Happy Birthday this week to:
October 16
1903 ● Big Joe Williams → Delta blues guitarist and songwriter best known for being the first to adapt and record “Baby, Please Don’t Go” (1935), which has since become a blues standard with recordings by The Orioles (R&B #8, 1952), Themm (UK #10, 1964), Paul Revere & The Raiders (1966), Amboy Dukes (#106, 1968), AC/DC (AUS #10, 1973) and Aerosmith (2004), among others, died on 12/17/1982, age 79
1922 ● Walter William “Max” Bygraves → Brit comedian, actor, variety show performer and pop singer with 12 UK Top 10 hits in the 50s, including “Meet Me On The Corner” (UK #2, 1955), but couldn’t withstand the onslaught of Beatlemania in the 60s and turned to hosting TV programs though the 80s, died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on 8/31/2012, age 89
1923 ● Bert Kaempfert (Berthold Kämpfert) → German easy listening/adult pop orchestra leader and composer, “Wonderful By Night” (#1, 1961), wrote songs covered by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and many others, produced the first Beatles recording session with Tony Sheridan,, died after a stroke on 6/21/1980, age 56
1937 ● Emile Ford (Emile Sweetman) → West Indian-born singer, musician and frontman for pre-Beatles pop-rock The Checkmates, “What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For?” (UK #1 ,1959), short solo career and then record producer
1938 ● Nico (Christa Päffgen) → German singer, model and vocals for proto-punk The Velvet Underground, “Femme Fatale” (1967), then proto-goth/folk-rock solo career, suffered a brain hemorrhage in a bicycling accident and died on 7/18/1988, age 49
1942 ● Dave Lovelady → Drummer and singer for Merseybeat pop-rock The Fourmost, “A Little Loving” (UK #6, 1964)
1943 ● Charles Frederick “C.F.” Turner → Bass and vocals for Canadian pop-rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” (#1, 1974), the only member to play on every album the band released over 25 years
1945 ● Roger Hawkins → Drummer, session musician and founding member of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (also known as The Swampers), the renowned studio musician ensemble that recorded hundreds of songs and albums at Muscle Shoals Studio in Alabama, including hits by The Staple Singers, Paul Simon, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Wilson Pickett and countless others
1947 ● Bob “Ace” Weir → Founding member, rhythm guitarist, singer and songwriter for rock’s longest, strangest trip Grateful Dead, “Sugar Magnolia” (#91, 1973) and “Touch Of Grey” (#9, 1987), solo, bandleader for Kingfish, Ratdog and Bobby & The Midnites, member of Grateful Dead spinoff The Other Ones
1952 ● Cordell “Boogie” Mosson → Bassist for the Parliament-Funkadelic (“P-Funk”) collective of soul/funk bands and their flamboyant costumes, “One Nation Under A Groove” (#31, 1978), toured with P-Funk variations through 2011, died from liver failure on 4/18/2013, age 60
1953 ● Tony Carey → Keyboardist in early lineup of hard rock Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, founder and frontman for space rock Planet P Project, “Why Me?” (Mainstream Rock #4, 1983) and solo, “A Fine, Fine Day” (#22, 1984), producer for Jennifer Rush, Joe Cocker, Mark Knopfler and others
1955 ● Miriam Theresa “Mimi” Lennon → Joined her older sisters in 1999 to replace a retiring Peggy in semi-religious pop vocal quartet The Lennon Sisters (“Tonight You Belong To Me,” #15, 1956), continues to record and perform as a trio in the 10s
1959 ● Gary Kemp → Guitar and keyboards for New Romantic pop-rock Spandau Ballet, “True” (#4, 1983) plus 16 other UK top 40 singles
1960 ● Bob Mould → Frontman, guitarist and songwriter for post-punk alt rock trio Hüsker Dü, “Makes No Sense At All” (1985), light rock solo career, “See A Little Light” (Modern Rock #4, 1989), founded and fronted alt rock Sugar, “If I Can’t Change Your Mind” (UK #30, 1992)
1962 ● Flea (Michael Peter Balzary) → Bass and vocals for funk-rock Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Californication” (Modern Rock #1, 2000)
1965 ● Simon Bartholomew → Founding member, guitar and vocals for acid-jazz/funk The Brand New Heavies, “Sometimes” (UK #11, 1997)
1967 ● Jason Everman → Rock guitarist and vocalist with brief stints in 1989 as second guitarist for premier grunge rock Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (#6, 1992) and 1990 as interim bassist in seminal grunge rock group Soundgarden, “Black Hole Sun” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1994) before both groups became superstars, left to join other marginally successful grunge bands, eventually joined the U.S. Army Special Forces and became a decorated Afghan and Iraqi war hero, now a G.I. Bill graduate of Columbia University with a B.A. in Philosophy
1969 ● Wendy Wilson → Vocals for pop-rock all-girl offspring trio Wilson Phillips, “Release Me” (#1, 1990), daughter of The Beach Boys Brian Wilson
1977 ● John Mayer → Light pop-rock singer/songwriter and guitarist, won 2003 Grammy Award for “Your Body Is A Wonderland” (#18, Adult Top 40 #3, 2002)
October 17
1909 ● William Randolph “Cozy” Cole → Journeyman but highly regarded jazz-pop and swing drummer from 1930 through the 70s, his instrumental “Topsy, Pt. 2” (#3, R&B #1, 1958) was the first drum solo recording to chart, died from cancer on 1/29/1981, age 71
1923 ● Barney Kessel → Highly accomplished, in-demand jazz-pop-rock guitarist and sessionman over a 50 year career, first as a member of several Big Bands, later as a touring guitarist with several big-name ensembles, and as a member of the acclaimed Wrecking Crew group of first call L.A. studio musicians, played behind The Beach Boyss, The Monkees, Simon & Garfunkel, John Denver, Natalie Cole and many others, sidelined by a stroke in 1992 and died from an inoperable brain tumor on 5/6/2004, age 80
1933 ● Soeur Sourie (Jeanne-Paule Marie “Jeanine” Deckers) → Belgian-born one hit wonder folk-pop singer and guitarist, as the “Singing Nun” recorded “Dominique” (#1, 1963), died after ingesting an overdose of sleeping pills in a suicide pact with a girlfriend on 3/29/1985, age 51
1934 ● Emmanuel “Rico” Rodriguez → Jamaican trombonist with ska revival The Specials, “Ghost Town” (UK #1, 1981), solo and sessions
1935 ● Michael Eavis → English dairy farmer who founded the Glastonbury Festival in 1970 and on whose land the music festival has occurred annually for over 40 years
1941 ● Alan Howard → Bassist for British Invasion pop-rock The Tremeloes, “Silence Is Golden” (#11, UK #1, 1967)
1941 ● Jim Seals → Guitar, violin, vocals and songwriting in 70s light pop-rock duo Seals & Crofts, “Summer Breeze” (#6, 1972) and “Diamond Girl” (#6, 1973)
1942 ● Gary Puckett → Lead vocals and frontman for pop-rock Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, “Young Girl” (#2, 1968), followed with a modest solo career and now tours with a new lineup of the band
1944 ● Carole “Cookie” Cole → Music producer, stage, film and TV actress, adopted daughter of jazz-pop singer Nat King Cole and adopted sister of soul-pop diva Natalie Cole, starred in multiple motion pictures including The Silencers (1967) and The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three (1974), co-starred on TV sitcoms Sanford And Son and Grady, as CEO of King Cole Productions oversaw the use and licensing of her father’s catalogue, name and likeness, died of lung cancer on 5/19/2009, age 64
1946 ● Mike Hossack → Drummer for California soul-pop-rock The Doobie Brothers during their heyday in the early 70s (“Listen To The Music,” #11, 1972), played in other rock bands and co-owned a recording studio, rejoined the Doobies in 1985 and performed with the band until prior to his death from cancer on 3/12/2012, age 65
1946 ● James Tucker → First rhythm guitarist for pop-rock The Turtles, “Happy Together” (#1, 1967), left in 1967 following a European tour
1947 ● Michael McKean → Actor and comedian, portrayed David St. Hubbins in the “mock-rock” parody band Spinal Tap from the movie This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
1949 ● Bill Hudson (Salerno) → Vocals for sibling trio The Hudson Brothers, “So You Are A Star” (#21, 1974), ex-spouse of Goldie Hawn, father of actress Kate Hudson
1958 ● Alan Jackson → Honky tonk/new traditionalist country star singer and songwriter with 17 Country Top 10 albums and 24 Country #1 hits, including the Grammy-winning “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)” (#38, Country #1, 2001)
1962 ● Anne Rogers → Bassist for Brit indie-folk-pop Popinjays, “Vote Elvis” (Modern Rock #17, 1988)
1967 ● René Dif → Vocals for Danish dance-pop Aqua, “Barbie Girl” (#7, 1997), which drew a lawsuit from Mattel for its sexual content
1968 ● David Nesta “Ziggy” Marley → Five-time Grammy-winning guitarist, singer and songwriter, solo and as frontman for reggae-pop sibling group The Melody Makers, “Tomorrow People” (#39, 1988), son of reggae legend Bob Marley
1969 ● Wyclef Jean → Haitian musician, member of R&B/jazz-rap The Fugees, “Killing Me Softly” (#1, 1996), solo, “Gone Till November” (#7, 1998), record producer, announced plans to run in the 2010 Haitian presidential election but withdrew when his bid for candidacy was rejected over residency requirements
1971 ● Derrick Plourde → Drummer for mainstream pop-punk The Ataris, “The Boys Of Summer” (#20, Modern Rock #2, 2003) and other bands, died from a suicide gunshot on 3/30/2005, age 38
1971 ● Christopher Kirkpatrick → Founding member and counter tenor vocals for teen dance-pop harmony boy band *NSYNC, “It’s Gonna Be Me” (#1, 2000)
1972 ● Eminem (Marshall Bruce Mathers III) → Grammy-winning blue-eyed rapper, worldwide #1 album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and worldwide hit “Lose Yourself” (#1, 2002), producer for Jay-Z, Nas, 50 Cent, DMX, 2Pac and others, award-winning film actor
October 18
1926 ● 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
1940 ● Cynthia Weil → Grammy-winning Brill Building songwriter, often as collaborator with her husband, Barry Mann, wrote or co-wrote dozens of hits for varied artists, including “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” (#1, 1965) for The Righteous Brothers and “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” (#13, UK #2, 1965) for The Animals
1943 ● Russ Giguere → Vocals, percussion and guitar in light pop-rock vocal group The Association, “Along Comes Mary” (#7, 1966), left briefly for solo career but returned and still tours with the band in 2011
1947 ● Laura Nyro (Nigro) → Light folk-jazz-pop singer, guitarist and composer with several acclaimed solo albums, wrote “Eli’s Coming” for Three Dog Night (#10, 1969), “Wedding Bell Blues” for The 5th Dimension (#1, 1969), “And When I Die” for Blood, Sweat & Tears (#2, 1969) and “Stoney End” for Barbra Streisand (#6, 1971), died of ovarian cancer on 4/8/1997, age 49
1949 ● Gary Richrath → Guitarist and principal songwriter for arena rock REO Speedwagon, wrote “Take It On The Run” (#5, 1981) and others songs, left in 1989 for an unsuccessful solo career, rejoined the band for a single benefit concert in 2013, died from unspecified causes on 9/13/2015, age 65
1949 ● Joe Egan → Co-founder, keyboards and vocals in Scottish folk-pop-rock Stealers Wheel, co-wrote “Stuck In The Middle With You” (#6, 1973), left the music industry in the early 80s for a career in book publishing
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
1984 ● Esperanza Spalding → Child-prodigy violinist, 15-year-old concertmaster for the Chamber Music Society of Oregon, Berklee College of Music graduate and four-time Grammy-wining jazz bassist and singer with a growing catalogue of solo albums, including Radio Music Society (#10, Jazz #1, 2012) and collaborations with others
1987 ● Zachary Efron → Actor and singer, “Troy Bolton” in High School Musical movies (most watched cable TV movies ever)
October 19
1910 ● John C. Mills, Jr. → Bass vocals and guitar in six-decade jazz and pop quartet The Mills Brothers (“Cab Driver,” #23, Adult #3, 1968), best known for approximating instrument sounds with vocals, first as a novelty act in the vaudeville era of the 20s and later as the music behind their singing, died while on tour in England on 1/23/1936, age 25
1911 ● George Cates → Big band and easy listening orchestrator, composer and record producer with the instrumental medley hit “Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” (#31, 1956) but known best as the musical director for The Lawrence Welk Show and his successful 50s and 60s TV program, composed Welk‘s theme song “Champagne Fanfare” and led the on air orchestra through 1982, died from heart failure on 5/10/2002, age 90
1934 ● Dave Guard → Founding member, guitar, banjo, vocals, songwriter and arranger for influential folk-pop The Kingston Trio, “Tom Dooley” (#1, 1958) plus nine other Top 40 hits, left the band in acrimony in 1961, issued solo albums, authored books and participated in occasional reunions until his death from lymphoma on 3/22/1991, age 56
1937 ● Jerry Jaye (Gerald Hatley) → Singer and guitarist with the rockabilly-tinged Top 30 hit “My Girl Josephine” (#29, 1967) and the country “Honky Tonk Women Love Redneck Men” (Country #32, 1976), continued to record and perform with little impact into the 00s
1940 ● Larry Chance (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, age 42
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, age 42
1945 ● Jeannie C. Riley (Jeanne Carolyn Stephenson) → Grammy-winning country-pop singer, “Harper Valley PTA” (#1, 1968) and six Country Top 10 hits, switched to gospel music in the late 70s
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)
October 20
1901 ● Frank Churchill → Pianist and pop music composer known for penning some of the best-loved of Walt Disney‘s early songs for animated short and feature length films, including “Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?” for Three Little Pigs (1933) and “Whistle While you Work” for Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937), won the Oscar for Best Score co-writing the instrumental music to Peter Pan (1941). committed suicide on 5/14/1942, age 40
1885 ● “Jelly Roll” Morton (Ferdinand Joseph Lemott) → Early and pivotal jazz pianist and composer credited for writing many of the earliest jazz songs, including “Black Bottom Stomp” (1926), died from asthma on 7/10/1941, age 65
1910 ● Charlie Fuqua → Founding member, baritone vocals and guitar for pioneering black R&B/doo wop group The Ink Spots, “To Each His Own” (#1, R&B #3, 1946), continued with various incarnations of the group through the 50s, died on 12/21/1971, age 61
1913 ● Grandpa Jones (Louis Marshall Jones) → Banjo-picking, multi-decade country and gospel music singer, balladeer and Nashville fixture with multiple singles in the 50s and 60s (“T For Texas,” Country #5, 1963), joined the cast of TV country music/comedy show Hee Haw in 1969 and became a national celebrity, died following two strokes after a performance at the Grand Ole Opry on 2/19/1998, age 84
1934 ● Bill Chase (William Chiaiese) → Jazz and Big Band trumpeter, played with Maynard Ferguson, Stan Kenton and Woody Herman, formed Grammy-nominated jazz-rock fusion Chase, “Get It On” (Top 30, 1971) from the album Chase (#22, 1971), died with other bandmembers in a charter plane crash while on tour on 8/9/1974, age 39
1934 ● Eddie Harris → Innovative, virtuoso jazz saxophonist known for introducing the electrically-amplified saxophone, for his version of “Theme From Exodus (” #36, R&B #16, 1961), for penning the jazz standard “Freedom Jazz Dance” for Miles Davis (1966), and for the collaboration with jazz pianist Les McCann on Swiss Movement (#29, R&B #2, Jazz #1, 1969) and “Compared To What” (CB #96, R&B #35, 1970), died from bone cancer and kidney disease on 11/5/1996, age 62
1937 ● Wanda Jackson → The “Queen of Rockabilly” and later country-pop singer, “Right Or Wrong” (#29, Country #9, 1961) and “Fancy Satin Pillows” (Country #13, 1970)
1939 ● Jay Siegel → Vocals in blue-eyed soul/doo wop The Tokens, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (#1, 1961)
1940 ● Kathy Kirby (Kathleen O’Rourke) → The “Golden Girl of British Pop,” child prodigy singer and actress whose meteoric rise to stardom in Britain was followed by a quick descent into bankruptcy and obscurity with five years, “Secret Love” (UK #4, 1963), died of a heart attack on 5/19/2011,, age 60
1942 ● John Carter (John Nicholas Sheakespeare) → Singer, songwriter, session musician and founding member of Brit folk-pop trio The Ivy League, “Funny How Love Can Be” (UK #8, 1965), left to write and produce for pre-fab psych-pop one hit wonder The Flower Pot Men, “Let’s Go To San Francisco” (UK #1, 1967), co-wrote “Little Bit O’ Soul” for The Music Explosion (#2, 1967), “Beach Baby” for The First Class (#4, 1974) and other hits
1945 ● Ric Lee → Drummer for British blues-rock Ten Years After, “I’d Love To Change The World” (Top 40, 1971)
1949 ● Larry Gonsky → Co-founder and keyboards for one hit wonder pop-rock Looking Glass, “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” (#1, 1972)
1950 ● Tom Petty → 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)
October 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, age 75
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, age 67
1925 ● Celia Cruz → Cuban singer, actress, the “Queen of Latin Music” and most popular Latin artist of the 20th century with eight Grammy Awards, twenty-three gold albums, and a National Medal of the Arts, performed with every major Latin bandleader and in every major city in Central and South America, died from complications following surgery for a brain tumor on 7/16/2003, age 77
1936 ● Sheila Jones → Vocals for English pop non-sister trio The Kaye Sisters, “Ivory Tower” (UK #20, 1956)
1937 ● Norman Wright → Tenor vocals in R&B/doo wop The Del-Vikings, “Come Go With Me” (#4, 1957)
1940 ● 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, age 51
1942 ● Elvin Bishop → Country-blues-rock guitarist, first with The Butterfield Blues Band then solo, “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” (#3, 1976)
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
1943 ● Ron Elliott → Songwriter and lead guitarist for pop-rock The Beau Brummels, wrote “Laugh, Laugh” (#15, 1964), solo, sessions and production work
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 from a burst artery on 2/4/2009, age 62
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 and occasional songwriter for Grateful Dead, “Touch Of Grey” (#9, 1987), died from a drug overdose on 7/26/1990, age 37
1953 ● Charlotte Irene Caffey → Singer, songwriter and bassist for New Wave pop-punk girl group The Go-Go’s, “We Got The Beat”, (#2, 1982), the most successful all-female pop and rock band of all time and the only one to play their own instruments and write their own songs
1953 ● Eric Faulkner → 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)
1969 ● Garfield A. Bright → Vocals for R&B/urban contemporary soul quartet Shai, “If I Ever Fall In Love” (#2, 1992)
1971 ● Nick Oliveri → Former bassist for stoner metal Queens Of The Stone Age, “No One Knows” (#51, Mainstream Rock #5, 2002) and other hard rock bands, currently frontman for punk/metal Mondo Generator
1971 ● 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
October 22
1936 ● Bruce Belland → Founding member and lead singer for clean-cut light pop vocal quartet The Four Preps, “26 Miles (Santa Catalina)” (#2, 1958) and 6 other Top 40 hits between 1958 and 1961, later co-starred on the TV sitcom Ozzie And Harriet, wrote several songs for other artists and produced network TV game shows, continued to tour with incarnations of The Four Preps into the 00s
1939 ● Ray Jones → Early bassist for British Invasion pop-rock Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, “Little Children” (#7, 1964), died 1/22/2009, age 60
1942 ● Annette Funicello → Singer, film and TV actress, child cast member on the original Mickey Mouse Club, then teen idol singer, “Tall Paul” (#7, 1959) and beach party film actress in several genre-creating beach films, including Beach Blanket Bingo (1965) and others, died after a long battle with multiple sclerosis on 4/8/2013, age 70
1942 ● Bobby Fuller → Tex-Mex rock ‘n roll singer, songwriter, guitarist and bandleader of the Bobby Fuller Four, “I Fought The Law” (#9, 1959), found dead from unexplained causes in a car parked outside his Hollywood apartment on 7/18/1966, age 23
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) → Punk then power pop singer, guitarist and frontman, first for early and nihilistic punk rock The Dead Boys, then New Wave post-punk The Wanderers and later goth rock The Lords Of The New Church, suffered internal injuries when hit by a taxi in a Paris intersection and died several days later on 6/4/1990, age 33
1960 ● Cris Kirkwood → Bassist in punk-psych-country-rock Meat Puppets, “Backwater” (Mainstream Rock #2, 1994)
1965 ● John Wesley Harding (Stace) → Folk-pop singer/songwriter, “The Person You Are” (Modern Rock #8, 1991), authorBob Dylan
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)
1983 ● Plan B (Benjamin Paul Balance-Drew) → Rapper, R&B/neo soul singer, songwriter, actor and film director, released the critically acclaimed debut album Who Needs Actions When You Got Words (UK #30, 2006) and followed with The Defamation Of Strickland Blues (UK #1, 2010), had small roles in multiple films, wrote and directed the hip hop musical Ill Manners</em. (2012) and its accompanying UK #1 soundtrack
1985 ● Zachary Walter Hanson → Guitar, keyboards and vocals in teen pop-rock trio Hanson, “MMMBop” (Worldwide #1, 1997)
