Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

June 5, 1956 Saxophone player Kenny G is born Kenneth Gorelick in Seattle, Washington. His instrumental hits "Songbird" and "Silhouette" usher in a new radio format in the '80s: Smooth Jazz. With at least 50 million albums sold, he lays claim to the title of best-selling instrumentalist in history.

June 3, 1956 Danny Wilde (of The Rembrandts) is born Daniel Thomas in Houlton, Maine.

May 24, 1956 Larry Blackmon (frontman for Cameo) is born in New York City.

May 7, 1956 Anne Dudley (of The Art of Noise) is born in Beckenham, Kent, England.

April 28, 1956 Rock singer-songwriter Jimmy Barnes, who performs with Cold Chisel and INXS, is born James Dixon Swan in Glasgow, Scotland.

April 12, 1956 German musician Herbert Grönemeyer, who also starred in the 1981 war film Das Boot, is born in Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany.

March 12, 1956 Steve Harris is born in London, England. After giving up dreams of playing pro soccer, he forms Iron Maiden, becoming the group's bass player and a primary songwriter.

March 5, 1956 Teena Marie is born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California.

March 2, 1956 Mark Evans (bassist for AC/DC) is born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, where he meets his future bandmates at the city's Station Hotel in 1975.

March 2, 1956 John Cowsill (of The Cowsills) is born in Newport, Rhode Island.

February 19, 1956 Dave Wakeling of General Public and The English Beat is born in Birmingham, England.

February 13, 1956 Peter Hook (bassist for New Order) is born Peter Woodhead in Broughton, Salford, England.

February 3, 1956 Lee Ranaldo (guitarist for Sonic Youth) is born in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York.

January 31, 1956 John Lydon is born in London. As Johnny Rotten, he fronts The Sex Pistols, a band that helps define British punk. When they break up in 1978 he forms Public Image Ltd., known for their songs "Rise" and "This Is Not a Love Song."

January 25, 1956 Andy Cox (guitarist for Fine Young Cannibals) is born in Birmingham, England.

January 21, 1956 Rob Brill (drummer for Berlin) is born in California.

January 18, 1956 Tom Bailey (lead vocalist for Thompson Twins) is born in Halifax, Yorkshire, England.

January 17, 1956 Paul Young ("Everytime You Go Away") is born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England.

January 11, 1956 Robert Earl Keen, an Americana singer-songwriter known for story songs like "The Road Goes on Forever" and "Gringo Honeymoon," is born in Houston, Texas.

January 10, 1956 Folk singer Shawn Colvin is born in South Dakota. Her song "Sunny Came Home" (about a woman who burns her house down) wins the Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1998.

January 4, 1956 Bernard Sumner of New Order is born in Manchester, England.

December 15, 1955 Paul Simonon (bassist for The Clash) is born in Thornton Heath, Croydon, England.

December 6, 1955 Rick Buckler (drummer for The Jam) is born in Woking, Surrey, England.

November 24, 1955 Drummer Clement Burke (aka Elvis Ramone) (of the Ramones, Blondie) is born in Bayonne, New Jersey.

November 21, 1955 Peter Koppes (guitarist for The Church) is born in Canberra, Australia.

November 15, 1955 Joe Leeway (of Thompson Twins) is born in Islington, London, England.

November 12, 1955 Les McKeown (lead singer for Bay City Rollers) is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

October 29, 1955 Kevin DuBrow (lead singer of Quiet Riot) is born in Los Angeles, California.

October 29, 1955 Roger O'Donnell (keyboardist for The Cure) is born in London, England.

October 25, 1955 Matthias Jabs (guitarist for Scorpions) is born in Hannover, Germany.