Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

August 24, 1947 Jim Fox (drummer for the James Gang) is born in Cleveland, Ohio.

August 22, 1947 Singer Donna Jean Godchaux, the only female member of the Grateful Dead, is born in Florence, Alabama. Born Donna Jean Thatcher, she marries keyboard player Keith Godchaux, who also joins the Dead, in 1970.

August 21, 1947 Carl Giammarese (lead vocalist/guitarist for The Buckinghams) is born in Chicago, Illinois.

August 20, 1947 Trombonist James Pankow (of Chicago) is born in St. Louis, Missouri.

August 19, 1947 George Newsome (original drummer for The Climax Blues Band) is born in Stafford, Staffordshire, England.

August 17, 1947 Rock/soul musician Gary Talley (of The Box Tops and Big Star) is born in Memphis, Tennessee.

August 14, 1947 Maddy Prior (lead singer for Steeleye Span) is born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.

August 9, 1947 R&B/Soul singer Barbara Mason is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

August 5, 1947 Guitarist/vocalist Rick Derringer (of the Edgar Winter Group and The McCoys) is born in Fort Recovery, Ohio.

August 5, 1947 Greg Leskiw (guitarist for The Guess Who) is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

August 4, 1947 Paul Layton, bass player for The New Seekers, is born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England.

August 4, 1947 Electronic musician Klaus Schulze (former drummer for Tangerine Dream) is born in Berlin, Germany.

August 1, 1947 Bassist Rick Anderson (of The Tubes) is born in St. Paul, Minnesota.

July 31, 1947 Karl Green (bassist for Herman's Hermits) is born in Manchester, England.

July 29, 1947 Carlo Paul Santanna (lead singer of Paper Lace) is born in the UK to an Italian mother and Polish father.

July 24, 1947 Drummer Alan Whitehead, of Marmalade, is born in Oswestry, Shropshire, England.

July 23, 1947 David Essex is born David Albert Cook in London. Known in America for his hit "Rock On," he is far more successful in the UK, where he lands 19 Top 40 hits and acts in a number of big musicals, including the London production of Evita.

July 20, 1947 Carlos Santana (of Santana) is born in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, Mexico.

July 19, 1947 Bernie Leadon (guitarist, vocalist for Eagles) is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

July 17, 1947 Mick Tucker (drummer for Sweet) is born in Harlesden, North West London, England.

July 17, 1947 Wolfgang Flur (of Kraftwerk) is born in Frankfurt, Germany.

July 15, 1947 Guitarist Peter Banks, a founding member of Yes who is with the band until 1970, is born Peter William Brockbanks in Chipping Barnet, North London, England.

July 11, 1947 Jeff Hanna of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is born in Detroit, Michigan.

July 10, 1947 Arlo Guthrie is born in Coney Island, New York.

July 7, 1947 David Hodo (Village People construction worker) is born in Palo Alto, California.

July 3, 1947 Actress/singer Betty Buckley, Tony Award-winner for her role as Grizabella in the original Broadway production of Cats, is born in Big Spring, Texas.

June 24, 1947 Mick Fleetwood (drummer for Fleetwood Mac) is born in Redruth, Cornwall, England, though he'll grow up in locales around the world due to his father's career as a Royal Air Force fighter pilot.

June 22, 1947 Howard Kaylan (lead singer of The Turtles, Flo & Eddie) is born Howard Kaplan in the Bronx, New York.

June 21, 1947 Joey Molland of Badfinger is born in Edge Hill, Liverpool, England. He's the only member of the group to live into his 60s. Lead singer Pete Ham (27) and guitarist Tom Evans (36) both commit suicide, and drummer Mike Gibbins dies of a brain aneurysm at 56.

June 17, 1947 Keyboard player Gregg Rolie, a founding member of both Santana and Journey, is born in Seattle, Washington. He handles a lot of the vocals for Santana and is also Journey's lead singer for their first three albums until Steve Perry joins for their fourth.