Music History

“Godfather of go-go” Chuck Brown was born in Gaston, North Carolina. He later moved to Washington, D.C., and became a pioneer of the go-go style, best represented by his hit “Bustin' Loose”.

R&B singer Rudy Lewis of The Drifters, born Charles Rudolph Harrell, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Garth Hudson, the Canadian multi-instrumentalist, keyboardist, and saxophonist and one of the key members of The Band, was born on August 2, 1937, in Windsor, Ontario.

American producer, songwriter and arranger Shel Talmy was born in Chicago. He produced The Who's first album and many early recordings by The Kinks, including the hit “You Really Got Me.” He also produced “My Generation” by The Who and “Friday on My Mind” by The Easybeats. He died on November 13, 2024, aged 87.

Blues guitarist Roy Gaines was born; he later worked as a session musician and collaborated with numerous prominent artists.

American blues guitarist Luther Allison was born.

Scottish multi-instrumentalist Phil Shulman was born in the Gorbals district of Glasgow, Scotland. He was the eldest brother of Derek and Ray Shulman, and all three performed in the psychedelic group Simon Dupree and the Big Sound. Phil Shulman later became a member of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant, in which he performed during the 1970s.

American pop singer and actor Thomas “Tommy” Sands was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was best known for the 1956 single “Teen-Age Crush”, which reached No. 1.

English drummer Clemente "Clem" Cattini was born on August 28, 1937, in north London. He became known as a member of The Tornados and later as a sought-after session musician who played on a record 44 different UK No. 1 singles.

Bassist and session musician Joe Osborn was born in Mound, Louisiana. As a member of The Wrecking Crew, he played on recordings by The Mamas & the Papas, The Carpenters, The Association, and The 5th Dimension. He also played on “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel and “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” by The 5th Dimension and was also known for his work with the studio musicians’ group known as the A-Team.

Singer John Perkins of The Crew-Cuts was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The group was known for their 1954 hit “Sh-Boom”, a cover of the song by The Chords.

Actress and singer Connie Stevens was born in Brooklyn, New York. In 1960, she had the hit "Sixteen Reasons", which reached No. 3.

David Cortez Clowney was born in Detroit, Michigan, later becoming known as Dave “Baby” Cortez.

Musician and founding member of the rock 'n' roll group Sha Na Na was born.

R&B and pop singer and actress Ketty Lester, best known for the 1962 hit "Love Letters", was born in Hope, Arkansas.

Singer and songwriter Ernie Maresca, the writer of several hits by Dion, was born in the Bronx, New York.

Country and pop singer, songwriter and producer Kenny Rogers was born in Houston, Texas. His best-known song “The Gambler” was released when he was 40 years old.

Dale Hawkins, the American rockabilly guitarist and singer known for the song “Susie-Q”, was born.

Lyricist and producer Roger Greenaway was born in Fishponds, Bristol, Gloucestershire. He was a member of David & Jonathan and The Kestrels and became known for his songwriting partnership with Roger Cook on songs including “My Baby Loves Lovin'”, “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress”, “Gasoline Alley Bred”, “You've Got Your Troubles”, “Melting Pot”, “Good Morning Freedom”, “Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart” and “I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)”, which originally originated as a Coca-Cola advertising slogan.

American multi-instrumentalist and singer David Freiberg was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He became known as a bassist and member of Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.

Mason Williams was born in Abilene, Texas. In addition to working as a comedy writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and Saturday Night Live, he also worked as a guitarist and composer.

English drummer Brian John Duffy, known as Jet Black, was born in Ilford, England. He was one of the founding members of The Stranglers, who achieved major mainstream success, including with the 1982 single “Golden Brown”.

Teen idol Jimmy Clanton was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He became known for the swamp pop and R&B hits “Just a Dream” from 1958 and “Venus in Blue Jeans” from 1962.

Jimmie Nicol, the English drummer best known for temporarily replacing Ringo Starr during The Beatles’ 1964 world tour, was born in London.

Frankie Ford, the American rock 'n' roll and R&B singer best known for the hit “Sea Cruise,” was born in Gretna, Louisiana.

American soul singer, songwriter, producer and arranger William Nelson “Sonny” Sanders was born in Chicago, Illinois. In 1957, he founded The Satintones, the first vocal group to sign with Motown Records.

Americký R&B a popový zpěvák Rolan Webster Holden se narodil v Seattlu ve Washingtonu. Proslavil se hitem „Love You So“ z roku 1960.

Phil Balsley, baritone singer with The Statler Brothers, was born in Staunton, Virginia.

Billy Henderson, a founding member and vocalist of the American rhythm and blues vocal group The Spinners, was born in Detroit, Michigan.

Rockabilly guitarist Ronnie Dawson was born in Dallas, Texas. He made a name for himself on the local scene in the 1950s and 1960s and gained wider attention during the rockabilly revival of the 1990s.

English-Australian drummer Snowy Fleet, a member of The Easybeats, was born in Liverpool.

Rock'n'roll singer Johnny Preston was born in Port Arthur, Texas. He was best known for his hit “Running Bear.”

American soul and R&B singer, songwriter and producer Maxine Brown was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. She became known for the hits “All in My Mind” and “Funny.”

English drummer, singer, songwriter and music producer Peter Edward “Ginger” Baker was born in Lewisham, South London, England. He became famous as co-founder of the rock group Cream, which had the UK number 11 single “I Feel Free” in 1966. He was also a member of Graham Bond Organisation, Blind Faith and Ginger Baker’s Airforce and became known for working with world music musicians, particularly for incorporating African influences. He also worked with Gary Moore, Hawkwind and Public Image Ltd.

Country singer Harold Reid of The Statler Brothers was born in Staunton, Virginia. He co-wrote many of the group's hits, including “Bed of Rose's” and “Do You Know You Are My Sunshine”.

American doo-wop singer Fred Milano was born in the Bronx, New York. He became best known as a member of the vocal trio Dion and the Belmonts.

Doo-wop singer Fred Milano of The Belmonts was born in New York City. The group's name was inspired by Belmont Avenue in the Bronx, where he grew up.

John Peel, British radio DJ, journalist and television presenter, was born John Robert Parker Ravenscroft. He was the longest-serving presenter on BBC Radio 1 and one of the most influential British DJs. He was among the first presenters to play psychedelic and progressive rock on British radio and was known for supporting artists from many genres including pop, reggae, indie rock, alternative rock, punk, hardcore punk, breakcore, grindcore, death metal, British hip hop and dance music. Peel died of a heart attack in Cusco, Peru, on October 25, 2004, at the age of 65.

Jerry Allison, drummer of American rock and roll band The Crickets, was born in Hillsboro, Texas. He co-wrote Buddy Holly's hits "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue". The group had the U.S. No. 1 single "That'll Be the Day" in 1957 and the British No. 1 single "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" in 1959.

Bobby Purify, whose real name was Ben Moore, the singer of the American R&B duo James & Bobby Purify, was born. In 1976, the duo had the American hit “I'm Your Puppet” at number six and the British hit at number 12.

One half of the R&B vocal duo James & Bobby Purify was born in Tallahassee, Florida.

Larry Knechtel, American keyboardist, bassist, and multi-instrumentalist best known as a member of The Wrecking Crew and later Bread, was born in Bell, California.

Damita Jo, American singer and actress known in part for her cover of “If You Go Away,” was born in Austin, Texas.

Rick Huxley, bassist for The Dave Clark Five, was born in Dartford, Kent, England.

American singer Bobby Hatfield, a member of The Righteous Brothers, was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

American singer Rod Bernard was born; he was a pioneer of the swamp pop genre.

Jim Sullivan was born in San Diego, California. His 1969 album U.F.O. later became a cult recording after he disappeared in the New Mexico desert in 1975.

John Stokes was born. He became the singer and bassist of The Bachelors, who had the UK No. 1 hit “Diane” in 1964.

He was born Darrell Crofts in Cisco, Texas, and became known as one half of Seals and Crofts.