Happy Birthday this week to:
Oct 18
1926 ● Charles Edward “Chuck” Berry → Early breakthrough rock ‘n’ roll pioneer, enduring and immortal guitarist, singer and songwriter, “Johnny B. Goode” (#8, 1958) and 13 other Top 40 hits, major influence on The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and countless other rock and pop artists
1938 ● Ronnie Bright → R&B/doo wop bass singer with The Valentines, The Cadillacs and the Deep River Boys, plus session work including a duo with Johnny Cymbal, “Mr. Bass Man” (#16, 1963), now with The Coasters
1943 ● Russ Giguere → Vocals, percussion and guitar in light pop-rock vocal group The Association, “Along Comes Mary” (#7, 1966), left briefly for solo career but returned and still tours with the band in 2011
1946 ● Joe Egan → Keyboards and vocals in Scottish folk-pop-rock Stealers Wheel, “Stuck In The Middle With You” (#6, 1973)
1947 ● Laura Nyro (Nigro) → Light folk-jazz-pop singer, guitarist and composer with several acclaimed solo albums, wrote “Eli’s Coming” for Three Dog Night (#10, 1969), “Wedding Bell Blues” for The 5th Dimension (#1, 1969), “And When I Die” for Blood, Sweat & Tears (#2, 1969) and “Stoney End” for Barbra Streisand (#6, 1971), died of ovarian cancer on 4/8/1997
1949 ● Gary Richrath → Guitarist and principal songwriter for arena rock REO Speedwagon, wrote “Take It On The Run” (#5, 1981) and others songs, left in 1989 for an unsuccessful solo career, rejoined the band for a single benefit concert in 2013, died from unspecified causes on 9/13/2015
1955 ● Vanessa Briscoe Hay → Co-founding member and lead vocalist for Athens, GA-based seminal post-punk college rock Pylon, “Gyrate” (Dance/Club #41, 1981), later with other local groups
1956 ● Dick Crippen → Bassist in oddball Brit punk-rock Tenpole Tudor, “Who Killed Bambi” (UK #6, 1979)
1958 ● Denise Dufort → Founding member, vocals and drums for early all-girl heavy metal group Painted Lady, which became Girlschool, “Hit And Run” (UK #32, 1981)
1961 ● Wynton Marsalis → Virtuoso jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader, one of the “Young Lions” and a major figure in jazz since the 1980s, his album Standard Time, Vol. 1 (1987) is one of five Grammy-winning albums
1966 ● Tim Cross → Bassist in post-grunge alt rock Sponge, “Molly (16 Candles Down The Drain)” (Modern Rock #3, 1995)
1971 ● Mark Morriss → Lead singer for indie rock The Bluetones, “Slight Return” (UK #2, 1996), solo
1974 ● Peter Svensson → Guitarist for Swedish pop-rock The Cardigans, “Lovefool” (#1, 1996)
1975 ● Baby Bash (Ronald Ray Bryant) → Mexican-American smooth rapper, “Suga Suga” (#7, 2003)
1977 ● Simon Rix → Bassist for indie rock Kaiser Chiefs, “Ruby” (UK #1, 2007)
1982 ● Ne-Yo (Shaffer Smith) → Urban contemporary R&B/pop singer, “So Sick” (#1, 2005) and “Miss Independent” (#7, 2008), the 2009 Grammy Award for Best R&B song
1987 ● Zachary Efron → Actor and singer, “Troy Bolton” in High School Musical movies (most watched cable TV movies ever)
Oct 19
1940 ● Larry Chance (Figueiredo) → Lead vocals and frontman for white R&B/doo wop The Earls, “Remember Then” (#24, 1963), still performing on the oldies circuit
1944 ● Peter Tosh (Winston Hubert McIntosh) → Guitar and vocals in legendary reggae group The Wailers, left in 1974 for solo career, “(You Gotta Walk) Don’t Look Back” (1978), murdered by intruders in his home on 9/11/1987
1944 ● George McCrae → R&B/soul-disco singer and songwriter, “Rock Your Baby” (#1, 1974), Rolling Stone magazine’s #1 song for 1974
1945 ● Divine (Harris Glenn Milstead) → Drag queen, cult-movie star (Pink Flamingos, 1972, and others) and campy disco/dance singer, “Native Love (Step By Step)” (Dance #21, 1982), died from obesity-related cardiomegaly on 3/7/1988
1945 ● Jeannie C. Riley (Jeanne Carolyn Stephenson) → Grammy-winning country-pop singer, “Harper Valley PTA” (#1, 1968) and six Country Top 10 hits, switched to gospel music in the late 70s
1946 ● Keith Reid → Chief lyricist with prog/psych rock Procol Harum, “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” (#5, 1967), theater management executive
1947 ● Wilbert Hart → Vocals in pioneering “Philadelphia Sound” smooth R&B/soul The Delfonics, “La-La (Means I Love You)” (#4, 1968), still tours and records with various lineups
1948 ● Patrick Simmons → Guitar and vocals for California soul-pop-rock The Doobie Brothers, “Listen To The Music” (#11, 1972), only consistent member during the band’s 40-plus year history
1955 ● Nino DeFranco → Vocals for teen bubblegum-pop sibling act The DeFranco Family, “Heartbeat-It’s A Lovebeat” (#3, 1973)
1957 ● Karl Wallinger → Keyboardist for pop-rock The Waterboys, then guitar and vocals for World Party, “Way Down Now” (Modern Rock #1, 1990), wrote “She’s The One” for Robbie Williams (UK #1, 1999)
1960 ● Daniel “Woody” Woodgate → Drummer for punk/ska revival Madness, “Our House” (#7, 1982) and over 20 other UK Top 40 singles
1960 ● Jennifer-Yvette Holliday → R&B/pop singer and Tony-winning actress in the stage version of Dreamgirls (1981), won Grammy Award for “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” (#22, R&B #1, 1982)
1965 ● Todd Park Mohr → Namesake, frontman, lead singer, guitarist and chief lyricist for 90s pop/rock Big Head Todd & The Monsters, “Bittersweet” (Mainstream Rock #14, 1993)
1966 ● Sinitta Renay Malone → Anglo-American R&B/dance-pop singer, “Toy Boy” (Dance/Club #19, UK #4, 2005), sometime stage actress
1972 ● Prakazrel “Pras” Michel → Rapper with R&B/jazz-rap The Fugees, “Killing Me Softly” (#1, 1996), solo, “Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)” featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Mýa (#15, 1998)
1976 ● Pete Loeffler → Lead guitarist and lead singer in alt metal sibling trio Chevelle, “The Clincher” (Mainstream Rock #3, 2005)
Oct 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
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, 1946), continued with various incarnations of the group through the 50s, died on 12/21/1971
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
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
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
1942 ● John Carter (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 → Singer, songwriter, guitarist and bandleader for roots rock Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, “The Waiting” (#19, Mainstream Rock #1, 1981), solo, “Free Fallin'” (#7, 1989), member of supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, “Handle With Care” (Mainstream Rock #2, 1988) and Mudcrutch
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 → 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 ● Daniellle Jane “Dannii” 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)
2001 ● Frank Churchill → Pianist and pop music composer best 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
Oct 21
1917 ● John Birks “Dizzy” 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
1925 ● Isaiah “Doctor” 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
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 ● 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
1940 ● Jimmy Beaumont → Vocals and frontman for R&B/doo wop The Skyliners, “Since I Don’t Have You” (#12, 1959)
1941 ● Steve “The Colonel” 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 ● 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
1942 ● Elvin Bishop → Country-blues-rock guitarist, first with The Butterfield Blues Band then solo, “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” (#3, 1976)
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 ● 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 on 2/4/2009 from a burst artery
1946 ● Lee 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
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 for Grateful Dead, “Sugar Magnolia” (#91, 1973) and “Touch Of Grey” (#9, 1987), died from a drug overdose on 7/26/1990
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
1954 ● Eric Faulkner → Vocals, guitar and songwriting for Scottish teen-pop Bay City Rollers, “Saturday Night” (#1, 1976)
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 ● Steve “Luke” Lukather → Guitarist for arena pop-rock Toto, “Hold The Line” (#5, 1978), producer, solo
1957 ● Attila the Stockbroker (John Baine) → Punk-folk-pop poet musician and author, frontman for Barnstormer, worked with John Otway and TV Smith
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)
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 ● 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
Oct 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
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 on 4/8/2013 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis
1942 ● Bobby Fuller → Tex-Mex rock ‘n roll singer, songwriter, guitarist and bandleader, Bobby Fuller Four, “I Fought The Law” (#9, 1959), found dead on 7/18/1966 in a car parked outside his Hollywood apartment
1945 ● Leslie West (Weinstein) → Guitarist in pioneering hard rock/heavy metal band Mountain, “Mississippi Queen” (#21, 1970), then power trio West, Bruce & Laing, continues to front various Mountain reincarnations through 2010
1946 ● Eddie Brigati → 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) → Singer, guitarist and frontman for nihilistic punk rock The Dead Boys, then New Wave post-punk The Wanderers and goth rock The Lords Of The New Church, power pop solo career and movie actor
1960 ● Cris Kirkwood → Bassist in punk-psych-country-rock Meat Puppets, “Backwater” (Mainstream Rock #2, 1994)
1965 ● John Wesley Harding (Stace) → Folk-pop singer/songwriter, “The Person You Are” (Modern Rock #8, 1991), author
1968 ● Shelby Lynne (Moorer) → Grammy-winning country-pop-rock singer/songwriter, “Wall In Your Heart” (Adult Contemporary #22, 2002)
1968 ● Shaggy (Orville Richard Burrell) → Reggae dance-pop singer, “It Wasn’t Me” (#1, 2000)
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)
1985 ● Zachary Walter Hanson → Guitar, keyboards and vocals in teen pop-rock trio Hanson, “MMMBop” (Worldwide #1, 1997)
Oct 23
1930 ● Wilson “Boozoo” 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
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
1940 ● Eleanor Louise “Ellie” Greenwich → Brill Building pop music songwriter, singer and producer, wrote or co-wrote (often with husband Jeff Barry) multiple hit songs, including “Be My Baby” for The Ronettes (#2, 1963) and “Chapel Of Love” for The Dixie Cups (#1, 1964), died of a heart attack on 8/26/2009
1940 ● Freddie Marsden → With brother Gerry Marsden, co-founder and drummer with Merseybeat pop-rock Gerry & The Pacemakers, “How Do You Do It?” (#9, 1964), left music in the late 60s to open a driving school, died on 12/9/2006
1942 ● 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
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)
1949 ● Michael “Würzel” 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
1953 ● Pauline Black → Vocals in New Wave 2 Tone ska revival The Selecter, “On My Radio” (UK #8, 1979)
1954 ● Perry Lee “Tiny” Tavares → Vocals in five brother R&B/funk-disco Tavares, “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” (#15, 1976)
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 ● Alfred Matthew “Weird Al” 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)
Oct 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
1930 ● The Big Bopper (Jiles Perry “J.P.” Richardson, Jr.) → Booming voiced early rock ‘n’ roll DJ, singer and bandleader, “Chantilly Lace” (#6, 1958), died along with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens in an Iowa plane crash on the night of 2/3/1959
1936 ● Jimmy “Fast Fingers” 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
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
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
1944 ● Bettye Swann (Betty Jean Champion) → One hit wonder R&B/Southern soul singer, “Make Me Yours” (#21, R&B #1, 1967), now a retired teacher
1944 ● Robbie Van Leeuwen → Guitar and backing vocals in Dutch one hit wonder pop-rock Shocking Blue, “Venus” (#1, 1970)
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)
1947 ● Robert Edgar Broughton → Singer, guitarist and frontman for Brit blues then prog-rock Edgar Broughton Band, “Apache Dropout” (UK #33, 1970)
1948 ● Terence Dale “Buffin” 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 (Sapherson) → Singer and songwriter with identical twin brother in pop Paul & Barry Ryan, “Don’t Bring Me Your Heartaches” (1965), wrote his brother’s solo hit, “Eloise” (UK #1, 1968), died of cancer on 11/29/1992
1948 ● Barry Ryan (Sapherson) → Singer with identical twin brother in pop Paul & Barry Ryan, “Don’t Bring Me Your Heartaches” (1965), solo, “Eloise” (UK #1, 1968), currently a professional photographer
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 ● Edward Daniel “Eds” 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 (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
