Happy Birthday this week to all those who contributed to rock and pop music of the 50s through the 80s – the BEST music ever made! – including:
September 08
1897 ● Jimmie Rodgers / (James Charles Rodgers) → Often called the “man who started it all”, very early country star and yodeler, original inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, influenced Merle Haggard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Van Morrison and others, died from tuberculosis on 5/26/1933, age 45
1925 ● Peter Sellers → Comedy actor in many films, notably The Pink Panther series (first 1963) and Dr. Strangelove (1964), novelty/comedy spoken word singer, “A Hard Day’s Night” (UK #14, 1965), died of a heart attack on 7/24/1980, age 54
1926 ● Jake Carey / (Jacob Carey) → Founding member and bass vocals for sophisticated group harmony R&B/doo wop The Flamingos, “I Only Have Eyes For You”, (#11, R&B #3, 1959)
1932 ● Patsy Cline / (Virginia Patterson Hensley) → Country super-diva and first country singer to crossover to pop, “I Fall To Pieces” (1961), died in a place crash on 3/5/1963, age 30
1934 ● Bill Parsons → Country-pop singer and songwriter known (or not known) for not singing the hit single “The All American Boy” (#2, 1959) which was mistakenly credited to him and not to co-writer, musical collaborator and actual singer Bobby Bare under the pseudonym Orville Lunsford, cut two more singles without success and retired from the music industry
1934 ● Guitar Shorty / (David William Kearney) → Electric blues guitarist with a slashing style and wild stage antics, including somersaults, flips and playing while standing on his head, toured with R&B and blues greats Ray Charles, B. B. King and others in his 20s, mentored Jimi Hendrix and introduced him to the wah-wah pedal in the early 60s, cut several unsuccessful singles and performed with Little Milton and T-Bone Walker among others, before leaving music for a time in the early 80s, returned in the 90s for a tour of Great Britain and future performances, issued 10 albums over the ensuing 30 years, including a final LP, Trying To Find My Way Back in 2019, died of natural causes on 4/20/2022, age 87.
1941 ● Dante Drowty / (Donald Drowty) → Singer and de facto frontman for one hit wonder pop group Dante & The Evergreens, “Alley Oop” (#15, 1960), later wrote and produced songs for Herb Alpert, The Isley Brothers and others
1942 ● Sal Valentino / (Salvatore Spampinato) → Co-founder, frontman and lead singer in influential but underrated 60s folk-, psych- and country-rock The Beau Brummels, “Laugh, Laugh” (#15, 1964)
1942 ● Brian Cole → Bassist for light pop-rock vocal group The Association, “Along Comes Mary” (#7, 1966), died of heroin overdose on 8/2/1972, age 29
1945 ● Cathy Jean Giordano → Lead singer for early 60s one hit wonder blue-eyed soul/doo wop studio-only group Cathy Jean & The Roomates, “Please Love Me Forever” (#12, 1961), left the industry to raise a family and resurfaced in the 80s as a Long Island, NY radio disc jockey and singer
1945 ● Pigpen / (Ronald Charles McKernan) → Founding member, keyboards and occasional vocals for rock’s longest, strangest trip Grateful Dead, “Turn On Your Love Light” (1969), died from liver failure due to alcohol abuse on 3/8/1973, age 27
1945 ● Kelly Groucutt / (Michael William Groucutt) → Bass and vocals for pop-rock Electric Light Orchestra, “Don’t Bring Me Down” (#4, 1979) and 26 other Top 40 hits, died from a heart attack on 2/19/2009, age 63
1946 ● Dean Daughtry / (William Dean Daughtry) → Keyboards, songwriting and vocals for 60s soft rock quartet Classics IV (“Spooky, #3, 1968), which morphed into 70s Southern rock Atlanta Rhythm Section, co-wrote the band’s two big hits, “So Into You” (#7, 1977) and “Imaginary Lover” (#7, 1978), played on every recording and at every live performance by the band for 49 years before retiring in 2020 due to health issues, died from natural causes on 1/26/2023, age 76.
1946 ● George Tickner / (George Tyndall Tickner) → Member of San Francisco psych-rock Frumious Bandersnatch in the 60s, performed with Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders in the early 70s, then in 1973 co-founded hard rock/arena rock Journey, played rhythm guitar and co-wrote several songs on their first three albums, left in 1975 to attend Stanford Medical School on a full scholarship, practiced medicine in the Bay Area but remained active in various Journey side projects and spin-off groups into the 00s, died from undisclosed causes on 7/5/2023, age 76.
1947 ● Benjamin Orr / (Benjamin Orzechowski) → Co-founder, occasional lead vocals and bassist for hugely successful synth-pop-rock The Cars, “Shake It Up” (#4, 1982), died from pancreatic cancer on 10/3/2000, age 53
1958 ● David Lewis → Vocals for 80s urban contemporary soul Atlantic Starr, “Always” (#1, 1987), now a Christian minister
1960 ● Aimee Mann → Bassist, guitarist, singer and songwriter, first with one hit wonder post-New Wave pop-rock ‘Til Tuesday, “Voices Carry” (#8, 1985), then largely unsuccessful solo career except for “Save Me” from the film Magnolia (1999)
1960 ● Shuffle Steele / (David Steele) → Bassist for multi-racial ska revivalist The English Beat, “Hand’s Off…She’s Mine” (#22, UK #9, 1983), later co-founded synth-pop Fine Young Cannibals, “She Drives Me Crazy” (#1, 1989)
1969 ● Andie Rathbone → Former car salesman and third and last drummer for post-Brit-pop hard rock Mansun, “Wide Open Space” (Modern Rock #25, 1997) and Blondie tribute band Into The Bleach, now a drum teacher
1970 ● Neko Case → American singer-songwriter, vocalist, solo artist with nine albums (including two US Indie Rock #1’s) and founding member of Canadian indie rock/power pop The New Pornographers (2000 LP Miss Romantic is ranked 24th best indie album of all time by Blender magazine)
1975 ● Richard Hughes → Drummer in piano-driven pop/rock Keane, “Somewhere Only We Know” (Adult Top 40 #11, 2004)
1977 ● Stuart Price → British electronic musician, songwriter, producer and remixer, bassist for electro-dance-pop trio Zoot Woman, producer for Madonna, Missy Elliott, The Killers, Gwen Stefani, Seal and others
1979 ● Pink / (Alecia Beth Moore) → Teen dance-pop singer, songwriter and guitarist, “Get The Party Started” (#4, 2001)
1980 ● Slim Thug / (Stayve Jerome Thomas) → Rapper, “I Run” (Rhythmic Top 40 #30, 2009), contributed to tracks by Beyoncé (“Check On It”, #1, 2006), Gwen Stefani, LeToya Luckett and others, solo
1987 ● Wiz Khalifa / (Cameron Jibril Thomaz) → Rapper, songwriter and actor, Billboard magazine Top New Artist of 2012 and Grammy-nominee for “Black And Yellow” (#1, R&B #6, Rap #1, 2010),
September 09
1937 ● Inez Foxx / (Inez Rebecca Fox) → With elder brother Charlie, one half of the one hit wonder R&B/soul duo Inez & Charlie Foxx and their lone big hit “Mockingbird” (#7, 1963), the pair co-wrote the song and many others in their repertoire before separating in 1969, enjoyed a mildly-successful solo career in the early 70s, particularly in the UK with its northern soul movement, dropped from sight and lived out of the limelight until her death from unspecified causes on 8/25/2022, age 84.
1940 ● Joe Negroni → Founding member and baritone vocals for R&B/doo wop Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” (#6, 1956), died from a cerebral hemorrhage on 9/5/1978, age 37
1941 ● Otis Redding → The “King of Soul,” highly-influential and talented Southern soul vocalist, Stax Records artist and rising crossover star, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” (#1, 1968), died in a plane crash on 12/10/1967, age 26
1941 ● Duffy Power / (Raymond Leslie Howard) → 60s Britpop singer and guitarist in the style of Billy Fury and Georgie Fame but with far less appeal, turned to a career as a talented but commercially unsuccessful blues rock musician, recorded and toured intermittently up to his death on 2/19/2014, age 72
1942 ● Luther Simmons, Jr. → Founding member and vocals for R&B/romantic soul The Main Ingredient, “Everybody Plays The Fool” (#3, 1972)
1942 ● Danny Kalb / (Daniel Ira Kalb) → Wisconsin coffee house singer who met and followed Bob Dylan to New York and the Greenwich Village folk revival scene of the early 60s, played with Dave Van Ronk, Judy Collins, Phil Ochs and others, in 1965 co-founded influential jazz/blues-rock fusion The Blues Project (“Flute Thing,” 1966), left for a while in the late 60s to sort through substance abuse, returned in the 70s for a long career alternately playing in Blues Project reunions, issuing solo albums, fronting his own bands and collaborating in numerous side projects, died from cancer on 11/19/2022, age 80.
1945 ● Dee Dee Sharp / (Dione LaRue) → Early black female teen idol R&B/soul singer, “Mashed Potato Time” (#2, 1962)
1945 ● Doug Ingle / (Douglas Lloyd Ingle) → Founding member, keyboards, vocals and primary songwriter for 60s psychedelic-rock Iron Butterfly, crafted the 17-minute, iconic “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” (#30, 1970), left the group in 1971 and managed an RV park and painted houses for 25 years, joined occasional Iron Butterfly reunions after 1996 and was the last surviving original member of the group upon his death from unspecified causes on 5/24/2024, age 78.
1945 ● Andrea Simpson → With partner Lois Wilkinson, one half of the British Invasion pop-rock girl duo The Caravelles, “You Don’t Have To Be A Baby To Cry” (#3, 1963)
1946 ● Trevor Oakes → Guitarist for Brit rock ‘n’ roll revival Showaddywaddy, “Under The Moon Of Love” (UK #1, 1976) and over 20 other UK Top 40 singles
1946 ● Bruce Palmer → Canadian musician and original bassist in L.A. folk-rock Buffalo Springfield (“For What It’s Worth,” #7, 1967), deported back to Canada following numerous arrests for marijuana possession but later rejoined the band until it broke up in 1968, did session work and appeared on albums by ex-bandmate Neil Young and others, as well as a lone solo effort, died after suffering a heart attack on 10/1/2004, age 58
1947 ● Freddy Weller / (Wilton Frederick Weller) → Session guitarist, then lead guitar for hard-edged rock ‘n’ roll Paul Revere & The Raiders, “Just Like Me” (#11, 1965), songwriter who worked with and co-wrote hits for and with Reba McEntire, Joe South, Tommy James and others
1948 ● Pamela Des Barres / (Pamela Anne Miller) → Rock groupie, singer, author and magazine writer known for her numerous sexual partners including Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page and Grams Parsons and her memoir I’m With The Band (1987), performed with Frank Zappa-sponsored musical group The GTOs and had small parts in several films, TV shows and commercials, once married to Michael Des Barres, lead singer in hard rock Detective
1950 ● John McFee → Guitarist for California soul-pop-rock The Doobie Brothers, “Listen To The Music” (#11, 1972), then co-founded country-rock Southern Pacific, “New Shade Of Blue” (Country #2, 1988)
1952 ● David Allan Stewart → Guitarist, songwriter and producer, one half of groundbreaking synth-pop duo Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams” (Are Made Of This)” (#1, 1983), then solo and multiple collaborations, co-writing and side projects
1967 ● Chris Caffery → Guitarist, singer and songwriter for heavy metal Savatage (“Edge Of Thorns”, Mainstream Rock #26, 1993) and prog metal Trans Siberian Orchestra, plus several solo albums
1970 ● Krazy Drazyz / (Andre Weston) → One half of hip hop streaming nonsense lyrics duo Das EFX, “Straight From The Sewer” (Rap #3, 1993)
1975 ● Michael Bublé → Canadian jazz-pop, swing , big band and adult contemporary crooner, “Haven’t Met You Yet” (#23, 2009)
September 10
1898 ● Waldo Lonsbury Semon → Chemist and inventor of the synthetic polymer compound polyvinyl chloride (PVC), commonly known as vinyl, the substance used in hundreds of millions of music records since the 1940s, died from natural causes on 5/26/1999, age 100
1925 ● Roy Brown → Pioneering R&B/gospel and rock ‘n’ roll singer and songwriter, wrote and recorded the oft-covered “Good Rockin’ Tonight” (R&B #13, 1947) and other rock standards, died of a heart attack on 5/25/1981, age 55
1939 ● Cynthia Lennon / (Cynthia Powell) → First wife of John Lennon, mother of his son, Julian Lennon, and author of two memoirs on their troubled union, married on 8/23/1962 and divorced on 11/8/1968 after John took up with Yoko Ono, died from cancer on 4/1/2015, age 75
1940 ● Roy Ayers → Jazz-funk-soul (and proto-rap) vibraphonist, composer and bandleader, Roy Ayers Ubiquity, “Move To Groove” (1972)
1942 ● Danny Hutton → Co-founder and one of three lead vocalists for top-tier pop-rock Three Dog Night, “Joy To The World” (#1, 1971) and ten other Top 10 hits between 1969 and 1974
1945 ● José Feliciano → Latino folk-pop singer, songwriter and guitarist, covered The Doors‘ “Light My Fire” (#3, 1968), won seven Grammys over a 40 year recording career
1946 ● Don Powell → Drummer for Brit glam-metal Slade, “Run Runaway” (#20, 1984)
1949 ● Barriemore Barlow → Drums and percussion for long-lived Brit folk-rock Jethro Tull, “Living In The Past” (#11, 1973), session work and producer
1950 ● Joe Perry / (Joseph Anthony Pereira) → Guitarist for Grammy-winning, venerable hard rockers Aerosmith, “Dream On” (#6, 1976), “Angel” (#3, 1988), “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” (#1, 1998), “Baby, Please Don’t Go” (Mainstream Rock #7, 2004), solo and bandleader
1951 ● Peter Tolson → Guitarist for raunchy R&B/blues-rock British Invasion band The Pretty Things, “Don’t Bring Me Down” (UK #10, 1964)
1955 ● Pat Mastelotto / (Lee Patrick Mastelotto) → Drums and percussion for 80s atmospheric pop-rock quartet Mr. Mister, “Kyrie” (#1, 1985)
1956 ● Johnnie Fingers / (John Peter Moylett) → Founding member and pianist for Irish pop-punk Boomtown Rats, “I Don’t Like Mondays” (#73, 1979) and “Rat Trap” (UK #1, 1979), the first rock song by an Irish band to reach #1 in the UK
1957 ● Carol Decker → Vocals for New Wave pop-rock T’Pau, “Heart And Soul” (#4, 1987)
1957 ● Siobhan Fahey → Vocals for hugely successful Brit synth-dance-pop girl group Bananarama, covered “Venus” (#1, 1986), then for R&B/synth-pop duo Shakespear’s Sister, “Stay” (#4, 1992)
1960 ● David Lowery → Singer, songwriter, guitarist and frontman for eclectic alt rock pop-ska-punk-folk fusion Camper Van Beethoven, “Take The Skinheads Bowling” (1985), later founded and fronted roots rock Cracker, “I Hate My Generation” (Mainstream Rock #24, 1996)
1964 ● Lee Rauch / (William Lee Rauch) → Then-19-year-old drummer hired by ex-Metallica lead guitarist Dave Mustaine to fill a vacancy in his new thrash metal band, Megadeth, played with the band on stage and on demo tapes until the end of 1984, then joined another California thrash metal band, Dark Angel, through 1986, then replaced Wargod drummer Gene Hoglan (who went to Dark Angel) for under a year when frontwoman Michelle Meldrum dissolved Wargod to form a new, all-female thrash metal band, Phantom Blue, in 1987, joined short-lived Grimace in the late 80s, continued to perform in local northwest Ohio bands and was the drummer for his church’s band when he died unexpectedly from undisclosed causes on 6/23/2023, age 58.
1966 ● Miles Zuniga → Guitars, vocals and songwriting for alt rock/power pop Fastball, “Out Of My Head” (#20, Adult Top 40 #3, 1999)
1966 ● Robin Goodridge → Drummer for alt-rock Bush, “Glycerine” (Mainstream #4, 1995)
1968 ● Big Daddy Kane / (Antonio Hardy) → Early and influential sophisticated rapper, first with East Coast rap consortium Juice Crew, then solo, “Smooth Operator” (Rap #1, 1989)
1980 ● Mikey Way / (Michael James Way) → Bass guitar in 00s alt rock/emo band My Chemical Romance, “Welcome To The Black Parade” (#9, 2006)
1984 ● Cameron Matthew Followill → Lead guitar for Southern blues-indie rock Kings Of Leon, “Sex On Fire” (Modern Rock #1, 2008)
1985 ● Matthew Johnson → Vocals in teen pop boy band One True Voice, “Sacred Trust / After You’re Gone” (UK #2, 2002)
September 11
1918 ● Estelle Axton → With her younger brother, Jim Stewart, co-founder of legendary Memphis-based soul label and Motown rival Stax Records, the widely-renowned home to Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers and others, died from natural causes on 2/24/2004, age 85
1924 ● Jackie Steiner / (Jacqueline Steiner) → Folk singer, songwriter, social activist and lyricist of the banjo-and-guitar folk standard “M.T.A.” (popularly known as “Charlie On The MTA”), the absurd 1949 political campaign song about a man trapped in the Boston subway system later made a hit in a slightly altered version by The Kingston Trio (#15, 1959), performed in concert in the Soviet Union and released two albums, No More War (1966) , a collection of self-penned anti-Vietnam War songs, and Far Afield: Songs of Three Continents (1991) with songs in multiple languages, served as secretary of a local Connecticut chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for many years, sang in churches and synagogues until dying from pneumonia on 1/25/2019, age 94.
1938 ● Charles Patrick → Lead vocals for one hit wonder R&B/doo wop sextet The Monotones, “(Who Wrote) The Book Of Love” (#5, 1958)
1940 ● Bernie Dwyer → Drummer for British Invasion novelty/comedy pop-rock ‘n’ roll Freddie & The Dreamers, “I’m Telling You Now” (#1, 1965), died of lung cancer on 12/4/2002, age 62.
1943 ● Mickey Hart → Drums and percussion for Grateful Dead, “Touch Of Grey” (# 9, 1987), bandleader for Rolling Thunder Review, solo career with two Grammy-winning world music albums, author and film score composer
1943 ● Jack Ely → Guitarist, vocalist, co-founder of garage rock one hit wonder The Kingsmen and singer of their version of “Louie Louie” (#2, 1963), left for an unsuccessful solo career, recovered from alcoholism and recorded an album of Christian music in 2011, died from skin cancer on 4/29/2015, age 71.
1945 ● Leo Kottke → Virtuoso acoustic folk guitar singer and songwriter with 21 albums and numerous collaborations with John Fahey, Lyle Lovett, Mike Gordon, Rickie Lee Jones and others
1946 ● Dennis Tufano → Original lead singer for Chicago-based pop-horn-rock The Buckinghams, “Kind Of A Drag” (#1, 1967), continues with the band on the oldies circuit
1947 ● Richard Jaeger → Session and backing band percussionist for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Paul McCartney, The Pointer Sisters, Ringo Starr and others, died on 8/27/2000, age 52
1947 ● Gerry Conway / (Gerald Conway) → British rock drummer with a long career providing the underlying rhythm for numerous top folk-rock acts, starting as a 70s session musician for Steeleye Span, John Cale and others, and in Cat Stevens’ backing band, performed with Richard Thompson, Jethro Tull, the McGarrigle sisters and Pentangle (with his wife Jacqui McShee) in the 80s, joined Fairport Convention in 1998, 25 years after appearing on their album Rosie, played with the group until becoming ill in 2022, died from a motor neuron disease on 3/29/2024, age 76.
1948 ● John Martyn / (Iain David McGeachy) → Largely overlooked, innovative folk-blues-jazz rock fusion singer, songwriter and guitarist, Brit folk genre-defining album Solid Air (1970) and 19 other studio discs, died from pneumonia on 1/29/2009, age 60
1953 ● Tommy Shaw → Guitar for prototypical arena rockers Styx, “Too Much Time On My Hands” (#9, 1981), then in pop metal/arena rock supergroup Damn Yankees, “High Enough” (#3, 1990)
1957 ● Jon Langford → Co-founder, guitar, vocals and one of two constant members of long-running punk rock The Mekons, “Never Been In A Riot” (1978), solo plus visual and comic artist
1957 ● Jon Moss → Drummer for new romantic synth-pop Culture Club, “Karma Chameleon” (#12, 1984) and first-wave punk rockers The Damned, “Eloise” (UK #3, 1986)
1958 ● Mick Talbot → Keyboards for New Wave pop-rock Dexys Midnight Runners, “Come On Eileen” (#1, 1983), then sophisti-pop-soul The Style Council, “My Ever Changing Moods” (#29, UK #5, 1984) and The Bureau
1959 ● Rory Lyons → Drummer for rockabilly revival (“psychobilly”) King Kurt, “Destination Zululand” (UK #38, 1983)
1964 ● Victor Wooten → Composer, author, producer and Grammy-winning bassist with progressive folk-bluegrass Béla Fleck And The Flecktones, “The Sinister Minister” (Best Pop Instrumental, 1997), collaborations with Stanley Clarke and others, three-time winner of Bass Player magazine’s “Bassist of the Year” award
1965 ● Moby / (Richard Melville Hall) → Multi-instrumentalist one man band techno-dance-pop artist, “South Side” (#14, 2000), producer, descendent of Moby Dick author Herman Melville
1966 ● Greg Kane → Scottish pianist and co-member with brother Pat in contemporary dance-pop/electronica Hue And Cry, “Labour Of Love” (UK #6, 1987)
1967 ● Harry Connick, Jr. → Three-time Grammy-winning big band and jazz-pop singer, “Hear Me In The Harmony” (Adult Contemporary #18, 1996)
1971 ● Richard Ashcroft → Guitar and vocals for neo-psych-pop The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (#12, 1998), solo
1975 ● Brad Fischetti → Vocals for pop/rap trio LFO (Lyte Funkie Ones or Low Frequency Oscillator), “Summer Girls” (#3, 1999)
1977 ● Jon Buckland → Lead guitarist for Brit-pop/anthem rock Coldplay, “Speed Of Sound” (#8, 2005)
1977 ● Ludacris / (Christopher Brian Bridges) → Grammy-winning “Dirty South” movement rapper, “Stand Up” (#1, 2004), co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace label, actor and philanthropist
1981 ● Charles Kelley → Founding member, vocals and songwriting for country-rock harmony group Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now” (#2, Country #1, 2009) plus solo albums and collaborative songwriting
September 12
1924 ● Ella Mae Morse → Country, pop, jazz and R&B singer who flirted at the edges of what would become rock ‘n’ roll, first as a teenage vocalist with 40s big bands (“Cow Cow Boogie,” #1, 1942, Capitol Records‘ first million-selling record) and later as a 50s solo artist (“The Blacksmith Blues,” #1, 1952), retired by 1960 and died from respiratory failure on 10/16/1999, age 75
1931 ● George Jones → Hard-partying and hardcore honky tonk and later smooth ballad country star with 70 Country Top 10 hits, including “She Thinks I Still Care” (#1, 1962), married four times including six years to country queen Tammy Wynette, died from hypoxic respiratory failure on 4/26/2013, age 81.
1941 ● Denis O’Brien / (Danis James O’Brien) → Financial consultant hired in 1973 by ex-Beatle George Harrison to manage his personal and business affairs, the two created a partnership, Handmade Films, in 1978 to finance and produce the Monty Python film Life Of Brian (1979) and subsequent comedy films including Time Bandits (1981), the relationship soured following several box office bombs in the 80s and a 90s lawsuit by Harrison for mismanagement (dismissed in 2001 when Harrison, sickened with cancer, failed to show for a court hearing just months before his death), retired from financial consulting in the early 00s and died from intra-abdominal sepsis on 12/3/2021, age 80.
1943 ● Maria Muldaur / (Maria Grazia Rosa Domenica D’Amato) → Greenwich Village folk scene bandmember, then solo folk-pop singer/songwriter, “Midnight at the Oasis” (#6, 1970), backing vocals for Grateful Dead in late-70s
1944 ● Colin Young → Lead singer for Brit R&B/soul-pop The Foundations, “Baby Now That I’ve Found You” (#11, 1967)
1944 ● Barry White / (Barry Eugene Carter) → Deep baritone R&B/soul singer, songwriter, producer/bandleader for the Love Unlimited Orchestra, his soaring instrumental “Love’s Theme” (#1, 1973) is widely considered the first “disco” hit and was followed by a string of solo R&B and Pop hits in the early 70s, including “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe” (#1, R&B #1, 1974), enjoyed a Grammy-winning career resurgence in the late 80s and died from kidney failure caused by hypertension on 7/4/2003, age 58
1946 ● Dickie Peterson / (Richard Allan Peterson) → Lead vocals and bass guitar for early metal/psych-blues-rock power trio Blue Cheer, “Summertime Blues” (#14, 1968), plus two solo albums, continued to perform in various lineups of the band until his death from liver cancer on 10/12/2009, age 63
1946 ● T-Bone Bellamy / (Robert Anthony Bellamy) → Lead guitar, piano and vocals for Native American rockers Redbone, “Come And Get Your Love” (#5, 1974), died from liver failure on 12/25/2009, age 63
1952 ● Gerry Beckley → Founding member, guitar, piano, vocals and songwriter for folk-pop America, “A Horse With No Name” (#1, 1972)
1952 ● Neal Peart / (Neal Ellwood Peart) → One of the most accomplished rock music drummers of all time, incomparably proficient, virtuoso percussionist and principal lyricist with Canadian progressive rock/power trio Rush, his complex, sophisticated lyrics and the band’s richly layered music created eleven Mainstream Rock Top 10 singles, including “New World Man” (#21, Main #1, 1982) and 19 well-regarded studios albums between 1974 and 2012, retired from music in 2015 and died from glioblastoma (brain cancer) on 1/7/2020, at age 67.
1956 ● Barry Andrews → Vocals and keyboards for quirky New Wave synth-pop XTC, “Making Plans For Nigel” (UK #17, 1979), left in 1979 for solo career and session work
1956 ● Brian Robertson → Guitar for underrated Irish hard rock Thin Lizzy, “The Boys Are Back In Town” (#12, 1976).
1957 ● Hans Zimmer / (Hans Florian Zimmer) → Four-time Grammy-winning film score composer and record producer with over 150 movie credits, including blockbusters The Lion King (1994), the various Batman flicks and Interstellar (2014), worked for DreamWorks as head of film music and for his own production company
1965 ● John Norwood Fisher → Bass and vocals for alt rock ska-punk-funk fusion Fishbone, “Sunless Saturday” (Modern Rock #7, 1991)
1966 ● Ben Folds → Singer, songwriter, keyboards and frontman for piano-based indie pop-rock Ben Folds Five, “Brick” (1998)
1967 ● Jon Stewart → Guitar for Britpop Sleeper, “Sale Of The Century” (UK #10, 1996)
1968 ● Kenny Thomas → R&B/soul-pop singer, “Thinking About Your Love” (UK #4, 1991), certified acupuncturist
1968 ● Larry LaLonde / (Reid Lawrence LaLonde) → Guitarist in early 80s death metal group Possessed, joined thrash metal Blind Illusion in 1987, now with funk-metal Primus, “N.I.B.” (Mainstream Rock #2, 2000)
1971 ● Jesse Powell → One hit wonder R&B/soul and blues singer with the Top 10 hit “You” (#10, R&B #2, 1999) and six other charting singles, younger brother of singer-songwriters Trina and Tamara Powell, died from cardiac arrest on 9/13, 2022, age 51.
1974 ● Jennifer Nettles → Two-time Grammy-winning country music star, lead vocals for duo Sugarland, “All I Want To Do” (#18, Country #1, 2008), duet with Jon Bon Jovi, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” (Country #1, 2005)
1978 ● Ruben Studdard → R&B/soul-pop and gospel crooner, “Flying Without Wings” (#2, 2003), winner of the second series of American Idol
1981 ● Jennifer Hudson → Third season American Idol finalist, Academy Award-winning actress in Dreamgirls (2006), Grammy-winning R&B/soul-pop singer, “Spotlight” (#24, Dance/Club #8, 2008)
September 13
1911 ● Bill Monroe → The “Father of Bluegrass”, Grammy-winning singer, guitarist, composer and bandleader for the Blue Grass Boys, solo, “Gotta Travel On” (Country #15, 1959), suffered a stroke and died six weeks later on 9/9/1996, age 84
1916 ● Dick Haymes / (Richard Benjamin Haymes) → Argentina-born actor and singer hugely popular in the pre-rock ‘n’ roll era, recorded dozens of solo singles, including “Little White Lies” (#2, 1948) plus duets with Judy Garland, the Andrews Sisters and others, starred in numerous films through the early 50s, died from lung cancer on 3/28/1980, age 63.
1922 ● Charles Brown / (Tony Russell Brown) → Texas blues and R&B/soul balladeer, member of influential Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers and key player in the development of rock ‘n’ roll, bridged 40s cool jazz with blues to form a bluesy R&B precursor to early rock ‘n’ roll, scored several hits in the early 50s, including “Black Night” (R&B #1, 1951), continued to record and perform into the 90s, died from congestive heart failure on 1/21/1999, age 76
1922 ● Yma Sumac / (Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo) → Peruvian-American easy listening lounge music act rumored at times to be a descendant of Incan kings or a housewife named Amy Camus, but known for her five-octave vocal range, flamboyant costumes, full figure and recordings of 50s erotica music, continued to tour and perform periodically through the 90s before dying from colon cancer on 11/1/2008, age 86
1925 ● Mel Tormé / (Melvin Howard Tormé) → The “Velvet Fog,” virtuoso smooth-toned, Grammy-winning jazz-pop nightclub and showroom singer, “Lover’s Roulette” (Adult Contemporary #6, 1967), composed the music for “The Christmas Song,” better known as the now-standard “Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire,” died from complications of a 1996 stroke on 6/5/1999, age 73
1932 ● Dick Biondi / (Richard Orlando Biondi) → Seven decade Top 40 and oldies radio D.J. on over a dozen stations in markets large and small from Boston to Los Angeles, including two stints in Chicago, was among the first D.J.’s anywhere to play Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis and other early rockers, credited as being the first D.J. in the U.S. to spin a Beatles record on-air while at WLS in Chicago in February 1963, launched a new oldies station in Chicago, WJMK-FM, in 1984 and was its mainstay air personality for 21 years, inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1998 and was honored with a street named “Dick Biondi Way” in Chicago in 2010, hung up his mic for a final time in May 2017 and died from undisclosed causes on 6/26/2023, age 90.
1933 ● Lewie Steinberg → Original bass player in Stax Records house band Booker T. & The MG’s, “Green Onions” (#3, 1962), session work outside Stax
1935 ● Bruce Lundvall → Wannabe jazz musician turned career record company executive, first at Columbia Records where he built the label’s jazz roster, later with the Elektra/Musician (jazz) and Manhattan (pop) labels, and, starting in 1984 and continuing for 25 years, as the head of Blue Note Records, where he revived the brand and signed artists such as Norah Jones, Wynton Marsalis and Dianne Reeves, died during surgery related to Parkinson’s disease on 5/19/2015, age 79
1939 ● Dave Quincy → Saxophonist with top notch Brit progressive jazz-rock band If
1939 ● Gene Page → Prolific composer, arranger and conductor, worked with a wide variety of artists from Barry White, The Supremes and other Motown acts to Johnny Mathis and Jefferson Starship, managed smooth soul trio Love Unlimited (“I Belong To You,” #27, R&B #1, 1975), scored multiple films including cult Blaxploitation flick Blacula (1972) and comedy Fun With Dick And Jane (1977), died after a long illness on 8/24/1998, age 58
1940 ● Jimmy James / (Michael James) → R&B/soul and ska singer, frontman and only constant member in Jamaican dance band The Vagabonds, the group relocated from Kingston to London in 1964 and released six albums through 1977, including “Now Is The Time” (UK #5, 1976) and three other charting singles, after the group’s initial break up in 1970, nearly 50 different musicians performed in the group at one time or another during the ensuing decades, continued to tour and appear at festivals around the UK until Parkinson’s disease and heart trouble forded his retirement in 2021, died in a London hospital on 5/14/2024, age 83.
1941 ● David Clayton-Thomas / (David Henry Thomsett) → Canadian-born lead singer in jazz-rock/pop-rock fusion band Blood, Sweat & Tears, “Spinning Wheel” (#2, 1969), solo
1943 ● Ray Elliot → Keyboards, saxophone and flute for Irish garage-rock, proto-punk Them, “Gloria” (#71, 1966)
1943 ● Jerry Carrigan / (Jerry Kirby Carrigan) → Teenage session drummer and early co-creator of the “Muscle Shoals sound” at the Alabama studio, left in 1965 for Nashville, where he shortly became a sought-after session player and helped develop the R&B-tinged “countrypolitan” sound during the 70s country music boom, played on scores of albums and hundreds of hits by nearly every top star, including Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton and Charlie Rich, toured with John Denver‘s band in the 80s, died after a long illness on 6/22/2019, age 75.
1944 ● Peter Cetera → Original member, bassist, lead vocals and songwriter for jazz-rock-pop fusion Chicago, wrote “Baby What A Big Surprise” (#4, 1977), solo, “Glory Of Love” (#1, 1986) and four other Top 40 singles, producer
1944 ● Les Harvey → Scottish rock guitarist and backing vocalist with his brother in the Alex Harvey Soul Band, joined hard rock Cartoone in 1969 and toured with Led Zeppelin and Spirit, then co-founded blues-rock Stone The Crows, died from electrocution on stage during a concert on 5/3/1972, age 27.
1949 ● Craig MacGregor → Longtime bass guitarist for classic blues-rock Foghat (“Slow Ride,” #20, 1975), joined in 1976, toured and recorded with the band on more than a dozen albums from the multi-platinum Foghat Live (#11, 1977) to Under the Influence (2016), also played with Randy & The Radiants, Stax Records‘ house band the Memphis Horns and his solo band NosmoKing, died from lung cancer on 2/9/2018, age 68.
1952 ● Don Was / (Donald Fagenson) → Vocals and co-frontman for eclectic R&B and rock fusion Was (Not Was), “Walk The Dinosaur” (#7, 1989), producer for The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Iggy Pop, Stevie Nicks, The Barenaked Ladies and many others
1952 ● Randy Jones → Vocals (and cowboy character) for campy R&B/disco suggestively gay Village People, “Y.M.C.A.” (#2, 1978)
1954 ● Denis Hegarty → Bass singer, arranger and music director in Brit doo wop/rock ‘n’ roll revival vocal group Darts, “Don’t Let It Fade Away” (UK #18, 1978), TV actor, BBC Radio 1 DJ
1954 ● Steven John Kilbey → Bass and lead vocals for Aussie New Wave psych-pop then prog rock The Church, “Under The Milky Way” (#30, 1989)
1957 ● Joni Sledge / (Joan Elise Sledge) → With her three siblings, lead vocals for family R&B/disco girl-group Sister Sledge and the disco anthem “We Are Family” (#2, 1979) plus ten other R&B Top 10 hits, also produced the group’s Grammy-nominated album, African Eyes (1997), found unresponsive at home and later pronounced dead on 3/10/2017, age 60
1959 ● Sheldon Reynolds / (Sheldon Maurice Reynolds) → R&B/funk guitarist and vocalist backing Millie Jackson in the mid-70s, then recorded three albums with funk/disco Sun before joining The Commodores in 1983, appeared on two albums and the big hit “Nightshift” (#3, R&B #1, 1985), left to join a reconvened soul-funk Earth, Wind & Fire and played on the hits “System Of Survival” (#60, R&B #1, 1987) through the Grammy-winning “Sunday Morning” (#53, R&B #20, 1993), later managed Experience Hendrix, the company overseeing the estate and musical legacy of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, and contributed to Astronomy magazine, died from undisclosed causes on 5/23/2023, age 63.
1961 ● Dave Mustaine → Original lead guitarist and co-songwriter for heavy metal Metallica, fired in 1983 and became founder, chief songwriter, lead guitarist and lead vocalist for thrash-metal Megadeth, “Symphony Of Destruction” (Mainstream #29, 1992)
1965 ● Zak Starkey → Drummer, son of Ringo Starr, third skinman in Grammy-nominated Brit pop Oasis, “Wonderwall” (#8, 1996), unofficial member of The Who since 1996, collaborations with Paul Weller, The Waterboys, The Icicle Works and others
1967 ● Ripper Owens / (Timothy S. Owens) → Lead singer (1996-2003) for influential “New Wave” heavy metal band Judas Priest, left to join heavy/thrash metal Iced Earth, “I Walk Among You” (#3, 2008)
1967 ● Stephen Perkins → Drums and percussion for alt rock/post-punk Jane’s Addiction, “Been Caught Stealing” (Mainstream Rock #29, 1990), then hard art-rock Porno For Pyros, “Pets” (Mainstream Rock #25, 1993), sessions
1972 ● Matt Everitt → Drummer for short-lived, super-hyped 90s Britpop Menswear, “Being Brave” (UK #10, 1996)
1975 ● Joe Don Rooney → Guitar for country-pop Rascal Flatts, “Here Come Goodbye” (#11, Country #1, 2009)
1977 ● Fiona Apple / (Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart) → One hit wonder alt pop-rock singer-songwriter, “Criminal” (#21, 1996) was voted Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 1997 Grammy Awards, now a cult artist
1983 ● James Bourne → Co-founder, singer and songwriter in Brit pop-punk boyband Busted, “You Said No” (UK #1, 2003)
1993 ● Niall James Horan → Vocals in Brit-Irish boy band quintet One Direction, “What Makes You Beautiful” (#4, UK #1, 2011)
September 14
1914 ● Mae Boren Axton → Country songwriter, the “Queen Mother of Nashville,” wrote or co-wrote over 200 songs including Elvis Presley‘s hit “Heartbreak Hotel” (#1, 1956), died from drowning in her bath at home after a suspected heart attack on 4/9/1997, age 82
1918 ● Cachao / (Israel López Valdés) → The “Original Mambo King,” Cuban bassist and composer credited with developing the mambo in the 30s and influencing modern Cuban music and, over time, dance-pop and Latin-rock sounds in the rest of the world, recorded dozens of albums in an 80-year performing career and won Grammy Awards in the 90s, died from kidney failure on 3/22/2008, age 89
1939 ● Nini Harp / (Cornelius Harp) → Lead vocals for bi-racial doo wop The Marcels (“Blue Moon,” #1, 1961), left in 1963 but rejoined the group for tours in 1975 and a TV special, Doo Wop 50, in 1999, died from natural causes on 6/4/2013, age 73
1939 ● Guy Webster / (Guy Michael Webster) → Rock music and celebrity magazine photographer known for shooting many of rock’s most iconic 1960s album covers, from debut albums by The Mamas & Papas (If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears, 1966) and The Doors (The Doors, 1967) to The Byrds‘ Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965) and The Rolling Stones‘ anthology LP Big Hits (High Tide And Green Grass) (1966), left the US for Italy in the early 70s to study art history and begin amassing a collection of vintage motorcycles, returned to the US in 1979 to focus on celebrity photoshoots, photo editing for WET: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing, and teaching photography at a California K-12 school until his death from liver cancer on 2/5/2019, age 79.
1939 ● Tony Hooper / (Anthony Hooper) → Singer, songwriter, guitarist and founding member of Brit bluegrass then folk-prog-rock The Strawbs (“Part Of The Union,” UK #2, 1973) in it’s formative years, left in 1972 as the band moved away from its folk roots toward a more progressive rock sound, rejoined in 1983 for a 10-year stint, performed in various folk-rock acts around the UK in the 90s and 00s, died from undisclosed causes on 11/18/2020, age 81.
1944 ● Joey Heatherton / (Davenie Johanna Heatherton) → Purring blond sexpot 60s and 70s TV and film actress and two hit wonder pop singer, “Gone” (#24, 1972) and “I’m Sorry” (#87, 1972), her career decline after 1975 was marked by eating, drinking and public conduct disorders
1946 ● Pete Agnew → Bassist, co-founder and constant member of Scottish hard rock Nazareth, “Love Hurts” (#8, 1976)
1947 ● Bowzer Bauman / (Jon Bauman) → Vocals for “greaser” revival parody rock-and-doo-wop Sha Na Na (“(Just Like) Romeo And Juliet,” #55, 1975)
1949 ● Edward C. King → Guitarist for 60s psych-pop-rock Strawberry Alarm Clock, “Incense And Peppermints” (#1, 1967), replaced Leon Wilkeson on bass in raunchy Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Sweet Home Alabama” (#8, 1974), switched to guitar when Wilkeson returned to the band and created the signature triple-guitar attack sound, left in 1976 but returned to the reunited band in 1987, left for good due to health problems in 1996
1949 ● Steve Gaines / (Steven Earl Gaines) → Lead guitarist and songwriter for raunchy Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd, joined the band in 1976 after his backing singer sister Cassie recommended him to frontman Ronnie Van Zant, appeared on the live album One More From The Road (1976), wrote “I Know A Little” and “Ain’t No Good Life” and co-wrote two other songs on the band’s Street Survivors LP (1977), died three days after the album’s release in a plane crash along with Cassie, Van Zant and three others on 10/20/1977, age 28.
1949 ● Sonic Smith / (Fred Smith) → Lead guitarist for Detroit proto-punk rockers MC5, “Kick Out The Jams” (1969), married punk singer and poet Patti Smith in 1980, died from heart failure on 11/4/1994, age 45
1950 ● Paul Kossoff → Guitarist for proto-metal/hard rock Free, “All Right Now” (#4, 1970), later formed hard rock Back Street Crawler and did session work before dying aboard a New York/L.A. commercial flight of a heart attack resulting from drug abuse on 3/19/1976, age 25
1954 ● Barry Cowsill → Vocals for family pop band The Cowsills, “The Rain, The Park And Other Things” (#2, 1967) and theme song from Broadway musical Hair, (#2, 1969), inspiration for the TV show The Partridge Family, died in the flooding of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina on 8/29/2005, age 50
1955 ● Steve Berlin → Saxophonist and keyboardist for all-American roots rock The Blasters, in 1984 joined Tex-Mex roots rock Los Lobos, “La Bamba” (#1, 1987), sessions and collaborations
1959 ● Morten Harket → Lead vocals in Norwegian synth-poppers A-ha, “Take On Me” (#1, 1985), solo
1967 ● John Power → Bass and vocals for Brit jangle pop The La’s, “There She Goes” (#49, UK #13, 1991)
1970 ● Craig Montoya → Bassist for Pacific Northwest post-grunge/punk Everclear, “Wonderful” (#11, Alt Rock #3, 2000)
1970 ● Mark Webber → Joined alt rock/Britpop Pulp as second guitarist in 1995, “Common People” (UK #2, 1995), now produces avant-garde films
1973 ● Nas / (Nasir Jones) → Self-appointed “King of New York,” acclaimed and influential hip hop performer and East Coast rapper, “If I Ruled The World” (#53, Rhythmic Top 40 #8, 1996), US #1 album Hip Hop Is Dead (2006)
1981 ● Ashley Roberts → Vocalist for burlesque dance-pop girl troupe The Pussycat Dolls, “Don’t Cha” (#2, 2005) featuring Busta Rhymes
1983 ● Amy Winehouse → Grammy-winning R&B/soul-pop and jazz-pop singer and songwriter, “Rehab” (#9, 2007), died from unknown causes at her London home on 7/23/2011, age 27