Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

May 7, 1931 '50s pop/jazz singer Teresa Brewer is born in Toledo, Ohio.

April 30, 1931 Folk singer-songwriter Peter La Farge is born in New York City.

April 29, 1931 Lonnie Donegan, known as the King of Skiffle, is born Anthony James Donegan in Glasgow, Scotland.

April 22, 1931 Conga drummer Joe Cuba - dubbed the "Father of Latin Boogaloo" - is born Gilberto Miguel Calderón in New York City.

April 21, 1931 Country singer-songwriter Carl Belew, known for '50s hits like "Am I That Easy To Forget" and "Lonely Street" (made popular by Andy Williams), is born in Salina, Oklahoma.

March 15, 1931 D.J. Fontana (drummer for Elvis Presley) is born Dominic Joseph Fontana in Shreveport, Louisiana.

February 16, 1931 Otis Blackwell, composer of the seminal rock 'n roll tunes "Great Balls of Fire" and "All Shook Up," and the R&B sizzler "Fever," is born in Brooklyn, New York.

February 14, 1931 Phyllis McGuire of The McGuire Sisters is born in Middletown, Ohio.

January 27, 1931 Rudi Maugeri (of The Crew-Cuts) is born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

January 20, 1931 Vocalist/pianist Earl Grant is born in Idabel, Oklahoma. Known for '50s singles "The End" and "Ebb Tide."

January 14, 1931 Caterina Valente is born to Italian parents in Paris, France.

December 31, 1930 Blues and folk singer Odetta is born Odetta Holmes in Birmingham, Alabama. Named the "Queen of American folk music" by Martin Luther King Jr., Odetta sings "O Freedom" at the 1963 March on Washington.

November 12, 1930 Songwriter and music executive Bob Crewe is born Stanley Robert Crewe in Newark, New Jersey. Co-wrote many Four Seasons hits with Bob Gaudio, including "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man."

November 3, 1930 Mable John is born in Bastrop, Louisiana. She becomes the first female singer to be signed to Berry Gordy's Tamla label, releasing the single "Who Wouldn't Love a Man Like That?" in 1960.

October 24, 1930 J. P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper) is born Jiles Perry Richardson in Sabine Pass, Texas.

October 14, 1930 R&B singer Robert Parker is born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Known for the 1966 hit "Barefootin'."

October 1, 1930 Singer/actor Richard Harris, who has an unlikely hit with "MacArthur Park," is born in Limerick, Ireland.

September 28, 1930 Country singer Tommy Collins is born in Bethany, Oklahoma. A forerunner of the Bakersfield sound, he penned "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')," later a #1 hit for George Strait.

September 22, 1930 Traditional pop singer Joni James is born Giovanna Carmella Babbo in Chicago, Illinois. Among other hits, she's known for her 1953 cover of "Your Cheatin' Heart."

August 15, 1930 R&B singer/saxophonist Jackie Brenston is born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Sang lead on Ike Turner's "Rocket 88."

August 13, 1930 Pop entertainer Don Ho is born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Known for the 1966 hit "Tiny Bubbles."

July 8, 1930 Italian American singer Jerry Vale is born Genaro Louis Vitaliano in the Bronx, New York City.

July 1, 1930 Bobby Day, known for his hit version of "Rockin' Robin," is born Robert James Byrd in Fort Worth, Texas.

June 17, 1930 Electric guitarist Cliff Gallup (of Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps) is born in Norfolk, Virginia.

June 4, 1930 Jazz singer Morgana King is born Maria Grazia Morgana Messina in Pleasantville, New York. As an actress, she plays Carmela Corleone, wife of Don Vito Corleone, in the first two Godfather films.

June 3, 1930 Jazz singer Dakota Staton is born in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Known for the 1957 hit "The Late, Late Show."

May 31, 1930 Clint Eastwood is born in San Francisco, California. The actor/director also dabbles in music, releasing an album of Cowboy Favorites in 1959 and composing scores for several of his films, including Mystic River, Gran Torino, and Grace is Gone.

May 22, 1930 Jazz bandleader/trumpeter Kenny Ball is born in Ilford, Essex, England.

May 1, 1930 Blues musician Little Walter, known for the 1952 harmonica standard "Juke," is born Marion Walter Jacobs in Marksville, Louisiana.

April 16, 1930 Jazz flautist Herbie Mann is born Herbert Jay Solomon in Brooklyn, New York.