Music History Events: Births
August 15, 1932 Pop singer Johnny Thunder is born Gil Hamilton in Leesburg, Florida.
August 8, 1932 Country singer Mel Tillis is born in Dover, Florida. Known for the hits "I Ain't Never," "Good Woman Blues," and "Coca-Cola Cowboy."
July 19, 1932 Buster Benton, guitarist for Willie Dixon's Blues All-Stars, is born Arley Benton in Texarkana, Arkansas.
July 14, 1932 Country singer Del Reeves, known for the 1965 novelty hit "Girl On The Billboard" and the 1968 trucker's anthem "Looking At The World Through A Windshield," is born Franklin Delano Reeves in Sparta, North Carolina.
July 6, 1932 Big Dee Irwin is born DiFosco T. Ervin Jr. in Harlem, New York. Recorded a popular version of "Swinging on a Star" with Little Eva.
June 21, 1932 Lalo Schifrin, the Argentine composer who wrote the classic "Theme From Mission: Impossible" and the music for Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry films, is born in Buenos Aires.
June 21, 1932 O.C. Smith, known for the 1968 hit "Little Green Apples," is born in Mansfield, Louisiana.
June 5, 1932 Pete Jolly is born in New Haven, Connecticut. The jazz pianist and accordionist is known for his work in film and television, including The Love Boat, M*A*S*H, and Dallas.
June 2, 1932 R&B singer Sammy Turner, known for the 1959 hit "Lavender-Blue," is born Samuel Black in Paterson, New Jersey.
May 16, 1932 Drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt (Young-Holt Unlimited, The Ramsey Lewis Trio) is born in Rosedale, Mississippi.
May 14, 1932 Record producer Bob Johnston, known for his work with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, and Simon & Garfunkel, is born in Hillsboro, Texas.
April 27, 1932 Country singer Maxine Brown (of The Browns) is born in Campti, Louisiana.
April 25, 1932 Jazz tenor saxophonist Willis "Gator" Jackson is born in Miami, Florida.
April 12, 1932 Singer Tiny Tim is born Herbert B. Khaury is born in Manhattan, New York City.
April 9, 1932 Rockabilly singer Carl Perkins is born in Ridgely, Tennessee.
April 5, 1932 R&B singer Billy Bland, known for the '60s hits "Let the Little Girl Dance" and "Harmony," is born in Wilmington, North Carolina.
April 4, 1932 Music mogul Clive Davis, founder of Arista Records, is born in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to working with artists like Kelly Clarkson, TLC, Alicia Keys, and Aretha Franklin, he will help launch the careers of Whitney Houston and Barry Manilow.
April 1, 1932 Singin' in the Rain star Debbie Reynolds is born Mary Frances Reynolds in El Paso, Texas.
March 27, 1932 Bluesman Junior Parker is born Herman Parker Jr. in either Clarksdale, Mississippi, or West Memphis, Arkansas.
March 22, 1932 Blues musician Juke Boy Bonner is born Weldon H. Philip Bonner in Bellville, Texas.
March 17, 1932 Trucker-turned-singer Dick Curless is born in Fort Fairfield, Maine. He's known for his eye patch, and for truck-driving songs like "A Tombstone Every Mile," inspired by the treacherous logging roads of northern Maine.
March 15, 1932 Record producer Arif Mardin is born in Istanbul, Turkey. He works at Atlantic Records for 30 years before becoming general manager of Manhattan Records (then under the umbrella of EMI).
March 9, 1932 Jazz singer Keely Smith is born Dorothy Jacqueline Keely in Norfolk, Virginia.
March 4, 1932 Miriam Makeba is born in Johannesburg, South Africa.
February 24, 1932 Michel LeGrand is born in Bécon les Bruyères, France. A noted film composer, he earns his first Academy Award in 1968 for The Thomas Crown Affair's title song, "The Windmills Of Your Mind."
February 8, 1932 John Williams is born in Floral Park, New York. The prolific composer is known for his iconic scores for classics like the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series and Jaws.
February 2, 1932 Jazz musician Arthur Lyman, known as "The King of Lounge Music," is born in Kauai, Hawaii.
January 26, 1932 Country singer Claude Gray, dubbed The Tall Texan, is born in Henderson, Texas. Known for the 1960 hit "Family Bible."
January 5, 1932 Blues singer Johnny Adams, known for the '60s hits "Release Me" and "Reconsider Me," is born Laten John Adams in New Orleans, Louisiana.
December 30, 1931 Country singer Skeeter Davis, known for the 1962 crossover hit "The End of the World," is born Mary Frances Penick in Dry Ridge, Kentucky. She performs as part of the duo The Davis Sisters in the '40s before going solo in the '50s.
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