Pick a Day

Born on April 7

1975 John Cooper, frontman for the Christian rock band Skillet, is born in Memphis, Tennessee.

1951 Janis Ian is born Janis Eddy Fink in New York City (but will be raised in New Jersey). She writes her first song at age 12 and completes her first hit, "Society's Child," at 14.

1951 Bruce Gary (drummer for The Knack) is born in Burbank, California.

1948 Carol Douglas, known for the pioneering disco track "Doctor's Orders," is born in Brooklyn, New York, to a musical family. Her mom is jazz performer Minnie Newsome, the supposed inspiration for Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher," and her cousin is soul singer Sam Cooke.

1948 John Oates (of Hall & Oates) is born in New York City.

1948 Dallas Taylor, a drummer known for his work with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, is born in Denver, Colorado.

1947 Pat Bennett (of The Chiffons) is born in The Bronx, New York.

1943 Rock guitarist Mick Abrahams (of Jethro Tull) is born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England.

1938 Rock drummer Spencer Dryden (of Jefferson Airplane, New Riders of the Purple Sage) is born in New York City.

1937 R&B vocalist Charlie Thomas (of The Drifters) is born in Lynchburg, Virginia.

1935 Country singer-songwriter Bobby Bare is born in Ironton, Ohio.

1920 Ravi Shankar, Hindustani classical musician and composer (and dad to Norah Jones), is born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury in Benares, India.

1917 Jazz percussionist Mongo Santamaria, known for composing the jazz standard "Afro Blue," is born Ramon Santamaria Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba.

1915 Billie Holiday is born Eleanora Fagan in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More

1912 Songwriter Jack Lawrence is born Jacob Louis Schwartz in Brooklyn, New York. Co-wrote Frank Sinatra's first solo hit, "All or Nothing at All."

1908 Composer and arranger Percy Faith is born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.