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Music History Events: Births

September 17, 1926 Rock 'n Roller Bill Black is born in Memphis, Tennessee. He would later play slap bass in Elvis Presley's early trio, The Blue Moon Boys, before fronting his own Bill Black's Combo.

September 17, 1926 Jazz organist/bandleader Brother Jack McDuff is born Eugene McDuffy in Champaign, Illinois.

September 9, 1926 Jake Carey (bass singer for The Flamingos) is born in Pulaski, Virginia.

August 22, 1926 Jazz tenor vocalist Bob Flanigan (of The Four Freshmen) is born in Greencastle, Indiana.

August 20, 1926 Jazz trombonist Frank Rosolino is born in Detroit, Michigan.

August 14, 1926 Jazz singer/pianist Buddy Greco is born Armando Greco in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Recorded a popular cover of "The Lady Is a Tramp."

August 12, 1926 R&B singer-songwriter Joe Jones is born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Known for the 1960 hit "You Talk Too Much."

August 8, 1926 Jazz trombonist Urbie Green is born in Mobile, Alabama.

August 7, 1926 Voice actor/recording artist Stan Freberg is born in Pasadena, California.

August 5, 1926 Jazz singer/pianist Jeri Southern is born Genevieve Hering in Royal, Nebraska. Known for the 1957 hit "Fire Down Below."

July 14, 1926 Lowman "Pete" Pauling (songwriter, guitarist for The 5 Royales) is born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

June 21, 1926 '50s pop singer Nick Noble, known for "The Tip Of My Fingers" and "Moonlight Swim," is born Nicholas Valkan in Chicago, Illinois.

May 26, 1926 Miles Davis is born in Alton, Illinois.

May 3, 1926 Jazz trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, who would accompany Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, and James Brown, is born in Wartrace, Tennessee.

April 5, 1926 Jazz drummer Stan Levey is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

March 19, 1926 Jazz singer Bill Henderson is born in Chicago, Illinois.

March 14, 1926 Phil Phillips is born Philip Baptiste in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

January 20, 1926 Pianist/composer David Tudor is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

January 12, 1926 Country singer Ray Price is born in Texas.

December 8, 1925 Sammy Davis, Jr. is born in New York City. By the age of 3, he is a vaudeville performer alongside his father in the Will Mastin Trio. An all-around entertainer, he excels as a singer, actor and comedian, often performing with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin as part of The Rat Pack. His most famous song is "The Candy Man," a #1 hit in 1972.

December 8, 1925 Jazz organist Jimmy Smith is born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He helps popularize the Hammond B-3 electric organ in the '60s.

December 3, 1925 Country singer Ferlin Husky is born in Cantwell, Missouri.

November 27, 1925 Folk musician Derroll Adams is born in Portland, Oregon. He meets fellow folkie Ramblin' Jack Elliott while busking in Los Angeles, and the two begin playing together. They release their debut album, The Rambling Boys, in 1957.

November 24, 1925 Al Cohn, jazz saxophonist, composer, and arranger, is born in Brooklyn, New York. Known for his work with clarinetist Woody Herman and fellow sax player Zoot Sims.

November 20, 1925 Jazz singer June Christy is born Shirley Luster in Springfield, Illinois. She would start her career as vocalist for Stan Kenton's Orchestra, garnering hits like "Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy," "Tampico," and "How High the Moon" before going solo.

October 29, 1925 Jazz saxophonist Zoot Sims, who came up under Woody Herman's big band, is born in Inglewood, California.

October 15, 1925 Guitarist Mickey Baker (of Mickey & Sylvia) is born MacHouston Baker in Louisville, Kentucky.

September 26, 1925 Country singer Marty Robbins is born Martin David Robinson in Glendale, Arizona.

September 16, 1925 Guitarist Charlie Byrd is born in Suffolk, Virginia. He helps bring bossa nova to America with his 1962 album, Jazz Samba, a collaboration with Stan Getz.

September 13, 1925 Jazz singer Mel Tormé, aka The Velvet Fog, is born in Chicago, Illinois. He would begin his professonal music career at age 4, singing "You're Driving Me Crazy" with the Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra.