985), later became a flamboyant reality TV personality and occasional host, died from a heart attack on 10/30/206, age 57.
1960 ● Stuart Croxford Neale → Synthesizer and vocals for one hit wonder New Wave light synth-bubblegum-pop Kajagoogoo, “Too Shy” (#5, 1983).
1963 ● Mike Nocito → Bass guitar for underappreciated, one hit wonder New Wave sophisti-pop Johnny Hates Jazz, “Shattered Dreams” (#2, 1988).
1964 ● MCA / (Adam Nathaniel Yauch) → Founding member and bassist for hardcore punk then hip hop masters Beastie Boys, “Fight For Your Right” (#7, 1987), videographer and film producer, died from cancer on 5/4/2012, age 47.
1965 ● Jeff Coffin → Saxophonist for Grammy-winning progressive folk-bluegrass Béla Fleck And The Flecktones, “The Sinister Minister” (Best Pop Instrumental, 1997) and pop-funk-rock jam band Dave Matthews Band, “Don’t Drink The Water” (#4, 1998).
1966 ● Jennifer Finch → Bassist for all-girl post-punk/grunge band L7, “Pretend We’re Dead” (Alt Rock #8, 1992).
1974 ● Simon Dawbarn → Vocals and co-founding member of Brit teen-dance-pop boy band 911, covered The Bee Gee’s‘s “More Than A Woman” (UK #2, 1998) and Bobby Gosh‘s “A Little Bit More” (UK #1, 1999), a US #11 hit for Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show in 1976.
1975 ● Dan Hipgrave → Guitarist and vocals for alt pub rock/white soul Toploader, covered “Dancing In The Moonlight” (UK Top 10, 2000).
1983 ● Dawn Angelique Richard → Singer for MTV Making the Band program winner and pre-fab, all-girl dance-pop quintet Danity Kane, “Show Stopper” (#8, 2006).
August 06
1928 ● Andy Warhol / (Andy Warhol (Warhola)) → The Velvet Underground manager, pop art painter and founder of the Pop Art movement, album cover designer (The Rolling Stones‘ Sticky Fingers album cover and others), avant-garde filmmaker, died following gall bladder surgery on 2/22/1987, age 58.
1929 ● Mike Elliott → Jamaican born jazz-pop saxophonist in several ska bands and Brit R&B/soul-pop The Foundations, “Baby Now That I’ve Found You” (#11, 1967).
1940 ● Mike Sarne / (Michael Scheuer) → Multilingual small-part movie actor, pop singer, “Come Outside” (UK #1, 1962), translated several 60s Brit singles for the German market, film director, including Joanna (1968) and Myra Breckinridge (1970).
1946 ● Judy Craig → Vocals for top-tier 60s New York girl group The Chiffons, “He’s So Fine” (#1, 1963).
1946 ● Allan Holdsworth → Highly-regarded journeyman jazz-rock fusion guitarist, during the 70s played with prog rock Tempest, Canterbury-scene fusion band Soft Machine, The New Tony Williams Lifetime, Gong, Jean-Luc Ponty, Bill Bruford and U.K., founded and fronted jazz-rock I.O.U. in the 80s, then solo with over a dozen acclaimed jazz fusion albums in the 90s and 00s, died from a heart attack on 4/15/2017, age 70.
1952 ● Pat MacDonald → With wife Barbara K. MacDonald, one half of one hit wonder alt country-folk-pop duo Timbuk 3, “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades” (#19, 1986), solo.
1952 ● Vinnie Vincent / (Vincent John Cusano) → Hard rock guitarist, songwriter and “Ankh warrior” character in campy, painted-face glam-rock/hard-rock Kiss (“Detroit Rock City,” #7, 1976), left in 1985 to form metal-rock Vinnie Vincent Invasion with limited commercial success, disappeared from the music scene in the 90s.
1958 ● Randy DeBarge → With his sister and three brothers, vocals in R&B/urban contemporary dance-pop sibling quintet Debarge, “All This Love” (#17, 1983).
1963 ● Jamie Kensit → Founder, songwriter and guitarist for Brit pop-rock Eighth Wonder, “Cross My Heart” (Dance/Club #10, 1988).
1969 ● Elliott Smith / (Steven Paul Smith) → Folk-punk singer and songwriter with the Academy Award-nominated “Miss Misery” from the film Good Will Hunting (1997), died from self-inflicted stab wound to the chest on 10/21/2003, age 34.
1972 ● Geri Halliwell / (Geraldine Estelle Halliwell) → Vocals and “Ginger Spice” in pop-rock girl-group Spice Girls, “Wannabe” (#1, 1997), left for solo career in 1998, “Look At Me” (Dance/Club #12, UK #2, 1999) and seven other UK Top 10 hits.
1981 ● Schleprok McCoy / (Travis McCoy) → Co-founder, MC and vocals for alt hip hop/rap rock Gym Class Heroes, “Intramurals: Cupid’s Chokehold” (#4, 2007), solo.
1984 ● Eric Roberts → Bass guitar and vocals for alt hip hop/rap rock Gym Class Heroes, “Intramurals: Cupid’s Chokehold” (#4, 2007), solo.
August 07
1925 ● Felice Bryant / (Felice Scaduto Bryant) → Prolific country and pop songwriter, with her husband Boudleaux Bryant wrote “Rocky Top,” “Love Hurts,” “Bye Bye Love” (#2, 1957) and “All I Have To Do Is Dream” (#1, 1958) for The Everly Brothers, as well as “Raining In My Heart” for Buddy Holly, died on 4/22/2003, age 77.
1926 ● Stan Freberg → Irreverent, visionary radio comic/satirist, combined music with spoken word to create novelty songs, including “The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)” (#25, 1957), animation voice actor, advertising creative director, author.
1928 ● Herbert Reed → Founding member (1953) and bass vocals for hugely successful R&B/doo wop The Platters, “The Great Pretender” (#1, 1956) and 13 other Top 20 hits between 1955 and 1967, sang on every one of the group’s over 400 recorded songs, waged a successful court battle for rights to The Platters‘ name, died from heart disease on 6/4/2012, age 83.
1931 ● Jack Good → Oxford-educated British actor turned 50s rock ‘n’ roll artist manager (Billy Fury, Cliff Richard and other U.K. hitmakers) and TV music program producer, first on the BBC musical variety show Six-Five Special, then as creator and producer of Oh Boy!, the U.K.’s first all rock ‘n’ roll teen music TV program, left the U.K. in 1962 for an unsuccessful attempt at Hollywood acting but resurfaced in 1964-1966 as creator and producer of Shindig! on ABC-TV in the U.S., in the 70s turned to theatrical musical productions and later moved to New Mexico to paint religious murals, died from complications of a fall at home in the U.K. on 9/24/2017, age 86.
1936 ● Charles Pope → With brother Joseph and others, vocals for R&B/soul The Tams, “What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am)” (#9, 1963) and “There Ain’t Nothing Like Shaggin'” (UK #21, 1987), continued to perform until a few years before his death from Alzheimer’s disease on 7/11/2013, age 76.
1939 ● Ron Holden → One hit wonder R&B/pop singer (“Love You So,” #7, R&B #11, 1960), died of a heart attack on 1/22/1997, age 57.
1942 ● B.J. Thomas / (Billy Joe Thomas) → Light pop-rock singer, “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” (#1, 1970) and “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song” (#1, 1975), turned to gospel and country music later in his career, “New Looks From An Old Lover” (Country #1, 1983).
1943 ● Lana Cantrell → Aussie-American pop and traditional standards singer turned entertainment lawyer, recorded seven albums along with a lone charting single (“Like A Sunday Morning,” #63, 1975) and appeared in Vegas and on TV musical variety shows before ditching her singing career for a law degree and practice in New York City in the 90s.
1945 ● Kerry Chater → Bassist for 60s pop-rock Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, “Young Girl” (#2, 1968).
1949 ● Carlo Novi → Saxophones for New Jersey rock ‘n roll bar band Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, “Talk To Me” (1978).
1950 ● Rodney Crowell → Neo-traditionalist country singer/songwriter and guitarist, “I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried” (Country #1, 1988) and ten other Country Top 25 hits, worked in Emmylou Harris‘ backing band, artists who covered his songs include Bob Seger, “Shame On The Moon” (#2, 1982), Johnny Cash and Crystal Gayle.
1952 ● Alexei David Sayle → Stand-up comedian and satire/novelty pop song artist, “Ullo John! Gotta New Motor” (UK #15, 1984), film actor (Gorky Park, 1983 and Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, 1989), radio and TV personality, author.
1958 ● Bruce Dickinson → Vocalist for Brit heavy metal Iron Maiden, “Flight Of Icarus” (Mainstream Rock #8, 1983), then solo, “Tears Of A Dragon” (Mainstream Rock #36, 1994), now flies as a B757 captain for UK charter airline Astraeus, BBC Radio host, author.
1960 ● Jacqui O’Sullivan → Brit singer and songwriter, backing vocals for Status Quo, Visage and the Eurythmics, joined pop trio Bananarama in 1988, “I Want You Back” (UK #5, 1988), solo.
1964 ● Ian Dench → Chief songwriter and guitarist for Brit dance-rock quintet EMF (“Epsom Mad Funkers”), “Unbelievable” (#1, 1990).
1965 ● Johnny Solinger / (John Preston Solinger) → Lead vocalist hired in 1999 to replace founding member Sebastian Bach in New Jersey-based hair metal/pop-metal Skid Row (“I Remember You,” #6, 1989), issued a solo country-metal album in 2008.
1965 ● Raul Malo → Singer, songwriter, guitarist and frontman for Grammy-winning country-rock The Mavericks, “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down” (Country #13, 1996), solo.
1966 ● Kristin Hersh → Singer/songwriter, lead vocals and guitar for alt rock Throwing Muses, “Dizzy” (Modern Rock #8, 1989) and alt punk rock power trio 50 Foot Wave, acoustic solo performances, author and co-founder of non-profit CASH Music recording software.
1968 ● Lynn Strait / (James Lynn Strait) → Lead singer and songwriter for up-and-coming punk/nu-metal Snot, the band broke up shortly after his death in a California highway accident on 12/11/1998, age 30.
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1907 ● King Carter / (Bennett Lester Carter) → Lifetime Grammy Award and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master alto saxophonist with a long and prolific career from the late 20s to the early-00s, his best known composition was the Grammy-winning “Prelude To A Kiss” (Best Jazz Instrumental, 1994), died from natural causes on 7/12/2003, age 95.
1920 ● Jimmy Witherspoon → Late 40s jump blues “shouter” and rock ‘n’ roll roots singer, “Ain’t Nobody’s Business (Parts 1 & 2)” (R&B #1, 1949), his style went out in the late 50s and he switched to blues-rock, recorded occasionally through he 70s, toured and performed until just before he died of throat cancer on 9/18/1997, age 77.
1921 ● Webb Pierce → One of the most popular 50s/60s honky tonk and rockabilly singer/songwriters with dozens of Country Top 20 hits and a handful of crossover hits, including “More And More” (#22, Country #1, 1954) and “I Ain’t’ Never” (#24, Country #2, 1959), lived a large and flamboyant lifestyle from the end of his recording days in the early 80s to his death from pancreatic cancer on 2/24/1991, age 69.
1932 ● Mel Tillis / (Lonnie Melvin Tillis) → Prolific country music singer (despite a pronounced stutter) and songwriter with 34 songs in the Country Top 10 and the crossover hit “Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town” (#6, Country #39, 1970) for Kenny Rogers & The New Edition, others of his songs have been covered by Linda Ronstadt, Ricky Van Shelton, Waylon Jennings and others, later invested in radio stations, music publishing and a theater in Branson, Missouri, died from respiratory failure on 11/19/2017, age 85.
1933 ● Joe Tex / (Joseph Arlington) → R&B/Southern soul singer, “Hold On To What You’ve Got” (#5, 1965) and eight other Top 40 hits, died of a heart attack on 8/13/1982, age 49.
1938 ● Connie Stevens / (Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia) → Pop music singer with six charting singles in 1959-65, including “Sixteen Reasons” (#3, 1960), then starred in the TV series Hawaiian Eye and in numerous films in the 60s, turned to various business and humanitarian projects in the 80s and 90s, and added film direction and screenwriting to her resume in the 90s and 00s.
1938 ● Don Jacobucci → Baritone vocals for two hit wonder doo wop quartet The Regents, original “Barbara Ann” (#13, 1961) and “Run Around” (#28, 1961).
1939 ● Phil Balsley → Baritone vocals in country-gospel-pop crossover harmonic quartet The Statler Brothers (“Flowers On The Wall,” #4, Country #2, 1965), known as the “Quiet One” for his on stage presence and humble appearance.
1939 ● Jerry Slick / (Gerald Slick) → Aspiring filmmaker, rock drummer, first husband of singer Grace Slick and co-founding member of San Francisco 60s acid rock The Great Society, the group recorded dozens of songs but released only one single, “Someone To Love” (1965) during their brief existence which ended in 1966 when Grace left to join Jefferson Airplane (and release the re-titled “Somebody To Love” (#5, 1967)), joined psych-rock The Final Solution for a brief stint before re-focusing on filmmaking, divorced Grace and won a Clio award in 1971 for an advertisement recruiting San Francisco police officers, died from undisclosed causes on 3/19/2020, age 80.
1942 ● Jay David / (John David) → Drummer for AM pop-rock Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show, “Sylvia’s Mother” (#5, 1972) plus nine other Top 40 hits.
1944 ● Michael Johnson → Adult contemporary pop and country singer, songwriter and guitarist, “Bluer Than Blue” (#12, 1978) and two other Top 40 hits plus seven Country Top 40 singles.
1944 ● John Renbourn → English singer, songwriter and guitarist with a nearly 5 decade solo career and over 30 albums, but best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch and co-founding folk-rock group Pentangle (“Light Flight,” UK #43, 1970), continued to record tour until his death from a heart attack on 3/26/2015, age 70.
1949 ● Airrion Love → Vocals for R&B/Philly soul The Stylistics, “You Make Me Feel Brand New” (#2, 1974) plus 15 R&B Top 40 singles.
1949 ● Keith Carradine → Four-decade Broadway stage and Hollywood film actor with a short pop music career based on the Oscar-winning, self-penned “I’m Easy” (#17, AC #1, 1976) from the movie Nashville (1975).
1956 ● Ali Score / (Alister Score) → Drummer for bizarrely-teased hair New Wave pop-rock A Flock of Seagulls, “I Ran (So Far Away)” (#9, 1982).
1956 ● Chris Foreman → Guitar for punk/ska revival Madness, “Our House” (#7, 1982) and over 20 other UK Top 40 singles.
1956 ● David Grant → Pop singer and member of Brit soul/funk Linx, “You’re Lying” (R&B #27, 1981) and “Intuition” (UK #7, 1981), then solo, “Watching You Watching Me” (UK #10, 1983), celebrity vocal coach and husband of Carrie Grant.
1957 ● Dennis Drew → Keyboardist, co-founder and one of two constant members of folk-pop 10,000 Maniacs, “These Are Days” (Alt-Rock #1, 1992).
1961 ● Paul Jackson → Bassist for New Wave pop-rock T’Pau, “Heart And Soul” (#4, 1987).
1961 ● Rikki Rockett / (Richard Allen Ream) → Drummer for hair metal/power ballad Poison, “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” (#1, 1988), solo and owner of a custom drum kit manufacturing company.
1961 ● The Edge / (David Howell Evans) → Guitarist, occasional vocalist and sometime songwriter for Irish mega-star rockers U2, “With Or Without You” (#1, 1987).
1962 ● Kool Moe Dee / (Mohandas Dewese) → Member of early hip hop/old-school rap Treacherous Three, left for Grammy-winning solo career in 1986, “Rise ‘N’ Shine” (Rap #1, 1991).
1973 ● Scott Stapp / (Anthony Scott Flippen) → Founding member, lead vocalist and lyricist for Grammy-winning post-grunge Creed, “With Arms Wide Open” (#1, 2000), solo.
1973 ● Toby Allen → With brothers Andrew and Mike Tierney and another schoolmate, co-founder and vocals in Motown-inspired Aussie teen-pop boyband Human Nature (“Everytime You Cry,” AUS #3, 1997), currently in residence on the Las Vegas Strip performing in a Motown-themed show.
1974 ● Brian Harvey → 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.
1976 ● Drew Lachey → With brother Nick and two others, vocalist in adult contemporary pop-rock boy band 98 Degrees, “Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)” (#2, 2000), TV and Broadway actor, celebrity dancer on Dancing With The Stars in 2006.
1976 ● JC Chasez / (Joshua Scott Chasez) → Lead vocals for teen dance-pop harmony boy band ‘N Sync, “It’s Gonna Be Me” (#1, 2000), solo.
1981 ● Bradley McIntosh → Vocals for pre-fab teen pop S Club 7, “Never Had A Dream Come True” (#10, 2001).
1983 ● Vanessa Joy Amorosi → Australian pop singer/songwriter and guitarist, “Absolutely Everybody” (UK #7, Australia #6, 1999) and “This Is Who I Am” (Australia #1, 2009).