Happy Birthday this week to:
October 20
1885 ● Jelly Roll Morton / (Ferdinand Joseph Lemott) → Early and pivotal jazz pianist and composer credited for writing many of the earliest jazz songs, including “Black Bottom Stomp” (1926), died from asthma on 7/10/1941, age 65
1901 ● Frank Churchill → Pianist and pop music composer known for penning some of the best-loved of Walt Disney‘s early songs for animated short and feature length films, including “Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?” for Three Little Pigs (1933) and “Whistle While you Work” for Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937), won the Oscar for Best Score co-writing the instrumental music to Peter Pan (1941). committed suicide on 5/14/1942, age 40
1910 ● Charlie Fuqua → Founding member, baritone vocals and guitar for pioneering black R&B/doo wop group The Ink Spots, “To Each His Own” (#1, R&B #3, 1946), continued with various incarnations of the group through the 50s, died on 12/21/1971, age 61
1913 ● Grandpa Jones / (Louis Marshall Jones) → Banjo-picking, multi-decade country and gospel music singer, balladeer and Nashville fixture with multiple singles in the 50s and 60s (“T For Texas,” Country #5, 1963), joined the cast of TV country music/comedy show Hee Haw in 1969 and became a national celebrity, died following two strokes after a performance at the Grand Ole Opry on 2/19/1998, age 84.
1934 ● Bill Chase / (William Chiaiese) → Jazz and Big Band trumpeter, played with Maynard Ferguson, Stan Kenton and Woody Herman, formed Grammy-nominated jazz-rock fusion Chase, “Get It On” (Top 30, 1971) from the album Chase (#22, 1971), died with other bandmembers in a charter plane crash while on tour on 8/9/1974, age 39
1934 ● Eddie Harris → Innovative, virtuoso jazz saxophonist known for introducing the electrically-amplified saxophone, for his version of “Theme From Exodus (” #36, R&B #16, 1961), for penning the jazz standard “Freedom Jazz Dance” for Miles Davis (1966), and for the collaboration with jazz pianist Les McCann on Swiss Movement (#29, R&B #2, Jazz #1, 1969) and “Compared To What” (CB #96, R&B #35, 1970), died from bone cancer and kidney disease on 11/5/1996, age 62
1934 ● Maureen Cleave / (Mauren Diana Cleave) → British journalist with a 50-plus year career writing about prominent musicians, artists and philanthropists, best known for her interview with pre-stardom The Beatles and a 1966 interview with John Lennon in which he famously claimed the band was “more popular than Jesus,” collapsed in a London Underground station in 1992 and subsequently diagnosed with myalgia encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, later suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and died from unspecified causes on 11/6/2021, age 87.
1936 ● Joanna Simon / (Joanna Elizabeth Simon) → Mezzo-soprano opera and concert singer, older sister of singer/songwriters Carly and Lucy Simon, debuted at New York City Opera in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” in 1962 and won the Marian Anderson Award as the year’s most promising young singer, then embarked on a nearly 30-year career performing with multiple organizations on opera stages around the world, along the way finding time to sing backup on Carly’s No Secrets album (#1, 1973) and Lucy’s LP Lucy Simon (1975), started a side career in music journalism on public TV in the 80s, and a full-time career as a real estate broker in the 90s, died from thyroid cancer on 10/19/2022, the day before her 86th birthday and just one day before her younger sister Lucy died of breast cancer.
1937 ● Wanda Jackson → The “Queen of Rockabilly” and later country-pop singer, “Right Or Wrong” (#29, Country #9, 1961) and “Fancy Satin Pillows” (Country #13, 1970)
1939 ● Jay Siegel → Vocals in blue-eyed soul/doo wop The Tokens, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (#1, 1961)
1940 ● Kathy Kirby / (Kathleen O’Rourke) → The “Golden Girl of British Pop,” child prodigy singer and actress whose meteoric rise to stardom in Britain was followed by a quick descent into bankruptcy and obscurity with five years, “Secret Love” (UK #4, 1963), died of a heart attack on 5/19/2011, age 60.
1942 ● John Carter / (John Nicholas Sheakespeare) → Singer, songwriter, session musician and founding member of Brit folk-pop trio The Ivy League, “Funny How Love Can Be” (UK #8, 1965), left to write and produce for pre-fab psych-pop one hit wonder The Flower Pot Men, “Let’s Go To San Francisco” (UK #1, 1967), co-wrote “Little Bit O’ Soul” for The Music Explosion (#2, 1967), “Beach Baby” for The First Class (#4, 1974) and other hits
1945 ● Ric Lee → Drummer for British blues-rock Ten Years After, “I’d Love To Change The World” (Top 40, 1971)
1949 ● Larry Gonsky → Co-founder and keyboards for one hit wonder pop-rock Looking Glass, “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” (#1, 1972)
1950 ● Tom Petty / (Thomas Earl Petty) → Singer, songwriter, guitarist and bandleader whose music was a staple of rock radio for nearly four decades, fronted roots rock Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (“The Waiting,” #19, Mainstream Rock #1, 1981), issued three solo albums with several hits, including “Free Fallin'” (#7, 1989), joined supergroup The Traveling Wilburys (“Handle With Care,” Mainstream Rock #2, 1988) and reformed the predecessor band to The Heartbreakers, Mudcrutch, in 2007, recorded and toured with The Heartbreakers until his death from cardiac arrest on 10/2/2017, age 66
1951 ● Al Greenwood → Founding member and keyboardist for British-American arena rock band Foreigner, “Double Vision” (#2, 1978), left to form The Spys and session work
1958 ● Mark King → Bass guitar and vocals in jazz-funk-pop fusion Level 42, “Lessons In Love” (#12, 1987)
1958 ● Ricky Byrd → Guitarist with post-punk/hard rock Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” (#1, 1982)
1964 ● David Ryan → Drummer in post-punk rock then teen-pop Lemonheads, “Into Your Arms” (Modern Rock #1, 1993)
1964 ● Jim “Soni” Sonefeld / (James George Sonefeld) → Drums and vocals for 90s pop-rock quartet Hootie & The Blowfish, “Only Wanna Be With You” (#6, 1995)
1965 ● Norman Blake → Guitar and vocals in Scot pre-grunge, then power pop Teenage Fanclub, “Star Sign” (Mainstream Rock #4, 1991)
1971 ● Dannii Minogue / (Daniellle Jane Minogue) → Aussie pop superstar, actress, model and gay rights activist, “Love And Kisses” (UK Singles #8, Australia #4, 1991) and “Begin To Wonder” (Dance/Club #14, 2003), younger sister of Kylie Minogue
1971 ● Snoop Dogg / (Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr.) → Hugely controversial but successful gangsta rapper, “Drop It Like It’s Hot” (#1, 2004) and 8 other Top 40 hits plus multiple Rap Top 10 singles
1977 ● Nicholas Hodgson → Drummer in indie rock Kaiser Chiefs, “Ruby” (UK #1, 2007)
1978 ● Paul Wilson → Bassist for Irish indie-rock Snow Patrol, “Chasing Cars” (#5, 2006)
October 21
1917 ● Dizzy Gillespie / (John Birks Gillespie) → Highly influential bebop and modern jazz trumpet virtuoso, Grammy-winning soloist and orchestra leader, instrumental in the development of Afro-Cuban jazz, died of pancreatic cancer on 1/6/1993, age 75
1925 ● Doctor Ross / (Charles Isaiah Ross) → The “Harmonica Boss,” blues/boogie singer and one-man band guitarist, drummer and harmonica player, “Chicago Breakdown” (1953), won Grammy Ward for his album Rare Blues (1981), died on 9/28/1993, age 67
1925 ● Celia Cruz / (Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso) → Cuban singer, actress, the “Queen of Latin Music” and most popular Latin artist of the 20th century with eight Grammy Awards, twenty-three gold albums, and a National Medal of the Arts, performed with every major Latin bandleader and in every major city in Central and South America, died from complications following surgery for a brain tumor on 7/16/2003, age 77
1936 ● Sheila Jones → Vocals for English pop non-sister trio The Kaye Sisters, “Ivory Tower” (UK #20, 1956).
1937 ● Norman Wright → Tenor vocals in R&B/doo wop The Del-Vikings, “Come Go With Me” (#4, 1957)
1940 ● Jimmy Beaumont → Vocals and frontman for R&B/doo wop The Skyliners, “Since I Don’t Have You” (#12, 1959)
1940 ● Manfred Mann / (Manfred Lubowitz) → South African keyboards, vocals, songwriter, singer and frontman for British Invasion pop-rock Manfred Mann, “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” (#1, 1964), then founded prog/pop-rock Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, “Blinded By The Light” (#1, 1977), solo and producer
1941 ● Steve “The Colonel” Cropper / (Steven Lee Cropper) → Guitarist, songwriter, producer, highly regarded session player, member of Stax Records house band Booker T. & The MG’s, “Green Onions” (#3, 1962) and The Blues Brothers, “Soul Man” (#14, 1979), ranks #36 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time
1942 ● Elvin Bishop → Country-blues-rock guitarist, first with The Butterfield Blues Band then solo, “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” (#3, 1976)
1942 ● Yvonne Fair / (Flora Yvonne Coleman) → Backing vocals for the James Brown Revue and solo Motown R&B/soul singer, “It Should Have Been Me” (#85, 1976), died from undisclosed causes on 3/6/1994, age 51
1943 ● Ron Elliott → Songwriter and lead guitarist for pop-rock The Beau Brummels, wrote “Laugh, Laugh” (#15, 1964), solo, sessions and production work
1943 ● Chet Flippo → Writer and editor at Rolling Stone magazine in the 70s and early 80s, championed country music and introduced Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Waylon Jennings to millions of readers, wrote several books, including Your Cheatin’ Heart: A Biography Of Hank Williams (1981), University of Tennessee journalism adjunct professor, Billboard magazine Nashville bureau chief and country music cable TV channel (CMT) editorial director since 2001, died on 6/19/2013 after a brief illness
1945 ● Kathy Young → One hit wonder teen-pop singer, “A Thousand Stars” (#3, 1961)
1946 ● Lee Loughnane / (Lee David Loughnane) → Founding member, trumpeter and songwriter in horn-pop-rock Chicago, “Saturday In The Park” (#3, 1972), continues with the group in a leadership role
1946 ● Lux Interior / (Erick Lee Purkhiser) → Founding member and lead singer for punk-rock The Cramps, “Bikini Girls With Machine Guns” (Modern Rock #10, 1989), died from a burst artery on 2/4/2009, age 62
1946 ● Phil Chen / (Phillip David Chen) → Jamaican bass and rhythm guitarist who relocated to London in the 60s and played with Jimmy James & the Vagabonds (“Now Is The Time,” UK #5, 1975) before starting a long career as a top session musician, including albums by Donovan (Cosmic Wheels, 1973), Jeff Beck (Blow by Blow, 1974), Pete Townshend (White City: A Novel, 1985), Jackson Browne (Lives In The Balance, 1986) and the 1973 eponymous debut by The Doors spin-off outfit The Butts Band, member of Rod Stewart‘s backing band from 1976 to 1981, played in Brian May and Eddie Van Halen‘s one-off Star Fleet Project (1983), toured with ex-Doors Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek in Manzarek–Krieger and their Doors tribute band Riders on the Storm from 2004 to 2013, died of cancer on 12/14/2021, age 75.
1947 ● Tetsu Yamauchi → Bassist for early hard-rockers The Faces, “Stay With Me” (#17, 1971), then for proto-metal/hard rock Free, “All Right Now” (#4, 1970)
1952 ● Brent Mydland → Fourth (and longest serving) keyboardist and occasional songwriter for Grateful Dead, “Touch Of Grey” (#9, 1987), died from a drug overdose on 7/26/1990, age 37
1953 ● Charlotte Irene Caffey → Singer, songwriter and bassist for New Wave pop-punk girl group The Go-Go’s, “We Got The Beat”, (#2, 1982), the most successful all-female pop and rock band of all time and the only one to play their own instruments and write their own songs
1953 ● Eric Faulkner / (Eric Falconer) → Scottish guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, in 1972 joined tartan-clad, teen-pop boy band Bay City Rollers (“Saturday Night,” #1, 1976) and penned several of their 70s UK hits, continued to record and perform with various BCR line-ups and as as solo artist into the 10s
1957 ● Attila the Stockbroker / (John Baine) → Punk-folk-pop poet musician and author, frontman for Barnstormer, worked with John Otway and TV Smith
1957 ● Julian Cope → Author, poet, antiquary, musician, electro-pop-psychedelia guitarist and songwriter for The Teardrop Explodes, “Reward” (UK #6, 1981), then solo, “World Shut Your Mouth” (#84, UK #19, 1986)
1957 ● Luke Lukather / (Steven Lee Lukather) → Guitarist for arena pop-rock Toto, “Hold The Line” (#5, 1978), producer, solo
1959 ● Rose McDowall → Vocals for punk-goth-pop Strawberry Switchblade, “Since Yesterday” (UK #5, 1984)
1961 ● Peter Olsson → Original bassist for Swedish hard rock/glam-metal Europe, “The Final Countdown” (#8, 1986)
1969 ● Garfield A. Bright → Vocals for R&B/urban contemporary soul quartet Shai, “If I Ever Fall In Love” (#2, 1992)
1971 ● Jade Jagger → Jewelry designer, jet-set socialite and only child of Mick Jagger and former wife Bianca, half-sister to six other Jagger offspring
1971 ● Nick Oliveri → Former bassist for stoner metal Queens Of The Stone Age, “No One Knows” (#51, Mainstream Rock #5, 2002) and other hard rock bands, currently frontman for punk/metal Mondo Generator
1971 ● Tony Mortimer → Vocalist and rapper for Brit teen dance-pop/hip hop boy band East 17, “Stay Another Day” (UK #1, 1994), plus over 15 other UK Top 40 hits
October 22
1936 ● Bruce Belland → Founding member and lead singer for clean-cut light pop vocal quartet The Four Preps, “26 Miles (Santa Catalina)” (#2, 1958) and 6 other Top 40 hits between 1958 and 1961, later co-starred on the TV sitcom Ozzie And Harriet, wrote several songs for other artists and produced network TV game shows, continued to tour with incarnations of The Four Preps into the 00s
1939 ● Ray Jones → Early bassist for British Invasion pop-rock Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, “Little Children” (#7, 1964), died 1/22/2009, age 60
1942 ● Bobby Fuller / (Robert Gaston Fuller) → Tex-Mex rock ‘n roll singer, songwriter, guitarist and bandleader of the Bobby Fuller Four, “I Fought The Law” (#9, 1959), found dead from unexplained causes in a car parked outside his Hollywood apartment on 7/18/1966, age 23
1942 ● Annette Funicello → Singer, film and TV actress, child cast member on the original Mickey Mouse Club, then teen idol singer, “Tall Paul” (#7, 1959) and beach party film actress in several genre-creating beach films, including Beach Blanket Bingo (1965) and others, died after a long battle with multiple sclerosis on 4/8/2013, age 70
1945 ● Leslie West / (Leslie Weinstein) → Power chord guitarist and founding member of New York blue-eyed soul The Vagrants scoring two Northeast regional 60s hits, then joined guitarist/producer Felix Pappalardi to create pioneering hard rock/proto metal Mountain (“Mississippi Queen” #21, 1970), reformed in 1973 as power trio West, Bruce & Laing with Mountain bandmate Corky Laing and childhood rock idol, Cream bassist Jack Bruce, fronted various Mountain reincarnations until dying from cardiac arrest on 12/22/2020, age 75.
1946 ● Eddie Brigati / (Edward Brigati, Jr.) → Vocals and songwriter in blue-eyed soul The Rascals, “Groovin”” (#1, 1967)
1952 ● Greg Hawkes → Synthesizer for New Wave synth-pop-rock The Cars, “Just What I Needed” (#27, 1978), solo and sessions
1956 ● Stiv Bators / (Steven John Bator) → Punk then power pop singer, guitarist and frontman, first for early and nihilistic punk rock The Dead Boys, then New Wave post-punk The Wanderers and later goth rock The Lords Of The New Church, suffered internal injuries when hit by a taxi in a Paris intersection and died several days later on 6/4/1990, age 33
1960 ● Cris Kirkwood → Bassist in punk-psych-country-rock Meat Puppets, “Backwater” (Mainstream Rock #2, 1994)
1965 ● John Wesley Harding / (William Stace) → Folk-pop singer/songwriter, “The Person You Are” (Modern Rock #8, 1991), authorBob Dylan
1968 ● Shaggy / (Orville Richard Burrell) → Reggae dance-pop singer, “It Wasn’t Me” (#1, 2000)
1968 ● Shelby Lynne / (Shelby Lynne Moorer) → Grammy-winning country-pop-rock singer/songwriter, “Wall In Your Heart” (Adult Contemporary #22, 2002)
1976 ● Jonathan Foreman → Co-founder, lead singer, guitarist and principal songwriter for alt rock/Christian rock Switchfoot, “Meant To Live” (#18, Modern Rock #5, 2004)
1983 ● Plan B / (Benjamin Paul Balance-Drew) → Rapper, R&B/neo soul singer, songwriter, actor and film director, released the critically acclaimed debut album Who Needs Actions When You Got Words (UK #30, 2006) and followed with The Defamation Of Strickland Blues (UK #1, 2010), had small roles in multiple films, wrote and directed the hip hop musical Ill Manners (2012) and its accompanying UK #1 soundtrack
1985 ● Zachary Walter Hanson → Guitar, keyboards and vocals in teen pop-rock trio Hanson, “MMMBop” (Worldwide #1, 1997)
October 23
1919 ● Katie Lee / (Kathryn Louise Lee) → Folk singer with a dozen albums, mostly about Western U.S. cowboys and rivers, author of several books on similar subjects, and environmental activist best known for her decades-long opposition to the construction and ongoing presence of the Glen Canyon Dam in Northern Arizona, her music and narration were featured on a Smithsonian Institute Folkways compilation album, Songs And Stories From Grand Canyon (2005), died from undisclosed causes on 11/1/2017, age 98
1930 ● Boozoo Chavis / (Wilson Chavis) → Accordion maestro and one of the principal architects of the modern Zydeco sound, the music created by French-speaking Louisiana Creoles, refused to play publicly following his single, the first Zydeco hit “Paper In My Shoe” (1954) but returned in 1984 to tour and record until just prior to his death from complications of a heart attack on 5/5/2001, age 70
1937 ● Yvonne Staples → Backing singer and business manager for father-daughters family gospel then mainstream R&B vocal group The Staple Singers (“I’ll Take You There,” #1, 1972 and two other Top 5 hits), eschewed the limelight but was a recognized stalwart behind the scenes for the group and various solo acts, including her sister, Mavis, for nearly 40 years, retired in the 10s and died from colon cancer on 4/10/2018, age 80
1939 ● Charlie Foxx → With sister Inez, one half of the one hit wonder R&B/soul duo Inez & Charlie Foxx, “Mockingbird” (#7, 1963), died from leukemia on 9/18/1998, age 58
1940 ● Ellie Greenwich / (Eleanor Louise Greenwich) → Brill Building pop music songwriter, singer and producer, wrote or co-wrote multiple hit songs (often with Phil Spector or husband Jeff Barry), including “Be My Baby” for The Ronettes (#2, 1963), “Chapel Of Love” for The Dixie Cups (#1, 1964) and “Hanky Panky” for Tommy James & The Shondells (#1, 1966), died of a heart attack on 8/26/2009, age 68
1942 ● Jan Savage / (Buck Jan Reeder) → Guitarist in psychedelic rock/proto-garage punk The Seeds, “Pushin’ Too Hard” (#36, 1966), left the band in 1968 and fell into obscurity outside the music industry except for reunions in 1989 and 2003, died from undisclosed causes on 8/5/2020, age 77.
1943 ● Barbara Ann Hawkins → With sister Rosa Lee Hawkins and cousin Joan Marie Johnson, vocals in 60s R&B/pop girl-group The Dixie Cups, “Chapel Of Love” (#1, 1964)
1947 ● Greg Ridley → Co-founder and bassist for blues-rock Spooky Tooth, left in 1969 to co-found Humble Pie, “30 Days In The Hole” (1972) and “Hot ‘N’ Nasty” (#52, 1972), left music in 1975 but returned for Humble Pie reunions after 2001, died of pneumonia on 11/19/2003, age 56
1949 ● Würzel Burston / (Michael Burston) → Guitarist for early punk-metal Motörhead, “Ace Of Spades” (UK #15, 1980), left the band for solo career, died from heart disease on 7/9/2011, age 61
1949 ● Nick Tosches / (Nicholas P. Tosches) → Music journalist, biographer and poet labelled as one of the “Noise Boys” in the 70s for his brash, unconventional “gonzo” style, wrote for Creem, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and others magazines but best known for his biographies of Jerry Lee Lewis (Hellfire, 1982), Dean Martin and boxer Sonny Liston, also issued four novels and many other works of fiction and journalism, his Autobiography was released in 2018, died from undisclosed causes on 10/20/2019, age 69.
1953 ● Pauline Black → Vocals in New Wave 2 Tone ska revival The Selecter, “On My Radio” (UK #8, 1979).
1956 ● Dwight Yoakam → Grammy-winning, pioneering roots-country singer, songwriter and guitarist, “Streets Of Bakersfield” (Country #1, 1988) and 13 other Country Top 10 hits
1957 ● Kelly Marie / (Jacqueline McKinnon) → Scottish R&B/disco-pop vocalist, “Feels Like I’m In Love” (UK #1, 1980)
1959 ● Weird Al Yankovic / (Alfred Matthew Yankovic) → Grammy-winning comedian, multi-instrumentalist and song parodist, “Eat It” (#12, 1984) parodying Michael Jackson‘s “Beat It” and “White & Nerdy” (#9, 2006) parodying “Ridin'” by Chamillionaire
1964 ● Roberto Trujillo → Bassist in thrash metal Suicidal Tendencies, “I’ll Hate You Better” (Mainstream Rock #34, 1993) and side project funk-metal Infectious Grooves, joined Ozzy Osbournes band in 1994 and Metallica in 2003
1966 ● David Thomas → Vocals in a cappella gospel Take 6, “I L-O-V-E U” (R&B #19, 1990)
1972 ● Richard McNamara → Guitarist in Brit-pop rockers Embrace, “Gravity” (Modern Rock #36, UK #7, 2004)
1986 ● Miguel / (Miguel Jontel Pimentel) → R&B/pop soul singer and guitarist with seven R&B Top 10 hits as a solo or featured artist, including “Adorn” (#17, R&B #1, 2012)
October 24
1911 ● Sonny Terry / (Saunders Terrell) → Blues and folk harmonica player, developed the “whoopin'” style, session man for Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and others, Broadway and TV actor, died of natural causes on 3/11/1986, age 74
1930 ● The Big Bopper / (Jiles Perry “J.P.” Richardson, Jr.) → Booming-voiced, early rock ‘n’ roll radio DJ, songwriter, singer and bandleader, best known for his one hit wonder single “Chantilly Lace” (#6, 1958) but also wrote “White Lightning” for George Jones (#73, Country #1, 1959) and “Running Bear” for Johnny Preston (#1, UK #1, 1959), died along with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens in an Iowa plane crash on the night of 2/3/1959, age 28.
1935 ● Sanford Clark → Country and rockabilly one hit wonder vocalist whose 50s US Army side group led to a meeting with radio DJ and future music producer Lee Hazlewood and a recording of Hazlewood‘s “The Fool” (#7, Country #14, R&B #5, 1956), left the music business and worked in construction but occasionally recorded in later decades on his own label, Desert Sun Records, died from complications of COVID-19 while receiving cancer treatments in a Missouri hospital on 7/4/2021, age 85.
1936 ● Bill Wyman / (William George Perks) → Three-decade bassist for megastar hard rock The Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar” (#1, 1971), issued solo albums in the 70s, co-founded supergroup Willie And The Poor Boys in the 80s, quit The Stones and now fronts The Rhythm Kings featuring Albert Lee and Peter Frampton
1936 ● Fast Fingers Dawkins / (Jimmy Dawkins) → Blues guitarist and mellow-voiced singer known as a pioneer of the aggressive, percussive “West Side” Chicago blues style, recorded and toured with Otis Rush, Andrew “Big Voice” Odom and others, his debut album Fast Fingers (1969) won the Grand Prix du Disque de Jazz from the Hot Club of France in 1971 as the year’s top album, died of undisclosed causes on 4/10/2013, age 76
1937 ● Santo Farina → Steel guitarist in Italian-American one hit wonder brother duo Santo & Johnny, pop-rock guitar instrumental “Sleepwalk” (#1, 1959)
1942 ● Donald W. Gant → Singer, songwriter and record producer, one half of pop-rock duo The Neon Philharmonic, “Morning Girl” (#17, 1969), produced albums for Jimmy Buffett, Lefty Frizzell and others, died following a serious boating accident on 3/15/1987, age 44
1944 ● Ted Templeman → Singer, guitarist and vocal arranger in folk-sunshine-pop Harper’s Bizarre, “Feelin’ Groovy” (#13, 1967), then record producer for Van Morrison, Little Feat, The Doobie Brothers, Van Halen and others
1946 ● Jerry Edmonton / (Gerald McCrohan) → Drummer in Canadian-American hard rock, proto-metal Steppenwolf, “Born To Be Wild” (#2, 1968), died in a car accident on 11/29/1993, age 47
1947 ● Edgar Broughton / (Robert Edgar Broughton) → Singer, guitarist and frontman for Brit blues then prog-rock Edgar Broughton Band, “Apache Dropout” (UK #33, 1970)
1948 ● Barry Ryan / (Barry Sapherson) → Singer with his identical twin brother in pop duo Paul & Barry Ryan, scored eight UK Top 50 hits in two years in the mid-60s, including “Don’t Bring Me Your Heartaches” (UK #13, 1965), when his brother quit to avoid the stress and concentrate on songwriting, started a solo career and released his biggest hit, “Eloise” (#86, UK #2, 1968) along with another five UK Top 40 singles, left the music business in the 70s for a successful career as a fashion photographer and has six portraits in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London, occasionally performed on the oldies circuit and died from complications of a lung disorder on 9/28/2021, age 72.
1948 ● Buffin Griffin / (Terence Dale Griffin) → Drummer in early Brit glam-rockers Mott The Hoople, “All The Young Dudes” (#37, 1972), producer for The Cult, Hanoi Rocks, Nirvana and others, including BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel
1948 ● Paul Ryan / (Paul Sapherson) → Singer and songwriter with identical twin brother in pop vocal duo Paul & Barry Ryan, “Don’t Bring Me Your Heartaches” (1965), wrote his brother’s solo hit, “Eloise” (UK #1, 1968), left the industry and managed a chain of hairdressing salons until his death from lung cancer on 11/29/1992, age 44
1949 ● Tiny Tavares / (Perry Lee Tavares) → Cape Verdean-American singer with his four brothers in R&B/funk-disco Tavares, “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” (#15, 1976), continued to tour into the 10s
1962 ● Debbie Googe → Bassist for art-prog-rock, “shoe-gazing” pioneers My Bloody Valentine, “Only Shallow” (Modern Rock #27, 1992)
1969 ● Rob Green → Drummer in blue-eyed soul revival and trad rock Toploader, “Dancing In The Moonlight” (UK #7, 2000)
1970 ● Alonza Bevan → Bassist for post-Britpop psych/mystic rock Kula Shaker, “Hush” (Mainstream Rock #19, 1997)
1970 ● Eds Chesters / (Edward Daniel Chesters) → Drummer for indie rock The Bluetones, “Slight Return” (UK #2, 1996)
1978 ● Sabrina Washington → Lead vocals in “UK urban” R&B/dance-pop trio Mis-Teeq, “One Night Stand” (Dance/Club #4, 2004), solo and TV actress
1979 ● Ben Gillies → Co-founder and drummer for Aussie alt-grunge-rock Silverchair, “Tomorrow” (Modern Rock #1, 1994)
1980 ● Monica / (Monica Arnold) → R&B/urban contemporary singer, “Before You Walk Out Of My Life” (#7, R&B #1, 1995) and seven other Top 10 hits
1983 ● Adrienne Bailon → Hip hop soul and R&B/dance-teen-pop 3LW (aka 3 Little Women), “No More (Baby I’ma Do Right)” (#23, 2001) and Disney pre-fab dance-pop Cheetah Girls, “Strut” (#53, 2006), TV host and film actress
1986 ● Drake / (Aubrey Drake Graham) → Canadian R&B/hip hop vocalist, “Find Your Love” (#5, 2010) and six other Top 40 hits, TV actor
October 25
1912 ● Minnie Pearl / (Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon) → Country music singer and comedian with more than 50 years at the Grand Ole Opry and 22 years on the seminal country music TV variety program Hee Haw, known for her signature price-tagged straw hat and folksy mountain demeanor, scored one Country Top 10 hit (“Giddyup Go – Answer,” Country #10, 1966) but influenced countless younger female artists, died following a massive stroke on 3/4/1996, age 83
1924 ● Earl Palmer → R&B, rock and pop session drummer who played on thousands of songs by Fats Domino, Little Richard, The Monkees and others, on scores of albums by Duane Eddy, Taj Mahal, Tim Buckley and others, and on dozens of film scores (Hud, How To Stuff A Wild Bikini and others) and TV theme songs (77 Sunset Strip, Green Acres, The Partridge Family and others), one of the first session musicians elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2000), died following a long illness on 9/19/2008, age 78
1937 ● Jeanne Black → Country music TV variety show singer and Las Vegas nightclub act, brushed fame as a one hit wonder country-pop singer, “He’ll Have To Stay” (#4, Country #6, R&B #11, 1960), the answer song to Jim Reeve‘s “He’ll Have To Go” (#2, Country #1, 1960), died peacefully on 10/23/2014, age 76
1941 ● Helen Reddy / (Helen Maxine Lamond Reddy) → The “Queen of 70s Pop,” Australian light pop/adult contemporary singer with eleven Top 20 hits in the 70s including the Grammy-winning, feminist anthem “I Am Woman” (#1, Adult #1, 1971), enjoyed a long and diverse second career in films – Airport 1975 (1974), Pete’s Dragon (1977) and others – plus on stage and in TV programs through the 90s, suffered from Addison’s disease and dementia in later years and died on 9/29/2020, age 78.
1943 ● Roy Lynes → Keyboards and backing vocals for Brit psych-boogie rock Status Quo, “Pictures Of Matchstick Men” (#12, 1968), continues to perform with tribute bands Quo Vadis and Statoz Quo
1944 ● Jon Anderson / (John Roy Anderson) → Keyboards, songwriter, lead vocals and founding member of archetypal, pioneer progressive rock band Yes (“Roundabout,” #13, 1971) and various off-shoots and side projects through the 00s, plus solo work (“Cage Of Freedom,” Mainstream Rock #17, 1984) and collaborations
1944 ● Taffy Nivert Danoff → Vocals in AM Pop one hit wonder light pop-rock Starland Vocal Band, “Afternoon Delight” (#1, 1976).
1946 ● John Hall → Drummer for Brit reggae-pop The Equals, “Baby Come Back” (#32, 1968)
1947 ● Glenn Tipton → Lead guitarist for popular and influential “New Wave” heavy metal band Judas Priest, “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'” (#67, Mainstream Rock #4, 1982) plus the 2009 Grammy-winning album Dissident Aggressor
1950 ● Chris Norman → Lead vocals and rhythm guitar for glam-pop-rock Smokie, “Living Next Door To Alice” (#25, UK #3, 1977), left in 1982 for solo career, “Midnight Lady” (Germany #1, 1986)
1951 ● Richard Lloyd → Guitar and vocals for early and influential punk-rock Television, “Marquee Moon” (1977), solo, producer and guitar teacher
1955 ● Matthias Jabs → Guitarist in German hard rock/metal Scorpions, “Rock You Like A Hurricane” (#25, 1984), still with the band in 2010
1957 ● Robbie McIntosh → Session guitarist and bandleader, played in The Pretenders (“Back On The Chain Gang,” #5, 1983) from 1982 to 1987 and Paul McCartney‘s Wings in the 90s
1960 ● Chrissy Amphlett / (Christinae Amphlett) → Vocals for Aussie power pop Divinyls, “I Touch Myself” (#4, 1991), co-wrote “Science Fiction” (AUS #13, 1982), included in 2001 as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time by the Australian Performing Right Association (APRA), died after a long fight with breast cancer on 4/21/2013, age 52
1961 ● Chad Smith → Drummer in funk-rock Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Californication” (Modern Rock #1, 2000)
1961 ● Pat Sharp / (Patrick Sharpin) → Brit TV host and radio DJ (BBC Radio 1, Capital FM, Radio Mercury)
1963 ● John Leven → Bassist for Swedish hard rock/glam-metal Europe, “The Final Countdown” (#8, 1986)
1965 ● Nick Thorpe → Bassist for Brit teen-pop blue-eyed soul Curiosity Killed The Cat, “Down To Earth” (UK #3, 1986)
1968 ● Speech / (Todd Thomas) → Vocals and MC for African-centric, progressive hip hop/funk-soul-blues Arrested Development, “Mr. Wendal” (#6, 1992), solo
1970 ● Ed Robertson / (Lloyd Edward Robertson) → Guitarist for Canadian alt-rock Barenaked Ladies, “One Week” (#1, 1998)
1981 ● “Romeo” then “Young Rome” / (Jerome Isaac Jones) → Rapper, singer for L.A. pre-teen R&B/pop-rap Immature, “Never Lie” (#5, 1994), then name change to Imx, “Stay The Night” (#23, 1999), actor
1984 ● Katy Perry / (Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson) → Contemporary dance-club/pop-rock singer and songwriter, “I Kissed A Girl” (#1, 2008), TV and voice actress
1985 ● Ciara Princess Harris → The “First Lady of Crunk & B,” contemporary R&B/soul-pop dancer and vocalist, “Goodies” (#1, 2004), actress and fashion model
October 26
1911 ● Mahalia Jackson → The “Queen of Gospel,” vastly influential gospel superstar singer, “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” (#69, 1958), three-time Grammy winner, civil rights activist and philanthropist, died from heart failure on 1/27/1972, age 60
1913 ● Charlie Barnet → Jazz saxophonist, composer and leader of a early racially-integrated band, noted for penning more than twenty-five Billboard chart hits in the Swing era between 1939 and 1946, including “Cherokee,” “Redskin Rhumba” and “Skyliner,” married 11 times, the final one lasting 33 years, died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease and pneumonia on 9/4/1991, age 77
1929 ● Neal Matthews → Vocals in country-gospel-pop backing quartet The Jordanaires, recorded with Elvis Presley (1957-1972), Patsy Cline, Tom Jones, Merle Haggard and others, died of a heart attack on 4/21/2000, age 70.
1930 ● Mickey Kapp / (Michael Ivan Kapp) → Hollywood music executive with his father’s Kapp Records and, among other song credits, producer of Louis Armstrong‘s version of “Hello, Dolly!” from the musical of the same name, the song knocked The Beatles‘ “Can’t Buy Me Love” off the No. 1 spot on the U.S. pop charts in 1964, best known for producing the one hit wonder novelty hit “The Astronaut” (#19, 1961) recorded by comedian Bill Dana as the dim-witted, space-suited character José Jiménez, which eventually led to a side career providing SONY TC-50 cassette player mixtapes to multiple NASA space missions, including the 1969 Apollo moon shot when his music playlist was often heard in the background of radio transmissions, consulted for NASA into the 70s, during his career worked in various capacities at Elektra Records, Capitol Records and later Warner Music, died from congestive heart failure on 6/11/2019, age 88.
1934 ● Jacques Loussier → French pianist, composer and frontman for the Jacques Loussier Trio from 1959 to the late 70s, specialized in jazzed-up versions of classical masterpieces, a good many by Johann Sebastian Bach, sold over 7 million copies of nearly 40 albums, performed in over 3,000 concerts worldwide and, following the Trio‘s disbandment, composed film scores, concertos and ballet pieces, performed with Pink Floyd and Elton John, among other rock acts, and recorded portions of Pink Floyd‘s The Wall (1979) in his private studio, reformed the Trio on the tricentenary of Bach‘s birth in 1985, toured and recorded until releasing his last album on his 80th birthday in 2014, suffered an on-stage stroke in 2011, retired from touring and died from an undisclosed degenerative disease on 3/5/2019, age 84.
1936 ● Al Casey / (Alvin Wayne Casey) → Piano and guitar with early rocker Duane Eddy‘s Rebels, wrote Eddy‘s early hit “Ramrod” (#27, R&B #17, 1958) and co-wrote “Forty Miles Of Bad Road” (#9, 1959), issued several mostly instrumental solo albums in the 60s and scored three minor chart singles, including ” Surfin’ Hootenanny” (#48, 1963), turned to session work as a member of the acclaimed Wrecking Crew group of L.A. studio musicians and recorded with numerous top artists, owned a Los Angeles music store for 20 years, retired in 1993 and died on 9/17/2006, age 69
1938 ● Jabo Starks / (John Henry Starks) → Blues, funk and soul drummer who grew up playing with blues artists in clubs on the Deep South “chitlin’ curcuit” then joined Bobby Bland‘s band in 1959 and played on numerous soul/gospel hits, including “Turn On Your Lovelight” (#28, R&B #2, 1961, left in 1965 to join James Brown‘s band (“Sex Machine,” #2, R&B #15, 1970) for whom he toured and recorded as the lone drummer or in tandem with Clyde Stubblefield for a decade, later joined B. B. King‘s touring band and reunited with Stubblefield as The Funkmasters in the 90s and played with him on two albums and multiple James Brown tribute shows, died from complications of leukemia and other blood disorders on 5/1/2018, age 79
1940 ● Stephen Swid / (Stephen Claar Swid) → Wall Street analyst, financial advisor and private equity partner, purchased CBS Songs, the music publishing division of CBS Inc., for $125 million in 1986 and sold it less than 3 years later to Thorn-EMI for $335 million, later paid $25 million to acquire SESAC (the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers), a small player in the music copyright and royalty collection business, and grew the company to rival industry giants ASCAP and BMI, also co-owner of The “21” Club in New York City and CEO of Spin magazine, retired in 2013 after selling SESAC to an investment firm for $1.2 billion and died from complications of frontotemporal degeneration on 10/06/2019, age 78.
1944 ● Alan Henderson → Bassist for Irish garage-rock, proto-punk Them, “Gloria” (#71, 1966)
1944 ● Michael Piano → Singer in light folk sunshine-pop, two hit wonder vocal trio The Sandpipers, “Guantanamera” (#9, 1966) and “Come Saturday Morning” (#17, 1970)
1946 ● Keith Hopwood → Guitarist in British Invasion pop-rock Herman’s Hermits, “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter” (#1. 1965)
1951 ● Bootsy Collins / (William Earl Collins) → R&B/funk bassist, singer and songwriter, with James Brown band in the 60s and Parliament-Funkadelic in the 70s, frontman for Bootsy’s Rubber Band, “Bootzilla” (R&B #1, 1978)
1951 ● Maggie Roche / (Margaret A. Roche) → Eldest of the three singer/songwriter sisters who performed and recorded in pairs or as a trio in critically-acclaimed but commercially-marginal folk-pop close-harmony The Roches, the group issued 17 albums over 30 years, along the way backing Paul Simon on There Goes Rhymin’ Simon (#2, 1973), playing various venues on the Greenwich Village folk scene, appearing on several TV variety shows, touring occasionally and collaborating with others, died from breast cancer on 1/21/2017, age 65.
1952 ● David Was / (David Weiss) → Lyricist, keyboardist and co-frontman for eclectic R&B and rock fusion Was (Not Was), “Walk The Dinosaur” (#7, 1989), producer, music journalist and theme song composer.
1953 ● Keith Strickland → Guitars, keyboards and occasional drums for New Wave alt-dance-rock The B-52’s, “Love Shack” (#3, 1989)
1962 ● Steve Wren → Drummer for New Wave synth-pop-soul Then Jerico, “The Motive” (UK #18, 1987)
1963 ● Natalie Merchant → Lead vocals and songwriting for folk-pop 10,000 Maniacs, “These Are Days” (Alt-Rock #1, 1992), left in 1993 for solo career, “Carnival” (#10, 1995)
1965 ● Judge Jules / (Julius O’Riordan) → UK dance music remixer, producer and radio DJ, first with pirate radio Kiss FM and since 1987 with BBC Radio 1 in various time slots
1967 ● Keith Urban → New Zealand-born Nashville contemporary country-pop crossover guitarist, songwriter and three-time Grammy winner, “Sweet Thing” (#30, Country #1, 2008)
1978 ● Mark Barry → Vocals for short-lived teen pop-rock trio BBMak, “Back Here” (#13, 2000), now a personal fitness trainer
1981 ● Guy Sebastian → Australian adult contemporary/soul-pop singer/songwriter, winner of the first Australian Idol series, “Angels Brought Me Here” (Australian #1, 2003)
1986 ● Schoolboy Q / (Quincy Matthew Hanley) → Hip hop singer and recording artist, originally with self-anointed supergroup Black Hippy, since 2009 solo singer with the debut hit album Oxymoron (#1, Rap #1, R&B #1, CAN #1, 2014) and the single “Studio” (#38, Rap #5, R&B #10, 2014)
