Happy Birthday this week to:
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, sessions for Fats Domino, Ernie K-Doe and others, then one hit wonder solo career, “Barefootin'” (#7, 1966)
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), continued to perform with the band until his death from a heart attack 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)
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
October 18
1926 ● Chuck Berry / (Charles Edward Berry) → Early breakthrough rock ‘n’ roll pioneer, enduring and immortal guitarist, singer and songwriter, “Johnny B. Goode” (#8, 1958) and 13 other Top 40 hits, major influence on The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and countless other rock and pop artists, found unresponsive in his home and pronounced dead on 3/18/2017, age 90
1938 ● Ronnie Bright → R&B/doo wop bass singer with The Valentines, The Cadillacs and the Deep River Boys, plus session work including a duo with Johnny Cymbal, “Mr. Bass Man” (#16, 1963), now with The Coasters
1940 ● Cynthia Weil → Grammy-winning Brill Building songwriter, often as collaborator with her husband, Barry Mann, wrote or co-wrote dozens of hits for varied artists, including “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” (#1, 1965) for The Righteous Brothers and “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” (#13, UK #2, 1965) for The Animals
1943 ● Russ Giguere → Vocals, percussion and guitar in light pop-rock vocal group The Association, “Along Comes Mary” (#7, 1966), left briefly for solo career but returned and still tours with the band in 2011
1947 ● Laura Nyro / (Laura Nigro) → Light folk-jazz-pop singer, guitarist and composer with several acclaimed solo albums, wrote “Eli’s Coming” for Three Dog Night (#10, 1969), “Wedding Bell Blues” for The 5th Dimension (#1, 1969), “And When I Die” for Blood, Sweat & Tears (#2, 1969) and “Stoney End” for Barbra Streisand (#6, 1971), died of ovarian cancer on 4/8/1997, age 49
1949 ● Joe Egan → Co-founder, keyboards and vocals in Scottish folk-pop-rock Stealers Wheel, co-wrote “Stuck In The Middle With You” (#6, 1973), left the music industry in the early 80s for a career in book publishing
1949 ● Gary Richrath → Guitarist and principal songwriter for arena rock REO Speedwagon, wrote “Take It On The Run” (#5, 1981) and others songs, left in 1989 for an unsuccessful solo career, rejoined the band for a single benefit concert in 2013, died from unspecified causes on 9/13/2015, age 65
1956 ● Dick Crippen → Bassist in oddball Brit punk-rock Tenpole Tudor, “Who Killed Bambi” (UK #6, 1979)
1958 ● Denise Dufort → Founding member, vocals and drums for early all-girl heavy metal group Painted Lady, which became Girlschool, “Hit And Run” (UK #32, 1981)
1961 ● Wynton Marsalis → Virtuoso jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader, one of the “Young Lions” and a major figure in jazz since the 1980s, his album Standard Time, Vol. 1 (1987) is one of five Grammy-winning albums
1966 ● Tim Cross → Bassist in post-grunge alt rock Sponge, “Molly (16 Candles Down The Drain)” (Modern Rock #3, 1995)
1971 ● Mark Morriss → Lead singer for indie rock The Bluetones, “Slight Return” (UK #2, 1996), solo
1974 ● Peter Svensson → Guitarist for Swedish pop-rock The Cardigans, “Lovefool” (#1, 1996)
1975 ● Baby Bash / (Ronald Ray Bryant) → Mexican-American smooth rapper, “Suga Suga” (#7, 2003)
1977 ● Simon Rix → Bassist for indie rock Kaiser Chiefs, “Ruby” (UK #1, 2007)
1982 ● Ne-Yo / (Shaffer Smith) → Urban contemporary R&B/pop singer, “So Sick” (#1, 2005) and “Miss Independent” (#7, 2008), the 2009 Grammy Award for Best R&B song
1984 ● Esperanza Spalding / (Esperanza Emily Spalding) → Child-prodigy violinist, 15-year-old concertmaster for the Chamber Music Society of Oregon, Berklee College of Music graduate and four-time Grammy-wining jazz bassist and singer with a growing catalogue of solo albums, including Radio Music Society (#10, Jazz #1, 2012) and collaborations with others
1987 ● Zachary Efron → Actor and singer, “Troy Bolton” in High School Musical movies (most watched cable TV movies ever)
October 19
1910 ● John C. Mills, Jr. → Bass vocals and guitar in six-decade jazz and pop quartet The Mills Brothers (“Cab Driver,” #23, Adult #3, 1968), best known for approximating instrument sounds with vocals, first as a novelty act in the vaudeville era of the 20s and later as the music behind their singing, died while on tour in England on 1/23/1936, age 25
1911 ● George Cates → Big band and easy listening orchestrator, composer and record producer with the instrumental medley hit “Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” (#31, 1956) but known best as the musical director for The Lawrence Welk Show and his successful 50s and 60s TV program, composed Welk‘s theme song “Champagne Fanfare” and led the on air orchestra through 1982, died from heart failure on 5/10/2002, age 90
1934 ● Dave Guard / (Donald David Guard) → Founding member, guitar, banjo, vocals, songwriter and arranger for influential folk-pop The Kingston Trio, “Tom Dooley” (#1, 1958) plus nine other Top 40 hits, left the band in acrimony in 1961, issued solo albums, authored books and participated in occasional reunions until his death from lymphoma on 3/22/1991, age 56
1937 ● Jerry Jaye / (Gerald Hatley) → Singer and guitarist with the rockabilly-tinged Top 30 hit “My Girl Josephine” (#29, 1967) and the country “Honky Tonk Women Love Redneck Men” (Country #32, 1976), continued to record and perform with little impact into the 00s
1940 ● Larry Chance / (Larry Figueiredo) → Lead vocals and frontman for white R&B/doo wop The Earls, “Remember Then” (#24, 1963), still performing on the oldies circuit
1944 ● George McCrae → R&B/soul-disco singer and songwriter, “Rock Your Baby” (#1, 1974), Rolling Stone magazine’s #1 song for 1974
1944 ● Peter Tosh / (Winston Hubert McIntosh) → Guitar and vocals in legendary reggae group The Wailers, left in 1974 for solo career, “(You Gotta Walk) Don’t Look Back” (1978), murdered by intruders in his home on 9/11/1987, age 42
1945 ● Jeannie C. Riley / (Jeanne Carolyn Stephenson) → Grammy-winning country-pop singer, “Harper Valley PTA” (#1, 1968) and six Country Top 10 hits, switched to gospel music in the late 70s
1945 ● Divine / (Harris Glenn Milstead) → Drag queen, cult-movie star (Pink Flamingos, 1972, and others) and campy disco/dance singer, “Native Love (Step By Step)” (Dance #21, 1982), died from obesity-related cardiomegaly on 3/7/1988, age 42
1946 ● Keith Reid → Chief lyricist with prog/psych rock Procol Harum, “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” (#5, 1967), theater management executive
1947 ● Wilbert Hart → Vocals in pioneering “Philadelphia Sound” smooth R&B/soul The Delfonics, “La-La (Means I Love You)” (#4, 1968), still tours and records with various lineups
1948 ● Patrick Simmons → Guitar and vocals for California soul-pop-rock The Doobie Brothers, “Listen To The Music” (#11, 1972), only consistent member during the band’s 40-plus year history
1955 ● Nino DeFranco → Vocals for teen bubblegum-pop sibling act The DeFranco Family, “Heartbeat-It’s A Lovebeat” (#3, 1973)
1957 ● Karl Wallinger → Keyboardist for pop-rock The Waterboys, then guitar and vocals for World Party, “Way Down Now” (Modern Rock #1, 1990), wrote “She’s The One” for Robbie Williams (UK #1, 1999)
1960 ● Jennifer-Yvette Holliday → R&B/pop singer and Tony-winning actress in the stage version of Dreamgirls (1981), won Grammy Award for “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” (#22, R&B #1, 1982)
1960 ● Woody Woodgate / (Daniel Woodgate) → Drummer for punk/ska revival Madness, “Our House” (#7, 1982) and over 20 other UK Top 40 singles
1965 ● Todd Park Mohr → Namesake, frontman, lead singer, guitarist and chief lyricist for 90s pop/rock Big Head Todd & The Monsters, “Bittersweet” (Mainstream Rock #14, 1993)
1966 ● Sinitta Renay Malone → Anglo-American R&B/dance-pop singer, “Toy Boy” (Dance/Club #19, UK #4, 2005), sometime stage actress
1972 ● Pras Michel / (Prakazrel Michel) → Rapper with R&B/jazz-rap The Fugees, “Killing Me Softly” (#1, 1996), solo, “Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)” featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Mýa (#15, 1998)
1976 ● Pete Loeffler → Lead guitarist and lead singer in alt metal sibling trio Chevelle, “The Clincher” (Mainstream Rock #3, 2005)
