Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

July 9, 1927 Sixties pop singer Ed Ames ("My Cup Runneth Over") is born Edmund Dantes Urick in Malden, Massachusetts.

June 12, 1927 Jazz musician Al Fairweather is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

June 3, 1927 Boots Randolph, popular saxophonist and pioneer of the Nashville Sound, is born Homer Louis Randolph III in Paducah, Kentucky.

May 25, 1927 Norman Petty, recording engineer for Buddy Holly, is born in Clovis, New Mexico. He'll also produce hits for Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings.

May 7, 1927 '50s pop singer-songwriter Jim Lowe is born in Springfield, Missouri.

April 22, 1927 Caribbean singer Laurel Aitken, aka "The Godfather of Ska," is born Lorenzo Aitken in Cuba, but will settle in Jamaica.

April 6, 1927 Jazz musician Gerry Mulligan is born in Queens, New York City.

March 8, 1927 Jazz pianist/composer Dick Hyman is born in New York City.

February 22, 1927 Guy Mitchell is born Al Cernick in Detroit. He has a string of hit songs in the lead-up to the Rock Era: "My Heart Cries for You," "My Truly, Truly Fair" and "She Wears Red Feathers" among them.

February 13, 1927 Jim McReynolds (of the bluegrass duo Jim and Jesse) is born in Coeburn, Virginia.

February 2, 1927 Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

January 28, 1927 Jazz tenor saxophonist Ronnie Scott is born Ronald Schatt in Aldgate, England.

January 17, 1927 Eartha Kitt is born in North, South Carolina.

January 13, 1927 Country singer-songwriter Liz Anderson is born in Roseau, Minnesota. Aside from her own hit "Mama Spank" (1964), she pens hits for other artists, including Merle Haggard ("(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers") and her own daughter, Lynn Anderson ("If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)").

January 10, 1927 Singer/violinist Gisele MacKenzie is born in Winnipeg. She finds popularity as a guest on several TV shows throughout the '50s, including The Jack Benny Program and Your Hit Parade.

December 24, 1926 Lee Dorsey, known for his 1961 hit "Ya Ya," is born Irving Lee Dorsey in New Orleans, Louisiana. He befriends future rock and roll legend Fats Domino before moving to Portland, Oregon, at age 10.

December 23, 1926 Harold Dorman, known for the 1960 hit "Mountain of Love," is born in Drew, Mississippi.

December 21, 1926 Country singer-songwriter Freddie Hart is born Frederick Segrest in Loachapoka, Alabama. Known for the 1971 hit "Easy Loving."

December 11, 1926 R&B singer Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton is born in Ariton, Alabama. She was the first to record "Hound Dog," made famous by Elvis Presley.

December 10, 1926 Guitar Slim is born Eddie Jones in Greenwood, Mississippi.

November 18, 1926 Dorothy Collins is born Marjorie Chandler in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The Broadway actress hits #16 on the pop chart with "My Boy - Flat Top" in 1955.

November 2, 1926 Country musician Charlie Walker, known for the 1958 hit "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down," is born in Copeville, Texas.

November 1, 1926 Jazz alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson is born in Badin, North Carolina.

October 25, 1926 Jazz saxophonist Jimmy "Little Bird" Heath is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

October 18, 1926 Chuck Berry is born in St. Louis, Missouri.

October 14, 1926 Bill Justis, known for his 1957 hit "Raunchy," is born in Birmingham, Alabama, raised in Memphis, Tennessee.

October 6, 1926 Violinist Cyril Reuben is born in England. He would go on to play for the London Symphony Orchestra.

October 1, 1926 Ragtime performer Max Morath is born in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

September 26, 1926 Jazz singer/actress Julie London is born Gayle Peck in Santa Rosa, California. Known for her 1955 signature song, "Cry Me a River."

September 23, 1926 Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane is born in Hamlet, North Carolina.