Happy Birthday this week to:
October 27
1924 ● Gary Chester / (Cesario Gurciullo) → Top-rated session drummer from doo wop to rock and pop, co-author of two instruction books on drumming, worked with the Coasters, The Monkees, Dionne Warwick, Country Joe McDonald, Van Morrison and many others on hundreds of albums and thousands of songs, died 8/17/1987, age 62
1924 ● Bonnie Lou / (Mary Joan Okum) → Pioneering country-pop, rockabilly and early rock ‘n’ roll singer and later TV show host with several crossover hits and the early rocker “Daddy O” (#14, 1955), dubbed “Queen” of the country music Midwestern Hayride program on NBC-TV through the early 70s, died in her sleep on 12/8/2015, age 91
1933 ● Floyd Cramer → Country-pop/easy listening “Nashville sound” pianist with the unique “slip-note” style, issued several hit singles (including “Last Date,” #2, Country #11, 1960) and albums of instrumental covers, worked as a session musician with Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee, Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers and others, most widely known as the composer to theme song for 1980s mega-hit TV soap Dallas, died of lung cancer on 12/31/1997, age 64.
1939 ● Dallas Frazier / (Dallas June Frazier) → Country-pop musician and prolific songwriter, penned and recorded his first single, “Space Command” (no charts, 1954) at age 14 and followed with 10 charting singles between 1966 and 1973, best known for writing country-pop “Elvira” for himself (no charts, 1966) and the Oak Ridge Boys (#5, Country #1, 1981), novelty-pop “Alley Oop” (#1, R&B #3, 1960) for the Hollywood Argyles, “There Goes My Everything” (#65, Country #1, 1966) for Jack Greene, and “Beneath Still Waters” (Country #1, 1980) for Emmylou Harris, left the music industry for the ministry in the Nashville area in 1988, suffered two strokes in mid-2021 and died on 1/14,2022, age 82.
1942 ● Melvin Lee Greenwood → Country-pop singer and songwriter, “God Bless The USA” (Country #7, 1984) re-released in October 2001 (#16, Country #16, 2001) and 18 other Country Top 10 singles plus a Grammy Award
1945 ● Mark Ryan → Bass guitarist for early 70s lineup of psych-rock Quicksilver Messenger Service (“Fresh Air,” #49, 1970), later in funk-rock Bodacious D.F. with ex-Jefferson Airplane singer Marty Balin.
1945 ● Dick Dodd / (Joseph Richard Dodd, Jr.) → Original cast member of The Mickey Mouse Club beginning in 1955, formed instrumental surf rock The Bel-Airs and played drums on the regional hit “Mr. Moto” (1961), joined garage/proto-punk The Standells in 1964 as drummer and sang lead vocals on “Dirty Water” (#11, 1966), toured with the group occasionally until dying of cancer on 11/29/2013, age 68
1948 ● Byron Allred → Keyboards in blues-rock then psych-rock then pop-rock Steve Miller Band, “The Joker” (#1, 1973)
1949 ● Gary Tallent → Bassist in Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band, producer, sessions, record company executive
1949 ● Clifford Antone → Club owner, record label executive and one of the architects of the Austin, TX blues music scene, founded Antone’s blues club in 1975 and featured blues artists such as B. B. King, Fats Domino, Stevie Ray Vaughan and others, chief executive of independent label Antone’s Records and university lecturer, died from unspecified causes on 5/23/2006, age 56
1951 ● K.K. Downing / (Kenneth Downing, Jr.) → 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
1953 ● Peter Dodd → Guitarist with New Wave synth-pop Thompson Twins, “Hold Me Now” (#3, 1983)
1956 ● Hazell Dean / (Hazell Dean Poole) → Brit dance-pop singer and H-NRG artist, “Searchin’ (I Gotta Find A Man)” (Dance/Club #8, 1983) and two other Dance/Club Top 20 hits
1958 ● Simon LeBon → Lead singer and lyricist for New Wave pop-rock Duran Duran, “Hungry Like The Wolf” (#3, 1982), still recording in 2011
1967 ● Scott Weiland Kline / (Scott Richard Kline) → Founding member and lead vocals for alt hard rock Stone Temple Pilots, “Interstate Love Song” (#18, 1994), died in his sleep after years of drug abuse on 12/3/2015, age 48
1984 ● Kelly Osbourne → Reality TV actress, socialite and teen-pop-rock singer, “Papa Don’t Preach” (Mainstream Rock #25, UK #3, 2002), daughter of metal superstar Ozzy and manager-wife Sharon Osbourne, fashion designer, TV judge and host
October 28
1927 ● Cleo Laine / (Clementine Dinah Campbell) → Grammy-winning, highly-regarded jazz-pop scat vocalist in husband Johnny Dankworth‘s Big Band and as a solo performer, “You’ll Answer To Me” (UK #5, 1961), stage actress
1933 ● Gershon Kingsley / (Götz Gustav Ksinski) → German-American composer and pioneer of popular electronic music and the Moog synthesizer, on which he recorded film scores, Broadway musicals, TV commercials, a rock versions of Jewish services, and three dozen albums as a solo artist or in collaboration with others, his signature song “Pop Corn” has been recorded by hundreds of artists, including synth-pop Hot Butter (#9, 1973), Latin jazz Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, dance-pop Crazy Frog and techno/ambient Aphex Twin, later switched to digital electronics and new age music, and composed theatrical concerts and operas into the 00s, died from undisclosed causes on 12/10/2019, age 97.
1936 ● Charlie Daniels / (Charles Edward Daniels) → Country and Southern rock legend known for his high-speed fiddling and a long list of accomplishments over 60 years, first as a Nashville session musician on albums by Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr and others, later as leader of the four-decade Charlie Daniels Band (“The Devil Went Down To Georgia,” #3, 1979 and four other Top 40 crossover hits), as founder and organizer of the Volunteer Jam concerts (1974-1996) and tours (1999-2015) showcasing fellow Southern rockers, as a mostly cameo actor in two dozen movies and TV shows, as an inductee to the Grand Ole Opry (2008) and the Country Music Hall of Fame (2016), and for his unapologetic right-wing stance on social and political issues, died from a hemorrhagic stroke on 7/6/2020, age 83.
1937 ● Graham Bond → Early and important but underappreciated Brit R&B/blues-rock musician, first with Blues Incorporated, fronted the Graham Bond Organization with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, committed suicide by throwing himself in front of a London tube train on 5/8/1974, age 36
1939 ● Jim Post / (Jimmie David Post) → Singer and songwriter with then-wife Cathy Conn Post in one hit wonder folk-pop duo Friend & Lover and their inspirational pop hit “Reach Out Of The Darkness” (#10, 1968), disbanded and divorced after failing to find a follow-up hit, continued to write and perform folk music as a solo act in the Chicago area into the 10s, wrote children’s books with another of his wives from five marriages, died in hospice care from congestive heart failure on 9/14/2022, age 82.
1940 ● Jay Proctor → Founder and frontman for integrated Philly soul-pop Jay & The Techniques, “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” (#6, R&B #8, 1967), plus two other Top 40 hits in the 60s and two disco singles in the 70s
1941 ● Curtis Lee → Early pop-rock ‘n’ roll one hit wonder singer, “Pretty Little Angel Eyes” (#7, 1961)
1941 ● Hank Marvin / (Brian Robson Rankin) → Guitarist with instrumental pop-rock The Shadows, “Apache” (Worldwide #1, 1960)
1942 ● Raymond Steinberg → Baritone for blue-eyed soul/doo wop The Reflections (“(Just Like) Romeo And Juliet,” #6, 1964)
1945 ● Wayne Fontana / (Glyn Geoffrey Ellis) → Frontman for British Invasion pop-rock band The Mindbenders (“Game Of Love,” #1, 1965), then solo (“Pamela Pamela,” UK #11, 1967), took his stage name from D. J. Fontana, Elvis Presley‘s longtime drummer, dropped out of the music scene in the 80s, suffered from alcoholism and financial troubles in the 90s and 00s but returned to perform on the oldies circuit until just prior to his death from cancer on 8/6/2020, age 74.
1947 ● George Glover → Keyboards and backing vocals for Brit blues-rock Climax Blues Band, “Couldn’t Get It Right” (#3, 1977)
1948 ● Telma Louise Hopkins → TV sitcom actress and former light-pop backing vocalist in Tony Orlando & Dawn, “Knock Three Times” (#1, 1971) and nine other Top 20 hits
1951 ● John Regan / (John Michael Regan) → Bass guitarist and session musician, joined Peter Frampton’s backing band in 1979 and toured and recorded with him for over 30 years, worked in Frehley’s Comet with ex-Kiss member Ace Frehley from 1984 to 1990, recorded albums with a number of artists over the decades, including David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Billy Idol, and David Lee Roth and dozens of others, died from undisclosed causes on 4/07/2023, age 71.
1953 ● Desmond Child / (John Charles Barrett) → Grammy-winning songwriter and producer with 70 Top 40 singles, frontman for Desmond Child & Rouge, “Our Love Is Insane” (#50, 1979), then wrote and produced for Kiss, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Joan Jett, Cher, Michael Bolton, Hilary Duff, Kelly Clarkson and others
1957 ● Stephen Morris → Drummer for post-punk Joy Division, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (Dance/Club #42, UK #13, 1980), then New Wave electro-dance-pop New Order, “Blue Monday” (Dance/Club #5, 1983) and The Other Two, “Selfish” (Dance/Club #6, 1993)
1958 ● William Reid → Guitarist, composer and lead singer for Scottish alt-pop-rock Jesus And Mary Chain, “Sometimes Always” (Modern Rock #4, 1994)
1959 ● Neville Henry → Saxophone in New Wave pop-rock Blow Monkeys, “Digging Your Scene” (#14, 1986)
1963 ● Eros Ramazzotti / (Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti ) → Hugely-successful Italian pop singer and songwriter with over 70 million albums sold worldwide in a 30-year career but few in the US, recorded duets with Cher, Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Ricky Martin and others
1965 ● Shawn Smith → Seattle-area grunge and indie rock singer, songwriter and musician, member of alternative rock bands Brad (with Stone Gossard), Pigeonhed, Satchel and The Twilight Singers, and served as frontman for a reunion of Mother Love Bone, released ten albums as a solo artist before dying from a torn aorta caused by high blood pressure on 4/3/2016, age 53. (His body was discovered in his home on 4/5/2019, the same date on which fellow Seattle musicians Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley (Alice in Chains) died in 1994 and 2002, respectively.)
1969 ● Ben Harper / (Benjamin Chase Harper) → Multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter with an unusual and effective mix of blues, folk-rock, funky soul and pop that garnered three Grammys, including Best Traditional Soul Gospel album in 2005, and several charting singles (“Steal My Kisses,” #15, 2000)
1972 ● Brad Paisley → Country and Southern rock crossover singer, songwriter and guitarist, charted 18 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and 25 on the Hot Country Songs list, 16 of which reached Country #1 with a record 10 consecutive singles in the top spot, including “Remind Me” (#17, Country #1, 2011)
October 29
1922 ● Neal Hefti → Jazz composer/arranger who wrote charts for Earl Hines, Count Basie and others and played trumpet with Woody Herman‘s First Herd, but best known for penning TV’s “Batman Theme” (#35, 1966) and the title song and soundtrack to The Odd Couple (1968), died of throat cancer on 10/11/2008, age 85
1937 ● Sonny Osborne → With his older brother, Bobby, one half of the influential bluegrass act The Osborne Brothers, “Rocky Top” (Country #33, 1967), the song was voted the official state song of Tennessee and one of two the brothers recorded, the other being “My Old Kentucky Home” (Country #69, 1970).
1944 ● Denny Laine / (Brian Frederick Arthur Hines) → Co-founding member and original lead guitarist in pop-rock The Moody Blues, sang lead on “Go Now” (#10, UK #1, 1965) and co-wrote several other early songs, left in late 1966 to work solo and in several short gigs, including jazz-rock Ginger Baker’s Air Force, joined Paul McCartney‘s new band, Wings, in 1971 as an equal member with McCartney and his wife, Linda, appeared on all seven Wings albums, co-wrote “Mull Of Kintyre” (UK #1, 1977) and claimed to have co-written “Band On The Run” (#1, 1974), issued three solo albums during his Wings tenure and nine more after resuming a solo career in 1981, toured and performed until shortly before his death from lung disease on 12/5/2023, age 79.
1944 ● Robbie Van Leeuwen → Guitar and backing vocals in Dutch one hit wonder pop-rock Shocking Blue, “Venus” (#1, 1970)
1945 ● Melba Moore / (Beatrice Melba Smith) → R&B/soul-disco singer, “Love’s Comin’ At Ya” (Dance/Club #2, 1982), Tony Award-winning Broadway stage actress
1945 ● Mick Gallagher → Brit organist, bandmember and session musician, with blues-rock The Animals and psych-pop Skip Bifferty in the 60s, proto-punk Ian Dury And The Blockheads and punk-rock The Clashh in the 70s and 80s, worked with Paul McCartney, Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox, currently tours with The Blockheads and John Steele‘s The Animals And Friends
1946 ● Peter Green / (Peter Allen Greenbaum) → Respected British blues-rock guitarist and songwriter, replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers in 1966, co-founded Fleetwood Mac in 1967 as a blues-rock band, wrote “Albatrosss” (UK #1, 1969) and other early hits, left the band in 1970 and suffered psychiatric problems for decades while participating in various, limited collaborations and sessions through the 90s, ranked #38 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, died in his sleep from undisclosed causes on 7/25/2020, age 73.
1948 ● Ricochet Reynolds / (Rickie Lee Reynolds) → Original guitarist for Southern raunch-rock Black Oak Arkansas with a lone Top 40 hit, “Jim Dandy To The Rescue” (#25, CAN #12, 1973), but three gold-certified albums in 1971-1973, left in 1977 but returned in 1984 to record and perform with the band into the 10s, hospitalized with COVID-19 and died from heart and kidney failure on 9/5/2021, age 72.
1949 ● David Paton → Scottish bassist, singer and songwriter with soft pop-rock Pilot, wrote “Magic” (#1, 1974), solo and session work
1954 ● Stephen Luscombe → Multi-instrumentalist in New Wave synth-pop duo Blancmange, “Don’t Tell Me” (UK #8, 1984)
1955 ● Roger O’Donnell → Session keyboardist with New Wave synth-pop Thompson Twin, Berlin and The Psychedelic Furs, in 1987 joined post-punk art-glam-goth rock The Cure, “Love Song” (#2, 1989) and over 20 other UK Top 40 singles, solo
1955 ● Kevin Dubrow → Co-founder and lead singer in heavy metal/pop-metal Quiet Riot (“Bang Your Head (Metal Health),” #31, 1984), died from a cocaine overdose on 11/25/2007, age 52
1961 ● Steven Randall “Little Randy” Jackson / (Douglas Martinez) → Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and youngest member of R&B/pop-soul brother act The Jackson 5, co-wrote “Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)” (#6, 1979)
1962 ● Einar Orn Benediktsson → Vocals for Icelandic alt pop-rock The Sugarcubes, “Hit” (Modern Rock #1, 1991)
1965 ● Peter Timmins → Drummer in Canadian alt-art-country-blues-rock Cowboy Junkies, “Sweet Jane” (Modern Rock #5, 1989)
1969 ● Doug “S.A.” Martinez / (Douglas Vincent Martinez) → Lead vocals and turntables for hip hop/reggae/punk rock fusion band 311, “Love Song” (#59, Modern Rock #1, 200$)
1969 ● Roni Size / (Ryan Owen Granville Williams) → Brit record producer and DJ, founder and frontman for hip hop drum and bass act Reprazent, Mercury Music Prize-winning album New Forms (1997)
1970 ● Toby Smith → Keyboards in Grammy-winning Brit acid jazz-funk-pop Jamiroquai, “Canned Heat” (Dance #1, 1999), currently manager and producer for indie pop The Hoosiers, “Worried About Ray” (UK #5, 2007)
1984 ● Chris Baio → Bassist for indie Afro-pop/rock Vampire Weekend, “Cousins” (Alt Rock #18, 2009)
October 30
1908 ● Patsy Montana / (Ruby Rose Blevins) → Country singer, songwriter and occasional actress, the first female country music artist to have a million-selling record (“I Want To Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” 1935), died of cancer on 5/3/1996, age 87
1925 ● Teo Macero / (Attilio Joseph Macero) → Jazz musician, composer and record producer who produced three of the best-selling and groundbreaking jazz albums of all time, Dave Brubeck‘s Time Out (1959) and Miles Davis‘ Kind Of Blue (1959) and Bitches Brew (1970), also issued several solo albums, played in various jazz ensembles and projects, and produced TV and film soundtracks, including Martin Scorsese‘s The Blues, died in his sleep on 2/19/2008, age 82
1931 ● Dick Gautier / (Richard Gautier) → Stand-up comedian, nightclub singer, small-role film and TV sitcom actor, game show panelist and Tony Award nominated actor, portrayed the vain rock ‘n’ roll star in the original Broadway version of Bye, Bye Birdie (1960) (1960) and the robot character Hymie in the Get Smart TV program (1965-1970), appeared in multiple other programs and did voice-over work into the 90s, died from pneumonia on 1/13/2016, age 85.
1934 ● Ray Smith → One hit wonder rockabilly and teen-pop singer, “Rockin’ Little Angel” (#22, 1960, the biggest hit for little Judd Records, owned by Sun Records‘ owner Sam Phillips‘ brother, Jud), continued to record and perform in the U.S. and Canada without success, committed suicide on 11/29/1979, age 45.
1939 ● Eddie Holland / (Edward Holland, Jr.) → With brother Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier, one third of the Motown songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, co-wrote dozens of hits for The Supremes, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas, Freda Payne, Chairmen Of The Board and others, producer and solo artist, “Jamie” (#30, R&B #6, 1962).
1939 ● Grace Slick / (Grace Barnett Wing) → Singer, songwriter and lead vocals for 60s psych-rock The Great Society, then Jefferson Airplane, “Somebody To Love” (#5, 1967) and 70s/80s arena rock Jefferson Starship, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us” (#1, 1987)
1939 ● Norman West / (Norman Richard West, Jr.) → Original member in R&B/soul vocal quartet The Soul Children, “I’ll Be The Other Woman” (#36, R&B #3, 1973), the group did not meet the expectations of Isaac Hayes and other Stax Records executives who created the group to offset the loss of departed duo Sam & Dave
1941 ● Otis “Big Daddy” Williams / (Otis Miles, Jr.) → Co-founder and baritone for The Elgins, which became R&B giants The Temptations, “My Girl” (#1, 1965) and Grammy-winning “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” (#1, 1972), still performs with the group as the only original member
1945 ● Henry Winkler / (Henry Franklin Winkler) → Emmy-winning stage and TV actor, film director and producer, played the character Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli on retro-50s sitcom Happy Days in the 70s
1946 ● Chris Slade / (Christopher Rees) → Welsh drummer for Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, “Blinded By The Light” (#1, 1977), also played or toured with Gary Moore, The Firm, AC/DC, Uriah Heep and others
1947 ● Timothy B. Schmit → Folk then country-rock bassist, first with Poco, left in 1977 to join Eagles, “New Kid In Town” (#1, 1977), sessions and solo, “Boys Night Out” (#25, 1987)
1949 ● David Green → Bassist in Aussie light pop-rock Air Supply, “The One That You Love” (#1, 1981)
1960 ● Byron Burke → Vocals in R&B/house urban-dance Ten City, “Right Back To You” (Dance #1, 1989)
1960 ● Joey Belladonna / (Joseph Belladini) → Lead singer for speed/thrash metal Anthrax, “Only” (Mainstream #26, 1993), solo
1962 ● Geoff Beauchamp → Guitarist in Brit pop-rock Eighth Wonder, “Cross My Heart” (Dance/Club #10, 1988)
1963 ● Jerry DeBorg → Guitarist in techno-electronic pop-dance Jesus Jones, “Right Here, Right Now” (#2, 1991)
1965 ● Gavin Rossdale → Lead singer and rhythm guitar for alt-rock Bush, “Glycerine” (Mainstream #4, 1995) and Institute, “Bullet-Proof Skin” (Mainstream Rock #26, 2005), solo, married to Gwen Stefani
1969 ● Snow / (Darrin O’Brien) → Juno Award-winning Canadian reggae-rapper, “The Informer” (#1, 1993)
1970 ● Tommy Walter → Co-founder, bassist and songwriter for indie rock Eels, “Novocaine For The Soul” (Modern Rock #1, 1997), then founded alt-rock Abandoned Pools, “The Remedy” (Modern Rock #27, 2002)
1973 ● Maurizio Lobina → Keyboards for Italian dance-pop trio Eiffel 65, “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” (#6, 1999)
1976 ● Kassidy Lorraine Osborn → Vocals in country-pop sister trio SHeDAISY, “I Will…But” (#43, Country #2, 1999)
1989 ● Vanessa White → Vocals in electro-pop girl-group The Saturdays, “Missing You” (UK #3, 2010)
October 31
1912 ● Dale Evans / (Lucille Wood Smith) → “Queen of the Cowgirls” and beloved country-and-western entertainer with her third husband, singing cowboy Roy Rogers, wrote the signature song “Happy Trails To You” and co-starred in 28 films with her husband and on the popular 50s TV series The Roy Rogers Show, died from congestive heart failure on 2/7/2001, age 88
1926 ● Sir Jimmy Savile → Radio DJ, dance hall manager, music impresario, actor, TV host, first (1964) and last (2006) host of BBC’s Top of the Pops program, died from pneumonia on 10/29/2011, age 84
1937 ● Tom Paxton → Greenwich Village folk singer and songwriter, “The Last Thing On My Mind” (1964) and the children’s song “Goin’ To The Zoo” (1964), still touring and recording in the 10s
1939 ● Farka Touré / (Ali Ibrahim Touré) → The “African John Lee Hooker,” talented and renowned Malian singer, multi-instrumentalist and world music recording artist with dozens of albums in several languages, blended African rhythmic and musical traditions that evoke the origins North American blues, ranked #76 on Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” died from bone cancer of 3/7/2006, age 66
1940 ● Eric Griffiths → Guitarist in the original lineup of skiffle/rock ‘n’ roll band The Quarrymen, precursor to The Beatles, left in 1958 to join the Merchant Navy, died from pancreatic cancer on 1/29/2005, age 64
1945 ● Rik Kenton → Bassist in Brian Ferry-led art/glam/prog rock Roxy Music (“Virginia Plan,” UK #4, 1972) in the early 70s, left for a brief solo career then founded 80s mixed race, reggae-pop-rock Savage Progress (“My Soul Unwraps Tonight,” 1984)
1945 ● Russ Ballard → Guitarist and songwriter in hard/art rock Argent, wrote “God Gave Rock And Roll To You” (1973), solo career and songwriter for other artists, including Three Dog Night‘s “Liar” (#7, 1971) and Hot Chocolate‘s “So You Win Again” (#31, 1977)
1952 ● Tony Bowers → Bassist for Brit blues-rock Blind Eye, punk rock Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias, and soul-pop Simply Red, “Holding Back The Years” (#1, 1986)
1952 ● Bernard Edwards → Bassist, co-founder, co-writer and producer for top R&B/disco band Chic, “Le Freak” (#1, 1978), produced albums for ABC, Power Station, Robert Palmer, Rod Stewart and others, died from pneumonia after an all-star “tribute” show in Japan on 4/18/1996, age 43
1961 ● Larry Mullen. Jr. → Drummer and songwriter for Irish mega-star rockers U2, “With Or Without You” (#1, 1987) “With Or Without You” (#1, 1987), co-wrote and arranged the official Irish national football team song “Put ‘Em Under Pressure” for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, frequent collaborator with bandmate Adam Clayton, including work on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Mission: Impossible and the remake of “Theme from Mission: Impossible” (#8, 1996).
1963 ● Johnny Marr / (John Martin Maher) → Guitarist and songwriter for definitive Brit indie rock The Smiths, “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” (UK #10, 1984), post-punk supergroup Electronic, “Getting Away With It” (Dance/Club #7, 1990), The The, Modest Mouse and The Cribs
1963 ● Mikkey Dee / (Micael Kiriakos Delaoglou) → Drummer and songwriter in theatrical rock King Diamond, left in 1992 to join punk-metal Motörhead, “Born To Raise Hell” (UK #47, 1994)
1964 ● Colm O’Ciosoig → Drummer for art-prog-rock, “shoe-gazing” pioneers My Bloody Valentine, “Only Shallow” (Modern Rock #27, 1992)
1965 ● Annabella Lwin / (Myint Myint Aye) → Vocals in New Wave Afro-Euro-synth-pop Bow Wow Wow, “I Want Candy” (#22, 1982)
1966 ● Ad-Rock / (Adam Horovitz) → Guitarist and rapper in hardcore punk then blue-eyed hip hop the Beastie Boys, “Fight For Your Right” (#7, 1987)
1967 ● Adam Schlesinger / (Adam Lyons Schlesinger) → Chief songwriter, guitarist and vocalist in power pop Fountains Of Wayne (“Stacy’s Mom,” #21, 2003), indie pop Ivy and supergroup Tinted Windows, enjoyed a second career writing songs for TV, theater and film soundtracks, including Academy Award-nominated “That Thing You Do” (#41, 1996) from the movie of the same name, and producing for The Monkees, Robert Plant, They Might Be Giants and others, died from complications of the COVID-19 virus at the peak of his career on 4/1/2020, age 52.
1968 ● Al Mackenzie → Multi-instrumentalist in techno-dance-pop D:Ream, “U R The Best Thing” (Dance #1, 1993)
1968 ● Alistair McErlaine → Guitarist in Scottish blues-rock Texas, “In My Heart” (Alt Rock #14, 1991)
1968 ● Vanilla Ice / (Robert Matthew Van Winkle) → Blue-eyed rapper, “Ice Ice Baby” (first hip hop single to hit #1, 1990)
1970 ● Linn Berggren / (Malin Berggren) → Vocals in Swedish pop-rockers Ace Of Base, “All That She Wants” (#2, 1993)
1980 ● Charles Moniz → Canadian drummer for hardcore punk rock Grade, later bassist for Avril Lavigne band
1981 ● Frank Iero / (Frank Anthony Iero, Jr.) → Rhythm guitarist and vocalist in 00s alt rock/emo band My Chemical Romance, “Welcome To The Black Parade” (#9, 2006), vocals for Leathermouth
1982 ● Gabriela Irimia → Romanian singer with her twin sister Monica in one hit wonder dance-pop duo The Cheeky Girls, “Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)” (UK #2, 2002)
1982 ● Monica Irimia → Romanian singer with her twin sister Gabriella in one hit wonder dance-pop duo The Cheeky Girls, “Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)” (UK #2, 2002)
November 01
1903 ● Don Robey → Record label owner, producer and songwriter whose influence over the development of R&B/pop was immeasurable, launched or managed the careers of Bobby “Blue” Bland, Big Mama Thornton, the Dixie Hummingbirds, Memphis Slim, Little Junior Parker and many others through his Peacock and Duke labels (the first African-American to own a successful record label), sold to ABC/Dunhill in 1973 and died of a heart attack on 6/16/1975, age 71
1936 ● Andre Williams / (Zephire Andre Williams) → Detroit-area R&B/blues musician whose talking-style vocals were an early precursor of hip hop/rap music, recorded with The Don Juans and solo (“Bacon Fat,” R&B # 9, 1957), co-wrote “Shake A Tail Feather” covered by The Five Du-Tones, James & Bobby Purify (#25, 1967) and Ike & Tina Turner, spent the 60s writing for Motown acts and occasionally recording (“Cadillac Jack,” R&B #46, 1968), descended into drug addiction and homelessness in the 80s but returned in the 90s when his gravelly-baritone delivery and smutty, off-color songs were “discovered” by a new generation – including neo-punk rockers – and his popularity resurged, recorded a variety of albums in disparate genes, including country, smooth soul, funk and rap until his death from cancer on 3/17/2019, age 82.
1937 ● “Whisperin'” Bill Anderson / (James William Anderson III) → Prolific and respected country music singer/songwriter, TV personality and Sirius XM radio host with 29 Country Top 10 hits from 1960 to 1979 and seven crossover country-pop singles, including “Still” (#8, Country #1, 1963), over 400 of his songs have been recorded and released by other artists
1940 ● Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler → Vietnam veteran and one hit wonder pop star, “The Ballad Of The Green Berets” (#1, 1966), fell into a coma after being shot in an attempted robbery and died a year later on 11/5/1989, age 49
1944 ● Kinky Freidman / (Richard S. Freidman) → The “Jewish Cowboy,” irreverent country-rock satirist, singer, songwriter and bandleader, The Texas Jewboys, novelist, journalist and would-be politician
1944 ● Mike Burney → Saxophonist for eccentric jazz-pop Wizzard, “See My Baby Jive” (UK #1, 1973)
1944 ● Kinky Friedman / (Richard Samet Friedman) → Musician, songwriter, journalist, novelist, and humorist, self-proclaimed “Jewish cowboy” and frontman for satirical country-rock The Texas Jewboys starting in 1973, released a single (“Sold American,” Country #69, 1973) and six solo albums through 1983, thereafter alternated between solo (7) and Jewboys (5) albums through 2018, authored 20 mystery novels and another seven books of humor over 20 years through 2008, wrote a commentary column for Texas Monthly magazine from 2001 to 2005, ran (and lost) for governor of Texas in 2006, ran (and lost) for Texas agriculture commissioner in 2010, supported a wide range of disparate cultural and political causes his entire adult life, his public statements most always colored with witty quotes, died from Parkinson’s disease on 6/27/2024, age 79.
1946 ● Rick Grech / (Richard Roman Grechko) → Bassist for blues/art rock Family, “In My Own Time” (UK #4, 1971), supertrio Blind Faith (US #1 album Blind Faith, 1969), Traffic, Ginger Baker’s Air Force, died from alcohol-related kidney failure on 3/17/1990, age 43
1947 ● Jim Steinman / (James Richard Steinman) → Multi-genre piainist, singer, composer and record producer best known for writing all of the songs on Meat Loaf‘s hugely successful, operatic Bat Out Of Hell LP (#14, 1977), among other music and theatrical achievements wrote and produced hit singles “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” (Bonnie Tyler, #1, 1983), “Read ‘Em And Weep” (Barry Manilow, #14, AC #1, 1983) and “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All” (Air Supply, #2, 1983), continued to write and produce through the 90s, 00s and 10s, (including an aborted, heavy metal version of Tchaikovsky‘s The Nutcracker in 2012), suffered a second stroke in 2017 and died after four years of declining health on 4/19/2021, age 73.
1949 ● David Foster → Canadian producer, composer, musician, arranger for dozens of top MOR/easy listening artists and recordings, including The Bee Gees, Michael Bublé, Clay Aiken, Céline Dion, Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers, Faith Hill and many others.
1950 ● Dan Peek → Multi-instrumental singer and songwriter for folk-pop America, wrote “Lonely People” (#5, 1974), later moved to Contemporary Christian pop music, died in his sleep on 7/24/2011, age 60
1951 ● Ronald “Khalis” Bell / (Ronald Nathan Bell) → With his brother Robert “Kool” Bell and five other, co-founding member, saxophonist, co-songwriter and singer for jazz-fusion then R&B/funk Kool & The Gang, “Jungle Boogie” (#4, R&B #2, 1973) plus nearly 30 other R&B Top 10 singles in the 1970s and 80s, including the enduring, wedding party standard “Celebration” (#1, R&B #1, 1980), continued to perform and record with his band until a sudden death from undisclosed causes on 9/9/2020, age 68.
1954 ● Chris Morris → Guitarist for pop-rock one hit wonder Paper Lace, “The Night Chicago Died” (#1, UK #3, 1974), a second single “Billy, Don’t Be A Hero” (#96, UK #1, 1974) qualifies them as a two hit wonder in the UK
1957 ● Lyle Lovett → Witty country-pop singer/songwriter, “Give Me Back My Heart” (Country #13, 1987), three-time Grammy Award winner, former husband of actress Julia Roberts
1959 ● Eddie Macdonald → Bassist for post-punk anthem rockers The Alarm, “Sold Me Down The River” (Mainstream #2, 1989)
1962 ● Anthony Kiedis → Vocals for funk-rock Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Californication” (Modern Rock #1, 2000)
1962 ● Mags Furuholmen → Guitar and keyboards for Norwegian synth-pop A-ha, “Take On Me” (#1, 1985)
1963 ● Rick Allen → Drummer for hard rock/metal Def Leppard, “Love Bites” (#1, 1988), lost his left arm in an auto accident in England in 1984 but continued with custom-constructed acoustic and electronic drumkits
1966 ● Willie D / (William Dennis) → Vocals in controversial gangsta/horror-rap Geto Boys, “Mind Playing Tricks On Me” (#23, 1991), solo, “Dear God” (Rap #4, 2002)
1967 ● Sophie B. Hawkins → Eclectic rock, pop, jazz, R&B and African music singer and songwriter, “As I Lay Me Down” (#6, 1995)
1969 ● Darren Partington → Keyboards and percussion for electronic/acid-house band 808 State, “Pacific State” (UK #10, 1989)
1975 ● Bo Bice / (Harold Elwin “Bo” Bice, Jr.) → Husky-voiced American Idol runner-up, pop/rock singer, songwriter and guitarist, “Inside Your Heaven” (#2, 2005)
1981 ● LaTavia Roberson → Backing vocals in Grammy-winning R&B/dance-pop Destiny’s Child, “Say My Name” (#1, 2000), stage actress
November 02
1929 ● Amar G. Bose, Ph.D. / (Amar Gopal Bose) → MIT graduate student, audio engineer and classical music lover, visionary engineer, inventor and billionaire entrepreneur whose namesake company, the Bose Corporation, is synonymous with top-quality audio systems and residential and automotive speakers, his company introduced the revolutionary 901 Series of home speaker systems, the Bose Wave radio, “sound docks” and noise-cancelling headphones, died from undisclosed causes on 7/12/2013, age 83
1931 ● Phil Woods → Four-time Grammy-winning alto saxophonist, in touring bands for Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman in the 50s, fronted his own bands in the 60s, then session work for Billy Joel (alto sax solo on “Just The Way You Are”), Steely Dan (“Doctor Wu”), Paul Simon (“Have A Good Time”) and others, continued to record and perform until just before his death from emphysema on 9/29/2015, age 83
1936 ● Max Crook / (Maxfield Doyle Crook) → Keyboard musician and basement electronics engineer who developed the Musitron, a hybrid monophonic synthesizer featured on Del Shannon‘s “Runaway” (Worldwide #1, 1961), the song he co-wrote with Shannon and that introduced electronics to pop music, later recorded electronic, instrumental versions of contemporary pop hits and an album of gospel and spiritual music under the pseudonym Maximilian, died from natural causes on 7/1/2020, age 83.
1937 ● Speedo Carroll / (Earl Carroll) → Singer and frontman for R&B/doo wop The Cadillacs, “Speedo” (#17, R&B #3, 1955), left in 1963 to join The Coasters and performed with the group through the 80s, now on the oldies circuit
1938 ● Jay Black / (David Blatt) → Lead vocals and de facto frontman for clean-cut, pop-rock vocal group Jay & The Americans, joined the group in 1963 (replacing departed lead singer Jay Traynor) and sang lead on nine Top 25 hits in the rest of the decade, including “This Maguc Moment” (#6, AC #5, 1968) and his signature song “Cara Mia” (#4, 1965), following breakup of the group in 1973, contiunued to tour as Jay Black & The Americans with a variety of backing musicians until losing the rights to the name in 2006 in a personal bankruptcy proceding to satisfy unpaid taxes incurred to cover gambling debts, toured as a solo act through 2014 and died of a heart attack while suffering from dementia and pneumonia on 10/22/2021, age 82.
1941 ● Bruce Welch → Guitarist with instrumental pop-rock The Shadows, “Apache” (Worldwide #1, 1960)
1942 ● Kenny Jeremiah / (Kenneth Scott Jeremiah) → Original member and lead vocals for one hit wonder Philly blue-eyed soul vocal group The Soul Survivors (“Expressway To Your Heart,” #4, R&B #3, 1967), after break-up in 1970 continued to perform on the oldies circuit and recorded “Shame Shame Shame” (#12, R&B #1, 1975) with disco group Shirley & Company, appeared in occasional Soul Survivors reunions in the 00s and 10s, died from complications of the COVID-19 virus on 12/4/2020, age 78.
1943 ● Dave Munden → Original member, drummer and frequent lead singer in British Invasion pop-rock The Tremeloes, “Silence Is Golden” (US #11, UK #1, 1967), recorded and toured with the band as the only constant member from 1958 through 2018 when he retired due to health concerns, died from undisclosed causes on 10/15/2020, age 77.
1944 ● Keith Emerson / (Keith Noel Emerson) → Influential and accomplished progressive rock keyboardist, first with 60s Brit prog rock The Nice (“America,” 1968) then as founding member of prog rock supergroup Emerson Lake & Palmer (“Lucky Man,” #48, 1971), and later as a moderately successful solo artist and in Emerson, Lake & Powell and short-lived 3, issued a final studio album, The Three Fates Project in 2012 and was about to launch a tour of Japan when he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on 3/10/2016, age 71
1945 ● J.D. Souther / (John David Souther) → Country-rock singer-songwriter and key figure in the Southern California rock scene of the 70s, wrote several songs for Linda Ronstadt and co-produced her album Don’t Cry Now, co-wrote hits for the Eagles, including “New Kid In Town” (#1, 1977), member of supergroup Souther-Hillman-Furay Band (“Fallin’ In Love,” #27, 1974), scored the solo hit single “You’re Only Lonely” (#7, AC #1, 1979) and a duet with James Taylor, “Her Town Too” (#11, AC #5, 1981), issued four solo albums between 1972 and 1984 before dropping out of the music industry for nearly 25 years, acted in several movies and TV series, including a recurring role on “Nashville” in 2012 and 2017, returned to recording and performing in 2008 with five solo albums of jazz-pop, was scheduled to perform with Karla Bonoff in October 2024 and as a solo act in 2025 but died from undisclosed causes on 9/17/2024, age 78.
1947 ● Dave Pegg → Electric folk bassist for renowned Brit folk-rock Fairport Convention, “Si Tu Dos Partir” (UK #21, 1969), long-lived Brit folk-rock Jethro Tull, “Living In The Past” (#11, 1973), solo, producer
1948 ● Ed Ward / (Edmund Osbourne Ward) → Highly respected rock music historian, critic and NPR radio host, started in the 70s as a staff writer for Crawdaddy!, then record review editor for Rolling Stone and later Creem magazines known as one of the first to write seriously about rock ‘n’ roll, relocated and wrote wrote for newspapers in Austin, TX (where he was 1987 co-founder of Austin’s South by Southwest music festival), joined NPR for the national roll-out of the program Fresh Air on which he was music historian and commentator for 30 years through 2017, wrote several books on rock ‘n’ roll music and “Let It Roll,” a 24-episode podcast between 2018 and 2020, found dead at home from undisclosed causes on 5/3/2021, age 72.
1952 ● Maxine Nightingale → Brit R&B/soul singer, “Right Back Where We Started From” (#2, 1976)
1954 ● Melvin Edmonds → With his younger brother, Kevon, and high school chum Keith Mitchell, vocals in contemporary R&B/soul trio After 7, signed to Virgin Records and scored three Top 20 singles in 1989-1990: “Heat Of The Moment,” (#19, R&B #5, 1989), “Can’t Stop,” (#6, R&B #1, 1990) and “Ready or Not” (#7, R&B #1, 1990), all three co-written and co-produced by another younger brother, R&B superstar Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, left the band and was replaced by his son, Jason, but returned for the group’s 2016 comeback album Timeless, died following a brief but unspecified illness on 5/18/2019, age 64.
1956 ● Fred Fairbrass → Guitarist for dance-pop Right Said Fred, “I’m Too Sexy” (#1, 1991)
1957 ● Carter Beauford → Drummer for pop-funk-rock jam band Dave Matthews Band, “Don’t Drink The Water” (#4, 1998)
1961 ● k. d. lang / (Kathryn Dawn Lang) → Canadian singer and songwriter, started as country-pop and shifted to adult contemporary and dance-pop, “Constant Craving” (#38, Adult Contemporary #2, 1992)
1962 ● Ron McGovney → Original bassist for heavy metal Metallica, “Enter Sandman” (#10, 1991), left in 1982 after several demo recordings but before the band’s first true album
1963 ● Bobby Dall → Bassist in hair metal/power ballad Poison, “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” (#1, 1988)
1965 ● Andy Barker → Drummer in electronic/acid-house 808 State, “Pacific State” (, 1989)
1967 ● Alvin Chea → Vocals in a cappella gospel Take 6, “I L-O-V-E U” (R&B #19, 1990)
1969 ● Fieldy Arvizu / (Reginald Arvizu) → Bassist for nu metal Korn, “Here To Stay” (Mainstream #4, 2002)
1971 ● John Hampson → Guitarist and songwriter for indie power pop Nine Days, “Absolutely (Story Of A Girl)” (#6, 2000)
1974 ● Nelly / (Cornell Haynes, Jr.) → Grammy-winning hip hop vocalist, “Country Grammar (Hot Shit)” (#7, 2000), record producer, music entrepreneur and record label CEO
1975 ● Chris Walla → Guitarist for indie pop-rock Death Cab For Cutie, “Soul Meets Body” (Modern Rock #5, 2005)
