Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

June 18, 1961 Alison Moyet is born Geneviève Alison Jane Moyet in Billericay, Essex, England. After singing in blues bands, she teams with Vince Clarke to form Yazoo, which has hits with "Only You" and "Situation." In 1984 she puts out her first solo album, Alf, which goes to #1 in the UK.

June 14, 1961 Culture Club lead singer Boy George is born George Alan O'Dowd in Eltham, London, England. He starts wearing makeup and women's clothes in secondary school, a look he adapts with Culture Club to provide a striking visual presence that gets lots of attention on MTV. The band has a run of hits in the early '80s that includes "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?," "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" and "Karma Chameleon."

June 11, 1961 Robert Birch (vocalist for Stereo MC's) is born in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, England.

June 10, 1961 Maxi Priest is born Max Elliott in Lewisham, London, England. His song "Close To You" goes to #1 in America in 1990.

June 10, 1961 Identical twins Kim and Kelley Deal are born in Dayton, Ohio. Together, they form The Breeders; Kim is also the bass player in the Pixies.

June 4, 1961 El DeBarge is born Eldra Patrick DeBarge in Detroit, Michigan. He will become the lead singer of his family's group, DeBarge.

May 28, 1961 Roland Gift (lead singer of Fine Young Cannibals) is born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

May 17, 1961 New age singer Enya is born Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin in Dore, Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland. "Eithne" is pronounced "Enya," so she goes with that spelling to avoid confusion.

May 12, 1961 Billy Duffy (guitarist for The Cult) is born in Hulme, Manchester, England.

May 7, 1961 Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell is born in Pontypridd, Wales.

April 26, 1961 Chris Mars (drummer for The Replacements) is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

April 11, 1961 Doug Hopkins (lead guitarist, songwriter for the Gin Blossoms) is born in Seattle, Washington, but will be raised in Tempe, Arizona.

April 2, 1961 Keren Jane Woodward (of Bananarama) is born in Bristol, England.

April 1, 1961 Mark White, guitarist and keyboardist for the English new wave group ABC, is born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.

March 21, 1961 Slim Jim Phantom (drummer for Stray Cats) is born James McDonnell in Brooklyn, New York.

March 11, 1961 Dead or Alive bass player Mike Percy is born.

March 11, 1961 Big Country guitarist Bruce Watson is born in Timmins, Ontario, Canada, but soon moves to Scotland with his family, where the group is formed.

February 26, 1961 John "Jon Jon" Foster (of The Bronski Beat) is born in Basildon, Essex, England.

February 16, 1961 Andy Taylor (guitarist for Duran Duran) is born in Cullercoats, Northumberland, England. He later joins supergroup The Power Station while Duran Duran are on hiatus. The success of his new venture persuades him to leave the band he helped form as a teenager.

February 13, 1961 Henry Rollins (frontman for Black Flag) is born Henry Garfield in Washington, DC.

February 13, 1961 Les Warner (drummer for The Cult) is born in London, England.

February 8, 1961 Sam Llanas (vocalist, guitarist of The BoDeans) is born in Wisconsin.

February 8, 1961 Motley Crue lead singer Vince Neil is born in Los Angeles. His distinctive vocals and commanding stage presence help them rise to the top of the hair metal mountain, but he has a tempestuous relationship with his bandmates. He leaves the group in 1992, returning in 1997.

January 29, 1961 Eddie Jackson (bassist for Queensryche) is born in Robstown, Texas.

January 27, 1961 Gillian Gilbert (New Order keyboardist) is born in Whalley Range, Manchester, England.

January 27, 1961 Margo Timmins (lead vocalist of Cowboy Junkies) is born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She is one of six children, including brothers Michael and Peter, who become her bandmates.

January 13, 1961 Suggs aka Graham McPherson (lead singer of Madness) is born in Hastings, Sussex, England.

December 5, 1960 Great White frontman Jack Russell is born in Montebello, California. The band rocks a shark motif and lands two Platinum albums, Once Bitten (1987) and Twice Shy (1989); the latter includes their hit cover of Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy."

December 2, 1960 Rick Savage (bass guitarist for Def Leppard) is born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.

November 19, 1960 Matt Sorum (drummer for Guns N' Roses) is born in Orange County, California.