Music History Events: Births
August 5, 1959 Singer/songwriter Pete Burns (of Dead Or Alive) is born in Port Sunlight, Bebington, Chesire, England.
August 5, 1959 Pat Smear (guitarist for Foo Fighters) is born Georg Albert Ruthenberg in Los Angeles, California.
August 4, 1959 Robbin Crosby (guitarist for Ratt) is born in La Jolla, California.
August 1, 1959 Joe Elliot (lead vocalist for Def Leppard) is born is Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.
July 29, 1959 John Sykes (guitarist for Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy) is born in Reading, Berkshire, England.
July 11, 1959 Guitarist Richie Sambora is born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He joins Bon Jovi soon after the band form and becomes a primary songwriter along with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi. Sambora says with the band until 2013, when he leaves in the middle of a tour for personal reasons.
July 11, 1959 Suzanne Vega, known for her songs "Tom's Diner" and "Luka," is born in Santa Monica, California.
July 9, 1959 Jim Kerr (lead singer for Simple Minds) is born in Toryglen, Glasgow, Scotland.
July 6, 1959 John Keeble (drummer for Spandau Ballet) is born in Hampstead, London, England.
July 5, 1959 Marc Cohn is born in Cleveland, Ohio.
June 27, 1959 Country singer Lorrie Morgan is born Loretta Lynn Morgan in Nashville, Tennessee. Her dad is country singer George Morgan.
June 26, 1959 Stef Burns, who in 2001 replaces Chris Hayes as guitarist for Huey Lewis & the News, is born in Oakland, California.
June 26, 1959 Berlin lead singer Terri Nunn is born in Los Angeles. She's a teen actress before joining the band, and turns down a role on the series Dallas so she can pursue music. [Some sources list her birthdate as June 26, 1961.]
June 24, 1959 Andy McCluskey (vocalist, bass guitarist for OMD) is born in Heswall, Cheshire, England.
June 22, 1959 Alan Anton (bassist for Cowboy Junkies) is born in Montreal, Canada.
June 21, 1959 Country singer Kathy Mattea, known for chart-toppers like 1988's "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses," is born in South Charleston, West Virginia.
June 12, 1959 John Linnell of They Might Be Giants is born in New York City.
June 1, 1959 Alan Wilder of Depeche Mode is born in London.
May 22, 1959 Morrissey is born Steven Patrick Morrissey in Davyhulme, Lancashire, England. From 1982-1987 he fronts The Smiths, earning a reputation for gloom with songs like "How Soon Is Now?" and "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now." His solo career continues that theme and is even more successful as he extends his fanbase to America.
May 20, 1959 Susan Cowsill (The Cowsills) is born in Canton, Ohio, the youngest member and only daughter of the Cowsill family.
May 17, 1959 Paul Di'Anno, Iron Maiden's lead singer on their first two albums, is born in London, England. He's beloved by fans but clashes with group leader Steve Harris, leading to his departure in 1981, when he's replaced by Bruce Dickinson.
May 12, 1959 Ray Gillen (of Black Sabbath, Badlands) is born in New York City, but raised in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.
May 5, 1959 Ian McCulloch (frontman for Echo & The Bunnymen) is born in Liverpool, England.
May 4, 1959 Country singer Randy Travis is born Randy Bruce Traywick in Marshville, North Carolina. It takes while for him to get a record deal, but when he does, he's off to the races, with 15 #1 Country hits from 1986-1994.
May 3, 1959 David Ball is born in Blackpool, England. Best known as half of the duo Soft Cell, he helps shape the sound of British electronic music, sticking with analog synthesizers as digital machines become the norm.
April 27, 1959 Sheena Easton is born in Glasgow, Scotland, the youngest of six children.
April 21, 1959 Robert Smith of The Cure is born in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK.
April 21, 1959 Alt rocker Michael Timmins (guitarist for Cowboy Junkies) is born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
April 10, 1959 R&B singer-songwriter Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds is born in Indianapolis, Indiana.
March 31, 1959 Robert Holmes (guitarist for 'Til Tuesday) is born in England.
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