Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

January 18, 1941 Country/pop singer Bobby Goldsboro is born in Marianna, Florida.

January 18, 1941 David Ruffin (of The Temptations) is born in Meridian, Mississippi. He takes the lead on the hits "My Girl" and "Ain't Too Proud To Beg."

January 15, 1941 Captain Beefheart is born Don Vliet in Glendale, California.

January 12, 1941 Blues musician Long John Baldry is born in England.

January 9, 1941 Joan Baez is born in Staten Island, New York. An unrelenting activist, she lends her voice and music to the Civil Rights Movement, leads protests against the Vietnam War, and fights to abolish the death penalty.

January 9, 1941 Singer Roy Head is born in Three Rivers, Texas. Known for the 1965 soul song "Treat Her Right."

January 1, 1941 James West (lead vocalist for The Innocents) is born.

December 30, 1940 Perry Ford, of The Ivy League, is born Brian Pugh in Lincoln, England. The vocal trio, made up of session singers, was first heard on The Who's 1965 hit "I Can't Explain."

December 26, 1940 Famed record producer Phil Spector is born in The Bronx, New York. He moves to Los Angeles in his teens and develops his "wall of sound" recording technique, heard on classic songs like "Be My Baby" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." He goes on to produce The Beatles' Let It Be album and also solo albums for George Harrison and John Lennon.

December 23, 1940 The Chi-Lites lead singer and primary songwriter Eugene Record is born in Chicago, Illinois.

December 23, 1940 Jorma Kaukonen (guitarist for Jefferson Airplane) is born in Washington, DC.

December 21, 1940 Ray Hildebrand (of Paul & Paula) is born in Joshua, Texas.

December 21, 1940 Frank Zappa is born in Baltimore, Maryland.

December 12, 1940 Dionne Warwick is born Marie Dionne Warwick in East Orange, New Jersey.

December 11, 1940 David Gates (co-lead singer of Bread) is born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

December 4, 1940 Rock 'n' roll singer Freddy Cannon is born Freddy Picariello in Revere, Massachusetts.

November 29, 1940 Jazz composer and flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione, known for his instrumental hit "Feels So Good," is born in Rochester, New York.

November 29, 1940 Denny Doherty is born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. With Cass Elliot, he forms a group called the Mugwumps in 1964. A year later, they join John and Michelle Phillips to form The Mamas & The Papas.

November 28, 1940 Bruce Channel, known for the 1962 hit "Hey Baby," is born in Jacksonville, Texas.

November 26, 1940 Folk guitarist Davey Graham is born in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, England.

November 25, 1940 R&B singer Percy Sledge is born in Leighton, Alabama.

November 24, 1940 Country singer-songwriter Johnny Carver is born in Jackson, Mississippi. Known for his 1973 hit cover of Tony Orlando's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree."

November 23, 1940 Freddie Marsden (drummer for Gerry and the Pacemakers) is born in Toxteth, Liverpool, England.

November 21, 1940 Blues musician Dr. John is born Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. in New Orleans, Louisiana.

November 20, 1940 Tony Butala (lead singer of The Lettermen) is born in Sharon, Pennsylvania.

November 16, 1940 John Ryanes (of The Monotones) is born in Newark, New Jersey.

November 13, 1940 Justine "Baby" Washington is born in Bamberg, South Carolina, but would be raised in Harlem, New York. Known for her biggest hit, "That's How Heartaches Are Made," in 1963.

November 10, 1940 Screaming Lord Sutch is born David Edward Sutch in Hampstead, London, England.

November 4, 1940 Blues rocker Delbert McClinton, known for the 1992 country duet (with Tanya Tucker) "Tell Me About It," is born in Lubbock, Texas.

November 1, 1940 Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler is born in Carlsbad, New Mexico. His stage name refers to his service as a Green Beret combat medic during the Vietnam War.