Happy Birthday this week to:
January 26
1913 ● Jimmy Van Heusen / (Edward Chester Babcock) → Four-time Academy Award winning popular music composer, wrote or co-wrote dozens of pop hits in the 40s through 60s for Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and others, including “Swingin’ On A Star” for Crosby (1944) and “My Kind Of Town” for Sinatra (1964), died from complications following a stroke on 2/6/1990, age 77
1922 ● Page Cavanaugh → Jazz pianist, vocalist, arranger, popular 40s and 50s bandleader on radio, TV and films with a number of Top 40 hits, early purveyor of the jazz-pop sound now known as “smooth jazz,” continued to perform as a night club and lounge act into the 00s, died from kidney failure on 12/19/2008, age 86
1926 ● Ronnie Hilton / (Adrian Hill) → Brit 50s pop crooner, “No Other Love” (UK #1, 1956) plus 21 other Top 40 hits during the onslaught of rock ‘n’ doll, BBC radio host of the weekly show Sounds of the Fifties, died of a stroke on 2/21/2001, age 75
1928 ● Joe Smith / (Joseph Benjamin Smith) → Legendary music industry executive whose career spanned the earliest days of rock ‘n’ roll to the CD boom of the 1990s, headed three major record labels – Capitol, Elektra/Asylum and Warner Bros. – and nurtured the careers of hundreds of artists across many genres, from Petula Clark and Peter, Paul & Mary to the Grateful Dead and Jackson Browne to The Cars and Bonnie Raitt, conducted several hundred hours of interviews with over 200 record executives, producers, songwriters, managers and musicians, including Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Elton John and Ella Fitzgerald, published excerpts in his 1998 book, Off the Record: An Oral History of Popular Music and eventually donated the tapes to the Library of Congress, died from undisclosed causes on 12/2/2019, age 91.
1932 ● The Tall Texan / (Claude Gray) → Country music singer, songwriter and guitarist known for his contribution to the “Nashville sound” and the Countrypolitan movement that created the crossover genre blending country and pop music, scored 12 Country Top 40 hits including “I’ll Have Another Cup Of Coffee” (Country #3, 1961), continues to tour and perform on TV into the 10s
1934 ● Huey “Piano” Smith / (Huey Pierce Smith) → New Orleans session pianist for Little Richard, Lloyd Price and others in the mid-50s, then became a pivotal figure in the early rock ‘n’ roll era with several “good time” R&B hits, including “Rockin’ Pneumonia” (R&B #5, 1957), also wrote and played on Frankie Ford‘s version of “Sea Cruise” (#14, 1959), fell into financial hardship in the 80s due to unpaid royalties but later recovered some of his due through lawsuits, received the Rhythm & Blues Foundation’s Pioneer Award in 2000, died at home from undisclosed causes on 2/13/2023, age 89.
1937 ● Alison Steele / (Ceil Loman) → Pioneering DJ known as “The Night Bird” on archetypical progressive rock station WNEW-FM (New York) from 1967 to 1979, inspiration for Jimi Hendrix‘s “Night Bird Flying,” music writer, producer and CNN correspondent, died from stomach cancer on 9/27/1995, age 56
1939 ● Marshall Lieb → Original member of short-lived, one hit wonder pop vocal trio The Teddy Bears (“To Know Him Is To Love Him,” #1, 1958) with Phil Spector, died from a heart attack on 3/15/2002, age 63
1943 ● Jean Knight / (Jean Audrey Caliste) → New Orleans one hit wonder R&B/soul and funk singer with the Grammy-nominated “Mr. Big Stuff” (#2, R&B #1, 1971) and three other, minor singles, dropped away the music industry and graduated from nursing school in the 80s, practiced as a licensed nurse for 15 years but continued to tour on the oldies circuit, primarily in the Southern states, through the 00s, served on the Louisiana Music Commission and was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2007, died from natural causes on 11/22/2023, age 80.
1943 ● Gary McSpadden → Gospel and Christian music baritone singer in numerous vocal groups in the 60s, including The Oak Ridge Boys and The Imperials, left music to pastor a Texas ministry in 1967, over the ensuing decades divided time among preaching, hosting gospel music programs on TV, singing in the Bill Gaither Trio and writing as part of the Gaither songwriting team, producing albums for others and issuing sixteen of his own, died from a stroke while suffering from pancreatic cancer on 4/15/2020, age 77.
1945 ● Tyger Hutchings / (Ashley Stephen Hutchings) → Bassist for renowned Brit folk-rock revival bands Fairport Convention, “Si Tu Dos Partir” (UK #21, 1969) and Steeleye Span, “All Around My Hat” (UK #5, 1975)
1946 ● Deon Jackson → One hit wonder 60s R&B/soul singer and songwriter, “Love Makes The World Go ‘Round” (#11, 1966), faded into the Chicago oldies circuit until his death from a brain hemorrhage on 4/18/2014, age 68
1948 ● Corky Laing / (Laurence Gordon Laing) → Drummer in pioneering hard rock/heavy metal band Mountain (“Mississippi Queen,” #21, 1970), then power trio West, Bruce & Laing, solo and collaborations
1949 ● Derek Holt → Guitar and keyboards for Brit blues-rock Climax Blues Band, “Couldn’t Get It Right” (#3, 1977)
1951 ● David Briggs → Guitarist and songwriter for Aussie pop/rockers Little River Band, wrote “Lonesome Loser” (#6, 1979), now recording engineer and producer
1951 ● Andy Hummell → Bassist in quintessential power pop cult band Big Star, “September Gurls” (1974, Rolling Stone #178), died from cancer on 7/19/2010, age 59
1952 ● Maurice Bacon → Drummer for London-based, teenage R&B/soul-pop Love Affair, “Everlasting Love” (UK #1, 1968) and four other UK Top 20 hits in the late 60s, fell into obscurity following the band’s break-up in the 70s
1953 ● Lucinda Williams → Underappreciated country-folk-roots rock singer and songwriter, “Car Wheels On A Gravel Road” (1998) from the Grammy-winning album of the same name
1955 ● Eddie Van Halen / (Edward Lodewijk Van Halen) → Dutch-born electric guitar virtuoso and member of the small pantheon of rock guitar gods, co-founder, energetic frontman, songwriter and vocals for hugely popular hard rock megastars Van Halen, “Jump” (#1, 1984), perfected the technique of tapping on the guitar frets with two hands, collaborated with other rock acts, created film scores with his brother Alex, recorded an uncredited guitar solo on Michael Jackson‘s “Beat It” (#1, 1983), patented three guitar accessory products and appeared in TV shows, once with his then-wife actress Valerie Bertanelli, died from throat and lung cancer on 10/6/2020, age 65.
1958 ● Anita Baker → Grammy-winning R&B/quiet storm singer, “Sweet Love” (#8, 1986)
1958 ● Norman Hassan → Percussion, trombone and vocals for multiracial reggae-pop UB40, “Red Red Wine” (#1, 1988) and over 30 other Top 40 hits
1960 ● Charlie Gillingham → Keyboards for alt-rock Counting Crows, “Mr. Jones” (Modern Rock #2, 1994)
1963 ● Andrew Ridgeley → Vocals for New Wave pop-rock boy band Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” (#1, 1984) and 6 other US Top 10 hits
1963 ● Jazzie B. / (Trevor Beresford Romeo) → DJ, mixmaster, producer and founding member of R&B/dance-pop Soul II Soul, “Back To Life” (#4, 1989)
1964 ● Susannah Melvoin → Vocalist, songwriter and actress, backing singer for Prince, Eric Clapton, Roger Waters and Wendy & Lisa
1966 ● Pim Jones → Guitarist for Scottish contemporary pop-rock Hipsway, “The Honeythief” (#19, 1986)
1970 ● Kirk Franklin → Contemporary gospel singer, songwriter and bandleader, “Looking For You” (#61, 2005)
1972 ● Ya Kid K / (Manuela Barbara Kamosi Moaso Djogi) → Belgian studio-based electro-dance-pop “house” music Technotronic, wrote lyrics and sang vocals on “Pump Up The Jam” (#2, 1989), solo
January 27
1885 ● Jerome Kern / (Jerome David Kern) → Prolific and important theater, film and popular music composer who wrote more than 700 songs, including such American classics as “Ol’ Man River” from the Broadway musical Showboat (1927), “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” from the musical Roberta (1933, and a #1 hit for The Platters, 1958) and “Long Ago (And Far Away)” from the film Cover Girl (1944), died following cerebral hemorrhage on 11/11/1945, age 60.
1918 ● Elmore James → The “King of the Slide Guitar,” highly influential blues slide guitarist, singer and songwriter, “It Hurts Me Too” (R&B #15, 1960), covered by Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers Band and many others, died from heart failure on 5/24/1963, age 45
1919 ● David Seville / (Rosdom Sipan “Ross” Bagdasarian) → Armenian-American actor, pianist, singer and songwriter, “Witch Doctor” (#1, 1958), creator of novelty pop Alvin & The Chipmunks, “The Chipmunk Song” (#1, 1958), died of a heart attack on 1/16/1972, age 52
1930 ● Bobby “Blue” Bland / (Robert Calvin Brooks) → R&B/soul-blues-gospel singer, product of the Memphis “street blues” scene and Lifetime Grammy winner, “That’s The Way Love Is” (#33, R&B #1, 1963) and 43 other R&B Top 40 hits, died from an undisclosed illness on 6/23/2013, age 83
1931 ● Rudy Maugeri / (Rudolph Peter Maugeri) → Seminary student turned baritone vocalist in blue-eyed soul Canadian quartet The Crew Cuts, wrote their first doo wop hit “Crazy ‘Bout My Baby” (#8, 1954) and helped arrange ten Top 20 hit covers of R&B and rock ‘n’ roll songs through the 50s, including “Sh-Boom” (#1, 1954), when the group disbanded in 1964 spent 15 years in broadcasting in L.A. and New York before opening adult wellness clinics for addicts in L.A. and Las Vegas, died from pancreatic cancer on 5/7/2004, age 73.
1937 ● Bruce Tate → Founding member and tenor vocals for one hit wonder R&B/doo wop quartet The Penguins, their enduring “Earth Angel” (#8, R&B #1, 1954) was one of the earliest R&B-to-pop crossover hits, left the group in 1955 and died from undisclosed causes on 6/20/1973, age 36.
1943 ● Thom Bell / (Thomas Randolph Bell) → Classically-trained Jamaican-American musician and key architect of the smooth “Philly Soul” sound of the ’70s as a writer and producer multiple acts, including The Delfonics (“Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time),” #10, R&B #3, 1970), The Spinners (“I’ll Be Around,” #3, R&B #1, 1972) and The Stylistics (“You Make Me Feel Brand New,” #2, R&B #5, 1973), and as one-third of the acclaimed Mighty Three Music publishing team alongside Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the team fed hit after hit to Philadelphia International Records which the trio had co-founded in 1971, continued to work with top acts in the later 70s, including Dionne Warwick and Deniece Williams, and for The Temptations and Dee Dee Bridgewater and others in the 80s, retired from the music industry in the 90s and died after a lengthy illness on 12/22/2022, age 79.
1944 ● Kevin Coyne → Underappreciated Brit blues-rock singer, songwriter and bandleader, first with alt/art rock Siren and then solo, “Marlene” (1973), later focused on poetry, prose and painting, died of lung failure on 12/2/2004, age 60
1946 ● Nedra Talley → Backing vocals for pop-rock girl group The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” (#2, 1963)
1948 ● Kim Gardner → Bassist in British Invasion pop-rock The Thunderbirds (with future Rolling Stone Ron Wood), then formed art rock Ashton, Gardner & Dyke, “Resurrection Shuffle” (#40, UK #3, 1971), then sessions and L.A. pub owner, died of cancer on 10/24/2001, age 53
1950 ● Mick Jackson / (Michael “Mick” Jackson) → Bass guitarist for London-based, teenage R&B/soul-pop Love Affair, “Everlasting Love” (UK #1, 1968) and four other UK Top 20 hits in the late 60s, fell into obscurity following the band’s break-up in the 70s
1951 ● Brian Downey → Drummer for underrated Irish hard rock Thin Lizzy, “The Boys Are Back In Town” (#12, 1976)
1951 ● Seth Justman → Keyboards and vocals for boogie-blues-rock ‘n roll bar band J. Geils Band, wrote “Centerfold” (#1, 1982).
1952 ● G.E. Smith / (George Edward “G.E.” Smith) → Guitarist, bandleader, performance director and session musician, lead guitar for Hall & Oates and musical director for Saturday Night Live, toured with Bob Dylan and Rogers Water’s The Wall Live band, did session work with David Bowie, Hot Tuna and many others
1955 ● Richard Young → Rhythm guitar and vocals for Southern honky tonk-blues-country rock Kentucky Headhunters, “Oh, Lonesome Me” (Country #8, 1990)
1957 ● Janick Robert Gers → Guitarist for Brit heavy metal Iron Maiden, “Wasting Love” (Mainstream Rock #15, 1992)
1961 ● Gillian Gilbert → Keyboards, guitar and vocals for New Wave synth-dance-pop New Order, “Blue Monday” (Dance #5, 1983), formed The Other Two with husband Stephen Morris, “Selfish” (Dance/Club #6, 1993)
1961 ● Margo Timmins → Lead vocalist for Canadian alt-art-country-blues-rock Cowboy Junkies, “Sweet Jane” (Modern Rock #5, 1989)
1961 ● Martin Degville → Lead singer and co-writer for New Wave glam-punk Sigue Sigue Sputnik, “Love Missile F1-11” (Dance/Club #50, UK #3, 1986)
1964 ● Migi Drummond / (Miguel John Drummond) → Drummer for Brit teen-pop blue-eyed soul Curiosity Killed The Cat, “Down To Earth” (UK #3, 1986)
1968 ● Mike Patton → Vocals for influential metal/funk/hip hop/punk fusion band Faith No More, “Epic” (#9, 1990)
1968 ● Tricky / (Adrian Nicholas Matthews-Thaws) → Rap singer with innovative trip hop Massive Attack, “Safe From Harm” (Dance #32, 1991), then solo, “Milk” (UK #10, 1996)
1970 ● Mark Trojanowski → Drummer for Southern folk-rock Sister Hazel, “All For You” (#11, 1997)
1971 ● Lil Jon / (Jonathan Smith) → Dirty South crunk movement rapper, producer and bandleader, “Lovers And Friends” (#3, 2004)
1972 ● Mark Owen → Lead vocals and primary songwriter for Brit teen new jack R&B/soul-pop Take That, “Back For Good” (#7, UK #1, 1995), plus ten other UK #1 hits, solo, “Child” (UK #3, 1996) and five other UK Top 30 hits
January 28
1922 ● Anna Ruby Gaye / (Anna Ruby Gordy) → Songwriter and record label executive, older sister of Motown Records‘ founder Berry Gordy Jr., co-founder and CEO of Anna Records, wife of soul great Marvin Gaye, their turbulent marriage and 1977 divorce were the subject of Gaye‘s Here, My Dear album (1978), co-wrote several songs with Gaye, including the Motown hit “Baby I’m For Real” by The Originals (#14, R&B #1, 1969), died from natural causes on 1/31/2014, age 92
1927 ● Ronnie Scott / (Ronald Schatt) → Influential Brit postwar jazz tenor saxophonist and night club owner/operator, co-proprietor of and frequent stand-up comedian at London’s prominent Jazz Club from 1959 until his death from an accidental overdose of barbiturates on 12/23/1996, age 69
1929 ● Acker Bilk / (Bernard Stanley Bilk) → Brit easy listening clarinetist with highest selling instrumental single of all time, “Stranger On The Shore” (#1, UK #2, 1962), the first #1 single by a British artist on the modern Billboard Hot 100 music chart, died from natural causes on 11/2/2014, age 85
1933 ● Sacha Distel / (Alexandre Distel) → French jazz-pop singer, guitarist, TV actor and songwriter, wrote Tony Bennett‘s “The Good Life” (#18, 1965), died following years of failing health on 7/22/2004, age 71
1941 ● King Tubby / (Osbourne Ruddock) → Jamaican electronics and sound engineer, pioneer in developing the “dub” subgenre of reggae music and remixes, shot dead in an apparent robbery outside his home on 2/6/1989, age 48
1943 ● Dick Taylor / (Richard Clifford Taylor) → Guitarist for The Rolling Stones until November 1962, left the band to return to art school and subsequently co-founded raunchy blues-rock/proto-punk The Pretty Things (“Don’t Bring Me Down,” UK #10, 1964) for whom he played lead guitar from 1963 to 1968 and again from 1978 until the 20s, also produced albums for others and joined various rock side projects.
1944 ● Marty Fried / (Martin Fried) → Drummer for two hit wonder folk-pop The Cyrkle, “Red Rubber Ball” (#2, 1966) and “Turn Down Day” (#16, 1966), after breakup in 1968 returned to school for a law degree and practices as a bankruptcy attorney in Michigan in the 10s
1944 ● Chambers Keenan / (Brian Keenan) → Drummer for early Brit pop-rock Manfred Mann, “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” (#1, 1964), then psychedelic soul-rock The Chambers Brothers, “Time Has Come Today” (#11, 1968), died of heart attack on 10/5/1985, age 41
1945 ● Robert Wyatt → Original drummer for psych-art-jazz-prog rock fusion Soft Machine, left to form Matching Mole, then solo career as a singer/songwriter, “Shipbuilding” (UK #36, 1983)
1946 ● Rick Allen → Bassist for short-lived blue-eyed soul The Box Tops, “The Letter” (#1, 1967)
1951 ● Billy Bass / (William Nelson) → Original bassist for R&B/funk giants Funkadelic, “One Nation Under A Groove” (#28, 1978), left for solo and session work
1959 ● Dave Sharp / (David Kitchingman) → Guitarist for post-punk anthem rockers The Alarm, “Sold Me Down The River” (Mainstream Rock #2, 1989), solo
1962 ● Sam Phillips / (Leslie Ann Phillips) → Backing vocalist turned Christian pop then alt rock singer/songwriter, “Holding On To The Earth” (Modern Rock #22, 1989), wife of T. Bone Burnett
1963 ● Dan Spitz → Lead guitarist for speed/thrash metal Anthrax, “Only” (Mainstream #26, 1993), brother of Black Sabbath bassist Dave Spitz
1968 ● DJ Muggs / (Lawrence Muggerud) → DJ for Latino R&B/hip hop Cypress Hill, “Insane In The Brain” (#19, 1994)
1968 ● Rakim / (William Michael Griffin, Jr.) → Rapper, hip hop duo with Eric B., “Move The Crowd” (Dance #3, 1988), author, poet, MC, solo, “When I B On The Mic” (Rap #20, 1999)
1968 ● Sarah McLachlan → Grammy-winning Canadian singer/songwriter, “Adia” (#3, 1998), organized the Lilith Fair music festival/tour for female musicians and groups
1971 ● Anthony Hamilton → Contemporary R&B/neo-soul singer, “You’ve Got The Love I Need,” the 2008 Grammy Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
1975 ● Lee Latchford-Evans → Vocals and dance routines for pre-fab Brit dance-pop group The Steps, “5, 6, 7, 8” (UK #14, 1997)
1976 ● Rick Ross / (William Leonard Roberts II) → American rapper (“Aston Martin Music,” #30, Rap #1, 2010), founded Maybach Music Group to release his own recordings, multiple collaborations with other artists and numerous legal issues for alleged copyright infringement, weapons charges and as a target in a drive-by shooting incident
1977 ● Joey Fatone → Baritone for teen dance-pop harmony boy band NSYNC, “It’s Gonna Be Me” (#1, 2000)
1977 ● Tweety Brown / (Raphael Brown) → Vocals for R&B/urban contemporary duo Next, “Too Close” (#1, 1998)
1980 ● Nick Carter → Singer, songwriter, actor, lead vocals for pop-dance-hip hop Backstreet Boys, “Quit Playing Games With My Heart” (#2, 1997), older brother of Aaron Carter
January 29
1923 ● Ivo Robic → Croatian film actor and pop music singer with domestic and international presence for over 50 years, best known for his collaboration with Bert Kaempfert on the German-language pop hit “Morgen” (“Tomorrow,” #13, 1959), later a minor hit in English for Leslie Uggams and an instrumental version opened surf-rock The Ventures‘ first album, Walk, Don’t Run (1960), died from cancer on 3/9/2000, age 77.
1934 ● Ann Cole / (Cynthia Coleman) → Early R&B, jump jazz and gospel singer voted Most Promising Female R&B Vocals in 1956 but had the misfortune of being ahead of her time, cut numerous songs on different labels in the 50s and 60s but had only one Pop chart hit, “Don’t Stop The Wedding” (#98, 1962) and three R&B chart Top 25 hits, including “In The Chapel” (R&B #14, 1957), confined to a wheelchair following a 1966 car accident and died on 11/30/1986, age 52
1934 ● Noel Harrison / (Noel John Christopher Harrison) → Actor, 50s Olympic skier, son of Brit actor Rex Harrison and pop singer with the Academy Award-winning “The Windmills Of Your Mind” (1968) and several other, minor U.S. hits, acted in films and on stage, produced movies and shows, and continued to record and perform until his career was ended by heart attack on 10/19/2013, age 79
1936 ● James Jamerson → Bassist in Motown house band The Funk Brothers, which provided nearly all instrumentation behind every Motown hit, died from a heart attack on 8/2/1983, age 47.
1938 ● Jerry Brandt / (Jerome Jack Mair) → Promoter, nightclub and music entrepreneur whose early career as a music talent agent included managing Carly Simon and booking The Rolling Stones on their first tours of the US in the mid-60s, better known for owning and operating two New York City hot-spot clubs, The Electric Circus (1967-1971) and The Ritz (1980-1989), in between failing to create an American clone to Ziggy Stardust in the form of gay glam rocker Jobriath Boone and producing a very short-lived Broadway musical to capitalize on the late 70s disco craze, settled into a later career as a less-glamorous restaurateur and died from complications of the COVID-19 virus on 1/16/2021, age 82.
1942 ● Claudine Longet → French singer, actress and socialite with several minor US singles, including “Hello, Hello” (#91, AC #8, 1967) but best known as the former wife of crooner Andy Williams and for her conviction in the misdemeanor negligent homicide of her boyfriend, Olympic skier Spider Sabich in 1976
1943 ● Mark Wynter / (Terrence Sydney Lewis) → Early 60s, pre-Beatles Brit pop-rock singer, “Venus In Blue Jeans” (UK #4, 1962)
1943 ● Tony Blackburn / (Anthony Kenneth Blackburn) → Brit light pop singer, “So Much Love” (UK Top 40, 1969), then pirate radio and first BBC Radio 1 disc jockey
1944 ● Andrew Loog Oldham → The Rolling Stones‘ first manager, producer and promoter, 1964-68, launched the Immediate Records label in 1965 which enjoyed 24 UK Top 50 hits with artists like Jimmy Page, John Mayall, Eric Clapton, The Nice, Rod Stewart and others
1944 ● Randy Fuller / (Randall J. Fuller) → Singer, songwriter and bassist with his older brother Bobby and two others in 60s rock ‘n’ roll the Bobby Fuller Four (“I Fought The Law,” #9, UK #33, 1966, and the lesser hits but infectious “Let Her Dance,” #133, 1965), the band had moved from El Paso to L.A. seeking a recording contract and was on the cusp of national stardom when brother Bobby died under mysterious circumstances in July 1966, causing the band to splinter, kept on as frontman for the Randy Fuller Four for a short period and several unremarkable singles, periodically reunited with former BFF members on the oldies circuit and co-authored I Fought The Law: The Life and Strange Death of Bobby Fuller (2015), died from undisclosed causes on 5/16/2024, age 80.
1947 ● David Byron / (David Garrick) → Lead singer for hard/prog rock Spice, renamed Uriah Heep, “Easy Livin'” (#39, 1972), fired for erratic behavior in 1976, went solo but died of alcohol-induced liver failure on 2/28/1985, age 38
1949 ● Tommy Ramone / (Tamás Erdélyi) → Hungarian-born record producer and musician, co-wrote songs and played drums for seminal punk rock band The Ramones (“Rockaway Beach,” #66, 1978) and later produced several of their albums plus those by other artists, died from bile duct cancer on 7/11/2014, age 65
1953 ● Louie Perez → Guitar and vocals for Grammy-winning Chicano/roots rock Los Lobos, “La Bamba” (#1, 1987), then Latin Playboys and Seguida
1954 ● Rob Manzoli → Vocals and guitar for Euro-dance-pop trio Right Said Fred, “I’m Too Sexy” (#1, 1992)
1961 ● David Baynton-Power → Drummer for Brit folk-pop alt rock James, “Laid” (Modern Rock #3, 1993)
1961 ● Eddie Jackson → Bassist for progressive pop-metal Queensrÿche, “Silent Lucidity” (#9, 1991)
1961 ● Pauline Henry → Lead vocals for dance-pop trio The Chimes, “1-2-3” (Dance/Club #1, 1990)
1962 ● Marcus Charles Vere → Synthesizer and keyboards for Brit dance-pop-funk Living In A Box, “Living In A Box” (#17, 1987)
1964 ● Roddy Frame → Founder, leader, guitarist, singer and songwriter for Scot New Wave pop-rock Aztec Camera, “The Crying Scene” (Modern Rock #3, 1990)
1968 ● Richard Battersby → Drummer for hard rock/raunchy The Wildhearts, “Sick Of Drugs” (UK #14, 1996)
1981 ● Jonny Lang / (Jon Gordon Langseth, Jr.) → Teenage prodigy blues-rock singer, songwriter and guitarist, “Still Rainin'” (Mainstream Rock #8, 1998)
1982 ● Adam Lambert → Flamboyant, androgynous stage actor, American Idol runner-up (2009) and neo-goth pop singer, “Whataya Want From Me” (#10, 2010)
1987 ● Ashley Grace Pérez Mosa → Mexican-American singer and songwriter, with sister Hanna in contemporary Latin pop-rock duo HaAsh, “No Te Quiero Nada” (Latin Pop #6, 2008)
January 30
1928 ● Mitch Leigh / (Irwin Michnick) → Pop music composer who transitioned from advertising jingles to Broadway musical composition and production, best known as part of the three-man team that wrote and produced the long-running (2,328 performances) show Man Of La Mancha (1965) and the now-standard song “The Impossible Dream,” died from natural causes on 3/16/2014, age 86
1928 ● Hal Prince / (Harold Smith) → Thirty-two Tony-winning Broadway show producer and director, in a career spanning four decades oversaw hundreds of award-winning productions that spawned dozens of enduring pop recordings, among them Madonna‘s “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” from Evita (#8, Dance #1, 1997) and the soundtrack to West Side Story (1961), the longest running #1 album of all-time (54 weeks) on the Billboard 200 chart, remained active into the 10s and co-directed a retrospective of his career, Prince Of Broadway (2015) before dying following a brief illness on 7/31/2019, age 91.
1936 ● Horst Jankowski → German pianist and composer of easy listening and light space rock pop pieces, “A Walk In The Black Forest” (#12, 1965), died of cancer on 6/29/1998, age 62
1940 ● Jerry Bradley / (Jerry Owen Bradley) → Country music executive best known for running RCA Nashville from 1973 to 1982 and reshaping the industry through producing and promoting the new “outlaw country” sub-genre of grittier, non-traditional country music epitomized by the compilation album Wanted! The Outlaws (Country #1, 1976) by Willie Nelson, Jesse Colter, Waylon Jennings and Tompall Glaser, left RCA in 1982 and led Opryland Music Group until retiring in 2013, in 1972 help found the annual Fun Fair in Nashville (CMA Music Festival since 2004) and served as president of the Country Music Association (CMA) Board in 1975, inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019 and died from unspecified causes on 7/17/2023, age 83.
1941 ● Joe Terranova → Baritone and bass vocalist for rock ‘n roll Danny & The Juniors, “At The Hop” (#1, 1958)
1942 ● Marty Balin / (Martyn Jere Buchwald) → Founding member, songwriter, vocals and guitar for San Francisco psych-rock Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (#8, 1967), left the band in 1971 due to “lifestyle differences” and his aversion to the drug culture, rejoined in 1975 and led the transformation to mainstream arena rock Jefferson Starship and wrote or co-wrote four Top 20 hits, including “Miracles” (#3, 1975), left again in 1978 for a mildly successful light pop-rock solo career, “Hearts” (#8, 1981), died from undisclosed causes on 9/27/2018, age 76.
1943 ● Sandy Deane / (Sandy Yaguda) → Founding member and vocals for clean cut pop-rock Jay & The Americans, “Cara Mia” (#4, 1965) and nine other Top 30 hits, continues to tour with the group on the oldies circuit into the 10s
1947 ● Steve Marriott → Guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, founder and leader of Brit raunch/psych-pop-rock The Small Faces, “Itchycoo Park” (#16, 1968), then blues-rock Humble Pie, “30 Days In The Hole” (1972) and solo, died in a house fire on 4/20/1991, age 44
1949 ● William King → Trumpet, guitar and synthesizers for Grammy-winning Motown R&B/soul-funk Commodores, “Three Times A Lady” (#1, 1978) and “Nightshift” (#3, 1985)
1951 ● Andy Anderson / (Clifford Leon Anderson) → In-demand session drummer and briefly a full member of post-punk/goth-rock The Cure (“Let’s Go To Bed,” Dance/Club #32, 1983), worked with Hawkwind, Iggy Pop, the Steve Hillage Band, Peter Gabriel, Mike Oldfield and many others, diagnosed with terminal cancer in early February 2019 and died a few weeks later on 2/26/2019, age 68.
1951 ● Marv Ross → Guitarist for sax pop-rock Quarterflash, “Harden My Heart” (#3, 1981)
1951 ● Phil Collins / (Philip David Charles Collins) → Immensely popular English drummer, keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter, starting in 1970 as a key and long-time member of prog-rock Genesis (“Invisible Touch” (#1, 1986), then from the early-80s in a highly successful parallel career as a pop-rock/blue-eyed soul solo act with seven US #1 singles (including “A Groovy Kind Of Love,” #1, 1988) and a dozen studio albums, along with Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney is one of only three recording artists to sell over 100 million records worldwide both as a solo artist and separately as a principal member of a band, also appeared in cameo roles in several films.
1952 ● Steve Bartek → At age 16 played flute and percussion on first album by Strawberry Alarm Clock but couldn’t join the band (too young), joined 80s New Wave ska-revival quirky synth-pop Oingo Boingo, “Weird Science” (Dance/Club #21, 1985)
1959 ● Jody Watley → Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer, first as lead vocals for disco trio Shalamar, “The Second Time Around” (#8, 1979), then solo “Real Love” (#1, 1987), wrote “Sweet Sixteen” for Destiny’s Child, record producer, founder of Avitone Records, fashion designer and fitness DVD host
1959 ● Mark Eitzel → Guitarist, singer, chief songwriter and frontman for critically acclaimed but light selling alt pop-rock American Music Club (1991 album Everclear), disbanded AMC for a jazz-pop solo career
1959 ● Steve Augeri → Rock ballad and arena rock singer with multiple bands in the 80s, joined arena rock Journey, “Who’s Crying Now” (#4, 1981) in 1998, resumed a solo career in 2010
1964 ● Angie Stone / (Angela Laverne Brown) → R&B/neo-soul singer, songwriter, keyboardist with urban soul-pop Vertical Hold, “Seems You’re Much Too Busy” (Top 40, 1993) then solo, “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” (Dance/Club #1, 2002), has written hits for Mary J. Blige and D’Angelo
1964 ● Marcel Karl Jacob → Swedish bass guitarist in hard rock/melodic metal Talisman and Last Autumn’s Dream, committed suicide on 7/21/2009, age 45
January 31
1906 ● The Honeydripper / (Roosevelt Sykes) → Boogie-blues piano player, known for pounding 8-bar rhythms and risqué lyrics, wrote several blues standards, including “Night Time Is The Right Time” (1937), died from a heart attack on 7/17/1983, age 77
1921 ● Mario Lanza / (Alfredo Arnold Cocozza) → Critically-acclaimed 1940s opera tenor, post-WW II film actor and 50s pop singer with “Drinking Song” (#1, 1955), the million-selling hit from his movie The Student Prince (1954), moved to Italy in 1956 and died of a pulmonary embolism on 10/7/1959, age 38
1928 ● Chuck Willis / (Harold Willis) → The “King of the Stroll”, R&B/blues-rock singer, songwriter and guitarist best known for his cover of “C.C. Rider” (#12, R&B #1, 1957), also wrote and recorded his own compositions, died from peritonitis on 4/10/1958, age 30
1931 ● Leslie Bricusse → Multiple award-winning pop music composer and lyricist, beginning in 1960 with “My Old Man’s A Dustman” (UK#1, 1960) for Lonnie Donegan and continuing over four decades on Broadway, TV and Hollywood, often in collaboration with actor/singer Anthony Newley or other partners, wrote or co-wrote the music and lyrics for the films Doctor Dolittle (1967), Scrooge (1970), Victor/Victoria (1982), Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1993) among others, and the hit songs “Goldfinger” (#8, AC #2, UK #21, 1964) for Shirley Bassey from Goldfinger (1964), “The Candy Man” (#1, Easy #1, 1972) for Sammy Davis Jr. from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) and “Can You Read My Mind?” (#52, AC #3, 1979) for Maureen McGovern from Superman (1978), published a 2015 memoir Pure Imagination: A Sorta-Biography with a foreword written by his friend Elton John, died at home in France from natural causes on 10/19/2021, age 90.
1932 ● Rick Hall / (Roe Erister Hall) → Alabama sharecropper’s son, founder and principal of FAME Studios and creator of the Southern soul blend of blues, country, R&B and gospel known as the Muscle Shoals sound, produced, co-produced or engineered multiple pop, soul and country hits for Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, the Osmonds, Paul Anka and many others, awarded a Grammy Trustees lifetime achievement award in 2014, died from prostate cancer on 1/2/2018, age 85
1936 ● Marvin Junior → Lead baritone and lead vocals for 60-year R&B/doo wop, soul-funk and disco The Dells, “Oh What A Nite” (R&B #4, 1956) and the re-recording “Oh What A Night” (#10, R&B #1, 1969), continued to record and perform with the group through the early 10s, died in his sleep on 1/23/1998, age 77
1936 ● “Ska” Sterling / (Lester Sterling) → Trumpet and saxophone player, founding member (with nine other musicians) of legendary Jamaican ska band The Skatalites, the ten were playing sessions and occasional shows separately in and around Kingston since 1955 and finally coalesced as a band for several albums and concerts in early 1964 through mid-1965, rejoined his bandmates in 1975 and recorded and performed with various Skatalite line-ups in the U.S. and Jamaica until retiring in the 10s, awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican Government in 1998 for his contribution to music, was the last surviving original member of the band when he died at home in Florida after years of declining health on 5/19/2023, age 87.
1944 ● Charlie Musselwhite → Electric blues harmonica player and bandleader who came to prominence among other non-black blues artists in the Chicago blues movement of the 60s, over the decades released more than 20 albums and achieved recognition as “one of the top blues harp players of all time,” won the Grammy Award for Best Blues Album in 2014 for his collaboration LP with Ben Harper, Get Up! (2013)
1946 ● Terry Kath → Founder and guitarist for pop-rock/horn band Chicago, “Saturday In The Park” (#3, 1972), accidentally shot himself dead in game of Russian Roulette on 1/23/1978, age 31.
1948 ● Paul Jabara → Lebanese-American stage and film actor, pop music singer and songwriter, wrote the Academy Award-winning “Last Dance” for Donna Summer (#3, 1978) and co-wrote “It’s Raining Men” for The Weather Girls (#46, Disco #1, 1982) among other hits, died from complications of AIDS on 9/29/1992, age 44
1951 ● K.C. Casey / (Harry Wayne Casey) → Founder and frontman for R&B/soul-disco-funk kings KC & The Sunshine Band, “That’s The Way (I Like It)” (#1, 1975) and five other #1 hits
1951 ● Phil Manzanera / (Philip Targett-Adams) → Lead guitarist from 1972-83 for prog rock Roxy Music, “Love Is The Drug” (#30, 1976), then solo and collaborative work with Steve Winwood, David Gilmour and others, wrote 14-part radio program The A-Z Of Great Guitarists
1952 ● Curly Smith / (William Smith) → Drummer for hard rock Jo Jo Gunne, “Run Run Run” (#27, 1972), then sessions, played with reunited psych-rock Spirit and arena rock Boston between 1994 and 2000
1954 ● Adrian Vandenburg / (Adje Van Den Berg) → Dutch guitarist and co-writer for hard rock Whitesnake, “Here I Go Again” (#1, 1987), painter
1956 ● Johnny Rotten / (John Joseph Lydon) → Lead singer for premier punk rockers the Sex Pistols, “God Save The Queen” (UK #2, 1977), then founded post-punk Public Image Ltd., “This Is Not A Love Song” (UK #5, 1983)
1961 ● Lloyd Cole → Singer, songwriter, guitarist and frontman for Brit pop-rock Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, “Lost Weekend” (UK #17, 1985), solo
1964 ● Jeff Hanneman → Co-founder, lead guitar and songwriter for “Big Four” thrash metal Slayer, “Hate Worldwide” (#2, 2009), died from alcohol-induced liver failure on 5/2/2013, age 49
1966 ● Al Doughty / (Alan Jaworski) → Bassist for techno-electronic pop-dance Jesus Jones, “Right Here, Right Now” (#2, 1991)
1967 ● Chad Channing → First drummer for grunge rock Nirvana, played on debut indie label album Bleach, left the band in 1990, worked with The Methodists, East Of The Equator and Redband, now with Before Cars.
1967 ● Fat Mike Burkett / (Michael John Burkett) → Founder and bassist for punk-pop NOFX and punk cover band Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, founded independent record label Fat Wreck Chords and the 2004 anti-George W. Bush crusade Rock Against Bush
1967 ● Jason Cooper → Joined post-punk art-glam-goth rock The Cure, “The 13th” (Hot Dance #11, 1996) in 1995
1970 ● Minnie Driver / (Amelia Fiona Driver) → Grammy- and Emmy-nominated film and TV actress, singer and songwriter, light pop 2004 album Everything I’ve Got In My Pocket
1981 ● Justin Timberlake → Vocals for teen dance-pop harmony boy band *NSYNC, “It’s Gonna Be Me” (#1, 2000), multi-platinum solo vocalist, “Cry Me A River” (#3, 2003), TV actor, tabloid star
1987 ● Marcus Mumford → Lead singer and multi-instrumentalist for Grammy-winning Brit folk-rock Mumford & Sons, “I Will Wait” (#12, Alt Rock #1, 2012)
February 01
1934 ● Bob Shane / (Robert Castle Schoen) → Founding member, baritone vocals and guitar for legendary folk-pop The Kingston Trio, the close harmony vocal group at the vanguard of the folk music revival of the 50s and 60s and a seminal force in bringing acoustic music to a dominant place in American pop music, the success of their first single, a version of “Tom Dooley” (#1, 1958) led to five straight #1 albums (of 14 total), including a five-week stretch in late 1959 with four albums in the Top 10, and was voted a “Song of the Century” by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), after the band dissolved in 1967 continued to tour as The New Kingston Trio with various sidemen and as the real thing after buying the rights to the name in 1976, forced into retirement by a 2004 heart attack, died in an Arizona hospice on 1/26/2020, age 85.
1937 ● Don Everly / (Isaac Donald Everly) → Older brother of Phil and one-half of the influential, close-harmony Nashville folk-rock duo The Everly Brothers, released 58 charting singles, nearly 30 of them Top 40 hits, and seven crossover Country/Pop Top 10 hits, including the enduring “Wake Up Little Suzie” (#1, Country #1, 1957) and “All I Have To D Is Dream” (#1, Country #1, 1958), most of their success coming before a stint in the Marine Corps starting in late-1961 and the British Invasion in 1964, pursued a mildly successful solo career in 1973-1984, rejoined Phil for recording and touring, including backing vocals on Paul Simon‘s “Graceland” (#81, Main #38, 1986), performed solo following Phil‘s death in 2014 and died at his Nashville home from unspecified causes on 8/21/2021, age 84.
1937 ● Ray “Dr. Hook” Sawyer / (Ray Sawyer) → Eye-patched, flambouyant frontman and lead singer for AM pop-rock Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show, sang lead on “The Cover of Rolling Stone” (#6, 1972) and backing vocals on nine other Top 40 hits, left the band for a solo career in 1983, toured as Dr. Hook Featuring Ray Sawyer from 1988 to 2015, died after a short illness on 12/31/2018, age 81.
1938 ● Jimmy Carl Black / (James Inkanish, Jr.) → Drummer and vocals for Frank Zappa-led satirical rock group The Mothers Of Invention, “Brown Shoes Don’t Make It” (1967), toured with Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band, died from lung cancer on 11/1/2008, age 70
1939 ● Del McCroury / (Delano Floyd McCroury) → Influential, Grammy-winning bluegrass musician and bandleader, winner of a National Heritage Fellowship award from the National Endowment for the Arts and over 30 awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association, worked with such varied acts as Phish, The String Cheese Incident, Steve Earle and others
1939 ● Joe Sample / (Joseph Leslie Sample) → Jazz-fusion keyboardist and composer, founding member of 60s bluesy “hard bop” The Jazz Crusaders, which morphed into electric jazz-funk-pop The Crusaders in 1971, greatly increasing their reach and leading to several charting albums and a Top 40 hit, “Street Life” (#36, 1979), also recorded solo albums and did session work on numerous well-known albums, including Joni Mitchell‘s Court And Spark (#2, CAN #1, UK #20, 1974), Steely Dan‘s Aja (#3, UK #5, 1977) and Tina Turner‘s Private Dancer (#3, CAN #1, UK #2), died from mesothelioma on 9/12/2014, age 75
1940 ● Mark Fleischman / (Mark Harvey Fleischman) → American hospitality entrepreneur who owned multiple big-market restaurants over a 60-year career, best known for purchasing the infamous Manhattan nightclub Studio 54 in 1980 from its convicted, tax-evading founder/owners, ran the club through its apex and decline as AIDS and crack-cocaine altered the disco culture of the late 80s, developed a degenerative disease in 2016 and chose to die in a Swiss hospital from assisted suicide on 2/13/2022, age 82.
1942 ● Terry Jones / (Terence Graham Parry Jones) → Welsh comedian, screenwriter, cultural historian and late-in-life social commentator, best known as a co-founding member of the absurdly satiric, extremely entertaining British comedy troupe Monty Python’s Flying Circus (“Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life,” UK #3, 1991), their highly successful 60s-80s UK TV sketch program became a phenomenon in the US when introduced in 1974, continued to write and produce as a Python member, comedian, playwright, screen writer and political activist for 40 years until contracting and dying from degenerative dementia on 1/21/2020, age 77.
1947 ● Normie Rowe / (Norman John Rowe) → Top Australian pop singer of the early 60s, “Que Sera Sera” (AUS #1, 1965), drafted into military service and failed to regain his popularity following discharge
1948 ● Rick James / (James Ambrose Johnson, Jr.) → R&B/disco vocalist, dancer and bandleader, “Super Freak” (#16, 1981), plus 3 other R&B #1 hits in the 70s and 80s, found dead at home of cardiac failure on 8/6/2004, age 56
1949 ● Davis Causey / (Davis Eugene Causey) → Guitarist with blue-eyed soul Athens, Georgia-based The Jesters from 1964 through 2014, at varying times moonlighted in Gregg Allman’s solo band, as a member of Southern rock Sea Level, and a songwriting partner and touring musician with Randall Bramblett for over 50 years, and in sessions and tours for Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and many others, died unexpectedly from unspecified causes on 2/19/2023, age 74.
1950 ● Mike Campbell → Guitarist and long-time key collaborator with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, “Free Fallin'” (#7, 1989), co-songwriter with Don Henley and others, producer, member of Mudcrutch
1950 ● John Cutler → Record producer, audio engineer and music archivist best known for his long association with jam band Grateful Dead, including advance work for the group’s historic 1978 trip to Egypt and concert at the Great Pyramids, co-producing LPs In The Dark (#6, 1987) and Without A Net (1990), and mixing archival releases from the Dead’s vast catalogue of live recordings, also served as audio engineer for Jerry Garcia and produced several albums for him, and worked with Warren Zevon, Gov’t Mule and others, died following an unspecified illness on 12/24/2023, age 73.
1951 ● Fran Christina → Drummer for blues-boogie-rock Fabulous Thunderbirds, “Tuff Enuff” (#10, 1986)
1951 ● Rich Williams → One-eyed lead guitarist and occasional co-writer for prog/heartland rock Kansas, “Carry On Wayward Son” (#11, 1976)
1957 ● Dennis Brown / (Dennis Emmanuel Brown, OD) → The “Crown Prince of Reggae”, prolific reggae/lovers rock singer, “Money In My Pocket” (UK #14, 1977), died from complications of a heart attack and cocaine abuse on 7/1/1999, age 42.
1964 ● Jani Lane / (John Kennedy Oswald) → Lead singer for glam-rock/pop-metal Warrant, “Heaven” (#2, 1989), solo
1964 ● Dwyane Goettel → Classically-trained keyboardist for Canadian avant-industrial rock Skinny Puppy (“Testure,” Dance/Club #19, 1989) and multiple spin-off/side projects, died from a heroin overdose on 8/23/1995, age 31
1968 ● Lisa Marie Presley → The “Princess of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” pop singer, occasional TV actress, and the only child of Elvis Presley, issued three solo albums in the 00s and a lone chart hit, “Lights Out” (#34, Adult Top 40 #18, 2003), married four times, including to actor/musician Danny Keough (1988-1994) and pop superstar Michael Jackson (1994-1996), suffered an opioid-addiction cardiac arrest and died a few hours later on 1/12/2023, age 54.
1969 ● Patrick Wilson → Drummer for post-grunge alt pop-rock Weezer, “Beverly Hills” (#10, 2005), now fronts The Special Goodness and has toured with Elton John since 1994
1971 ● Ron Welty → Drummer for 90s punk revival The Offspring, “Gone Away” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1997), left to form alt rock Steady Ground in 2003
1975 ● Big Boi / (Antwan Andre Patton) → Rapper, songwriter, record producer and actor, half of hip hop duo OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (#1, 2001) and “Hey Ya” (#1, 2004)
1978 ● Jeff Conrad → Drummer for pop-rock Big City Rock then power pop/indie rock Phantom Planet, “California” (Modern Rock #35, 2002)
1990 ● Laura Marling → Brit neo-folk singer and songwriter, solo and collaboration with indie folk Noah And The Whale, “5 Years Time” (UK #7, 2007)
1994 ● Harry Styles → Vocals in Brit-Irish boy band quintet One Direction, “What Makes You Beautiful” (#4, UK #1, 2011)
