This Week’s Birthdays (November 11 – 17)

Happy Birthday this week to:

November 11
1906 ● Bukka White / (Booker T. Washington White) → Delta blues guitarist, singer and performer, “Parchman Farm Blues” (1940), other artists have covered his work, including Bob Dylan, Fixin’ To Die Blues” (1962), died of cancer on 2/26/1977, age 70
1927 ● Mose Allison / (Mose John Allison, Jr.) → Modern jazz and Delta blues pianist, vocalist, songwriter and bandleader named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2013, his songs have been covered by The Who, John Mayall, Elvis Costello, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, The Pixies and many others, died from natural causes on 11/15/2016, age 89
1929 ● LaVern Baker / (Delores Williams) → R&B and jazz-pop singer, “Jim Dandy” (#17, 1956) plus 7 other Top 40 and 12 other R&B Top 10 hits, died from coronary disease on 3/10/1997, age 67
1930 ● Hank Garland / (Walter Louis Garland) → Highly-regarded rockabilly, country and jazz studio musician, recorded with Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and others, issued an improbable but well-received jazz album, Jazz Winds From A New Direction (1961), stopped recording following a near fatal 1966 car accident, died from an infection on 12/27/2004, age 74
1936 ● Jack Keller → Composer, songwriter and record producer, wrote or co-wrote several teen pop and pop-rock hits in the 50s and 60s, including “Just Between You And Me” (The Chordettes, #8, 1957) and “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” (Connie Francis, #1, 1960), composed TV theme songs for Bewitched, Gidget and other programs, produced The Monkees‘ first album and for artists in Nashville in the 80s, died from leukemia on 4/1/2005, age 68
1936 ● Opal Courtney, Jr. → Vocals for pioneer R&B/doo wop The Spaniels, “Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight” (R&B #5, 1954), died after a heart attack on 9/18/2008, age 71
1938 ● Roger Lavern / (Roger Keith Jackson) → Keyboards for Brit instrumental rock ‘n’ roll The Tornados, “Telstar” (#1, 1962), the first major US hit by a British group, died from prostate cancer on 6/15/2013, age 74
1939 ● Albie Galione → Vocals in white R&B/doo wop quartet The Passions, “Gloria” (1958)
1940 ● Dennis Coffey → R&B, soul and funk guitarist, sessionman and solo artist, member of The Funk Brothers, Motownn’s house band which provided nearly all instrumentation behind every Motown hit, first white artist to perform on Soul Train when he played his instrumental “Scorpio” (#6, 1971) in January 1972, issued 14 solo albums from 1969 to 2011 and continues to perform in his hometown of Detroit into the 10s
1941 ● Peter Meaden → The “Mod God,” publicist and manager for numerous rock bands, especially during the Mod subculture period in the 60s U.K., briefly managed The Who and later Captain Beefheart, died from a barbiturate overdose on 7/29/1978. age 36
1943 ● Mac Kissoon / (Gerald Farthing) → Vocals with his sister, Katherine Farthing, in one hit wonder easy listening/bubblegum pop duo Mac & Katie Kissoon (“Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep,” #20, 1971), she went on to decades of session backing vocals work while his career stalled as a member of James Last‘s ensemble
1945 ● Chris Dreja → Rhythm guitar and songwriter for blues-rock The Yardbirds, “For Your Love” (#6, 1965)
1945 ● Vince Martell / (Vincent Martemucci) → Lead guitar and vocals for psych-rock Vanilla Fudge, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (#6, 1968)
1947 ● Pat Daugherty → Bassist for Southern raunch-rock Black Oak Arkansas, “Jim Dandy To The Rescue” (Top 30, 1973)
1950 ● Jim Peterick → Founder, guitarist and lead writer for blue-eyed soul The Ides of March, “Vehicle” (#2, 1970) and Survivor, “Eye Of The Tiger” (#1, 1982)
1952 ● Paul Cowsill → Vocals for family pop band The Cowsills, “The Rain, The Park And Other Things” (#2, 1967) and theme song from Broadway musical Hair, (#2, 1969), inspiration for the TV show The Partridge Family
1953 ● Andy Partridge → Co-founder, guitarist and songwriter for quirky New Wave synth-pop XTC, “Making Plans For Nigel” (UK #17, 1979) and side project for the band under the pseudonym The Dukes Of Stratosphear
1953 ● Marshall Crenshaw → Power pop singer and songwriter, “Someday, Someway” (#36, 1982), movie actor, portrayed John Lennon in the road version of Beatlemania
1956 ● Ian Craig Marsh → Guitarist and founding member of late-70s synth-pop pioneers The Human League, “Don’t You Want Me” (#1, 1981), left to form 80s synth-pop Heaven 17, “Temptation” (UK #2, 1983) and “Contenders” (Dance/Club #6, 1987)
1957 ● Gad Robinson / (Tony Robinson) → Bass, vocals and 40-year member of long-lived roots reggae Aswad (Arabic for “black”), “Don’t Turn Around” (, 1988), one of the most popular and successful Brit reggae bands
1962 ● Gunnar Mathias “Mic” Michaeli → Keyboardist for Swedish hard rock/glam-metal Europe, “The Final Countdown” (#8, 1986)
1966 ● Peaches / (Merrill Beth Nisker) → Canadian electronic groovebox rapper known for her vulgar lyrics, sexual themes and flamboyant stage presence, “Wild Thing” (Dance #4, 2007)
1969 ● Gary Powell → Drummer for indie/punk revival The Libertines, “Can’t Stand Me Now” (UK #2, 2004), played with the New York Dolls on their 2004 reunion tour, then indie rock Dirty Pretty Things, “Bang Bang You’re Dead” (UK #5, 2006)
1973 ● Jason White → Touring guitarist for 12 years in post-grunge alt rock/punk revival Green Day, “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” (#2, 2004), joined the band as a full member in 2012, also with punk/garage rock, no touring, fun only supergroup Pinhead Gunpowder
1974 ● Static Major / (Stephen Garrett) → Grammy-winning R&B singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer, member of the R&B trio Playa, “Cheers 2 U” (#38, 1998), died during a surgical procedure to treat a rare blood disorder on 2/25/2008, age 33

November 12
1917 ● Jo Stafford / (Jo Elizabeth Stafford) → Classical-trained singer who chose traditional, breezy pop and sultry jazz for a career that ran from the 30s to the 80s, “You Belong To Me” (#1, 1952) also the first song by a female artist to reach #1 in the UK, occasional film acting and parody records, died from congestive heart failure on 7/16/2008, age 90
1931 ● Bob Crewe / (Robert Stanley Crewe) → Producer and songwriter for Top 40 pop vocal quartet The Four Seasons, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (#1, 1962), also produced hits by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, Freddy Cannon, Roberta Flack and his own band, The Bob Crewe Connection, “Music To Watch Girls By” (#15, 1967), injured his brain in a fall and died from its effects four years later on 9/11/2014, age 82
1934 ● Charles Manson / (Charles Milles Maddox) → Semi-illiterate, habitual petty criminal and aspiring folk musician who penned the original version of what became The Beach Boys “Never Learn Not To Love” (1968) and issued two unremarkable solo albums, later achieved infamy as the insidious ringleader of the Manson Gang of disaffected, mostly middle class young women who carried out multiple crimes including the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders in Los Angeles in 1969, used The Beatles “Helter Skelter” (1969) as his rallying cry for a racial conflict in the US, inspiration the stage name of hard rock band and frontman Marilyn Manson, died from undisclosed causes but suspected intestinal cancer in a Federal prison while serving a life sentence without parole on 11/19/2017, age 83
1936 ● Charlotte Davis → Vocals in R&B/doo wop The Tune Weavers, “Happy, Happy Birthday Baby” (#5, 1957)
1936 ● Mort Shuman / (Mortimer Shuman) → Singer, pianist and prolific pop-rock songwriter, often in collaboration with Doc Pomus, wrote or co-wrote “Viva Las Vegas,” “Teenager In Love,” “This Magic Moment” and many others, died from complications following liver surgery on 11/3/1991, age 54
1939 ● Ruby Nash Curtis → Lead singer in R&B/soul vocal group Ruby & The Romantics, “Our Day Will Come” (#1, 1963) and two additional Top 20 hits
1941 ● Jerry Scholl → Vocals in one hit wonder blue-eyed R&B/doo wop quintet The Mello-Kings, “Tonite, Tonite” (#77, 1957), continued to tour on the rock ‘n’ roll oldies circuit into the 90s
1943 ● Brian Hyland → Pre-Beatles bubblegum-pop teen idol singer, “Sealed With A Kiss” (#3, 1962)
1943 ● Jimmy Hayes → Vocals in a cappella The Persuasions, “Chain Gang” (1971) and “I Really Got It Bad For You” (#56, 1974)
1943 ● Pooch Tavares / (Arthur Paul Tavares) → Vocals in five brother R&B/funk-disco Tavares, “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” (#15, 1976)
1943 ● John Walker / (John J. Maus) → Guitar and vocals in pop-rock trio The Walker Brothers, “Make It Easy On Yourself” (US #16, UK #1, 1965), died from liver cancer on 5/7/2011, age 67
1944 ● Booker T. Jones → Organist and frontman for Stax Records house band Booker T. & The MG’s, “Green Onions” (#3, 1966), solo
1945 ● Neil Young → Grammy-winning, venerable Canadian-born country-folk-rock singer/songwriter, “Heart Of Gold” (#1, 1972) and “Downtown” (Mainstream Rock #6, 1995), member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
1947 ● Buck Dharma / (Donald Roeser) → Guitar and vocals for hard rock/pop metal Blue Öyster Cult, wrote “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” (#12, 1976)
1948 ● Errol Brown → Jamaican vocalist and frontman for Brit interracial R&B/soul-disco Hot Chocolate, “You Sexy Thing” (#3, 1976) and 27 other UK Top 40 hits, including one in every year from 1970 to 1984, died from liver cancer on 5/6/2015, age 66
1952 ● Laurence Juber → Grammy-winning guitarist, played lead for Paul McCartney‘s Wings (1978-81), sessions, solo
1953 ● Calum Macdonald / (Malcolm Macdonald) → Percussion for Scottish Celtic folk-rock Runrig, “An Ubhal As Airde (The Highest Apple)” (UK #18, 1995)
1955 ● Leslie McKeown → Vocals for Scottish teen-pop boy band Bay City Rollers, “Saturday Night” (#1, 1976)
1964 ● David Ellefson → Bassist for hard rock/metal Metallica, then thrash-metal Megadeth, “Symphony Of Destruction” (Mainstream #29, 1992)
1964 ● Vic Chestnutt / (James Victor Chestnutt) → Quadriplegic singer, songwriter and guitarist known for his dark, haunting but comic roots rock style and 17 albums, two produced by Michael Stipe of R.E.M., and songs performed by Madonna, the Indigo Girls, Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M. and others on the charity album Sweet Relief II: The Gravity Of The Situation (1993), died while in a muscle relaxant overdose-induced coma on 12/25/2009, age 45
1968 ● Jo Dunne → Bass guitar in all-girl New Wave pop-punk quartet Fuzzbox (originally We’ve Got A Fuzz Box And We’re Gonna Use It), “International Rescue” (UK #11, 1989)
1976 ● Tevin Campbell → Teenaged hip hop and R&B/soul singer, “Tell Me What You Want Me To Do” (#6, 1991) and four other Top 40 hits between 1990 and 1994

November 13
1940 ● Baby Washington / (Justine Washington) → R&B/sultry soul vocalist with sixteen R&B hits in four decades through the early 80s, including her biggest, the crossover “That’s How Heartaches Are Made” (#40, R&B #10, 1963), continued to perform into the 10s on cruises and oldies specials
1940 ● Carol Connors / (Annette Kleinbard) → Original member of short-lived, one hit wonder pop vocal trio The Teddy Bears (“To Know Him Is To Love Him,” #1, 1958) with Phil Spector, co-wrote “Hey Little Cobra” for the Rip Chords (#4, 1964) and earned an Academy Award for co-writing “Gonna Fly Now” (#1, 1977), the theme song from the film Rocky (1977)
1941 ● Odia Coates → R&B/soul singer known for several light pop duet recordings in the 70s with crooner Paul Anka, including (“You’re) Having My Baby” (#1, 1974), died from breast cancer on 5/19/1991, age 49
1942 ● John P. Hammond → Grammy-winning, underappreciated white blues-folk guitarist, songwriter, producer
1944 ● Timmy Thomas → One hit wonder R&B/soul singer, songwriter and keyboardist, “Why Can’t We Live Together” (#3, 1973), record producer
1946 ● Ray Wylie Hubbard → Texas Hill Country folk and blues singer, songwriter and guitarist, wrote “Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother” but had little commercial success with 15 studio albums, currently hosts a music radio program featuring Americana artists and is considered an elder statesman of Texas music
1947 ● Toy Caldwell / (Toy Tallmadge Caldwell) → Founding member, chief songwriter and lead guitarist for Southern rock pioneers The Marshall Tucker Band, “Heard It In A Love Song” (#14, 1977), fronted Toy Caldwell Band, died from respiratory failure on 2/25/1993, age 45
1949 ● Roger Steen → Guitarist for camp-rock pop-rock satirists The Tubes, “She’s A Beauty” (#10, 1978)
1949 ● Terry Reid → British hard rock guitarist, bandleader, supporting act, session player and sideman
1951 ● Bill Gibson → Percussion for pop-rock bar band Huey Lewis & The News, “The Power Of Love” (#1, 1985)
1953 ● Andrew Ranken → Drummer for Irish folk-punk-rock The Pogues, “Tuesday Morning” (Rock #11, 1993)
1956 ● Aldo Nova / (Aldo Caporuscio) → Canadian pop-rock guitarist, vocalist and producer, “Fantasy” (#23, Mainstream Rock #3, 1982), wrote or co-wrote and produced songs by multiple artists, including the title track to Celine Dion‘s album, A New Day Has Come (#1, CAN #1, UK #1, 2002)
1960 ● Wayne Parker → Bassist for Canadian pop-rock Glass Tiger, “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)” (#2, 1986)
1964 ● Dirty Walter Kibby / (Walter A. Kibby II) → Vocals and trumpet for alt rock ska-punk-funk fusion Fishbone, “Sunless Saturday” (Modern Rock #7, 1991)
1979 ● Nikolai Fraiture → Bassist for early 00s garage rock revival The Strokes, “Juicebox” (Modern Rock #9, 2005)
1980 ● Monique Coleman / (Adrienne Monique Coleman) → Pop singer and actress, played “Taylor” in High School Musical movies (most watched cable TV movies ever)

November 14
1900 ● Aaron Copland → Award-winning and influential composer, teacher, writer, critic and conductor known for his “populist” compositions archetypical of the sound of American music, wrote chamber music, vocal works, opera and film scores, including “Fanfare For The Common Man” and “Hoedown” in the 1940s, both of which were interpreted by prog-rock Emerson, Lake & Palmer in the 1970s, died from Alzheimer’s disease and respiratory failure on 12/2/1990, age 89
1915 ● Martha Tilton → Top-level swing and traditional pop vocalist with 24 Top 40 hits with Benny Goodman in the late 30s and another nine as a solo artist in the 40s, including “And The Angels Sing,” (#1, 1939), survived the onslaught of rock ‘n’ roll by acting in movies (The Benny Goodman Story, 1955) and making appearances on radio and TV variety shows, died on 12/8/2006, age 91
1936 ● Freddie Garrity / (Frederick Garrity) → Eccentric frontman and vocalist for British Invasion novelty/comedy pop-rock ‘n’ roll Freddie & The Dreamers, “I’m Telling You Now” (#1, 1965), appeared in children’s TV shows, died from pulmonary hypertension on 5/19/2006, age 69
1937 ● Joe Billingslea, Jr. → Founder and lead singer for early Motown R&B/soul quartet The Contours, “Do You Love Me” (#3, R&B #1, 1962), left Motown and the band in 1964 to work in an auto plant and later a career in law enforcement, reformed the band in the 70s and still tours as The Contours in the 10s
1938 ● Cornell Gunter / (Cornelius Gunter) → Founding member of R&B/doo wop The Platters, “The Great Pretender” (#1, 1956), left the group in 1954 to join The Flairs and The Coasters (“Yakety Yak,” #1, 1959), enjoyed a mildly successful solo career in the 60s and a resurgence in the late 80s before being murdered in his car in Las Vegas by an unknown assassin on 2/26/1990, age 51
1944 ● Scherrie Payne → Lead singer for R&B/soul The Glass House, “Crumbs Off The Table” (#59, R&B #7, 1969), replaced Diana Ross and Jean Terrell in The Supremes in 1973, “You’re My Driving Wheel” (#85, Dance/Club #5, 1977), still performs with other former Supremes, younger sister of soul singer Freda Payne
1947 ● Buckwheat / (Stanley Joseph Dural, Jr.) → Grammy-winning frontman and accordionist for contemporary zydeco band Buckwheat Zydeco (“I Need Your Lovin’,” 1983) mixing Louisiana Creole culture with R&B and rock, toured with Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon and others, died from lung cancer on 9/24/2016, age 68
1949 ● J.Y. Young / (James V. Young) → Guitarist for prototypical arena rock band Styx, “Too Much Time On My Hands” (#9, 1981)
1951 ● Alec Jon Such → Bassist for pop-metal superstars Bon Jovi, “Living On A Prayer” (#1, 1987), dismissed in 1994 and owned a motorcycle shop in New York City in the 00s
1951 ● Frankie Banali → Drummer and manager for heavy metal/pop-metal Quiet Riot, “Bang Your Head (Metal Health)” (#31, 1983)
1951 ● Stephen Bishop → Pop-rock singer, songwriter and guitarist, “On And On” (#11, 1976) and the theme song from the film Tootsie (1977)
1954 ● Yanni / (Yiannis Chryssomalis) → Grammy-winning New Age composer and pianist with seven Top 40 albums, including Live At The Acropolis (#5, 1994)
1964 ● Andrew Banfield → Vocals in Brit R&B/neo-soul-funk The Pasadenas, “Tribute (Right On)” (Dance/Club #27, UK #5, 1988)
1964 ● DJ Run / (Joseph Ward Simmons) → Founding member and vocalist in premier hardcore rap group Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (#4, 1986), now an ordained and practicing Pentecostal minister under the name Reverend Run
1964 ● Nic Dalton → Bassist for post-punk rock then teen-pop Lemonheads, “Into Your Arms” (Modern Rock #1, 1993)
1965 ● Stuart Stapels → Vocals and guitar for Brit folk-pop-soul Tindersticks, “Bathtime” (UK #38, 1997)
1968 ● Brian Yale → Bassist for post-grunge alt rock Matchbox Twenty, “Bent” (#1, 2000)
1972 ● Douglas Payne → Bassist for Scottish trad rock Travis, “Why Does It Always Rain On Me” (#36, UK #10, 2000) plus 11 other UK Top 40 hits
1974 ● Adina Howard → One hit wonder urban contemporary R&B/soul-pop singer, “Freak Like Me” (#2, 1995)
1974 ● Brendon Benson → Multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter with six solo albums, a number of production credits and a member of power pop The Raconteurs (“Steady, As She Goes,” #54, Alt Rock #1, 2006)
1975 ● Faye Louise Tozer → Vocals and dance routines for pre-fab Brit dance-pop group The Steps, “5, 6, 7, 8” (UK #14, 1997), film and theater actress
1975 ● Travis Barker → Drummer for pop-punk Blink-182, “All The Small Things” (#6, 2000)
1982 ● Joy Williams / (Joy Elizabeth Williams) → Contemporary Christian singer and songwriter with an eponymous debut album at age 17 and eight others by 2009, recorded and performed with John Paul White as four-time Grammy winning folk-pop duo The Civil Wars (“Barton Hollow,” #101, AAA #15, 2011), resumed a solo career in 2014

November 15
1905 ● Mantovani / (Annunzio Paolo Mantovani) → Italian composer, light-orchestra conductor and hugely popular easy listening star (“Around The World,” #12, 1957) with 25 albums in the U.S. Top 40 (six simultaneously in 1959), known for his signature cascading strings music structure and mastery of stereo recording techniques, became the most successful British album artist before The Beatles, continued to compose music until his death on 3/30/1980
1916 ● Herb Abramson / (Herbert C. Abramson) → Atlantic Records co-founder and co-owner, president of subsidiary Atco Records, A-1 Studios owner and chief executive, died on 11/9/1999, age 82
1928 ● C. W. McCall / (William D. Fries, Jr.) → Advertising executive turned one hit wonder outlaw country singer and lyricist during the 70s truck driving/CB radio craze, “Convoy” (#1, 1976)
1929 ● Joe Hinton → Journeyman gospel singer with several Memphis vocal groups, then one hit wonder deep R&B/soul balladeer with Willie Nelson‘s “Funny (How Time Slips Away)” (#13, 1964), died from skin cancer at the peak of his career on 8/13/1968, age 38
1932 ● Petula Clark → Hugely popular 50s Brit film actress then Grammy-winning pop singer, “Downtown” (#1, 1965), the first US #1 single by a British female singer, plus 14 other Top 40 hits
1932 ● Clyde McPhatter → Founder and frontman for influential R&B doo wop The Drifters, “Honey Love” (R&B #1, 1954), left in 1956 for solo career, “A Lover’s Question” (#6, R&B #1, 1958) plus six other Top 40 and 11 other R&B Top 20 hits, died after a heart attack on 6/13/1972, age 39
1937 ● Little Willie John / (William Edward John) → Influential but little known R&B/soul singer and songwriter with 17 charting hits, including “Fever” (#24, R&B #1, 1956) and “Talk To Me, Talk To Me” (#20, R&B #5, 1958), convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to prison for stabbing another man in 1966, died in Washington State Penitentiary from a heart attack on 5/26/1968, age 30
1941 ● Rick Kemp → Bassist for Brit electric folk-rock revival band Steeleye Span, “All Around My Hat” (UK #5, 1975)
1941 ● Jim Dickinson → Rock and blues musician, singer, record producer and frontman, started in the mid-60s as a session musician for The Rolling Stones (piano on “Wild Horses”), Ry Cooder and others, as a member of backing band The Dixie Flyers worked for Hank Ballard, Aretha Franklin, Dion and more, went solo in the mid-70s and began producing records for others, died following triple-bypass heart surgery on 8/15/2009, age 67
1945 ● Frida Andersson / (Anni-frid Lyngstad Andersson) → Vocals for internationally successful Scandinavian pop group ABBA, “Dancing Queen” (#1, 1976)
1949 ● Steve Fossen → Founding member and bassist for hard rock Heart, “Magic Man” (#9, 1976), left in 1982 and in 1988 co-founded Canadian power ballad rock Alias, “More Than Words Can Say” (#2, 1990)
1952 ● Michael Cooper → Singer and guitarist for R&B/soul-funk group Con Funk Shun, “Ffun” (#23, 1978)
1953 ● Alexander O’Neal → R&B/smooth soul singer, started with dance-funk The Time, “Get It Up” (R&B #6, 1981), left for solo career, “Fake” (#25, R&B #1, 1987)
1954 ● Tony Thompson → Drummer for top disco/funk band Chic, “Le Freak” (#1, 1978), session work for Madonna, Mick Jagger, David Bowie and others, drummer for the reunited Led Zeppelin in 1985-86, died from renal cell cancer on 11/12/2003, age 49
1955 ● Joe Leeway → Percussion for New Wave synth-pop Thompson Twins, “Hold Me Now” (#3, 1983)
1960 ● Keith Washington → Grammy-nominated R&B/smooth soul one hit wonder balladeer, “Kissing You” (#40, R&B/Hip Hop #1, 1991)
1968 ● Ol’ Dirty Bastard / (Russell Tyrone Jones) → Founding member and bad boy of influential East Coast rap group Wu-Tang Clan, “C.R.E.A.M.” (Hot Rap #8, 1994), collapsed and died during a studio recording session on 11/13/2004, age 35
1974 ● Chad Kroeger / (Chad Robert Thurton) → Lead guitar and vocals for Canadian post-grunge hard rock Nickelback, “How You Remind Me” (#1, 2001)
1988 ● B.o.B. / (Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr.) → R&B/alt Dirty South hip hop singer and songwriter, “Nothin’ On You” (#1, 2010) and two other Top 10 hits in debut

November 16
1873 ● W.C. Handy / (William Christopher Handy) → Highly-influential cornetist, bandleader, songwriter, teacher and music publisher known as the “Father of the Blues,” credited with mainstreaming rural Southern roots music to its contemporary form, published hundreds of new and re-written songs, including the widely popular “The St. Louis Blues” (1914), led a variety of groups from string quartets to minstrels to brass bands, died from bronchial pneumonia on 3/28/1958, age 85
1901 ● Jesse Stone → Songwriter and key figure in the development of rock ‘n’ roll and R&B music in the 50s, wrote or co-wrote several rock ‘n’ roll standards, including “Shake Rattle And Roll” (1954), “Flip Flop And Fly” (1955) and “Don’t Let Go” (1958), died from natural causes on 4/1/1999, age 97
1931 ● Bob Gibson / (Samuel Robert Gibson) → 50s folk singer, songwriter, guitarist and banjoist whose influence on 60s folk revivalists Joan Baez, Harry Chapin, Peter, Paul & Mary and others exceed his success as a recording artist, his career was cut short by drug and alcohol problems, died from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) on 9/28/1996, age 64
1931 ● Hubert Sumlin → Celebrated electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known for his multi-decade collaborations with Howlin’ Wolf, inspiration to Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones), Robbie Robertson (The Band), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and others, #43 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarist of All-Time list, died on 12/4/2011 of heart failure
1933 ● Garnett Mimms → R&B/gospel-soul singer and bandleader, “Cry Baby” (#4, R&B #1 1963) and three other Top 30 hits, left the industry by 1980, became a born-again Christian and ordained minister focused on helping lost souls in prisons
1938 ● Toni Brown → Co-founder, vocals and pianist for hippy folk-rock Joy of Cooking, “Brownsville” (#66, 1981), solo
1938 ● Troy Seals → Country-pop singer, songwriter, guitarist and session musician, brother of Jim (Seals & Crofts, “Summer Breeze,” #6, 1972) and Dan (England Dan & John Ford Coley, “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight,” #2, 1976)
1940 ● John Ryanes → Second bass singer for one hit wonder R&B/doo wop sextet The Monotones, “(Who Wrote) The Book Of Love” (#5, 1958), died 5/30/1972, age 31
1941 ● Dan Penn / (Wallace Daniel Pennington) → Blue-eyed soul singer, songwriter and producer known more for his creations for others than his own recordings, including “I’m Your Puppet” for James & Bobby Purify (#6, 1966), “The Dark End Of The Street” for James Carr (#77, R&B #10, 1966), “The Letter” (#1, 1967) and “Cry Like A Baby” (#2, 1968) for The Box Tops and other artists connected withFAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, continues to write and produce mostly country music into the 10s
1943 ● Blue Lovett / (Winfred “Blue” Lovett) → Founding member and bass vocals in R&B/doo wop then sweet soul quintet The Manhattans, “Kiss And Say Goodbye” (#1, 1976), remained with versions of the group until his death on 12/9/2014, age 71
1945 ● Teenie Hodges / (Mabon Lewis Hodges) → Memphis soul session guitarist and songwriter, worked at Hi Records in the 70s and recorded with multiple acts, best known for working with Al Greenn and co-writing “Take Me To The River” (#117 on Rolling Stone magazine’s Top 500 Songs of All Time list) and “Love And Happiness” (#98 on the list), died from emphysema on 6/22/2014, age 68
1948 ● Chi Coltrane → Teen prodigy pianist and one hit wonder blue-eyed soul, funk and jazz-pop singer with great promise and expectations but a lone charting single, “Thunder And Lightning” (#17, 1972)
1949 ● Patti Santos → Lead vocals for San Francisco psych-folk-rock It’s A Beautiful Day, “White Bird” (1969), died in a car accident on 12/14/1989, age 40
1958 ● Harry Rushakoff → Drummer with post-punk alt rock Concrete Blonde, “Joey” (Modern Rock #1, 1990)
1962 ● Mani (Gary Mounfield) → Bassist for Brit guitar pop-rock The Stone Roses, “One Love” (Alt Rock #9, 1990), then jangle pop/dance fusion Primal Scream, “Movin’ On Up” (Modern Rock #2, 1992)
1964 ● Diana Krall → Two-time Grammy-winning Canadian jazz-pop singer, songwriter and pianist, “Jingle Bells” (Adult Contemporary #5, 2005), the best-selling female jazz artist of the 90s and 00s, married to Elvis Costello
1966 ● Christian “Flake” Lorenz → Keyboardist for heavy metal/Kraut rock Rammstein, “Sehnsucht” (Mainstream Rock #20, 1998)
1966 ● Dave Kushner → Rhythm guitar for punk-metal Wasted Youth and hard rock supergroup Velvet Revolver, “Slither” (#56, Mainstream Rock #1, 2004), sessions, solo, film and TV scores
1969 ● Byran Abrams → Vocals in a cappella hip hop harmony group Color Me Badd, “I Wanna Sex You Up” (#2, 1991)
1974 ● Eric Judy → Founding member, bassist and backing vocalist for alt rock Modest Mouse (Lampshades On Fire,” Alt #1, Rock #12, CAN #40), left in 2012 to join indie rock Ugly Casanova
1979 ● Trevor Penick → Vocals for pre-fab teen idol boy-band O-Town, “All Or Nothing” (#3, 2001)

November 17
1937 ● Gerry McGee → Lead guitar for pioneering and venerable rock ‘n’ roll instrumental combo The Ventures, “Walk – Don’t Run” (#2, 1960)
1937 ● Peter Cook → Writer, satirist, stage and film actor, modern British comedian, collaborator with Dudley Moore in the comedy duo Derek & Clive, “Goodbye-ee” (UK #18, 1965), host of UK TV music show Revolver, died from intestinal bleeding caused by alcoholism on 1/9/1995, age 57
1938 ● Gordon Lightfoot → Canadian folk-pop singer, songwriter and guitarist, “Sundown” (#1, 1974) and “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald” (#2, 1976)
1942 ● Bob Gaudio → Co-founder, co-songwriter and lead singer in early rock ‘n’ roll The Royal Teens, “Short Shorts” (#3, 1958), co-founder, constant member, songwriter and producer of Top 40 pop vocal quartet The Four Seasons, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (#1, 1962), producer and songwriter for many others, co-producer (with Frankie Valli) of the Tony-winning Broadway show Jersey Boys (2005)
1944 ● Gene Clark / (Harold Eugene Clark) → Early country-rock singer and songwriter with The New Christy Minstrels, seminal folk-country-rock The Byrds, “Mr. Tambourine Man” (#1, 1965), Dillard & Clark, co-wrote “Eight Miles High” (Top 20, 1966), died of a heart attack on 5/24/1991, age 46
1946 ● Martin Barre → Founding member and guitarist for long-lived Brit folk-rock Jethro Tull, “Living In The Past” (#11, 1973)
1947 ● Rod Clements → Folk-rock bassist for Lindisfarne, “Lady Eleanor” (, 1971) and Jack The Lad, session work and solo albums
1947 ● Stewkey Antoni / (Robert Antoni) → Vocals for psych-rock/garage rock The Nazz, “Hello It’s Me” (#66, 1970) and hard rock Fuse (with Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson and Bun E. Carlos of the future Cheap Trick)
1948 ● Iain Sutherland → Vocals, guitars and keyboards for folk-rock sibling duo The Sutherland Brothers, “(I Don’t Want To Love You But) You Got Me Anyway” (#48, 1973), then joined with an obscure rock band to form The Sutherland Brothers & Quiver, “The Arms Of Mary” (#81, UK #5, 1975)
1951 ● Dino Martin / (Dean Paul Martin, Jr.) → Actor and singer, son of trad pop/MOR singer Dean Martin, member of the Hollywood-pedigree, teenage bubblegum pop trio Dino, Desi & Billy with Desi Arnaz Jr. and classmate Billy Hinsche, “”I’m A Fool” (#17, 1965), officer with the California Air National Guard, died when his CANG F-4 Phantom crashed in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles on 3/21/1987, age 35
1955 ● Peter Cox → New Wave synth-pop duo Go West, “King Of Wishful Thinking” (#8, 1990), now with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
1957 ● Jim Babjak → Founding member and lead guitarist for alt pop-rock The Smithereens, “Only A Memory” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1988), songwriter with multiple film and TV credits
1960 ● RuPaul / (RuPaul Andre Charles) → Cross-dressing drag queen, dance-pop singer and songwriter, “Back To My Roots” (Dance #1, 1993), TV and radio host
1966 ● Jeff Buckley / (Jeffrey Scott Buckley) → Alt folk-rock singer, songwriter and guitarist, “Last Goodbye” (Modern Rock #19, 1995), son of folk singer Tim Buckley, drowned in a Memphis river during a fully-clothed, spontaneous swim on 5/29/1997, age 30
1967 ● Ben Wilson → Keyboardist for blues-rock jam band Blues Traveler, “Run-Around” (#8, 1995)
1967 ● Ronnie DeVoe / (Ronald Boyd DeVoe Jr.) → Vocals for R&B/teen pop then hip hop/new jack swing vocal quartet New Edition, “If It Isn’t Love” (#7, 1988), then Bell Biv Devoe, “Poison” (#3, 1990)
1972 ● Kimya Dawson → Singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist, has several solo albums and co-fronted the anti-folk duo Moldy Peaches, “Anyone Else But You” (2007) was featured in the hit film Juno
1980 ● Clarke Hanson / (Clarke Isaac Hanson) → Guitar, vocals and keyboards for teen pop-rock brother trio Hanson, “MMMBop” (Worldwide #1, 1997)
1981 ● Sarah Nicole Harding / (Sarah Nicole Hardman) → Singer in pre-fab all-girl Euro-pop vocal group Girls Aloud, “Sound Of The Underground” (UK #1, 2002)