Music History

Ken Andrew, the original drummer of the Scottish pop group Middle of the Road, was born in Bearsden, Glasgow, Scotland. In 1971, the group had the UK No. 1 single “Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep”; the song was among the few singles to sell more than 10 million physical copies.

Sterling Morrison, guitarist and founding member of the rock group The Velvet Underground, was born as Holmes Sterling Morrison Jr. in East Meadow, New York.

Kathy Lennon, a member of The Lennon Sisters, was born on August 2, 1943, in Los Angeles.

David Carr, keyboardist with the British group The Fortunes, was born in Leyton, London.

Country singer and songwriter Sammi Smith, born Jewel Faye Smith, was born in Orange County, California.

Popová zpěvačka Lana Cantrell se narodila v Sydney v Austrálii.

American singer Wanda LaFaye Young, also known as Wanda Rogers, was born in Inkster, Michigan. She was a member of The Marvelettes and became their lead singer in 1965.

Ronnie Spector, singer, co-founder and frontwoman of the girl group The Ronettes, was born Veronica Bennett in New York City.

American singer, guitarist and songwriter James Griffin, a member of Bread, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Denis Payton, saxophonist for The Dave Clark Five, was born in Walthamstow, North London. The Dave Clark Five had the UK No. 1 hit “Glad All Over” in 1964 and the US No. 1 hit “Over And Over” in 1965. Denis Payton died on December 17, 2006.

Jim Kale, born Michael James Kale, bassist for The Guess Who, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Guess Who had the US No. 1 hit “American Woman” in 1970. Jim Kale also frequently performed with The Who.

American singer and songwriter Kin Vassy was born. In addition to his solo work, he also recorded with Kenny Rogers, Frank Zappa and Elvis Presley.

Carl Wayne, singer with The Move, whose real name was Colin David Tooley, was born in Winson Green, Birmingham, England.

English pop singer William Howard Ashton, known as Billy J. Kramer, was born in Bootle, Lancashire, England. He became famous as the singer of Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, who were managed by Brian Epstein in the 1960s. In 1963, he had the UK number one hit “Bad to Me”, one of several Lennon–McCartney songs that The Beatles themselves did not record. In 1964, “Little Children” reached number one on the UK singles chart and number 7 in the US.

Gospel singer, songwriter, pianist, producer, arranger and choir leader Edwin Hawkins was born in Oakland, California. With his choir, he recorded “Oh Happy Day”, the first traditional gospel song to break into the pop charts.

John Cipollina, founder and lead guitarist of the psychedelic rock group Quicksilver Messenger Service, was born.

Walter Lee Williams, founding member of R&B group The O'Jays, was born in Canton, Ohio. The group had, among others, the US hit “Back Stabbers” and the 1973 US number-one single “Love Train”. After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1983, he became a spokesperson for the condition.

Ann “Honey” Lantree, drummer and singer of the English beat and pop group The Honeycombs, was born in Hayes, Middlesex, England. In 1964, the group had the UK No. 1 single “Have I the Right”, produced by Joe Meek.

American-British actor and singer David Richard Solberg, known as David Soul, was born in Chicago, Illinois. He became famous for playing Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson in the television series Starsky & Hutch from 1975 to 1979, and as a singer he had the UK No. 1 single “Silver Lady” in 1976 and “Don't Give Up On Us”, which reached No. 1 in both the UK and US in 1977.

American musician, composer, and arranger Richard "Dick" Halligan, a founding member of Blood, Sweat & Tears, was born in Troy, New York. Halligan was a keyboardist, flutist, and singer. In 1969, the group had the US single "Spinning Wheel" at No. 2 and "You've Made Me So Very Happy" at No. 12, while its 1968 album "Blood, Sweat & Tears" reached No. 1 in the US. In the 1970s and 1980s, Halligan composed and arranged music for a number of films. He died on January 18, 2022, in Rome at the age of 78.

Soul and R&B singer Joe Simon was born in Simmesport, Louisiana. He is known for the song “The Chokin' Kind”, which won a Grammy Award in 1969.

American soul and R&B singer Rosalind Ashford was born in Detroit, Michigan. She became known as a founding member of Martha and the Vandellas.

Jazz bassist Albert Stinson was born on August 2, 1944, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Jim Capaldi, the English drummer, singer, and songwriter, co-founder and member of Traffic and later a solo artist, was born on August 2, 1944, in Evesham, Worcestershire. His birth name was Nicola James Capaldi.

Mark Naftalin, the American blues keyboardist, songwriter, and producer and a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Quicksilver Messenger Service, was born on August 2, 1944.

English guitarist and songwriter John Renbourn was born. He became known for his work with Bert Jansch and as a member of the folk-rock group Pentangle.

American singer, songwriter and guitarist Michael Johnson was born in Alamosa, Colorado. He became famous for hits including “Bluer Than Blue”, “The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder” and “Give Me Wings”.

Vivian “Viv” Prince, drummer with The Pretty Things, was born in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. He later played with The Jeff Beck Group and The Denny Laine String Band and occasionally filled in on drums for concerts by The Honeycombs and The Who.

Kevin Ayers, singer, songwriter and founding member of Soft Machine, was born in Herne Bay, Kent, England.

American musician and drummer John Seiter was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He became known as a member of Spanky and Our Gang and The Turtles.

Jon Povey, keyboard player with The Pretty Things, was born in London, England.

Michael B. Tretow, a Swedish music producer, sound engineer and musician best known for his work with the Swedish group ABBA, was born. He worked as a studio manager at Polar Studios. He died on May 20, 2025, aged 80.

Blues drummer “Uncle John” Turner, who performed with Johnny Winter's backing band, was born in Beaumont, Texas.

Jim Brady, folk-rock singer of The Sandpipers, was born in Los Angeles, California.

Jim Capaldi was born.

English guitarist Alan Parker was born. From the late 1960s onward, he worked as a session guitarist and played with David Bowie, Blue Mink, The Walker Brothers, CCS and Serge Gainsbourg, among others.

American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Maureen “Moe” Tucker was born in New York City, USA. She became known as the drummer of The Velvet Underground, and her music is associated with the genres experimental rock, proto-punk, rock and roll, art rock, avant-garde and folk rock.

American musician John Voorhis “Tim” Bogert III was born in New York City, New York. He became known as the bassist and singer of Vanilla Fudge and Cactus and as a member of the trio Beck, Bogert & Appice. He died on January 13, 2021, from cancer.

Charles Colbert of American Breed was born. In 1967, the group had the US No. 5 single “Bend Me, Shape Me”, which became a hit for Amen Corner in the UK chart. American Breed also recorded radio advertising jingles for Coca-Cola, the United States Navy and Bell Telephone, and their television commercial for American Airlines, “Fly the American Way”, was highly successful and reached the Top 20.

English artist Roger Dean was born. He designed album covers for groups and artists including Yes, Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep, Gentle Giant, Greenslade, Steve Howe and Asia.

He was born in Henderson, Texas. He was the founder and frontman of the rhythm and blues group Archie Bell & the Drells.

Baskytarista, skladatel a kanadský hudebník Kerry Chater, člen skupiny Gary Puckett & The Union Gap a skladatel nominovaný na Grammy, se narodil ve Vancouveru v Britské Kolumbii v Kanadě.

Keyboardist, songwriter and co-founder of Sparks Ron Mael was born.

The comedian and actor was born in Waco, Texas. He is best known as a comedian and actor, but is also an acclaimed banjo player and frequently performs with the Steep Canyon Rangers.

Gary Loizzo, frontman and member of The American Breed, was born in Chicago, Illinois.

R&B singer Barbara Harris of The Toys was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

Nona Hendryx, a member of Labelle, was born.

Sarah Dash was born in Trenton, New Jersey. She became known as a member of the R&B vocal group Labelle and later pursued a solo career with the 1978 disco hit “Sinner Man.” She also became a sought-after session singer, particularly for The Rolling Stones and Keith Richards.