Happy Birthday this week to:
June 30
1917 ● Lena Horne / (Lena Mary Calhoun Horne) → Grammy-winning contemporary pop singer, stage, film and TV actress and nightclub entertainer with a 70 year career from the Cotton Club in the 30s to Hollywood films in the 40s to blacklisting in the 50s to TV and Broadway in the 70s and 80s, recorded several charting hits, including “Love Me Or Leave Me” (#19, 1955), died from unspecified causes on 5/9/2010, age 92.
1936 ● Dave Van Ronk / (David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk) → Folk and acoustic blues singer/songwriter and guitarist, heralded figurehead in the 60s Greenwich Village folk coffeehouse scene, influenced Bob Dylan and many other young folksters, died from complications of colon cancer surgery on 2/10/2002, age 65.
1937 ● Larry Henley / (Lawrence Joel Henley) → Lead vocals for pop-rock trio The Newbeats, “Bread And Butter” (#2, 1964) but better known as a Nashville songwriter with several Country #1 hits and for co-writing “Wind Beneath My Wings” (#1, 1989) for Bette Midler, died from complications of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases on 12/18/2014, age 77
1939 ● Tony Hatch → Composer, pianist, Pye Records staff songwriter, producer for The Searchers, David Bowie, the Montanas and others, wrote “Downtown” for Petula Clark (#1, 1964)
1940 ● Larry Hall / (Lawrence Kendall Hall) → One hit wonder pop singer with the debut hit “Sandy” (#15, 1960), left the industry after several unsuccessful follow-ups and became an Oregon cattle rancher, died from cancer on 9/24/1997, age 57
1943 ● Flo Ballard / (Florence Glenda Ballard Chapman) → Founding member and singer with R&B/soul-pop trio The Supremes, “Where Did Our Love Go” (#1, 1964), left in 1967 when Motown snubbed her and pushed Diana Ross to the front, tried to become a solo act but was largely unsuccessful, died of a heart attack on 2/22/1976, age 32
1944 ● Glenn Shorrock → Songwriter, lead vocals and co-founder of several top-level Aussie pop/rock bands, including Little River Band, “Lonesome Loser” (#6, 1979), solo
1946 ● Billy Brown / (William Brown) → Vocals for R&B/soul trio The Moments, “Love On A Two-Way Street” (#3, 1970), then name change to sweet soul Ray, Goodman & Brown, “Special Lady” (#5, R&B #1, 1979)
1949 ● Andy Scott → Guitar and synthesizer for neo-bubblegum/glam pop-rock Sweet, “Ballroom Blitz” (#5, 1973)
1949 ● Robert Ford, Jr. / (Rober Ford, Jr.) → Music journalist whose 1978 article in Billboard was the magazine’s first coverage of the nascent New York hip hop scene and led to a career mentoring young rappers, including Russell Simmons, Nelson George and Kurtis Blow, for whom he co-wrote and co-produced “The Breaks” (#87, R&B #4, 1980), the first rap song certified gold, later produced three albums for Full Force, Rodney Dangerfield’s Rappin’ Rodney spoof album (1983) and the rap song “City Of Crime” for Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd from the 1987 film Dragnet, also worked at Simmons’ Rush Communications, which launched the careers of LL Cool J, Beastie Boys and others, founded his own management company and developed R&B-pop Hi-Five and the hit “I Like The Way (The Kissing Game)” (#1, R&B #1, 1990), died from several unspecified chronic illnesses on 5/19/2020, age 70.
1951 ● Stanley Clarke → Virtuoso electric and acoustic jazz and jazz-rock fusion bassist, bandleader and solo, “Sweet Baby” (#19, R&B #6, 1981), collaborated with Chick Corea in fusion band Return To Forever, session work for Santana, Keith Richards, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney and others, film score composer
1952 ● Richard Pratt → Founding member and bass vocals for 70s smooth Philly soul Blue Magic and their big early disco hit “Sideshow” (#8, R&B #1, 1974) plus six other R&B Top 10 hits, stayed with the group through several break-ups through the 90s, led revival “new” Blue Magic in the late 2000s in competition with two other former bandmates until his death from cancer on 3/1/2022, age 69.
1953 ● Hal Lindes → Guitarist and film score composer, joined post-punk New Wave rock Dire Straits, “Money For Nothing” (#1, 1985) in 1981, solo and session work
1956 ● Philip Adrian Wright → Joined synth-pop pioneers The Human League, “Don’t You Want Me” (#1, 1981) in 1978 as “Director of Visuals”, learned keyboards, left the band in 1986 to pursue graphic design
1957 ● Doug Sampson → Original drummer for Brit heavy metal Iron Maiden, “Flight Of Icarus” (Mainstream Rock #8, 1983), left the band in 1977 to escape the rigors of constant touring and never played professionally again
1962 ● Julianne Regan → Vocals for goth-rock All About Eve, “Martha’s Harbour” (UK #10, 1988)
1963 ● Yngwie Malmsteen → Swedish composer, bandleader and technically accomplished neo-classical heavy metal guitarist, pioneer of the lightning fast “shredding” technique, “Heaven Tonight” (Mainstream Rock #19, 1988)
1967 ● Cammy Camell / (Peter James Camell) → Bass and rhythm guitar for Brit jangle pop The La’s, “There She Goes” (#49, UK #13, 1991)
1968 ● Philip Anselmo → Lead vocals for alt heavy metal Pantera, “Planet Caravan” (Mainstream Rock #21, 1994)
1969 ● Tom Drummond → Bassist for alt pop-rock trio Better Than Ezra, “Good” (#30, Modern Rock #1, 1995)
1979 ● Andrew Burrows → Drummer for Brit-Swede indie pop-rock Razorlight, “America” (UK #1, 2006)
1983 ● Anton Gordon → Vocals in teen pop boy band One True Voice, “Sacred Trust / After You’re Gone” (UK #2, 2002)
1983 ● Cheryl Cole / (Cheryl Ann Tweedy) → Singer in pre-fab all-girl Euro-pop vocal group Girls Aloud, “Sound Of The Underground” (UK #1, 2002), judge on the UK version of The X Factor in 2008, solo, “Fight For This Love” (UK #1, 2009)
1984 ● Fantasia / (Fantasia Barrino) → R&B/soul singer, actress, “I Believe” (#1, 2004), the first debut single to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart
1985 ● T-Pain / (Faheem Rasheed Najm) → R&B/hip hop MC and singer, “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” (#1, 2007)
1992 ● Lamb Lennon Gaede → With fraternal twin sister Lynx, one half of the white supremacist bubblegum teen pop/”hate rock” duo Prussian Blue, “I Will Bleed For You” (2004)
1992 ● Lynx Vaughan Gaede → With fraternal twin sister Lamb, one half of the white supremacist bubblegum teen pop/”hate rock” duo Prussian Blue, “I Will Bleed For You” (2004)
July 01
1915 ● Willie Dixon → The “Poet Laureate of the Blues,” vital Chicago blues pioneer, singer, songwriter and guitarist, composed over 500 songs, including recognized standards such as “Spoonful,” “Back Door Man,” “Hoochie Coochie Man,” “Little Red Rooster” and many others, major influence on blues-rockers, including The Allman Brothers Band, Cream, The Doors, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones, died of heart failure on 1/29/1992, age 76
1928 ● Bobby Day / (Robert James Byrd) → R&B/doo wop vocals and songwriter with The Hollywood Flames, “Buzz Buzz Buzz” (#11, R&B #5, 1957), then solo, “Rockin’ Robin” (#2, R&B #1, 1958), later one half of the duo Bob & Earl, “Harlem Shuffle” (#44, 1963), died of cancer on 1/27/1990, age 62
1933 ● Eddie Bond / (Eddie James Bond) → Rockabilly Hall of Fame singer and radio DJ who appeared on the TV music program Louisiana Hay Ride and toured with Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and others, famously rejected the then 18-year-old Elvis Presley, three years his younger, after the future superstar auditioned for his band, telling Elvis he should stick to driving a truck because he’d “never make it as a singer,” died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on 3/20/2013, age 79.
1936 ● Sylvester “Syl” Johnson / (Sylvester Thompson) → Chicago blues musician and singer with an out-sized ego, a cult following and 19 charting singles, including a version of Al Green‘s “Take Me To The River” (#48, R&B #7, 1975), taken from 19 R&B/funk albums released on multiple labels over 50 years from 1968 to 2017, increasing sampling by hip-hop artists in the 90s and 00s led to a lucrative late-in-life career chasing down and collecting royalties from dozens of top acts, including settlements with Jay-Z and Kanye West, died from congestive heart failure six days after the death of his older brother, blues guitarist Jimmy Johnson, on 2/6/2022, age 85.
1939 ● Delaney Bramlett → Accomplished guitarist and songwriter, member of house band The Shindogs for TV pop music variety show Shindig, one half of husband/wife front for rock/soul revue Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, “Never Ending Song Of Love” (#13, 1971), worked with Eric Clapton, Dave Mason and George Harrison died from complications of gall bladder surgery on 12/27/2008, age 69
1942 ● Andraé Crouch → The “Father of Modern Gospel,” Grammy-winning, renowned and respected pioneer of contemporary gospel, singer, writer, producer, solo artist, “I’ll Be Thinking Of You” (R&B #69, 1980), collaborated with Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Madonna and others, film score composer and pastor, died following a heart attack on 1/8/2015, age 72
1945 ● Debbie Harry → Singer and frontwoman for New Wave pop-rock Blondie, “Heart Of Glass” (#1, 1979), solo, “In Love With Love” (#70, Dance/Club #1, 1987)
1946 ● June Monteiro → Singer for pop girl trio The Toys, “A Lover’s Concerto” (#2, 1965)
1948 ● John Ford → Bass and acoustic guitar for Brit folk-prog-rock The Strawbs, “Part Of The Union” (UK #2, 1973), formed rock duo Hudson Ford with bandmate/drummer Richard Hudson, “Pick Up The Pieces” (UK #8, 1973), then punk rock The Monks, “Nice Legs Shame About Her Face” (UK #19, 1979)
1948 ● Sandra Crouch / (Sandra Elaine Crouch) → Los Angeles session tambourinist and backing singer for several Motown acts, including Jackson 5 hits “I Want You Back” (#1, UK #2, 1969) and “ABC” (#1, UK #8, 1971), later gravitated to gospel music and sang duets with her twin brother Andraé and in a group that included Andraé, Billy Preston and others, issued several solo albums, one of which won a Grammy in 1983, left the industry and joined her brother as co-pastors of a California church in 1998, assumed the role of senior pastor following Andraé‘s death in 2015, died from undisclosed causes on 3/7/2024, age 81.
1949 ● John Farnham → Hugely popular solo pop-rock singer and songwriter in his native Australia, “You’re The Voice” (#82, UK #6, 1987)
1949 ● Gregg Sutton → Songwriter and musician in a short, mid-80s stint with L.A. country-rock/cowpunk Lone Justice and the hit “Shelter” (#16, Rock #23, 1986), left in 1978 and started a long, multi-faceted career as a sessionman, supporting musician and songwriter for others, wrote or co-wrote dozens of songs, including “Stop!” for Brit blue-eyed soul Sam Brown (#65, UK #4, 1988) and “Tonight” for jazz-pop Curtis Stiger (#98, UK #6, 1992), toured with Bob Dylan in the 80s, musical director for comedian Andy Kaufman from 1978 until Kaufman’s death in 1984, recorded on scores of albums by dozens of artists and participated in various projects in the 90s and beyond, died at home from undisclosed causes on 10/22/2023, age 74.
1951 ● Fred Schneider → Vocals and frontman for New wave alt-dance-rock The B-52’s, “Love Shack” (#3, 1989)
1951 ● Victor Willis → Original member, lead singer, songwriter and policeman or naval officer character for campy, suggestive gay pop-rock vocal man band The Village People, “Y.M.C.A.” (#2, 1978), co-wrote most of the band’s hit songs and became embroiled in a copyright dispute after leaving in 1980, released a solo album in 2015 that had been recorded in 1979
1951 ● Anne Feeney → Pittsburgh-area folk-bluegrass guitarist and trial attorney representing mostly refugees and domestic violence survivors who turned to music full-time in 1989 and became an impassioned and prolific folk-protest singer and songwriter, releasing twelve albums from 1992 to 2010, touring relentlessly, sharing stages with legends Pete Seeger and John Prine among others, and participating in thousands of protest rallies, her signature song, the anthemic “Have You Been to Jail for Justice” was covered by Peter, Paul & Mary and used as a rallying cry at countless events around the world, contracted the COVID-19 virus while in physical rehab for a broken back abd died on 2/3/2021, age 69.
1951 ● SP?T / (Glenn Michael Lockett) → Record producer best known for working at influential indie punk label SST Records under the stylized name SP?T (with a dot inside the O), between 1979 and 1986 recorded, mixed, produced or co-produced most of the label’s top acts, including Black Flag, Hüsker Dü, Meat Puppets and Minutemen, among dozens of other punk acts from the 80s, relocated to Texas and focused on his photography work, published a book titled Sounds of Two Eyes Opening (2014), died following a stoke while waiting for a lung transplant as a cure for pulmonary fibrosis on 3/4/2023, age 71.
1952 ● Dan Akroyd → TV and film actor, singer and portrayer “Elwood Blues” in the Saturday Night Live skit, movie and spin-off band The Blues Brothers, “Soul Man” (#14, 1979).
1952 ● Ndugu Chancler / (Leon Chancler) → Grammy-winning jazz-funk drummer, percussionist and sought-after sessionman, worked The Crusaders, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Michael Jackson (drummed on “Billie Jean,” #1, 1983), Carlos Santana, Frank Sinatra, Donna Summer, Weather Report and many others on hundreds of albums, died from prostate cancer on 2/3/2018, age 65
1956 ● Phil Solem → Singer, songwriter, co-founder of power pop Great Buildings, which became The Rembrandts, “I’ll Be There For You” (#17, 1995), the theme song to the TV situation comedy Friends
1959 ● Edem Ephraim → With Dennis Fuller, one half of Brit/Austrian dance-europop London Boys, “London Nights” (UK #2, 1989), died with Fuller in a car collision on 1/21/1996, age 36
1960 ● Champagne King / (Evelyn King) → R&B/disco and post-disco singer, “Love Come Down” (#17, Dance/Club #1, 1982)
1960 ● Ted Key → Bassist for Brit jangle-guitar pop-rock The Housemartins, “Caravan Of Love” (UK #1, 1986)
1963 ● Roddy Bottum → Keyboards for influential metal/funk/hip hop/punk fusion band Faith No More, “Epic” (#9, 1990)
1964 ● Pol Burton → Drummer for punk-pop-dance Transvision Vamp, “Baby I Don’t Care” (, 1983)
1971 ● Adam MacDougall → Keyboards for roots/raunch rock The Black Crowes, “Hard To Handle” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1991)
1971 ● Missy Elliott / (Melissa Elliott) → Hugely successful, four time Grammy-winning female rapper and songwriter, “Work It” (#2, 2002), producer, wrote “If Your Girl Only Knew” (#11, Dance/Club #6, 1996) for Aaliyah
July 02
1917 ● Murry Wilson / (Murry Gage Wilson) → Tough-love patriarch, business manager, co-producer and publisher for Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson in the formative years of sunshine pop/surf rock The Beach Boys (“I Get Around,” #1, 1964), dismissed as manager by Brian in 1964 and died from a heart attack on 6/4/1973, age 55
1925 ● Marvin Rainwater / (Marvin Percy) → One-quarter Cherokee country, rockabilly and pop singer who traded on his Native American heritage to fuel his 50-plus year career, scored six hit singles, including “Gonna Find Me A Bluebird” (#18, Country #3, 1957) and “Whole Lotta Woman” (#60, UK #1, 1958), continued to perform until just before his death from heart failure on 9/17/2013, age 88.
1927 ● Lee Allen → Early rock ‘n’ roll tenor saxophonist and session musician in New Orleans in the 50s, played on many hits by Fats Domino (“I’m Walking,” #4, R&B #1, 1957), Little Richard (“Tutti Frutti,” #14, R&B #2, 1956) and others but found little success on his own except for “Walkin’ With Mr. Lee” (#54, 1958), performed with Fats Domino through the 70s, and with Stray Cats and The Blasters in the 80s, died on 10/18/1994, age 67.
1936 ● Tom Springfield / (Dionysius Patrick O’Brien) → Older brother of Dusty Springfield and prominent figure on the folk and pop music scene in the 60s, first as an artist with Dusty in folk trio The Springfields (“Silver Threads And Golden Needles.” #20, 1962) and later as a songwriter and producer for other acts, particluarly Aussie folk-pop The Seekers, for whom he wrote “The Carnival Is Over” (#105, UK #1, AUS #1, 1965) and co-wrote “Georgy Girl” (#2, UK #3, AUS #1, 1966), left the industry in the early 70s and lived a reclusive life until his death from undisclosed causes on 7/27/2022, age 88.
1937 ● Dee Palmer / (David Palmer) → Classically-trained composer, arranger and keyboardist with long-lived Brit folk-rock Jethro Tull, “Living In The Past” (#11, 1973), underwent male-to-female sex change operation in 2004
1939 ● Paul Williams → Vocals for R&B giants The Temptations, “My Girl” (#1, 1965) and Grammy-winning “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” (#1, 1972), shot himself to death on 8/17/1973, age 34
1942 ● Leapy Lee / (Graham Pulleybank) → One hit wonder Brit comedian and stage actor turned country-pop crossover singer, “Little Arrows” (#16, Country #11, 1968)
1945 ● Peter Cruikshank → Bassist for blues-rock power trio The Groundhogs, which had three UK Top 10 albums in the early 70s, including Split (1971)
1949 ● The Professor / (Roy Bittan) → Keyboards and synthesizer for Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band, session work for David Bowie, Jackson Browne, Dire Straits, Peter Gabriel, Meat Loaf, Stevie Nicks, Bob Seger, others
1950 ● Duncan Mackay → Keyboards for glam rock Cockney Rebel, “Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)” (UK #1, 1975)
1952 ● Johnny Colla → Saxophone and guitar for pop-rock bar band Huey Lewis & The News, “The Power Of Love” (#1, 1985)
1952 ● Gene Taylor → Blues, blues-rock and boogie woogie keyboardist with a long career in a variety of bands, including stints in his teens on piano for blues legends Big Joe Turner and T-Bone Walker, worked with boogie-blues Canned Heat in the 70s, toured with The Blasters and recorded with Doug Sahm and others in the 80s, joined retro-blues The Fabulous Thunderbirds (“Tuff Enuf,” #10, 1986) in 1993 through 2007, all the while issuing two solo albums and participating in various projects, including several gigs with influential retro blues-rock The Downchild Blues Band (earlier the inspiration for Dan Akroyd and comedy partner John Belushi‘s The Blues Brothers), left for Belgium in 2007 and fronted his own band on the European blues-rock circuit, returned to the US and died in his bed at home near Austin, TX, from unknown causes (but believed related to the lack of heat in the house caused by the 2021 Texas power crisis) on 2/20/2021, age 68.
1954 ● Pete Briquette → Bass and vocals for Irish pop-punk Boomtown Rats, “I Don’t Like Mondays” (#73, 1979) and “Rat Trap” (UK #1, 1979), the first rock song by an Irish band to reach #1 in the UK
1955 ● Jerry Hall → Fashion model and sometime actress known chiefly for her marriage to Rolling Stone Mick Jagger in November 1990, ending in divorce in 1999
1956 ● Jeffrey Cooper → Backing vocals for synth-dance-funk Midnight Star, “Operator” (#18, R&B #1, 1990)
1957 ● Mike Anger → Bassist in New Wave pop-rock Blow Monkeys, “Digging Your Scene” (#14, 1986)
1961 ● Annie Ruddock / (Ann-Marie Teresa Antoinette Ruddock) → Vocals and saxophone for Brit reggae-pop-ska band Amazulu, “Too Good To Be Forgotten” (UK #5, 1986)
1964 ● Roy Boulter → Drummer for Brit synth-pop The Farm, “Groovy Train” (#41, Dance/Club #4, 1991)
1965 ● Dave Parsons → Bassist for punk-pop-dance Transvision Vamp, “Baby I Don’t Care” (, 1983), joined alt-rock Bush, “Glycerine” (Mainstream #4, 1995) in 1992
1970 ● Monie Love / (Simone Wilson) → Former protégé of Queen Latifah and member of Native Tongues hip hop collective, solo rapper, “It’s A Shame, My Sister” (#26, Dance/Club #2, 1991)
1974 ● Rocky Gray → Drummer for Grammy-winning goth-pop-metal Evanescence, “Bring Me To Life” (#5, 2003), played lead guitar for Christian metal Living Sacrifice and drums for other metal bands in his native Arkansas
1983 ● Michelle Branch → Teen pop singer/songwriter and guitarist, “All You Wanted” (#6, 2002) and duet with Carlos Santana, “The Game Of Love” (#5, 2002), then formed country-pop The Wreckers, “Leave The Pieces” (#34, Country #1, 2006)
1985 ● Ashley Michelle Tisdale → Model, actress and singer in High School Musical movies (most watched cable TV movies ever), solo, “It’s Alright, It’s OK” (Dance/Club #20, 2009)
July 03
1878 ● George M. Cohan / (George Michael Cohan) → Heralded composer, playwright and entertainer known as the “Father of American musical comedy” and for publishing more than 300 songs, including enduring favorites “Give My Regards To Broadway” (1904), “The Yankee Doodle Boy” (1904) and “You’re A Grand Old Flag” (1906), created and produced over 50 Broadway musicals in the 10s and 20s, acted in and produced movie musicals in the 30s, died from cancer on 11/5/1942, age 64
1893 ● “Mississippi” John Hurt / (John Smith Hurt) → Dexterous country-blues guitarist and songwriter who might have passed in obscurity but for the 60s blues-folk revival, his 1964 recordings for the Library of Congress touched off a brief period in the spotlight that continued after his death from a heart attack on 11/2/1966, age 73
1929 ● David Lynch → Vocals for hugely successful R&B/doo wop The Platters, “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” (#1, 1958) and 13 other Top 20 hits between 1955 and 1967, died of cancer on 1/2/1981, age 51
1930 ● Tommy Tedesco → Top session guitarist, billed by Guitar Player magazine as the most recorded guitarist in history, worked on TV and film scores and recorded with The Association, The Beach Boys, Cher, Sam Cooke, The Everly Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, The Monkees, Elvis Presley, Nancy and Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, The Supremes, Frank Zappa and numerous others, died from lung cancer on 11/10/1997, age 67
1934 ● Hot Dog Rog / (Roger Christian) → Songwriter and popular Los Angeles radio DJ in the 60s and 70s, co-wrote several surf-rock and hot rod songs and ballads, including “Little Deuce Coup” (#15, 1963) and “Don’t Worry Baby” (#24, 1964) with Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and “The Little Old Lady From Pasadena” (#3, 1964) and “Dead Man’s Curve” ((#8, 1964) with Jan Berry of Jan & Dean, died from kidney and liver failure on 7/11/1991, age 57
1936 ● Frederick Tupper Saussy III → American composer, musician, advertising executive, watercolor painter, author, high school English teacher, jazz recording artist and Nashville Symphony contributor best known as the songwriter and keyboardist for psych-pop The Neon Philharmonic, “Morning Girl” (#17, 1969), later convicted of tax evasion and spent nearly 10 years as a fugitive before surfacing and turning himself in, became chapel music director and piano instructor for prisoners while serving his sentence in a California correctional facility, upon release wrote several books and resumed recording, died from a heart attack on 3/16/2007, two days before the release of his first CD and first new music album in 37 years, The Chocolate Orchid Piano Bar (2007), age 70
1940 ● Maureen Kennedy → Vocals for 60s all-girl Brit-pop ensemble The Vernon Girls, “Lover Please” (UK #16, 1962)
1940 ● Fontella Bass → Gospel-rooted R&B/soul diva and pianist, “Rescue Me” (#4, R&B #1, 1965), left the music business in the mid-70s to raise her children, successfully sued for back royalties in the 90s, died following a heart attack on 12/26/2012, age 72.
1942 ● Dr. Lonnie Smith / (Lonnie Smith) → Much heralded jazz keboardist and recognized master of the Hammond B3 organ, leading exponent of the rhythmic genre known as soul-jazz, pushed musical boundaries in a multi-decade career starting with George Benson in the 60s and following with dozens of his own albums and collaborations over 40 years, mostly with Blue Note records, his virtuousity was recognized in multipal awards, including as an NEA Jazz Master in 2017, died from pulmonary fibrosis on 9/28/2021, age 79.
1943 ● Garland Jeffreys → African-American/Puerto Rican American rock, reggae and blues singer and songwriter, “Wild In The Street” (1973) and several solo albums
1943 ● Judith Durham / (Judith Mavis Cock) → Lead vocals for Aussie folk-sunshine pop group The Seekers and the hit “Georgy Girl” (#2, UK #3, AUS #1, 1967), the first Australian pop group to achieve success in the U.K. and U.S., left the group in 1968 for a moderately successful solo career, performed in several reunion events through the years, died from a life-long chronic lung disease, bronchiectasis, on 8/5/2022, age 79.
1946 ● Victor Unitt → Guitarist with Brit blues then prog-rock Edgar Broughton Band, “Apache Dropout” (UK #33, 1970), joined blues-rock The Pretty Things and appeared on the album Parachute (1970)
1947 ● Betty Buckley → Film (Carrie, 1976), TV (Eight Is Enough, 1977) and Broadway (Cats, 1983) actress, traditional pop and show tunes singer with 14 solo albums, plus cast recording of multiple Broadway shows
1947 ● Top Topham / (Andreew Topham) → Teenaged founding member and first lead guitarist for 60s English blues-rock The Yardbirds, left the band in late 1963 after five months and under pressure from his parents, returned to art school and formed various local bands with schoolmates Duster Bennett, Marc Bolan and others, became a session musician for Blue Horizon records and recorded a solo album in the late 60s, worked as an interior designer and played sporadically with ex-The Yardbird drummer Jim McCarty through the 00s, rejoined the group officially in 2013, left for a final time in 2015 and died from dementia on 1/23/2023, age 75.
1948 ● Paul Barrere → Multi-genre guitarist and songwriter, most prominently with Southern-fried blues/boogie rock Little Feat for three decades, wrote or co-wrote some of the band’s best-known songs, including “All That You Dream” (1975), “Time Loves A Hero” (1977), “Down On The Farm” (1979) and “Hate To Lose Your Lovin’” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1989), during breaks from the band issued three solo albums and performed with Taj Mahal, Carly Simon, Phil Lesh And Friends, Bob Dylan, Robert Palmer and others, and as a duo with bandmate Fred Tackett, died from liver disease on 10/26/2019, age 71.
1949 ● John Verity → Guitarist for hard/art rock Argent, “Hold Your Head Up” (#5, 1972), formed Phoenix and later Charlie, “It’s Inevitable” (Mainstream Rock #13, 1983), solo, producer
1949 ● Johnnie Wilder, Jr. → Co-founder and Lead vocals in multinational, sophisticated disco-funk Heatwave, “Boogie Nights” (#2, 1977), died in his sleep on 5/13/2006, age 56
1950 ● Damon Harris → Joined Motown R&B/soul legends The Temptations as tenor vocalist in 1971, Grammy-winning “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” (#1, 1972), left in 1975 and formed disco Impact, “Give A Broken Heart A Break” (Disco #5, 1976), solo
1952 ● Laura Branigan / (Laura Ann Branigan) → Grammy-winning 80s pop-rock singer, songwriter and actress with a pair of hits, “Gloria” (#2, 1982) and “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” (#12, AC #1, 1983) plus writing credits for soundtracks to Flashdance (1983) and Ghostbusters (1984) and TV and stage acting, died of a brain aneurysm on 8/26/2004, age 52
1952 ● Andy Fraser → Bassist and songwriter, briefly with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers before co-founding power rock Free (“All Right Now,” #4, 1970) at age 16, wrote “Obama (Yes We Can)” for Barack Obama’s 2009 presidential campaign, his songs have been covered by Joe Cocker, Robert Palmer, Rod Stewart and others, died from cancer and AIDS on 3/16/2015, age 62
1955 ● Mike Corby → Keyboards and guitars for mainstream pop-rock The Babys, “Isn’t It Time” (#13, 1977), left in 1978
1955 ● Neil Clark → Guitar for Brit pop-rock Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, “Lost Weekend” (UK #17, 1985)
1956 ● Stephen Pearcy → Lead vocalist for hard rock/glam and hair metal Ratt, “Round And Round” (#12, 1984)
1960 ● Vince Clarke / (Vincent John Martin) → Keyboards, synthesizer and founding member of electro-dance/synth-pop Depeche Mode, “Just Can’t Get Enough” (Dance/Club #26, 1982), left to form synth-pop duo Yaz (Yazoo in the UK), “Nobody’s Diary” (Dance/Club #1, 1983), then co-founded synth-pop duo The Assembly, “Never Never” (UK #4, 1983), then synth-dance duo Erasure, “Chains Of Love” (#12, Dance/Club #4, 1988) plus over 20 other Dance/Club hits
1968 ● Martyn Walsh → Bassist for Brit psych-alt rock Inspiral Carpets, “Two Worlds Collide” (Modern Rock #8, 1992)
1969 ● Butterfly / (Ishmael Butler) → 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)
1969 ● Kevin Hearn → Keyboards, accordion and guitar for Canadian alt-rock Barenaked Ladies, “One Week” (#1, 1998)
1975 ● Javier Weyler → Drummer for Welsh alt rock/trad rock Stereophonics, “Have A Nice Day” (Modern Rock #26, UK #5, 2001), replacing Richard Cable who departed in 2003
1976 ● Shane Lynch → Vocals for Irish teen-pop boy band Boyzone, “No Matter What” (Adult Contemporary #12, 1999)
July 04
1826 ● Stephen Foster / (Stephen Collins Foster) → The “Father of American Music” and likely the country’s first widely-renowned music star and a now-enduring 19th century pop music composer whose works are at the core of the American Songbook, his hundreds of titles include lasting standards such as “Oh, Susanna” (1849), “Camptown Races” (1850) and “Beautiful Dreamer” (1864), died at a very young age following an accidental fall on 1/13/1864, age 37.
1889 ● Joe Young → Tin Pan Alley and popular music lyricist, co-wrote “I’m Sitting On Top Of The World” (1925) and the oft-covered pop standard “I’m Going to Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter,” a #5 hit for Fats Waller in 1935 and a #3 hit for Billy Williams in 1957 in 1957, among several others, died from undisclosed causes on 4/21/1939, age 49.
1911 ● Mitch Miller / (William Mitchell Miller) → Classical musician, then pop bandleader, arranger and singer, “The Yellow Rose Of Texas” (#1, 1955), later head of A&R (artists and repertory) for Columbia Records pop division and host of his own TV program that featured the “Sing Along With Mitch” concept based on the success of 20 such albums he released in the early 60s, died after a short illness on 7/31/2010, age 99
1934 ● Gilbert Lopez → Vocals in R&B/doo wop The Tune Weavers, “Happy, Happy Birthday Baby” (#5, 1957)
1938 ● Bill Withers / (William Harrison Withers Jr.) → Son of a West Virginia coal miner, self-taught guitarist and three-time Grammy-winning R&B/soul singer/songwriter for “Ain’t No Sunshine” (#3, R&B #6, 1971), “Lean On Me” (#1, R&B #1, 1972) and “Just The Two Of Us” (#2, R&B #3, 1981), stopped recording and performing in 1985 out of frustration with the music business and, except for occasional appearances at induction ceremonies, stayed out of the spotlight until dying from heart disease on 3/30/2020, age 81.
1940 ● Dave Rowberry → Keyboards for British Invasion hard/blues-rock The Animals, “House Of The Rising Sun” (#1, 1964), died from a bleeding ulcer on 6/6/2003, age 62
1941 ● Dick Addrisi → With his older brother, Don, one-half the pop vocal duo The Addrisi Brothers, scored several minor hits in the 60s and 70s but found greater success as a songwriting team, including “Never My Love” for The Association (#2, 1967) which they recorded for themselves and reached #80 (AC #28) in 1977, continued to write and perform together until his brother’s death in 1984
1943 ● Annette Beard Sterling Helton → Original member and vocalist for Motown R&B/pop girl group Martha & The Vandellas, “(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave” (#4, 1963), left the group in 1964 for her family
1943 ● Fred Wesley → Jazz and funk trombonist, music director and bandleader for James Brown‘s backing band, The J.B.’s, “Doing It To Death” (#22, R&B #1, 1973), also recorded and toured with funk Parliament and Funkadelic, Count Basie, Maceo Parker, De La Soul and others, currently a visiting artist/adjunct professor at Berklee College of Music and other schools
1943 ● Blind Owl Wilson / (Alan Wilson) → Guitar, harmonica and vocals for blues-rock/boogie-rock Canned Heat, “Going Up The Country” (#11, 1968), died of a drug overdose on 9/3/1970, age 27
1947 ● Jacques Morali → French producer and songwriter, produced over 65 albums, formed and managed gay disco troupe Village People, “YMCA” (#2, 1979), died of AIDS on 11/15/1991, age 44
1948 ● Jeremy Spencer → Early member and slide guitarist for blues-rock Fleetwood Mac, “Albatross” (UK #1, 1969), left the band abruptly during a 1971 tour to join the Children of God religious sect
1949 ● Gene Gunnels → Early drummer in 60s psych-pop-rock Strawberry Alarm Clock, “Incense And Peppermints” (#1, 1967), but left before the song became a hit
1950 ● Kid Jensen / (David ‘Jensen) → Canadian-born, Danish descent radio DJ and TV personality, first for Radio Luxembourg in the late 60s and the BBC Radio 1 beginning in 1976, later Capital FM and other London stations
1951 ● Ralph Johnson → Drummer for R&B/soul-dance-pop Earth, Wind & Fire, “Shining Star” (#1, 1975)
1952 ● John Waite → Singer, songwriter and bassist for mainstream pop-rock The Babys, “Everytime I Think Of You” (#13, 1979), then arena rock Bad English, “When I See You Smile” (#1, 1989), then pop-rock balladeer solo, “Missing You” (#1, 1984)
1956 ● Deon Estus / (Jefery Deon Estus) → Bass guitarist in Marvin Gaye‘s touring band before joining early boyband duo Wham! (“Wake Me Up Before You Go Go,” #1, 1984), playing on their groundbreaking tour as the first Western pop group to appear in China, stayed with Wham! star George Michael as bassist on his first two solo albums, the Grammy-winning Faith (Worldwide #1, 1987) and Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (#2, UK #1, 1990), released a solo album Spell (1989) with the hit single “Heaven Help Me” (#5, R&B #3, 1989), co-written and with backing vocals by Michael, continued to work with Michael until his death in 2016, all the while doing sessions for Elton John, George Clinton, Frank Zappa and others, died from undisclosed causes on 10/11/2021, age 65.
1956 ● Mensi / (Thomas William Mensforth) → Frontman, lead singer and political conscience for Brit working class “Oi” punk rock Angelic Upstarts, co-founded the band in 1977 and issued eight albums and seven charting singles through 2016 (their 1978 debut single, “The Murder of Liddle Towers, appears on Mojo magazine’s 2001 list of the best punk rock singles of all time), performed with the band in various lineups through 2020 and was believed to have at least 16 surviving children from various relationships at his death from complications of the COVID-19 virus on 12/10/2021, age 65.
1958 ● Kirk Pengilly → Guitar and vocals for Aussie New Wave dance-groove-pop INXS, “Need You Tonight” (#1, 1987)
1963 ● Matt Malley → Bassist for alt-rock Counting Crows, “Mr. Jones” (Modern Rock #2, 1994)
1964 ● Mark Slaughter → Vocals, guitar, keyboards, songwriter and frontman for pop-glam metal Slaughter, “Fly To The Angels” (#19, 1990), currently a voice-over actor and TV music composer
1970 ● Andy McClure → Drummer for Britpop Sleeper, “Sale Of The Century” (UK #10, 1996)
1971 ● Andrew Creeggan → Piano for Canadian alt-rock Barenaked Ladies, “One Week” (#1, 1998)
1972 ● William Goldsmith → Drummer for post-grunge alt rock Foo Fighters, “Learn To Fly” (Modern Rock #1, 1999) quit the band in 1997
1978 ● Stephen McNally → Vocals and guitar for short-lived teen pop-rock trio BBMak, “Back Here” (#13, 2000)
July 05
1912 ● Mack David → Elder brother of composer Hal David, film and TV lyricist and songwriter with credits to over 1,000 songs, particularly those from the Disney films Cinderella (1950) and Alice In Wonderland (1951), plus Walk On The Wild Side (1963), Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte (1964) and Cat Ballou (1966) among others, co-wrote “Baby It’s You” (The Shirelles, #8, R&B #3, 1961), died from natural causes on 12/30/1993, age 81
1920 ● Smiley Lewis / (Overton Amos Lemons) → New Orleans R&B guitarist, songwriter and booming-voiced singer, “I Hear You Knocking” (R&B #2, 1955), wrote “One Night” covered by Elvis Presley (#4, 1958), died from stomach cancer on 10/7/1966, age 46
1930 ● Mitch Jayne / (Mitchell Franklin Jayne) → Bluegrass radio DJ, then founding member, bassist and lyricist for influential, progressive bluegrass and country-rock pioneers The Dillards, “It’s About Time” (#92, 1971)
1938 ● Snuff Garrett / (Thomas Lesslie Garrett) → Record label executive, DJ, TV host, producer and arranger, as A&R man for Liberty Records produced “This Diamond Ring” (#1, 1965) for Gary Lewis & The Playboys and other hits in the 60s, left Liberty and started his own production company with acts including Sonny & Cher, Eddie Rabbitt, Vicki Lawrence, Tanya Tucker and others, died from cancer on 12/16/2015, age 76
1941 ● Terry Cashman / (Dennis Minoque) → The “Balladeer of Baseball,” one-time minor league player turned singer/songwriter with doo wop The Chevrons, “Lullabye” (1960) and pop duo Cashman & West, “American City Suite” (#27, 1972), co-produced several of Jim Croce‘s hits, then solo and best known for his minor hit “Talkin’ Baseball” (1981), which he has since recorded with custom lyrics for nearly every Major League Baseball franchise
1943 ● Robbie Robertson / (Jaime Royal Robertson) → Canadian musician, songwriter and key architect of Americana music, started as lead guitarist for Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks in the late 50s/early-60s and Bob Dylan’s backing band in the mid-60s, both groups evolving into seminal folk-rock The Band, wrote most of the group’s best-known songs, including “The Weight” (#63, CAN #35, 1968), “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (1969), “Up On Cripple Creek” (#25, CAN #10, 1970), later wrote film scores for numerous motion pictures, including eleven in collaboration with director Martin Scorsese, among them The Band’s finale concert The Last Waltz (1978) and Raging Bull (1980), issued six solo albums over 30 years, the last, Sinematic (#17) in 2019, suffered from prostate cancer for a year before dying on 8/9/2023, age 80.
1945 ● Dick Scoppettone → Vocals for folk and sunshine-pop Harper’s Bizarre, “Feelin’ Groovy” (#13, 1967)
1949 ● Doug Grassel / (Douglas Martin Grassel) → Rhythm guitarist in the Jerry Kasenetz/Jeffrey Katz ever-changing team of session musicians whose recordings were marketed as Ohio Express (“Yummy Yummy Yummy,” #4, 1968) and other fictional pop acts, continued to perform in various oldies-circuit groups until he died from fibrosis of the lungs on 9/21/2013, age 64
1950 ● Andy Ellison → Guitar, vocals and frontman for Brit pop art/mod rock John’s Children, “Desdemona” (1967), the band occasionally recognized as a punk and glam-rock precursor
1950 ● Huey Lewis / (Hugh Anthony Craig III) → Leader and lead vocalist for pop-rock bar band Huey Lewis & The News, “The Power Of Love” (#1, 1985)
1950 ● Michael Monarch → Original guitarist for Canadian-American hard rock, proto-metal Steppenwolf, “Born To Be Wild” (#2, 1968)
1956 ● Terry Chimes → Original drummer for influential and acclaimed punk-ska-dance-rock The Clash, “Rock The Casbah” (#8, 1982), played with Hanoi Rocks and toured with Black Sabbath before becoming a chiropractor
1959 ● Marc Cohn → Folk-rock singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, “Walking In Memphis” (#13, 1991), Grammy winner for Best New Artist of 1991
1964 ● Toni Halliday / (Antoinette Halliday) → Vocalist, lyricist. occasional guitarist and one half of the alt pop-rock duo Curve, “Coast Is Clear” (Modern Rock #12, 1991)
1969 ● Aled Richards → Drummer for Welsh indie-alt-rock Catatonia, “Mulder And Scully” (UK #3, 1998)
1973 ● Bengt Fredrik Lagerberg → Drummer for Swedish pop-rock The Cardigans, “Lovefool” (#1, 1996)
1973 ● Joe / (Joseph Lewis Thomas) → Gospel-based R&B/smooth soul singer, “Stutter” (#1, 2001), producer
1973 ● Roisin Murphy → Irish singer with dance/funk trip hop duo Moloko “Sing It Back” (Dance/Club #1, 1999), now solo, “Movie Star” (Dance #8, 2008)
1979 ● Shane Filan → Vocals for Irish pop boy band Westlife, “Swear It Again” (#20, 2000) and 17 UK Top 10 hits
1980 ● Jason Wade → Guitar and vocals for post-grunge pop-rock Lifehouse, “Hanging On A Moment” (Billboard Song of the Year 2001) and “You And Me” (#5, 2005)
1982 ● Dave Haywood → Guitar, mandolin and songwriter for country-rock harmony group Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now” (#2, Country #1, 2009)
1985 ● Nick O’Malley → Bassist for Brit teen alt/indie rock Arctic Monkeys, “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” (Modern Rock #7, 2005)
1986 ● Adam Young → Keyboards, vocals and founder/frontman for electronic emo-pop one man band Owl City, “Fireflies” (#1, 2009)
July 06
1892 ● Jack Yellen / (Jack Selig Yellen) → Lyricist and screenwriter best known for penning the lyrics to pop music standards “Ain’t She Sweet” (1927) and “Happy Days Are Here Again” (1929) plus several Hollywood musicals, board member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) from 1951 to 1969, died from natural causes on 4/17/1991, age 99
1911 ● LaVerne Sophia Andrews → Vocals and dance routines in hugely popular pre-60s all-girl sibling pop vocal trio The Andrews Sisters, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” (#6, 1941), died on 5/8/1967, age 55
1924 ● Louie Bellson / (Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni) → Influential jazz drummer, composer, bandleader, industry executive and music educator credited with developing the use of two base drums, performed with Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and others, fronted his own bands and recorded extensively through the 00s, died from complications of Parkinson’s disease on 2/14/2009, age 84
1925 ● Bill Haley / (William John Clifton Haley) → Early rock ‘n’ roll guitarist, singer, songwriter and bandleader (Bill Haley & The Comets) whose “(We’re Gonna) Rock Around The Clock” (#1, 1955) was the first rock ‘n’ roll song to reach #1 on the pop chart thus is considered the birth of the rock ‘n’ roll era, died from alcoholism and a brain tumor on 2/9/1981, age 55
1927 ● Fluff Freeman / (Alan Freeman, MBE) → Australian radio DJ, relocated to London in 1957 and became a popular on-air personality for the BBC and other stations over the next five decades, including as host of the Pick Of The Pops program from 1961 to 2000, died from pneumonia on 11/27/2006, age 79
1928 ● Gene “Cip” Cipriano / (Eugene Fred Cipriano) → Master saxophonist and sessionman, likely on more recordings than any other woodwind player, credited with the sax, clarinet, flute and/or oboe lines on thousands of pop and jazz recordings, and on dozens of films and television show theme songs, both as an independent player and as a member of the famed Wrecking Crew consortium of L.A.’s top session players, his credits include The Flintstones, MASH, Star Trek, The Simpsons, and Mission Impossible, ghosting the saxophone part for Tony Curtis’ character in the iconic film Some Like It Hot (1959), and playing on hundreds of charting singles by The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga and countless others, issued a lone solo album First Time Out (2006) at the age of 78 and played all the solos on its two-CDs, died of natural causes on 11/12/2022, age 94.
1931 ● Della Reese / (Delloreese Patricia Early) → Gospel, jazz, blues and pop singer, “Don’t You Know?” (#2, 1959), TV game show panelist, talk-show host and ordained minister
1931 ● Della Reese / (Delloreese Patricia Early) → Ordained minister with California congregation, R&B/jazz-pop diva with several Top 40 hits, including “Don’t You Know?” #2, R&B #1, 1959), TV talk show host (Della, 1969-70), guest host on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, guest appearances on dozens of TV sitcoms, film star in multiple films with Redd Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor and others, star of the TV religious supernatural drama Touched By An Angel (1994-2003), died from undisclosed causes (but likely complications of diabetes) on 11/19/2017, age 86
1932 ● Big Dee Irwin / (DiFosco T. Ervin Jr.) → Pop singer and songwriter with doo wop The Pastels (“Been So Long,” #24, R&B #4, 1958), then one hit wonder solo career and a duet version of “Swinging On A Star” with Little Eva (#38, UK #7, 1963), wrote songs for Ray Charles, Bobby Vinton, The Hollies and others, died from heart failure on 8/27/1995, age 63
1937 ● Gene Chandler / (Eugene Dixon) → R&B/doo wop and soul-pop singer with The Dukays, whose “Duke Of Earl” (#1, 1962) was credited to him as a solo artist, then solo, “Get Down” (R&B #3, 1979)
1939 ● Jet Harris / (Terence Harris) → Bassist for instrumental pop-rock The Shadows, “Apache” (Worldwide #1, 1960), then pop-rock duo with Tony Meehan, “Diamonds” (UK #1, 1963), died from throat cancer on 3/18/2011, age 71
1942 ● Izora Armstead / (Izora Rhodes Armstead) → One half of the plus-sized, late 70s R&B backing vocal duo Two Tons O’ Fun, which became one hit wonder disco-pop duo The Weather Girls and recorded the Hi-NRG, gay club anthem “It’s Raining Men” (#46, Dance #1, UK #2, 1982), continued to record and perform until her death from heart failure on 9/16/2004, age 62
1943 ● Jan Bradley → Chess Records one hit wonder R&B/soul singer with the Curtis Mayfield song “Mama Don’t Lie” (#14, R&B #8, 1963), wrote her own songs with marginal success and left the industry to raise a family and become a social worker
1944 ● Byron Berline / (Byron Douglas Berline) → Versatile and highly-respected fiddler in multiple music genres, including ragtime, bluegrass, Cajun, country and rock in various supporting roles, credited with introducing the fiddle to rock music, first with country-rock Dillard & Clark in the 60s and with The Flying Burrito Brothers in the early 70s, recorded The Rolling Stones‘ “Country Honk” on Let It Bleed (#3, UK #1, 1969, which later became “Honky Tonk Women”), appeared on Stephen Stills‘ Manassas and albums by Elton John, Rod Stewart, Lucinda Williams and many others, died in a rehabilitation hospital following a stroke on 7/10/2021, age 77.
1945 ● Rik Elswit → Guitarist for AM pop-rock Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show, “Sylvia’s Mother” (#5, 1972) plus nine other Top 40 hits
1947 ● Libby Titus / (Elizabeth Jurist) → Singer/songwriter with two unnoticed solo albums but with multiple credits as a writer and co-writer of numerous pop hits, including the now-standard “Love Has No Pride” by Linda Ronstadt (Adult Contemporary #23, 1973), worked with Burt Bacharach in the 70s, provided backing vocals for Martin Mull, Bonnie Raitt and others, produced albums with and for Dr. John and Donald Fagen of Steely Dan and had relationships with both, co-founded the New York Rock And Soul Review with Fagen and married him in 1993
1949 ● Michael Shrieve → Drummer and composer for Latin-rock Santana (“Black Magic Woman,” #4, 1970), known for his “electrifying” drum solo on “Soul Sacrifice” at Woodstock when he was age 20, contributed music and lyrics to four songs on the Caravanserai album (#8, 1972), left in 1974 for solo career and various jazz and fusion projects, plus session work, including The Rolling Stones‘ album Emotional Rescue (#1, 1980), later composed soundtracks for several movies, among them Apollo 13 (1995)
1949 ● Phylis Hyman → Silky voiced R&B/quiet storm ballad and light dance singer, “Can’t We Fall In Love Again” (R&B #9, 1981), committed suicide via a drug overdose hours before a scheduled performance at New York’s Apollo Theater on 6/30/1995, age 46
1952 ● David Smith → Singer for Brit Northern soul/funk The Real Thing, “You To Me Are Everything” (UK #1, 1976)
1952 ● Graham Oliver → Guitarist for early and influential New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) band Saxon, “Power And The Glory” (#32, 1983), solo
1953 ● Nanci Griffith / (Nanci Caroline Griffith) → Grammy-winning country-folk (“folkabilly”) singer, songwriter and guitarist with seven minor hits, including “Lone Star State Of Mind” (Country #36, 1987), best known for penning “Love At The Five And Dime” (Country #3, 1986) by Kathy Mattea, for the 1994 Grammy-winning covers compilation LP Other Voices, Other Rooms, and for touring and recording duets with numerous top artists, including John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Buffett and Willie Nelson, died from undisclosed causes on 8/13/2021, age 68.
1959 ● John Keeble → Drummer for New Romantic pop-rock Spandau Ballet, “True” (#4, 1983)
1961 ● Robert Heaton → Drummer and songwriter for post-punk/alt rock New Model Army, “No Rest” (UK #28, 1985), died from pancreatic cancer on 11/4/2004, age 43
1963 ● Tim Bricheno → Guitarist for goth-rock All About Eve, “Martha’s Harbour” (UK #10, 1988), goth-metal The Sisters of Mercy, “Temple Of Love” (UK #3, 1992), later XC-NN and The Mission
1965 ● Eddie Campbell → Keyboards for Scottish blues-rock Texas, “In My Heart” (Alt Rock #14, 1991)
1969 ● Michael Grant → Vocals for ska/reggae band Musical Youth, “Pass The Dutchie” (#10, 1982)
1975 ● 50 Cent / (Curtis J. Jackson III) → Controversial rapper, survived 2000 murder attempt to release “In Da Club” (#1, 2003) and 12 other Top 40 hits, Grammy-winning song “Crack A Bottle” with Eminem and others in 2009
1979 ● Nic Cester / (Nicholas John Cester) → Guitarist, lead vocals and songwriter for Aussie hard rock/garage punk Jet, “Cold Hard Bitch” (Mainstream Rock #1, 2004)
1984 ● D. Woods / (Wanite Woodgett) → Singer for MTV Making the Band program winner and pre-fab, all-girl dance-pop quintet Danity Kane, “Show Stopper” (#8, 2006)
1987 ● Kate Nash → Brit indie pop singer, songwriter and pianist, “Foundations” (UK #2, 2007)
