Happy Birthday this week to:
November 24
1868 ● Scott Joplin → The “King of Ragtime,” pianist and prolific jazz and ragtime composer best known for his signature piece, “Maple Leaf Rag” (copyright 1899), died from dementia caused by syphilis on 4/1/1917, age 49
1924 ● Eileen Barton → Child vaudeville performer, teenage radio program vocalist, 20-something pop singer with ten Top 40 hits in the 50s, including the perky “If I Knew You Were Coming I’d Have Baked You A Cake” (#1, 1950), continued as a night club and stage entertainer in her 30s and 40s, died from ovarian cancer on 6/27/2006, age 81
1931 ● Tommy Allsup / (Tommy Douglas Allsup) → Rockabilly and swing guitarist with Buddy Holly & The Crickets, lost a coin toss with Ritchie Valens for the last seat on the fateful flight on February 3, 1959 that killed Holly, Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, later worked as a session musician for Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson and others, died from complications of a hernia surgery on 1/11/2017, age 85
1936 ● Ken Kragen / (Kenneth Allan Kragen) → Music manager, TV producer and fundraising professional credited with a key role in organizing the USA for Africa charitable collaboration and the star-studded single “We Are The World” (Worldwide #1, 1985), convinced Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones and other clients to join the effort and recruit other top artists, the project raised over $64 million for African famine relief, followed in 1986 with the semi-successful Hands Across America anti-poverty fundraiser and subsequent events, earlier produced the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967-69) and managed The Bee Gees, Olivia Newton-John and others, continued to consult for businesses and not-for-profits, and teach at UCLA and other schools before dying from natural causes on 12/14/2021, age 85.
1938 ● Charles Laquidara → Radio DJ on early “free format” WBCN/Boston, his morning drive time show The Big Mattress ran for nearly 30 years and set the bar for FM radio morning shows
1939 ● Jim Yester → Guitar and vocals for light pop-rock vocal group The Association, “Along Comes Mary” (#7, 1966)
1939 ● Carl Bunch → Rock ‘n’ roll drummer recruited for Buddy Holly‘s band in the “Winter Dance Party” tour of 1959, suffered frostbite due to a malfunctioning tour bus heater and was hospitalized while the rest of the band took the ill-fated plane flight that killed Holly and others, did session work in Nashville following a stint in the Army, died from diabetes on 3/26/2011, age 71
1940 ● Johnny Carver → Country-pop crossover singer with fifteen Country Top 40 hits in the late 60s through the late 70s, including counterfeits of Tony Orlando & Dawn‘s “Tie A Yellow Ribbon ‘Round The Old Oak Tree” (Country #5, 1973) and one hit wonder Starland Vocal Band‘s “Afternoon Delight” (Country #9, 1976), performed in Branson, MO venues into the 90s.
1941 ● Pete Best / (Randolph Peter Best) → The “5th The Beatle“, drummer for The Beatles from August 1960 until fired and replaced by Ringo Starr in August 1962, went into civil service and continued to perform as frontman to his own bands
1941 ● Duck Dunn / (Donald Dunn) → Bassist, songwriter, highly regarded session player, member of Stax Records house band Booker T. & The MG’s, “Green Onions” (#3, 1962) and The Blues Brothers, “Soul Man” (#14, 1979), died in his sleep while on tour in Tokyo on 5/13/2012, age 70
1941 ● Wayne Jackson / (Wayne Lamar Jackson) → Trumpet player for various studio session bands at Stax Records, first as The Mar-Keys (“Last Night,” #3, 1961) and later as Booker T. & The M.G.’s, joined with tenor saxophonist Andrew Love to form The Memphis Horns in 1969 and played on scores of albums by Elvis Presley, Rod Stewart, U2, among others, died from congestive heart failure on 6/21/2016, age 74
1942 ● Billy Connolly → Scottish comedian, film and TV actor and singer, member of folk trio The Humblebums with Gerry Rafferty in 70s, then briefly a folk-novelty-pop solo artist, covered “D.I.V.O.R.C.E.” (UK #1, 1975)
1943 ● Robin Williamson → Guitarist and principal in Scottish psych-folk and early world music duo The Incredible String Band, 1968 album The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter reached #161 in the US
1943 ● Richard Tee / (Richard Ten Ryk) → R&B and funk keyboardist, session musician, arranger and singer who played on hundreds of studio albums by top-tier artists in rock, pop and soul as well as in band’s led by George Benson, Grover Washington, Jr., Steve Gadd and others, issued seven solo albums, two of which reached into the Jazz Top 25, died in his prime from prostate cancer on 7/21/1993, age 49
1945 ● Lee Michaels / (Michael Olsen) → One hit wonder psych-rock/blue eyed soul singer, songwriter and keyboardist, “Do You Know What I Mean” (#6, 1971)
1946 ● Tony Clarkin / (Anthony Michael Clarkin) → English guitarist, frontman and songwriter for progressive/melodic hard rock Magnum, wrote all of the material on the band’s 23 studio albums, including a final album released in January 2024 and two LPs by spin-off group Hard Rain during a hiatus in the early 90s, Magnum had ten charting singles in the UK, four of which were in the UK Top 20, died from complications or a rare spinal condition on 1/7/2024, age 77.
1948 ● Tony Bourge → Guitarist for early and influential heavy metal Budgie, “Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman” (1971)
1949 ● Anita Louis → Original member in R&B/soul vocal quartet The Soul Children, “I’ll Be The Other Woman” (#36, R&B #3, 1973), the group did not meet the expectations of Isaac Hayes and other Stax Records executives who created the group to offset the loss of departed duo Sam & Dave
1950 ● Robert Burns, Jr. → Original drummer and founding member of raunchy Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Sweet Home Alabama” (#8, 1974), left in 1974 after the band’s first two albums due to road fatigue, died in a single-car accident on 4/3/2015, age 64
1955 ● Clement Burke / (Clement Bozewski) → Original drummer for New Wave pop-rock Blondie, “Heart Of Glass” (#1, 1979), later with The Romantics, occasional tours with The Ramones (as “Elvis Ramone”), session work for Pete Townshend, Bob Dylan, The Gog-Go’s, The Sex Pistols and others
1957 ● Chris Hayes → Guitar and backing vocals for pop-rock bar band Huey Lewis & The News, “The Power Of Love” (#1, 1985)
1958 ● Carmel McCourt → Brit jazz-pop-rock vocalist and bandleader for Carmel, “Bad Day” (UK #15, 1983)
1962 ● Gary Stonadge → Bassist for funk-punk Big Audio Dynamite, “V. Thirteen” (Dance/Club #15, 1987) and The Rotten Hill Gang
1962 ● John Squire → Guitarist for Brit guitar pop-rock The Stone Roses, “She Bangs The Drums” (Alt Rock #9, 1989) and indie rock The Seahorses, “Love Is The Law” (UK #3, 1997), painter
1964 ● Tony Rombola → Guitarist for hard rock Godsmack, “Straight Out Of Line” (Mainstream #1, 2003)
1970 ● Chad Taylor → Guitarist for alt rock Live, “Lightning Crashes” (Modern Rock #5, 1995) and The Gracious Few, “Appetite” (Mainstream Rock #29, 2010)
November 25
1931 ● Nat Adderley / (Nathaniel Adderley) → Hard bebop and soul jazz cornet and trumpeteer player, wrote and recorded the now-standard “Work Song” in 1960, played with his brother Julian “Cannonball” Adderley in various jazz-pop bands, died from complications of diabetes on 1/2/2012, age 68
1935 ● Mack Starr / (Julius McMichael) → R&B vocalist, songwriter and frontman for Brooklyn street-corner harmony quintet The Paragons (“Florence,” 1957), unraveled the group in 1961 for a solo career, joined doo wop The Olympics in 1968 but left in the early 70s, died in a motorcycle accident in Los Angeles on 6/1/1981, age 45
1941 ● Percy Sledge → Pleading R&B/Southern soul balladeer, “When A Man Loves A Woman” (#1, 1965) and three other Top 40 hits, died from liver cancer on 4/14/2015, age 73
1942 ● Bob Lind → One hit wonder folk-pop singer and songwriter, his “Elusive Butterfly” (#5, 1966) is sometimes credited with being in the vanguard of folk-rock music and his songs have been recorded by scores of other artists, continues to perform into the 10s
1944 ● Bev Bevan / (Beverly Bevan) → Drummer and founding member of Brit psych-rock The Move, “Blackberry Way” (UK #1, 1968), pop-rock Electric Light Orchestra, “Don’t Bring Me Down” (#4, 1979) and 26 other Top 40 hits and Black Sabbath, now a UK radio host on Saga FM
1947 ● Val Fuentes → Drummer for San Francisco psych-folk-rock It’s A Beautiful Day, “White Bird” (1969)
1950 ● Jocelyn Brown → R&B/dance-pop session vocalist and solo artist, “Somebody Else’s Guy” (R&B #2, 1984), worked with John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and others
1959 ● Steve Rothery → Original member and lead guitar for Brit prog-rock revival group Marillion, “Kayleigh” (Mainstream Rock #14, 1985)
1960 ● Amy Grant → Grammy-winning Contemporary Christian music (CCM) then pop-rock singer and songwriter, “Every Heartbeat” (#1, 1991) and six other Top 40 hits
1964 ● Mark Lanegan / (Mark William Lanegan) → Gritty yet soulful vocalist, songwriter and integral part of the Seattle-based grunge rock scene in the 80s and 90s, first as lead singer from 1984 for early grunge band Screaming Trees (“All I Know,” Mainstream #9, 1996) and later as a member of stoner metal Queens Of The Stone Age (“No One Knows,” #51, Mainstream #5, 2002) and alt. rock The Gutter Twins, released 12 solo studio albums through 2020, survived a bout with the COVID-19 virus in 2021 but died from undisclosed causes on 2/22/2022, age 57.
1966 ● Stacey Lattishaw → R&B/dance-pop vocalist, “Let Me Be Your Angel” (#21, R&B #8, 1980), retired from music in 1990 to raise her family
1966 ● Tim Armstrong → Grammy-winning guitarist, songwriter poet, producer and independent record label owner, frontman for 90s punk revival Rancid, “Time Bomb” (Modern Rock #8, 1995)
1967 ● Rodney Sheppard → Guitarist for funk-pop-rock Sugar Ray, “Fly” (#1, 1997)
1968 ● Tunde / (Babatunde Emanuel Baiyewu) → Nigerian-descent singer in Brit R&B/Northern soul duo Lighthouse Family, “Lifted” (UK #4, 1996) and 9 other UK Top 40 hits, solo
1972 ● Mark Duane Morton → Lead guitar for groove metal Lamb God, album Wrath reached #2 in 2009
November 26
1917 ● Nesuhi Ertegun → Record producer and music company executive, joined his younger brother, Ahmet at Atlantic Records in 1956 and focused on the label’s jazz catalog and artists, worked with John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and others, later branched into R&B and rock with Ray Charles, The Drifters and Roberta Flack, founded WEA International and served as its CEO until just before his death from cancer on 7/15/1989, age 71
1924 ● Michael Holliday / (Norman Milne) → Late 50s, pre-Beatles adult contemporary/pop crooner, “The Story of My Life” (UK #1, 1957), died from an apparent suicidal drug overdose on 10/29/1963, age 38
1933 ● Roberrt Goulet → Grammy-, Emmy- and Tony-winning, French-Canadian-American stage and screen entertainer and resonant baritone singer with several charting hits, including “My Love, Forgive Me (Amore, Scusami)” (#16, AC #3, 1964) and dozens of jazz-pop/easy listening albums, plus 30-years worth of Broadway, TV, film and Las Vegas show performances until his death from pulmonary fibrosis on 10/30/2007. age 73
1939 ● Tina Turner / (Anna Mae Bullock) → R&B/soul-pop diva, first as a member of The Ikettes, husband Ike Turner‘s backing vocal group, then soul-pop duo Ike & Tina Turner, “Proud Mary” (#4, 1971), escaped an abusive and often violent husband in 1977 and pulled herself up to become a 12-time Grammy-winning soul-pop diva with eleven Top 40 singles in the 80s, including “What’s Love Got To Do With It” (#1, 1984), starred in the post-apocalyptic dystopian action film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), moved to Switzerland in 1994, finished a 50th anniversary world tour in 2009, became a Swiss citizen in 2013, appeared in a bio-documentary in 2021, and died after a long-term series of illnesses on 5/24/2023, age 83.
1939 ● Dave White / (David Ernest White) → Rock ‘n’ roll/pop singer-songwriter, founding member of doo-wop quartet Danny & The Juniors, co-wrote their hit “At the Hop” (#1, 1957) and composed the follow-on single “Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay” (#19, 1958), left in 1960 to team with John Madara to write and produce “The Fly” (#7, 1961) for Chubby Checker, “You Don’t Own Me“ (#2, 1963) for Lesley Gore and “1-2-3” ( 1965) for Len Barry, among many other songs, later founded short-lived pop trio The Spokesmen (“The Dawn Of Correction,” #36, 1966), lived off royalties from his hits and performed occasionally with a reformed Danny & The Juniors until dying from lung and throat cancer on 3/16/2019, age 79.
1940 ● Davey Graham / (David Michael Gordon Graham) → Folk guitarist, songwriter and highly influential figure in the Brit folk revival of the early 60s known for blending folk, blues, jazz and Middle Eastern sounds and inspiring Joni Mitchell, Bert Jansch, Jimmy Page and others, his oft-covered acoustic instrumental “Anji” (1962) is a standard among acoustic guitarists, died from lung cancer on 12/15/2008, age 68
1944 ● Jean Terrell → R&B/soul singer, replaced Diana Ross in The Supremes in 1969, “Up The Ladder To The Roof” (#10, 1970), left in 1973 for a solo career and backing vocalist for various jazz acts
1945 ● John McVie → Founding member, part namesake and bassist for Brit blues-rock then huge pop-rock group Fleetwood Mac, “Go Your Own Way” (#10, 1977)
1946 ● Bert Ruiter / (Albertus Clemens Ruiter) → Bass guitarist and backing vocals for Dutch progressive rock band Focus from 1971 to 1978, played on six albums and the band’s international hit “Hocus Pocus” (#9, 1973), joined symphonic- then pop-rock Earth & Fire (“Weekend,” Dutch #1 and others in Europe, 1979) through the 80s, worked with E&F bandmate and frontwoman Jerney Kaagman on her two solo albums in 1984 and 1987 (in addition to a long romantic relationship), rejoined Focus for a brief stint in the 90, remained active in the Dutch music industry as an arranger and producer until his death from undisclosed causes on 3/24/2022, age 75.
1946 ● Graham Foote → Guitarist in British Invasion pop-rock The Mindbenders, “The Game Of Love” (#1, 1965)
1948 ● John Rossall → Saxophone, trombone and music director for Gary Glitter‘s backing group The Glitter Band, “Angel Face” (UK #4, 1974) and later incarnations of the group
1949 ● Gayle McCormick → Little-known pop-rock singer with several minor albums and singles as a solo artist, plus lead vocals for pop-rock cover vocal group Smith and their grittier version of The Shirelles‘ “Baby It’s You” (#5, 1969), which charted higher than the original version from 1962, and on the group’s cover of “The Weight” from the soundtrack to the film Easy Rider (1969).
1949 ● Martin Lee / (Martin Barnes) → English singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist in the second line-up of MOR-pop Brotherhood Of Man, co-wrote and sang lead on the group’s first big hit, “Save Your Kisses For Me” (#27, UK #1, 1976) and two other UK Top 10 hits, released 16 albums with the group and continued to tour for four decades – with a two-year hiatus in 1983 – until a final performance in 2020, died from heart failure after a short illness on 9/29/2024, age 77.
1963 ● Adam Gaynor → Rhythm guitarist for post-grunge alt rock Matchbox Twenty, “Bent” (#1, 2000), solo
1967 ● John Stirratt → Bassist and songwriter for alt country-rock Wilco, “Outtasite (Outta Mind)” (Mainstream Rock #22, 1997)
1970 ● Ron Jones → Guitarist for neo-psych alt rock The Flaming Lips, “She Don’t Use Jelly” (#55, 1995)
1981 ● Natasha Bedingfield → New Zealand-born dance-pop singer and songwriter, “Unwritten” (#5, 2006) plus three other Top 40 hits
1984 ● Ben Wysocki → Drummer for mainstream/piano rock The Fray, “How To Save A Life” (#3, 2006)
1985 ● Lil Fizz / (Dreux Frederic) → Vocals for R&B/hip hop urban boy band B2K, “Bump, Bump, Bump” (#1, 2002)
1990 ● Rita Ora → Kosovo-born UK dance/pop singer and dancer with three consecutive UK #1 singles, including “How We Do (Party)” (#62, Dance/Pop #1, UK #1, 2012)
November 27
1935 ● Al Jackson, Jr. → Drummer, songwriter, producer, highly regarded session player, member of Stax Records house band Booker T. & The MG’s, “Green Onions” (#3, 1962), murdered by intruders in his home on 10/1/1975, age 39
1936 ● Henri Belolo → Club DJ in his native French-Morocco and record label A&R man in Paris, then US-based disco-era songwriter, band manager, producer and, with with his business partner, composer Jacques Morali, co-creator of R&B/disco The Ritchie Family and overtly gay, campy funk-disco troupe The Village People, the two co-produced multiple disco hits, often co-written with VP lead singer Victor Willis, including “Brazil” for the Ritchies (#11, Dance/Club #1, 1975), and “Y.M.C.A.” (#2, 1979) and “In The Navy” (#3, 1979) for the Village People, returned to France in the 90s and produced Latin-tinged dance music until his death from pancreatic cancer on 8/3/2019, age 82.
1939 ● Buzz Cason / (James Elmore Cason) → Nashville-born musician and songwriter with a long and influential career in the city’s music scene, starting as lead singer in the city’s first rock ‘n’ roll group, teenaged The Casuals in the late 50s, then co-founded doo wop The Statues and sang their cover version of “Blue Velvet” (#84, 1960), the first version of the song to reach the Top 100, recorded as a solo act under the pseudonym Garry Miles and released a version of Garry Mills’ “Look For A Star” (#16, 1960), co-produced The Crickets’ cover of “La Bamba” in 1962 and joined the group for a UK tour in 1964, in the mid-60s worked as a session vocalist under various pseudonyms on soundalike covers of popular hits for budget albums, joined surf-rock Ronny & The Daytonas in 1965 and wrote “Sandy” (#27, 1965) for the band, wrote “Popsicle” (#21, 1966) for Jan & Dean, best known for co-writing “Everlasting Love” (Robert Knight, #13, 1967) one of Nashville’s most successful singles and the only one to reach the Top 40 with four different artists in four different decades, opened a recording studio in 1970 and produced albums by Jimmy Buffett, Dolly Parton, The Doobie Brothers and others through the late 70s, fronted his own rockabilly band, B.C. & The Dartz in the 80s, wrote his autobiography in 2004, continued to write and record until just a few years before his death from unspecified causes on 6/16/2024, age 84.
1941 ● Eddie Rabbitt / (Edward Thomas Rabbitt) → Country-pop singer and songwriter, “I Love a Rainy Night” (#1, 1980), Elvis Presley, Dr. Hook, Tom Jones and others covered his songs, died of lung cancer on 5/7/1998, age 56
1942 ● Jimi Hendrix / (James Marshall Hendrix) → Electric blues, rock and R&B guitar innovator and virtuoso, songwriter and bandleader, “Purple Haze” (US #65, UK #3, 1967), died from a drug overdose in his London hotel room on 9/18/70, age 27
1944 ● Trevor “Dozy” Ward-Davies → Bass guitar for 60s “freakbeat” Brit pop-rock quintet Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, “The Legend Of Xanadu” (UK #1, 1968)
1945 ● Randy Brecker → Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer, collaborator with brother Randy in jazz-rock fusion The Brecker Brothers, “Sneakin’ Up Behind You” (#58, Disco #3, 1975), worked with jazz-rock/pop-rock fusion band Blood, Sweat & Tears, plus Horace Silver, Larry Coryell and other sessions, solo
1948 ● Dave Winthrop → Flute, saxophone and occasional lead vocals for Brit prog-art-then pop-rock Supertramp, “The Logical Song” (#6, 1979), briefly with blues-rock Chicken Shack and mod revival Secret Affair, session work
1953 ● Lyle Mays / (Lyle David Mays) → Accomplished jazz-rock fusion keyboardist, composer and author, co-founded the Pat Metheny Group in 1977 and co-wrote most of the band’s music with frontman Pat Metheny over a 40-plus-year collaboration, won eleven Grammy Awards in the process, composed several children’s audio book and toured and recorded as a bandleader for his own jazz and fusion bands and as a sideman with others, including Joni Mitchell and David Bowie (“This Is Not America,” #32, UK #14, 1985), died from an undisclosed, recurring medical condition on 2/10/2020, age 66.
1959 ● Charlie Burchill → Guitar for Scottish New Wave pop-rock Simple Minds, “(Don’t You) Forget About Me” ($1, 1985)
1960 ● Ashley Ingram → Vocals for R&B/electro-dance-soul Imagination, “Just An Illusion” (Dance/Club #15, 1982)
1961 ● Princess / (Desiree Heslop) → Vocalist in Afro-pop/worldbeat Osibisa, “The Warrior” (Dance/Club #32, 1977) and solo “Say I’m Your Number One” (UK #7, 1985)
1962 ● Charlie Benante → Drummer for speed/thrash metal Anthrax, “Only” (Mainstream #26, 1993) and punk/metal side project Stormtroopers Of Death
1962 ● Mike Bordin → Drummer for influential metal/funk/hip hop/punk fusion band Faith No More, “Epic” (#9, 1990)
1965 ● Fiachna Ó Braonáin → Vocals and guitar for Irish rockers Hothouse Flowers, “Don’t Go” (Modern Rock #7, 1988), duet with Belinda Carlisle on her 2007 album Voila
1970 ● Skoob (aka “Books”) / (William “Willie” Hines) → Vocals in rapid-fire, nonsensical rap duo Das EFX, “Straight From The Sewer” (Rap #3, 1992)
1971 ● Terry Corso → Guitarist for alt rock Alien Ant Farm, “Smooth Criminal” (#23, 2001)
1973 ● Twista / (Carl Terrell Mitchell) → Chicago rapper known at one time as the world’s fastest, “Slow Jamz” (#1, 2004) from the #1 album Kamikaze
1978 ● Mike Skinner → Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, rapper, songwriter and leader of the rap/garage “grime” project The Streets, “Dry Your Eyes” (UK #1, 2004)
November 28
1929 ● Berry Gordy, Jr. → Professional boxer turned record producer and talent agent, founded Motown Records and brought black music into tens of millions of white homes, composer and co-writer of several hits, including “Lonely Teardrops” for Jackie Wilson (#7, R&B #1, 1958)
1932 ● Ray Perkins → Bass vocals for Canadian harmony pop/rock quartet The Crew Cuts, covered “Sh-Boom” (#1, 1954)
1932 ● Ethel Ennis / (Ethel Llewellyn Ennis) → Affectionately but unofficially the “First Lady of Jazz” in Baltimore, Maryland, up-and-coming jazz singer in the 50s and 60s who toured Europe with Benny Goodman, worked with Miles Davis and John Coltrane, appeared on TV with Duke Ellington, recorded eight solo albums and became a regular on Arthur Godfrey Time on national radio and TV, but gave up the limelight and potential superstardom for the smaller stages, including her own nightclub, in her home city where she died following a stroke on 2/17/2019, age 86.
1936 ● Roy McCurdy → Mid-70s drummer in jazz-rock/pop-rock fusion band Blood, Sweat & Tears, “Spinning Wheel” (#2, 1969), session work and now music professor
1939 ● Gary Troxel → Vocals in pop/blue-eyed soul/doo wop trio The Fleetwoods, “Come To Me Softly” (#1, 1959)
1940 ● Bruce Channel / (Bruce McMeans) → One hit wonder country-pop and pop/rock singer, “Hey Baby” (#1, 1962)
1940 ● Glen Curtis → Vocals for Brit pop/rock harmony group The Fortunes, “You’ve Got Your Troubles” (#7, 1965)
1943 ● Randy Newman / (Randall Stuart Newman) → Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and pianist, “Sail Away” (1972) and “Short People” (#2, 1978), wrote “Mama Told Me (Not To Come)” for Three Dog Night (#1, 1970), composed the film soundtrack to Ragtime (1981)
1944 ● R.B. Greaves / (Ronald Betram “R.B.” Greaves, III) → One hit wonder soul-pop singer, “Take a Letter Maria” (#2, 1969)
1946 ● Billy Kinsley → Founding member, lead guitar and lead vocals for Britbeat pop-rock The Merseybeats, “Mr. Moonlight'” (UK #5, 1964) and seven other UK Top 40 hits but no chart presence in the US, then folk-pop vocal duo The Merseys, “Sorrow” (UK #4, 1966), reformed The Merseybeats in 1993 and continues with the band
1947 ● Gary Taylor → Bassist for Brit psych-rock band The Herd, “I Don’t Want Our Loving To Die” (UK #5, 1968)
1948 ● Beeb Birtles / (Gerard Bertelkamp) → Rhythm guitar and vocals for Aussie pop/rockers Little River Band, “Lonesome Loser” (#6, 1979), solo
1949 ● Hugh McKenna → Scottish keyboardist for rock ‘n roll The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, “Delilah” (UK #7, 1975)
1949 ● Paul Shaffer → Pianist, composer, music director, actor, and frontman for the Saturday Night Live and David Letterman house bands
1951 ● Lynton Guest → Keyboardist for London-based, teenage R&B/soul-pop Love Affair, “Everlasting Love” (UK #1, 1968) and four other UK Top 20 hits in the late 60s, fell into obscurity following the band’s break-up in the 70s
1953 ● Alan Murphy → Brit session guitarist for Kate Bush, Go West, Mike + The Mechanics, Joan Armatrading and others, joined jazz-funk-pop fusion Level 42, “Lessons In Love” (#12, 1987) in 1988, died from AIDS-related pneumonia on 10/19/1989, age 35
1954 ● David Jaymes → Bassist for Brit dance-pop band Modern Romance, “Can You Move” (Dance/Club #2, 1981) and “Best Years Of Our Lives” (UK #4, 1982)
1958 ● David Van Day → Singer for Brit cabaret-pop Guys N’ Dolls, “There’s A Whole Lot Of Loving” (UK #2, 1975), then formed pop duo Dollar with Thereza Bazar, “Mirror, Mirror” (UK #4, 1981), solo and lately with pop-dance Bucks Fizz
1962 ● Matt Cameron → Drummer for seminal grunge-rock group Soundgarden, “Black Hole Sun” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1994)
1968 ● Dawn Robinson → Vocals in Grammy-winning female club-dance quartet En Vogue, “Hold On” (#2, 1990)
1970 ● Matt Cheslin → Bassist for indie punk-rock Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, “Not Sleeping Around” (Modern Rock #1, 1992)
1973 ● Jade Errol Puget → Guitarist for alt-punk-rock AFI (A Fire Inside), “Miss Murder” (#24, Modern Rock #1, 2006) and keyboards for electronica Blaqk Audio, “Stiff Kittens” (Dance/Club #38, 2007)
1974 ● Apl.de.Ap / (Allan Pineda Lindo, Jr.) → Filipino-American hip hop singer, producer, rapper with Black Eyed Peas, “Don’t Phunk With My Heart” (#3, 2005)
1979 ● Chamillionaire / (Hakeem Seriki) → Rapper called the “Mixtape Messiah”, producer, record executive, “Ridin'” (#1, 2006)
1983 ● Rostam Batmanglij → Multi-instrumentalist and producer for indie Afro-pop/rock Vampire Weekend, “Cousins” (Alt Rock #18, 2009)
1983 ● Tyler Glenn → Vocals and keyboards for pop dance-punk Neon Trees, “Everybody Talks” (#6, 2012)
1984 ● Trey Songz / (Tremaine Aldon Neverson) → R&B/hip hop tenor singer and songwriter with multiple R&B and Hip Hop Chart Top 10 hits, including “Bottoms Up” (#6, Hip Hop #2, 2010) and
November 29
1917 ● Merle Travis → Country singer and songwriter, legendary guitarist (“Travis picking” style) and inventor of the first solid body electric guitar, wrote “Sixteen Tons for Ernie Ford (Country #1, 1955), died on 10/20/1983, age 65.
1932 ● John Gary / (John Gary Strader) → Radio announcer, 30-time The Tonight Show guest, voice actor and three-and-a-half octave singer with five Top 20 albums, a single minor pop hit, “Soon I’ll Wed My Love” (#89, 1964) and an Adult Contemporary chart-topper, “Cold” (AC #1, 1967), died from prostate cancer on 1/4/1998, age 65
1933 ● John Mayall / (John Brumwell Mayall, OBE) → The “Godfather of British Blues”, bandleader for influential blues-rock The Bluesbreakers and mentor to Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Peter Green and dozens of other rock artists, over a six-decade career issued nearly 44 singles and over 90 albums of studio and live recordings, both as a solo artist and with various lineups of The Bluesbreakers, the last, The Sun Is Shining Down, in 2022, died at home in California from undisclosed causes on 7/22/2024, age 90.
1939 ● Meco Monardo / (Domenico Monardo) → Trombonist, session musician, composer, record producer and one hit wonder bandleader with the disco hit “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band” (#1, 1977)
1939 ● Peter Bergman → Comedian, writer and member of 60s/70s eclectic, satiric, surrealistic radio-friendly comic quartet The Firesign Theatre, which formed as a result of his show Radio Free Oz on KPFK in Los Angeles in 1966, the group’s nearly 40 albums were cult hits, particluarly for college audiences, died from complications of leukemia on 3/9/2012, age 72
1939 ● Joel Whitburn / (Joel Carver Whitburn) → Lifelong rock and pop music lover who started detailing the chart performance of singles on index cards as a teenager and eventually became the foremost authority on the history of popular music and charts, quit his job as an RCA Records salesman to start his own company, Records Research, Inc. and publish his first book, “Top Pop Singles” in 1970, followed with over 200 individual, highly-detailed books covering pop charts since 1940, mostly in collaboration with Billboard magazine but including data from Cash Box and other sources, amassed a vinyl collection of over 200,000 records, including every 45 RPM single to reach the Billboard charts, his work is used daily by other historians, DJs and music lovers worldwide, died at home from unspecified causes on 6/14/2022, age 82.
1940 ● Chuck Mangione / (Charles Frank Mangione) → Grammy-winning bebop and light jazz-pop instrumental trumpeter and flugelhorn player, “Feels So Good” (#4, 1978)
1940 ● Mark James / (Francis Rodney Zambon) → Nashville-based songwriter in a wide range of musical genres, wrote hits for Elvis Presley (“Suspicious Minds,” #1, 1969), Blue Swede (“Hooked On A Feeling,” #1, 1974, originally recorded by B. J. Thomas, #5, 1968) and co-wrote Willie Nelson’s enduring Grammy-winning “Always On My Mind” (Country #1, 1982), plus other songs released by a diverse list of artists, including Jay Z, Pet Shop Boys, Bill Withers and Fine Young Cannibals, died at home from undisclosed causes on 6/8/2024, age 83.
1941 ● Jody Miller / (Myrna Joy Miller) → Country-pop guitarist and singer/songwriter known as the “Queen Of The House” after her Grammy-winning hit song of the same name (#12, Country #5, 1965) answered Roger Miller’s “King Of The Road (#4, Country #1, 1965), scored a second Top 40 hit with the now-prophetic “Home Of The Brave” (#25, 1965) but failed to crack the Top 40 thereafter, despite eleven Country Top 40 hits through 1979 including several country-pop covers, retired in the early 80s but reappeared in the 90s as Christian and gospel singer, died from complications of Parkinson’s disease on 10/6/2022, age 80.
1941 ● Denny Doherty → Canadian folk-pop singer and songwriter, founding member of The Mamas & The Papas, “Monday Monday” (#1, 1966), died from an abdominal aneurysm on 1/19/2007, age 65
1944 ● Felix Cavaliere → Keyboards for early rock ‘n’ roll Joey Dee & The Starlighters, “The Peppermint Twist” (#1, 1962), then organ and vocals for blue-eyed soul-pop The Rascals, “Groovin”” (#1, 1967), solo
1944 ● Twink / (John Charles Edward Alder) → Psych-rock drummer, singer, songwriter and sometime actor who was a central character in the London-based 60s and 70s psychedelic movement, formed and fronted numerous psychedelic pop and rock bands, including The In Crowd, The Pink Fairies and The Rings, issued fifteen solo albums, converted to Islam and changed his name to Mohammed Abdullah and continues to record in the 10s
1947 ● Ronnie Montrose → Session guitarist for Van Morrison, Boz Scaggs and the Edgar Winter Group, “Frankenstein” (#1, 1973), then founder and frontman of hard rock Montrose, solo and hard rock Gamma, “Right The First Time” (Mainstream Rock #10, 1982), died of prostate cancer on 3/3/2012, age 64
1951 ● Barry Goudreau → Guitarist on first two albums for 70s-80s arena rock Boston, “More Than A Feeling” (#5, 1976), left for solo plus Orion The Hunter and RTZ
1951 ● Roger Troutman → Co-founder and innovative “talk box” lead singer for underrated but influential funk group Zapp, “More Bounce To The Ounce” (R&B #2, 1980), co-wrote and sang chorus for Tupac Shakur on “California Love” (#1, 1996), shot and killed by his brother and bandmate Larry Troutman in a murder/suicide on 4/25/1999, age 47
1956 ● Chris Bailey / (Christopher James Mannix Bailey) → Kenya-born, Irish-blooded, Australian-immigrant, songwriter and frontman for trailblazing punk rock The Saints, their now-classic punk anthem “(I’m) Stranded” (AUS #98, 1977) introduced punk music Down Under and garnered significant attention in the burgeoning punk movements in the US and UK, predating by mere months debuts from bands like The Clash and The Ramones, left The Saints in 1991 to form the Chris Bailey Combo and released seven studio albums through 2005, died from undisclosed causes on 4/9/2022, age 65.
1958 ● Michael Dempsey → Bassist for post-punk art-glam-goth rock The Cure, “Friday I’m In Love” (Modern Rock #1, 1992) and Scottish punk rock The Associates
1959 ● Wendy Wu / (Wendy Cruise) → Lead vocals and frontgal for New Wave post-punk Blondie-style The Photos, “Irene” (UK #56, 1980)
1965 ● Wallis Buchanan → Vibraphonist for Grammy-winning Brit acid jazz-funk-pop Jamiroquai, “Canned Heat” (Dance #1, 1999)
1968 ● Jonathan Knight → Vocals in early 90s teen-pop boy band New Kids On The Block, “Step By Step” (#1, 1990)
1968 ● Martin Carr → Guitarist, songwriter and founding member of 90s Brit guitar-pop The Boo Radleys, “Barney (…And Me)” (Alt Rock #30, 1994)
1970 ● Frank Delgado → Turntablist, keyboardist and sampler for Grammy-winning alt heavy metal Deftones, “Change (In The House Of Flies)” (Mainstream Rock #9, 2000)
1979 ● The Game / (Jayceon Terrell Taylor) → Grammy-nominated West Coast gangsta rapper, “Hate It Or Love It” (#2, 2005)
November 30
1915 ● Brownie McGhee → Influential Piedmont-style electric blues guitarist, long-time collaborator with blind harpist Sonny Terry, “Robbie Doby Boogie” (1948), Broadway, film and TV actor, died of stomach cancer on 2/16/1996, age 80
1924 ● Allan Sherman / (Allan Copelon) → Comedian, musical satirist, singer and songwriter, “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” (#2, 1963), died from emphysema on 11/20/1973, age 48
1929 ● Dick Clark / (Richard Augustus Wagstaff Clark Jr.) → Formerly “America’s oldest living teenager,” clean-cut and venerable radio DJ/commentator, longtime TV host for American Bandstand, astute music impresario and executive producer for TV entertainment programs, died following a heart attack on 4/18/2012, age 82
1932 ● Bob Moore / (Bobby Loyce Moore) → Bass guitarist and member of the Nashville A-Team of top session musicians in the 50s and 60s, backed dozens of hits by Elvis Presley,Bob Dylan,Jerry Lee Lewis and many others, directed backing bands for country star Red Foley, Connie Francis and Brenda Lee, issued several country-pop albums in the 60s and scored the Top 10 hit “Mexico” (#7, 1961), largely disappeared from the music business after a mid-80s injury to his hand forced an early retirement, died from an unspecified cause on 9/22/2021, age 88.
1937 ● Frank Ifield / (Francis Edward Ifield) → London-born, Australia-raised country-pop and easy listening US one hit wonder singer with six UK Top 10 singles during Beatlemania, including “I Remember You” (#5, UK #1, 1962), kept recording and performing in the 70s and 80s until contracting pneumonia in 1986 and having a lung removed with resulting vocal cord damage, recovered his singing voice and issued a dance remake of an earlier hit, renamed “The Yodeling Song” (UK #40, 1991), his 16th and final charting single in the UK over a 30-year career, died from pneumonia on 5/18/2024, age 86.
1937 ● Jimmy Bowen / (James Albert Bowen) → One hit wonder teen-pop singer (“I’m Sticking With You,” #14, 1957), pivoted to the other side of the microphone and enjoyed a long career as a songwriter and producer, co-wrote “Party Doll” with Buddy Knox (#1, 1957) and produced “Strangers In The Night” for Frank Sinatra (#1, 1966), worked with Glen Campbell, Garth Brooks and others, oversaw movie productions in the 70s, 80s and 90s
1939 ● Norma Tanega / (Norma Cecilia Tanega) → One hit wonder novelty pop-folk singer with “Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog” (#22, 1966), the song was covered by Barry McGuire (1972) and They Might Be Giants (1999), among others, afterwards left for the UK and other opportunities, took up a professional and personal relationship with British pop-soul singer Dusty Springfield and co-wrote several of Dusty‘s B-Side songs, returned to the U.S. in 1970 to begin a decades-long music teaching career in various California state and private colleges, died from colon cancer on 12/29/2019, age 80.
1941 ● Pat Rizzo / (Patrick Rizzo) → Saxophone and flute for early 60s rock band The Clovers, then from 1970 in groundbreaking, mixed race soul/funk Sly & The Family Stone (“Family Affair,” #1, R&B #1, 1971), left in 1975 and later joined funk-rock War (“Galaxy,” #39, R&B #5, 1978), did session work in the 80s for crooner Frank Sinatra and Latin jazz-pop great Tito Puente, performed in his own clubs and around the Palm Springs (CA) area before succumbing to cancer on 4/15/2021, age 77.
1943 ● Leo Lyons / (David William Lyons) → Bassist in British blues-rock Ten Years After, “I’d Love To Change The World” (Top 40, 1971)
1943 ● J. J. Barnes / (James Jay Barnes) → R&B singer and songwriter with several minor singles in the early 60s before joining Motown Records for a short stint as a writer, then with R&B soul trio The Holidays (“I’ll Love You Forever,” R&B #7, 1966), co-written with bandmate Edwin Starr, and the solo hit “Baby Please Come Back Home” (R&B #9, 1967), relocated to England in 70s and enjoyed a modest second career on the Northern Soul circuit in the UK in the 80s, died from undisclosed causes on 12/10/2022, age 79.
1944 ● Luther Ingram → R&B/soul singer and songwriter, “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right” (#3, 1972), co-wrote The Staple Singers‘ “Respect Yourself” (#12, 1971), died from heart failure on 3/19/2007, age 62
1944 ● Rob Grill / (Robert Frank Grill) → Bassist, lead singer and songwriter for AM Top 40 pop-rockers The Grass Roots, “Midnight Confessions” (#5, 1968), fronted and toured with the band until his death following a stroke on 7/11/2011, age 66
1945 ● Roger Glover → Bassist in hard rock/prog rock Deep Purple, “Smoke On The Water” (#4, 1973), left in 1973 for solo career, sessions, tours with Nazareth, Ian Gillian and others, joined Rainbow in 1979 and rejoined Deep Purple in 1984
1949 ● Ruby Starr / (Constance Henrietta Mierzviak) → Backing vocalist in Southern rock Black Oak Arkansas, sang on the hit duet “Jim Dandy” (#25, 1973), later fronted Ruby Starr & Grey Ghost and The Ruby Starr Band, died from lung cancer and a brain tumor on 11/29/1995, age 45.
1953 ● David Sancious → Jazz-rock fusion keyboardist, early work with Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band, solo, sessions and collaborator with Stanley Clark, Peter Gabriel, Sting and others
1953 ● Shuggie Otis / (Johnny Otis, Jr.) → R&B/soul singer and songwriter, “Inspiration Information” (R&B #56, 1975), The Brothers Johnson covered his “Strawberry Letter 23” (#5, 1977)
1953 ● June Pointer / (June Pointer Whitmore) → Youngest of the R&B/soul-pop-disco-dance sister act The Pointer Sisters, “Slow Hand” (#2, 1981), died following a stroke on 4/11/2006, age 52
1954 ● George McArdle → Bassist for Aussie pop/rockers Little River Band, “Lonesome Loser” (#6, 1979), left in 1978 to pursue a career in ministry
1955 ● Billy Idol / (William Michael Albert Broad) → Co-founder and lead singer for punk rock Generation X, then post-punk pop-rock MTV superstar, “White Wedding” (#4, 1982)
1957 ● John Ashton → Guitar for Brit New Wave post-punk The Psychedelic Furs, “Pretty In Pink” (#41, 1981)
1957 ● Richard Barbieri → Keyboards for Brit New Wave art-rock Japan, “Ghosts” (UK #5, 1982), Porcupine Tree
1958 ● Stacey Q / (Stacey Lynn Swain) → Madonna-wanna-be dance/pop diva, “Two Of Hearts” (#3, 1986)
1963 ● Jalil Hutchins → Vocalist and lyricist for R&B/new jack swing trio Whodini, “Funky Beat” (R&B #19, 1986)
1965 ● Paul Wheeler → Drums and percussion for Aussie New Wave synth-pop/pub rock Icehouse, “Electric Blue” (#7, 1987)
1968 ● Des’ree / (Desiree Annette Weeks) → Brit R&B/soul-pop singer, “You Gotta Be” (#5, 1995)
1973 ● John Moyer → Bassist for Chicago-based heavy metal band Disturbed, “Another Way To Die” (Mainstream Rock #1, 2010)
1975 ● Mindy McCready / (Malinda Gayle McCready) → Country-pop singer, “Guys Do It All The Time” (#72, Country #1, 1996) and five other Country Top 40 hits, died from a self-inflicted gunshot on 2/17/2013, age 37
1978 ● Clay Aiken / (Clayton Grissom) → Singer, actor, producer and author, 2003 American Idol runner-up, “This Is The Night” (#1, 2003)
1987 ● Dougie Lee Poynter → Bass and vocals for Brit pop-rock boy band McFly, “All About You” (UK #1, 2005), Broadway actor in Monty Python’s Spamalot (2008)
1989 ● Daisy Evans / (Daisy Rebecca Evans) → Vocals for dance-pop pre-fab band S Club 8 (previously S Club Juniors), “Fool No More” (UK #4, 2003)
