Happy Birthday this week to:
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 → Vocals in Brit sunny folk-pop Brotherhood of Man, “United We Stand” (#13, UK #10, 1970)
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.
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 Brit 60s pop-rock two hit wonder 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 → The “Father of British Blues”, bandleader for The Bluesbreakers and mentor to Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Peter Green, Jimmy McCulloch and many others
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)
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 → London-born, Australian-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), continues to perform in the 10s
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)
December 01
1896 ● Ray Henderson / (Raymond Brost) → Popular music songwriter in the Tin Pan Alley group of American songwriters and publishers, composed the music for multiple pop standards, including “Bye Bye Blackbird” (1925), “I’m Sitting On Top Of The World” (1925) and “The Birth Of The Blues” (1926), died from a heart attack on 12/31/1970, age 74
1930 ● Matt Munro / (Terrence Edward Parsons) → “The Man with the Golden Voice,” internationally acclaimed English cabaret/swing vocalist with multiple hit singles, among them “My Kind Of Girl” (#18, UK #5, 1961) and the theme song “From Russia With Love” (#23, UK #4, 1963), best known for his signature tune, the Oscar-winning title song to the film, Born Free (1966), toured and recorded until succumbing to liver cancer following decades of smoking and alcohol abuse on 2/7/1985, age 54.
1933 ● Lou Rawls → Smooth jazz-blues-soul and easy listening singer, “You’ll Never Find A Love Like Mine” (#2, 1976), died of lung cancer on 1/6/2006, age 72
1934 ● Billy Paul / (Paul Williams) → Jazz singer and bandleader turned 70s Grammy-winning Philly R&B/soul-pop singer with 14 R&B charting hits, the biggest being “Me & Mrs. Jones” (#1, 1972), retired in 1989 and died from pancreatic cancer on 4/24/2016, age 81
1937 ● Bruce Brown / (Bruce Alan Brown) → Documentary film maker and early pioneer of the surf film genre, wrote, single-handedly produced and marketed the genre-defining, surprise hit The Endless Summer (1966) with a soundtrack mostly by surf-rock The Sandals, moved to motorcycle films in the 70s and produced the Grammy-nominated On Any Sunday (1971), came back to the surf for his last release, The Endless Summer II (1994), died from heart failure on 12/10/2017, age 80
1938 ● Sandy Nelson / (Sander Lloyd Nelson) → Rock ‘n roll session drummer in the late 50s for The Teddy Bears (“To Know Him Is To Love Him,” #1, R&B #10, UK #2, 1958), The Hollywood Argyles (“Alley Oop,” #1, R&B #3,1960) and others, then launched a hugely successful solo career on the strength of his instrumental hits “Teen Beat” (#4, 1959) and “Let There Be Drums” (#7, 1961), releasing more than 30 albums over just 12 years despite losing his right foot in a 1963 motorcycle accident, retired early and spent his later years operating a pirate radio station from his Nevada home and playing keyboards in a backyard man-cave, suffered a stroke in 2017 and died from lasting complications on 2/14/2022, age 83.
1939 ● DeeDee Lennon / (Dianne Lennon) → With her sisters, vocals in semi-religious pop vocal quartet The Lennon Sisters (“Tonight You Belong To Me,” #15, 1956), performed regularly on TV variety shows, including The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1968, retired in 2001 and left the group to continue as a trio
1944 ● Charlie Grima / (Charles Grima) → Drummer for eccentric jazz-pop Wizzard, “See My Baby Jive” (UK #1, 1973)
1944 ● Eric Bloom → Guitar and vocals for hard rock/pop metal Blue Öyster Cult, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” (#12, 1976)
1944 ● John Densmore → Drummer for influential and controversial hard rock band The Doors, “Hello, I Love You” (#1, 1968), author, producer and jazz combo leader
1945 ● Bette Midler → The “Divine Miss M”, actress, comedienne, Grammy-winning singer, “Wind Beneath My Wings” (#1, 1989) and seven other Top 40 hits, starred in the Janis Joplin bio movie The Rose (1979)
1946 ● Gilbert O’Sullivan / (Raymond O’Sullivan) → Irish singer, songwriter and keyboardist, “Alone Again Naturally” (#1, 1972) and three other Top 20 hits in 1972-73
1951 ● Jaco Pastorius / (John Fancis Pastorius) → Fretless bass player for jazz-rock fusion group Weather Report, “Birdland” (1976), solo and sessions for Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny Group, Blood, Sweat & Tears and others, died after being beaten into a coma during an altercation outside a Florida nightclub on 9/21/1987, age 35
1952 ● Pegi Young / (Margaret Mary Morton Young) → Folk-rock singer, songwriter, activist, wife of folk-rock legend Neil Young, mother of two children with cerebral palsy and co-founder of The Bridge School for children suffering from speech and physical impairments, her annual charity benefit concert for the school featured top artists such as Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica and Sheryl Crow during its 30-year run, sang back-up in her husband’s bands and issued five solo albums before dying from cancer on 1/1/2019, age 66.
1956 ● Julee Cruise / (Julee Ann Cruise) → Grammy-winning dream pop singer, songwriter and actress best known for her late 80s and early 90s collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti and film director David Lynch, the two wrote multiple songs for her, including her lone hit “Falling” (Modern Rock #11, UK #7, 1990), the instrumental version Lynch used as the theme song to his hit TV series Twin Peaks (and in which she had minor but recurring role), toured with pop-rock The B-52’s in the 90s, appeared in Broadway shows and continued to record through to a final album in 2011, struggled with depression and lupus for years and died by suicide on 6/9/2022, age 65.
1959 ● Steve Jansen / (Stephen Batt) → Drummer, songwriter and singer for Brit New Wave art-rock Japan, “Ghosts” (UK #5, 1982)
1963 ● Sam Reid → Keyboards for Canadian pop-rock Glass Tiger, “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)” (#2, 1986)
1971 ● Greg Upchurch → Current drummer for post-grunge alt rock 3 Doors Down, “Kryptonite” (#3, 2000)
1977 ● Brad Delson → Founding member and lead guitarist for alt rock/rap-rock/space-rock Linkin Park, “In The End” (Alt Rock #1, 2001)
1981 ● Mika Fineo → Current drummer for alt rock/industrial group Filter, “Take A Picture” (Alt Rock #3, 1999)
December 02
1905 ● Moe Asch → Polish-American recording engineer and music executive, as founder and owner of Folkways Records became a major figure in the folk revival movement of the 50s and 60s, oversaw the recording of hundreds roots and folk-pop songs, including “Goodnight Irene” by Lead Belly (1933) and “This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie (1945), his immense and vital catalog was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution just prior to his death on 10/19/1986, age 80.
1906 ● Dr. Peter Carl Goldmark → Hungarian-born engineer who developed the long-play (LP) microgroove 33-1/3 rpm vinyl phonograph disc, died in a car crash on 12/7/1977, age 71
1916 ● Howard Finster → Baptist minister in Georgia and eccentric artist with 46,000 pieces of art in his outdoor sculpture garden, also known as the designer of album covers for R.E.M. (Reckoning, #27, 1984) and Talking Heads (Little Creatures, #20 , 1985), died on 10/22/2001, age 84
1918 ● Milton Delugg → Talented accordionist, musical director on the forerunner to NBC’s The Tonight Show, producer of Buddy Holly‘s hit “Rave On” (#37, 1958) and bandleader for the infamous TV game show spoof The Gong Show, directed the music for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade through 2013, died from natural causes on 4/6/2015, age 96
1941 ● Tom McGuinness / (Thomas John Patrick “Tom” McGuinness) → Bass and later lead guitar plus songwriting and vocals for Britbeat Manfred Mann, “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” (#1, 1964), “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” (#1, 1964), in 1969 formed duo McGuiness Flint with Hubie Flint and thereafter The Blues Band, authored So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star in 1986 and tours with splinter group The Manfreds into the 10s
1941 ● Dick St. John / (Richard St. John Gosting) → Singer, songwriter and half of the teen/R&B/soul-pop duo Dick & Dee Dee with partner and high school classmate Mary “Dee Dee” Sperling, their hit “The Mountain’s High” (#2, 1961) was one of five Top 30 hits just prior to Beatlemania, died following a fall from a ladder at home on 12/27/2003, age 62
1942 ● Ted Bluechell, Jr. → Drums and vocals for light pop-rock harmony group The Association, “Along Comes Mary” (#7, 1966)
1960 ● Rick Savage → Bassist for hard rock/metal Def Leppard, “Love Bites” (#1, 1988)
1960 ● Sydney Youngblood (Ford) → R&B/soul-dance-funk singer, “I’d Rather Go Blind” (#46, 1990)
1960 ● Razzle Dingley / (Nicholas Dingley) → Drummer for Finnish glam-punk-metal Hanoi Rocks, covered Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s “Up Around The Bend” (UK #61, 1984), died when a car driven by Mötley Crüe‘s Vince Neil crashed in L.A. on 12/8/1984, age 24
1961 ● Matt Dike / (Matthew William Dike) → Los Angeles night club owner, D.J. and co-founder of the hip hop record label Delicious Vinyl, whose early hits – including “Wild Thing” (#2, R&B #1, 1988) by Tone L?c and “Bust A Move” (#7, Rap #2, 1989) by Young M.C. – helped thrust hip hop music onto mainstream radio and popular music charts, later contributed sampling tracks and co-produced the Beastie Boys landmark hip hop album, Paul’s Boutique (#14, 1989), dropped out of sight in the early 90s and lived in seclusion in his L.A. mansion, where he died from salivary gland cancer on 1/16/2018, age 56
1968 ● Jimi Haha → Founder, vocals and guitar for alt rock funk-metal Jimmie’s Chicken Shack, “Do Right” (Modern Rock #12, 1999)
1968 ● Nate Mendel → Bassist for post-grunge alt rock Foo Fighters, “Learn To Fly” (Modern Rock #1, 1999)
1970 ● Treach / (Anthony Criss) → Vocals in Grammy-winning hip hop trio Naughty By Nature, “Hip Hop Hooray” (#8, 1993)
1971 ● Donna Matthews → Guitarist for mixed-gender, post-punk alt rock Elastica, “Connection” (Modern Rock #2, 1994)
1978 ● Nelly Furtado / (Nelly Kim Furtado) → Portuguese-Canadian dance-pop actress, singer and songwriter, “Say It Right” (#1, 2006)
1981 ● Britney Spears → Teen-pop phenomenon, media icon and tabloid headlining singer and actress, “Baby One More Time” (#1, 2000) and 18 other Top 40 hits.
1986 ● Tal Wilkenfeld → Australian jazz and rock bass guitarist, bandleader and session player for Jeff Beck, Herbie Hancock, Jackson Browne, Toto and other well-known rock artists, fronted several of her own bands and was named by Bass Player magazine 2008’s “Most Exciting New Bass Player”
1991 ● Charlie Puth / (Charles Otto Puth Jr.) → Pop singer and songwriter whose YouTube uploads caught the eye (and ear) of TV host Ellen DeGeneres for her ElevenEleven record label, later signed with Atlantic Records and released several major solo and collaborative hits, including “See You Again” (Worldwide #1, 2015) with Wiz Khalifa
