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July 1, 1939 Delaney Bramlett, who co-fronted the early-'70s rock/soul ensemble Delaney & Bonnie with then-wife Bonnie Bramlett, is born in Pontotoc, Mississippi.
June 30, 1939 Frank Sinatra begins touring with Harry James' orchestra. He sings "Wishing" and "My Love For You" at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland. James wants him to go by "Frankie Satin," but Sinatra refuses.
June 22, 1939 Bobby Harrison is born in West Ham, England. The Procol Harum drummer will leave the band, along with guitarist Ray Royer, to form Freedom.
June 16, 1939 Billy "Crash" Craddock, rockabilly/country singer of the '70s known for hits like "Rub It In" and "Broken Down In Tiny Pieces," is born in Greensboro, North Carolina.
June 6, 1939 Gary U.S. Bonds is born Gary Anderson in Jacksonville, Florida. His stage name, originally just "U.S. Bonds," comes from posters advertising United States savings bonds. His big hit comes in 1961 with the #1 "Quarter To Three."
May 14, 1939 One-hit-wonder Troy Shondell, known for his 1961 chart-topper "This Time," is born Gary Wayne Schelton in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
May 7, 1939 Johnny Maestro (original lead singer for The Crests, Brooklyn Bridge) is born John Mastrangelo in New York City.
May 3, 1939 The Andrews Sisters record "Beer Barrel Polka."
April 22, 1939 Pop/soul singer Mel Carter, known for the 1965 hit "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me," is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
April 18, 1939 Pianist Glen Hardin is born in Wellington, Texas. In addition to playing with Buddy Holly's band The Crickets, Hardin will record with artists such as Elvis Presley, John Denver, Emmylou Harris, and Rick Nelson.
April 16, 1939 Dusty Springfield is born Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien in West Hampstead, North London, England.
April 2, 1939 Marvin Gaye is born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. in Washington, DC.More
February 12, 1939 Ray Manzarek, the keyboardist of The Doors, is born Raymond Daniel Manczarek Jr. in Chicago, Illinois. His expressive, jazz-influenced style and ability to play bass notes on the keyboard with his left hand become integral elements of the band's sound.
February 9, 1939 Barry Mann is born Barry Imberman in Brooklyn, New York City. He teams with wife Cynthia Weil to write a number of classic hits, including "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'."
February 4, 1939 Frank Sinatra marries Nancy Barbato at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Jersey City. They welcome three children - Nancy, Frank Jr., and Tina - before divorcing in 1951.
January 16, 1939 Ray Phillips (of The Nashville Teens) is born in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, South Wales.
January 12, 1939 William Lee Golden of The Oak Ridge Boys is born in Brewton, Alabama.
January 10, 1939 Actor Sal Mineo is born in New York City. His music connection is on the operatic stage, where he played in NBC Opera Theatre's 1954 production of Richard Strauss' Salome and directed Gian Carlo Menotti's The Medium in 1972.
December 22, 1938 Country singer-songwriter Red Steagall is born Russell Steagall in Gainesville, Texas. He discovers Reba McEntire in 1975.
December 18, 1938 Chas Chandler (bassist for The Animals, Jimi Hendrix Experience) is born Bryan James Chandler in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
December 12, 1938 Connie Francis is born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero in Newark, New Jersey. A huge star in the late '50s and early '60s, she becomes the first woman to top the Hot 100 as a solo artist when "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" hits #1 in 1960. In 2025 she returns to the zeitgeist when her 1962 B-side ""Pretty Little Baby" goes viral on TikTok.
December 5, 1938 Singer-songwriter J.J. Cale, a forerunner of the Tulsa Sound, is born John Weldon Cale in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
December 1, 1938 Rock 'n roll drummer Sandy Nelson is born in Santa Monica, California. Aside from being a session drummer on such tunes as the Teddy Bears' "To Know Him Is To Love Him," he releases a string of Top 40 instrumental hits, including "Teen Beat" at #4 in 1959.
November 29, 1938 Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra record "Hawaiian War Chant."
November 17, 1938 Gordon Lightfoot is born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He breaks through in America with his 1970 song "If You Could Read My Mind," inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage.
November 16, 1938 Troy Seals (guitarist for James Brown) is born in Bighill, Kentucky. Also a country songwriter, his compositions will be recorded by Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty, and Randy Travis. He is the older brother of Jim Seals of the soft-rock duo Seals & Crofts.
November 10, 1938 On her radio show, Kate Smith sings the Irving Berlin song "God Bless America" for the first time, introducing it to the country. Berlin composed the song for a 1918 musical he wrote, but decided not to use it.More
November 2, 1938 Jay Black (lead singer of Jay & the Americans) is born David Blatt in New York City, where he'll grow up in the Boro Park neighborhood of Brooklyn.
October 18, 1938 R&B singer Ronnie Bright (of The Coasters) is born in New York.
October 15, 1938 R&B singer Marv Johnson is born in Detroit, Michigan. His song "Come to Me" was the first record on the Tamla label, which would later become Motown.
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