Happy Birthday this week to:
July 20
1933 ● Buddy Wayne Knox → Early rockabilly and “Tex-Mex” sound pioneer, wrote and performed “Party Doll” (#1, 1957), becoming the first artist to pen his own #1 hit in the rock ‘n’ roll era, died of lung cancer on 2/14/11999, age 65
1934 ● Bob Krasnow / (Robert Alan Krasnow) → Music industry executive with a long career at several key labels, started at King Records in the 50s, founded Blue Thumb in the 60s, expanded Warner Brothers into R&B in the 70s, revived Elektra Records in the 80s and 90s at one time or another worked with artists as varied as Captain Beefheart, Chaka Khan, George Benson, Björk and Metallica, died from organ failure on 12/11/2016, age 82
1935 ● Sleepy La Beef / (Thomas Paulsley LaBeff (nee LaBoeuf)) → Early rockabilly guitarist and singer with droopy eyelids whose 60-year career, deep repertoire, 30 solo albums and tireless touring made him a legend despite not having a hit record per se, his highest charting single was “Blackland Farmer” (Country #67, 1971), appeared in the B-movie Swamp Thing (1968) and developed a cult status, including Europe, touring into the mid-10s, died from natural causes on 12/26/2019, age 84.
1943 ● Tony Joe White → Country-pop and swamp rock singer/songwriter known as the “Swamp Fox” for his growling singing and mix of country, blues and rock ‘n’ roll music, recorded a lone Top 10 hit, “Polk Salad Annie” (#8, 1969) but wrote the hits “Rainy Night In Georgia” (#4, 1970) for Brook Benton and “Steamy Windows” (#39, Dance #33, 1989) for Tina Turner plus songs covered by many rock and pop stars, including Elvis Presley and Dusty Springfield, issued a final album, Bad Mouthin’ in September 2018 and died from a heart attack on 10/24/2018, age 74
1943 ● Dennis Yost → Founding member, drummer and lead singer for soft Southern rock The Classics IV (“Spooky,” #3, 1967 and “Stormy,” #5, 1968), kept the band going through the 70s after several band members left to eventually form Atlanta Rhythm Section, continued on the oldies circuit until he suffered a brain injury in a fall and died two years later from respiratory failure on 12/7/2008, age 65
1944 ● T.G. Sheppard / (Billy Neal Browder) → Urban country crossover singer, “I’ve Loved ‘Em Every One” (#37, Country #1, 1981)
1945 ● John Lodge → Bass and vocals for Brit prog rock then pop-rock The Moody Blues, “Nights In White Satin” (#2, 1967) and “Your Wildest Dreams” (#9, 1986)
1945 ● Kim Carnes → Throaty-voiced singer, Grammy-winning “Bette Davis Eyes” (#1, 1981), later country music songwriter
1946 ● Wendy Richard → One hit wonder pop singer, duet with Mike Sarne “Come Outside” (UK #1, 1962), longtime cast member of Brit TV soap opera Eastenders
1947 ● Carlos Santana → Guitarist, vocals, songwriter and frontman for Latin-rock Santana, “Black Magic Woman” (#4, 1970), solo, “Smooth” (#1, 1999), awarded eight Grammys for his Supernatural album (2000)
1947 ● Tony Thorpe → Lead guitar and vocals for glam rock/rock ‘n roll revival The Rubettes, “Sugar Baby Love” (UK #1, US #37, 1974)
1948 ● James Hooker / (James Hooker Brown, Jr.) → Founding member and pianist for Grammy-winning Southern rock Amazing Rhythm Aces (“Third Rate Romance,” #14, Country #11, CAN #1), after breakup in the early 80s joined Steve Winwood‘s touring band as keyboardist and co-wrote “Freedom Overspill” (#20, Main #4, UK #69, 1986), later led country/folk Nanci Griffith‘s backing band for 20 years and self-released several solo albums
1952 ● Jay Jay French / (John French Segall) → Guitarist for heavy metal Twisted Sister, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” (#21, 1983)
1955 ● Jem Finer / (Jemremy Max Finer) → Banjo for Irish folk-punk-rock The Pogues, “Tuesday Morning” (Rock #11, 1993)
1956 ● Paul Cook → Drummer for premier punk rockers the Sex Pistols, “God Save The Queen” (UK #2, 1977) and punk rock supergroup Greedy Bastards
1957 ● Merlina DeFranco → Vocals for teen bubblegum-pop The DeFranco Family, “Heartbeat-It’s A Lovebeat” (#3, 1973)
1958 ● Michael McNeil → Keyboards for Scottish New Wave pop-rock Simple Minds, “(Don’t You) Forget About Me” ($1, 1985)
1959 ● James Irvin → Vocals for Brit New Wave synth-pop Furniture, “Brilliant Mind” (UK #21, 1986)
1961 ● Martin Gore → Keyboards for electro-dance/synth-pop Depeche Mode, “Enjoy The Silence” (#8, 1990)
1962 ● Dig Wayne / (Timothy Wayne Ball) → Lead vocals for Brit dance-pop-rock Jo Boxers, “Boxer Beat” (UK #3, 1983)
1964 ● Tim Kellett → Keyboards and trumpet for Brit soul-pop Simply Red, “Holding Back The Years” (#1, 1986), then trip-hop/electronica trio Olive, “You’re Not Alone” (Dance/Club #5, 1997)
1964 ● Chris Cornell / (Christopher John Boyle) → Frontman, lead vocals and guitar for seminal grunge-rock group Soundgarden (“Black Hole Sun,” Mainstream Rock #1, 1994), Audioslave (“Be Yourself,” #32, Mainstream Rock #1, 2005) plus five solo albums and numerous soundtrack contributions, hanged himself in a Detroit hotel room following a performance by a reformed Soundgarden on 5/17/2017, age 52
1966 ● Andrew Levy → Founding member, bassist, keyboards and songwriter for acid-jazz/funk The Brand New Heavies, “Sometimes” (UK #11, 1997)
1966 ● Craig Gannon → Rhythm guitarist for 80s Scottish New Wave pop-rock Aztec Camera, jangle-pop-rock The Bluebells, “Young At Heart” (UK #1, 1983) and indie rock The Smiths, “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” (UK #10, 1984), now a television and film composer/producer and session guitarist for multiple artists
1966 ● Stone Gossard → Founding member and rhythm guitarist for post-grunge/alt rock kings Pearl Jam, “Last Kiss” (#2, 1999), previously with grunge rock Green River and Mother Love Bone, solo
1969 ● Vitamin C / (Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick) → Co-founder, frontwoman and vocalist for punk-pop Eve’s Plum, “I Want It All” (Modern Rock #30, 1993), solo, “Smile” (#7, 1999), actress
1970 ● Sam Watters → Vocals for a cappella hip hop harmony group Color Me Badd, “I Wanna Sex You Up” (#2, 1991)
1971 ● Alison Krauss → Folk-bluegrass singer, songwriter and fiddler, “When You Say Nothing At All” (#53, Country #3, 1995), frontwoman for Union Station, winner of 1996 Rolling Stone‘s critic’s choice Best Country Artist, Grammy-winning collaboration album with Led Zeppelin‘s Robert Plant, Raising Sand (#2, 2007)
1971 ● DJ Screw / (Robert Earl Davis, Jr.) → Legendary Houston hip hop DJ who created the now-famous “chopped and screwed” mixing and DJ technique involving slowed down music, died of a prescription codeine overdose on 11/12/2000, age 29
1974 ● Andrew Tierney → With his younger brother, Mike, and two schoolmates, co-founder, vocals and keyboards 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
1978 ● Elliott Yamin → One hit wonder R&B/pop-neo-soul singer, “Wait For You” (#13, 2007), fifth season American Idol finalist
1980 ● Mike Kennerty → Rhythm guitar and backing vocals for alt rock/power pop The All-American Rejects, “Swing, Swing” (Modern Rock #8, 2003)
July 21
1922 ● Kay Starr / (Katherine LaVerne Starks) → Successful 30s and 40s Big Band jazz-pop singer who migrated to country-pop and early rock ‘n’ roll during the 50s with even more success, including two #1 hits, “Wheel Of Fortune” (#1, 1952) and “The Rock And Roll Waltz” (#1, UK #1, 1956), continued to record and perform to a loyal following well after her style went out and well into her 80s, died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on 11/3/2016, age 94
1940 ● Tom Draper / (Thomas R. Draper) → Appliance salesman with a college degree in marketing who became a respected record label executive credited with the development of black music in the 70s and 80s, first as a early 70s sales and promotion agent for RCA Records in its newly-established black music department, subsequently promoted to VP of A&R but left in 1975 to join Warner Bros. Records as VP of marketing and promotion, over 12 years built Warner into a leading force in black music with a roster that included Ashford & Simpson, Chaka Khan, Prince, and the Staple Singers, among many others, moved to Time Warner as a VP in 1987 and retired in the 90s, died following a brief illness on 10/25/2019, age 79.
1942 ● Kim Fowley / (Kim Vincent Fowley) → Singer-songwriter, producer, disc jockey and band manager, best known for putting together the all-girl punk/hard rock The Runaways (“Cherry Bomb,” 1976), died from bladder cancer on 1/15/2015, age 72.
1943 ● Henry McCullough → Irish guitarist in early folk-rock Sweeney’s Men and with Joe Cocker in the 60s, best known for his work with Paul McCartney‘s Wings in the 70s and his guitar solo on “My Love” (#1, 1973), continued to record and perform into the 10s, suffered a heart attack in 2012 and died four years later on 7/14/2016, age 72.
1945 ● Mike Wilsh / (Michael Wilshaw) → Bass, keyboards and backing vocals for early 60s Brit pop The Four Pennies, “Juliet” (UK #1, 1964), the most important British Invasion era act with no chart presence in the US
1945 ● Rosie Hamlin / (Rosalie Hamlin) → 15-year old lead singer and principal songwriter in one hit wonder light pop/rock Rosie And The Originals, “Angel Baby” (#5, 1960), left the industry for motherhood in the early 60s but had her song covered by John Lennon and included on his posthumous 1986 album Menlove Avenue, died from “ill health” on 3/30/2017, age 71
1946 ● Bean Whitwam / (Barry Whitwam) → Drummer for British Invasion pop-rock Herman’s Hermits, “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter” (#1. 1965).
1948 ● Cat Stevens / (Stephen Demitri Georgiou, now Yusuf Islam) → Singer, songwriter and guitarist, “Peace Train” (#7, 1971) and 10 other US Top 40 hits, converted to Muslim in 1977
1953 ● Eric Bazilian → Co-founder, guitarist and vocals for 80s MTV pop-rock The Hooters, “And We Danced” (#21, Mainstream Rock #3, 1985)
1955 ● Taco / (Taco Ockerse) → Pop-rock one hit wonder singer, “Puttin’ On The Ritz” (#4, 1983)
1955 ● Howie Epstein → Bassist for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, “Free Fallin'” (#7, 1989), died of a drug overdose on 2/23/2003, age 47
1958 ● T. M. Stevens / (Thomas Michael Stevens) → Bass guitarist, touring and session musician, member of new wave pop-rock The Pretenders (“Don’t Get Me Wrong,” #10, UK #10, 1986) in 1986-1987 and Steve’s Vai’s one-album, progressive metal group Vai in 1993, recorded seven solo albums through 2007 and appeared on several dozen albums by Joe Cocker, Billy Squier and many others through 2008, died from complications of dementia on 3/10/2024, age 72.
1961 ● Jim Martin / (James Blanco Martin) → Guitarist for influential metal/funk/hip hop/punk fusion band Faith No More, “Epic” (#9, 1990)
1962 ● Lee Aaron / (Karen Lynn Greening) → Award-winning Canadian pop, rock, jazz and singer/songwriter and guitarist with Broken Social Scene, “1 2 3 4” (UK #4, 2007), solo
1969 ● Emerson Hart → Founder, guitar and vocals for Grammy-nominated alt/roots rock Tonic, “If You Could Only See” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1997)
1974 ● Terry Caldwell → Vocalist and rapper for Brit teen dance-pop/hip hop boy band East 17, “Stay Another Day” (UK #1, 1994), plus over 15 other UK Top 40 hits
1981 ● Blake Lewis → Beatboxer and American Idol runner-up, “How Many Words” (Dance/Club #8, 2008)
July 22
1924 ● Margaret Whiting → Adult Contemporary, traditional popular and country music singer (“Only Love Can Break A Heart,” #96, AC #4, 1967), TV actress on variety shows, sitcoms and music history documentaries, daughter of Richard Whiting, composer of pop music standards, including “Hooray For Hollywood” and “The Good Ship Lollipop,” died from natural causes on 1/10/2011, age 86
1932 ● Megan Terry / (Marguerite Duffy) → Obie-winning avant garde playwright generally credited with writing and staging the first rock musical, Viet Rock, in 1966, which openly protested the Vietnam War and predated the far-more successful show Hair (1968), went on to a 50-year career writing over 70 other stage performances and serving as playwright-in-residence at an Omaha (NE) theater, died in a hospital from undisclosed causes on 4/12/2023, age 90.
1937 ● Chuck Jackson / (Charles Benjamin Jackson) → R&B/pop-soul singer with doo wop The Del-Vikings, “Come Go With Me” (#4, 1957), then launched a successful solo career with 33 charting singles from 1961 to 1980, including the Burt Bacharach/Bob Hilliard tune “Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)” (#23, R&B #2, 1962) and nine other R&B Top 20 hits, enjoyed continuing popularity on the Northern soul scene in the UK long after his hits ended in the US, died from undisclosed causes on 2/16/2023, age 85.
1940 ● Thomas Wayne / (Thomas Wayne Perkins) → One hit wonder R&B/doo wop balladeer, “Tragedy” (#5, 1959), brother of Elvis Presley‘s guitarist, Luther Perkins, died in a Memphis car accident on 8/15/1971, age 31
1941 ● George Clinton → Principal architect and frontman of “P-Funk”, the R&B/soul-funk sound of the interchangeable bands Parliament and Funkadelic, “One Nation Under A Groove” (#31, 1978)
1941 ● Estelle Bennett → With her sister, Ronnie Bennett Spector and cousin Nedra Talley, vocals for Phil Spector-produced pop girl group The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” (#2, 1963), suffered from mental and physical problems for many years until her death from colon cancer on 2/11/2009, age 67
1942 ● Gerry Stickells / (Gerald Richard Stickells) → Car mechanic turned roadie and later manager for Jimi Hendrix at the peak of his short career, later went on to run Jimi Hendrix‘s Electric Lady recording studios in New York City and form a partnership with fellow entrepreneur Chris Lamb to manage multiple rock acts, most notably Queen but also Paul McCartney, Elton John, Abba and other superstars, died from a brain tumor on 3/6/2019, age 76.
1943 ● Bobby Sherman / (Robert Cabot Sherman Jr.) → Singer in the house band for the 60s music variety program Shindig!, cast member in the TV series Here Come The Brides (1968-1979), guest star on multiple other TV shows, and teen idol pop crooner with four gold records and seven Top 40 hits, the most memorable being “Little Woman” (#1, 1969), left the entertainment industry in the 80s for a career as a paramedic and medical training officer at the Los Angeles Police Academy, retired as a deputy sheriff in the San Bernadino County (California) Sheriff’s Department in 2010, died from Stage 4 kidney cancer on 6/24/2025, age 81.
1944 ● Rick Davies / (Richard Davies) → Founder, keyboardist, songwriter and vocalist – and only original and still active member – of Brit prog-art-pop-rock Supertramp, composed or co-wrote many of the band’s hits, including “The Logical Song” (#6, UK #7, 1979), worked as a solo artist during periods when Supertramp was on hiatus, including in the 10s
1947 ● Don Henley / (Donald Hugh Henley) → Drummer, vocalist and songwriter, member of Linda Ronstadt‘s early 70s backing band, with his bandmates formed L.A. sound/country rock Eagles, “One Of These Nights” (#1, 1975), co-wrote and/or sang lead vocals on ten Top 10 hits before embarking in 1980 on a Grammy-winning solo career with five Top 25 albums and four Top 10 hits, including “The Boys Of Summer” (#5, Mainstream Rock #1, 1984), continues to tour and record with the Eagles and as a solo act, and contributes to social and political causes into the 10s
1949 ● Alan Menken → With songwriting team partner/lyricist Howard Ashman, Academy Award-winning and 8-time Oscar composer and producer for stage and screen, co-wrote “Under The Sea” from Disney’s The Little Mermaid (1989), the title song to Beauty And The Beast (1991) and “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin (1992)
1953 ● Brian Howe / (Brian Anthony Howe) → Lead vocalist for various London rock bands in the early 80s, then auditioned for and was awarded the lead vocalist spot in hard rock Ted Nugent‘s band, stayed until 1986 when he joined Bad Company as songwriter and vocalist for a four-album run during the band’s resurgence through the early 90s, left the band in 1994 and released three solo albums and toured until his death following a heart attack on 5/6/2020, age 66.
1956 ● Mick Pointer → Founding member and original drummer for Brit prog-rock revival group Marillion, “Kayleigh” (Mainstream Rock #14, 1985), left to form prog rock Arena
1957 ● Dennis Greaves → Guitar and lead vocals for Brit blues-rock/”mod revival” quartet Nine Below Zero, Don’t Point Your Finger album reached #56 on the UK album chart
1961 ● Keith Sweat → R&B/soul-New Jack swing singer, “Nobody” (#3, 1996), radio DJ, producer
1962 ● Steve Albini / (Steven Frank Albini) → Punk rock guitarist, founder and frontman for influential 80s and 90s post-hardcore punk bands Big Black, Rapeman, and Shellac, then moved behind the mixing board and engineered alt rock albums by the Pixies (Surfer Rosa, 1988), PJ Harvey (Rid Of Me, #110, UK #3, 1993) and Nirvana (In Utero, #1, UK #1, 1993), among hundreds of other albums by top rock and alternative acts, opened Electrical Audio studios in Chicago in 1997 and spent decades railing about the music industry’s financial exploitation of artists, died following a heart attack on 5/7/2024, age 61.
1963 ● Emily Saliers → Guitar and vocals in indie-folk-pop duo Indigo Girls, “Closer To Fine” (#52, Modern Rock #26, 1989)
1964 ● Will Calhoun → Drummer for prog-funk-metal Living Colour, “Cult Of Personality” (#13, 1988), sessions
1967 ● Pat Badger → Bassist for funk metal/hard rock Extreme, “More Than Words” (#1, 1991)
1971 ● Chris Helme → Vocals for Britpop/indie rock The Seahorses, “Love Is The Law” (UK #3, 1997)
1973 ● Daniel Jones → Vocals, keyboards and sequencer, one-half of Australian dance-pop duo Savage Garden, “Truly Madly Deeply” (#1, 1998), now producer for Aussie pop-rock acts
1973 ● Rufus Wainwright → Canadian-American folk-pop singer, songwriter and guitarist, Rolling Stone magazine’s 1998 Best New Artist, son of folk musicians Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, brother of Martha Wainwright, album Release The Stars was US #23 in 2007
July 23
1928 ● Bill Lee / (William James Edwards Lee III) → Jazz-pop bassist, composer, and in-demand session musician on over 250 albums by Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Arlo Guthrie, Judy Collins, Pete Seeger and many others starting in the 60s, played on dozens of top hits including “Puff The Magic Dragon” (Peter, Paul & Mary, #2, 1963) and “Mr. Tambourine Man” (The Byrds, #1, 1965), father of film director Spike Lee, wrote the soundtracks for his son’s first four films and had small roles in three, lived out of the music industry and fell out with his son on several occasions before dying of cancer on 5/24/2023, age 94.
1929 ● Jack Richardson / (Jack Arnold Richardson) → Canadian record producer and Juno Award winner, produced all of The Guess Who‘s big albums and hits, including “American Woman” (#9, 1970), plus Alice Cooper‘s album Muscle Of Love (#10, 1973), Bob Seger‘s Night Moves (#8, 1977) and albums by Badfinger, Poco, Rough Trade, Starz and others, later became a college professor in music industry arts, died from undisclosed causes on 5/13/2011, age 81.
1933 ● Bert Convy / (Bernard Whalen Convy) → Vocals in early rock ‘n’ roll The Cheers, their hit “(Bazoom) I Need Your Lovin'” (#3, 1954) was the first chart hit for the legendary songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and one of the first hits by a white rock ‘n’ roll group, later became a Broadway stage performer (Fiddler On The Roof, 1964), a 60s and 70s television game show panelist (To Tell The Truth, Match Game, Password and others) and TV series guest star (Bewitched, Hawaii Five-O and others), died from a heart attack on 7/15/1991, age 58
1935 ● Cleve Duncan / (Cleveland Duncan) → Founding member and lead vocals for one hit wonder R&B/doo wop quartet The Penguins, their enduring “Earth Angel” (#8, R&B #1, 1954) was one of the earliest R&B-to-pop crossover hits, fronted and snag with various incarnations of the group through the 90s, died on 11/7/2012, age 77.
1942 ● Madeline Bell → R&B and pop-rock singer, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” (#26, 1968), joined Brit pop-rock Blue Mink, “Melting Pot” (UK #3, 1970), also session backing vocals for Dusty Springfield, Elton John, Kiki Dee and others
1943 ● Joe Santollo → Vocals for Italian-American doo wop The Duprees, “You Belong To Me” (#7, 1962), died from a heart attack as the band was preparing for a reunion tour on 6/3/1981, age 37
1944 ● Dino Danelli → Jazz-focused drummer who switched to pop-rock as a co-founder and vocalist for New York blue-eyed soul The Rascals (early on The Young Rascals), performed on all thirteen of the band’s late 60s Top 40 hits, including “Groovin”” (#1, 1967) and “People Got To Be Free: (#1, 1968) before leaving to form short-lived pop-rock Bulldog in the mid-70s, then power pop Fotomaker, “Miles Away” (#63, 1978) in 1978 and Steven Van Zandt’s side project, Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul in the 80s, joined his bandmates for one-off reunions in the late 80s, toured as The New Rascals in the 90s and appeared in the 2012 Van Zandt-produced multi-media “bioconcert” show The Rascals: Once Upon A Dream, died from in a rehabilitation center in New York from coronary artery disease on 12/15/2022, age 78.
1946 ● Andy Mackay → Saxophone and woodwinds for prog rock Roxy Music, “Love Is The Drug” (#30, 1976), sessions and teaching
1947 ● David Essex / (David Albert Cook) → Pop-rock singer and songwriter, one hit wonder in the U.S., “Rock On” (#5, 1973), but with 19 UK Top 40 singles (including two #1s)
1948 ● John Hall → Guitarist, vocals and songwriter for pop-rock Orleans, “Still The One” (#5, 1976), sessions and touring, solo, “Power” (1979), now a member of the U.S. Congress (NY-D-19th)
1950 ● Blair Thornton → Guitarist for Canadian hard pop-rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” (#1, 1974)
1952 ● Janis Siegel → Vocals for Grammy-winning jazz-pop fusion vocal group Manhattan Transfer, “Boy From New York City” (#7, 1981)
1954 ● Marisa DeFranco → Vocals for teen bubblegum-pop The DeFranco Family, “Heartbeat-It’s A Lovebeat” (#3, 1973)
1964 ● Nick Menza → Drummer for thrash-metal Megadeth, “Symphony Of Destruction” (Mainstream #29, 1992)
1965 ● Rob Dickinson → Vocals for Brit indie rock/shoegazing band Catherine Wheel, “Black Metallic” (Modern Rock #9, 1991)
1965 ● Slash / (Saul Hudson) → Lead guitar for hard rock Guns N’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (#1, 1988), side project Slash’s Snakepit caused him to leave the band for good in 1997, formed Velvet Revolver in 2002 with ex-GNR bandmates Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, “Fall To Pieces” (Mainstream Rock #1, 2004)
1971 ● Chad Gracey → Drummer for alt rock Live, “Lightning Crashes” (Modern Rock #5, 1995), co-founded post-grunge The Gracious Few in 2009
1971 ● Dalvin DeGrate → Vocals in R&B/electro-dance “bad boy” quartet Jodeci, “Lately” (#4, 1993)
1973 ● Fran Healy → Guitar and vocals for Scottish trad rock Travis, “Why Does It Always Rain On Me” (#36, UK #10, 2000) plus 11 other UK Top 40 hits
1980 ● Steve Jocz → Drummer for Canadian indie punk-pop Sum 41, “We’re All To Blame” (Mainstream Rock #36, 2004)
1980 ● Tenitra Michelle Williams → Vocals for R&B/dance-pop Destiny’s Child, “Say My Name” (#1, 2000), solo , “The Greatest” (Dance/Club #1, 2008)
July 24
1935 ● Les Reed / (Leslie David Reed, OBE) → Novello Award-winning English songwriter, musician and light-orchestra leader, wrote or co-wrote over 60 charting, mostly MOR pop songs, including “It’s Not Unusual” with Gordon Mills (Tom Jones, #10, UK #1, 1965), “The Last Waltz” with Barry Mason (Engelbert Humperdinck, #25, AC #6, UK #1, 1967) and “Kiss Me Goodbye” with Mason (Petula Clark, #15, UK #50, 1968), another Reed/Mason composition became “Marching On Together,” the anthem for English football club Leeds United, since sung by LUFC fans at every match for nearly 50 years, in his later career scored motion picture soundtracks and stage musicals, died from undisclosed causes on 4/15/2019, age 83.
1935 ● Lowry Mays / (Lester Lowry Mays) → Petroleum engineer turned investment banker who inadvertently purchased a struggling radio station in San Antonio, Texas in 1972, the acquiring company became Clear Channel Communications and bought dozens more radio and TV stations through the 90s, and, following deregulation of the industry in 1996, amassed a portfolio of over 1,200 radio stations, 40 TV stations and 750,000 outdoor advertising displays, retired from the business in 2005 after suffering a stroke and managed the charitable Mays Family Foundation until his death from unspecified causes on 9/12/2022, age 87.
1941 ● Barbara Jean Love → Vocals for pop-rock vocal group The Friends Of Distinction, “Grazing In The Grass” (#3, R&B #5, 1969), left the group in 1970 to raise a baby and a family, never returned despite opportunities to do so before the group broke up in 1978 and again when it reformed in 1990, died from undisclosed causes on 10/25/2020, age 79.
1942 ● Heinz Burt → Bassist for Brit instrumental rock ‘n’ roll The Tornados,”Telstar” (#1, 1962), the first major US hit by a British group, solo, died from complication of a neural disease on 4/7/2000, age 57
1944 ● Jim Armstrong → Guitarist for Northern Irish R&B/garage rock Them, Here Comes The Night” (#24, UK #2, 1965), since then in multiple Irish rock bands, including Truth, Light, The Belfast Blues Band and Jim Armstrong Band
1944 ● Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin / (Lawrance Padilla) → Solo artist and core member of 60s spoken-word, proto-rap group The Last Poets, credited with establishing the foundation for hip hop music and often called the “Grandfather of Rap,” influential works include The Lost Poets eponymous debut album (#29, Soul #3, 1970) and his solo album, Hustler’s Convention (1973), both combining spoken poetry and “toasting” – rhythmic chanting and talking over a simple beat – with jazz and funk music, died after a long battle with lung cancer on 6/4/2018, age 73
1947 ● Alan Whitehead → Founding member and drummer for Scottish pop-rock The Marmalade, “Reflections Of My Life” (#10, 1970)
1947 ● Chris Townson → Drummer and founding member of Brit pop art/mod rock John’s Children, “Desdemona” (1967), the band occasionally recognized as a punk and glam-rock precursor, died of cancer on 2/10/2008, age 60
1948 ● Kim Berly / (Kimball Meyer) → Founding member and drummer in Canadian pop-rock trio The Stampeders (“Sweet City Woman,” #8, CAN #1 , 1971), left in 1978 but reformed the band in the 90s and continues to tour and perform into the 10s
1951 ● Lynval Golding → Rhythm guitar and vocals for ska revival/punk rock The Specials, “Ghost Town” (UK #1, 1981), left to co-found New Wave pop Fun Boy Three, “Really Saying Something” (Club #16, UK #5, 1982)
1951 ● Gypie Mayo / (John Philip Cawhra) → Guitarist and songwriter for the mid-70s lineup of Brit pub-rock Dr. Feelgood, co-wrote the hit single “Milk And Alcohol” (UK #9, 1979) with Nick Lowe, played in the reborn Yardbirds from 1996 to 2004, died from undisclosed causes on 10/23/2013, age 62
1953 ● Diaper Man / (Garry Shider) → Guitarist, backing vocals, co-songwriter and musical director for R&B/soul-funk (“P-Funk”) Parliament-Funkadelic, “One Nation Under A Groove” (#31, 1978) and the P-Funk All-Stars, solo and collaborations, died of cancer on 6/16/2010, age 56
1957 ● Larry Gott → Guitarist for Brit alt pop-rock James, “Sit Down” (UK #2, 1991) and “Laid” (#61, Modern Rock #3, 1994)
1958 ● Mick Karn / (Anthony Michaelides) → Bassist and saxophone for Brit New Wave art-rock Japan, “Ghosts” (UK #5, 1982)
1961 ● Paul Geary → Drummer for funk metal/hard rock Extreme, “More Than Words” (#1, 1991), manager for Smashing Pumpkins, Godsmack, Creed and others
1969 ● J.Lo / (Jennifer Lynn Lopez) → Dancer, TV and film actress (Selena, 1997), R&B/dance-pop singer, “If You Had My Love”( #1, 1999), record producer and fashion designer, #1 on People magazine’s 2007 list of 100 Most Influential Hispanics
1986 ● Pete Reilly → Lead guitarist for Scottish retro-rock/ska punk The View, “Same Jeans” (UK #3, 2007)
July 25
1894 ● Walter Brennan / (Walter Andrew Brennan) → World War I veteran and country-pop singer with four charting singles in the early 60s, including “Old Rivers” (#5, AC #2, Country #3, 1962), but best known as three-time Grammy-winning actor on stage and film, and as Grampa Amos on TV’s The McCoys in the late 50s, died from emphysema on 9/21/1974, age 80
1925 ● Benny Benjamin / (William Benjamin) → Session drummer in Motown house band The Funk Brothers, which provided nearly all instrumentation behind every Motown hit, died from a stroke on 4/20/1969, age 43
1930 ● Annie Ross / (Annabelle Macauley Allan Short) → British jazz, pop and bebob singer-songwriter with “Twisted” (1952), one of the earliest and best known examples of “vocalese” where lyrics are added to previously recorded jazz instrumental solos to create a new song, later became one third of the highly-popular jazz-pop vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross and recorded seven albums with many vocalese tracks, left in 1962 and opened a London night club in 1964 but suffered from heroin addiction and financial troubles, dropped out of sight in the 70s, re-appeared on stage and screen in the 80s and resumed her singing career as a cabaret singer/actor/comedienne until dying from emphysema and heart disease on 7/21/2020, age 89.
1941 ● Manny Charlton / (Manuel Charlton) → Founding member, lead guitarist and producer for several of Scottish hard rock Nazareth‘s albums, including the breakthrough LP Hair Of The Dog (#20, 1975) and their biggest hit, power ballad “Love Hurts” (#8, CAN #1, 1974), produced demo tapes for nascent hard rockers Guns N’ Roses in 1986, left Nazareth in 1990 for a 30-year solo career and brief stint as frontman for early 90s Texas-based the Manny Charlton Band, died suddenly from undisclosed causes on 7/5/2022, age 80.
1942 ● Bruce Woodley → Guitar, vocals and songwriting for Aussie folk-sunshine pop The Seekers, “Georgy Girl” (#2, 1967), penned the unofficial national anthem “I Am Australian” (1987)
1943 ● Jim McCarty → Drummer and vocals for blues-rock The Yardbirds, “For Your Love” (#6, 1965), left and co-founded prog-folk-rock Renaissance in 1969, then played acoustic guitar for prog rock Illusion, solo albums and reformed Yardbirds
1943 ● Tom Dawes → Bass guitar and vocals for upbeat folk-pop, two hit wonder The Cyrkle, “Red Rubber Ball” (#2, 1966) and “Turn Down Day” (#16, 1966), later headed his own advertising agency and wrote jingles for 7Up, Coca-Cola and Alka-Seltzer (“plop, plop, fizz, fizz”), died from complications of heart surgery on 10/13/2007, age 64
1945 ● Ken Tobias / (Kenneth Wayne Paul Tobias) → Canadian pop-rock singer-songwriter best known for writing the hit “Stay Awhile” (#7, CAN #1, 1971) for soft rockers The Bells, started as a cast member in a Nova Scotia-based nationally syndicated music variety program in the late 60s and recorded duets with future star Anne Murray, moved to Toronto in the 70s as a backing musician, started a music publishing firm for his songs, issued twelve charting singles through 1978 and eight solo albums through 2008, mentored younger musicians and performed in local bands in his native New Brunswick from the 90s until his death from brain cancer on 10/2/24, age 79.
1946 ● José Chepitó Areas → Nicaraguan original member and percussionist for Latin-rock Santana, “Black Magic Woman” (#4, 1970)
1948 ● Steve Goodman / (Steven Benjamin Goodman) → Grammy-winning folk and folk-pop singer, songwriter and guitarist, wrote “The City Of New Orleans” (covered by Arlo Guthrie, #18, 1972) and issued 12 solo albumsand wrote the Chicago Cubs’ anthem “Go, Cubs, Go” (1984), died of leukemia on 9/20/1984, age 36.
1949 ● Dave Jerden / (David Jerden) → Audio engineer and record producer with a four-decade career starting as a studio engineer for late 80s top rock acts, from Talking Heads (Remain In Light, 1980) and The Rolling Stones (Dirty Work, 1986) to Frank Zappa (The Red And The Black, 1983) and Red Hot Chili Peppers (Mother’s Milk, 1989), went solo during the 90s and produced over 30 albums for mostly lesser-known bands, started his own recording studio in the 00s, produced a handful of albums over the next decade and experimented with transitioning recordings from digital to analogue, retired from the business in 2015 and died in his sleep from natural causes on 2/5/2025, age 75.
1950 ● Mark Clarke → Journeyman bassist, sessions and/or touring with prog rock Colosseum, hard rock Uriah Heep, “Easy Livin'” (#39, 1972), Natural Gas, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Billy Squier, The (reformed) Monkees, Mountain, Ian Hunter and others
1951 ● Verdine White → Bass and vocals for R&B/soul-dance-pop Earth, Wind & Fire, “Shining Star” (#1, 1975)
1953 ● Gary Shaugnessy → Guitarist for Philly-style Brit R&B/soul Sweet Sensation (“Sad Sweet Dreamer,” #14, UK #1, 1975).
1955 ● Randy Bewley → Co-founding member and guitarist for Athens, GA-based seminal post-punk college rock Pylon (“Gyrate, “Dance/Club #41, 1981), later in several other local bands and music teacher, died following a heart attack on 2/25/2009, age 53
1958 ● Thurston Moore → Guitar and vocals for alt rock/avant-garde Sonic Youth, “100%” (Modern Rock #4, 1992)
1973 ● Ladybug Mecca / (Mary Ann Vieira) → Vocals and producer for hip hop rap-jazz fusion trio Digable Planets, “Reachin’ (A New Refutation Of Time And Space)” (#15, R&B #5, 1993), solo
July 26
1928 ● Joe Jackson / (Joseph Walter Jackson) → Former R&B guitarist, professional boxer and steelworker turned patriarch and manager of Motown pop-soul The Jackson 5 and later the solo careers of his son Michael Jackson and daughter Janet Jackson, known for his abusive treatment of his wife and children, who dismissed him as their manager in 1983 but publicly forgave him over the years, died from pancreatic cancer on 6/27/2018, age 89
1931 ● Fred Foster / (Fred Luther Foster) → Songwriter, record producer and music business executive, as a young and rising talent scout at Mercury Records in 1955 tried and failed to convince management to buy Elvis Presley‘s contract from Sun Records, left in 1958 to co-found Monument Records, the small label which nurtured the careers of Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Dolly Parton, among other emergent and important country, pop and rock artists, produced Roy Orbison‘s early hits, including “Oh, Pretty Woman” (#1, UK #1, 1964), sold Monument in the 80s but continued to work as a producer, most notably on the 2007 Grammy-winning album Last Of The Breed by Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Ray Price, died from complications of a stroke on 2/20/2019, age 87.
1937 ● Al Banks → Soaring falsetto lead vocals for Philly R&B/doo wop The Turbans, “When You Dance” (#33, R&B #3, 1955), joined the reconstituted Drifters in 1972, died 7/7/1977, age 39
1938 ● Bobby Hebb → R&B/soul-pop singer and songwriter, “Sunny” (#2, 1966), died of lung cancer on 8/3/2010, age 72
1940 ● Dobie Gray (Lawrence Darrow Brown) → Versatile singer with Top 40 hits in four genres, R&B “The ‘In’ Crowd” (#13, R&B #11, 1965), pop “Drift Away” (#5, 1973), disco “You Can Do It” (#37, 1979) and country “That’s One To Grow On” (Country #35, 1986), died from complications following cancer surgery on 12/6/2011, age 71
1941 ● Brenton Wood / (Alfred Jesse Smith) → R&B/soul-pop vocalist with a trifecta of Top 40 hits in 1967, “Gimme Little Sign” (#9, 1967), “The Oogum Boogum Song” (#19, 1967) and “Baby You Got It” (#34, 1967), plus a Top 40 near-miss with “Some Got It, Some Don’t” (#42, 1968), released 17 further soul-pop singles from 1968 to 1978 with only two charting hits before largely dropping from the limelight to tour and occasionally release new music, paused a farewell tour – ,em>Catch You On The Rebound: The Last Tour – in May 2024 for health reasons and died at home on 1/3/2025, age 83.
1941 ● Darlene Love / (Darlene Wright) → Lead vocals for Phil Spector girl group The Blossoms, sang lead on “He’s A Rebel” (#1, 1962), which was credited to The Crystals, another Spector group, also sang backing vocals on “Monster Mash” (Bobby “Boris” Pickett, #1, 1962), “Johnny Angel” (Shelley Fabares, #1, 1962), and several hits credited to The Ronettes, including “Be My Baby” (#4, 1963), plus hits by Sam Cooke, Dionne Warwick, The Beach Boys and many others
1941 ● Neil Landon / (Patrick Cahill) → Vocals for pre-fab Brit psych-pop one hit wonder The Flower Pot Men, “Let’s Go To San Francisco” (UK #1, 1967), then moved over to pre-fab pop White Plains, “My Baby Loves Lovin'” (#13, 1970)
1943 ● Mick Jagger / (Michael Philip Jagger) → Frontman, lead singer and songwriter for megastar hard rock The Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar” (#1, 1971), duet with David Bowie, “Dancing In The Street” (#7, 1985) and solo, “Don’t Tear Me Up” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1993)
1943 ● Andrea True / (Andrea Truden) → Adult film star in 70s and 80s who moonlighted as a disco-era dance-pop singer with two Top 40 hits, “More, More, More” (#4, 1976) and “N.Y., You Got Me Dancing” (#27, Dance/Club #4, 1977), died from heart failure on 11/7/2011, age 68
1944 ● Betty Davis / (Betty Gray Mabry) → Flamboyant 60s-70s R&B/funk singer with a sexually-charged delivery in lyrics and artistry, her provocative style achieved marginal commercial success but laid the groundwork for future funk and hip hop artists, among them Prince, Lenny Kravitz and Ice Cube, released four albums of self-penned songs, including They Say I’m Different (R&B #46, 1974) plus two minor R&B chart hits, married jazz legend Miles Davis in 1968 for one year, introduced him to rock and funk artists Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, thus opening his move into jazz fusion music, appeared on the cover of Miles’ Filles de Kilimanjaro album (1969) and in his tribute to her, “Mademoiselle Mabry,” dropped out of music in the 80s but enjoyed a resurgence of notoriety in the 2000s as her albums and unreleased material were re-issued, penned and released her first new song in over 40 years, “A Little Bit Hot Tonight” in 2019, diagnosed with cancer and died two weeks later on 2/9/2022, age 77.
1949 ● Roger Meddows Taylor → Founding member, drummer, songwriter and vocals for camp rock/mock-opera/hard pop Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody” (#9, 1976) and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” (#1, 1980), wrote and sang “Radio Ga Ga” (#16, 1984), solo
1961 ● Andy Connell → Founder and keyboards for Brit sophisti-pop Swing Out Sister, “Breakout” (#6, 1987), previously played with post-punk The Immediates and New Wave funk A Certain Radio, producer
1961 ● Gary Cherone → Co-founder and lead vocals for hard rock Extreme, “More Than Words” (#1, 1991), joined hard rock Van Halen in 1996 as lead vocalist, “Humans Being” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1996), solo
1962 ● Miranda Joyce → Saxophone and vocals for Brit all female ska/pop-rock The Belle Stars, “Sign Of The Times” (UK #3, 1983) and “Iko Iko” (#14, 1989)
1963 ● Scott Francis Crago → Session drummer, worked with Eagles since 1994, plus appearances for Bryan Adams, Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow, Chris Isaak, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Seger, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and others
1967 ● Headliner / (Timothy Barnwell) → DJ and rapper for progressive funk-soul-blues hip hop Arrested Development, “Mr. Wendal” (#6, 1992)
1980 ● Brown Sound / (Dave Baksh) → Guitarist for Canadian indie punk-pop Sum 41, “We’re All To Blame” (Mainstream Rock #36, 2004), quit in 2006 to form his own band Brown Brigade
1984 ● Alexandra Parks → Winner of the BBC talent contest show Fame Academy in 2003, “Maybe That’s What It Takes” (UK #3, 2003) from the UK #5 album Introduction (2003)
