Music History Events: Births
June 12, 1928 Pop singer Vic Damone is born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York.
May 23, 1928 Rosemary Clooney is born in Maysville, Kentucky.
May 4, 1928 Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson is born in Verdun, Quebec, Canada.
May 3, 1928 Country singer Dave Dudley is born David Darwin Pedruska in Spencer, Wisconsin.
April 29, 1928 Rock and roll singer Carl Gardner (of The Coasters) is born in Tyler, Texas.
April 24, 1928 Jazz tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin is born in Chicago, Illinois.
April 5, 1928 R&B singer Tony Williams (of The Platters) is born in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
April 3, 1928 Country singer-songwriter Don Gibson ("Sweet Dreams," "I Can't Stop Loving You") is born in Shelby, North Carolina.
April 2, 1928 Singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg is born Lucien Ginsburg in Paris, France.
March 31, 1928 Lefty Frizzell ("Long Black Veil") is born in Corsicana, Texas.
February 3, 1928 Pop singer Frankie Vaughan is born Frank Ableson in Liverpool, England.
January 31, 1928 Chuck Willis, known for his rendition of "C.C. Rider," is born in Atlanta.
January 12, 1928 Soul singer Ruth Brown is born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Known for her huge voice, Brown is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
December 3, 1927 Andy Williams is born in Wall Lake, Iowa.
November 19, 1927 Folk singer and, yes, actual postman The Singing Postman is born Allan Smethurst is born in Walshaw, Lancashire, England.
November 18, 1927 Hank Ballard, who wrote and originally recorded "The Twist," is born John Henry Kendricks in Detroit, Michigan. He is raised in Birmingham, Alabama.
November 11, 1927 Jazz-blues singer and pianist Mose Allison is born on his grandfather's farm near Tippo, Mississippi.
November 8, 1927 Ken Dodd, comedian and UK hitmaker, is born in Liverpool, England.
November 8, 1927 Patti Page is born in Claremore, Oklahoma.
October 28, 1927 Jazz singer Cleo Laine is born Clementine Dinah Bullock in Uxbridge, Middlesex, England.
October 23, 1927 Jazz alto saxophonist William "Sonny" Criss is born in Memphis, Tennessee. He goes on to play with the likes of Charlie Parker, Johnny Otis, and Billy Eckstine.
October 13, 1927 Country singer Anita Kerr, leader of The Anita Kerr Singers, is born Anita Jean Grilli in Memphis, Tennessee. Her group will perform backing vocals for Red Foley, Ernest Tubb, Roy Orbison, and Willie Nelson, among others.
October 12, 1927 Guitarist Joe Olivier (of Bill Haley And His Comets) is born in Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands.
October 7, 1927 Jazz/pop singer Al Martino is born Jasper Cini in Philadelphia. He plays the Sinatra-like Johnny Fontane in The Godfather.
September 1, 1927 Doo-wop singer Tommy Evans (of The Drifters) is born. He's part of the lineup that releases the 1957 hit "Fools Fall in Love."
August 29, 1927 Country singer Jimmy C. Newman is born near Big Mamou, Louisiana. Known for the 1957 hit "A Fallen Star."
August 12, 1927 Porter Wagoner is born in West Plains, Missouri. He becomes famous as a country singer and host of The Porter Wagoner Show, where he introduces Dolly Parton.
July 27, 1927 Bob Morse (of the Jazz/Pop vocal group The Hi-Lo's) is born in Pasadena, California.
July 16, 1927 '40s and '50s pop vocalist Mindy Carson is born in New York City. She catches her big break when she wins an audition to the radio program Stairway to the Stars, landing her an eight-month gig with Paul Whiteman's orchestra.
July 12, 1927 Jazz trumpeter Conte Candoli is born in Mishawaka, Indiana.
Back to Categories©2026 Songfacts®, LLC