Happy Birthday this week to:
July 28
1901 ● Rudy Vallée / (Hubert Prior Vallée ) → Hugely popular 1930s crooner and vaudeville entertainer, often singing through a megaphone, “Stein Song” (The University Of Maine)” (#1, 1930), became a film, radio stage and TV performer in the 50s, 60s and 70s, died from cancer on 7/3/1986, age 84
1915 ● Frankie Yankovic → The “King of Polka,” Grammy-winning and hugely popular Slovenian-American polka musician, composer, radio DJ, TV host and bandleader with over 200 albums in a five decade recording and performing career, died from heart failure on 10/14/1998, age 83
1924 ● Lord Burgess / (Irving Louis Burgie) → Second generation West Indian American musician and songwriter largely credited with starting the Caribbean music craze of the 1950s with the 34 songs composed for singer Harry Belafonte, including eight of 11 songs on the album Calypso (1956 – the first album of any kind to sell one million copies) and Belafonte‘s signature song, “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” (#5, 1956), also wrote the lyrics of the National Anthem of Barbados, his oeuvre has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, died at home from heart failure on 11/29/2019, age 95.
1935 ● Simon Dee / (Cyril Nicholas Henty-Dodd) → British TV personality and radio DJ, twice-weekly BBC TV chat show Dee Time during the 60s with musical guests including Jimi Hendrix and Lulu, died of bone cancer on 8/29/2009, age 74
1938 ● George Cummings → Steel guitar for AM pop-rock Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show, “Sylvia’s Mother” (#5, 1972) plus nine other Top 40 hits
1940 ● Philip Proctor → Comedian, small-role TV actor, voice actor and member of 60s/70s eclectic, satiric, surrealistic radio-friendly comic quartet The Firesign Theatre, the group’s nearly 40 albums were cult hits, particularly for college audiences, lent his voice to roles in multiple cartoons, video games and movies, including Toy Story, Rugrats and PlayStation games
1943 ● Michael Bloomfield → Celebrated blues-rock guitarist for urban electric blues The Butterfield Blues Band, formed blues/psych rock/jazz fusion Electric Flag in 1967, played with Al Kooper and Stephen Stills on the remarkable Super Session album, solo and multiple collaborations, #22 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, died of a heroin overdose on 2/15/1981, age 37.
1943 ● Richard Wright → Founding member, keyboards, vocals and songwriter for of space rock Pink Floyd, “Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)” (#1, 1979), dismissed from the band by frontman Roger Waters in 1980 but returned after Waters left in 1987, solo, died of cancer on 9/15/2008, age 65.
1946 ● Jonathan Edwards → Light folk-rock and country-pop one hit wonder singer/songwriter, “Sunshine” (#4, 1971)
1948 ● Jerry Casale / (Gerald Casale) → Founding member, bassist, synthesizer player, video director and “chief strategist” for quirky 80s pop-rock Devo, “Whip It” (#14, 1980), also produced videos for The Cars, Rush, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden and others, directed TV commercials for Diet Coke, Miller Lite, Honda and others
1949 ● Simon Kirke → Drummer for proto-metal/hard rock Free, “All Right Now” (#4, 1970) and hard rock Bad Company, “Can’t Get Enough” (#5, 1974), session work for Jim Capaldi, Ringo Starr, Ron Wood and many others
1949 ● Steve Peregrine Took → Founding partner, bass and percussion for psych rock Tyrannosaurus Rex, was fired for drug abuse and bizarre behavior shortly before former partner Marc Bolan and the band hit it big as proto-glam rock T. Rex, “Bang A Gong (Get It On)” (#10, 1971), died after choking on a cocktail cherry on 10/27/1980, age 31
1949 ● Peter Doyle → Guitar and vocals for folk-sunshine pop The New Seekers, “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing” (#7, 1972), died 10/13/2001, age 52
1954 ● Steven J. Morse → Canadian rock and jazz-rock fusion guitarist, founder of acclaimed Southern instrumental rock fusion band Dixie Dregs, issued several solo albums, divided time between hard rock Kansas and hard rock Deep Purple from 1994-2009
1962 ● Rachel Sweet → Teenage rock ‘n’ roll singer who signed to Stiff Records at age 18, “Everlasting Love” (#32, 1981), issued several other singles and became a TV host
1965 ● Nick Banks → Drummer for alt rock/Britpop Pulp, “Common People” (UK #2, 1995)
1972 ● Dan Warton → Drummer for indie punk-rock Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, “Not Sleeping Around” (Modern Rock #1, 1992)
1980 ● Noel Sullivan → Singer for pre-fab mockstar dance-pop Hear’Say, “Pure And Simple” (UK #1, 2001), refocused on musical theater following the group’s disbandment in 2003
1986 ● Jaoby Dakota Shaddix → Lead singer for hard rock/heavy metal Papa Roach, “Scars” (#15, Mainstream Rock #4, 2005)
1990 ● Soulja Boy / (DeAndre Cortez Way) → Rapper, “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” (#1, 2007), record producer
July 29
1916 ● Charlie Christian / (Charles Henry Christian) → Swing, bebop and cool jazz guitarist in the 30s and 40s, early and very important guitarist who influenced the development of the electric guitar as a solo instrument, played with Benny Goodman, Thelonius Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and others, died from tuberculosis on 3/2/1942, age 25.
1918 ● Frank Miller → Guitar and vocals in influential but unheralded 50s folk trio The Easy Riders, co-wrote their big hit, the oft-covered “Marianne” (#3, 1957) and continued to write and record as a solo artist and in groups with other folk luminaires until retirement in the late 60s
1923 ● Jim Marshall / (James Charles Marshall) → The “Father of Loud” and pioneer of guitar amplification with iconic products used by Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Jimmy Page and countless others from garage bands to superstars, often in a “Marshall stack” or wall of black, vinyl-clad cabinets mounted one atop the other, founded and led his company, Marshall Amplification well into his eighties, now considered one of the four major contributors to the development of rock music equipment along with Leo Fender, Les Paul and Seth Lover, died from cancer on 4/5/2012, age 88
1930 ● Jim Stewart / (James Frank Stewart) → Former local banker and later part-time country music fiddler who co-founded Stax Records in Memphis with his sister, Estelle Axton, and presided over some of the top Southern soul and Memphis soul acts of the 60s and 70s, including house band Booker T. & The MG’s, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Staple Singers and many others, lost control of the business during bankruptcy proceeding in 1976 and lived a reclusive life until his death in a Memphis hospital following a brief illness on 12/5/2022, age 92.
1933 ● Randy Sparks / (Lloyd Arrington Sparks) → Influential folk and pop musician, founder (1961) and frontman of the clean-cut, iconic Americana singing group The New Christy Minstrels (“Green, Green,” #14, AC #3, 1963) at the dawn of the 60s folk revival movement, the group had 12 charting albums and three Adult Contemporary Top 20 hits in the 60s, including the Grammy-winning Introducing The New Christy Minstrels (#19, 1962), alumni of the group include Kim Carnes, John Denver, Steve Martin and dozens of others, formed a second group, The Back Porch Majority, as a “farm team” for the NCM in 1963, the BPM went on to release seven albums into the 70s and appeared on TV and at the White House, sold his interest in the groups in 1965 and started a 30-year collaboration with singer Burl Ives, re-purchased The New Christy Minstrels in 1995 and managed and performed with the group into the 20s, died from heart failure on /11/2024, age 90.
1938 ● Marvin Ingram / (Marvin Inabnett) → Founding member and high tenor singer for clean-cut light pop vocal quartet The Four Preps, “26 Miles (Santa Catalina)” (#2, 1958) and 6 other Top 40 hits between 1958 and 1961, left the group in 1966 and died on 3/7/1999, age 60
1946 ● Neal Doughty → Co-founder, songwriter, keyboards and only constant member of arena rock REO Speedwagon, “Keep On Lovin’ You” (#1, 1980)
1947 ● Carlo Santanna → Guitar 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
1953 ● Geddy Lee / (Gary Lee Weinrib) → Bassist, lead vocals and founding member of Canadian arena rock/power trio Rush, “New World Man” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1982) and 24 other Mainstream Rock Top 20 singles
1953 ● Patty Scialfa / (Vivienne Patricia Scialfa) → Backing vocals for Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band, solo, wife of The Boss since 6/8/1991
1959 ● John Sykes → Guitarist for Irish hard rock Thin Lizzy (1982-83), then hard rock Whitesnake, “Here I Go Again” (#1, 1987), then formed hard rock Blue Murder, solo
1962 ● Martin McCarrick → Guitar for Irish grunge rock/alt metal Therapy?, “Screamager” (, 1993)
1966 ● Martina McBride / (Martina Mariea Schiff) → Grammy-winning country/country-pop singer and songwriter known as the “Celine Dion of Country Music, charted twenty Country Top 10, seven Top 40 and five Adult Contemporary hits through 2016, including “I Love You” (#24, Country #1, AC #1, 1999)
1966 ● Miles Hunt → Frontman, guitar and vocals for alt rock The Wonder Stuff, “Welcome To The Cheap Seats” (Modern Rock #28, UK #8, 1992), TV host
1967 ● Chris Gorman → Drummer for alt pop-rock Belly, “Feed The Tree” (#1, Modern Rock, 1993), now a commercial photographer
1972 ● Simon Jones → Bassist for neo-psych-pop The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (#12, 1998)
1973 ● Wanya Jermaine Morris → Lead vocals for R&B/urban soul a cappella Boyz II Men, “End Of The Road” (#1, 1992)
1977 ● Danger Mouse / (Brian Joseph Burton) → Multi-instrumentalist musician, Grammy-winning producer and songwriter, released the mashup album The Grey Album in 2004 combining The Beatles‘ White Album (1968) with rapper Jay-Z‘s The Black Album (2003), co-founded alt. neo-soul Gnarls Barkley, “Crazy” (#2, 2006), produced albums for Gorillaz, Beck, The Black Keys and U2
July 30
1926 ● Christine McGuire / (Ruby Christine McGuire) → Eldest of the immensely popular sibling close-harmony trio the McGuire Sisters, their 50s wholesome act produced nineteen Top 40 singles, including “Sincerely” (#1, 1955) and “Sugartime” (#1, 1958) during the early rock ‘n’ roll years, appeared on “Your Hit Parade” and other national TV variety programs until retirement in 1968, married five times and mother to two sons, reunited with her sisters in 1986 and performed on Las Vegas, New York and Atlantic City stages for two more decades, died from undisclosed causes on 12/28/2018, age 92.
1936 ● Buddy Guy / (George Guy) → Pioneering and highly influential Chicago blues guitarist and singer, “Stone Crazy” (R&B #12, 1962), #30 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time
1937 ● Sonny West / (Joseph Sonny West) → Texas teenager who wrote and recorded “Rock-ola Ruby” and “Sweet Rockin’ Baby” in 1956 with his band – the songs have since become rockabilly classics – and wrote “Oh Boy” (#10, UK #3, 1957) and “Rave On” (#37, UK #5, 1958) for Buddy Holly & The Crickets, among other songs he wrote or recorded for himself or others over the years, issued his debut album Sweet Rockin’ Rock-Ola Ruby in 2002 and died from undisclosed causes on 9/8/2022, age 85.
1938 ● Kookie Byrnes / (Edward Byrne Breitenberger) → TV actor (played the character Gerald Lloyd Kookson III on 77 Sunset Strip) and one hit wonder novelty-pop singer, “Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb” (#4, 1959), a take-off from his character’s constant combing of his pompadour
1940 ● Big Jack Johnson / (Jack N. Johnson) → Contemporary Delta blues guitarist, songwriter and bandleader with a dozen critically acclaimed electric blues albums, many with social activism themes, died from an undisclosed illness on 3/14/2001, age 60
1941 ● Paul Anka → Canadian-born teen idol/contemporary pop/easy listening crooner and songwriter, “Lonely Boy” (#1, 1959), wrote the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Tom Jones‘ “She’s A Lady” (#2, 1971) and the lyrics to Frank Sinatra‘s “My Way” (#11, 1969).
1944 ● Chris Darrow / (Christopher Lloyd Darrow) → Highly-skilled and sought-after multi-instrumentalist L.A. session musician and country-rock pioneer, co-founded 60s American eclectic folk-rock cult band Kaleidoscope, replaced Jackson Browne in country-rock the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (“Mr. Bojangles,” #9, 1971), worked in Linda Ronstadt‘s backing band, recorded several solo albums and did studio work for James Taylor, Helen Reddy and many others, continued to record and produce folk- and country-rock music into the 10s, died from complications of a stroke on 1/15/2020, age 75.
1945 ● David Sanborn / (David William Sanborn) → Influential jazz-pop saxophonist with a long career that started with blues-rock The Butterfield Blues Band and an appearance at Woodstock 1969, included stints with jazz-rock fusion The Brecker Brothers (“Sneakin’ Up Behind You,” #58, Disco #3, 1975), with the Saturday Night Live house band, hosting his own syndicated radio and TV music programs, and session work for David Bowie (sax solo on “Young Americans,” #28, 1975), Bruce Springsteen, Eagles and dozens more, toured with Stevie Wonder and collaborated with Eric Clapton and others in special recording projects, all the while issuing 25 solo albums from 1976 to 2017 and winning six Grammy awards, diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 but continued to tour until just before dying from the disease on 5/12/2024, age 78.
1946 ● Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond → Early bass guitarist for long-lived Brit folk-rock Jethro Tull, “Living In The Past” (#11, 1973), left the band in 1975 to return to his avocation, painting, but made several appearances with the band over the decades
1949 ● Hugh Nicholson → Guitarist and songwriter for Scottish freakbeat/psych-pop The Poets, “She Blew A Good Thing” (#45, R&B #2, 1966), then Scottish pop-rock Marmalade, “Reflections Of My Life” (#10, 1970) and pop-rock Blue, “Gonna Capture Your Heart” (#88, UK #18, 1977)
1949 ● Joyce Jones → Singer for Philly R&B/disco female vocal group First Choice, “The Player, Part 1” (R&B #7, 1974)
1956 ● Phil Fearon → Jamaican-born guitarist and singer for R&B/funk-pop Galaxy, “Dancing Tight” (1983), independent label record company executive
1957 ● David Joseph → Keyboards and lead vocals for North London-based R&B/disco-funk boy band Hi-Tension, “British Hustle” (UK #8, 1978)
1957 ● Rat Scabies / (Chris Millar) → Founding member and drummer for first-wave punk rockers The Damned, “Eloise” (UK #3, 1986), solo and collaborations
1958 ● Kate Bush / (Catherine Bush) → Hugely successful Brit alt pop-rock singer and songwriter, “Wuthering Heights” (UK #1, 1978) and “Love And Anger” (Modern Rock #1, UK #38, 1990)
1959 ● Vaughn Toulouse / (Vaughn Cotillard) → Lead vocals for New Wave ska-pop Department S, “Is Vic There?” (#67, UK #22, 1981), died from AIDS related illness on 8/22/1991, age 32
1963 ● Tex Axile / (Anthony Doughty) → Keyboards for punk-pop-dance Transvision Vamp, “Baby I Don’t Care” (, 1983)
1966 ● Jyoti Mishra → India-born frontman, composer and multi-instrumentalist for one man band, one hit wonder alt dance-pop White Town, “Your Woman” (#23, UK #1, 1997)
1968 ● Louise Wener → Vocals for Britpop Sleeper, “Sale Of The Century” (UK #10, 1996)
1968 ● Sean Moore → Drummer for Brit alt rock/neo-punk Manic Street Preachers, “The Masses Against The Classes” (UK #1, 2000)
1970 ● MC Trouble / (LaTasha Sheron Rogers) → First female rapper signed to Motown Records, issued one album and a minor hit (“(I Wanna) Make You Mine,” Rap #15, 1990), while recording her second album died in her sleep from heart failure during an epileptic seizure on 6/4/1991, age 20
1971 ● Brad Hargreaves → Drummer for post-grunge indie pop Third Eye Blind, “Semi-Charmed Life” (#4, 1997)
1977 ● Ian Watkins → Singer for Welsh alt hard rock Lostprophets, “Last Train Home” (Mainstream Rock #10, 2004)
1980 ● Seth Avett → With brother Scott, frontman and guitarist in progressive folk-rock quartet The Avett Brothers (Ain’t No Man,” AAA #1, Alt Rock #28, 2016)
July 31
1923 ● Ahmet Ertegun → Turkish immigrant who co-founded and became chief executive of Atlantic Records, a dominant force in jazz, R&B and pop/rock and a prime force in moving Black American music into the mainstream, fell and struck his head on a concrete floor backstage at a Rolling Stones benefit concert for the Clinton Foundation and died seven weeks later on 12/14/2006, age 83
1931 ● Kenny Burrell / (Kenneth Earl Burrell) → Bebop, cool jazz and electric blues guitarist with dozens of solo albums and multiple collaborations with Lena Horne, B. B. King, Maria Muldaur, Jimmy Smith and many others, currently professor and Director of Jazz Studies at UCLA‘s Herb Alpert School of Music
1932 ● Morey Carr → Vocals for novelty pop/rock ‘n’ roll The Playmates, “Beep Beep” (#4, 1958) plus 4 other Top 40 hits
1938 ● Bonnie Brown / (Bonnie Jean Brown) → Vocals for 50s-60s country-folk smooth harmony sibling trio The Browns (“The Three Bells,” #1, Country #1, 1959), retired from the music business in 1967 and died from lung cancer on 7/16/2016, age 77
1939 ● John West → Electric organ (“Cordovox”) for pop-rock Gary Lewis & The Playboys, “This Diamond Ring” (#1, 1965) plus 11 other US Top 40 hits between 1965 and 1968
1942 ● Daniel Boone / (Peter Charles Green) → Britbeat pop singer with a number of minor hits in the 60s as lead vocals for The Beachcombers and The Bruisers, or as a solo artist with the pseudonyms Peter Stirling and Lee Stirling, then became one hit wonder pop-rock singer with “Beautiful Sunday” (#15, UK #21, 1972)
1943 ● Lobo / (Roland Kent Lavoie) → Country-folk-pop singer/songwriter and guitarist with several AM Top 40 hits in the 70s, including “Me And You And A Dog Named Boo” (#5, AC #1, UK #4, 1971) and “I’d Love You To Want Ne” (#2, AC #1, UK #5, 1972), continued to tour and record into the 10s
1946 ● Gary Lewis / (Gary Harold Lee Levitch) → Frontman, drums and vocals for pop-rock Gary Lewis & The Playboys, “This Diamond Ring” (#1, 1965) plus 11 other US Top 40 hits between 1965 and 1968, son of comedian/actor Jerry Lewis
1947 ● Karl Green → Guitarist for British Invasion pop-rock Herman’s Hermits, “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter” (#1. 1965)
1951 ● Carlo Karges → Guitarist for German pop-rock band Nena, “99 Luftballons” (#2, 1984)
1953 ● Hugh McDowell → Cello for pop-rock Electric Light Orchestra, “Don’t Bring Me Down” (#4, 1979) and 26 other Top 40 hits
1957 ● Daniel Ash → Guitarist for seminal goth-rock Bauhaus, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” (1979) and goth-pop Love And Rockets, “So Alive” (#3, 1989) , solo
1958 ● Bill Berry → Drummer for influential post-punk R.E.M., “The One I Love” (#9, 1987), left the band in 1997 to work his hay farm in Georgia
1960 ● Malcolm Ross → Guitarist for Scot New Wave pop-rock Aztec Camera, “The Crying Scene” (Modern Rock #3, 1990)
1961 ● Phil McCormack / (Philip Wallace McCormack) → Lead vocals and harmonica for Southern rock dual-guitar Molly Hatchet (“Flirtin’ With Disaster,” #42, 1980), took over full time in 1996 after several stints as stand-in for original lead vocalist Danny Joe Brown, appeared on every Molly Hatchet studio and contemporary live album from Devil’s Canyon (1996) to Live at Rockpalast 1996 (2013), died from undisclosed causes on 9/2/2019,age 58.
1963 ● Fatboy Slim / (Norman Quentin Leo Cook) → Bassist for Brit jangle-guitar pop-rock The Housemartins, “Caravan Of Love” (UK #1, 1986), DJ and remixer for electronic dance-pop Beats International, “Dub Be Good To Me” (Dance/Pop #1, 1990), founder of acid jazz Freak Power, “Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out” (UK #29, 1993), dance-pop Pizzaman and Brit-hop producer and solo artist, “The Rockafeller Skank” (#72, UK #6, 1998)
1963 ● Denise Johnson → Manchester-based backing and guest vocalist on albums by New Order, Johnny Marr, the Smiths and others, best known for her stint with alt. rock Primal Scream (1990-1995) and for a 25-year association with post-punk A Certain Ratio, recorded solo over the years and had a debut album due for release in September, died following a brief but unspecified illness on 7/27/2020, age 56.
1964 ● Fuzz Townsend / (Robert Townsend) → Drummer for dance-rock Pop Will Eat Itself, “X, Y & Zee” (Modern Rock #11, 1991)
1964 ● Jim Corr → With three sisters, guitars and keyboards in Irish folk-pop-rock sibling act The Corrs, “Breathless” (Adult Top 40 #7, 2000)
1971 ● John 5 / (John Lowery) → Guitarist for industrial-pop-metal/shock rock Marilyn Manson, “The Dope Show” (Mainstream Rock #12, 1998), five solo instrumental guitar albums, sessions for Garbage, Meat Loaf, Ozzy Osbourne and Lynyrd Skynyrd
1978 ● Will Champion → Drummer for Brit-pop/anthem rock Coldplay, “Speed Of Sound” (#8, 2005)
1981 ● M. Shadows / (Matthew Sanders) → Lead vocalist and songwriter for pop/metal Avenged Sevenfold, “Bat Country” (#60, Mainstream Rock #2, 2005)
August 01
1898 ● Morris Stoloff → Violinist, composer and arranger, wrote and performed “Moonglow” (#1, 1956), the love theme from the film Picnic (1956), arranged film scores for several other movies, including Lawrence Of Arabia (1962), died 4/16/1980, age 81
1929 ● Samuel Charters → Grammy-winning music historian, record producer, musician, poet and widely published author of books on blues and jazz music, his first book, The Country Blues (1959) and accompanying album of the same name are credited with inspiring the folk music revival of the early 60s and injecting forgotten blues artists into the consciousness of dozens of blues-rock artists like The Allman Brothers Band, Cream and The Rolling Stones, died from bone marrow cancer on 3/18/2015, age 85
1930 ● Lionel Bart / (Lionel Begleiter) → Brit pop music songwriter and musical composer, best known for writing the theme song to the James Bond film From Russia With Love (1966) and the hit musical Oliver!, wrote commercial jingles and staged other musicals until his death from cancer on 4/3/1999, age 68
1931 ● Ramblin’ Jack Elliott / (Elliot Charles Adnopoz) → Influential country-folk guitarist, one time protégé of folk legend Woody Guthrie, played in Bob Dylan‘s Rolling Thunder Revue and with Pete Seeger, Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead and others, Grammy-winning blues album A Stranger Here in 2009
1938 ● Paddy Moloney / (Patrick Moloney) → Irish folk musician, songwriter, and a lead figure in the revival of traditional Irish folk music and its meshing with rock, pop and coubtry music in the 70s and 80s, co-founded Irish music group The Chieftains in 1962 and fronted the band and wrote much of their music for 60 years, appearing on all 44 of their albums, including six Grammy winners, also collaborated with rockers Van Morrison and Mick Jagger, with country music stars Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris, and with international stars in various genres, composed music for multiple films, including Stanley Kubrick‘s Barry Lyndon (1975), Braveheart (1995) and Gangs of New York (2002), died in a hospital from unspecified causes on 10/12/2021, age 83.
1941 ● Rock Scully / (Rock Robert Scully) → San Francisco rock promoter and manager for psych/folk rock/jam band Grateful Dead (“Truckin’,” #64, 1970) from 1965 to 1985, during which he negotiated the band’s first contract with Warner Brothers and helped orchestrate the transformation from a loose folk and bluegrass outfit to one of rock music’s most memorable and enduring acts, died from lung cancer on 12/16/2014, age 73
1942 ● Jerry Garcia / (Jerome John Garcia) → Founding member, lead guitarist, vocals, songwriter and de facto frontman for rock’s longest, strangest trip Grateful Dead, “Sugar Magnolia” (#91, 1973) and “Touch Of Grey” (#9, 1987), solo and various collaborations, died from a drug-related heart attack on 8/9/1995, age 53.
1946 ● Boz Burrell / (Raymond Burrell) → Bassist for prog/space-rock King Crimson, “The Court Of The Crimson King” (#80, 1970), founding member of hard rock supergroup Bad Company, “Can’t Get Enough” (#5, 1974), died following a heart attack on 9/21/2006, age 60
1947 ● Ronnie King / (Cornelis Van Sprang) → Bass guitarist and co-founding member of Canadian pop-rock trio The Stampeders, the band scored 14 hits on the Canada Top 40 chart in the 70s, and two in the U.S., including “Sweet City Woman” (#8, CAN #1, 1971), the band broke up in the late 70s but reformed in 1992, played with his bandmates for the ensuing 32 years and was planning to tour again but died from a sudden illness on 3/4/2024, age 76.
1947 ● Rick Anderson → Bass guitarist for Phoenix-based rock band The Beans in the late 60s, becoming the nucleus of camp-rock pop-rock satirists The Tubes in 1972, over a 50 year career played on all nine albums and ten charting singles by the band, including “She’s A Beauty” (#10, 1983), performed on tour with The Tubes for decades, the last time in Los Angeles just months before dying from undisclosed on 12/16/2022, age 75.
1947 ● Rick Coonce → Drummer for AM Top 40 pop-rockers The Grass Roots, “Midnight Confessions” (#5, 1968), left the band in 1971 and moved to Canada to become a farmer and social worker, died from heart failure on 2/25/2011, age 63
1949 ● Jim Carroll → Author, poet, punk rock bandleader, “People Who Died” (#51, 1980), wrote the autobiography The Basketball Diaries, which became a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio (1995), died from a heart attack on 9/11/2009, ager 60
1951 ● Tim Bachman / (Timothy Gregg Bachman) → With his brothers Randy and Robbie, founding member and guitarist for Canadian hard rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive, the band scored five straight Top 10 hits in Canada in 1974 and 1975, including “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” (#1, CAN #1, 1974), left in 1974 due to differences with older brother Randy, rejoined for a 1984 reunion and tours in 1987 and 1988, became a real estate agent in the 90s and 2000s, was charged twice in the 10s but not convicted for alleged child-sex cases in the 90s, was not included when his bandmates were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2014, died from brain cancer on 4/28/2023, age 71.
1951 ● Tommy Bolin → Underrated and short-lived blues-rock guitarist, first with hard rock Zephyr, then with jazz-rock fusion drummer Billy Cobham on the classic Spectrum album, replaced Joe Walsh in the James Gang, joined Deep Purple in 1972 to replace Ritchie Blackmore, left for solo career, died of a heroin overdose on 12/4/1976, age 25
1953 ● Robert Cray → Grammy-winning contemporary blues guitarist and vocalist , “Smoking Gun” (#22, Mainstream Rock #2, 1986)
1958 ● Michael Penn → Late-80s pop/rock singer, songwriter and guitarist, “No Myth” (#13, 1989), brother of actor Sean Penn
1958 ● Robert Buck → Guitarist and songwriter with folk-pop 10,000 Maniacs, “These Are Days” (Alt-Rock #1, 1992), also played in folk-pop John & Mary with other bandmates, died from liver disease on 12/19/2000, age 42
1959 ● Joe Elliott → Vocals for hard rock/Brit New Wave of Heavy Metal band Def Leppard, “Love Bites” (#1, 1988), formed hard rock Down ‘N’ Outz in 2009
1960 ● Chuck D. / (Carlton Douglas Ridenhour) → Rapper and vocals for influential early hip hop group Public Enemy, “Fight The Power” (Rap #1, 1989), author, producer
1960 ● Suzi Gardner → Guitar and vocals for all-girl post-punk/grunge band L7, “Pretend We’re Dead” (Alt Rock #8, 1992)
1963 ● Coolio / (Artis Leon Ivey, Jr.) → Musician, film and TV actor, producer and superstar West Coast rapper with the anthemic, Grammy-winning mega-hit “Gangsta’s Paradise” (Worldwide #1, 1995), one of five Top 40 rap-to-pop crossover hits in the 90s, went on to appear in over 50 films and over 30 TV programs – often as himself – through the early 20s, died from an cardiac arrest at a friend’s home in L.A. on 9/29/2022, age 59.
1964 ● Adam Duritz → Piano, guitar, vocals, songwriting and frontman for alt-rock Counting Crows, “Mr. Jones” (Modern Rock #2, 1994), solo, producer and record company executive
1964 ● Nick Christian Sayer → Guitarist for punk-pop-dance Transvision Vamp, “Baby I Don’t Care” (, 1983)
1968 ● Dan Donegan → Guitarist for Chicago-based heavy metal Disturbed, “Another Way To Die” (Mainstream Rock #1, 2010)
1970 ● Kenwyn House → Guitar for hard-edged Brit pop Reef, “Place Your Hands” (Mainstream Rock #29, 1997) from the UK #1 album Glow
1978 ● Dhani Harrison → Guitarist and son of George Harrison, completed his father’s final album, Brainwashed, after his death in 2001, now founder, lead guitar and vocals for alt rock Thenewno2
1981 ● Ashley Angel / (Ashley Ward Parker) → Vocals for pre-fab teen idol boy-band O-Town, “All Or Nothing” (#3, 2001)
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)
1939 ● Sally Ann Grossman / (Sally Ann Buehler) → Wife of Greenwich Village folk music promoter Albert Grossman, Bob Dylan‘s manager, and business partner with her husband in several Woodstock (NY) restaurants and Bearsville Records, which she managed following his death in 1986, appeared as the mysterious red-dressed woman on the cover of Dylan‘s acoustic-to-electric transition album Bringing It All Home (#6, 1965), later renovated a barn on her property and opened the Bearsville Theater, sold all of her business interests by 2004 and died from unspecified causes on 3/11/2021, age 81.
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, beginning as a duo with Skid Roper (Richard Banke) and “Elvis is Everywhere” (1987), went solo and released the controversial “Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant With My Two-Headed Love Child” (Modern Rock #16, 1989), “Don Henley Must Die” (Modern Rock #20, 1990) and other songs lampooning celebrities and American culture, appeared in several feature films, including the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls Of Fire (1989), worked as a radio DJ in the 90s and on Sirius XM Radio from 2008 to 2016, was the subject of a documentary film, The Mojo Manifesto (2014), and died from a “cardiac event” while on board a country music cruise on 2/7/2024, age 66.
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) → Beloved fourteen-time Grammy-winning pop and easy listening crooner with the enduring, signature song “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” (#19, 1962) and eight other Top 40 singles plus four other Adult Contemporary Top 10 hits, his long career started in the Paramount Theater in New York City in the early 1950s and ran for over 70 years, including hundreds of recordings of songs from the Great American Songbook and a final public appearance with pop singer Lady Gaga at Radio City Music Hall in a show titled One Last Time in 2021, suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in his last years and died from undisclosed causes on 7/21/2023, age 96.
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.
1939 ● Roy C / (Roy Charles Hammond) → Southern soul singer starting as tenor vocal for 50s R&B vocal group The Genies (“Who’s That Knocking’,” #72, 1958), went into military service but reappeared in 1965 with the risqué, sexually-charged novelty hit “Shotgun Wedding” (R&B #14, UK #6, 1965), his outspoken social and political views created recording career hurdles in the late 60s but hooked with unknown teenage boyband The Honey Drippers and recorded the anti-Nixon funky protest song “Impeach The President” (1973), an oft-sampled gem now recognized as an integral track in early hip hop music of the 80s, died from liver cancer on 9/16/2020, age 81.
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 De Wayne Dickerson) → Bassist and vocalist for laid-back R&B/soul-funk War, sang lead on “The World Is A Ghetto” (#7, R&B #3, 1972) and co-wrote “The Cisco Kid” (#2, R&B #5, 1972) and three other Top 10 singles for the band, left in 1979 after 12 albums and later co-founded spin-off Lowrider Band, touring and performing through to a long, undisclosed illness which led to his death on 4/2/2021, age 71.
1951 ● John Graham → Guitarist for R&B/soul-dance-pop Earth, Wind & Fire, “Shining Star” (#1, 1975)
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
1953 ● Ian Bairnson / (John Bairnson) → Scottish multi-instrumentalist session musician, joined pop-rock Pilot in 1973 and played guitar on “Magic” (#5, UK #11, 1974) and other hits, left in 1978 with other bandmates to form The Alan Parsons Project (“Eye In The Sky,” #3, CAN #1, 1982), appeared on all 11 of the group’s albums, on the side played on art-pop-rock Kate Bush’s first four albums, played with MOR pop Bucks Fizz and co-wrote “If You Can’t Stand the Heat” (UK#10, 1983) and “Run for Your Life” (UK #14, 1983) for the band, did session work on over 100 albums by Joe Cocker, Mick Fleetwood, Neil Diamond and many others, appeared live with Eric Clapton and others, stopped performing in 2018 and died from dementia on 4/7/2023, age 69.
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)
