Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

January 30, 1911 Jazz trumpeter Roy Eldridge is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

December 28, 1910 Billy Williams is born Wilfred Williams in Waco, Texas. He has a hit cover of Fats Waller's "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter" in 1957.

December 17, 1910 Jazz bandleader Sy Oliver is born in Battle Creek, Michigan.

December 7, 1910 Louis Prima is born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

July 18, 1910 Jazz pianist Joe "Fingers" Carr is born Louis Ferdinand Busch in Louisville, Kentucky. He will eventually become an A&R man and studio pianist for Capitol Records, playing on tracks from Peggy Lee, Jo Stafford, and Tennessee Ernie Ford.

June 29, 1910 "Baby It's Cold Outside" songwriter Frank Loesser is born in New York City.

June 17, 1910 Country singer Red Foley, known for the 1951 gospel hit "Peace in the Valley," is born Clyde Julian Foley in Blue Lick, Kentucky.

June 15, 1910 Songwriter/orchestra leader David Rose is born in London, England. Under the pseudonym Ray Llewellyn, he'll write music for many television shows, including Little House on the Prairie and Bonanza.

June 10, 1910 Chicago blues singer Howlin' Wolf is born Chester Arthur Burnett in White Station, Mississippi.

May 28, 1910 T-Bone Walker, a pioneer of jump blues and electric blues, is born Aaron Thibeaux Walker in Linden, Texas.

May 23, 1910 Jazz clarinetist and bandleader Artie Shaw is born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky in New York City.

March 9, 1910 Composer Samuel Barber is born in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

January 23, 1910 Jazz guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt is born in Belgium.

January 10, 1910 The French conductor Jean Martinon is born in Lyon, France.

November 18, 1909 Singer-songwriter Johnny Mercer is born in Savannah, Georgia. Composed '40s hits like "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)," and "That Old Black Magic," and added lyrics to popular instrumentals like "Laura," "Midnight Sun," and "Satin Doll."

October 17, 1909 Jazz drummer Cozy Cole is born William Randolph Cole in East Orange, New Jersey.

August 17, 1909 Trumpeter/bandleader Larry Clinton is born in Brooklyn, New York.

August 15, 1909 Composer/arranger Hugo Winterhalter is born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

August 10, 1909 Inventor Leo Fender, who founded Fender Musical Instruments, is born in Anaheim, California.

July 18, 1909 Harriet Nelson is born Peggy Lou Snyder in Des Moines, Iowa. Before starring on the long-running sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, alongside husband Ozzie Nelson, Harriet works as a singe and actress under contract with RKO Studios.

June 26, 1909 Colonel Tom Parker, the controversial talent manager who managed Elvis Presley's career, is born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk in Breda, Netherlands.

June 14, 1909 Burl Ives is born in Jasper County, Illinois.

May 26, 1909 Delta bluesman "Papa Charlie" McCoy is born in Jackson, Mississippi.

May 10, 1909 Maybelle Carter, matriarch of The Carter Family clan and mother to June Carter Cash, is born Maybelle Addington in Nickelsville, Virginia.

February 9, 1909 Carmen Miranda is born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha in Marco de Canaveses, Portugal.

January 15, 1909 Jazz drummer Gene Krupa is born in Chicago, Illinois.

January 13, 1909 Jazz trombonist Quentin "Butter" Jackson is born in Springfield, Ohio. He starts his music career playing with Cab Calloway and later the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

January 3, 1909 Victor Borge - pianist, conductor and comedian - is born Borge Rosenbaum in Copenhagen, Denmark.

October 10, 1908 Johnny Green, songwriter, composer, arranger and conductor, is born in New York City. Known for his 1930 composition "Body and Soul."

July 24, 1908 Duke Ellington's innovative trumpeter Cootie Williams is born in Mobile, Alabama.