Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

September 25, 1980 Rapper T.I. is born Clifford Harris in Atlanta. Gun charges keep him in legal trouble for much of the '00s, but he still manages to release three #1 albums. His biggest year is 2008, when his songs "Live Your Life" and "Whatever You Like" both reach the top.

September 4, 1980 Pop singer Dan Miller (of O-Town) is born in Laconia, New Hampshire.

August 29, 1980 David Desrosiers (bassist for Simple Plan) is born in Sept-Îles, Quebec, Canada.

August 21, 1980 R&B singer Kelis is born Kelis Rogers in Harlem, New York City.

August 16, 1980 "A Thousand Miles" singer Vanessa Carlton is born in Milford, Pennsylvania.

July 26, 1980 Singer/Guitarist/Producer Dave "Brownsound" Baksh (of Sum 41 and Organ Thieves) is born in Ajax, Ontario, Canada.

July 23, 1980 Michelle Williams (of Destiny's Child) is born in Rockford, Illinois.

July 10, 1980 Jessica Simpson is born in Abilene, Texas. She's first known as a singer, releasing her debut single, "I Wanna Love You Forever," in 1999. She becomes a reality TV star in 2002 with the MTV series Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica, and in 2005 she enters the world of film, playing Daisy Duke in The Dukes Of Hazzard.

July 5, 1980 Lifehouse frontman Jason Wade is born in Camarillo, California.

June 2, 1980 Fabrizio Moretti (drummer for The Strokes) is born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

May 28, 1980 Pop singer Mark Feehily (of Westlife) is born in Sligo, Ireland.

May 25, 1980 The Fray guitarist Joe King is born in Cortez, Colorado. He takes over lead vocals when Isaac Slade leaves the group in 2022.

May 10, 1980 R&B singer Jason Dalyrimple (of Soul For Real) is born in Wheatley Heights, New York.

April 10, 1980 Bass guitarist Bryce Soderberg (of Lifehouse) is born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

March 21, 1980 Deryck Whibley (frontman for Sum 41) is born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.

March 9, 1980 Chingy ("Right Thurr") is born Howard Bailey Jr. in St. Louis, Missouri.

January 28, 1980 Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys is born in Jamestown, New York. He is just 13 when he joins the boy band in 1993.

January 7, 1980 Five Finger Death Punch lead singer Ivan Moody is born Ivan Greening in Denver, Colorado. His group become one of the top metal bands of their era, even as Moody battles an alcohol addiction that nearly kills him. He finally gets sober in 2018 after six trips to rehab.

December 26, 1979 Chris Daughtry is born in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. He places fourth on the fifth season of American Idol but becomes one of the show's most successful alums after forming his band Daughtry.

December 17, 1979 Yellowcard frontman Ryan Key is born in Jacksonville, Florida. As a teenager he works at the Warped Tour every year they come through town, so he's thrilled in 2004 when his band becomes a headliner.

December 8, 1979 Ingrid Michaelson is born in Staten Island, New York. The indie-pop singer finds acclaim through sync placements in commercials for Old Navy ("The Way I Am") and TV shows like Grey's Anatomy ("Keep Breathing") before going on to write the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical The Notebook.

December 7, 1979 Sara Bareilles is born in Eureka, California.

December 3, 1979 Daniel Bedingfield is born in New Zealand. He is the older brother of fellow singers Natasha Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle.

November 16, 1979 Trevor Penick (of O-Town) is born in San Bernardino County, California.

November 10, 1979 Chris Joannou (bass player for Silverchair) is born Christophoros John Joannou in Newcastle, Australia.

October 24, 1979 Ben Gillies (drummer for Silverchair) is born in New Castle, New South Wales, Australia.

October 18, 1979 Ne-Yo is born Shaffer Chimere Smith in Camden, Arkansas, raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. He first breaks through as a songwriter, penning lyrics to Mario's "Let Me Love You" and Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" before scoring a #1 hit of his own in 2006 with "So Sick."

October 10, 1979 R&B singer Mya is born Mya Marie Harrison in Washington, DC. Her parents chose her name to honor the poet Maya Angelou.

October 3, 1979 Instrumentalist Nate Wood (of The Calling) is born.

September 23, 1979 Erik-Michael Estrada (of O-Town) is born in Bronxville, New York.