Happy Birthday this week to:
June 15
1910 ● David Rose → Emmy-winning composer, pianist and orchestra leader whose best known compositions include the jazzy instrumental “The Stripper” (#1, 1962), wrote film scores for Hollywood and many TV shows, including Bonanza and Little House On The Prairie, led the house band for The Red Skelton Show for 21 years, died of natural causes on 8/23/1990, age 80
1921 ● Errol Garner → Virtuoso jazz and swing pianist, wrote the jazz standard, oft-covered and Grammy Hall of Fame song “Misty” (1954) and issued multiple jazz and jazz-pop albums, died of lung cancer on 1/2/1977, age 55.
1929 ● Nigel Pickering → Founding member, songwriter, rhythm guitarist and vocals for sunny folk-pop Spanky & Our Gang, “Sunday Will Never Be The Same” (#9, 1967), died from liver cancer on 5/5/2011, age 81
1931 ● Russ Gibb / (Russell James Gibb) → Disc jockey, music venue owner and local rock ‘n’ roll impresario at the center of the 60s Detroit music scene, early supporter of local bands MC5, Ted Nugent and Iggy Pop, best known for starting and perpetuating the 1969 “Paul is dead” hoax about Beatle Paul McCartney‘s supposed death and subsequent cover-up, later invested in music magazine Creem and regional cable TV franchises, died from undisclosed causes on 4/30/2019, age 87.
1937 ● Waylon Jennings → Grammy-winning “outlaw” country guitarist, singer and songwriter, started in the Buddy Holly Band, solo, “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” (#42, Country #1, 1978), formed mythic country supergroup The Highwaymen, “Highwayman” (Country #1, 1985), died from complications of diabetes on 2/13/2002, age 64
1939 ● Mary Martin → Grammy-winning talent scout, manager and record label executive in a male-dominated industry, helped launch the careers of Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt and Vince Gill, among many others, introduced Bob Dylan to The Band in 1965, joined Warner Bros. Records in L.A. in 1972 and signed or managed multiple artists, moved to Nashville as VP at RCA Records in 1985 and to Mercury Records in 1999, won a Grammy in 2002 for her work on the Hank Williams tribute album Timeless, which featured Dylan, Johnny Cash, Keith Richards, Tom Petty and others, died from complications of cancer on 7/4/24, age 85.
1940 ● Peggy Sue Gerron Rackham → Then-girlfriend (and future wife) of drummer Jerry Allison of 50s pop-rock Buddy Holly & The Crickets who lent her name to the band’s hit song “Peggy Sue” (#3, 1957) and recounted her story in the autobiography, “Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue?” (2008), died from undisclosed causes on 10/1/2018, age 78.
1941 ● Harry Nilsson / (Harry E. Nilsson, III) → Grammy-winning folk-pop singer, songwriter and guitarist, “Everybody’s Talkin” (#6, 1969) from the movie Midnight Cowboy, and “Without You” (#1, 1972), died of heart failure on 1/15/1994, age 52
1943 ● Muff Winwood / (Mervyn Winwood) → Bassist for Brit pop-rock Spencer Davis Group, “Gimme Some Lovin”” (#7, 1967), producer, record executive, older brother of Steve Winwood
1943 ● Johnny Hallyday / (Jean-Phillipe Smet) → The “Elvis Presley of France” and one of the most successful pop music artists of all time, sold over 110 million albums over 50+ years in the French speaking world but with little attention everywhere else, recorded more than three dozen French Top 10 hits, including “Viens Danser Le Twist” (FR #1, 1961), a cover of Chubby Checker‘s “Let’s Twist Again” (#8, UK #7, 1961) and “Mon Plus Beau Noel” (FR #1, 2005), at varying times Jimmy Page, Peter Frampton and Foreigner‘s Mick Jones played on his records, died from lung cancer on 12/6/2017, age 74
1944 ● Eddie Hinton → Songwriter, session guitarist and member of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (also known as The Swampers), the renowned studio musician ensemble that recorded hundreds of songs and albums at Muscle Shoals Studio in Alabama, including hits by Aretha Franklin, The Staple Singers, Paul Simon, Lynyrd Skynyrd and countless others, wrote the Dusty Springfield hit “Breakfast in Bed” (#91, 1969) and other songs, died from a heart attack on 7/28/1995, age 51
1946 ● Demis Roussos / (Artemios Roussos) → Operatic-voiced Greek singer and bassist with prog-rock Aphrodite’s Child, solo, “L.O.V.E. Got A Hold On Me” (Dance/Club #26, 1978)
1946 ● Janet 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 ● Leo Nocentelli → Guitarist in New Orleans soul-funk The Meters, “Chicken Strut” (1970), backing guitarist for Robert Palmer, Dr. John and others, continues to perform with the band and as solo artist through the 10s
1946 ● Noddy Holder / (Neville Holder) → Guitar and vocals for Brit glam-metal Slade, “Run Runaway” (#20, 1984), TV actor, radio and TV presenter
1948 ● Leah Kunkel / (Leah Rachel Cohen) → Younger sister of pop-rock singer “Mama” Cass Elliott and former wife of renowned session musician Russ Kunkel, recorded a non-charting solo single “Billy” (1968) as Cotton Candy and became an in-demand session vocalist in the 70s, providing backing vocals on albums by Jackson Browne, Stephen Bishop, James Taylor (“Handy Man,” #4, 1977) and many others, released two solo albums in 1979-80 and co-founded pop-rock trio The Coyote Sisters in 1984 with two AC Top 40 singles, returned to school in the late 80s and received a law degree, practiced entertainment law, served as a public defender and taught at a western Massachusetts college for 25 years, died from unspecified cancer on 11/26/2024, age 76.
1949 ● Michael Lutz → Guitarist for Detroit rock ‘n’ roll band Brownsville Station, “Smokin’ In The Boys Room” (#3, 1973)
1949 ● Russell Hitchcock → Vocals for Aussie light pop-rock Air Supply, “The One That You Love” (#1, 1981)
1949 ● Meri Wilson (Edgmon) / (Meri Wilson Edgmon) → Model, sometime actress and one hit wonder singer/songwriter known for her double entendre smash “Telephone Man” (#18, UK #6, 1977), recorded one album of additional novelty-pop songs with mixed reviews and returned to singing jingles and modeling, died in a one car accident on an icy Georgia road on 12/28/2002, age 53
1951 ● Steve Walsh → Co-lead singer and keyboardist for prog/heartland rock Kansas, “Carry On Wayward Son” (#11, 1977), then Streets
1954 ● Terri Gibbs / (Teresa Fay Gibbs) → Blind-from-birth child prodigy keyboardist and country-pop-gospel singer, “Somebody’s Knockin'” (#13, Country #8, 1980)
1956 ● Bernie Shaw → Canadian vocalist for Brit hard/prog rock Spice, renamed Uriah Heep, “Easy Livin'” (#39, 1972).
1956 ● David Hinds → Rhythm guitar and lead vocals for roots reggae Steel Pulse, “Prodigal Son” (UK #35, 1978)
1957 ● Brad Gillis → Guitarist in one hit wonder pop-rock Rubicon, “I’m Gonna Take Care Of Everything” (#28, 1978), then Night Ranger, “Sister Christian” (#5, 1984) and Ozzy Osbourne‘s band
1958 ● Neil Arthur → Singer for New Wave synth-pop duo Blancmange, “Don’t Tell Me” (UK #8, 1984)
1963 ● Scott Rockenfield → Drummer for progressive pop-metal Queensrÿche, “Silent Lucidity” (#9, 1991)
1966 ● Michael Britt → Lead guitar and backing vocals for cross-over country-rockers Lonestar, “Amazed” (#1, 1999)
1966 ● Rob Mitchell → Principal songwriter and lead guitarist for Christian pop-rock Sixpence None The Richer, “Kiss Me” (#2, 1998)
1969 ● Ice Cube / (O’Shea Jackson) → Founding member of controversial/influential gangsta rap quintet N.W.A., “Express Yourself” (Hot Dance #38, 1989), solo rapper, “Check Yo Self” (#20, Rap #1, 1993)
1970 ● Chi Cheng → Chinese-American bassist for Grammy-winning alt heavy metal Deftones, “Change (In The House Of Flies)” (Mainstream Rock #9, 2000)
1976 ● Dryden Vera Mitchell → Vocals for alt rock Alien Ant Farm, “Smooth Criminal” (#23, 2001)
1976 ● Gary Lightbody → Guitar and vocals for Irish alt rock Snow Patrol, “Chasing Cars” (#5, 2006)
1981 ● Billy Martin → Guitar and keyboards for post-grunge punk-pop Good Charlotte, “The Anthem” (Alt Rock #10, 2003)
1985 ● Nadine Coyle → Singer in pre-fab all-girl Euro-pop vocal group Girls Aloud, “Sound Of The Underground” (UK #1, 2002)
June 16
1934 ● Carl “Little Caesar” Burnett / (Carl Burnett) → Frontman and lead vocals for L.A.-based doo wop Little Caesar & The Romans and their one hit wonder single “Those Oldies But Goodies (Remind Me Of You)” (#9, 1961), one of the last doo wop era hits
1939 ● Crash Craddock / (Billy Wayne Craddock) → 50s teen-pop turned country-pop singer, “Rub It In” (#16, Country #1, 1974) and 18 other Country Top 20 singles in the 70s
1941 ● Lamont Dozier / (Lamont Herbert Dozier) → With brothers Eddie and Brian Holland, one-third of Motown Records‘ legendary Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting and production team, co-wrote many hits for The Four Tops, Martha & The Vandellas and The Isley Brothers, plus ten of The Supremes’ twelve Number 1 hits in the US, including “Baby Love” (#1, R&B #1, UK #1, 1974) and “Stop! In the Name of Love” (#1, R&B #2, UK #7, 1965), left Motown with his teammates in 1968 to form their own Invictus and Hot Wax record labels, left the team in 1974 for a solo singing and songwriting career, the biggest hit being “Trying To Hold On To My Woman” (#15, R&B #4, 1974) before co-writing movie theme song “Two Hearts” (#1, UK #6, 1989) with Phil Collins, continued to write and produce sporadically into the 00s, died from unspecified causes on 8/8/2022, age 81.
1942 ● Edward Levert → Vocals for R&B/Philly soul giants The O’Jays, “Love Train” (#1, 1973)
1942 ● John Rostill → Composer and bassist, early career in backing bands for touring artists including The Everly Brothers and Tommy Roe plus a stint in the Zoot Money Quartet (with future Police guitarist Andy Summers), joined instrumental pop-rock The Shadows (“Foot Tapper,” UK #1, 1963) in the early 60s, wrote or co-wrote a number of hits for The Shadows and other artists, including “Let Me Be There” for Olivia Newton-John (#6, 1973), died from electrocution in his home recording studio on 11/26/1973, age 31
1943 ● Barbara Martin / (Barbara Diane Martin Richardson) → Original member of The Supremes in 1960-1962, sang background vocals and an occasional second lead next to Diana Ross in the group’s formative days, including on many tracks on their debut album, Meet The Supremes (1962) but is not pictured with Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson on the cover as she left the group in early 1962 for a pregnancy, later earned a degree in psychology and started a career in mental health services, died from undisclosed causes on 3/4/2020, age 76.
1945 ● Ivan Lins → Latin Grammy-winning Brazilian jazz-pop vocalist with a 40-year recording history and multiple covers of his compositions by a diverse and growing group of artists, including Elle Fitzgerald, Sting, Dave Grusin, Michael Bublé and many others
1945 ● Rudolph Damiani → Founding member and drummer for 60s Boston-based garage rock The Remains (“Don’t Look Back,” 1966), the band received critical acclaim, appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and Hullabaloo, and opened for The Beatless’ 1966 tour but gained little commercial success and disbanded in 1966, died of a cerebral hemorrhage on 2/23/2014, age 68
1946 ● Ian Matthews / (Iain Matthew McDonald) → Irish guitarist and songwriter with renowned Brit folk-rock Fairport Convention, “Si Tu Dos Partir” (UK #21, 1969), formed light pop-folk-rock Southern Comfort, “Woodstock” (#23, 1970), solo, “Shake It” (#13, 1979)
1949 ● Peppy Castro / (Emil Thielheim) → Guitar and vocals for early psychedelic rock Blues Magoos, “(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet” (#5, 1967), later formed pop-rock Balance, “Breaking Away” (#22, 1981)
1950 ● James Smith → Vocals for R&B/Philly soul The Stylistics, “You Make Me Feel Brand New” (#2, 1974) plus 15 R&B Top 40 singles
1950 ● Garry Roberts / (Garrick Roberts) → Co-founding member and lead guitarist for Irish pop-punk The Boomtown Rats and their big 70s hits, including “I Don’t Like Mondays” (#73, IRE #1, UK #1, 1979) and “Rat Trap” (IRE #2, UK #1, 1979), the first rock song by an Irish band to reach #1 in the UK, after break-up in 1986, worked as a touring sound engineer for several top UK bands, then held a day job for fifteen years into the 2000s as a financial services advisor while playing gigs in the evening with former Rats bandmates, switched careers again in the 2010s to work as a central heating technician, died from undisclosed causes on 11/9/2022, age 72.
1952 ● Gino Vannelli → Canadian soft rock singer/songwriter, “People Gotta Move” (#22, 1974) and “Living Inside Myself” (#6, 1981)
1953 ● Ian Mosley → Drummer for Brit prog-rock revival group Marillion, “Kayleigh” (Mainstream Rock #14, 1985)
1953 ● Malcolm Paul Mortimer → Drummer for Gentle Giant, Mick Jagger band, Ian Dury and others, session work
1958 ● Patrick Waite → With brother Junior, bass guitar and vocals for ska/reggae band Musical Youth, “Pass The Dutchie” (#10, 1982), died from hereditary heart failure while in police custody for drug charges on 2/13/1993, age 34
1971 ● 2Pac / (Lesane Parish Crooks) → Dancer and rapper for Digital Underground, then solo gangsta rapper, “California Love” (#31, 1996), died following a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas strip on 9/13/1996, age 25
1987 ● Diana DeGarmo → American Idol runner-up, Broadway actress, solo teen-pop singer, “Dreams” (#14, 2004)
June 17
1902 ● Sammy Fain / (Samuel E. Feinberg) → Broadway show songwriter and film score composer, penned the music for endearing popular songs, including “I Can Dream, Can’t I?” (1937) and “Tender Is The Night” (1962), won Oscars for “Secret Love” (1953) and “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing” (1955), scored film soundtracks for Alice In Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), April Love (1957) and the Broadway shows Hellzapoppin’ (1938), Christine (1960) and others, died from a heart attack on 12/6/1989, age 87
1910 ● Red Foley / (Clyde Julian Foley) → Pioneer country-pop crossover star in the post-WWII era with 56 Country Top 10 hits and 13 Pop Top 40 hits from 1944 to 1956, including “Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy” (#1, Country #1, 1950), continued to record and perform until his death from a heart attack after a show in Indiana on 9/19/1968, age 58
1916 ● Terry Gilkyson / (Hamilton H. Gilkyson III) → Folk-pop singer and songwriter, wrote “The Cry Of The Wild Goose” (#1, 1950) for Frankie Lane and songs used by other artists, sang with The Weavers on “On Top Of Old Smokey” (#2, 1953), formed influential but unheralded folk trio The Easy Riders in the mid-50s and co-wrote their big hit, the oft-covered “Marianne” (#3, 1957), wrote songs that were used in Disney films, died from complications of an aneurysm on 10/15/1999 , age 83
1918 ● Billy Garland / (William Jefferson Garland) → Blues guitarist, singer and songwriter in the 40s, “Got Nothing On Me” (1945), died in a car accident on 3/16/1960, age 41
1930 ● Cliff Gallup → Guitarist for rockabilly Gene Vincent And His Blue Caps, “Be-Bop-A-Lula” (#7, 1956), died of a heart attack on 10/9/1988, age 58
1937 ● Edward Farran → With his identical twin brother, Fred and brothers Tom and Scott Herrick, singer in pop cover quartet The Arbors (“The Letter,” #20, 1969), coached rock and pop singers with voice lessons and wrote and sang commercial jingles for three decades thereafter, died of kidney failure on 1/2/2003, age 65
1937 ● Fred Farran → With his identical twin brother, Ed and brothers Tom and Scott Herrick, singer in pop cover quartet The Arbors (“The Letter,” #20, 1969), stayed as a group after their fame ran out and wrote and recorded commercial jingles for three decades thereafter, died of pneumonia on 8/29/2011, age 74
1939 ● Dave Alldred → Drummer in 50s Tex-Mex rockabilly The Rhythm Orchids with Buddy Knox, “Party Doll” (#1, 1957), co-wrote “Click Clack” (#28, 1958) and performed the song and others in the pop band Dickey Doo & The Don’ts, continued to perform in the 90s
1940 ● Chuck Rainey → Bass guitarist for multiple rock, soul, funk, jazz and fusion acts over five decades, on scores of albums and in touring bands, including King Curtis (“Memphis Soul Stew,” #33, 1967), five albums by Steely Dan, the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1971 with Eddie Vinson, and seven albums as a bandleader, the latest in 2013 (Interpretations of a Groove).
1942 ● Norman Kuhlke → Drummer for British Invasion pop-rock The Swinging Blue Jeans, “Hippy Hippy Shake” (#21, 1964)
1943 ● Barry Manilow / (Barry Alan Pincus) → Highly successful adult contemporary/MOR singer, “I Write The Songs” (#1, 1976), songwriter, producer, conductor and stage performer
1944 ● Chris Spedding / (Peter Robinson) → Brit rock and jazz guitarist with several solo albums and a lone single, “Motorbikin'” (UK Top 20, 1975), but mainly known for sessions and touring with Harry Nilsson, John Cale, Roxy Music, Elton John and others, Greedy Bastards
1947 ● Gregg Rolie → Keyboardist and founding member of Latin-rock Santana, “Black Magic Woman” (#4, 1970) , then original lead singing for arena rock Journey, “Who’s Crying Now” (#4, 1981), currently frontman for the Gregg Rolie Band
1947 ● Paul Young → Singer and percussionist for Brit soft pop-rock Sad Café, “Every Day Hurts” (UK #3, 1979), then pop-rock Mike + The Mechanics, “All I Need Is A Miracle” (#5, 1986), died of a heart attack on 7/15/2000, age 53
1949 ● Russell Smith / (Howard Russell Smith) → Founding member, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for Grammy-winning country-rock Amazing Rhythm Aces (“Third Rate Romance,” #14, Country #11, CAN #1, 1975), left the group in 1985 for a career as a solo artist with five albums mixing country, Southern rock, blues and bluegrass (“I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight,” Country #37, 1989), his songwriting oeuvre contains four County #1 hits recorded by others, including “Look Heart, No Hands” (1993) for Randy Travis, formed novelty bluegrass Run C&W with erstwhile Eagle Bernie Leadon in the mid-90s before restarting ARA and performing until dying from cancer on 7/12/2019, age 70.
1951 ● Lenny LeBlanc → Guitarist, session musician, songwriter and one half of the light pop-rock duo LeBlanc & Carr (“Falling,” #13, 1977), as part of the Muscle Shoals Studios (Alabama) house band recorded with numerous top artists, including The Supremes, Ricky Scaggs, Roy Orbison, Amy Grant and others, switched to Christian music in the 80s and continues to record and produce music.
1957 ● Philip Chevron → Guitarist for Irish folk-punk-rock The Pogues, “Tuesday Morning” (Rock #11, 1993)
1958 ● Jello Biafra / (Eric Boucher) → Lead singer and songwriter for controversial hard core punk rock Dead Kennedys, “Too Drunk To F**k” (UK #31, 1980), leading figure of the Green Party in the US
1960 ● Michael Monroe / (Matti Fagerholm) → Vocals for Finnish glam-punk-metal Hanoi Rocks, “Up Around The Bend” (1984)
1965 ● Richard Hynd → Drummer for Scottish blues-rock Texas, “In My Heart” (Alt Rock #14, 1991)
1969 ● Kevin Thornton → Vocals in a cappella hip hop harmony group Color Me Badd, “I Wanna Sex You Up” (#2, 1991)
1972 ● Rikrok / (Ricardo George Ducent) → London-born, Jamaican descent reggae singer and songwriter, “It Wasn’t Me” (#1, 2000)
1981 ● Ben Kweiler → Former teenage frontman for 90s post-grunge Radish, then solo, “Wasted & Ready” (Modern Rock #29, 2002) and two acclaimed Indie Top 10 albums, Ben Kweiler (#1, 2006 and Changing Horses (#8, 2009)
1983 ● Lee Ryan → Vocals in Brit R&B/soul-dance boy band Blue, “Too Close” (UK #1, 2001)
1987 ● Kendrick Lamar Duckworth → Grammy-winning hip hop solo artist (“Swimming Pools (Drank),” #17, Rap #1, 2012) and member of West Coast rap collaborative supergroup Black Hippy
1989 ● Simone Battle / (Simone Sherise Battle) → Actress and singer, The X Factor finalist in 2011 and member of pop girl group G.R.L. (“Ugly Heart,” #107, UK #11, 2014), committed suicide by hanging on 9/5/2014, age 25
June 18
1913 ● Sammy Cahn / (Samuel Cohen) → LA-based musician, songwriter and Tin Pan Alley-style lyricist for romantic films and Broadway shows, wrote or co-wrote dozens of popular songs, including the enduring and oft-covered “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” (Vaughan Moore, #1, 1946), collaborated on multiple hits by Frank Sinatra, including “All The Way” (#1, 1957), died from congestive heart failure on 1/15/1993, age 79
1933 ● Tommy Hunt / (Thomas James Hunt) → Soul singer recruited to R&B/doo wop The Flamingos in 1956 and sang on their big hot “I Only Have Eyes For You” (#11, R&B #3, 1959) before leaving in 1960 for a solo career, issued several singles and toured extensively during the 60s, migrated to England in the 70s and found success on the Northern soul scene with three UK charting singles and a Male Vocalist of the year award in 1983, continued to tour, record and front his own soul revival band into the 10s, died from undisclosed causes on 2/12/2025, age 91.
1938 ● Sugarcane Harris / (Don Francis Bowman Harris) → Guitarist, pianist and half the 50s rock ‘n’ roll duo Don & Dewey, switched to electric violin and did session work for Little Richard, John Mayall, Frank Zappa and others, died from pulmonary disease on 11/30/1999, age 61
1941 ● Chas Newby / (Charles Newby) → English bass guitarist whose decision to return to university and not go to Germany in 1961 as a member of The Beatles likely lost him an opportunity at superstardom, joined the Fab Four in December 1960 to replace Stu Sutcliffe, who stayed behind to study art when the band returned to Liverpool after their first tour of Germany, appeared with them for four gigs during the school Christmas break but declined former Quarrymen bandmate John Lennon’s invitation to continue as a full-time Beatle, went on to a career as a high school math teacher, played in local charity bands and in a reformed Quarrymen, died from undisclosed causes on 5/22/2023, age 81.
1942 ● Paul McCartney → The most successful rock composer of all time, with John Lennon co-wrote 21 US #1 and has over 30 US #1 singles as a solo artist and frontman for his band Wings
1942 ● Richard Perry / (Richard Van Perry) → Self-described “song doctor,” highly-successful and respected record producer with fifteen gold discs, four of them platinum, and a host of 70s top albums, including those by Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, Barbra Streisand, and Harry Nilsson, founded his own label, Planet Records starting in 1978 and had hits with The Pointer Sisters (“Slow Hand,” #2, R&B #7, 1981), among others, sold Planet to RCA in 1983 and became an independent producer for the ensuing four decades, working on music by top artists as well as four of the Great American Songbook album series by Rod Stewart and the Broadway cast recording of Baby It’s You (2011), died in a Los Angeles hospital from cardiac arrest on 10/24/2024, age 82.
1942 ● Carl Radle → Bass guitarist for Derek & The Dominos, Eric Clapton band, Delaney & Bonnie, sessions for George Harrison, died of kidney failure on 5/30/1980, age 37
1944 ● Sandy Posey / (Sandra Lou Posey) → Session vocalist for Elvis Presley, Percy Sledge (backing vocals on “When A Man Loves A Woman,” #1, 1966) and others, then pop singer with “Single Girl” (#12, UK #15, 1966) and three more Top 40 hits in the 60s, turned to countrypolitan pop in the 70s and scored six Country Top 40 hits, continued with session work and to record and perform into the 00s, often with Christian-themed songs, battled dementia in her later years and succumbed to the disease on 7/20/2024, age 80.
1944 ● Rick Griffin / (Richard Alden Griffin) → Cartoonist, graphic artist and pioneering designer of psychedelic posters and album covers, including work for the Grateful Dead, the Fillmore West, Jimi Hendrix and others, frequent contributor to Zap Comix magazine, died in a motorcycle accident on 8/18/1991, age 47
1952 ● Ricky Gazda → Trumpets for New Jersey rock ‘n roll bar band Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes (“Talk To Me,” 1978) and later as a member of The Miami Horns, the touring and session recording horn section that backed Bruce Springsteen, Little Steven, Sheryl Crow and many others.
1952 ● Lasse Wellander / (Lars-Ove Wellander) → Swedish pop-rock guitarist best known for his 50-year career with the backing band for superstar vocal quartet ABBA (“Dancing Queen,” worldwide #1, 1976), and supporting the solo careers of the band’s principals after ABBA dissolved in the mid-80s, issued several solo albums and nearly 20 singles, the last three in 2022 before dying from an undisclosed cancer diagnosis on 4/07/2023, age 70.
1953 ● Jerome Smith → Rhythm guitar 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, died in a construction site accident on 7/28/2000, age 47
1961 ● Alison Moyet → Bluesy-voiced Brit pop-rock singer in synth-pop duo Yazoo, “Nobody’s Diary” (Dance/Club #1, 1983), solo, “Invisible” (#31, 1985)
1963 ● Dizzy Reed / (Darren Arthur Reed) → Keyboards for hard rock Guns N’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (#1, 1988)
1969 ● Sice / (Simon Rowbottom) → Guitarist and vocals for 90s Brit guitar-pop The Boo Radleys, “Barney (…And Me)” (Alt Rock #30, 1994)
1971 ● Nathan Morris → Baritone for R&B/urban soul a cappella Boyz II Men, “End Of The Road” (#1, 1992)
1973 ● Gary Stringer → Vocals for hard-edged Brit pop Reef, “Place Your Hands” (Mainstream Rock #29, 1997) from the UK #1 album Glow
1973 ● Ray LaMontagne → Folk, folk-rock and folk-blues singer, songwriter and guitarist with five studio LPs, including Gossip In The Grain (#3, 2008), and multiple singles (“Beg, Steal Or Borrow,” AAA #1, 2010)
1975 ● Sikk The Shocker / (Vyshonne King Miller) → Vocals for gangsta rap trio The Real Untouchables (TRU), “I Always Feel Like” (#71, Rap #11, 1997), solo, “It Ain’t My Fault” (#18, R&B #5, Rap #1, 1998)
1976 ● Blake Shelton → Country-pop crossover singer, songwriter and TV show star, “Austin” #18, Country #1, 2001) and 19 other Country #1 hits plus 13 other Pop Top 40 hits, judge of music competition shows Nashville Star, Clash Of The Choirs and The Voice
June 19
1902 ● Guy Lombardo / (Gaetano Alberto Lombardo) → Canadian-American easy listening violinist and bandleader, formed big band The Royal Canadians with three brothers and several other musicians in the 20s and became known for nearly 50 years of New Years Eve radio and then TV broadcasts, moonlighted as a hydroplane speedboat racer, won the Gold Cup and every other trophy in the field, died from a heart attack on 11/5/1977, age 75
1914 ● Lester Flatt → Legendary and musically prodigious bluegrass guitarist, cohort of Earl Scruggs in the Foggy Mountain Boys and in duo Flatt & Scruggs, died of heart failure on 5/11/1979, age 64
1925 ● Charlie Drake / (Charles Edward Spungall) → Brit comedian, children’s songwriter, TV actor and BBC program host, and (in the U.S.) one hit wonder novelty song singer, “My Boomerang Won’t Come Back” (#21, UK #14, 1962), died in his sleep on 12/23/2006, age 81
1928 ● Tommy DeVito / (Gaetano DeVito) → Founding member, guitarist and baritone vocals for 50s R&B vocal group The Variatones, which became The Four Lovers in 1956 and, from 1960, Top 40 pop vocal quartet The Four Seasons, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (#1, 1962) and over three dozen other charting hits, left in 1971 and sold his stake in the group to cover gambling and tax debts, worked odd jobs through the 80s then rejoined the group for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1990 and at the 2005 opening of Tony Award-winning documentary-style musical Jersey Boys chronicling the group’s early days, died from complications of the COVID-19 virus on 9/21/2020, age 92.
1936 ● Shirley Goodman → One half of 50s teen R&B/pop male-female contrasting duet-style Shirley & Lee, “Let The Good Times Roll” (#20, R&B #1, 1956), resurfaced as lead singer for one hit wonder, pre-disco dance-pop Shirley & Company, “Shame Shame Shame” (#12, 1974), died on 7/5/2005, age 69
1939 ● Al Wilson → R&B/smooth soul vocalist, “Show and Tell” (#1, 1973), died of kidney failure on 4/21/2008, age 68
1942 ● Spanky McFarlane / (Elaine McFarlane) → Frontwoman and lead vocals for sunny folk-pop Spanky & Our Gang, “Sunday Will Never Be The Same” (#9, 1967), joined the reformed The Mamas & The Papas in 1982
1944 ● Robin Box → Lead guitar for Brit pre-fab pop White Plains, “My Baby Loves Lovin'” (#13, 1970)
1944 ● Harry Williams / (Harry Williams Jr.) → Original member and percussionist with doo wop the Sinceres, the Kansas City high school group formed in 1962 that morphed into 70s-80s R&B/soul-funk Bloodstone and charted thirteen singles over a decade, including the debut “Natural High” (#10, R&B #4, 1973), was the last original member still performing with Bloodstone at his death from undisclosed causes on 11/22/2024, age 80.
1945 ● Robert Palmer, Jr. / (Robert Franklon Palmer, Jr.) → Musician, journalist, author and rock music critic, played clarinet in 60s jazz-rock The Insect Trust, covered rock music for the New York Times and Rolling Stone magazine in the 70s and 80s, produced blues albums and published books in the 80s and 90s, died from liver disease on 11/20/1997, age 52
1947 ● John Hinch / (John Frederick Hinch) → Birmingham rock drummer in various local bands, recruited in 1973 to the earliest line-up of heavy metal superstars Judas Priest (“Take On The World,” UK #14, 1978) but left after two years due to differences with the band’s direction, pursued a career managing local bands mostly outside of the limelight generated by Judas Priest, died following a short illness on 4/29/2021, age 73.
1948 ● Nick Drake → Dark-themed, multi-instrumentalist Brit folk-rock singer/songwriter, notable album Pink Moon (1972), committed suicide on 11/25/1974, age 26
1950 ● Ann Wilson → With younger sister Nancy, co-frontwoman for hard AOR rock Heart, “These Dreams” (#1, 1986)
1953 ● Larry Dunn / (Larry Dunn (Lawrence Dunhill)) → Keyboards, synthesizer and musical director for R&B/soul-dance-pop Earth, Wind & Fire, “Shining Star” (#1, 1975)
1954 ● Lou Pearlman / (Louis Jay Pearlman) → Record producer, band manager and fraudster known first as the manager of 90s boy bands Backstreet Boys (“Quit Playing Games (With My Heart),” #2, UK #2, 1996) and NSYNC (“Bye Bye Bye,” $1, UK #3, 2000), later achieved infamy as the perpetrator of a $300 million Ponzi scheme, tried and convicted in 2008, sentenced to 25 years in prison, where he died from a heart attack on 8/19/2016, age 62.
1957 ● Maxi Jazz / (Maxwell Fraser) → Rapper in electronic house-pop club quartet Faithless, “Insomnia” (Dance/Club #1, 1997)
1959 ● Marty DeBarge / (Mark DeBarge) → With his sister and three brothers, vocals in R&B/urban contemporary dance-pop sibling quintet Debarge, “All This Love” (#17, 1983)
1960 ● Dennis Fuller → With Edem Ephraim, one half of Brit/Austrian dance-europop London Boys, “London Nights” (UK #2, 1989), died with Ephraim in a car collision on 1/21/1996, age 36
1962 ● Paula Abdul → Former L. A. Laker cheerleader and rock/pop stage and video dance choreographer turned hugely successful dance-pop diva, “Opposites Attract” (#1, 1989) and five other US #1 hits, producer and judge on the TV show American Idol
1963 ● Simon Wright → Drummer for hard rock AC/DC starting in 1983, left in 1989 to join heavy metal Dio
1964 ● Brian Vander Ark → Frontman, guitar and vocals for alt/indie pop-rock The Verve Pipe, “The Freshmen” (#5, 1997)
1970 ● Brian “Head” Welch / (Brian Welch) → Guitarist for Nu metal Korn, “Here To Stay” (Mainstream #4, 2002), solo
1976 ● Scott Avett / (Scott Yancey Avett) → With brother Seth, frontman and guitarist in progressive folk-rock quartet The Avett Brothers (Ain’t No Man,” AAA #1, Alt Rock #28, 2016), also paints and runs an art gallery in North Carolina
1983 ● Macklemore / (Ben Haggerty) → Rapper and songwriter, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with Ryan Lewis as the duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, the pair had back-to-back debut singles, “Can’t Hold Us” (#1, 2011) and “Thrift Shop” (#1, 2013), and four Grammy Awards in 2014
June 20
1907 ● Jimmy Driftwood / (James Corbitt Morris) → Legendary and prolific country, folk-pop and roots rock songwriter, wrote thousands of songs (of which some 300 were recorded), often with American history themes such as the oft-covered “The Battle Of New Orleans” (Johnny Horton, #1, 1959), died of a heart attack on 7/12/1998, age 91
1920 ● Danny Cedrone / (Donato Joseph Cedrone) → Rock ‘n’ roll guitarist with Bill Haley & His Comets, played lead on all their hits including “Rock Around The Clock” (#1, 1955), died instantly from a broken neck after falling down a staircase on 6/7/1954 at age 34 and never knew his role in the birth of rock ‘n’ roll
1924 ● Chet Atkins / (Chester Burton Atkins) → Eleven-time Grammy-winning country-pop guitarist, songwriter, sessionman, producer and solo artist, “Yakety Axe” (Country #4, 1965), created the smoother “Nashville Sound” blending country and pop, died from a brain tumor on 6/30/2001, age 77
1936 ● Billy Guy → Bass singer for R&B/doo wop/soul-pop The Coasters, “Yakety Yak” (#1, 1958), solo comedy album plus producer, died in his sleep of a probable heart attack on 11/5/2002, age 66
1936 ● Mickie Most / (Michael Peter Hayes) → Producer for The Animals, Herman’s Hermits, The Nashville Teens, Lulu and Jeff Beck, formed RAK Records in 1969 and issued hits for Hot Chocolate, Mud and Suzi Quatro, died of cancer on 5/30/2003, age 66
1937 ● Jerry Keller → One hit wonder pop singer/songwriter, “Here Comes Summer” (#14, UK #1, 1959), wrote several minors hit for others and soundtracks, TV commercial jingle vocalist
1938 ● Dennis Budimir / (Dennis Matthew Budimir) → As a 50s teenager in L.A., played jazz guitar and piano with future jazz great Don Cherry and other jazz luminaries passing through the city, added pop and rock to his skillset as a for-hire sideman and later a member of the acclaimed Wrecking Crew group of L.A. studio musicians, played on hundreds of rock, pop and jazz albums, thousands of songs and scores of Top 40 singles, plus over 900 movie theme songs over a nearly 50-year career, died from unspecified causes on 1/11/2023, age 84.
1939 ● Bob Neuwirth / (Robert John Neuwirth) → Folk singer, guitarist and songwriter with five solo albums and multiple collaborations, best known as Bob Dylan‘s friend, road manager and a key member of Dylan‘s early 60s entourage through to the touring band Rolling Thunder Revue in 1975-76, co-wrote Janis Joplin‘s “Mercedes Benz” (#1, 1971), the last song she recorded just days before her 1970 death, recorded with and produced albums for others over forty years until his death from heart failure on 5/18/2022, age 82.
1942 ● Brian Wilson → Leader, keyboards, bass guitar, lead and backing harmony vocals and chief songwriter for surf-pop-rock The Beach Boys, “Good Vibrations” (#1, 1966), referred by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as “one of the few undisputed geniuses in popular music”
1945 ● Anne Murray → Grammy-winning, Nova Scotia-born country-pop and adult contemporary singer, “You Needed Me” (#1, 1978)
1945 ● Michael James Jackson → American record producer, engineer and composer best known for producing hard-rock albums by Kiss in the 1980s, including the hit LP Animalize (#19, 1983), also worked with other hard-rock bands such as L.A. Guns, Red Rider and Hurricane, along with pop-rock Pablo Cruise, collaborated with numerous producers, songwriters and artists including Paul Williams, Jesse Colin Young, Hoyt Axton, and Paul Stanley, earned eight gold and six platinum records over a 40-year production career, died from complications COVID-19 and pneumonia on 7/13/2022, age 77.
1947 ● Dolores “LaLa” Brooks / (Dolores Brooks (Sakinah Muhammad)) → Early member and lead vocals for influential Afro-American, Phil Spector-controlled girl group The Crystals, sang lead on the hits “Da Doo Ron Ron” (#3, 1963) and “Then He Kissed Me” (#6, UK #2, 1963), later acted in various Broadway musicals, toured and provided backing vocals for Isaac Hayes, the Neville Brothers and others, converted to Islam with her husband in the late 60s and participated in several Crystals reunion performances in the 80s through the 00s
1948 ● Alan Longmuir → With his younger brother, Derek, founding member and bassist for Scottish tartan-clad, teen-pop 70s boy group Bay City Rollers (“Saturday Night,” #1, 1976), left the group in 1976 due to stress-related issues and became a plumbing tradesman and building inspector, contracted an unspecified illness while on vacation in Mexico, returned home and died on 7/2/2018, age 70
1948 ● Don Airey → Long and varied journeyman career as keyboard sessionman and bandmember for Hammer, Rainbow, Gary Moore, Ozzy Osbourne, Jethro Tull, Colosseum II, Whitesnake, Judas Priest and others, with Deep Purple since 2002
1949 ● Lionel Richie → Saxophone and vocals for R&B/soul-funk The Commodores, “Three Times A Lady” (#1, 1978), then hugely successful R&B-pop/adult contemporary solo career beginning with “Endless Love” (#1, 1981), the first of 13 straight Top 10 hits, five of which were #1
1954 ● Michael Anthony / (Michael Anthony Sobolewski) → Founding member and only bassist for hard rock megastars Van Halen, “Jump” (#1, 1984), co-founded blues-funk-rock supergroup Chickenfoot in 2008, markets a line of hot sauces and related products named Mad Anthony
1956 ● Anton Fier / (Anton John Fier III) → Teenaged Cleveland record store clerk and drummer for local groups including an early line-up of proto-punk Pere Ubu, moved to New York City in 1978 and gigged with indie rock The Feelies, punk rock the Voidoids and avant-jazz combo the Lounge Lizards, toured with jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock and eclectic musician Laurie Anderson in the mid-80s, founded and was the longest serving member of multi-genre, experimental rock supergroup The Golden Palominos (“Alive And Living Now,” Alt Rock #14, 1991) and the group’s nine studio albums through 2012, suffered from depression in his later years and died in Switzerland from an assisted suicide on 9/14/2022, age 66.
1958 ● Simon Underwood → Bassist for post-punk Pigbag, “Papa’s Got A Brand New Pigbag” (Dance/Club #56, UK #3, 1981)
1958 ● Kelly Johnson → Founding member, vocals and lead guitar for early all-girl heavy metal group Painted Lady, which became Girlschool, “Hit And Run” (UK #32, 1981), died of spinal cancer on 7/15/2007, age 49
1960 ● Chris Gibson → Percussion and vocals with brothers Patrick and Alex in R&B/disco-salsa The Gibson Brothers, “Cuba” (Dance/Club #9, 1979)
1960 ● John Taylor → Bassist for New Wave pop-rock Duran Duran, “Hungry Like The Wolf” (#3, 1982) and “(Reach Up For The) Sunrise” (Dance/Club #1, 2001), co-founded The Power Station, “Some Like It Hot” (#6, 1985) and mid-90s supergroup Neurotic Outsiders, “Jerk” (Mainstream Rock #31, 1996), plus solo, ” I Do What I Do” (Theme from 9-1/2 Weeks) (#23, 1986)
1967 ● Jerome Fontamillas → Guitars, keyboards and vocals with several industrial and alt rock bands in the 90s, in 2000 joined Grammy-winning alt rock/Christian rock Switchfoot, “Meant To Live” (#18, Modern Rock #5, 2004)
1968 ● Murphy Karges → Bassist for funk-pop-rock Sugar Ray, “Fly” (#1, 1997)
1971 ● Twiggy Ramirez / (Jeordie Osbourne White) → Bassist for industrial-pop-metal/shock rock Marilyn Manson, “The Dope Show” (Mainstream Rock #12, 1998), later Nine Inch Nails touring band, A Perfect Circle and Goon Moon
1972 ● Chino Moreno → Vocals for Grammy-winning alt heavy metal Deftones, “Change (In The House Of Flies)” (Mainstream Rock #9, 2000), ranked #51 in Hit Parader magazine’s Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time
1977 ● Amos Lee / (Ryan Anthony Massaro) → School teacher and bartender turned folk, rock and soul singer-songwriter, toured as an opening act for numerous top artists, including Bob Dylan, Norah Jones, Merle Haggard and Van Morrison, his Mission Bell album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2011
1979 ● Charlotte Hatherly → Founding member, guitar and backing vocals for Irish neo-punk/pop-rock Ash, “Goldfinger” (UK #5, 1996)
June 21
1926 ● Nick Noble / (Nicholas Valkan) → Pop and easy listening singer with several Top 40 hits in the 50s and 60s, including “A Fallen Star” (#22, 1957) and a minor but near-career reviving country-pop crossover hit, “Stay With Me” (AC #38, Country #40, 1978), died on 3/24/2012, age 85
1926 ● Lou Ottens / (Lodewijk Frederik Ottens) → Dutch engineer for technology giant Phillips AG who led the team that developed the cassette tape audio recording medium in 1963, eventually revolutionizing listening habits and creating the first portable medium for entire albums and mixtapes (the successor to stacked 45s on a record player spindle), later led the same effort to develop the audio CD, thus obsoleting his own creation but advancing a new technology, retired from Phillips in 1986 and died from natural causes on 3/6/2021, age 93.
1931 ● Johnny Worth (aka John Worsley, Les Vandyke) / (Yani Panakos Paraskeva Skoradalides) → English pop music songwriter, actor and comedian variously operating as John Worsley, Johnny Worth and/or Les Vandyke, best known for penning 19 Top 20 hits in the UK in the 60s and early 70s, including “What Do You Want?” (Adam Faith, UK #1, 1969) and “Jack In The Box” (Clodagh Rodgers, UK #4, 1971), his last Top 20 hit was recorded by his then-wife Catherine Stock, “To Have And To Hold” (UK #17, 1986), retired into relative obscurity and died at home from natural causes on 8/6/2021, age 90.
1932 ● Lalo Schifrin → Argentinean-born, Grammy-winning pianist, conductor, composer and arranger of TV and film soundtracks, including “Mission: Impossible” (Adult Contemporary #7, 1968), “Jaws” (Disco #5, 1976) and the theme song to Mannix (1967-1975), also worked with Clint Eastwood to compose the scores to several films in the Dirty Harry series
1932 ● Carl White → Lead vocals and songwriter for 60s R&B/doo wop two hit wonder quartet The Rivingtons, co-wrote their novelty pop classics “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” (#48, 1962) and “The Bird’s The Word” (#52, 1963), died from acute tonsillitis on 1/7/1980, age 47
1938 ● Eddie Adcock / (Edward Windsor Adcock) → Five-string banjo virtuoso and acoustic guitarist with a six decade career spanning traditional bluegrass music of the 50s to the innovative “new grass” movement of the late 70s and beyond, member of the “classic” lineup of legendary Country Gentlemen in the 60s, met his future wife, Martha, in 1973 and recorded and performed with her as a duo or in various bands for over 30 years, had deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery in 2008 to correct hand tremors that affected his playing ability, suffered from multiple chronic health issues in his last years and died on 3/20/2025, age 86.
1942 ● O.C. Smith / (Ocie Lee Smith) → Jazz vocalist in Count Basie‘s band, then country-R&B-pop solo singer, “Little Green Apples” (#2, 1968), later became a pastor and church leader, died on 11/23/2001, age 59
1944 ● Philip John Hiseman / (Jon Hiseman) → British jazz-, blues- and progressive rock drummer, recording engineer, producer and prolific music publisher, often in collaboration with his wife, saxophonist and composer Barbara Thompson, replaced Ginger Baker (who joined with Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton in Cream) in 1966 in John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, left to form prog rock Colosseum, (album Valentyne Suite, UK #15, 1969) and Tempest in 1971, formed Colosseum II in 1976, after 1979 worked with various jazz-rock ensembles until reuniting the original Colosseum in 1994 for two decades, continued to record and perform up to his suffering complications from brain tumor surgery and dying several weeks later on 6/12/2018, age 73
1944 ● Miquel Vicens Danus → Bassist for Spanish rock ‘n roll band Los Bravos, “Black Is Black” (US #4, 1966), the first US Top 10 hit by a Spanish band
1944 ● Ray Davies → Founding member, frontman, guitar, vocals and songwriter for British Invasion pop-rock The Kinks, “Lola” (#9, 1970) and “Come Dancing” (#6, 1983)
1946 ● Brenda Holloway → Second-tier Motown Records R&B/soul singer, “Every Little Bit Hurts” (#13, 1964), left the label in the late 60s for “religious reasons” and to raise a family, released a one-off gospel album in 1980, returned to recording and performing on the revival circuit and continues as of 2015
1947 ● Joey Molland / (Joseph Charles Molland II) → Guitar, vocals and songwriter for Brit power pop Badfinger (“Come And Get It,” #7, 1970) from 1969 through 1974 and in various incarnations of the band for the next four decades, in the early 70s moonlighted as a session musician with members of The Beatles on their solo projects, enjoyed a moderately successful solo career with several singles and six albums, the last LP, Be True To Yourself in 2021, was the sole surviving member of the classic 70s lineup of Badfinger on his death from complications of diabetes on 3/1/2025, age 77.
1949 ● Greg Munford → Lead vocals for 60s psych-pop-rock Strawberry Alarm Clock, “Incense And Peppermints” (#1, 1967)
1950 ● Joey Kramer / (Joseph Michael Kramer) → Long-time drummer for Grammy-winning, venerable hard rockers Aerosmith, “Dream On” (#6, 1976), “Angel” (#3, 1988), “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” (#1, 1998), “Baby, Please Don’t Go” (Mainstream Rock #7, 2004)
1951 ● Alan Silson → Lead guitar and vocals for pop-rock Smokie, “Living Next Door To Alice” (#25, UK #3, 1977)
1951 ● Nils Lofgren → Rock guitarist, pianist, songwriter and vocals, joined Neil Young‘s Crazy Horse in 1968, from 1971 to 1974 recorded four albums with his own band, Grin, solo, “Valentine”, (Mainstream Rock #37, 1991), joined Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band in 1984 and is a two-time member with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band.
1957 ● Mark Brzezicki → Drummer for Scottish art-folk-rock Big Country, “In A Big Country” (Mainstream Rock #3, 1983), also stints with The Cult, Ultravox and Procol Harum, plus session work for The Pretenders, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and others
1959 ● Kathy Mattea → Grammy-winning bluegrass and country-pop singer/songwriter, “Goin’ Gone” (Country #1, 1987) and 13 other Country Top 10 singles
1959 ● Marcella Detroit / (Marcella Levy) → Back-up singer for Eric Clapton, then vocalist and songwriter in R&B/synth-pop duo Shakespear’s Sister, “Stay” (#4, 1992), sessions, solo
1967 ● Tim Simenon → Hip hop producer, co-produced for Neneh Cherry and Seal, composer and frontman for one man electronic/sampladelic Bomb The Bass, “Beat Dis” (Dance/Club #1, 1988).
1968 ● Sonique / (Sonia Clarke) → Brit dance-pop diva and DJ, first with dance-pop acid house S’Express, “Theme From S’Express” (Dance/Club #1, 1988), then solo, “Feels So Good” (#8, Dance/Club #1, 2000)
1969 ● Pat Sansone → Multi-instrumentalist for alt country-rock Wilco, “Outtasite (Outta Mind)” (Mainstream Rock #22, 1997)
1975 ● Justin Cary → Bassist for Christian pop-rock Sixpence None The Richer, “Kiss Me” (#2, 1998)
1976 ● Michael Aaron Einziger → Guitarist for alt-metal Incubus, “Drive” (#9, 2001)
1981 ● Brandon Flowers → Vocals and keyboards for pop-alt hard rock The Killers, “Mr. Brightside” (#10, 2005)
1985 ● Lana Del Ray / (Elizabeth Grant) → Model, guitarist and trip hop/house singer, “Summertime Sadness” (#6, 2012)
