Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

February 6, 1949 Mike Batt is born in Southampton, England. He writes Art Garfunkel's "Bright Eyes" for the 1978 animated film Watership Down.

February 3, 1949 Arthur Kane (bass guitarist for New York Dolls) is born in The Bronx, New York City.

February 2, 1949 Ross Valory, bass player with Journey and the Steve Miller Band, is born in San Francisco.

January 30, 1949 William King (multi-instrumentalist for Commodores) is born in Birmingham, Alabama.

January 29, 1949 Tommy Ramone (drummer for Ramones) is born Tamas Erdelyi in Budapest, Hungary, but is raised in Queens, New York.

January 26, 1949 Derek Holt (guitarist for Climax Blues Band) is born in Stafford, England.

January 24, 1949 John Belushi is born in Chicago. He is one of the original cast members on Saturday Night Live and forms The Blues Brothers with fellow SNL star Dan Aykroyd.

January 22, 1949 Nigel Pegrum (drummer for The Small Faces, Uriah Heep) is born in North Wales.

January 19, 1949 Robert Palmer is born in Batley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. He lands his breakthrough singing on the Alan Brown Set's 1969 single "Gypsy Girl."

January 17, 1949 Mick Taylor (The Rolling Stones guitarist) is born in Welwyn Garden City, but raised in nearby Hatfield, England.

January 11, 1949 Dennis Greene, singer with The Kingsmen and Sha Na Na, is born in New York City.

January 5, 1949 George "Funky" Brown (drummer for Kool & the Gang) is born in Jersey City, New Jersey.

December 31, 1948 Donna Summer, the "Queen of Disco," is born LaDonna Adrian Gaines in Boston, Massachusetts. She earns her new surname when a record label misprints her married name, Sommer, as Summer.

December 28, 1948 Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste (drummer for The Meters) is born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

December 27, 1948 Larry Byrom (guitarist for Steppenwolf) is born in Huntsville, Alabama.

December 25, 1948 Country singer Barbara Mandrell is born in Houston, Texas. She would have her first #1 country hit with "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed" in 1978.

December 22, 1948 Rick Nielsen (lead guitarist for Cheap Trick) is born in Elmhurst, Illinois.

December 17, 1948 Jim Bonfanti (drummer for The Raspberries) is born in Windber, Pennsylvania.

December 13, 1948 "Skunk" Baxter (guitarist for The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan) is born Jeffrey Allen Baxter in Washington, D.C.

December 13, 1948 David "Davy" O'List (of Roxy Music, The Nice) is born in Chiswick, West London, England.

December 10, 1948 Jessica Cleaves (lead singer for Friends of Distinction) is born in Los Angeles, California.

December 4, 1948 Southside Johnny, of the Jersey Shore rock band Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, is born in Neptune, New Jersey.

December 3, 1948 Ozzy Osbourne is born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham, England. He forms the genre-defining heavy metal band Black Sabbath in 1968 but goes solo in 1979 when he's booted from the band. Remarkably, his solo career is even more successful, with a run of hits that includes "Crazy Train" and "Mama, I'm Coming Home."

November 28, 1948 Little River Band guitarist Beeb Birtles is born Gerard Bertelkamp in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

November 27, 1948 Dave Winthrop (sax player and flautist for Supertramp) is born.

November 26, 1948 Gayle McCormick (lead singer for Smith) is born in St. Louis, Missouri. Smith was known for the 1969 hit cover of the Shirelles' "Baby It's You."

November 22, 1948 Dennis Larden (of Every Mother's Son) is born in New York City, New York. Known for the 1967 hit "Come On Down To My Boat."

November 21, 1948 Leroy "Lonnie" Jordan (percussionist, keyboardist, vocalist for War) is born in San Diego, California.

November 21, 1948 John "Rabbit" Bundrick (keyboardist for Free) is born in Houston, Texas.

November 17, 1948 Iain Sutherland (of Sutherland Brothers And Quiver) is born in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.