Happy Birthday this week to:
October 11
1919 ● Art Blakey / (Arthur Blakey) → Grammy-winning jazz drummer and bandleader, played in various 40s big bands, in the 50s formed his own band, the influential and archetypical hard bop Jazz Messengers, led multiple lineups of the band and recorded his own solo albums until his death from lung cancer on 10/16/1990, age 71
1932 ● Dottie West / (Dorothy Marie Marsh) → Influential, top-tier country music singer and songwriter with 18 Country Top 20 singles, including “A Lesson In Leaving” (#73, AC #42, Country #1, 1980) plus four Country Top 5 duets with Kenny Rogers, similar to mentor Patsy Cline faced respect issues in a male-dominated Nashville scene, financial problems plagued her during declining popularity in the 80s, sustained injuries in a roll-over car accident on her way to a comeback performance at the Grand Old Opry and died during surgery five days later on 9/4/1991, age 58
1936 ● Joe Ligon / (Willie Joe Ligon) → Founder and preacher-style lead vocalist for Grammy-winning contemporary gospel quartet The Might Clouds Of Joy, their blend of traditional gospel with R&B, soul and pop influences produced two charting singles, “Amazing Grace” (#3, Dance/Club #2, R&B #4, UK #15, 1975) and the disco hit “Mighty High” (Dance/Club #1, 1976) plus multiple gospel music awards over a five decade career, died from unspecified causes on 12/11/2016, age 80
1946 ● Daryl Hall / (Daryl Hohl) → Singer/songwriter and one half of Philly soul-pop-rock duo Hall & Oates, “Private Eyes” (#1, 1981), plus 20 other Top 20 hits
1946 ● Gary Mallaber → Drummer with blues-rock then psych-rock then pop-rock Steve Miller Band, “The Joker” (#1, 1973), then session work for dozens of artists, including Peter Frampton, Poco, Van Morrison and Bonnie Raitt
1950 ● Andrew Woolfolk → Saxophonist for R&B/soul-dance-pop Earth, Wind & Fire, “Shining Star” (#1, 1975)
1957 ● Blair Cunningham → Drummer for New Wave funk-pop Haircut 100, “Love Plus One” (#37, 1982)
1957 ● Chris Joyce → Drummer and co-founder of Brit soul-pop Simply Red, “Holding Back The Years” (#1, 1986)
1958 ● Tony Moore → Brit singer/songwriter, musician, radio personality and music promoter who was briefly keyboardist for heavy metal Iron Maiden and later with New Wave pop-rock Cutting Crew, “(I Just) Died In Your Arms” (#1, 1987), founded new music nightclub The Kashmir Klub in 1997 and currently manages other London music venues
1962 ● Andy McCoy / (Antti Hulkko) → Guitarist for Finnish glam-punk-metal Hanoi Rocks, covered Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s “Up Around The Bend” (UK #61, 1984)
1962 ● Scott Johnson → Vocals and guitar for power-pop Gin Blossoms, “Found Out About You” (Modern Rock #1, 1994)
1971 ● MC Lyte / (Lana Michele Moorer) → Rapper, “Cold Rock A Party” (#11, Rap #1, 1997), first female to release a full rap album (Lyte As A Rock, 1988), sometime TV actress
1973 ● Brendan Brown → Vocals and guitar for post-grunge Wheatus, “Teenage Dirtbag” (Modern Rock #7, 2001)
October 12
1927 ● Joe Olivier → Guitarist with early and important rock ‘n’ roll group Bill Haley & His Comets, “Rock Around The Clock” (#1, 1955)
1929 ● Nappy Brown / (Napoleon Brown Goodson Culp) → R&B/gospel, blues and early rock ‘n’ roll-era singer and songwriter with a distinctive sing-song, added consonants delivery and several hits in the 50s, including “Don’t Be Angry” (#25, R&B #2, 1955), faded by 1960 but enjoyed a career revival in the 80s, died in his sleep on 9/20/2008, age 78
1935 ● Sam Moore / (Samuel David Hicks) → Tenor vocals and one half of R&B/soul Sam & Dave, “Soul Man” (#2, 1967), the most successful and critically-acclaimed soul music duo of all time
1935 ● Luciano Pavarotti → Highly successful and widely-admired Italian opera star and pop music singer, performed on Saturday Night Live and sang with U2 on “Miss Sarajevo”, died from pancreatic cancer on 9/6/1977, age 71
1942 ● Melvin Franklin → Bass vocals for Motown R&B/soul legends The Temptations, “My Girl” (#1, 1965) and Grammy-winning “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” (#1, 1972), died after a coma-inducing seizure on 2/23/1995, age 52
1948 ● Rick Parfitt → Vocals and rhythm guitar for Brit psych-boogie rock Status Quo, “Pictures Of Matchstick Men” (#12, 1968)
1948 ● Steve Martin Caro / (Carmelo Esteban Martin Caro) → Founding member and lead singer for two hit wonder, baroque-pop The Left Banke, their twin hits “Walk Away Renee” (#5, 1967) and “Pretty Ballerina” (#15, 1967) featured flutes, harpsichords and other baroque-style strong arrangements and are considered the primary examples of “Bach rock,” recorded two albums with the band before their initial split in 1969, participated in various short-lived Left Banke reunions over the ensuing 50 years, died from heart disease on 1/14/2020, age 71.
1955 ● Jane Siberry → Canadian art-pop-rock singer and songwriter, “One More Colour” (Canada #27, 1985) from the album The Speckless Sky (#149, 1986)
1955 ● Pat DiNizio / (Patrick Michael DiNizio) → Founding member, lead singer, lead guitarist and chief songwriter for alt pop-rock The Smithereens (“A Girl Like You,” #38, Mainstream Rock #2, 1989), later issued several solo albums and became an XM satellite radio host and programmer, ran unsuccessfully for a US Senate seat from New Jersey in 2000, developed neural damage after falling and died from its complications several years later on 12/12/2017, age 62
1956 ● Dave Vanian / (David Letts) → Singer and founding member of first-wave punk rockers The Damned, “Eloise” (UK #3, 1986), solo, now hosts TV show featuring homemade horror movies contributed by viewers
1966 ● Brian Kennedy → Irish singer/songwriter, played in Van Morrison band, solo, “Life, Love And Happiness”, (UK #27, 1996), appeared on Broadway in The River Dance
1969 ● Martie Maguire / (Martha Elenor Erwin) → Multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter with country-rock girl group Dixie Chicks, “Not Ready To Make Nice” (#4, 2006)
1979 ● Jordan Pundik → Founding member, lyricist and lead vocals for pop-punk New Found Glory, “My Friends Over You” (Alt Rock #5, 2002)
October 13
1937 ● Bruce “Cousin Brucie” Morrow / (Bruce Meyerowitz) → Beloved 60s and 70s pop-rock Top 40 radio DJ (WABC-am New York), then media businessman and currently Sirius XM satellite radio host
1940 ● Chris Farlowe / (John Henry Deighton) → Rock, blues and blue-eyed soul singer, covered the Jagger/Richards song, “Out of Time” (UK #1, 1966), session work for Colosseum, Atomic Rooster, Jimmy Page and others
1941 ● Paul Simon → Highly acclaimed and ten-time Grammy-winning folk-pop-rock singer, songwriter and guitarist, one half the 60 folk-pop duo Simon & Garfunkel, “Bridge Over Trouble Water” (#1, 1970), solo, “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” (#1, 1975) and 12 other Top 40 hits plus the 1986 Grammy Album of the Year, Graceland (#3, 1987)
1944 ● Robert Lamm → Founding member, vocals, keyboards and songwriter for horn-pop-rock Chicago, wrote “25 Or 6 To 4” (#4, 1970) and “Saturday In The Park” (#3, 1972), solo with seven albums plus a 2000 collaboration album with Gerry Beckley (America) and Carl Wilson (The Beach Boys)
1947 ● Sammy Hagar → Hard rock guitarist and lead singer with early heavy metal band Montrose, “Bad Motor Scooter” (1973), solo, “Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy” (#13, 1983), replaced David Lee Roth in Van Halen, “When It’s Love” (#5, 1988), resumed solo career in 1995
1948 ● John Ford Coley / (John Edward Colley) → Guitar and vocals in folk-pop duo England Dan & John Ford Coley, “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” (#2, 1976)
1948 ● Peter David Spencer → Drums and vocals for pop-rock Smokie, “Living Next Door To Alice” (#25, 1977)
1950 ● Simon Nicol → Guitarist for renowned Brit folk-rock Fairport Convention, “Si Tu Dos Partir” (UK #21, 1969)
1959 ● Gerry Darby → Founding member and drummer for Brit jazz-pop-rock Carmel, “Bad Day” (UK #15, 1983)
1959 ● Marie Osmond → Youngest sibling of family-oriented light pop-rock The Osmonds, ten US Top 40 singles including “One Bad Apple” (#1, 1971), country-pop solo career, “Paper Roses” (#5, Country #1, 1973) and seven other Country Top 40 hits, TV host
1962 ● Rob Marche → Guitarist for dance-pop-rock Jo Boxers, “Boxer Beat” (UK #3, 1983)
1968 ● Carlos Marin → Baritone for pre-fab Euro-pop vocal quartet Il Divo, “Unbreak My Heart” (Adult Contemporary #33, 2005)
1970 ● Paul Potts → Welsh crossover opera singer and winner of the first series of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, debut album One Chance (#21, UK #1, 2007)
1977 ● Justin Peroff / (Justin Papadimitriou) → Canadian drummer for jazz/pop/rock Broken Social Scene, “1 2 3 4” (UK #4, 2007), TV and film actor
1980 ● Ashanti / (Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas) → R&B/contemporary urban singer, songwriter, dancer and actress, “Foolish” (#1, 2002)
1981 ● Kele / (Kelechukwu Rowland Okereke) → Lead singer and rhythm guitarist for indie pop-punk revival Bloc Party, “Helicopter” (Dance #5, 2006), solo
October 14
1926 ● Bill Justis / (William Everett Justis, Jr.) → Record company music director, arranger and film score composer (Smokey And The Bandit, 1977), co-wrote and played saxophone on his one hit wonder pioneer instrumental rock n’ roll song “Raunchy” (#2, 1957), died of cancer on 7/15/1982, age 55
1930 ● Robert Parker → New Orleans R&B/soul and rock ‘n’ roll singer and saxophonist, worked as a sessionman for Fats Domino, Ernie K-Doe and others, well-known in NOLA clubs and festivals for decades, but best known around the world for his one hit wonder solo career and the classic 60s R&B/soul hit “Barefootin'” (#7, R&B #2, 1966), inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2007, died from natural causes on 1/19/2020, age 89.
1940 ● Cliff Richard / (Harry Rodger Webb) → The “Brit Elvis” and biggest selling artist of all time in the UK, early rock n’ roll star, “Move It” (UK #2, 1958) credited as the first rock ‘n’ roll song from outside the U.S., then migrated to MOR pop and light rock, “Devil Woman” (#6, UK #9, 1976) plus over 100 UK Top 40 hits, TV actor
1942 ● Billy Harrison → Backing vocals and guitar for the early lineups of Irish garage-rock, proto-punk Them, “Gloria” (#71, 1966)
1945 ● Bomber Hodgkinson / (Colin Hodgkinson) → Jazz-rock bassist, co-founded 70s bass-centric fusion trio Back Door, session work for Jan Hammer, Alexis Korner, the Spencer Davis Group, Whitesnake and others
1946 ● Dan McCafferty → Founding member and lead singer of Scottish hard rock Nazareth, “Love Hurts” (#8, 1976), has appeared on all Nazareth albums plus two solo LPs
1946 ● Justin Hayward / (David Justin Hayward) → Guitar and vocals for prog rock then pop-rock The Moody Blues, wrote “Nights In White Satin” (#2, 1967) and “Your Wildest Dreams” (#9, 1986), still touring in 2011
1947 ● Norman Harris → R&B/Philly soul guitarist, founding member of MFSB, producer for multiple R&B/soul groups including The Delfonics and The Trammps, co-wrote hits for Gloria Gaynor, Wilson Pickett, the Spinners and others as part of the Baker-Harris-Young songwriting team, died of a heart attack on 3/20/1987, age 39
1948 ● Ivory Tilmon → Vocals in R&B/soul brother act The Detroit Emeralds, “Feel The Need In Me” (R&B #22, 1973)
1948 ● Marcia Barrett → West Indian vocalist in R&B/disco Euro-dance Boney M, “Rivers Of Babylon” (#30, UK #1, 1978)
1952 ● Chris Amoo → Vocals for Brit Northern soul/funk quartet The Real Thing, “You To Me Are Everything” (#64, UK #1, 1976)
1958 ● Thomas Dolby / (Thomas Morgan Robertson) → Multi-instrumentalist New Wave synth-pop singer and composer, “She Blinded Me With Science” (#5, 1982), also member of Camera Club and the Lene Lovich band, producer for Joni Mitchell, Prefab Sprout and others, developed the RMF downloadable file format and Beatnik mobile phone software
1959 ● Antimo Rivetti → Manager for Brit teen-pop blue-eyed soul Curiosity Killed The Cat, “Down To Earth” (UK #3, 1986)
1959 ● A.J. Pero / (Anthony Jude Pero) → Drummer for heavy metal Twisted Sister (“We’re Not Gonna Take It,” #21, 1983) from 1982 to 1986, participated in the band’s reunion in 1997 and rejoined in 2003, joined metal supergroup Adrenaline Mob in 2013 and died in his sleep from a heart attack on board the band’s tour bus on 3/20/2015, age 55.
1965 ● Karyn White → Contemporary R&B/pop singer, “Superwoman” (#8, 1988), now an interior design and real estate consultant
1974 ● Natalie Maines / (Natalie Maines Pasdar) → Singer, songwriter and guitarist for country-rock girl group Dixie Chicks, “Not Ready To Make Nice” (#4, 2006) plus Grammy Album of the Year Taking The Long Way (2006)
1975 ● Shaznay Lewis → Singer in Brit dance-pop-rock all-girl quartet All Saints, “Never Ever” (#4, 1998)
1978 ● Usher Raymond → The reigning “King of R&B,” Grammy-winning pop-soul singer, songwriter, dancer and actor, “Nice & Slow” (#1, 1998) plus 13 other Top 10 singles and three #1 albums
October 15
1925 ● Mickey “Guitar” Baker / (McHouston Baker) → Highly influential but little known 50s session guitarist at Atlantic Records, bridged R&B and rock ‘n’ roll as a backing guitarist, plus solo and duo Mickey & Sylvia, “Love Is Strange” (#11, 1957)
1935 ● Barry McGuire → One hit wonder folk-rock singer, songwriter and guitarist, “Eve Of Destruction” (#1, 1965), switched to Christian/gospel in the 70s
1938 ● Marv Johnson → Early Motown R&B/soul vocalist, “You Got What It Takes” (#10, 1959) and three other Top 40 hits between 1959 and 1961, moved into sales and promotion with Motown and sister labels, died from a stroke on 5/16/1993, age 54
1938 ● Fela Kuti / (Olufela Ransome-Kuti) → Nigerian multi-instrumentalist singer, arranger, political activist and pioneer World music artist as inventor of the Afro-beat, used his influence and music to criticize his homeland’s authoritarian regimes while introducing a blend of James Brown funk with jazz and traditional African rhythms, sold millions of records in Africa and elsewhere despite near-constant government repression, died from complications of AIDS on 8/3/1997, age 58
1939 ● Tommy Gough / (Talmadge Gough) → Vocals for biracial R&B/doo wop The Crests, “Sixteen Candles” (#2, 1959), quit the group about 1970 and faded into obscurity, died of throat cancer on 8/24/2014. age 74
1942 ● Chris Andrews / (Christopher Frederick Andrews) → Pop-rock singer and songwriter, “Yesterday Man” (UK #3, 1965), wrote six UK Top 10 hits for Adam Faith and Sandie Shaw in the mid-60s,
1942 ● Don Stevenson → Drummer, singer and songwriter for 60s San Francisco folk-roots-psych rock Moby Grape, “Omaha” (#88, 1967), continues to appear with the band, issued his first solo album (King Of The Fools) in 2010
1946 ● Richard Carpenter → Keyboards and vocals with sister Karen in AM pop/adult contemporary duo The Carpenters, “Close To You” (#1, 1970)
1948 ● Chris De Burgh / (Christopher John Davison) → Light pop-rock/adult contemporary singer, songwriter and keyboardist, “Lady in Red” (#3, 1986)
1948 ● Yo Yo Jaramillo / (Joe Jaramillo) → Founding member and vocals for pioneering “East Side Sound” of L.A. Mexican-American one hit wonder brown-eyed-soul/garage rock quartet Cannibal And The Headhunters (“Land Of A Thousand Dances,” #30, 1965), died from liver disease on 5/24/2000, age 51
1948 ● Lance Dickerson → Drummer for country-rock/boogie/swing bar band Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen, “Hot Rod Lincoln” (#9, 1972), worked with various incarnations of the band through the 90s, died on 11/10/2003, age 55
1951 ● Frank DiMino → Lead vocals for flamboyant, mostly-image glam-rock Angel, a Kiss-wannabe band with eight studio and live albums and a cult following but little commercial success, left in 1981, reunited with several original members in the 90s and currently plays in classic rock cover bands in Las Vegas
1953 ● Tito Jackson / (Toriano Jackson) → Vocals and lead guitarist in R&B/pop-soul sibling act The Jackson 5, “I Want You Back” (#1, 1970)
1955 ● Vanessa Briscoe Hay → Co-founding member and lead vocalist for Athens, GA-based seminal post-punk college rock Pylon, “Gyrate” (Dance/Club #41, 1981), later with other local groups
1956 ● Chris Lacklison → Keyboards for glam pop-rock Kenny, “The Bump” (UK #3, 1975)
1962 ● David Stead → Drummer in alt pop-rock The Beautiful South, “A Little Time” (UK #1, 1990)
1962 ● Mark Reznicek → Drummer in post-grunge alt rock Toadies, “Possum Kingdom” (Modern Rock #4, 1995)
1963 ● Jay Bennett → Guitarist, songwriter and producer for alt country-rock Wilco, “Outtasite (Outta Mind)” (Mainstream Rock #22, 1997), solo, sessions and collaborations, died from an accidental overdose of painkillers on 5/24/2009, age 45
1966 ● Douglas Vipond → Drummer in Scottish indie pop-rock Deacon Blue, “Real Gone Kid” (UK #8, 1988)
1970 ● Ginuwine / (Elgin Baylor Lumpkin) → Hip-hop soul crooner, “Differences” (#4, 2001) and five other Top 40 singles
1984 ● Shayne Ward → Contemporary pop singer and winner of the 2005 UK TV series The X Factor, “That’s My Goal” (UK #1, 2005)
October 16
1903 ● Big Joe Williams / (Joe Williams) → Delta blues guitarist and songwriter best known for being the first to adapt and record “Baby, Please Don’t Go” (1935), which has since become a blues standard with recordings by The Orioles (R&B #8, 1952), Themm (UK #10, 1964), Paul Revere & The Raiders (1966), Amboy Dukes (#106, 1968), AC/DC (AUS #10, 1973) and Aerosmith (2004), among others, died on 12/17/1982, age 79
1922 ● Max Bygraves / (Walter William Bygraves) → Brit comedian, actor, variety show performer and pop singer with 12 UK Top 10 hits in the 50s, including “Meet Me On The Corner” (UK #2, 1955), but couldn’t withstand the onslaught of Beatlemania in the 60s and turned to hosting TV programs though the 80s, died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on 8/31/2012, age 89
1923 ● Bert Kaempfert / (Berthold Kämpfert) → German easy listening/adult pop orchestra leader and composer, “Wonderful By Night” (#1, 1961), wrote songs covered by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and many others, produced the first Beatles recording session with Tony Sheridan,, died after a stroke on 6/21/1980, age 56
1937 ● Emile Ford / (Emile Sweetman) → West Indian-born singer, musician and frontman for pre-Beatles pop-rock The Checkmates, “What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For?” (UK #1 ,1959), short solo career and then record producer
1938 ● Nico / (Christa Päffgen) → German singer, model and vocals for proto-punk The Velvet Underground, “Femme Fatale” (1967), then proto-goth/folk-rock solo career, suffered a brain hemorrhage in a bicycling accident and died on 7/18/1988, age 49
1942 ● Dave Lovelady → Drummer and singer for Merseybeat pop-rock The Fourmost, “A Little Loving” (UK #6, 1964)
1943 ● C.F. Turner / (Charles Frederick Turner) → Bass and vocals for Canadian pop-rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” (#1, 1974), the only member to play on every album the band released over 25 years
1945 ● Roger Hawkins → Drummer, session musician and founding member of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (also known as The Swampers), the renowned studio musician ensemble that recorded hundreds of songs and albums at Muscle Shoals Studio in Alabama, including hits by The Staple Singers, Paul Simon, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Wilson Pickett and countless others
1947 ● Bob Weir / (Robert Hall Oparber) → Founding member, rhythm guitarist, singer and songwriter for rock’s longest, strangest trip Grateful Dead, “Sugar Magnolia” (#91, 1973) and “Touch Of Grey” (#9, 1987), solo, bandleader for Kingfish, Ratdog and Bobby & The Midnites, member of Grateful Dead spinoff The Other Ones
1952 ● Boogie Mosson / (Cordell Mosson) → Bassist for the Parliament-Funkadelic (“P-Funk”) collective of soul/funk bands and their flamboyant costumes, “One Nation Under A Groove” (#31, 1978), toured with P-Funk variations through 2011, died from liver failure on 4/18/2013, age 60
1953 ● Tony Carey → Keyboardist in early lineup of hard rock Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, founder and frontman for space rock Planet P Project, “Why Me?” (Mainstream Rock #4, 1983) and solo, “A Fine, Fine Day” (#22, 1984), producer for Jennifer Rush, Joe Cocker, Mark Knopfler and others
1955 ● Mimi Lennon / (Miriam Theresa Lennon) → Joined her older sisters in 1999 to replace a retiring Peggy in semi-religious pop vocal quartet The Lennon Sisters (“Tonight You Belong To Me,” #15, 1956), continues to record and perform as a trio in the 10s
1956 ● “Chaka B” / (Brinsley Forde) → Child TV actor (Here Come The Double Deckers and Please Sir! in the early 70s) turned founding member, guitarist and vocalist in long-lived roots reggae Aswad (Arabic for “black”), “Don’t Turn Around” (UK #1, 1988), one of the most popular and successful Brit reggae bands, left the band in 1996 but continued to perform with other accts and on BBC television
1959 ● Gary Kemp → Guitar and keyboards for New Romantic pop-rock Spandau Ballet, “True” (#4, 1983) plus 16 other UK top 40 singles
1960 ● Bob Mould → Frontman, guitarist and songwriter for post-punk alt rock trio Hüsker Dü, “Makes No Sense At All” (1985), light rock solo career, “See A Little Light” (Modern Rock #4, 1989), founded and fronted alt rock Sugar, “If I Can’t Change Your Mind” (UK #30, 1992)
1962 ● Flea / (Michael Peter Balzary) → Bass and vocals for funk-rock Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Californication” (Modern Rock #1, 2000)
1965 ● Simon Bartholomew → Founding member, guitar and vocals for acid-jazz/funk The Brand New Heavies, “Sometimes” (UK #11, 1997)
1967 ● Jason Everman → Rock guitarist and vocalist with brief stints in 1989 as second guitarist for premier grunge rock Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (#6, 1992) and 1990 as interim bassist in seminal grunge rock group Soundgarden, “Black Hole Sun” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1994) before both groups became superstars, left to join other marginally successful grunge bands, eventually joined the U.S. Army Special Forces and became a decorated Afghan and Iraqi war hero, now a G.I. Bill graduate of Columbia University with a B.A. in Philosophy
1969 ● Wendy Wilson → Vocals for pop-rock all-girl offspring trio Wilson Phillips, “Release Me” (#1, 1990), daughter of The Beach Boys Brian Wilson
1977 ● John Mayer → Light pop-rock singer/songwriter and guitarist, won 2003 Grammy Award for “Your Body Is A Wonderland” (#18, Adult Top 40 #3, 2002)
October 17
1909 ● Cozy Cole / (William Randolph Cole) → Journeyman but highly regarded jazz-pop and swing drummer from 1930 through the 70s, his instrumental “Topsy, Pt. 2” (#3, R&B #1, 1958) was the first drum solo recording to chart, died from cancer on 1/29/1981, age 71
1923 ● Barney Kessel → Highly accomplished, in-demand jazz-pop-rock guitarist and sessionman over a 50 year career, first as a member of several Big Bands, later as a touring guitarist with several big-name ensembles, and as a member of the acclaimed Wrecking Crew group of first call L.A. studio musicians, played behind The Beach Boyss, The Monkees, Simon & Garfunkel, John Denver, Natalie Cole and many others, sidelined by a stroke in 1992 and died from an inoperable brain tumor on 5/6/2004, age 80
1933 ● Soeur Sourie / (Jeanne-Paule Marie Deckers) → Belgian-born one hit wonder folk-pop singer and guitarist, as the “Singing Nun” recorded “Dominique” (#1, 1963), died after ingesting an overdose of sleeping pills in a suicide pact with a girlfriend on 3/29/1985, age 51
1934 ● Rico Rodriguez / (Emmanuel Rodriguez) → Jamaican trombonist with ska revival The Specials, “Ghost Town” (UK #1, 1981), solo and sessions
1935 ● Michael Eavis → English dairy farmer who founded the Glastonbury Festival in 1970 and on whose land the music festival has occurred annually for over 40 years
1941 ● Alan Howard → Bassist for British Invasion pop-rock The Tremeloes, “Silence Is Golden” (#11, UK #1, 1967)
1941 ● Jim Seals → Guitar, violin, vocals and songwriting in 70s light pop-rock duo Seals & Crofts, “Summer Breeze” (#6, 1972) and “Diamond Girl” (#6, 1973)
1941 ● Earl Thomas Conley → Deep, smoky baritone country singer and one of the most popular country music stars of the 80s with thirty charting singles (of which 18 were #1 hits) including the crossover duet with Anita Pointer, “Too Many Times” (Country #2, 1986), the two performed the song in an extremely rare appearance by a country artist on the R&B-themed TV music show Soul Train, his waning popularity in the 90s led to an extended hiatus from music, returned in the 00s and continued to write and perform into the 10s, died from cerebral atrophy on 4/10/2019, age 77.
1942 ● Gary Puckett → Lead vocals and frontman for pop-rock Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, “Young Girl” (#2, 1968), followed with a modest solo career and now tours with a new lineup of the band
1944 ● Carole Cookie Cole / (Carole “Cookie” Cole) → Music producer, stage, film and TV actress, adopted daughter of jazz-pop singer Nat King Cole and adopted sister of soul-pop diva Natalie Cole, starred in multiple motion pictures including The Silencers (1967) and The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three (1974), co-starred on TV sitcoms Sanford And Son and Grady, as CEO of King Cole Productions oversaw the use and licensing of her father’s catalogue, name and likeness, died of lung cancer on 5/19/2009, age 64
1946 ● James Tucker → First rhythm guitarist for pop-rock The Turtles, “Happy Together” (#1, 1967), left in 1967 following a European tour
1946 ● Mike Hossack → Drummer for California soul-pop-rock The Doobie Brothers during their heyday in the early 70s (“Listen To The Music,” #11, 1972), played in other rock bands and co-owned a recording studio, rejoined the Doobies in 1985 and performed with the band until prior to his death from cancer on 3/12/2012, age 65
1947 ● Michael McKean → Actor and comedian, portrayed David St. Hubbins in the “mock-rock” parody band Spinal Tap from the movie This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
1949 ● Bill Hudson / (William Hudson) → Vocals for sibling trio The Hudson Brothers, “So You Are A Star” (#21, 1974), ex-spouse of Goldie Hawn, father of actress Kate Hudson
1958 ● Alan Jackson → Honky tonk/new traditionalist country star singer and songwriter with 17 Country Top 10 albums and 24 Country #1 hits, including the Grammy-winning “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)” (#38, Country #1, 2001)
1962 ● Anne Rogers → Bassist for Brit indie-folk-pop Popinjays, “Vote Elvis” (Modern Rock #17, 1988)
1967 ● René Dif → Vocals for Danish dance-pop Aqua, “Barbie Girl” (#7, 1997), which drew a lawsuit from Mattel for its sexual content
1968 ● Ziggy Marley / (David Nesta Marley) → Five-time Grammy-winning guitarist, singer and songwriter, solo and as frontman for reggae-pop sibling group The Melody Makers, “Tomorrow People” (#39, 1988), son of reggae legend Bob Marley
1969 ● Wyclef Jean → Haitian musician, member of R&B/jazz-rap The Fugees, “Killing Me Softly” (#1, 1996), solo, “Gone Till November” (#7, 1998), record producer, announced plans to run in the 2010 Haitian presidential election but withdrew when his bid for candidacy was rejected over residency requirements
1971 ● Christopher Kirkpatrick → Founding member and counter tenor vocals for teen dance-pop harmony boy band *NSYNC, “It’s Gonna Be Me” (#1, 2000)
1971 ● Derrick Plourde → Drummer for mainstream pop-punk The Ataris, “The Boys Of Summer” (#20, Modern Rock #2, 2003) and other bands, died from a suicide gunshot on 3/30/2005, age 38
1972 ● Eminem / (Marshall Bruce Mathers III) → Grammy-winning blue-eyed rapper, worldwide #1 album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and worldwide hit “Lose Yourself” (#1, 2002), producer for Jay-Z, Nas, 50 Cent, DMX, 2Pac and others, award-winning film actor
