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December 23, 1940 Jorma Kaukonen (guitarist for Jefferson Airplane) is born in Washington, DC.
November 29, 1940 Jazz composer and flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione, known for his instrumental hit "Feels So Good," is born in Rochester, New York.
November 29, 1940 Denny Doherty is born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. With Cass Elliot, he forms a group called the Mugwumps in 1964. A year later, they join John and Michelle Phillips to form The Mamas & The Papas.
November 28, 1940 Bruce Channel, known for the 1962 hit "Hey Baby," is born in Jacksonville, Texas.
November 24, 1940 Country singer-songwriter Johnny Carver is born in Jackson, Mississippi. Known for his 1973 hit cover of Tony Orlando's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree."
November 21, 1940 Blues musician Dr. John is born Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. in New Orleans, Louisiana.
November 11, 1940 Guitarist Dennis Coffey is born in Detroit, Michigan. A Motown alum, he is known for the Funk instrumental hit "Scorpio."
October 31, 1940 Eric Griffiths (original guitarist for The Quarrymen, a pre-Beatles rock 'n roll group founded by John Lennon) is born in Denbigh, North Wales.
October 23, 1940 Ellie Greenwich is born Eleanor Louise Greenwich in Brooklyn, New York. One of the most successful songwriters of the '60, her co-writes include "Leader of the Pack" and "Be My Baby."
October 18, 1940 Songwriter Cynthia Weil is born in New York. Known for her work with husband Barry Mann, including "On Broadway," "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," to name a few.
October 17, 1940 Frank Sinatra hosts the weekly radio program Fame and Fortune, which gives amateur songwriters the chance to compete for $100 and a publishing deal with NBC Music.
October 9, 1940 John Winston Lennon is born in Liverpool, England. The "Winston" comes from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill - John would later add "Ono" to his middle name in honor of Yoko.
October 8, 1940 Soul singer Fred Cash (of The Impressions) is born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
September 19, 1940 Singer/songwriter Paul Williams is born in Omaha, Nebraska. A TV fixture in the '70s and '80s, he also writes many popular songs, including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song," the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun," and David Bowie's "Fill Your Heart."
September 19, 1940 Blue-eyed soul singer Bill Medley (of The Righteous Brothers) is born in Los Angeles, California.
September 4, 1940 Soul singer Sonny Charles (of Sonny Charles & The Checkmates, Ltd.) is born Charles Hemphill in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
August 20, 1940 John Lantree (bass guitarist for The Honeycombs) is born in Newbury, Berkshire, England.
August 20, 1940 In exile in Mexico, Leon Trotsky is attacked with an ice pick by Stalinist agent Jaime Ramón Mercader del Río. Trotsky dies of brain injuries the next day in a Mexican hospital. His assassination is immortalized in The Stranglers' song "No More Heroes."
August 19, 1940 Johnny Nash is born in Houston, Texas. As a teen, he performs regularly on Arthur Godfrey's variety show and lands a series of minor hits, but he makes his biggest mark in the '70s with the reggae hits "I Can See Clearly Now" and "Stir It Up" (written and later recorded by Bob Marley).
August 5, 1940 Singer/actress Damita Jo is born in Austin, Texas. Had a minor hit with a cover of "If You Go Away."
August 4, 1940 Larry Knechtel (keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist for Bread) is born in Bell, California.
July 27, 1940 Billboard issues its first chart detailing what records are selling the most copies. Titled "National List of Best Selling Retail Records," it's a precursor to the Hot 100 and the first to count record sales (the existing charts are for sheet music sales, jukebox play and radio plugs). It's not an exact science, as Billboard polls record stores to find out what is selling - a practice that stays in effect until the '90s, when call-a-clerk is replaced with Soundscan technology. The first chart is dominated by big band hits, with "I'll Never Smile Again" by Tommy Dorsey (featuring Frank Sinatra on vocals) at #1 and three songs by Glenn Miller in the Top 10.
July 20, 1940 The industry publication Billboard combines their sales charts for the first time, including all major labels. The first #1 is Tommy Dorsey's "I'll Never Smile Again," with vocals by Frank Sinatra.
July 7, 1940 Beatles drummer Ringo Starr is born Richard Starkey in Liverpool, England. He has a run of solo hits in the '70s that includes "It Don't Come Easy" and "Photograph," but he doesn't tour until 1989, when he introduces his All Starr Band.
July 3, 1940 Fontella Bass, known for the 1965 soul hit "Rescue Me," is born in St. Louis, Missouri.
June 29, 1940 L. Russell Brown, a lyricist and composer known for Tony Orlando and Dawn's "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree" and "Knock Three Times," is born in Newark, New Jersey.
May 19, 1940 Mickey Newbury, who penned a record-breaking string of hits across four different charts in 1968, including The First Edition's "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," is born in Houston, Texas.
May 10, 1940 Singer-songwriter Arthur Alexander is born in Florence, Alabama, raised in nearby Sheffield. His song "You Better Move On" is the first hit to come out of FAME studios in Florence; his song "Anna (Go to Him)" is covered by The Beatles.
April 27, 1940 Hoots Mon! opens in the UK. The movie stars comedian Max Miller, who sings his signature tune "Mary From The Dairy."
April 26, 1940 Synthpop pioneer Giorgio Moroder is born in Italy. As Donna Summer's producer, he crafts a disco sound on hits like "I Feel Love" and "Bad Girls" that elevates her to queen of the genre. In the '80s he writes and produces the soundtrack hits "Flashdance... What a Feeling" and "Danger Zone."
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