February Birthdays

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February 1

Jimmy Carl Black (James Inckanish, Jr.)

b. 1938/40 in El Paso, TX - d. 30 Aug 1988 in New Orleans, LA
rock/blues/country singer
instrument: drums
founding member of The Mothers of Invention (1964-70), "Trouble Every Day" (1965), "Who are the Brain Police?" (1966), "You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here" (1966), "Brown Shoes Don't Make it" (1967), "Plastic People" (1967), "Telephone Conversation" (1968), "The Chrome-Plated Megaphone of Destiny" (1968), "Dog Breath" (1969), "Nine Types of Industrial Pollution" (1969), "Legend of the Golden Arches" (1969), "Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue" (1970)
session musician on The Dixie Cups' "Chapel of Love" (#1 1964); and with Fats Domino, Lionel Hampton, Frank Zappa, and others
songwriter
he is a Native American of the Cheyenne tribe
see The Mothers of Invention on Wikipedia

Stanley Brown

b. 1944
R&B singer (baritone)
founding member of Ronnie and the Hi-Lites, "I Wish That We Were Married" (#16 1962, One-Hit Wonder), "Be Kind" (#120 1962), "Send My Love (Special Delivery)" (1962), "A Slow Dance" (#116 1963)
see Ronnie and the Hi-Lites on Wikipedia

Jason Carter

b. 1973 in Ashland, KY (grew up in Greenup County, KY
bluegrass musician, instruments: fiddle, guitar, mandolin
fiddle player with The Del McCoury Band (1992- ), "The Beauty of My Dreams" (1992), "High on the Mountain" (1992), "More Often Than Once in a While" (1993), "The First Time She Left" (1996), "The Talk of the Town" (1998), "I Wonder Where You Are Tonight" (1998), "The Look of a Perfect Diamond" (1999), "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" (2001), "Zero to Love" (2003), "The Same Kind of Crazy" (2003), "Queen Anne's Lace" (2004), "Lonesome Wind" (2004), "Eyes That Won't Meet Mine" (2005), "If Here is Where You Are" (2005), "Don't Put Off Until Tomorrow" (2006)
see The Del McCoury Band

Tommy Duffy (Thomas Duffy)

b. 1944 in Brooklyn, NY
R&B singer
founding member of The Echoes (1960-61), "Baby Blue" (#12 1961, One-Hit Wonder), "Boomerang" (1961), "Sad Eyes" (#88 1961)

Dwayne Dupuy

b. 1965 in Houma, LA
country singer
instruments: trumpet, keyboards
with Ricochet (2000- ), "Seven Bridges Road" (#48c 2000), "Do I Love You Enough?" (#45c 2000), "She's Gone" (#48c 2000)
session musician
songwriter
see Ricochet

Don Everly (Isaac Donald Everly)

b. 1937 in Brownie, KY
pop/rock/country singer
instrument: guitar
"Only Me" (1970), "Evelyn Swing" (1974), "Yesterday Just Passed My Way Again" (#50c 1976), "Brother Jukebox" (#96c 1977), "Since You Broke My Heart" (#84c 1977, he wrote), "Let's Put Our Hearts Together" (1981)
recorded as Adrian Kimberly, "Pomp and Circumstance (The Graduation Song)" (#34 1961)
founding member of The Everly Brothers, * "Bye Bye, Love (#2, #1c 1957), * "Wake up, Little Susie" (#1, #1c 1957), "Bird Dog" (#1, #1c 1958), * "All I Have to Do is Dream" (#1, #1c 1958), "This Little Girl of Mine" (#26, #4c 1958), * "Devoted to You" (#10, #7c 1958), * "Problems" (#2, #17c 1958), * "Take a Message to Mary" (#16 1959), * "Til I Kissed You" (#4, #8c 1959, he co-wrote), * "Let it Be Me" (#7 1960), * "Cathy's Clown" (#1 1960, he co-wrote), * "When Will I Be Loved?" (#8 1960, he co-wrote), * "Be-Bop-a-Lula" (1960), "So Sad (to Watch Good Love Go Bad)" (#7 1960), * "Ebony Eyes" (#8, #25c 1961), "Don't Blame Me" (#20 1961), * "Walk Right Back" (#7 1961), * "Crying in the Rain" (#6 1962), "That's Old-Fashioned (That's the Way Love Should Be)" (#9 1962), "Gone, Gone, Gone" (#31 1964)
songwriter, wrote Kitty Wells' "Thou Shalt Not Steal" (#14c 1954)
md. to Adella (1997- ); brother of Phil Everly

Tom Gray

b. 1941
country/bluegrass musician, instrument: string bass
founding member of The Country Gentlemen (1960-64), "Darling Alalee" (1960), "Helen" (1960), "Letter to Tom" (1960), "Drifting Too Far" (1960), "Remembrance of You" (1961), "Copper Kettle" (1963), "Midnight Moon" (1963), "I'd Like to Come Back As a Song" (1963)
see Charlie Waller

Joe Hannah

b. 1932 in Marshfield, MO
country singer
instrument: bass
founding members of The Sons of the San Joaquin (1987- ), "Prairie Girl" (1995), "Where the Very Same Cottonwoods Grow" (1996), "Horses, Cattle and Coyotes" (1999), "When the Coyotes Come Near" (1999), "Land of Enchantment" (1999), "God Gave the Cowboy Montana" (2000), "Way Out Yonder" (2006), "There's a Rainbow Over the Range" (2006)
songwriter
teacher; coach; catcher for the Chicago Cubs
brother of Jack Hannah; father of Joe Hannah

Jeanette Hutchinson

b. 1951 in Chicago, IL
soul/disco singer
founding member of The Emotions (1968- ), "I Can't Stand No More Heartaches" (1967), "Brushfire" (1968), "So I Can Love You" (#39 1969), "The Best Part of a Love Affair" (1969), "Show Me How" (1970), "Blind Alley" (1970), "I Never Could Be Happy" (1972), "There Are More Questions Than Answers" (1974), "Any Way You Look at it" (1974), "Shouting Our Love" (1976), "Don't Ask My Neighbors" (#44 1977), "Best of My Love" (#1 1977), "Time is Passing By" (1978), "Ain't No Doubt about it" (1978), "Laid Back" (1979), "Now That I Know" (1981)

Del McCoury (Delano Floyd McCoury)

b. 1939 in Bakersville, NC (grew up in York County, PA
bluegrass singer
instruments: guitar, banjo, bass
founding member and guitarist with The Del McCoury Band, "How Lonely Can You Get?" (1988), "With You in My Dreams" (1991), "The Beauty of My Dreams" (1992), "High on the Mountain" (1992), "More Often Than Once in a While" (1993), "The First Time She Left" (1996), "The Talk of the Town" (1998), "I Wonder Where You Are Tonight" (1998), "The Look of a Perfect Diamond" (1999), "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" (2001), "Zero to Love" (2003), "The Same Kind of Crazy" (2003), "Queen Anne's Lace" (2004), "Lonesome Wind" (2004), "Eyes That Won't Meet Mine" (2005), "If Here is Where You Are" (2005), "Don't Put Off Until Tomorrow" (2006)
with Ricky Skaggs, Ronnie McCoury, and David Grisman, "Boston Boy" (1999)
with The Blue Grass Boys (1963-64), "Devil's Dream" (1963), "Shenandoah Breakdown" (1964)
see The Del McCoury Band
see The Blue Grass Boys

Julie Roberts

b. 1979 in Lancaster, SC
country singer
"Break Down Here" (#81, #18c 2004), "The Chance" (#47c 2004), "Wake Up Older" (#46c 2005), "Girl Next Door" (2006)
see Julie Roberts

Ray Sawyer

b. 1937 in Chickasaw, AL
country/rock singer
instruments: guitar, percussions
"Rockin' Satellite" (1960), "I'm Gonna Leave" (1962), "You Gave Me the Right" (1962), "(One More Year of) Daddy's Little Girl" (#28c 1976), "I Don't Feel Much Like Smilin'" (#80c 1980, he co-wrote)
founding member and lead singer of Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show (1968-83), Sylvia's Mother" (#1 1972), "The Cover of Rolling Stone" (#6 1972), "Four Years Older Than Me" (1972), "Carry Me, Carrie" (1973), "Only Sixteen" (#6, #55c 1976), "A Little Bit More" (#11 1976), "If Not You" (#55, #26c 1976), "Sharing the Night Together" (#6, #50c 1978), "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" (#6, #68c 1979), "All the Time in the World" (#54 1979), "Better Love Next Time" (#12, #91c 1980), "Sexy Eyes" (#5 1980), "Years from Now" (#51 1980), "Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk" (#25 1982), "Chained to Your Memory" (1982)
songwriter

Bob Shane (Robert Castle Schoen)

b. 1934 in Hilo, HI
folk singer
instruments: guitar, banjo
founding member of The Kingston Trio (1957-67), "Tom Dooley" (#1 1958), "The Tijuana Jail" (#12 1959), "Round about the Mountain" (1959), "M.T.A." (#15 1959), "A Worried Man" (#20 1959), "El Matador" (#32 1960), "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" (#21 1962), * "Ally, Ally, Oxen Free" (1963), "Greenback Dollar" (#21 1963), "Reverend Mr. Black" (#8 1963), "Desert Pete" (#33 1963)
founding member of The New Kingston Trio (1969-2004)
see The Kingston Trio

Rich Williams

b. 1950/51 in Topeka, KS
rock musician, instrument: electric guitar, acoustic guitar
with Kansas (1973- ), "Point of No Return" (#28 1977), "Carry on Wayward Son" (#11 1977), "Dust in the Wind" (#6 1978), "People of the Southwind" (#23 1979), "Play the Game Tonight" (#17 1982), "All I Wanted" (#19 1986), "Cold Grey Morning" (1995)
music producer
see Kansas

February 2

Lil Armstrong (Lillian Hardin)

b. 1898/1903 in Memphis, TN - d. 27 Aug 1971 (heart attack during a performance)
jazz/swing singer
instrument: piano
"Just for a Thrill" (1936, she wrote), "Bluer Than Blue" (1937, she co-wrote), "East Town Boogie" (1947)
sessionist with Louis Armstrong, and others
songwriter
md. to Louis Armstrong (1924-38)

Glenn Barber (Martin Glenn Barber)

b. 1935 in Hollis, OK (grew up in Pasadena, TX)
country/rockabilly singer
instruments: guitar, steel guitar, string bass, 5-string banjo, dobro, drums
"Ice Water" (1954), "Same Old Fool Tomorrow" (1958), "Your Heart Don't Love" (1959), "Rain Check" (1964), "If Anyone Can Show Cause" (#42c 1964), "Don't Worry 'Bout the Mule, Just Load the Wagon" (#41c 1968), "Who Made You That Way?" (1968), "Reflex Action" (1968), "Kissed By the Rain, Warmed By the Sun" (#24c 1969), "Who's Taking the Picture?" (1970), "Unexpected Goodbye" (#23c 1972, he co-wrote), "Yes Ma'am (I Found Her in a Honky-Tonk)" (#67c 1973, he wrote), "Country Girl (I Love You Still)" (#61c 1973), "What's the Name of That Song?" (#30c 1978, he co-wrote), "Love Songs Just for You" (#27c 1979)
songwriter
md. to Betty Ann (1952- )

Skip Battin (Clyde Battin)

b. 1934 in Gallapolis, OH – d. 6 Jul 2003 in Palm Springs, CA or Canada (complications of Alzheimer's disease)
folk/rock/country singer
instruments: bass, piano, guitar
"She Acts Like We Never Have Met" (1965), "Ten Feet Tall" (1965), "What's Mine is Mine" (1965)
founding member of Skip and Flip, "It Was I" (#14 1959), "Lunch Hour" (1959), "Fancy Nancy" (1959), "Cherry Pie" (#11 1960), "One More Drink for Julie" (1962)
bass player with The Byrds (1969-72), "Ballad of Easy Rider" (#65 1969), "Cowgirl in the Sand" (1972)
founding member of The Skip Battin Group, "Night Time Girl" (1966)
with the Flying Burrito Brothers (1976-81, 1985-86), "Big Bayou" (1976), "Another Shade of Grey" (1979), "White Line Fever" (#95c 1980), "She's a Friend of a Friend" (#67c 1981), "Does She Wish She Was Single Again?" (#20c 1981), "She Belongs to Everyone But Me" (#16c 1981), "If Something Comes Between Us (Let it Be Love)" (#27c 1981), "Damned if I'll Be Lonely Tonight" (1981), "That's When You Know it's Over" (1981)
with New Riders of the Purple Sage (1974-76, replaced Dave Torbert), "Neon Rose" (1974, he co-wrote), "Farewell, Angelina" (1975), "Strangers on a Train" (1975), "Annie May" (1976), "Fifteen Days Under the Hood" (1976)
see New Riders of the Purple Sage

Howard Bellamy (Howard Homer Bellamy)

b. 1946 in Darby, FL
country/rock/pop singer
instruments: guitar, banjo, mandolin
founding member of The Bellamy Brothers (1968- ), "Let Your Love Flow" (#1, #21c 1976), "Satin Sheets" (#73 1976), "Hell Cat" (#70 1976), "Lovin' on" (#16c 1978), "Bird Dog (#86c 1978), "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body (Would You Hold it Against Me)" (#39, #1c 1979), "You Ain't Just Whistlin' Dixie" (#5c 1979), "Sugar Daddy" (#1c 1980), "Dancin' Cowboys" (#1c 1980), "Lovers Live Longer" (#3c 1980), "Do You Love As Good As You Look?" (#1c 1981), "For All the Wrong Reasons" (#1c 1982), "Redneck Girl" (#1c 1982), "Long Distance Love Affair" (1982), "Strong Weakness" (#15c 1983), "When I'm Away from You" (#1c 1983), "I Need More of You" (#1c 1985), "Old Hippie" (#2c 1985), "Kids of the Baby Boom" (#1c 1987), "Rebels Without a Clue" (#9c 1988), "You'll Never Be Sorry" (#10c 1989, he co-wrote), "I Could Be Persuaded" (#7c 1990, he co-wrote), "She Don't Know She's Perfect" (#46c 1991, he co-wrote), "Cowboy Beat" (#23c 1992)
The Bellamy Brothers with The Forester Sisters, "Too Much is Not Enough" (#1c 1986)
songwriter
md. to Ilona (1978- ); md. to Jennifer Wright (2005- )
see The Bellamy Brothers

Alan 'Tea' Caddy

b. 1940 in London, England - d. 16 Sep 2000
rock musician, instruments: guitar, violin
with Johnny Kidd and the Pirates (1959-61), "Please Don't Bring Me Down" (1961)
founding member of The Tornadoes (196?-65), "Ridin' the Wind" (1962), "Telstar" (#1 1962, One-Hit Wonder), "Globetrotter" (1963), "Phantom Surfer" (1963), "Lightnin'" (1964)
session musician
arranger; music producer

Ashley Cleveland

b. 1957 in Knoxville, TN
country/rock/Christian singer
"We Can Dance" (1991), "End of a Long Goodbye" (1993), "Feel Like Falling" (1993), "Lesson of Love" (1995), "I Know Who I Am" (1995), "Lucky Never Had it so Good" (1999), "Your Saving Grace" (1999), "The Needle and the Damage Done" (2002), "Broken Places" (2002), "It is Well with My Soul" (2005), "Surely Goodness and Mercy" (2005)
songwriter
md. to Kenny Greenberg (1991- )

Jeff Copley

b. 1969 in Crum, WV
country singer
"Out Where God is" (1995), "Just Beginning to Rain" (1995), "Rocks and Roses" (1995)

Stan Getz (Stanley Gayetzsky)

b. 1927 in Philadelphia, PA - d. 6 Jun 1991 in Malibu, CA (liver cancer)
jazz/pop musician, instrument: tenor sax
"Sweet Rain" (1952), "I Remember When" (1952)
founding member of The Stan Getz Quartet, "It's the Talk of the Town" (1954)
with Stan Getz and the Tom Cats, they were backup on Jimmy Kirkland's "I Wonder if You Wonder" (1957)
with the Stan Kenton Orchestra (1944-45), "How Many Hearts Have You Broken?" (#9 1944)
with Benny Goodman's band (1945-46)
duet with Astrud Gilberto, "The Girl from Ipanema" (#5 1964)
duet with Charlie Byrd, "Desafinado" (#15 1962)
md. to singer, Beverly Byrne (1946- ); md. to Monica Silfverskiold (1956-87)
see Stan Getz on Wikipedia

Ronnie Goodson (Ronald Goodson)

b. 1945 in Miami, FL – d. 4 Nov 1980 in Jersey City, NJ (brain tumor)
R&B singer
instrument: trumpet
founding member and lead singer of Ronnie and the Hi-Lites, "I Wish That We Were Married" (#16 1962, One-Hit Wonder), "Be Kind" (#120 1962), "Send My Love (Special Delivery)" (1962), "A Slow Dance" (#116 1963), "High School Romance" (1963)
founding member of John Fred and His Playboy Band (1964-70), "Up and Down" (1967), "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" (#1 1968, One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "Hey, Hey Bunny" (#57 1968), "Silly Sarah Carter" (1969)
session musician
songwriter
see Ronnie and the Hi-Lites on Wikipedia

Janie Grant (Rose Marie Casilli)

b. 1945
pop singer
"Triangle" (#29 1961, One-Hit Wonder), "Unhappy Birthday" (1961), "Two's Company and Three's a Crowd" (1962), "That Greasy Kid Stuff" (1962), "Ribbons and Roses" (1964), "All I Did Was Fall in Love" (1964), "And That Reminds Me of You" (1966)

Rusty Kershaw (Russell Lee Kershaw)

b. 1938 in Tiel Ridge, LA – d. 23 Oct 2001 (heart attack)
country/Cajun singer
instruments: guitar, fiddle
founding member of Rusty and Doug (1950-64), "So Lovely Baby" (#14c 1955), "Your Crazy Crazy Heart" (1956), "Love Me to Pieces" (#14c 1957), "Hey Sheriff" (#22c 1958), "Hey, Mae" (1958), "Louisiana Man" (#10c 1961), "Cleopatra" (1964)
founding member of The Continental Playboys
sessionist with Chet Atkins, Charlie Daniels, and others
brother of Doug Kershaw

Mickey Lee Lane (Mickey Lee Schreiber)

b. 1941 in Rochester, NY
rock singer
instrument: piano, sax, bass
"Night Cap" (1960), "Shaggy Dog" (#38 1964, One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "(They're All in) the Senior Class" (1965), "Little Girl (I Was Wrong)" (1965), "The Zoo" (1965), "Of Yesterday" (1965), "She Don't Want to" (1966)
duet with Shonnie Lane, "Daddy's Little Baby" (1958)
session musician
songwriter

Blaine Larsen

b. 1986 in Tacoma, WA
country singer
"In My High School" (#60c 2004), "How Do You Get That Lonely?" (#91, #18c 2005), "The Best Man" (#36c 2005), "I Don't Know What She Said" (#25c 2006), "Spoken Like a Man" (#42c 2007)
songwriter
see Blaine Larsen

Peter Lucia (Peter Paul Lucia, Jr.

b. 1947 in Niles, MI or Morristown, NY - d. 1987 (heart attack)
rock singer
instrument: drums, percussions
with Hog Heaven, "Theme From a Thought" (1970), "Glass Room" (1970)
with Tommy James and the Shondells, "Hanky Panky" (#1 1966), "Say I Am (What I Am)" (#21 1966), * "I Think We're Alone Now" (#4 1967), "Gettin' Together" (#18 1967), "I Like it That Way" (#25 1967), "Mirage" (#10 1967), "Mony, Mony" (#3 1968), "Crimson and Clover" (#1 1969), "Crystal Blue Persuasion" (#2 1969), "Sweet Cherry Wine" (#7 1969), "Kelly Told Anne" (1970)
see Tommy James and the Shondells

Arthur Lyman (Arthur H. Lyman)

b. 1933 in Kauai, HI - d. 24 Feb 2002 in Honolulu, HI (throat cancer)
pop musician, instruments: marimba, guitar, ukulele, vibes, percussions
"Taboo" (1959), "Jungle Jalopy" (1959), "Legend of the Rain" (1960), "I Talk to the Trees" (1961), "Love for Sale" (#43 1963), "Suzy's Waltz" (1963)
with The Martin Denny Group
founding member of The Arthur Lyman Group (196?- ), "Yellow Bird" (#4 1961, One-Hit Wonder)
songwriter
see Arthur Lyman on Wikipedia

Peter Macbeth

b. 1943 in London, England
soul/pop musician, instrument: bass
founding member of The Foundations (1967-70), * "Baby, Now That I've Found You" (#11 1968), "Back on My Feet Again" (#59 1968), "Any Old Time (You're Lonely and Sad)" (1968), "Build Me up, Buttercup" (#3 1969), "A Walk Through the Trees" (1969)
see The Foundations on Wikipedia

Lester McFarland

b. 1902 in Gray, KY - d. 25 Jul 1984
country singer
instruments: guitar, mandolin, fiddle, cornet, trombone, harmonica
"She's the Tie That Binds" (1929), "Pagan Love Song" (1929), "Gee, But I'm Lonesome Tonight" (1930), "Mansion of Aching Hearts" (1930), "Springtime in the Blue Ridge Mountains" (1932)
founding member of Mac and Bob, "Letter That Came Too Late" (1927), "Seeing Nellie Home" (1927), "You're as Welcome as the Flowers in May" (1927), "Little Nell" (1928), "Little Log Cabin in the Lane" (1929), "On the Road to Happiness" (1929), "A Picture No Artist Can Paint" (1929), "Lazy Louisiana Moon" (1930), "I Said Goodbye to Everything (When I Said Goodbye to You)" (1931), "Rocky Mountain Rose" (1931), "Sweet Allalee" (1931), "My Girl in Caroline" (1931), "We Carved Our Hearts on the Old Oak Tree" (1932), "I Told the Stars About You" (1933), "When it's Lamp-Lighting Time in the Valley" (1933), "Down the Lane of Memory" (1940), "Under the Old Sierra Moon" (1940), "The Pine Trees Whisper" (1941)
songwriter
he was blind

Gayle McCormick

b. 1949 in St. Louis, MO
rock/soul/pop singer
"It's a Cryin' Shame" (#44 1971)
founding member of Smith (1969-71), "Baby, it's You" (#5 1969, One-Hit Wonder), "What am I Gonna Do?" (1969), "Born in Boston" (1969)
with The Chevels
with Gayle McCormick and the Klassmen

Al McKay (Alan McKay)

b. 1948 in Los Angeles, CA
soul/rock/jazz singer
instruments: rhythm guitar, sitar
founding member of The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band (1968-69), "Do Your Thing" (#11 1969), "Till You Get Enough" (#67 1969)
with Earth, Wind and Fire (1970-80), "Love is Life" (#93 1970), "I Think about Lovin' You" (1971), "Keep Your Head to the Sky" (#52 1973), "Mighty Mighty" (#29 1974), "Devotion" (#33 1974), "That's the Way of the World" (#12 1975), "Shining Star" (#1 1975), "Sing a Song" (#5 1975), "Getaway" (#12 1976), "You Can't Hide Love" (1976), "Serpentine Fire" (#13 1977), "Got to Get You into My Life" (#9 1978), "September" (#8 1978), "After the Love Has Gone" (#2 1979), "Let Me Talk" (#44 1980)
session musician with Dyke and the Blazers, and others
songwriter
arranger; music producer
he is left-handed
see Earth, Wind, and Fire
see The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band on Wikipedia

Emmett Miller

b. 1900 near Macon GA – d. 29 Mar 1962 (related to years of alcoholism)
country/jazz/vaudville singer, yodeler
founding member and lead of Emmett Miller with His Georgia Crackers, "Lovesick Blues" (1928, he was the first to record it), "The Lion Tamers" (1928), "Take Your Tomorrow (and Give Me Yesterday)" (1928), "You Lose" (1929), "The Gypsy" (1936)
session musician with Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, and others

Graham Nash

b. 1942 in Lancashire, England
rock singer
instrument: rhythm guitar
"Man in the Mirror" (1971, he wrote), "Chicago" (#35 1971, One-Hit Wonder), "Another Sleep Song" (1973, he wrote), "Helicopter Song" (1979, he wrote), "Innocent Eyes" (1986), "Come with Me" (2002, he wrote)
founding member of Crosby, Stills and Nash (1968-69), "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" (#21 1968), "Helplessly Hoping" (1969), "Guinevere" (1969), "Wooden Ships" (1969, he co-wrote), "You Don't Have to Cry" (1969)
founding member of Crosby, Stills and Nash and Young (1969- ), Teach Your Children" (#16 1970, he wrote), "Woodstock" (#11 1970), "Just a Song Before I Go" (#7 1977)
performed at Woodstock
founding member of The Hollies (1962-68), "Ain't That Just Like Me?" (1963), "What Kind of Boy?" (1964), "Look Through Any Window" (#32 1966), "Bus Stop" (#5 1966), "Stop Stop Stop" (#7 1966), "Carrie Anne" (#9 1967), "Pay You Back with Interest" (#28 1967), "On a Carousel" (#11 1967), "Pegasus" (1967), "Jennifer Eccles" (#40 1968)
songwriter
photographer
see The Hollies

David Parmley

b. 1959 in Alameda, CA
country/bluegrass singer
instrument: guitar
founding member of The Bluegrass Cardinals (1974-93), "Tribute to Lester Flatt" (1979)
founding member of Continental Divide (1994- ), "More Than I Can Bear" (2005)

Clarence Quick (Clarence E. Quick)

b. 1937 in Brooklyn, NY – d. 5 May 1983 (heart attack)
doo-wop/rock singer (bass)
founding member of The Del-Vikings (1956-58), "Come Go with Me" (#4 1957, he wrote), "How Can I Find True Love?" (1957), "What Made Maggie Run?" (1957), "Whispering Bells" (#9 1957), "Cool Shake" (#12 1957)
songwriter
served in the Air Force

Tom Smothers (Thomas Bolin Smothers III)

b. 1937 in New York, NY
novelty/folk singer
instrument: acoustic guitar
with The Smothers Brothers, * "I Talk to the Trees" (1963)
songwriter
comedian; yo-yo expert
see The Smothers Brothers

Tom Tripplehorn

b. 1949
rock/pop musician, instruments: guitar, piano, drums
with Gary Lewis and the Playboys (1966), "Green Grass" (#8 1966), "My Heart's Symphony" (#13 1966), "Sure Gonna Miss Her" (#9 1966), "(You Don't Have to) Paint Me a Picture" (#15 1966), "I Can Read Between the Lines" (1966), "Tina" (1966)
session musician with The Tractors
father of actress, Jeanne Tripplehorn
see Gary Lewis and the Playboys

Ross Valory

b. 1949 in San Francisco, CA
rock/folk/soul singer
instruments: bass, guitar, piano, drums, clarinet
with Steve Miller Band (1971)
bassist with Journey (1973-82, 1983-85, 1995- ), "Wheel in the Sky" (#57 1978), "Any Way You Want it" (#23 1980), "Who's Crying Now?" (#4 1981), "Don't Stop Believin'" (#9 1981), "Open Arms" (#2 1982), "Still They Ride" (#19 1982), "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" (#8 1983), "Faithfully" (#12 1983), "Only the Young" (#9 1985), "When You Love a Woman" (#12 1997)
see Ross Valory

Ken White

b. 1965 in Louisville, KY
country/bluegrass, instrument: guitar
with New Tradition (1994-98), "Heaven's Highway" (1997), "Daddy on His Knees" (1997), "I'll Take Your Love Anytime" (1997), "Dreams of the Past" (1997)
with Big Twang

Sonny Wright

b. 1943
country singer
duets with Peggy Sue, "Two-Ring Circus" (1974), "If This is What Love's All About?" (#100c 1977), "Gently Hold Me" (#86c 1979), "Molly (and the Texas Rain)" (#91c 1980), "Someone I Can't Say No to" (1981)
backup singer
md. to singer, Peggy Sue

February 3

Russell Arms

b. 1922 in Berkeley, CA
country/pop singer
"I Saw a Star" (1956), "Cinco Robles (The Five Oaks)" (#22 1957, One-Hit Wonder), "The World is Made of Lisa" (1957), "I'm Tired of Pride" (1957), "Evangeline" (1957), "Walkin' By Your Window" (1957), "Share My Love" (1957), "Blue Hawaii" (1958)
actor

Kay Austin

b. 1954 in Long Beach, CA
country singer
"Big Red Roses (and Little White Lies)" (1978), "Paper Playhouse" (1978), "The Rest of Your Life" (#86c 1980), "Two Hearts Beat (Better Than One)" (#75c 1980), "Like the Seasons" (1980)

Matraca Berg

b. 1964 in Nashville, TN
country singer
instruments: keyboards, guitar
"Baby, Walk on" (#36c 1990, she co-wrote), "The Things You Left Undone" (#36c 1990, she co-wrote), "You Are the Storm" (1990), "I Must Have Been Crazy" (#55c 1991, she co-wrote), "Back in the Saddle" (#51c 1998, she co-wrote)
songwriter, wrote Reba McEntire's "The Last One to Know" (#1c 1987); Martina McBride's "Wild Angels" (#1c 1996); Trisha Yearwood's "Everybody Knows" (#3c 1996)
actress, music producer
md. to Jeff Hanna, of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1993- )
see Matraca Berg

Johnny Cymbal

b. 1945 in Scotland (grew up in Cleveland, OH) – d. 16 Mar 1993 (heart attack)
pop/rock singer
"Mr. Bass Man" (#16 1963, One-Hit Wonder), "Teenage Heaven" (#58 1963), "Growing Up with You" (1963), "Marshmallow" (1963), "Little Miss Lonely" (1964), "Sixteen Shades of Blue" (1964), "Go, VW, Go" (1965), "Breaking Your Balloon" (1967), "Girl from Willow County" (1969), "Ode to Bubblegum" (1969)
with Derek, "This is My Story" (1968), "Cinnamon" (#11 1969, he co-wrote, One-Hit Wonder), "Back-Door Man" (#59 1969), "Sell Your Soul" (1969), "Inside Out, Outside in" (1969)
songwriter, wrote Al Martino's "Mary in the Morning" (#27 1967)
music producer

Angelo D'Aleo

b. 1940
pop/doo-wop singer (tenor)
founding member and first tenor with Dion and the Belmonts (1958-60, reunions), * "No One Knows" (#19 1958), * "I Wonder Why" (#22 1958), * "Every Little Thing I Do" (#48 1959), * "Don't Pity Me" (#40 1959), "Teenager in Love" (#3 1959), * "Where or When" (#3 1960), * "When You Wish Upon a Star" (#30 1960)
founding member of The Belmonts (1961- ), "Such a Long Way" (1961), "Tell Me Why" (#18 1961), "Come on, Little Angel" (#28 1962), "Hombre" (1962), "Ann Marie" (1963), "More Important Things to Do" (1963), * "Be Careful of Stones You Throw" (#31 1963), "Answer, My Love" (1969)
backup singer
see The Belmonts on Wikipedia

Chan Daniels

b. 1940 in Brazil or Argentina - d. 2 Aug 1975 (pneumonia)
folk singer (tenor)
instrument: guitar
founding member of The Highwaymen (1958-64, and reunions), "Michael (Row the Boat Ashore)" (#1 1961), "Cotton Fields" (#13 1961), "Cindy, Oh Cindy" (1961), "Lonesome Road Blues" (1962), "Marianne" (1963), "Universal Soldier" (1964)
see The Highwaymen

Dave Davies (David Russell Davies)

b. 1947 in London, England
rock singer
instrument: lead guitar
"Death of a Clown" (1969, he wrote)
founding member of The Kinks (1963-), "You Really Got Me" (#7 1964), "All Day and All of the Night (#7 1965), "Tired of Waiting for You" (#6 1965), "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" (1966), "Sittin' on My Sofa" (1966), "A Well-Respected Man" (#13 1966), "Dedicated to the Followers of Fashion" (#36 1966), "Dead-End Street" (#73 1967), "Phenomenal Cat" (1968), "Picture Book" (1969), "Brainwashed" (1969), "Victoria" (1969), "Lola" (#9 1970), "Juke Box Music" (1977), "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" (#30 1978), "Gallon of Gas" (1979), "State of Confusion" (1983), "Come Dancing" (#6 1983), "Don't Forget to Dance" (#29 1983)
songwriter
brother of Ray Davies

Dennis Edwards

b. 1943 in Birmingham, AL (grew up in Detroit, MI)
R&B/soul singer (tenor)
"I Didn't Have to (But I Did)" (1967), "Shake Hands (and Come Out Dancing)" (1984), "Just Like You" (1984)
with The Contours (1966-68, replaced Joe Stubbs), "Just a Little Misunderstanding" (#85 1966), "It's So Hard Being a Loser" (#79 1967)
lead of The Temptations (1968-77, 1980-83, 1987-88, replaced David Ruffin), "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)" (#13 1968), "Please Return Your Love to Me" (#26 1968), "Cloud Nine" (#6 1969), "I Can't Get Next to You" (#1 1969), "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)" (#3 1970), "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" (#1 1971), "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" (#1 1972), "Masterpiece" (#7 1973), "Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are)" (1971), "Take a Look Around" (1972), "Hey, Girl (I Like Your Style)" (1973), "Hurry Tomorrow" (1973), "Shaky Ground" (1975), "Glasshouse" (1975), "Let Me Count the Ways (I Love You)" (1976), "Struck By Lightning Twice" (1980), "There's More Where That Came From" (1980)
duet with Siedah Garrett, "Don't Look Any Further" (1984)
see The Contours
see The Temptations

Betty Foley

b. 1933 in Chicago, IL (grew up in Berea, KY) - d. 1990
country singer
instruments: piano, guitar
"Magic Love" (1959), "Old Moon" (#7c 1959), "Do You Wonder at All?" (1960), "I'm Not Surprised" (1960)
duets with Red Foley, "As Far As I'm Concerned" (#8c 1954), "Satisfied Mind" (#3c 1955)
daughter of Red Foley; md. to Bentley Cummins

Linda Hargrove (Linda Ann Hargrove)

b. 1949/51 in Jacksonville, FL or Tallahassee, FL
country/pop singer
instruments: piano, organ, guitar, french horn
"My Secret Life" (1973), "The Farmer's Former Wife" (1973), "Blue Jean Country Queen" (#98c 1974, she wrote), "I've Never Loved Anyone More" (#82c 1974, she co-wrote), "Dirty Cheezy Jeans" (1974), "Love Was (Once Around the Dance Floor)" (#36c 1975, she wrote), "Most of All" (1976), "Mexican Love Songs" (#61c 1977, she co-wrote), "I'd Rather Keep My Distance (and Your Mem'ry)" (1977), "You Are Still the One" (#93c 1978, she wrote)
songwriter, wrote George Jones' "Tennessee Whiskey" (#2c 1983), Johnny Rodriguez' "Just Get up and Close the Door" (#1c 1975), Olivia Newton-John's "Let it Shine" (#30, #5c 1976); co-wrote Lynn Anderson's "I've Never Loved Anyone More" (#14c 1975)

Jessica Harp (Jessica Leigh Harp)

b. 1982 in Kansas City, MO
country/folk/rock singer
instrument: guitar
founding member of The Wreckers (2006- ), "Leave the Pieces" (#34, #1c 2006), "My, Oh My" (#87, #9c 2006, she co-wrote), "Tennessee" (#33c 2006, she wrote), "Different Truck, Same Loser" (2007)
songwriter

Eric Haydock

b. 1943 in England
rock musician, instrument: bass guitar
with The Hollies (1963-66, 1981), "Ain't That Just Like Me?" (1963), "What Kind of Boy?" (1964), "Look Through Any Window" (#32 1966), "Bus Stop" (#5 1966), "Stop Stop Stop" (#7 1966)
founding member of Class of '64 (2004- ), "She's Not My Child" (2008)
see The Hollies

David Lerchey

b. 1937 in New Albany, IN - d. 29 Jan 2005 in Miami, FL (cancer and pulmonary problems)
doo-wop/rock singer (baritone/tenor)
with The Del-Vikings (1957-58), "Come Go with Me" (#4 1957), "Whispering Bells" (#9 1957), "Cool Shake" (1957), "Bring Back Your Heart" (1961)
served in the Air Force

Luke McDaniel

b. 1927 in Ellisville, MS - d. 27 Jun 1992 in Mobile, AL
country/rockabilly singer
instrument: mandolin
"Automobile Song" (1954), "Go Ahead, Baby" (1956), "What I Tell My Heart" (1957), "My Baby Don't Rock" (1957, he wrote)
recorded as Jeff Daniels, "Switch-Blade Sam" (1959), "You're Still on My Mind" (1959, he wrote), "Someday You'll Remember" (1960)
songwriter (using the name Earl Lee)

Reg Owen (George Owen Smith)

b. 1921 in London, England - d. 23 May 1978 in Spain
pop musician, instrument: tenor sax
founding member of the Reg Owen Orchestra, "Manhattan Spiritual" (#10 1958, One-Hit Wonder), "Car-Hop" (1958), "Obsession" (1959), "Til Tomorrow" (1960), "When Did I Fall in Love?" (1960), "Hula Twist" (1961), "You Bewitching You" (1962)
songwriter
arranger

Court Pickett

b. 1950 in Athens, GA (grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL)
rock singer
instrument: guitar
"Alabama Smile" (1973), "You're Not There" (1973), "The Homecoming" (1973), "It's All Over Now" (1973)
founding member of Sailcat, "Motorcycle Mama" (#12 1972, a One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "Rainbow Road" (1972), "Highway Rider" (1972), "Highway Riff" (1972, he co-wrote), "Walking Together Backwards" (1972), "Sweet Little Jenny" (1973)
songwriter

Dave Rich

b. 1936 in Briar Creek, KY
country/rockabilly singer
"I Forgot" (1955), "Your Pretty Blue Eyes" (1956), "Red Sweater" (1957), "Rosie, Let's Get Cozy" (1958), "Sunshine in My Heart" (1958), "School Blues" (1958), "I've Thought it Over" (1958)
songwriter

Chuck Tharp (Charly Lee Tharp)

b. 1941 in El Paso, TX - d. 17 Mar 2006 in Clovis, NM (cancer)
rock singer
instrument: guitar
founding member of The Fireballs (1958-59, and reunions), "Fireball" (1958), "Torquay" (#39 1959), "Bulldog" (#24 1959), "Long Long Ponytail" (1959)
see The Fireballs

Frankie Vaughan (Francis Abelson)

b. 1928 in Liverpool, England – d. 17 Sep 1999 (heart failure)
pop singer
"Danger Signs" (1954), "Lucky Thirteen" (1956), "Garden of Eden" (1957), "Judy" (#22 1958, One-Hit Wonder), "Sometime Somewhere" (1959)
dancer; actor

Johnny 'Guitar' Watson (John Watson, Jr.)

b. 1935 in Houston, TX – d. 17 May 1996 in Japan (heart attack)
R&B/doo-wop singer
instruments: guitar, piano
"Highway 60" (1953), "Those Lonely, Lonely Nights" (1955), "Three Hours Past Midnight" (1956), "Deana Baby" (1958), "Wait a Minute, Baby" (1964), "Crazy about You" (1967), "You Bring Love" (1973)
with The Shields, "You Cheated" (#12 1958, One-Hit Wonder), "That's the Way it's Gonna Be" (1958), "I'm Sorry Now" (1958)
session musician with The Mothers of Invention, and others

February 4

Barry Beckett

b. 1943 in Birmingham, AL
R&B/rock musician, instruments: keyboards, piano, organ, electric piano
with Traffic
with The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
session musician on The Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There" (#1 1972); Paul Simon's "Kodachrome" (#2 1973); Kenny Chesney's "Fall in Love" (#6c 1995), "All I Need to Know" (#8c 1995); and with Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Etta James, and others
music producer; arranger

Clint Black (Clint Patrick Black)

b. 1962 in Long Branch, NJ (grew up in Katy, TX)
country singer
instruments: guitar, bass, drums, harmonica
"A Better Man" (#1c 1989, he co-wrote), "Killin' Time" (#1c 1989, he co-wrote), "Nobody's Home" (#1c 1990, he wrote), "Walkin' Away" (#1c 1990, he co-wrote), "Loving Blind" (#1c 1991, he wrote), "Where Are You Now?" (#1c 1991, he co-wrote), "We Tell Ourselves" (#2c 1992, he co-wrote), "When My Ship Comes in" (#1c 1993, he co-wrote), "No Time to Kill" (#3c 1993, he co-wrote), "Untanglin' My Mind" (#4c 1994, he co-wrote), "A Good Run of Bad Luck" (#1c 1994, he co-wrote), "State of Mind" (#2c 1994, he wrote), "Summer's Comin'" (#1c 1995, he co-wrote), "Wherever You Go" (#3c 1995, he co-wrote), "One Emotion" (#2c 1995, he co-wrote), "Like the Rain" (#1 1996, he co-wrote), "Something That We Do" (#67, #2c 1997, he co-wrote), "Nothin' But the Taillights" (#1c 1998, he co-wrote), "The Shoe's You're Wearing" (#1c 1998, he co-wrote), "Spend My Time" (#16c 2004, he co-wrote), "Rainbow in the Rain" (#44c 2005)
duet with Wynonna Judd, "A Bad Goodbye" (#43, #2c 1993, he wrote)
duets with Lisa Hartman, "When I Say I Do" (#31, #1c 1999, he wrote), "Easy for Me to Say" (#27c 2001, he co-wrote)
duet with Steve Wariner, "Been There" (#44, #5c 2000, he co-wrote)
duet with Martina McBride, "Still Holding on" (#11c 1997, he co-wrote)
backup singer on Jimmy Buffett's "Hey, Good Lookin'" (#8c 2004)
first artist to have five #1 hits from their first album
songwriter
fishing guide
md. to Lisa Hartman (1991- )
see Clint Black

Dave Buchanan (David Buchanan)

b. 1966
country singer
instrument: bass
founding member of Yankee Grey (1986- ), "All Things Considered" (#54, #8c 1999), "I Should Have Listened to Me" (1999), "That Would Be Me" (1999), "This Time Around" (#43c 2000), "Another Nine Minutes" (#74, #15c 2000), "Not That Way for Everyone" (2002), "Friends" (2002)

Paul Burlison

b. 1929 in Brownsville, TN (grew up in Memphis, TN) – d. 27 Sep 2003 in Lake Horn, MS (cancer)
rockabilly singer
instrument: lead guitar
"Lonesome Tears in My Eyes" (1997), "Lonesome Train (on a Lonesome Track)" (1997), "Train Kept A-Rollin'" (1997)
founding member of The Rock 'n' Roll Trio (aka The Johnny Burnette Trio) (1956-57), "Your Baby-Blue Eyes" (1956), "I Just Found Out" (1957)
Golden Glove champion boxer
served in the military

Alice Cooper (Vincent Damon Furnier)

b. 1948 in Detroit, MI (grew up in Phoenix, AZ)
rock singer
instruments: guitar, harmonica
"Only Women" (#12 1975, he wrote about a woman in an abusive marriage), "Welcome to My Nightmare" (#45 1975), "I Never Cry" (1976), "Poison" (#7 1989), "Only My Heart Talkin'" (1990), "Love's a Loaded Gun" (1991)
founding member of The Spiders (1964-67), "Don't Blow Your Mind" (1966, he co-wrote)
founding member of Alice Cooper (1968-74), "I'm Eighteen" (#21 1971), "Under My Wheels" (1971), "School's Out" (1972), "Elected" (#26 1972), "No More Mister Nice Guy" (#25 1973)
songwriter
DJ; actor
avid golfer
in 1974 he had his name legally changed to Alice Cooper and went solo
md. to choreographer, Sheryl Goddard (1976- )
see Alice Cooper

Carter Cornelius

b. 1948 in Dania Beach, FL - d. 7 Nov 1991 in Dania Beach, FL (heart attack)
rock/R&B singer
founding member of Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose (1971-76), "Treat Her Like a Lady" (#3 1972), "Too Late to Turn Back Now" (#2 1972), "Don't Ever Be Lonely" (1972), "I'm Never Gonna Be Alone Anymore" (1972), "Since I Found My Baby" (1974)

Billy Crittenden

b. 19??
country singer
founding member of 4Runner (1994-95), "Cain's Blood" (#26c 1995), "A Heart with a Four-Wheel Drive" (#51c 1995), "You Make the Moonlight" (1995), "Ripples" (#57c 1996)
backup singer with Amie Comeaux, and others
songwriter
see 4Runner on WikipediA

John 'Marmaduke' Dawson

b. 1945 in San Francisco, CA
country/rock singer
instruments: rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
founding member of New Riders of the Purple Sage (1969-82, and reunions), "Louisiana Lady" (1971, he wrote), "Last Lonely Eagle" (1971, he wrote), "Runnin' Back to You" (1972, he wrote), "California Day" (1972), "On My Way Back Home" (1972), "Lonesome L.A. Cowboy" (1973), "Sunday Susie" (1974, he wrote), "Neon Rose" (1974), "Farewell, Angelina" (1975), "Strangers on a Train" (1975), "Annie May" (1976), "Fifteen Days Under the Hood" (1976), "(Just) Another Night in Reno" (1977), "Till I Met You" (1977), "Green Eyes a Flashing" (1977), "Echoes" (1977), "The Way She Dances" (1980, he wrote), "Day Dreamin' Girl" (1980), "Saralyn" (1980, he wrote)
songwriter
he has emphysema
see New Riders of the Purple Sage

Phil Ehart

b. 1950 in Coffeyville, KS (grew up in Topeka, KS)
rock musician, instrument: drums
founding member of Kansas (1970- ), "Point of No Return" (#28 1977), "Carry on Wayward Son" (#11 1977), Dust in the Wind" (#6 1978), "People of the Southwind" (#23 1979), "Play the Game Tonight" (#17 1982), "All I Wanted" (#19 1986), "Cold Grey Morning" (1995)
see Kansas

Johnny Gambale

b. 1942 in Brooklyn, NY
R&B singer (tenor)
founding member of The Classics (1958- ), "Angel Angela" (1960), "Life is But a Dream" (1961), "Blue Moon" (#50 1962), "Til Then" (#20 1963, One-Hit Wonder), "P.S. I Love You" (1963), "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (and Dream Your Troubles Away)" (1963), "Dancing With You" (1965)

Margie Ganser (Marguerite Ganser)

b. 1948 in Laurelton, NY - d. 28 Jul 1996 in the Valley Stream, NY (breast cancer)
pop/rock singer
founding member of The Shangri-Las (1964-66), "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)" (#5 1964), * "Leader of the Pack" (#1 1964), * "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" (#18 1965), "Give Us Your Blessing" (#29 1965), "I Can't Never Go Home Anymore" (#6 1965), "The Train From Kansas City" (1965), "Dressed in Black" (1966), "Past, Present and Future" (#59 1966), "Long Live Our Love" (#33 1966)
identical twin to Mary Ann Ganser; md. to Mr. Droste

Mary Ann Ganser

b. 1948 in Laurelton, NY – d. 14 Mar 1970 in Queens, NY (barbiturate overdose)
pop/rock singer
founding member of The Shangri-Las (1964-68), "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)" (#5 1964), * "Leader of the Pack" (#1 1964), * "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" (#18 1965), "Give Us Your Blessing" (#29 1965), "I Can't Never Go Home Anymore" (#6 1965), "The Train From Kansas City" (1965), "Dressed in Black" (1966), "Past, Present and Future" (#59 1966), "Long Live Our Love" (#33 1966)
did not die of encephalitis
identical twin to Marge Ganser

Mike Hartman (Michael Hartman)

b. 1976 in Marion, IN - d. 6 Jul 2000 (complications of cystic fibrosis)
rock musician, instruments: guitar, bass
"A Song for Jeanie" (1999, he wrote), "Feel My Pain" (1999, he wrote), "Don't Look Back" (1999, he wrote), "Insanity" (1999, he wrote)
with David Lee Roth's band (1998), "King of the Hill" (1998, he co-wrote), "Slam Dunk" (1998)
songwriter

Florence LaRue (Florence Gordon)

b. 1944 in Philadelphia, PA
R&B singer
founding member of The Fifth Dimension (1965- ), "I'll Be Lovin' You Forever" (1966), "Paper Cup" (1967), "Go Where You Wanna Go" (#16 1967), "Up, up and Away" (#7 1967), "Stoned Soul Picnic" (#3 1968), "Sweet Blindness" (#13 1968), "California Soul" (#25 1969), "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine in" (#1 1969), "Wedding Bell Blues" (#1 1969), "Blowing Away" (#21 1970), "A Love Like Ours" (1970), "One Less Bell to Answer" (#2 1970), "Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes" (#19 1971), "Never, My Love" (#12 1971), "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" (#8 1972), "If I Could Reach You" (#10 1972), "Everything's Been Changed" (1973), "Lean on Me Always" (1974), "Speaking with My Heart" (1975), "You Are the Reason (I Feel Like Dancing)" (1978)

Chris McDaniel

b. 1965 in Rock Springs, GA
country/rock/honky-tonk musician, instrument: keyboards
founding member of Confederate Railroad (1987-99), "She Took it Like a Man" (#37c 1992), "Jesus and Mama" (#4c 1992), "Queen of Memphis" (#2c 1993), "Trashy Women" (#10c 1993), "When You Leave That Way You Can Never Go Back" (#14c 1993), "She Never Cried (When Ol' Yeller Died)" (#27c 1994), "Daddy Never Was the Cadillac Kind" (#9c 1994), "Redneck Romeo" (1994), "When and Where" (#24c 1995), "See Ya" (#51c 1996), "Keep on Rockin'" (1998), "Cowboy Cadillac" (#70c 1999)

Cliff Nobles

b. 1944 in Grove Hill, AL (grew up in Mobile, AL)
R&B/soul/pop singer
"My Love is Getting Stronger" (1966), "Too Fond of You" (1966)
founding member and lead of Cliff Nobles and Company, "Love is All Right" (1968, he wrote), "Judge Baby, I'm Back" (1968), "This Love Will Last" (1968)
ironically he was not on his band's hit, "The Horse" (#2 1968, One-Hit Wonder, he wrote), because it was an instrumental

Tim Ryan (Tim Ryan Rouillier)

b. 1964 in MT
country singer
instruments: drums, fiddle, guitar
"Dance in Circles" (#42c 1990, he co-wrote), "Honky-Tonk Highway" (1990), "Forbidden Ground" (1991), "Seventh Direction" (#68c 1991), "I Will Love You Anyhow" (#65c 1992), "Love on the Rocks" (1993)
songwriter

Steve Sparkman

b. 1972 in Harlan, KY
country singer
instruments: banjo, guitar
"Shamrock" (1997), "Harlan County Five-String" (1997), "Going Downtown" (1997), "Panhandle Country" (1997)
with The Clinch Mountain Boys (199?- ), "Legend of the Rebel Soldier" (1992), "White Dove" (1992), "Will You Miss Me?" (2002), "Daybreak in Dixie" (2002)
The Clinch Mountain Boys were also known as The Stanley Brothers

John Steel

b. 1941 in England
rock musician, instrument: drums
founding member of The Animals (1962-Mar66, and reunions), "House of the Rising Sun" (#1 1964), "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (#15 1965), "We've Got to Get Out of This Place" (#13 1965), "It's My Life" (#23 1965), "C.C. Rider" (#10 1966), "The Night" (#48 1983)

Sylvia Tatler

b. 1945 in England
folk/rock/pop singer
instrument: tambourine
founding member of The Silkie (1963- ), "Close the Door Gently" (1965), "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" (#10 1965, One-Hit Wonder), "City Winds" (1965, she co-wrote), "The Keys to My Soul" (1966)
songwriter
md. to Mike Ramsden (1966-2004, his death)

Spyder Turner (Dwight David Turner)

b. 1947 in Beckley, WV (grew up in Detroit, MI)
R&B singer
"Ride in My 225" (1964), "Stand by Me" (#12 1967, One-Hit Wonder), "I Can't Make it Anymore" (#95 1967), "Last Dragon" (1985)

Hal Wayne (Hal Wayne Vest)

b. 1946 - d. 7 Feb 2003 in TN (auto accident)
country singer
instruments: bass, drums, guitar
"Who's Gonna Sing the Harmony?" (1974, tribute to Don Rich), "Unfaithful Fools" (1974), "The Scrapbook" (1974), "Touch Me One More Time" (1974, he wrote)
with Pee Wee King's Golden West Cowboys
songwriter
music producer
younger brother of guitarist, Jim Vest

Kenny Wertz

b. 1942 in Washington, D.C.
country/rock/bluegrass singer
instruments: banjo, guitar
with the Flying Burrito Brothers (1972, replaced Bernie Leadon), "Dixie Breakdown" (1972), "Losing Game" (1972)
founding member of Country Gazette (1971, 1972-76), "I Wish You Knew" (1972), "The Fallen Eagle" (1973), "Roses for a Sunday Morning" (1974), "Holland Holiday" (1974), "Sunday Sunrise" (1974), "Still Feeling Blue" (1975), "Sure Didn't Take Him Long" (1975)
with Down the Road (1998-2002)
founding member of The Scottsville Squirrel Barkers
founding member of 117 West (2004- ), "With Care From Someone" (2006), "A Few Old Memories" (2006)
117 West is San Diego's navigational longitude
session musician with Roland White, and others
mechanical engineer

Dale Wright (Harlan Dale Riffe)

b. 1938/39 in Middleton, OH
rock singer
"Walk With Me" (1957, he wrote), "She's Neat" (#38 1958, One-Hit Wonder, he wrote), "Please Don't Do it" (1958, he wrote), "You're the Answer" (1958), "That's Show Biz" (1959, he wrote), "Rainy Night" (1962), "She's a Winner" (1964)
songwriter
DJ

February 5

Tex Atchison (Shelby David Atchison)

b. 1912 near Rosine, KY – d. 4. Aug 1982
western swing singer
instruments: fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo, sax, clarinet
"Blame Your Eyes" (1953), "Mail Man" (1961)
founding member and fiddle player with The Prairie Ramblers (1930-38), "Go Easy Blues" (1933, he co-wrote), "Shady Grove, My Darling" (1933, he co-wrote), "Next Year" (1933), "Blue River" (1933, he co-wrote), "Riding Down the Canyon" (1935), "Put on an Old Pair of Shoes" (1935)
The Prairie Ramblers backing Gene Autry, "Old Faithful" (#10 1935)
The Prairie Ramblers backed Patsy Montana (1933-38), * "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" (1935), "Give Me a Home in Wyoming" (1936), "Rodeo Sweetheart" (1938), "Shine on Rocky Mountain Moonlight" (1938), "Little Rose on the Prairie" (1938), "Someone to Go Home to" (1938), "Give Me a Straight-Shootin' Cowboy" (1938), "That's Where the West Begins" (1938)
with Riders of the Purple Sage (1945- )
fiddle sessionist with Merle Travis, Tex Ritter, Johnny Bond, Johnny Horton, and others
songwriter, co-wrote Johnny Bond's "Sick, Sober and Sorry" (#7c 1951)
actor; stunt double
left-handed; went to school with Bill Monroe
see Tex Atchison

Hal Blaine (Harold Simon Belsky)

b. 1929 in Holyoke, MA
rock musician, instrument: drums
founding member of Hal Blaine and the Young Cougars, "Bulldog Drummin'" (1964, he co-wrote), "How Come I Love You So Much?" (1963, he co-wrote), "Mutiny on the Bongos" (1963, he co-wrote), "Nashville Coupe" (1963), "The Drummer Plays for Me" (1963), "The Phantom Driver" (1963), "Gear Stripper" (1963)
founding member of The Super Stocks (1964-65), "'T' Roadster" (1964), "Ballad of Bonneville" (1964), "Wheel Stands" (1964), "Trophy Run" (1964), "Redondo Beach" (1964), "Malibu Blues" (1964), "Readin', Ridin' and Racin'" (1964)
with The Marketts, "Surfer's Stomp" (#31 1962), "Balboa Blue" (1962), "Out of Limits" (#3 1963), "Vanishing Point" (1964), "Batman Theme" (#17 1966) (not sure if he was on all of the songs)
with The Routers (actually a group of session musicians), * "Let's Go (Pony)" (#19 1962, One-Hit Wonder)
session drummer on Herb Alpert's "Taste of Honey" (#7 1965); Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night" (#1 1966); The Fifth Dimension's "Up, up and Away" (#7 1967), "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine in" (#1 1969); Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" (#1 1968), "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (#1 1970); Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love with You" (#2 1962); The Crystals Da Doo Ron Ron" (#3 1963), "He's a Rebel" (#1 1962); The Beach Boys' "Surfer Girl" (#7 1963), "Good Vibrations" (#1 1966), "I Get Around"(#1 1964); the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" (#1 1965); The Hondells' "Little Honda" (#9 1964); The Parade's "Sunshine Girl" (#20 1967); Gary Lewis and the Playboys' "This Diamond Ring" (#1 1965); John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" (#1, #1c 1975); and others
see Hal Blaine

Grace Broussard

b. 1939 in Prairieville, LA
swamp-pop/R&B singer
founding member of Dale and Grace (1963-65), "I'm Leaving it up to You" (#1 1963), "Stop and Think it Over" (#8 1964), "That's What I Like About You" (1964)
backup singer
sister of Van Broussard
of Cajun descent
see Dale and Grace
there is currently a different duo using the name Dale and Grace

Henson Cargill

b. 1941 in Oklahoma City, OK
country/pop singer
instrument: guitar
"How Long is Never?" (1967), "Skip a Rope" (#25, #1c 1968, Pop One-Hit Wonder), "She Thinks I'm on That Train" (#39c 1968), "A Candle for Amy" (1968), "Joe, Jesse, and I" (1968), "None of My Business" (8c 1969), "Hemphill Kentucky Consolidated Coal Mine" (1969), "The Most Uncomplicated Goodbye I've Ever Heard" (#18c 1970), "Four Shades of Love" (1970), "She Likes Warm Summer Days" (1972), "Some Old California Memory" (#28c 1973), "My '47 Chevy, My Honky-Tonk Guitar, and Me" (1973), "I Wish I'd Known Enough About Love" (1973), "She Still Comes to Me (to Pour the Wine)" (#78c 1974), "Silence on the Line" (#29c 1980)
songwriter
rancher

J. R. Cobb (James Cobb)

b. 1944 in Birmingham, AL
rock/country musician, instrument: guitar
lead guitarist with The Classic IV (1966-69), "Spooky" (#3 1968, he co-wrote), "Strange Changes" (1968), "Stormy" (#5 1969, he co-wrote), "Every Day with You, Girl" (#12 1969), "Traces" (#2 1969, he co-wrote)
founding member of The Atlanta Rhythm Section (1972- ), "Georgia Rhythm" (1976), "So into You" (#7 1977), "Imaginary Lover" (#7 1978), "I'm Not Gonna Let it Bother Me Tonight" (#14 1978), "Silver Eagle" (#75c 1980, he co-wrote), "Alien" (#29 1981)
session musician
songwriter, co- wrote Wynonna Judd's "Rock Bottom" (#2c 1994), Sandy Posey's "I Take it Back" (#12 1967), The Lettermen's "Traces" (#3 1969)
arranger
see Atlanta Rhythm Section

Jackie Lee Cochran (aka Waukeen Cochran aka 'Jack the Cat')

b. 1934/41 (maybe Apr 5) in Dalton, GA (raised in LA and TX) – d. 15 Mar 1998 (heart problems)
rockabilly singer
instrument: guitar
"Hip-Shakin' Mama" (1956, he wrote), "Mama, Doncha Think I Know?" (1957, he wrote), "Ruby Pearl" (1957), "Buy a Car" (1958), "I Wanna See You" (1959), "Georgia Lee Brown" (1959), "Trouble is Her Name" (1985), "Don't Be Long" (1987), "Rockabilly Music" (1987, he wrote), "Jack the Cat" (1987)
with The Rockabilly Rebels
songwriter
he was 1/4 Cherokee and adopted the name 'Waukeen' as a show of pride in his heritage

David Denny

b. 1948 in Berkeley, CA
rock/blues musician, instrument: guitar
"Circle of Fire" (1991, he wrote), "Thunderbird Sue" (1991), "Put the Night Away" (1991), "Without You" (1996), "If I Could Get Some Sleep" (1997), "Walk on the Wild Side" (1997), "Remnant of Grace" (1997)
with the Steve Miller Band (1970-73, 1976-79), "Going to the Country" (#69 1970), "Nothing Lasts" (1972), "The Joker" (#1 1973), "Fly Like an Eagle" (#2 1976), "Rock 'N Me" (#1 1976), "Sweet Maree" (1976), "Jet Airliner" (#8 1977)
founding member of The Sy Klopps Blues Band (1987-96)
songwriter
music producer
see the Steve Miller Band on Wikipedia

Sara Evans (Sara Linn Evans)

b. 1971 in Booneville, MO
country singer
instruments: guitar, drums
"Three Chords and the Truth" (#44c 1997, she co-wrote), "No Place That Far" (#37, #1c 1999, she co-wrote), * "Born to Fly" (#34, #1c 2001, she co-wrote), "Saints and Angels" (#16c 2001), "I Could Not Ask for More" (#35, #2c 2001), "I Keep Looking" (#35, #5c 2002, she co-wrote), "Suds in the Bucket" (#33, #1c 2004), "Perfect" (#46, #2c 2004, she co-wrote), * "A Real Fine Place to Start" (#38, #1c 2005), "Cheatin'" (#69, #9c 2005), "You'll Always Be My Baby" (#13c 2006), "As if" (#62, #11c 2007)
duet with The Warren Brothers, "That's the Beat of a Heart" (#22c 2000)
songwriter
md. to Craig Schelske (1993-2006)
see Sara Evans

Pam Gadd

b. 1960 in KY
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: banjo, guitar
"Hold Your Horses" (2001), "Some Things Stay the Same" (2001), "Love Never Felt Like This" (2001)
founding member of Wild Rose (1987-91), "Breakin' New Ground" (#15c 1989), "I Can't Lose What I Never Had" (1989), "Go Down Swingin'" (#38c 1990), "Hit the Highway" (1990), "Straight and Narrow" (#73c 1991), "Listen to Your Heart" (1991)
session banjoist
songwriter

Claude King

b. 1933 in Keithville, LA – d. 1983
country singer
instrument: guitar
"A Million Mistakes" (1950), "Not Sure of You" (1957), "Big River, Big Man" (#82, #7c 1961), "The Comancheros" (#71, #7c 1961), * "Little Bitty Heart" (1962), "Wolverton Mountain" (#6, #1c 1962, Pop One-Hit Wonder), "The Burning of Atlanta" (#53, #10c 1962), "Building a Bridge" (#12 1963, he wrote), "Hey Lucille" (#13c 1963), "A Lace Mantilla and a Rose of Red" (1963), "Sam Hill" (#11c 1964), "Tiger Woman" (#6c 1965, he co-wrote), "Catch a Little Raindrop" (#13c 1965), "Laura, What's He Got That I Ain't Got?" (#50c 1967), "Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife" (#18c 1969), "All for the Love of a Girl" (#9c 1969), "Four Roses" (1969), "Mary's Vineyard" (#17c 1971)
songwriter
actor

Al Kooper (Alan Peter Kuperschmidt)

b. 1944 in Brooklyn, NY
rock/blues/jazz singer
instruments: keyboards, organ, guitar, piano
"I Stand Alone" (1968), "You Never Know Who Your Friends Are" (1969, he wrote), "Sad Sad Sunshine" (1970, he wrote)
founding member of Blood Sweat and Tears (1967, on first album only), "Meagan's Gypsy Eyes" (1968)
founding member of The Blues Project
with The Royal Teens (1959, replaced Bill Dalton), possibly he played on "Believe Me" (#28 1959)
sessionist on Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" (#2 1965), Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" (#19 1975), and others
songwriter, wrote Gene Pitney's "I Must Be Seeing Things" (#31 1965); co-wrote Gary Lewis and the Playboys' "This Diamond Ring" (#1 1965)
music producer; arranger
author
see Blood, Sweat and Tears
see Al Kooper

Barrett Strong

b. 1941 in West Point, MS
R&B/soul singer
"Let's Rock" (1959), "Money (That's What I Want)" (#23 1960, One-Hit Wonder), "Yes, No, Maybe So" (1960), "What Went Wrong?" (1962), "Be My Girl" (1976), "Moments to Remember" (1976), "Gonna Make it Right" (1976)
songwriter, co-wrote The Temptations' "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" (#1 1972), "I Can't Get Next to You" (#1 1969), "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)" (#3 1970), "Cloud Nine" (#6 1969); Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it Through the Grape Vine" (#1 1968); Edwin Starr's "War" (#1 1970)
music producer

Larry Tamblyn

b. 1943
rock singer
instruments: organ, keyboards
"Patty Ann" (1960), "My Bride-to-Be" (1960)
founding member of The Standells (1962-68, and reunions), "Linda Lou" (1964), "The Girl in My Heart" (1964), "Don't Say Goodbye" (1965), "The Boy Next Door" (1965), "Dirty Water" (#11 1966, One-Hit Wonder), "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White" (#43 1966), "Why Pick on Me?" (#54 1966), "Try it" (1967, banned from many radio stations for its 'suggestive lyrics')
"Dirty Water" is played after every home victory of the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins
songwriter
arranger
see the

Corey Wells (Corey Julius Wells)

b. 1942 in Los Angeles, CA or Buffalo, NY
pop/rock singer
founding member of Three Dog Night (1968-76, and reunions), "One" (#5 1969), "Eli's Coming" (#10 1969), "Easy to Be Hard" (#4 1969), "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" (#1 1970), "Out in the Country" (#15 1970), "I Can Hear You Calling" (1970), "My Impersonal Life" (1971), "Pieces of April" (1971), "Liar" (#7 1971), * "Joy to the World" (#1 1971), "Never Been to Spain" (#5 1971), "An Old-Fashioned Love Song" (#4 1972), "Black and White" (#1 1972), "Shambala" (#3 1973), "The Show Must Go on" (#4 1974), "Sure As I'm Sitting Here" (#16 1974), "Til the World Ends" (#32 1975)
served in the Air Force
see Three Dog Night

Chuck Winfield

b. 1943 in Monessen, PA
rock/jazz musician, instruments: trumpet, sax
with Blood Sweat and Tears (1968-72, after the first album), "You've Made Me So Very Happy" (#2 1969), "More and More/Spinning Wheel" (#2 1969), "And When I Die" (#2 1969), "Hi-De-Ho" (#14 1970), "Lucretia MacEvil" (#29 1970), "Go Down Gamblin'" (#32 1971), "Lisa, Listen to Me" (#73 1971), "So Long Dixie" (#32 1972)
see Blood, Sweat and Tears

February 6

Rick Astley (Richard Paul Astley)

b. 1966 in Lancashire, England
pop/soul singer (baritone)
instruments: drums, piano
"Never Gonna Give You Up" (#1 1988), "Whenever You Need Somebody" (1987), "Together Forever" (#1 1988), "It Would Take a Strong, Strong Man" (#10 1988), "She Wants to Dance with Me" (#6 1988, he wrote), "Take Me to Your Heart" (1988), "Cry for Help" (#7 1991, he co-wrote), "Hopelessly" (#28 1993)
lead singer with FBI (English soul group) (1985)
backup singer on some of The Lion King soundtrack
songwriter
see his Rick Astley on Wikipedia

Donnie Brooks (John Dee Abohosh, changed to Johnny Faircloth when adopted by his stepfather)

b. 1936 in Dallas TX or Terrel, TX (grew up in Ventura, CA) - d. 23 Feb 2007 (heart attack)
rockabilly singer
"Betcha I Getcha" (1958), "White Orchid" (1959), "Mission Bell" (#7 1960), "Doll House" (#31 1960), "Round Robin" (1960), "Memphis" (#90 1960), "All I Can Give" (1961), "Wishbone" (1961), "Up to My Ears in Tears" (1961), "Just a Bystander" (1962), "My Favorite Kind of Face" (1962), "It's Not That Easy" (1962), "Pickin' Up the Pieces" (1964), "I Call Your Name" (1966), "Pink Carousel" (1966), "Blue Soldier" (1968), "Sunglasses on the Sand" (1968)
recorded as Johnny Faire, "Til the Law Says Stop" (1957)
recorded as Johnny Jordan, "Sweet, Sweet, Sweet" (1958), "Don't Cry, Little Baby" (1958)
recorded as Dick Bush, "Hollywood Party" (1958), "Exactly" (1958)
actor

Anita Cochran

b. 1967 in South Lyon, MI
country singer
instruments: guitar, banjo, mandolin, dobro, keyboards
"Daddy, Can You See Me?" (#69c 1997, she wrote), "I Could Love a Man Like That" (#64c 1997, she co-wrote), "She Wants to Ride" (1997, she wrote), "Will You Be Here?" (#69c 1997, she wrote), "For Crying Out Loud" (#58c 1999), "Good Times" (#50c 2000, she co-wrote), "Girls Like Fast Cars, Too" (2000, she wrote), "That's Not What I Said" (2000), "You With Me" (#61c 2000, she wrote)
duet with Steve Wariner, * "What if I Said?" (#59, #1c 1998, she co-wrote)
duet with Conway Twitty (by overdubbing), "(I Wanna Hear) a Cheatin' Song" (#57c 2004)
songwriter
music producer
she was named after Anita Carter of The Carter Family

Natalie Cole (Natalie Maria Cole)

b. 1950 in Los Angeles, CA
pop/R&B/jazz/soul singer
instrument: piano
"This Will Be (an Everlasting Love)" (#6 1975), "Inseparable" (#32 1976), "Sophisticated Lady" (#25 1976), "I've Got Love on My Mind" (#5 1977), "Our Love" (#10 1978), "Someone I Used to Love" (#21 1980), "I Live for Your Love" (#13 1987), "Pink Cadillac" (#5 1988), "Miss You Like Crazy" (#7 1989)
songwriter
daughter of Nat King Cole
md. to Marvin Yancy; md. to drummer, Andre Fischer

John Dillon

b. 1947 in Stuttgart, AR
country/rock singer
instruments: guitar, fiddle, mandolin, keyboards, autoharp, percussions
founding member of Ozark Mountain Daredevils (1971- ), "If You Want to Get to Heaven" (#14c 1974, he co-wrote), "It Probably Always Will" (1974), "Kansas, You Fooler" (1974), "Jackie Blue" (#3c 1975), "If I Only Knew" (1975), "Homemade Wine" (1976), "You Made it Right" (#84c 1976, he co-wrote), "Giving it All to the Wind" (1977), "River to the Sun" (1978)
songwriter
see The Ozark Mountain Daredevils

Fabian (Fabiano Anthony Forte)

b. 1943 in Philadelphia, PA
pop singer
"Shivers" (1958), "Lilly Lou" (1958), "Be My Steady Date" (1958), "Turn Me Loose" (#9 1959), "Hound Dog Man" (#9 1959), "Tiger" (#3 1959), "Come on and Get Me" (#29 1959), "Gonna Get You" (1959), "About This Thing Called Love" (#31 1960), "Long Before" (1961), "Break Down and Cry" (1963), "She's Staying Inside With Me" (1963)
actor
md. to Kate Forte (1980-90); md. to Andrea Patrick (1998- )

Esther 'Violet' Koehler

b. 1916 in Wilton, WI - d. 4 Oct 1973
bluegrass/folk singer
instruments: guitar, mandolin
founding member of The Coon Creek Girls (1937-39), "Banjo Pickin' Girl" (1938), "The Soldier and the Lady" (1938)
with The Callahan Brothers
md. Custer Ledford

John London (John Carl Kuehne)

b. 1942 in Bryan, TX - d. 12 Feb 2000 in Rockport, TX
rock/country musician, instrument: bass
founding member of Michael Nesmith and the First National Band (1970- ), "Joanne" (#21 1970), "Little Red Rider" (1970), "Silver Moon" (#42 1971), "Propinquity (I've Just Begun to Care)" (#95 1971), "Texas Morning" (1971), "Horse Race" (1979)
founding member of Mike and John and Bill, "How Can You Kiss Me?" (1963), "Just a Little Love" (1963)
session musician on The Monkees' "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" (#39 1967); and with Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and others
songwriter

Bob Marshall

b. 1945
rock musician, instrument: piano
founding member of The Chantays (1962- ), "Pipeline" (#4 1963, he co-wrote, One-Hit Wonder), "Only if You Care" (1964), "I'll Be Back Someday" (1965)

Richie McDonald (Richard Vance McDonald)

b. 1962 in Lubbock, TX or Mesquite, TX
country singer
instruments: acoustic guitar, keyboards
founding member and lead singer of Lonestar (1992- ), "Tequila Talkin'" (#18c 1995), "No News" (#1c 1996), "Runnin' Away with My Heart" (#8c 1996), "Heartbroke Every Day" (#18 1996), Come Cryin' to Me" (#1c 1997), "You Walked in" (#93, #12c 1997), "Everything's Changed" (#95, #2c 1998, he co-wrote), "Say When" (#13c 1998), * "Amazed" (#1, #1c 1999), "Smile" (#39, #1c 2000), "Tell Her" (#39, #1c 2000), "What About Now?" (#30, #1c 2000), * "I'm Already There" (#24, #1c 2001, he co-wrote), "With Me" (#63, #10c 2001), "Unusually Unusual" (#66, #12c 2002), * "Not a Day Goes By" (#36, #3c 2002), My Front Porch Looking in" (#23, #1c 2003, he co-wrote), "Walking in Memphis" (#61, #8c 2003), "Mr. Mom" (#33, #1c 2004, he co-wrote), "Let's Be Us Again" (#38, #4c 2004, he co-wrote), "What I Miss the Most" (2004), "Class Reunion (That Used to Be Us)" (#97, #16c 2005, he co-wrote), "You're Like Coming Home" (#63, #8c 2005), "I'll Die Tryin'" (#43c 2005), "Mountains" (#85, #14c 2006)
duet with Mindy McCready, "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now" (#18c 1997)
songwriter
see Lonestar

John Pisano

b. 1931 in Staten Island, NY
jazz musician, instrument: guitar
founding member of the Tijuana Brass, "The Lonely Bull (El Solo Torro)" (#6 1962), "All My Loving" (1964), "Mae" (1965), "A Taste of Honey" (#7 1965), "The Work Song" (#18 1966), "Zorba the Greek" (#11 1966), "Spanish Flea" (#27 1966), "What Now, My Love?" (#24 1966), "Casino Royale" (#27 1967), "This Guy's in Love With You" (#1 1968)
session guitarist with Natalie Cole, Benny Goodman, Peggy Lee, and others
served in the Air Force (1952-55)
see Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass

Thurl Ravenscroft (Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft)

b. 1914 in Norfolk, NE - d. 22 May 2005 in Fullerton, CA (prostate cancer)
novelty singer
"Oh, You Sweet One" (1956), "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" (1966, from How the Grinch Stole Christmas), "No Dogs Allowed" (1972, from Snoopy, Come Home)
with The Mellowmen
The Mellowmen were backup for Bing Crosby, Frankie Laine, Jo Stafford, and others
with The Johnny Mann Singers, "Summersong" (1962), "Whither Thou Goest" (1967), "If I Only Had Time" (1968)
The Johnny Mann Singers were backup for Bobby Vee, Gene McDaniels, Johnny Burnette, and others
voice actor, the voice of 'Tony the Tiger' for 53 years
navigator

Dale Reno

b. 1961 in Roanoke, VA
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: mandolin, guitar
founding member of The Reno Brothers (1984- ), "Yonder Comes a Freight Train" (#77c 1988), "Love Will Never Be the Same" (#84c 1989), "All That's Worth Remembering" (1992), "Kentucky Gold" (1992), "Homemade Love" (1994), "The Last Frontier" (1994), "Please Remember That I Love You" (1996), "Maybe You Will Change Your Mind" (1996), "Blue Ridge Side of Blue" (1998), "Somewhere Tonight" (1998)
son of Don Reno; brother of Ronnie and Don Reno

February 7

Tony Booth

b. 1943 in Tampa, FL
country singer
instruments: guitar, bass
"Irma Jackson" (#67c 1970), "One Too Many Times" (1970, he wrote), "Give Me One Last Kiss and Go" (1970), "Cinderella" (#45c 1972), "The Key's in the Mailbox" (#1c 1972), "A Whole Lot of Somethin'" (#18c 1972), "LOnesome 7-7203" (#16c 1972), "Secret Love" (#47c 1973), "When a Man Loves a Woman (the Way That I Love You)" (#19c 1973), "Old Faithful" (1973), "Happy Hour" (1973), "Midnight Race" (1973), "Workin' at the Car Wash Blues" (#27c 1974), "Someone Who Really Does" (1975), "Fading Tail Lights" (1977)
with Gene Watson's Farewell Party Band (1982- ), "You're Out Doing What I'm Here Doing Without" (#2c 1983), "Sometimes I Get Lucky and Forget" (#9c 1983), "You Waltzed Yourself Right Into My Life" (1983), "Forever Again" (#10c 1983), "She Sure Makes Leaving Look Easy" (1983)
songwriter
brother of Larry Booth
Harley Davidson enthusiast
see Tony Booth

Roger Bowling

b. 1943 in Harlan, KY - d. 26 Dec 1982 in GA (suicide)
country singer
"A Loser's Just a Learner (on His Way to Better Things)" (#90, 1978, he co-wrote), "Friday Night Fool" (#55c 1980, he wrote), "Yellow Pages" (#30c 1981, he co-wrote), "A Little Bit of Heaven" (#50c 1981, he co-wrote)
songwriter, co-wrote Kenny Rogers' "(You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me) Lucille" (#5, #1c 1977), "Coward of the County" (#3, #1c 1979); Billie Jo Spears' "Blanket on the Ground" (#78, #1c 1975), "What I've Got in Mind (Ain't Mine)" (#5c 1976), "'57 Chevrolet" (#16c 1978)

Oscar Brand

1920 in Winnipeg, Canada (grew up in the U.S.
folk singer
instrument: guitar
"Cats on the Rooftops" (1950), "I Wanted Wings" (1956), "Pie in the sky" (1969), "Kill for Peace" (1985), "The Leaves Turn to Paper" (1985), "We Love Cats" (1994), "Ancient Eyes" (1994), "Cat-Alist" (1994), "Them Doggoned Cats" (1994), "Follow the Fox" (1995), "There's a Dog" (1995), "A Good Old Dog" (1995)
songwriter
author
served in the Army during WWII

Garth Brooks (Troyal Garth Brooks)

b. 1962 in Luba, OK (grew up in Yukon, OK)
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Much Too Young (to Feel This Damn Old)" (#8c 1989, he co-wrote), * "If Tomorrow Never Comes" (#1c 1989, he co-wrote), * "The Dance" (#1c 1990), "Not Counting You" (#2c 1990, he wrote), * "Friends in Low Places" (#1c 1990, CMA single of the year 1991), "Unanswered Prayers" (#1c 1991, he co-wrote), "Rodeo" (#3c 1991), "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House" (#1c 1991), "The Thunder Rolls" (#1c 1991, he co-wrote), "Shameless" (#1c 1991), * "What She's Doing Now" (#1c 1992, he co-wrote), "The River" (#1c 1992, he co-wrote), "Somewhere Other Than the Night" (#1c 1993, he co-wrote), "That Summer" (#1c 1993, he co-wrote), "Ain't Goin' Down (Til the Sun Comes Up)" (#1c 1993, he co-wrote), "American Honky-Tonk Bar Association" (#1c 1993), "Learning to Live Again" (#2c 1993), "Callin' Baton Rouge" (#2c 1994), * "Standing Outside the Fire" (#3c 1994, he co-wrote), "She's Every Woman" (#1c 1995, he co-wrote), "That Ol' Wind" (#4c 1996, he co-wrote), "The Beaches of Cheyenne" (#1c 1996, he co-wrote), "Two Pina Colladas" (#1c 1998), "She's Gonna Make it" (#2c 1998, he co-wrote), "To Make You Feel My Love" (#1c 1998), "Lost in You" (#5, #62c 1999), "Wild Horses" (#50, #7c 2001, recorded 1990), * "Wrapped up in You" (#46, #5c 2002), "Good Ride, Cowboy" (#59, #3c 2005), "Please, Operator (Could You Trace This Call)?" (2005), "That Girl is a Cowboy" (#34c 2006), "More Than a Memory" (#53, #1c 2007)
recorded as Chris Gaines, "That's the Way I Remember it" (1999), "Unsigned Letter" (1999)
duet with Steve Wariner, "Longneck Bottle" (#1c 1997)
duets with Trisha Yearwood, "In Another's Eyes" (#2c 1997, he co-wrote), "Squeeze Me in" (#16c 2002), "Love Will Always Win" (#23c 2006)
songwriter
md. to Sandy Mahl (1986-2001); md. to Trisha Yearwood (2005- ); son of singer, Colleen Carroll
see Garth Brooks

David Bryan (David Bryan Rashbaum)

b. 1962 in Perth Amboy, NJ (grew up in Edison, NJ)
rock/country singer
instruments: keyboards, piano, trumpet, violin
"Mirror Image" (1991), "It's a Long Road" (1995), "In These Arms" (1995), "Summer of Dreams" (1995), "Second Chance" (2000)
founding member of Bon Jovi (1983- ), "Runaway" (#39 1983), "You Give Love a Bad Name" (#1 1986), "Livin' on a Prayer" (#1 1987), "Never Say Goodbye" (1987), "Bad Medicine" (#1 1988), "Born to Be My Baby" (#3 1988), "I'll Be There for You" (#1 1989), "Keep the Faith" (#29 1992), "Always" (#4 1994), "This Ain't a Love Song" (#14 1995), "Who Says You Can't Go Home?" (#23, #1c 2006), "(You Want to) Make a Memory" (#27, #35c 2007)
Bon Jovi and LeeAnn Rimes, "Til We Ain't Strangers Anymore" (#123, #47c 2007)
humanitarian
see Bon Jovi

Wilma Lee Cooper (Wilma Leigh Leary)

b. 1921 in Valley Head, WV
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: guitar, banjo
"The Tramp on the Street" (1948)
duets with Stoney Cooper, "The Legend of the Dogwood Tree" (1950), "All on Account of You" (1952), "Don't Play That Song (on the Jukebox Tonight)" (1953), "Can You Forget?" (1954), "How it Hurts to Cry Alone" (1955), "I've Been Cheated Too" (#14c 1956), "I Tell My Heart" (1957), "Come Walk with Me" (#4c 1958), "Big Midnight Special" (#4c 1959), "There's a Big Wheel" (#3c 1959), "Rachel's Guitar" (1959), "This Ole House" (#16c 1960), "Wreck on the Highway" (#8c 1961), "Singing Waterfall" (1962), "I Couldn't Care Less" (1964), "Never Very Far From My Mind" (1967)
duets with Al Terry, "Not Anymore" (1956), "It's Just As Well" (1958)
songwriter
md. to Stoney Cooper (1941-77, his death); mother of singer, Carolee Cooper

King Curtis (Curtis Ousley)

b. 1934 in Fort Worth, TX - d. 13 Aug 1971 in New York, NY (stabbed during a fight with a drug addict who confronted him near his home)
rock/jazz/soul singer
instruments: tenor sax, alto sax, soprano sax
"Dynamite at Midnight" (1957), "Just Smoochin'" (1958), "Jaywalk" (1959), "Restless Guitar" (1959), "Heavenly Blue" (1959), "The Lone Prairie" (1961), "Wagon Wheels" (1962), "The Monkey" (1963), "Pots and Pans" (1966), "Memphis Soul Stew" (#33 1967)
founding member of King Curtis and the Noble Knights, "Soul Twist" (#17 1962), "Twisting Time" (1962)
founding member of The Kingpins, "Ode to Billy Joe" (#28 1967), "For What it's Worth" (#87 1967), "Cook Out" (1968), "I Was Made to Love Her" (1968), "Eighth Wonder" (1968), "Patty Cake" (1969), "Popcorn Willie" (1969), "Teasin'" (1970)
session musician on The Coasters' "Yakety Yak" (#1 1958); Clyde McPhatter's "A Lover's Question" (#6 1958); Aretha Franklin's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (#6 1971); and with Bobby Darin, Brook Benton, Nat King Cole, John Lennon, Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, and others
songwriter

Ralph Flanagan (Ralph Elias Flanniken)

b. 1919 in Loraine, OH - d. 30 Dec 1995 in Miami, FL
swing/jazz musician, instrument: piano
with the Sammy Kaye Orchestra (1940- )
lead of the Ralph Flanagan Orchestra (1949- ), "Farewell, Amanda" (1949), "Don't Cry Joe" (#9 1949), "Rag Mop" (#3 1950), "Harbor Lights" (#5 1950), "It's Raining Sundrops" (1950), "Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)" (#10 1950), "Giannina Mia" (1950), "If I Had a Magic Carpet" (1950), "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year" (1950), "Singing Winds" (1950), "What, Where and When" (1950), "Slow Drive" (1951), "What's the Use of Wond'rin'" (1951), "I Remember the Cornfields" (1951), "I Should Care" (#3 1952), "Moonlight on the Campus" (1952), "Little Fraternity Pin" (1952), "You've Gotta Be a Football Hero (to Get Along With the Beautiful Girls)" (1952), "Hot Toddy" (#7 1953, he wrote), "The Stop and Kiss Dance" (1953), "Reverie in the Rain" (1954), "Angela Mia" (1954), "Sweethearts of Sigma Chi" (1955), "Crackerjack" (1956), "April Love" (1958)
songwriter
arranger
served in the Merchant Marines in WWII (1942-46)

Jimmy Greenspoon

b. 1948 in Los Angeles, CA
pop/rock musician, instruments: keyboards, piano
with Three Dog Night (1968-77, and reunions), "One" (#5 1969), "Eli's Coming" (#10 1969), "Easy to Be Hard" (#4 1969), "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" (#1 1970), "Out in the Country" (#15 1970), "I Can Hear You Calling" (1970), "My Impersonal Life" (1971), "Pieces of April" (1971), "Liar" (#7 1971), * "Joy to the World" (#1 1971), "Never Been to Spain" (#5 1971), "An Old-Fashioned Love Song" (#4 1972), "Black and White" (#1 1972), "Shambala" (#3 1973), "The Show Must Go on" (#4 1974), "Sure As I'm Sitting Here" (#16 1974), "'Til the World Ends" (#32 1975)
see Three Dog Night

Cameron Hill (Maurice Cameron Hill)

b. 1919 in Rusk, TX - 22 Jun 1962 in Houston, TX
western swing singer
instrument: guitar
with The Texas Playboys (1943-45), "New San Antonio Rose" (remake, #3c 1944), "Smoke on the Water" (#1c 1945), "Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima" (#1c 1945), "Roly Poly" (1945), "Nobody's Darling But Mine" (1945), "Texas Two-Step" (1945)
with The Texas Wanderers
with the bands of Spade Cooley, Tommy Duncan, and others
session musician with Roy Rogers, Slim Whitman, and others
md. to Laura Lee Owens (1944-46); md. to singer, Becky Barfield (1949-58, her death)
see The Texas Playboys

Sammy Johns

b. 1946 in Charlotte, NC
country/pop singer
instrument: guitar
"Run, Boy, Run" (1973), "Friends of Mine" (1973, he wrote), "Early Morning Love" (#79c 1975, he wrote), "Common Man" (#50c 1981, he wrote), "Chevy Van" (#5 1975, #80c 1988, he wrote)
founding member of Sammy Johns and the Chevy Band, "Dancin' Again" (2000), "Goodbye Eyes" (2000), "Gone But Not Forgotten" (2000)
songwriter

Alan Lancaster (Alan Charles Lancaster)

b. 1949 in South London, England
rock singer
instrument: bass
founding member of Status Quo (1966-85), "Pictures of Matchstick Men" (1967, One-Hit Wonder), "Ice in the Sun" (1968), "Technicolor Dreams" (1969), "Paper Plane" (1972), "Down Down" (1975), "Rockin' All Over the World" (1977), "Again and Again" (1978), "Whatever You Want" (1979)
songwriter

David Sanger

b. 19?? in Coronado, CA
western swing musician, instrument: drums
with Asleep at the Wheel (1986- ), "House of Blue Lights" (#17c 1987), "Way Down Texas Way" (#39c 1987), "Hot Rod Lincoln" (#65c 1988), "Walk on By" (#55c 1988), "Keepin' Me Up Nights" (#54c 1990), "Dance With Who Brung You" (#71c 1991), "Red Wing" (1993), "The End of the Line" (1999), "One Six-Pack to Go" (2003), "Amarillo by Morning" (2003), "Texas, Me and You" (2005)
md. to Elizabeth McQueen
see Asleep at the Wheel

Walter Scott (Walter Notheis, Jr.)

b. 1943/45 - d. 27 Dec 1983 (murdered)
rock/soul/pop singer
"Watch Out" (1966), "It's Been a Long Time" (1967), "Silly Girl" (1967)
with The Pacemakers
founding member and lead singer of Bob Kuban and the In-Men (1964- ), "(You Gotta) Dance with Me" (1965), "The Cheater" (#12 1966, One-Hit Wonder), "The Teaser" (#70 1966), "Drive My Car" (#93 1966)
Bob Kuban and the In-Men performed at the first St. Louis Cardinals' game played at Busch Memorial Stadium
ironically 17 years after having a hit song about unfaithfulness, he was murdered by his wife's lover in collusion with his wife, his body was not found for several years; Scottie Priesmeyer wrote a book about the murder called The Cheaters

Warren Smith

b. 1933 in Humphreys County, MS (grew up in Louise, MS) – d. 30 Jan 1980/81 in Longview, TX (heart attack)
rockabilly/country singer
"Rock 'n' Roll Ruby" (1956), "I'd Rather Be Safe Than Sorry" (1956), "So Long, I'm Gone" (1957), "Sweet Sweet Girl" (1958), "I Don't Believe I'll Fall in Love Today" (#5c 1960), "A Whole Lot of Nothin'" (1961), "Odds and Ends (Bits and Pieces)" (#7c 1961), "Call of the Wild" (#26 1961), "Bad News Gets Around" (1962), "That's Why I Sing in a Honky-Tonk" (#25c 1963), "Big City Ways" (1963), "Blue Smoke" (#41c 1964), "Judge and Jury" (1964)
duet with Shirley Collie, "Why, Baby, Why?" (#23c 1961)
songwriter
he is considered to Be one with the first U.S. rock musicians
served in the Air Force

Bert Sommer

b. 1949 - d. 23 Jul 1990 in Troy, NY
folk/pop/rock singer
instrument: piano
"And When it's Over" (1968, he wrote), "The Road to Travel" (1968, he wrote), "A Note That Read" (1968, he wrote), "We're All Playing in the Same Band" (1969, he wrote), "Stick Together" (1970, he wrote), "She Knows Me Better" (1970, he wrote), "Stuck Inside the Maze" (1977, he wrote)
with The Left Banke (1967), "And Suddenly" (1967, he co-wrote), "Ivy Ivy" (1967, he co-wrote)
he performed at Woodstock
songwriter
actor

Donna Stoneman (Donna LaVerne Stoneman)

b. 1934 in Alexandria, VA
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: guitar, mandolin, fiddle
founding member of The Stonemans (1956- ), "Nobody's Darling But Mine" (1962), "Tupelo County Jail" (#40c 1966), "The Five Little Johnson Girls" (#21c 1966), "Katie Klein" (1967), "Christopher Robin" (#41c 1968), "I'll Be Here in the Morning" (1970)
founding member of The Bluegrass Champs (1955- )

February 8

Creed Bratton (William Charles Schneider)

b. 1943 in Los Angeles, CA (grew up in Coarsegold, CA
folk/rock singer
instruments: lead guitar
founding member of The Grass Roots (1967-69), "Let's Live for Today" (#8 1967), "Things I Should Have Said" (#23 1967), "No Exit" (1967), * "Midnight Confessions" (#5 1968), "Bella Linda" (#28 1969), "Walking Through the Country" (#44 1969), * "Heaven Knows" (#24 1969), "I'd Wait a Million Years" (#15 1969), "The River is Wide" (#31 1969)
songwriter
actor
see The Grass Roots

Shelley Briar (Sheldon Briar)

b. 1943 - d. 24 Dec 1999 (cancer)
rock/doo-wop singer
founding member of The Safaris (1959-61), "Image of a Girl" (#6 1960, One-Hit Wonder), "Girl with the Story in Her Eyes" (#85 1960), "Soldier of Fortune" (1961)
attorney

Buddy Cagle (Walter L. Cagle, Jr.)

b. 1936 in Concord, NC (grew up in Winston-Salem, NC
country singer
"Your Mother's Prayer" (29c 1963), "Sing a Sad Song" (#26c 1963), "Afraid to Go" (1964), "Honky-Tonkin' Again" (37c 1965), "Tonight I'm Coming Home" (#31c 1966), "Apologize" (#57c 1967), "Cincinnati Stranger" (1967), "Long Time Traveling" (#75c 1968), "Five Miles South of Nowhere" (1968), "As if I Needed to Be Reminded" (1969), "Mud is to Jump in" (1969)
duet with Penny DeHaven, "Kid Games and Nursery Rhymes" (1968)
served in the Air Force
grew up in an orphanage

Bob Dunn (Robert Lee Dunn)

b. 1908 in Fort Gibson, OK - d. 27 May 1971 in Houston, TX (lung cancer)
western swing/country/blues musician, instruments: electric steel guitar, trombone
with The Musical Brownies (1934-36), "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon" (1934), "One of Us Was Wrong" (1935), "Beautiful Texas" (1935), "Little Betty Brown" (1935), "Mexicali Rose" (1936), "The Eyes of Texas" (1936), "My Galveston Gal" (1936), "If You Can't Get Five, Take Two" (1936)
with Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers
the Texas Wanderers recording as Bob Dunn's Vagabonds, "Mama's Gone Goodbye" (1939), "I Want the Whole World to Know (I Love You)" (1939), "Meet Me Tonight in My Dreams" (1939), "Juke Box Rag" (1940), "'Round Her Neck She Wears a Yellow Ribbon" (1940)
he was the first musician to play an electric guitar on a recording (1935)
session musician
songwriter
served in the Navy in WWII
see Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies

Fito de la Parra (Adolfo de la Parra aka Alfredo Fito)

b. 1946 in Mexico City, Mexico
blues/rock musician, instruments: drums
with Canned Heat (1968- , replaced Bob Cook), "On the Road Again" (#16 1968), "Going up the Country" (#11 1968), "Let's Work Together" (#26 1970), "Wooly Bully" (1971), "Long Way from L.A." (1971)
Canned Heat performed at Woodstock
sessionist for The Platters, The Shirelles, and others
see Canned Heat

Terry Melcher

b. 1942 in New York, NY - d. 19 Nov 2004 in Beverly Hills, CA (melanoma)
rock/pop singer
instrument: piano
"Arkansas" (1974), "Fourth Time Around" (1974), "So Right Tonight" (1976, he wrote)
duets with Bruce Johnston as Bruce and Terry, "I Saw Her First" (1959), "Custom Machine" (#85 1964), "Summer Means Fun" (#72 1964), "Girl, it's All Right Now" (1966), "Take it to Mexico" (1975)
with The Rip Chords, "Here I Stand" (#51 1963), "Gone" (#83 1963), "Hey Little Cobra" (#4 1963, he co-wrote), "Three-Window Coupe" (#28 1964)
songwriter, co-wrote The Beach Boys' "Kokomo" (#1 1988); Paul Revere and the Raiders' "Him or Me – What's it Gonna Be" (#7 1967)
music producer
son of actress, Doris Day and musician, Al Jorden; later adopted by his step-father Martin Melcher

Buddy Morrow (Muni Zudecoff aka Moe Zudecoff)

b. 1919 in New Haven, CT
R&B/jazz/swing musician, instruments: trombone
"Rose, Rose, I Love You" (#8 1951), "In the Land of Make Believe" (1951), "Night Train" (#27 1952), "Hey, Mrs. Jones" (1952), "Denise" (1953), "Tippity Top" (1955), "Black Saddle" (1959), "The Deputy" (1960)
with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (1938)
with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra
with Bob Crosby's band (1941)
session musician with Artie Shaw, Paul Whiteman, and others
served in the Navy (1942-44)

Jim Mundy (James White)

b. 1934 in Muldrow, OK
country singer
"Hurting All the Time" (1969), "Pull My String and Wind Me Up" (1969), "Road Map" (1970), "The River's Too Wide" (#13c 1973), "Come Home" (#49c 1974), "She's Already Gone" (#37c 1975, he wrote), "Blue Eyes and Waltzes" (#81c 1975), "Summertime Blues" (#70c 1977), "I'll Love You All Over Again" (2006), "If She Calls" (2006), "Sugar-Free" (2006)
duets with Terri Melton, "If You Think I Love You Now" (#76c 1978), "Kiss You All Over" (#87c 1979)
songwriter, wrote Del Reeves' "Philadelphia Fillies" (#9c 1971)
brother of Ann J. Morton and Bill White

Don Reno (Don Wayne Reno)

b. 1963 in Roanoke, VA
bluegrass singer
instruments: upright bass, banjo, guitar
founding member of The Reno Brothers (1984- ), "Yonder Comes a Freight Train" (#77c 1988), "Love Will Never Be the Same" (#84c 1989), "All That's Worth Remembering" (1992), "Kentucky Gold" (1992), "Homemade Love" (1994), "The Last Frontier" (1994), "Please Remember That I Love You" (1996), "Maybe You Will Change Your Mind" (1996), "Blue Ridge Side of Blue" (1998), "Somewhere Tonight" (1998)
son of Don Reno; brother of Ronnie and Dale Reno

Steve Scruggs

b. 1958 in Nashville, TN – d. 23 Sep 1992 (gunshot wounds)
country musician, instrument: drums
with Earl Scruggs Revue, "Step it up and Go" (1973), "Good Morning Sundown" (1974), "Harley" (1976), "Stay a Little Longer" (1977), "I Could Sure Use the Feeling" (#30c 1979), "Blue Moon of Kentucky" (#46c 1980)
son of Earl Scruggs
he shot himself after murdering his wife

Dan Seals (Dan Wayland Seals aka 'England Dan')

b. 1948/50 in McCamey, TX (grew up in Rankin, TX)
country/rock/folk/pop singer
instruments: upright bass, 9-string guitar, guitar, alto sax, soprano sax
"Late at Night" (#57 1980), "Everybody's Dream Girl" (1983), "God Must Be a Cowboy" (#10c 1984, he wrote), "My Baby's Got Good Timing" (#2c 1984, he co-wrote), "My Old Yellow Car" (#9c 1985), * "Bop" (#42, #1c 1986, CMA single of the year 1986), "Everything That Glitters (is Not Gold)" (#1c 1986, he co-wrote), "You Still Move Me" (#1c 1986, he wrote), "Three-Time Loser" (#1c 1987, he wrote), "I Will Be There" (#1c 1987), "One Friend" (#1c 1987, he wrote), "Addicted" (#1c 1988), "Big Wheels in the Moonlight" (#1c 1988, he co-wrote), "Love on Arrival" (#1c 1990, he wrote), "Good Times" (#1c 1990), "Someone Else's Dance" (1992), "All Fired Up" (#66c 1994), "Still Reelin' (From the Rock 'n' Roll Days)" (1994), "Angel Eyes" (2002)
with England Dan and John Ford Coley (1969-80), "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" (#2 1976), "Nights are Forever Without You" (#10 1976), "Gone Too Far" (#23 1977, he co-wrote), "It's Sad to Belong to Someone Else" (#21 1977), "Soldier in the Rain" (1977), "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again" (#9 1978), "Love is the Answer" (#10 1979)
duet with Marie Osmond, "Meet Me in Montana" (#1c 1985)
songwriter
brother of Jim and Eddie Seals; cousin of Brady Seals and Johnny Duncan
as of 2007 he is undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Ray Sharpe

b. 1938 in Fort Worth, TX
blues/rockabilly singer
instrument: guitar
"That's the Way I Feel" (1958), "Linda Lu" (#46 1959, he wrote), "Monkey's Uncle" (1959, he wrote), "The Day You Left Me" (1963), "Another Piece of the Puzzle" (1971)
songwriter

Kit Stewart (Carson Wesley Stewart

b. 1940 (grew up in PA) - d. 2 Jul 2001
pop/rock singer
instrument: drums
founding member and leader of The Kit Kats (1962-72), "Good Luck Charlie" (1963), "You're No Angel" (1964, he co-wrote), "Breezy" (1967, he co-wrote), "You've Got to Know" (1967), "Distance" (1967), "I Want to Be" (1968), "Hey, Saturday Noon" (1968), "Taking My Time" (1971)
The Kit Kats recording as New Hope, "Won't Find Better Than Me" (#57 1969, he co-wrote), "They Call it Love" (1969), "The Money Game" (1970)
The Kit Kats recording as The Tik Taks, "Let's Get Lost on a Country Road" (#119 1967, he co-wrote), "The Nut Rocker" (1967)
songwriter
served in the Navy
see The Kit Kats

Larry Verne (Larry Vern Erickson)

b. 1936 in Minneapolis, MN
country/novelty singer
"Mr. Custer" (#1 1960, One-Hit Wonder), "Okeefenokee Two-Step" (1960), "Mister Livingston" (#75 1960), "Charlie at Bat" (1961), "Beatnik" (1961), "The Coward Who Won the West" (1962), "The Porcupine Patrol" (1962), "Running Through the Forest" (1964)

Merle Watson (Eddy Merle Watson)

b. 1949 in Deep Gap, NC - d. 23 Oct 1985 (tractor accident)
country/blues singer
instruments: banjo, guitar
duets with Doc Watson, "Alabama Bound" (1971), "Three Times Seven" (1972), "Twinkle Twinkle" (1972), "Bottle of Wine" (#71c 1973), "Kinfolks in Carolina" (1974), "Broomstraw Philosophers and Scuppernong Wine" (1977), "Don't Think Twice, it's All Right" (#88c 1978), "Under the Double Eagle" (1978), "Memories of You, Dear" (1979), "Below Freezing" (1981), "How Long Blue?" (1981), "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (1984), "Hesitation Blues" (1984), "I'm a Stranger Here" (1986)
had polio as a child
son of Doc Watson

Black Jack Wayne

b. 1923 in OK - d. 30 Jun 1999
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Shallow Water" (1957), "Red Silk Stockings and Green Perfume" (1960), "Dancing with a Stranger" (1960)
with The Rattlesnake Ramblers
founding member of Black Jack Wayne and the Bar-10 Ranch Boys, "A Dream Just Won't Do" (1956)
founding member of Black Jack Wayne and the Rovin' Gamblers, "Ride, Gunman, Ride" (1959)
songwriter

Paul Wheatbread

b. 1946 in San Diego, CA
pop/rock musician, instruments: drums
founding member of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap (1967-71), * "Woman, Woman" (#4 1968), * "Young Girl" (#2 1968), * "Lady Willpower" (#2 1968), * "Over You" (#7 1968), "Don't Give in to Him" (#15 1969), * "This Girl is a Woman Now" (#9 1969), * "Little Green Apples" (1969), "Let's Give Adam and Eve Another Chance" (#41 1970)
session musician
see Gary Puckett and the Union Gap

February 9

Charlie Bailey

b. 1916 in Happy Valley, TN - d. 12 Mar 2004 in Bear, DE
bluegrass singer
instruments: mandolin, guitar, dobro
founding member of The Bailey Brothers (aka The Happy Valley Boys) (1940-41, 1946-54, and reunions), "I Will Never Marry" (1947), "Whispering Hope" (1975), "Honeysuckle Rose" (1975), "Mountain Laurel" (1975)
served in the Army (1941-46)
brother of Danny Bailey

Andrew Clark

b. 1981 in VA
country singer
instrument: drums
founding member of The Clark Family Experience (1993- ), "Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch" (#80, #18c 2001), "To Quote Shakespeare" (#51c 2001), "Just Emily" (2001), "Standin' Still" (#36c 2001), "Going Away" (#44c 2002), "It'll Always Be You" (2002)
brother of Alan, Aaron, Adam, Ashley, and Austin Clark
see The Clark Family Experience on Wikipedia

Joe Ely

b. 1947 in Amarillo, TX (grew up in Lubbock, TX)
country/rock/honky-tonk singer
instruments: guitar, steel guitar
"All My Love" (#89c 1977, he wrote), "I Had My Hopes up High" (1977, he wrote), "Because of the Wind" (1978, he wrote), "Honky-Tonk Masquerade" (1978, he wrote), "She Leaves You Where You Are" (1979, he wrote), "Musta Gotta Notta Lotta" (#40 1981, he wrote), "Road Hawg" (1981), "Letter to Laredo" (1984, he wrote), "Imagine Houston" (1984, he wrote), "Letter to L.A." (1987, he wrote), "Me and Billy the Kid" (1987, he wrote), "Maybe She'll Find Me" (1988, he wrote), "For Your Love" (1988, he wrote), "Row of Dominoes" (1988), "My Eyes Got Lucky" (1988), "Highways and Heartaches" (1993, he co-wrote), "Sleepless in Love" (1993, he wrote), "Ranches and Rivers" (1995, he wrote), "All Just to Get to You" (1995, he co-wrote), "Twistin' in the Wind" (1998, he wrote), "Up on the Ridge" (1998, he wrote), "Twisty River Bridge" (2003), "95 South" (2003)
founding member of The Flatlanders (1970-72, and reunions), "The Heart You Left Behind" (1990), "South Wind of Summer" (1998, he co-wrote), "My Wildest Dreams Grow Wilder Every Day" (2002, he co-wrote), "Right Where I Belong" (2002, he co-wrote), "Neon of Nashville" (2004), "Once Followed By the Wind" (2004), "Wishin' for You" (2004)
with Buzzin' Cousins (group created for the movie Falling From Grace), "Sweet Suzanne" (#68c 1992)
songwriter

Carole King (Carol Klein)

b. 1942 in Brooklyn, NY
pop singer
instrument: piano
"Goin' Wild" (1958), "Oh, Neil" (reply to Neil Sedaka's "Oh Carol"), "It Might as Well Rain Until September" (#22 1962, she co-wrote), "We Grew Up Together" (1963), "I Feel the Earth Move" (#1 1971), "It's Too Late" (#1 1971), "You've Got a Friend" (1971), "Sweet Seasons" (#9 1972), "Jazzman" (#2 1974), "Nightingale" (#9 1975), "Really Rosie" (1975), "One Fine Day" (#12 1980)
songwriter, co-wrote The Shirelles' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" (#1 1960); The Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (#3 1967); Bobby Vee's "Take Good Care of My Baby" (#1 1961); Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion" (#1 1962); The Drifters' "Up on the Roof" (#5 1962); Steve Lawrence's "Go Away, Little Girl" (#1 1962); Herman's Hermits' "I'm into Something Good" (#16 1964); The Everly Brothers' "Crying in the Rain" (#6 1962); The Chiffons' "One Fine Day" (#5 1963)
music producer; actor
environmental activist
md. to Gerry Goffin, md. to Charles Larkey, md. to Rick Evers
see Carole King

Red Lane (Hollis Rudolph DeLaughter)

b. 1939 in Bogalusa, LA
country singer
instruments: guitar, lap steel guitar, keyboards
"Sing That Song Again" (1970), "The World Needs a Melody" (#32c 1971, he co-wrote), "Throw a Rope Around the Wind" (#66c 1972), "It Was Love While it Lasted" (#65c 1972)
with Justin Tubb's band (1964- )
with Dottie West's band
with Merle Haggard's band The Strangers
songwriter, co-wrote Merle Haggard's "My Own Kind of Hat" (#4c 1979), Tammy Wynette's "Till I Get it Right" (#1c 1972), Dottie West's "Country Girl" (#15c 1968)
auto mechanic
served in the Air Force

Danni Leigh

b. 1970 in Strasburg, VA
country singer
instrument: guitar
"If the Jukebox Took Teardrops" (#57c 1998), "Mixed-up Mess of a Heart" (1998), "Honey, I Do" (#59c 2001), "I Don't Feel That Way Anymore" (#56c 2001)
songwriter
see Danni Leigh

Barbara Lewis

b. 1943 in Salem, MI
R&B singer
"Puppy Love" (#38 1964), "Baby, I'm Yours" (#11 1965), "Make Me Your Baby" (#11 1965, she wrote), "Make Me Belong to You" (#28 1966), "I Remember the Feeling" (1966), "Only All the Time" (1967), "You're a Dream Maker" (1968), "I Keep Believing" (1968), "Why Did it Take So Long?" (1970), "Just the Way You Are Today" (1970)
backed by The Dells, "Hello, Stranger" (#3 1963, she wrote)
songwriter

Barry Mann (Barry Iberman)

b. 1939 in Brooklyn, NY
R&B/pop singer
"Who Put the Bomp?" (#7 1961, One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "Hey Baby, I'm Dancin'" (1962), "Graduation Time" (1963), "Ain't No Way to Go Home" (1971), "Brown-Eyed Woman" (1980), "You're the Only One" (1980)
songwriter, co-wrote Eydie Gorme's "Blame it on the Bossa Nova" (#7 1963); The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (#1 1965), "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" (#1 1966); Dan Hill's "Sometimes When We Touch" (#3 1977); Jay and the Americans' "Only in America" (#25 1963); Mama Cass Elliot's "Make Your Own Kind of Music" (#36 1969); Dickey Lee's "Patches" (#6 1962); Dolly Parton's "Here You Come Again" (#3, #1c 1977), The Crystals' "He's Sure the Boy I Love" (#11 1963); The Drifters' "Saturday Night at the Movies" (#18 1964); Gene Pitney's "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" (#28 1965); Martina McBride's "Wrong Again" (#36, #1c 1999)
md. to songwriter, Cynthia Weil (1961- )
see Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

Marcel (Marcel Francois Chagnon)

b. 1975 in Grosse Pointe, MI
country singer
instruments: guitar, harmonica
"Country Rock Star" (#46c 2002, he co-wrote), "You, Me and the Windshield" (2003), "Missing You" (2003), "Nothing to Lose" (2003), "Holding on to Letting Go" (2003)
songwriter, co-wrote Josh Gracin's "Nothin' to Lose" (#1c 2005), "Favorite State of Mind" (#19c 2006)
pro hockey player

Marc Mathis (Marcus Felton Mathis)

b. 1940/42 in Hahira, GA
pop singer
duets with Dean Mathis as The Marcus Brothers, "Lazy Susan" (1958), "Little Girl in Pigtails" (1958), "You'll Never Really Know" (1965)
founding member of The Newbeats (1964-74), "Bread and Butter" (#2 1964), "Everything's Alright" (#16 1964), "Tough Little Buggy" (1964), "Break Away (From That Boy)" (#40 1965), "Run, Baby, Run (Back into My Arms)" (#12 1965), "A Patent on Love" (1966), "Crying My Heart Out" (1966), "My Yesterday Love" (1966), "Shake Hands (and Come Out Crying)" (1966), "Evil Eva" (1966), "Top Secret" (1967), "You and Me and Happiness" (1967), "It's Really Goodbye" (1967), "Ain't That Lovin' You, Baby?" (1968), "Michelle DeAnn" (1968), "I've Been a Long Time Loving You" (1968), "Remember Love" (1972)
brother of Dean Mathis

Rich McCready (Richard Wayne McCready)

b. 1970 in Seneca, MO
country/Christian/western swing singer
instrument: guitar
"Hangin' on" (#58c 1996, he co- wrote), "Thinkin' Strait" (#53c 1996, he co-wrote), "When Hell Freezes Over" (1996), "That Just about Covers it" (#74c 1997), "Clean Living Down the Ole Dirt Road" (2004), "Wish I Was in Wichita" (2005), "All I've Ever Known" (2005)
songwriter

Travis Tritt (James Travis Tritt)

b. 1963 in Marietta, GA
country/rock/honky-tonk singer
instrument: guitar
"Country Club" (#9c 1989), "Help Me Hold on" (#1c 1990, he co-wrote), "I'm Gonna Be Somebody" (#2c 1990), "Drift Off to Dream" (#3c 1991, he co-wrote), "Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)" (#2c 1991, he wrote), "If Hell Had a Jukebox" (1991), "Nothing Short of Dying" (#4c 1991, he wrote), "Anymore" (#1c 1992, he co-wrote), "Can I Trust You with My Heart?" (#1c 1993, he co-wrote), "Worth Every Mile" (#30c 1993, he wrote), "Foolish Pride" (#1c 1994, he wrote), "Between an Old Memory and Me" (#11c 1994), "Tell Me I Was Dreaming" (#2c 1995, he co-wrote), "Sometimes She Forgets" (#7c 1995), "More Than You'll Ever Know" (#3c 1996, he wrote), "Where Corn Don't Grow" (#6c 1997), "She's Going Home With Me" (#24c 1997, he wrote), "The Road to You" (1998), "No More Looking Over My Shoulder" (#38c 1998), "Start the Car" (#52c 1999), "Best of Intentions" (#27, #1c 2000, he wrote), * "Great Day to Be Alive" (#33, #2c 2000), "Love of a Woman" (#39, #2c 2001), * "Strong Enough to Be Your Man" (#13c 2002, he wrote), "The Girl's Gone Wild" (#28c 2004), "You Never Take Me Dancing" (#27c 2007)
duet with Patty Loveless, * "Out of Control Raging Fire" (2001), * "I Know You're Married (But I Love You Still)" (2001)
duets with Marty Stuart, "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'" (#2c 1992), "Honky-Tonkin's What I Do Best" (#23c 1996)
duet with John Mellencamp, "What Say You?" (#21c 2004)
duet with Lari White, "Helping Me Get Over You" (#18c 1997)
songwriter
actor
md. 3rd to model, Theresa Nelson (1997- )
quote by Pete Townshend: "I have terrible hearing trouble. I have unwittingly helped to invent and refine a type of music that makes its principal proponents deaf."
see Travis Tritt

Ernest Tubb (Ernest Dale Tubb aka 'The Texas Troubadour')

b. 1914 near Crisp, TX – d. 6 Sep 1984 in Nashville, TN (emphysema)
honky-tonk/country singer
instruments: guitar
"Blue-Eyed Elaine" (1940, he wrote about his first wife), "I'll Get Along Somehow" (1940), "Our Baby's Book" (1941, he wrote about the death of his son Roger at age seven weeks), "There's Nothing More to Say" (1941), "Walkin' the Floor Over You" (#1 1942, he wrote), "I Ain't Honky-Tonkin' Anymore" (1942), "Mean Mama Blues" (1942), "You Nearly Lose Your Mind" (1943)
backed by his Texas Troubadours, "Try Me One More Time" (#15, #2c 1944, he wrote), "Soldier's Last Letter" (#1c 1944, he co-wrote), "Yesterday's Tears" (#4 1944, he wrote), "Tomorrow Never Comes" (#3c 1945, he co-wrote), "It's Been So Long Darling" (#1c 1945, he wrote), "Keep My Mem'ry in Your Heart" (#6c 1945, he wrote), "Careless Darlin'" (#3c 1945, he co-wrote), "Drivin' Nails in My Coffin" (#5c 1946), "Filipino Baby" (#2c 1946), "Rainbow at Midnight" (#1c 1947), "Don't Look Now (But Your Broken Heart is Showing)" (#4c 1947, he wrote), "I'll Step Aside" (#4c 1947), "Seaman's Blues" (#5c 1948), "Forever is Ending Today" (#5c 1948, he co-wrote), "Have You Ever Been Lonely?" (#2c 1948), "Warm Red Wine" (#8c 1949), "Slippin' Around" (#1c 1949), "Blue Christmas" (#1c 1950, #9c 1951, #5c 1952), "I Love You Because" (#2c 1950), "Remember Me, I'm the One Who Loves You" (#5c 1950), "Letters Have No Arms" (#2c 1950, he co-wrote), "Driftwood on the River" (#7c 1951), "Missing in Action" (#3c 1952), "Fortunes in Memories" (#5c 1952), "Two Glasses, Joe" (#11c 1954), "The Yellow Rose of Texas" (#7c 1955), "I Know My Baby Loves Me (in Her Own Peculiar Way)" (1956), "Half a Mind" (#8c 1958), "Goodbye, Sunshine" (1958), "I Cried a Tear" (#12c 1959), "Thoughts of a Fool" (#16c 1961), "A House of Sorrow" (1962), "Thanks a Lot" (#3c 1963), "Waltz Across Texas" (#34c 1965, he co-wrote), * "After the Boy Gets the Girl" (1965), "It's for God, and Country, and You Mom (That's Why I'm Fighting in Vietnam)" (#48c 1966), "Another Story" (#16c 1967), "Too Much of Not Enough" (#55c 1968), "Saturday Satan, Sunday Saint" (#43c 1969), "I've Got All the Heartaches I Can Handle" (#93c 1973), "Sometimes I Do" (#79c 1978)
duet with Merle Haggard, * "Walkin' the Floor Over You" (#31c 1979, he wrote)
duet with Willie Nelson, "Waltz Across Texas" (#56c 1965)
duets with Loretta Lynn, "Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be" (#11c 1965), "Our Hearts Are Holding Hands" (#24c 1965), "Who's Gonna Take the Garbage Out?" (#18c 1969)
duets with Red Foley, "Goodnight, Irene" (#1c 1950), "Tennessee Border No. 2" (#2c 1950), "Too Old to Cut the Mustard" (#5c 1952), "It's the Mileage That's Slowing Us Down" (1954)
duet with Hank Williams, Jr. and Waylon Jennings, "Leave Them Boys Alone" (#6c 1983)
duet with The Andrews Sisters, "I'm Bitin' My Fingernails and Thinking of You" (#2c 1949, he co-wrote)
duets with The Wilburn Brothers, "Mister Love" (#8c 1957), "Hey, Mister Bluebird" (#9c 1958)
songwriter
the first country star to play at Carnegie Hall (1947), his comment: "This place sure could hold a lot of hay."
actor
md. to Lois Elaine Cook (1934- ), md. to Olene (1949- ); father of Justin Tubb
see The Texas Troubadours on Hillbilly-Music dawt dom

Danny White (Wilford Daniel White)

b. 1952 in Mesa, AZ
country singer
duet with Linda Nail, "You're a Part of Me" (#85c 1983)
quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys (1976-88); football coach

Billy Williamson (William F. Williamson)

b. 1925 in PA - d. Mar 1996 in PA (cancer)
rock/country/rockabilly singer
instrument: steel guitar
founding member of The Saddlemen (1949-52), "Deal Me a Hand" (1950), "Ten-Gallon Stetson" (1950), "Why Do I Cry Over You?" (1950), "I'm Gonna Dry Every Tear with a Kiss" (1950), "Rocket 88" (1951), "Down Deep in My Heart" (1951), "Dance with a Dolly (With a Hole in Her Stockin')" (1952)
in mid-1952 The Saddlemen became The Comets
founding member of Bill Haley and His Comets (1952-63), "Rock the Joint" (1952, 1957), "Crazy, Man, Crazy" (#12 1953, first rock 'n' roll record to place on the pop charts), "Dim, Dim the Lights" (#11 1954), * "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" (#1 1955, #39 1974), "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (#7 1954), "Razzle Dazzle" (#15 1955), "Rock-a-Beatin' Boogie" (#23 1955), "See You Later, Alligator" (#6 1956), "Rudy's Rock" (#34 1956), "The Saints' Rock 'n' Roll" (#18 1956), "Rockin' Rita" (1957), "Mary, Mary Lou" (1957), "B-B-Betty" (1958), "Skinny Minnie" (#22 1958), "My Kind of Woman" (1961), "What Can I Say after I Say I'm Sorry?" (1963)
several Comets recording as The Lifeguards, "Everybody Out of the Pool" (1959)
several Comets recording as The Kingsmen, "Weekend" (#35 1958, One-Hit Wonder), "The Cat Walk" (1958)
founding member and lead singer of The Jumping Jaguars, "Knock-Kneed Nellie from Knoxville" (1956)
session steel guitarist with Sally Starr, and others
comedian
md. to Catherine Cafra
see The Comets

February 10

Peter Allen (Peter Allen Woolnough)

b. 1942/44 in New South Wales, Australia – d. 18 Jun 1992 (throat cancer and AIDS)
pop singer
instruments: piano, guitar
"Same Way I Came in" (1972), "Everything Old is New Again" (1974), "The More I See You" (1977), "If You Were Wondering" (1979), "Fly Away" (#55 1981), "Love Don't Need a Reason" (1990)
founding member of The Allen Brothers
songwriter, co-wrote Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" (#1 1992); Olivia Newton-John's "I Honestly Love You" (#1, #6c 1974); Rita Coolidge's "I'd Rather Leave while I'm in Love" (#38, #32c 1980)
dancer; actor
md. to Liza Minelli (1967-72)

Janet Bean (Janet Beveridge Bean)

b. 1964 in Bartow, FL (grew up in Louisville, KY)
country/rock singer
instruments: drums, acoustic guitar
founding member of Freakwater (1983- ), "South of Cincinnati" (1995), "Hellbound" (1999)
founding member of Eleventh Day Dream (1984- ), "Rose of Jericho" (#27 1991)
founding member of Janet Bean and the Concertina Wire (2002- ), "Cutters, Dealers, Cheaters" (2003, she wrote), "Dragging Wonder Lake" (2003, she wrote), "The Purple Heart" (2003, she wrote), "All Fools Day" (2003, she wrote)
songwriter
md. to Rick Rizzo

Lionel Cartwright (Lionel Burke Cartwright)

b. 1959/60 in Gallipolis, OH (grew up in Milton, WV)
country singer
instruments: piano, guitar, keyboards, mandolin
"You're Gonna Make Her Mine" (#45c 1988, he wrote), "Give Me His Last Chance" (#3c 1989, he wrote), "In My Eyes" (#12c 1990, he wrote), "I Watched it All (on My Radio)" (#8c 1990, he co-wrote), "My Heart is Set on You" (#7c 1990, he wrote), "Leap of Faith" (#1c 1991, he wrote)
songwriter
see Lionel Cartwright

Ral Donner (Ralph Stuart Emanuel Donner)

b. 1943 in Chicago, IL – d. 6 Apr 1984 (lung cancer)
rock/country singer
instruments: piano, guitar, accordion
"That's All Right with Me" (1959), "You Don't Know What You've Got (Until You Lose it)" (#4 1961), "I Didn't Figure on Him" (1961), "(What a Sad Way) to Love Someone" (1962), "Please Don't Go" (#39 1962), "She's Everything (I Wanted You to Be)" (#18 1962), "Run, Little Linda" (1963), "Just a Little Sunshine (in the Rain)" (1968), "It Will Only Make Me Love You More" (1966), "Love isn't Like That" (1966), "Wait a Minute Now" (1972)
backed by The Starfires, "Girl of My Best Friend" (#19 1961), "Loneliness of a Star" (1963)
songwriter
see Ral Donner on WikipediA

Jimmy Durante (James Francis Durante aka 'The Schnoz')

b. 1893 in New York City, NY - d. 29 Jan 1980 in Santa Monica, CA
pop/jazz/novelty singer
instrument: piano
"Inka Dinka Doo" (1934, he wrote), "Little People" (1955), "When the Circus Leaves Town" (1955), "The Day I Read a Book" (1958), "The Best Things in Life Are Free" (1960), "Once to Every Heart" (1965), "Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies" (1969)
songwriter
actor; comedian
humanitarian
md. 1st to Jeanne Olsen (1921-43, her death); md. 2nd to Margie Little (1960-80, his death), she was 28 years younger than him

Kenny Edwards

b. 1946 in Santa Monica, CA
country/rock singer
instruments: guitar, bass, mandolin
"In My Dreams" (2002, he wrote), "Not in This Life" (2002, he co-wrote), "You're More Than Enough for Me" (2003, he co-wrote)
founding member of Stone Poneys (1965- ), "Different Drum" (1967, One-Hit Wonder), "I've Got to Know" (1967)
founding member of Bryndle (1969-71, 1995-97, 2001-02), "Woke up This Morning" (1970), "On the Wind" (1995, he co-wrote), "Over the Rainbow" (1995, he co-wrote), "Til the Storm Goes By" (1995, he co-wrote), "Forever Ride" (2001), "All I Need to Know" (2001, he co-wrote)
backed Linda Ronstadt (1974-78)
session musician for Don Henley, Brian Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Art Garfunkel, Vince Gill, and others
songwriter
music producer; arranger

Roberta Flack (Roberta Cleopatra Flack)

b. 1939 in Black Mountain, NC (grew up in Arlington, VA)
R&B/jazz singer
instrument: piano
"How Many Broken Wings?" (1970), "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (#1 1972), "Killing Me Softly with His Song" (#1 1973), "Feel Like Makin' Love" (#1 1974), "25th of Last December" (1977), "If I Ever See You Again" (1978), "Don't Make Me Wait Too Long" (1980), "Making Love" (#13 1982), "This Side of Forever" (1983), "You Know What it's Like" (1989)
duet with Peabo Bryson, "Tonight I Celebrate My Love" (#16 1983)
duets with Donny Hathaway, "Gone Away" (1971), "The Closer I Get to You" (#2 1978), "You Are My Heaven" (1979), "Back Together Again" (1980)
md. to Stephen Novosel (1966-72)
see Roberta Flack on soulwalking

Nathaniel Mayer

b. 1942/44 in Detroit, MI
R&B singer
founding member of Nathaniel Mayer and the Fabulous Twilights, "My Last Dance with You" (1960), "Well, I've Got Good News (For You)" (1962), "Village of Love" (#22 1962, One-Hit Wonder), "Leave Me Alone" (1962), "I Want Love and Affection (Not the House of Correction)" (1964), "From Now on" (1964)
songwriter

Jimmy Merchant

b. 1940/44 in New York, NY
doo-wop/rock singer (tenor)
founding member of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers (1955-57), * "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" (#6 1956, he co-wrote), "I Want You to Be My Girl" (#13 1956), "Who Can Explain?" (1956), "The ABC's of Love" (1956), "I Promise to Remember" (1956), "Paper Castles" (1957), "Miracle in the Rain" (1957)
founding member of The Teenagers (1958-2005)
songwriter
see Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers

Dude Mowrey

b. 1972 in Fort Lauderdale, FL (grew up in Ocala, FL)
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Cowboys Don't Cry" (#65c 1991), "The Rest of Forever" (1991), "Maybe You Were the One" (#57c 1993), "What Kind of Memories Remain?" (1993), "Somewhere in Between" (#57c 1993)
songwriter

Nigel Olsson

b. 1949 in England
rock singer
instrument: drums, guitar
"Just Another Lie" (1975), "Little Bit of Soap" (1979), "You Know I'll Always Love You" (1978), "Rainy Day" (1978)
with Elton John's Band (1971-75, 1980-83), "Your Song" (#8 1971), "Friends" (#34 1971), "Crocodile Rock" (#1 1972), "Daniel" (#2 1973), "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (#2 1973), "Bennie and the Jets" (#1 1974), "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (#2 1974), "Philadelphia Freedom" (#1 1975), "Island Girl" (#1 1975), Lucy in the Sky (With Diamonds) (#1 1975), "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" (#4 1975), "Little Jeannie" (#3 1980), "Blue Eyes" (#12 1982), "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues" (#4 1983)
see Nigel Olsson

Don Wilson

b. 1937 in Tacoma, WA
rock musician, instrument: rhythm guitar
founding member of The Ventures (1959- ), "Cookies and Coke" (1959), * "Walk Don't Run" (#2 1960), "Perfidia" (#15 1961), "Lullaby of the Leaves" (#69 1961), "Yellow Jacket" (1962), "Journey to the Stars" (1963), "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" (#35 1964), "Walk Don't Run '64" (#8 1964), "Diamond Head" (#70 1965), "Pedal Pusher" (1965), "Kickstand" (1967), "Endless Dream" (1967), "Mirrors and Shadows" (1967), "Flights of Fantasy" (1968), "Hawaii Five-o" (#4 1969), "Kern County Line" (1970), "Changing Times" (1970), "Wipe Out" (1991)
The Ventures became the first performers to have two different versions of the same song in the top 10 when "Walk Don't Run '64" reached #8 in 1964
see The Ventures

February 11

Sheryl Crow (Sheryl Suzanne Crow)

b. 1962 in Kennett, MO
country/pop/rock/blues singer
instruments: guitar, bass, harmonica, keyboards, accordion, autoharp
"All I Wanna Do" (#2 1994), "Leaving Las Vegas" (1994), * "Strong Enough (to Be My Man)" (#5 1995), "Can't Cry Anymore" (#36 1995), "If I Make You Happy" (#10 1996), "Every Day is a Winding Road" (#11 1997), "My Favorite Mistake" (#20 1998), "Soak Up the Sun" (#17 2002), "The First Cut is the Deepest" (#14, #35c 2004), "No Depression in Heaven" (#55c 2004)
duet with Kid Rock, "Picture" (#4, #21c 2002)
duet with Brooks and Dunn, "Building Bridges" (#66, #4c 2006)
sessionist with Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Wynonna, and others
songwriter
quote by Sheryl Crow: "No matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will still spring up in the middle of nowhere."
see Sheryl Crow

Clancy Fields

b. 1950 in Kermit, WV
bluegrass singer (tenor)
instruments: acoustic double bass, guitar, mandolin, fiddle
founding member of The Fields Brothers (1968- ), "The Outlaw" (1972), "Is There a Love Left for Me?" (1972)
duet with Hud Haley, "Ramblin' Fever" (1979)
session musician with Dale Evans, and others
songwriter
brother of Bennie Fields

Earl Lewis (Earl Michael Lewis)

b. 1941 in NY – d. 1971
pop/soul singer (falsetto)
with The Channels (1956- ), "The Closer You Are" (1956, he wrote), "The Gleam in Your Eye" (1956, he wrote), "My Heart is Sad" (1959)
songwriter

Sergio Mendes (Sergio Santos Mendes)

b. 1941 in Brazil
rock/pop musician, instrument: piano
"The Trouble With Hello is Goodbye" (1975), "Tell Me in a Whisper" (1976), "Midnight Lovers" (1978), "Never Let You Go" (#4 1983), "Alibis" (#29 1984)
founding member of Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, "Constant Rain" (1966), "The Fool on the Hill" (#6 1968), "The Look of Love" (#4 1968), "With a Little Help From My Friends" (1968)
songwriter
music producer; arranger
md. to singer, Gracinha Leporace

John Mills (John Hutchinson Mills)

b. 1882/89 in Bellefonte, PA – d. 8/9 Dec 1967
pop/jazz singer
instruments: sax, guitar
with The Mills brothers (1936-56, replaced his son John, Jr. who died), "Sweet Adeline" (#10 1939), "Paper Doll" (#1 1943), "You Always Hurt the One You Love" (#1 1944), "Daddy's Little Girl" (#5 1950), "Be My Life's Companion" (1951), "The Window-Washer Man" (1952), "The Glow-Worm" (#1 1952), "(Who-Who-Who) Who Put the Devil in Evelyn's Eyes?" (1953)
father of Donald, Herbert, Harry and John Mills, Jr.
see The Mills Brothers

Bobby Pickett (aks Boris)

b.1940 in Somerville, MA - d. 25 Apr 2007 in Los Angeles, CA (leukemia)
rock/pop singer
with Boris and the Crypt Kickers, "Monster Mash" (#1 1962, #10 1973, he co-wrote), "Monsters' Holiday" (#30 1962), "Blood Bank Blues" (1965), "Me and My Mummy" (1965)
songwriter
see TheMonsterMash.com

Little Johnny Taylor (Johnny Lamont Merrett)

b. 1943 in Gregory, AR (grew up in Los Angeles, CA) - d. 17 May 2002 in Conway, AR
blues/soul singer
"I Can See Myself as a One-Woman Man" (1962, he wrote), "Part-Time Love" (#19 1963, One-Hit Wonder), "Since I Found a New Love" (1964), "First-Class Love" (1964), "Zig-Zag Lightning" (1966), "Double or Nothing" (1968), "There's Something on My Mind" (1970), "Everybody Knows about My Good Thing" (1971), "Open House at My House" (1972), "My Special Rose" (1973)
songwriter

Gene Vincent (Vincent Eugene Craddock)

b. 1935 in Norfolk, VA – d. 12 Oct 1971 in Los Angeles, CA (bleeding ulcer)
rockabilly singer
instrument: guitar
"Crazy Times" (1959), "Wild Cat" (1959), "Right Here on Earth" (1959), "Five Feet of Lovin'" (1959), "Anna-Annabelle" (1960), "Held for Questioning" (1963), "Bird Doggin'" (1966), "Pickin' Poppies" (1967)
founding member and leader of Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps (1956-58), "Be-Bop-a-Lula" (#7, #5c 1956, he co-wrote), "Race with the Devil" (#96 1956), Blue Jean Bop" (#49 1956), "Waltz of the Wind" (1956), "Pink Thunderbird" (1956), "Wear My Ring" (1957), "Red Bluejeans and a Pony Tail" (1957), "Lotta Lovin'" (#13 1957), "Cat Man" (1957), "Dance to the Bop" (#23 1958), "Say Mama" (1958), "She She Little Sheila" (1958)
songwriter
actor
served in the Navy (1952-55)
cousin of Bill Craddock
limped from a motorcycle accident while in the Navy; had chronic pain from the 1960 auto accident that killed Eddie Cochran

Josh White (Joshua Daniel White aka 'Pinewood Tom')

b. 1915 in Greenville, SC – d. 5 Sep 1969 in Manhasset, NY
blues/folk/gospel singer
instrument: guitar
"Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday" (1940), "Southern Exposure" (1941), "Dupree" (1950), "Where Were You, Baby?" (1955), "What I Want from You" (1956), "Gloomy Sunday" (1957), "Silicosis Blues" (1960), "Apples, Peaches and Cherries" (1961), "Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair)" (1961), "St. James Infirmary" (1966), "Strange Fruit" (1966)
songwriter
actor
civil rights activist
see Josh White on Wikipedia

February 12

Red Allen (Harley Allen)

b. 1930 in Pigeon Roost, KY - d. 3 Apr 1993 (cancer)
bluegrass/country singer
instrument: rhythm guitar
"Beautiful Blue Eyes" (1961)
founding member of The Kentuckians (1959-67, 1979), "Little Maggie" (1964), "Catnip" (1964), "Those Gone and Left Me Blues" (1965), "Sad and Lonesome Day" (1965), "Are You Waiting Just for Me?" (1966)
founding member of The Kentucky Mountain Boys (1968-69)
founding member of Red Allen and the Allen Brothers (1970- )
duet with The Osborne Brothers (1956-58), "Once More" (#13c 1958)
songwriter
father of musicians, Ronnie, Greg, Neal, and Harley Allen

Moe Bandy (Marion Franklin Bandy, Jr.)

b. 1944 in Meridian, MS (grew up in San Antonio, TX)
country singer
instruments: guitar
"I Just Started Hatin' Cheatin' Songs Today" (#17c 1974), "Honky-Tonk Amnesia" (1974), "It Was Always So Easy (to Find an Unhappy Woman)" (#7c 1975), "Bandy the Rodeo Clown" (#7c 1975), "Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life" (#2c 1976), "She Took More Than Her Share" (#11c 1977), "I'm Sorry for You, My Friend" (#9c 1977), "Cowboys Ain't Supposed to Cry" (#13c 1977), * "She Just Loved the Cheatin' Out of Me" (#11c 1977), "That's What Makes the Jukebox Play" (#11c 1978), "Two Lonely People" (#7c 1978), "I Cheated Me Right Out of You" (#1c 1979), "Yesterday Once More" (#10c 1980), * "Someday Soon" (#21c 1981), * "Rodeo Romeo" (#10c 1982), "She's Not Really Cheatin' (She's Just Gettin' Even)" (#4c 1982), "Only if There is Another You" (#12c 1983), "I Still Love You the Same Old Way" (#19c 1983), * "Horse That You Can't Ride" (1984), "Woman, Your Love" (#12c 1984), "Barroom Roses" (#45c 1985), * "Till I'm Too Old to Die Young" (#6c 1987), "You Haven't Heard the Last of Me" (#11c 1987), * "Americana" (#8c 1988), * "Many Mansions" (#34c 1988)
duet with Janie Fricke, * "It's a Cheatin' Situation" (#2c 1979)
duet with Judy Bailey, "Following the Feeling" (#10c 1981)
duets with Joe Stampley, "Just Good Ol' Boys" (#1c 1979), "Tell Ole I Ain't Here, He Better Get on Home" (#11c 1980), "Honky-Tonk Queen" (#12c 1981), "Where's the Dress?" (#8c 1984)
duet with Becky Hobbs, "Let's Get Over Them Together" (#10c 1983)
see Moe Bandy

Tex Beneke (Gordon Lee Beneke)

b. 1914 in Fort Worth, TX - d. 30 May 2000 in Costa Mesa, CA (respiratory arrest)
jazz/bebop/blues singer
instrument: tenor sax
founding member of Ted Beneke and His Orchestra, "The St. Louis Blues March" (#5 1948), "Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend" (1949), "The One Who Gets You" (1949), "Katrina" (1949), "Can I Canoe You Up the River?" (1949), "Mother Prairie" (1949), "Meadowlands" (1950), "Cimarron" (1954)
with The Glenn Miller Orchestra (1938-42), "Blue Orchids" (#1 1939), "The Man with the Mandolin" (#1 1939), "Moon Love" (#1 1939), "Over the Rainbow" (#1 1939), "Stairway to the Stars" (#1 1939), "Wishing Will Make it So" (#1 1939), "In the Mood" (#1 1940), "Careless" (#1 1940), "Fools Rush in" (#1 1940), "Imagination" (#1 1940), "When You Wish Upon a Star" (#1 1940), "Shake Down the Stars" (#4 1940), "Yesterthoughts" (#14 1940), "Chattanooga Choo Choo" (#1 1941), "You and I" (#1 1941), "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me)" (#1 1942), "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" (#1 1942), "Jukebox Saturday Night" (#7 1942), "Serenade in Blue" (#2 1942), "Moonlight Cocktail" (#1 1942)
leader of the Glenn Miller Band after Glenn Miller's death (1946-49), "Five Minutes More" (#4 1946), "A Gal in Calico" (#6 1947), "Rambling Wreck From Georgia Tech" (1947), "On Wisconsin" (1947)
with the Ben Young Band (1935- )
served in the Navy (1943-45)
see The Glenn Miller Orchestra

Trevor Brice

b.1945 in Kent, England
pop singer
"Better By Far" (1976), "At the End of the Pier" (1976)
lead singer of The Sages, "In the Beginning" (1966), "I'm Not Going to Cry" (1966)
founding member of Vanity Fare (1968-80), "I Live for the Sun" (1968), "Highway of Dreams" (1969), "Early in the Morning" (#12 1969), * "Hitchin' a Ride" (#5 1970), "Summer Morning" (#97 1970), "I'm in Love with the World" (1973), "Fast Running Out of World" (1974)
with Paradox, "In My Heart" (1985)
songwriter
see Vanity Fare

Jim Collins

b. 1959 in Nacogdoches, TX (grew up in Houston, TX)
country singer
"I Wanna Be a Cowboy 'til I Die" (#59c 1985), "(Because of You) the Things I've Done to Me" (#65c 1986), "Romance" (#59c 1986), "Not Me" (1997), "The Next Step" (#55c 1998)
songwriter

Kenny Dino (Kenny Doino)

b. 1942 (maybe Jul 12) in Queens, NY
rock/blues/country singer
"Just Wait and See" (1961), "Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night" (#24 1961, One-Hit Wonder), "Rosie, Why Do You Wear My Ring?" (1962), "What Good Are Dreams?" (1962), "Remembering Helps Me to Forget" (1962), "Working on My Dream" (2007), "Remnants" (2007), "Watch the Rain" (2007), "Pick Up the Pieces" (2007)
songwriter
music producer
served in the Navy (1957- )

Will Glahe

b. 1912 in Elberfeld, Germany - d. 21 Nov 1989 in Germany
pop musician, instruments: accordion, piano
founding member of the Will Glahe Orchestra, "Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out the Barrel)" (#1 1939), "Bartender Polka" (1940), "Liechtensteiner Polka" (#19 1957, One-Hit Wonder), "Sweet Elizabeth" (1958)

Lorne Greene (Lorne/Lyon Chaim Green)

b. 1914/15 in Ontario, Canada – d. 11 Sep 1987 in Santa Monica, CA (pneumonia and bleeding ulcer)
pop singer
"Love Finds a Way" (1963), "Ringo" (#1, #21c 1964, One-Hit Wonder), "The Man" (#72 1965), "Shadow of the Cactus" (1965), "Waco" (#50c 1966), "All But the Remembering" (1966)
actor
md. to Rita Hands (1938-60); md. to Nancy Deale (1961-87, his death)

Ray Manzarek (Raymond Daniel Manczarek)

b. 1939 in Chicago, IL
rock/blues singer
instruments: piano, keyboards, organ, bass
founding member and keyboardist of The Doors (1965-73, 2001- ), "Light My Fire" (#1 1967), "Crawling King Snakes" (1967), "When the Music's Over" (1967), "People Are Strange" (#12 1967), "Hello, I Love You" (#1 1968), "The Unknown Soldier" (#39 1968), "Touch Me" (#3 1969), "Love Her Madly" (#11 1971), "Riders of the Storm" (#14 1971)
The Doors name came from a line in a William Blake poem – "If the door of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it truly is, infinite."
songwriter
movie director
see The Doors

Gene McDaniels (Eugene Booker McDaniels)

b. 1935 in Kansas City, KS or MO (grew up in Omaha, NE)
R&B singer
instrument: sax
"Once Before" (1959), * "A Hundred Pounds of Clay" (#3 1961), "Tower of Strength" (#5 1961), "Chip Chip" (#10 1962), "Point of No Return" (#21 1962), "Spanish Lace" (#31 1962), "The Puzzle" (1963), "False Friends" (1963), "Walk With a Winner" (1965), "Cause I Love You So" (1966)
bandleader
songwriter, wrote Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Makin' Love" (#1 1974)
actor

Michael McDonald

b. 1952 in St. Louis, MO
country/soul/rock singer
instrument: keyboards
"I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)" (#4 1982), "I Gotta Try" (1982, he co-wrote), "No Lookin' Back" (#34 1985), "Sweet Freedom" (#7 1986), "Take it to Heart" (1990)
with Steely Dan (1972-74), "My Old School" (#63 1973), "Do it Again" (#6 1973), "Reelin' in the Years" (#11 1973), "Rikki, Don't Lose That Number" (#4 1974), "Pretzel Logic" (#57 1974)
with The Doobie Brothers (1975-83, 1987, and reunions), "Black Water" (#1 1975), "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me)" (#11 1975), "Sweet Maxine" (#40 1975), "Takin' it to the Streets" (#13 1976), "Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels" (1978), "What a Fool Believes" (#1 1979, he co-wrote), "Minute by Minute" (#14 1979), "Real Love" (#5 1980, he wrote)
duet with Patti LaBelle, "On My Own" (#1 1986)
duet with Kathy Mattea, "Among the Missing" (#73c 1999)
sessionist with David Cassidy, Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Loggins, Alison Krauss, and others
songwriter
music producer
md. to musician, Amy Holland (1983- )
see Michael McDonald
see Steely Dan

Vince Montana (Vincent Montana, Jr.)

b. 1928 (grew up in Philadelphia, PA)
jazz/pop/disco musician, instruments: vibraharp, drums, percussions
founding member of The Salsoul Orchestra, "Tangerine" (1975), "Don't Beat Around the Bush" (1976)
played vibraharp with The Electric Indian (not a real group, just session musicians), "Keem-O-Sabe" (#15 1969, One-Hit Wonder), "Broad Street" (1969)
session musician with Sarah Vaughn, Stan Getz, Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, Johnny Mathis, Wilson Pickett, and others
songwriter
arranger

Caryl Mack Parker

b. 19?? in Abilene, TX
country singer
instruments: guitar, piano
"So Much the Same" (1993), "Smoke 'n' Mirrors" (1993), "First Day of Forever" (1993), "Better Love Next Time" (#67c 1996, she co-wrote), "One-Night Stand" (#66c 1997, she co-wrote), "When I Come to My Senses" (1998), "Shoes Beside My Shoes" (1998), "Deeper Than That" (1998), "Sunset in Abilene" (1998)
songwriter

Mel Powell (Melvin Epstein)

b. 1923 in the Bronx, NY - d. 24 Apr 1998 in Sherman Oaks, CA
jazz/swing/classical musician, instrument: piano
with the Benny Goodman Band (1941-42, 1945-47), "Idaho" (#4 1942), "Symphony" (#2 1946), "Give Me the Simple Life" (1946), "I Don't Know Enough about You" (#12 1946), "A Gal in Calico" (#6 1947)
with Glenn Miller's Army Air Corps Band (1943-45)
songwriter
served in the military during WWII
md. to actress, Martha Scott

Bernie Privin

b. 1919 in New York, NY - d. 8 Oct 1999 in White Plains, NY (colon cancer)
swing/jazz musician, instrument: trumpet
with Artie Shaw's band (1938-39)
with Benny Goodman's band (1941-42), "Idaho" (#4 1942)
with Charlie Barnet's band (1940-41)
with Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band (1943- )
session musician with Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and others
served in the military
he had Parkinson's Disease

Taylor Rhodes

b. 1953
country/bluegrass musician, instrument:drums
with Earl Scruggs Revue, "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" (1972), "Step it up and Go" (1973), "Good Morning Sundown" (1974), "Harley" (1976), "Stay a Little Longer" (1977), "I Could Sure Use the Feeling" (#30c 1979), "Blue Moon of Kentucky" (#46c 1980)

Dick Richards (Dick Boccelli)

b. 1924 in Darby, PA
rock/country/rockabilly singer
instruments: drums, percussions
"Blue-Jean Baby" (1957), "We've Got a Right to Love" (1957)
with Bill Haley and the Comets (1953-55), "Crazy, Man, Crazy" (#12 1953, first rock 'n' roll record to place on the pop charts), "Dim, Dim the Lights" (#11 1954), * "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" (#1 1955), "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (#7 1954), "Razzle Dazzle" (#15 1955), "Rock-a-Beatin' Boogie" (#23 1955)
founding member of The Jodimars (1955-59, and reunions), "Well Now, Dig This" (1955), "Dancin' the Bop" (1955), "Eat Your Heart Out, Annie" (1956), "Cloud 99" (1957), "Hip-Shakin' Baby" (1958)
in 1987 he and several other Comets reunited to tour and record
actor
see The Comets

Joe Schermie (Joseph Schermie, Jr.)

b. 1948 in Madison, WI – d. 25 Mar 2002 (heart attack)
rock instrument: bass
with Three Dog Night (1968-73), "One" (#5 1969), "Eli's Coming" (#10 1969), "Easy to Be Hard" (#4 1969), "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" (#1 1970), "Out in the Country" (#15 1970), "I Can Hear You Calling" (1970), "My Impersonal Life" (1971), "Pieces of April" (1971), "Liar" (#7 1971), * "Joy to the World" (#1 1971), "Never Been to Spain" (#5 1971), "An Old-Fashioned Love Song" (#4 1972), "Black and White" (#1 1972), "Shambala" (#3 1973)
see Three Dog Night

Jay Lee Webb (Willie Lee Webb)

b. 1937 in Van Lear, KY – d. 31 Jul 1996 (cancer)
country singer
instrument: guitar
"(Margie's at the) Lincoln Park Inn" (1969), "She's Lookin' Better By the Minute" (#21c 1969), "The Happiness of Having You" (#69c 1971)
songwriter
brother of Crystal Gayle and Loretta Lynn

February 13

Gene Ames (Gene Urick)

b. 1923 in Malden, MA
pop singer
founding member of The Ames Brothers, "Can Anyone Explain? (No No No)" (#5 1950), "(Put Another Nickel in) Music Music Music" (#13 1950), "Sentimental Me" (#1 1950), "Rag Mop" (#1 1950), "Undecided" (#6 1951), "More Than I Care to Remember" (1951), "More Beer" (1951), "You, You, You" (#1 1953), "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane" (#3 1954), * "My Bonnie Lassie" (#11 1955), "Sympathetic Eyes" (1955), "49 Shades of Green" (1956), * "So Little Time" (1956), "It Only Hurts for a Little While" (#15 1956), "Rockin' Shoes" (1957), "Melodie D'Amour" (#12 1957), "Red River Rose" (1959), "China Doll" (#38 1960), "Kiss From Cora" (1961)
see The Ames Brothers

Boudleaux Bryant (Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant)

b. 1920 in Shellman, GA – d. 25 Jun 1987 in Knoxville, TN (cancer)
country/jazz singer
instrument: violin
"Hot Spot" (1959), "Raining in My Heart" (1964, he co-wrote)
duet with Hank Locklin, "Why, Baby, Why?" (#9c 1956)
duet with Felice Bryant, "Rocky Top" (1979, he co-wrote)
session musician with Hank Penny, and others
songwriter, wrote The Everly Brothers' "All I Have to Do is Dream" (#1, #1c 1958), "Devoted to You" (#10, #7c 1958)
co-wrote Little Jimmy Dickens' "Country Boy" (#7c 1948), "Out Behind the Barn" (#9c 1954); The Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye, Love" (#2 1957), "Wake Up, Little Susie" (#1 1957), "Bird Dog" (#1, #1c 1958), "Problems" (#2, #17c 1958), "Take a Message to Mary" (#16 1959); Bob Luman's "Let's Think about Livin'" (#7 1960); Bob Moore's "Mexico" (#7 1961); Carl Smith's "Hey, Joe" (#1c 1953), "Just Wait Til I Get You Alone" (#7c 1953); Sonny James' "Baltimore" (#6c 1964); Ernie Ashworth's "I Love to Dance with Annie" (#4c 1964); Jim Reeves' "Blue Boy" (#45, #2c 1958)
md. to Matilda 'Felice' Scaduto

Johnny Echols

b. 1945 in Memphis, TN
folk/rock/pop musician, instrument: lead guitar
founding member of Love (1965-68, and reunions), "Seven and Seven is" (#33 1966, One-Hit Wonder), "My Little Red Book" (1966), "Orange Skies" (1967), "Alone Again Or" (1967)
with The American Four, "Luci Baines" (1964), "Soul Food" (1964)
see Love

Feist (Leslie Feist)

b. 1976 in Nova Scotia, Canada
pop/rock/folk singer
instruments: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, banjo
"Secret Heart" (2004), "Gatekeeper" (2004, she co-wrote), "Inside and Out" (2005), "1-2-3-4" (#8 2007, she co-wrote), "Past in Present" (2007, she wrote), "The Limit to Your Love" (2007, she wrote)
songwriter

Tennessee Ernie Ford (Ernest Jennings Ford aka 'the Old Pea Picker')

b. 1919 in Bristol, TN (or Fordtown, TN) – d. 17 Oct 1991 in Los Angeles, CA (liver disease)
country/pop/gospel singer (baritone)
instrument: guitar
"Tennessee Border" (#8c 1949), "Mule Train" (#1c 1949), "Smokey Mountain Boogie" (#8c 1949), "Anticipation Blues" (#3c 1949), "The Cry of the Wild Goose" (#15, #2c 1950), "My Hobby" (1951), "Shotgun Boogie" (#1c 1951), "Blackberry Boogie" (#6c 1952), "River of No Return" (#9c 1954), "Sixteen Tons" (#1, #1c 1955), "Ballad of Davy Crockett" (#5, #4c 1955), "That's All" (#17, #12c 1956), "In the Middle of an Island" (#23c 1957), "Black-eyed Susie" (1959), "Little Red Rockin' Hood" (1961), "Hicktown" (#9c 1965)
duets with Kay Starr "I'll Never Be Free" (#3 1950), "Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own" (#5c 1950)
songwriter
actor
md. to Betty Jean Heminger (1942- )
see Tennessee Ernie Ford

Lennie Hayton (Leonard George Hayton)

b. 1908 in New York, NY - d. 24 Apr 1971 in Palm Springs, CA
jazz/pop musician, instrument: piano
founding member of Lennie Hayton and His Orchestra, "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" (#19 1949)
Lennie Hayton and His Orchestra backing Bing Crosby, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" (#1 1932), "How Deep is the Ocean?" (1932), "Here Lies Love" (1932), "Linger a Little Longer in the Twilight" (1932), "After Sundown" (1933), "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?" (1933)
with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra (1928-30), "Felix the Cat" (1928), "Forget-Me-Not" (1928), "Roses of Yesterday" (1928), "From Monday on" (1928), "I'm Bringing a Red Red Rose" (1928), "Midnight Reflections" (1928), "A Bundle of Old Love Letters" (1929), "My Angeline" (1929)
session musician with Joe Venuti, Red Nichols, and others
songwriter
arranger
md. to Lena Horne (1947-71, his death)

Doris King

b. 1957 in Nashville, TN
country/pop singer
founding member and first alto of Girls Next Door (1982-91), "Slow Boat to China" (#8c 1986), "Love Will Get You Through Times with No Money" (#18c 1986), "Baby, I Want it" (#26c 1986), "Walk Me in the Rain" (#28c 1987), "Easy to Find" (#57c 1987), "How Can They Call This Cheating?" (1990), "How about Us?" (#71c 1990), "Last Goodbye" (1990)
sessionist

Rodney Lay (Rodney Paul Lay)

b. 1940 in Coffeyville, KS
country/rockabilly singer
instrument: guitar
"Seven Days Come Sunday" (#85c 1981), "Walk Softly on the Bridges" (#79c 1986)
with Rodney and the Blazers, "Summertime Rock" (1960), "Tell Me, Baby" (1961), "It's All Over But the Crying" (1962), "Blue School" (1964), "Wrinkles" (1964)
founding member of Rodney Lay and the Wild West (1967- ), "Happy Country Birthday Darling" (#72c 1982), "I Wish I Had a Job to Shove" (#45c 1982), "You Could've Heard a Heartbreak" (#53c 1983), "Marylee" (#64c 1983)
songwriter, wrote Waylon Jennings' "Something's Wrong in California" (#19c 1969); The Hagers' "Gotta Get to Oklahoma ('Cause California's Gettin' to Me)" (#41c 1969)
DJ; actor
he raises racehorses

Janis Lewis

b. 1939 in GA
bluegrass/country singer
with The Lewis Family, "Just One Rose Will Do" (1960), "Dust on the Bible" (1963), "Seeking a Far Off Home" (1964), "Lonesome Valley" (1970), "Put Your Hand in the Hand" (1971), "The Baptism of Jesse Taylor" (1975), "Precious Memories" (1978), "Slippers with Wings" (1980), "Just Like Angels in the Sky" (1984), "Green Pastures" (1986), "On the Wings of a Dove" (1988), "Looking Through the Windows of Heaven" (1990), "You are My Sunshine" (1996), "God's Gonna Getcha for That" (1998), "Angels Gathering Flowers" (2004), "Those Good Old Country Sundays" (2006)
md. to Mr. Phillips

Dotty McGuire (Dorothy McGuire)

b. 1928 in Middletown, OH
pop singer
with The McGuire Sisters, "Muskrat Ramble" (1954), "Somethings Gotta Give" (#5 1955), "Sincerely" (#1 1955), "It May Sound Silly" (#11 1955), "Sugartime" (#1 1958), "May You Always" (#11 1959), "I Can Dream, Can't I?" (1961), "Just for Old Time's Sake" (#20 1961), "Cordially Invited" (1963), "Candy Heart" (1964), "Truer Than You Are" (1966)

David McLaughlin (David Wallace McLaughlin)

b. 1958 in Washington, D.C.
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: mandolin, acoustic guitar
founding member of The Johnson Mountain Boys (1978-89, 1991- ), "I'm Still to Blame" (1983), "Say You'll Take Me Back" (1983), "Five Speed" (1983), "Making up Stories" (1984), "I'll Never See You Anymore" (1984), "Let the Whole World Talk" (1987), "Memories That We Shared" (1987), "I've Found a Hiding Place" (1988), "I Could Change My Mind" (1988), "Cold and Windy Night" (1988), "Now Just Suppose" (1989), "Teardrops Fell Like Raindrops" (1992), "It Don't Bring You Back to Me" (1993), "Our Last Goodbye" (1993), "The Future Remains" (1993)
with the Lynn Morris Band (1988- ), * "My Heart Skips a Beat" (1990), "If Lonely Was the Wind" (1990), "Mama's Hand" (1996), "The Likes of You" (1999), "Love Beyond" (1999), "Road Rage" (2003), "Don't Neglect the Rose" (2003)
songwriter

Jim McReynolds (James Monroe McReynolds)

b. 1927 Corburn or Carfax, VA – d. 31 Dec 2002 in Gallatin, TN (cancer)
folk/bluegrass singer
instrument: guitar
founding member of Jim and Jesse (1945-2002), "Border Ride" (1958), "The Flame of Love" (1960), "Are You Missing Me?" (1963), "Better Times a Coming" (#39c 1965), "Tell Her Lies and Feed Her Candy" (1965), "Diesel on My Tail" (#18c 1967), "Hot Rod Race" (1967), "Greenwich Village Folksong Salesman" (#49c 1968), "Golden Rocket" (#38c 1970), "Freight Train in My Mind" (#41c 1970), "Colorado Calling Me" (1980)
Jim and Jesse and Charlie Louvin, "North Wind" (#56c 1982)
md. to Arretta June McCoy; brother of Jesse McReynolds
served in the Army
see Jim and Jesse

Jeremy Plato

b. 1971 in Oklahoma City, OK
country/rock musician, instrument; bass
with Cross Canadian Ragweed (1995- , replaced Matt Wiedemann), "Nowhere Texas" (2001), "42 Miles" (2001), "Highway 377" (2001), "17" (#57c 2002), "Broken" (2002), "Constantly" (#57c 2004), "Alabama" (#46c 2005), "Fightin' For" (#39c 2005), "Late Last Night" (2005), "This Time Around" (#44c 2006), "I Believe You" (2007), "In Oklahoma" (2007)
Cross Canadian Ragweed duet with Lee Ann Womack, "Sick and Tired" (#46c 2004)

Peter Tork (Peter Halston Thorkelson)

b. 1942 in Washington, D.C
rock/pop singer
instruments: acoustic guitar, keyboards, bass, banjo
founding member of The Monkees (1965-68, and reunions), * "I'm a Believer" (#1 1966), "Last Train to Clarksville" (#1 1966), "Gonna Buy Me a Dog" (1966), "Daydream Believer" (#1 1967), "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" (#39 1967), "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" (#20 1967), * "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" (#2 1967), "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (#3 1967), "Words" (#11 1967), "D.W. Washburn" (#19 1968), "Valleri" (#3 1968), "That Was Then, This is Now" (#20 1986)
actor
see The Monkees

February 14

Eric Andersen

b. 1943 in Pittsburgh, PA
folk singer
instruments: guitar, 12-string guitar, harmonica, piano, electric piano
"Thirsty Boots" (1966, he wrote), "Violets of Dawn" (1966, he wrote), "Miss Lonely, Are You Blue?" (1968), "On the Edge of You" (1968), "All I Remember is You" (1969), "Deborah, I Love You" (1969), "Is it Really Love at All?" (1972), "The Blues Keep Fallin' Like the Rain" (1975), "Lost in a Song" (1976), "Sweet Surprise" (1976), "Listen to the Rain" (1994), "Six Senses of Darkness" (1994), "Irish Lace" (1994), "Sudden Love" (1998, he wrote), "Memory of the Future" (1998, he co-wrote)
songwriter
see Eric Andersen

Razzy Bailey (Erastus 'Rasie' Michael Bailey)

b. 1939 (maybe Feb 13) in Five Points, AL
country/pop/soul singer
instrument: guitar
"Re-Enlistment Papers" (1967), "What Time Do You Have to Be Back in Heaven?" (#9c 1978), "Tonight She's Gonna Love (Like There Was No Tomorrow)" (#6c 1979), "If Love Had a Face" (#6c 1979), "I Can't Get Enough of You" (#5c 1980), "Lovin' up a Storm" (#1c 1980), "True-Life Country Music" (1980), "Anywhere There's a Jukebox" (1981), "Midnight Hauler" (#1c 1981), "I Keep Coming Back" (#1c 1981), "She Left Love All Over Me" (#1c 1982), "Friends" (#1c 1981), "Every Time You Cross My Mind (You Break My Heart)" (#10c 1982), "Love's Gonna Fall Here Tonight" (#8c 1982), "In the Midnight Hour" (#14c 1984), "Rockin' in the Parkin' Lot" (#63c 1985)
songwriter, co-wrote Dickey Lee's "9,999,999 Tears" (#52, #3c 1976)

Lillie Bryant

b. 1940
R&B singer
"Good Morning, Baby" (1957), "Smokey Grey Eyes" (1959), "Meet Me Half Way" (1966)
founding member of Billy and Lillie, "La Dee Dah" (#9 1958), "Lucky Ladybug" (#14 1959), "Bells, Bells, Bells (The Bell Song)" (#88 1959), "Tumbled Down" (1959), "Aloysius Horatio Thomas the Cat" (1959), "That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles" (1960), "Love Me Sincerely" (1963), "Tic-Tac-Toe" (1964), "You Got Me By the Heart" (1966)

Dyke Christian (Arlester Christian)

b. 1943 in Buffalo, NY– d. 13 Mar 1971 in Phoenix, AZ (shot in a barroom fight)
soul singer
instrument: bass
founding member of Dyke and the Blazers (1964-71), "Don't Bug Me" (1967), "Shotgun Slim" (1969), "We Got More Soul" (1969, he wrote), "Let a Woman Be a Woman, Let a Man Be a Man" (1969), "City Dump" (1969), "Runaway People" (1970), "The Wobble" (1971)
songwriter, wrote Wilson Pickett's "Funky Broadway" (#8 1967)
the person accused of murdering him was eventually acquitted and it was declared self-defense

Steve Gaines (Steven Earl Gaines)

b. 1949 in Miami, OK or Seneca, MO - d. 20 Oct 1977 in MS (plane crash)
rock musician, instrument: guitar
with Lynyrd Skynyrd (1976-77), "Sweet Home Alabama" (#8 1971), "Tuesday's Gone" (1973), "Freebird" (#19 1974), "Saturday Night Special" (#27 1975), "Double Trouble" (#80 1976), "Give Me Back My Bullets" (1976), "What's Your Name?" (#13 1977), "You've Got the Right" (1978)
songwriter
brother of Cassie Gaines; they were both killed in the same plane crash as Ronnie Van Zandt
see Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lonnie Glosson (Marvin Elonzo Glosson aka 'the talking harmonica man'

b. 1908 in Judsonia, AR - d. 2 Mar 2001 in Searcy, AR (congestive heart failure)
country/blues singer
instruments: harmonica, guitar
"I've Got the Jitters Over You" (1949), "Del Rio Blues" (1950)
founding member of Lonnie Glosson and the Railroad Playboys, "What is a Mother's Love?" (1947), "I Don't Know Why I Love You" (1947), "Fox Chase Boogie" (1947), "I'll Make a Change in Business" (1947)
session musician on Wayne Raney's "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me?" (#1c 1949); and with The Delmore Brothers, and others
songwriter

Bob Gonzalez

b. 1946/47 in San Jose, CA
rock musician, instrument: bass
founding member of Syndicate of Sound (1964-68, and reunions), "Little Girl" (#8 1966, One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "So Alone" (1966), "That Kind of Man" (1967)
songwriter
served in the military
see Syndicate of Sound

Phyllis McGuire

b. 1931 in Middletown, OH
pop singer
"I Don't Want to Walk Without You" (1964), "Run to My Arms" (1965), "My Happiness" (1966)
with The McGuire sisters, "Muskrat Ramble" (1954), "Somethings Gotta Give" (#5 1955), "Sincerely" (#1 1955), "It May Sound Silly" (#11 1955), "Sugartime" (#1 1958), "May You Always" (#11 1959), "I Can Dream Can't I?" (1961), "Just for Old Time's Sake" (#20 1961), "Cordially Invited" (1963), "Candy Heart" (1964), "Truer Than You Are" (1966)

Clarence Reid

b. 1945 in Cochran, GA
R&B singer
instrument: piano
"There'll Come a Day" (1964), "I Refuse to Give Up" (1965), "Cadillac Annie" (1967), "Nobody But You, Babe" (#40 1969, One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "Down the Road of Love" (1970), "Good Old Days" (1972)
songwriter, co-wrote Betty Wrights' "Clean-up Woman" (#6 1972); Gordon McCrae's "Rockin' Chair" (#9 1975)
he performs x-rated material under a different name

February 15

Mick Avory

b. 1944 in London, England
rock musician, instrument: drums
founding member of The Kinks (1963-84), "All Day and All of the Night (#7 1965), "You Really Got Me" (#7 1964), "Tired of Waiting for You" (#6 1965), "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" (1966), "Sittin' on My Sofa" (1966), "A Well-Respected Man" (#13 1966), "Dedicated to the Followers of Fashion" (#36 1966), "Dead-End Street" (#73 1967), "Phenomenal Cat" (1968), "Picture Book" (1969), "Brainwashed" (1969), "Victoria" (1969), "Lola" (#9 1970), "Juke Box Music" (1977), "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" (#30 1978), "Gallon of Gas" (1979), "State of Confusion" (1983), "Come Dancing" (#6 1983), "Don't Forget to Dance" (#29 1983)
founding member of Class of '64 (2004- ), "She's Not My Child" (2008)

Bobby Barnett (Bobby Glen Barnett)

b. 1936 in Cushing, OK
country singer
"Blue Day" (1958), "This Old Heart" (#24c 1960), "Last of the Angels" (1962), "Worst of Luck" (#47c 1964), "Mismatch" (1964), "Love Me, Love Me" (#14c 1968), "What Made Milwaukee Famous" (1968), "End of the Lyin'" (1968), "Sequoyah" (1974, he wrote), "Oklahoma's O.K." (1974, he wrote), "The Hanging of Judge Parker" (1975, he wrote), "The Cowboy Hall of Fame" (1975, he wrote), "Tombstone, Arizona" (1985, he wrote)
songwriter

Ivan Browne

b. 1947 in Oxford, OH
folk/rock/pop singer
instrument: rhythm guitar
founding member of The Lemon Pipers, (1966-69), "Through with You" (1967), "Rice is Nice" (#46 1967), "Blueberry Blue" (1967), "Green Tambourine" (#1 1968, One-Hit Wonder), "No Help From Me" (1968)
songwriter

Alvin Cash (Alvin Welch)

b. 1939 in St. Louis, MO – d. 21 Nov 1999 in Chicago, IL (bleeding ulcers)
R&B/rock singer
founding member of Alvin Cash and the Registers, "The Philly Freeze" (1966), "No Deposit, No Return" (1966), "Different Strokes for Different Folks" (1967), "Keep on Dancing" (#66 1968), "Saddle Up" (1970)
founding member and lead of The Crawlers, "Twine Time" (#14 1965, One-Hit Wonder), "The Barracuda" (#59 1965), "Unwind the Twine" (1965), "The Penguin (Tuxedo Bird)" (1965)
with The Step Brothers
dancer

Nathan Davis

b. 1937 in Kansas City, KS
jazz musician, instruments: tenor sax, soprano sax, tenor sax, flute, alto flute, bass clarinet
"Evolution" (1965, he wrote), "Train of Thought" (1966, he wrote), "Extra Sensory Perfection" (1970, he wrote), "Ladies Lib" (1970, he wrote), "6th Sense in the 11th House" (1972, he wrote), "Tragic Magic" (1976, he wrote), "M.L.K." (1977, he wrote), "The Eve of Spring" (1982, he wrote), "Rio De Janeiro" (1987, he wrote),
founding member and lead of The Nathan Davis Sextet, "Peace Treaty" (1965, he wrote), "Kansas City Special" (1965, he wrote), "Loves Very Own" (1995, he wrote)
founding member and lead of The Nathan Davis Quartet, "Love is Freedom" (1968, he wrote), "With This My Love" (1969, he wrote)
songwriter

Wally Fowler (John Wallace Fowler)

b. 1917 in Adairsville, GA - d. 3 Jun 1994 in TN
country/gospel singer
"In My Fathers House Are Many Mansions" (1954), "Walk in the Light" (1954)
founding member of Wally Fowler and His Georgia Clodhoppers, "I Miss a Little Miss in Mississippi" (1947), "You Can't Conceal a Broken Heart" (1948), "Linger Longer Little Darling" (1950), "Call of the Cross" (1960)
founding member and lead singer The Oak Ridge Quartet (1945-52), "Mother's Prayer" (1948), "I Got Faith" (1949), "Pray, Pray, Pray (for the U.S.A.)" (1950), "Dig a Little Deeper (in God's Love)" (1951), "Peace in the Valley" (1951)
The Oak Ridge Quartet later became The Oak Ridge Boys
songwriter

Andy Ginn

b. 1963 in Memphis, TN
country musician, instrument: drums
founding member of Perfect Stranger (1986-98), "Ridin' the Rodeo" (1994), "You Have the Right to Remain Silent" (#61, #4c 1995), "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" (#52c 1995), "Even the Jukebox Can't Forget" (1995), "Remember the Ride" (#56c 1996), "Fire When Ready" (#62c 1997)
md. to Jennifer Wiesedeppe

Rudolph Johnson

b. 1942
R&B/rock musician, instrument: guitar
founding member of The Essex (1961-63), * "Easier Said Than Done" (#1 1963), "Are You Going My Way?" (1963)
served in the Marines

Hank Locklin (Lawrence Hankins Locklin)

b. 1918 in McLellan, FL
country singer (tenor)
instrument: guitar
"The Same Sweet Girl" (#8c 1949), "You Burned a Hole in My Heart" (1950), "Pinball Millionaire" (1950), "I'm Going to Copyright Your Kisses" (1951), "I Always Lose" (1951), "Let Me Be the One" (#1c 1953), "Alone at a Table for Two" (1953), "You're Out of Step" (1955), "Send Me the Pillow You Dream on" (#77, #5c 1956, he wrote), "Seven or Eleven" (1956), "You Can't Never Tell" (1956), "Geisha Girl" (#66, #4c 1957), "It's a Little More Like Heaven" (#3c 1958), "Foreign Car" (1959), "My Old Home Town" (1959), "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" (#8, #1c 1960, Pop One-Hit Wonder), "Livin' Alone" (#4c 1960), "From Here to There to You" (#12c 1961), "Happy Birthday to Me" (#7c 1961), "One Step Ahead of My Past" (#14c 1961), "Fourteen Karat Gold" (1962), "We're Goin' Fishin'" (1962), "Wooden Soldier" (1963), "Behind the Footlights" (1963), "Followed Closely by My Teardrops" (#15c 1964), "Faith and Trust" (1965), "Give Your Wife a Kiss for Me" (1965), "Insurance" (1966), "The Country Hall of Fame" (#8c 1967), "Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day)" (#34c 1969), "My Heart Needs a Friend" (1971), "She's as Close as I Can Get to Loving You" (1971)
duet with Boudleaux Bryant, "Why, Baby, Why?" (#9c 1956)
songwriter
see Hank Locklin

Melissa Manchester

b. 1952 in The Bronx, NY
pop singer
"Midnight Blue" (#6 1975), "Don't Cry Out Loud" (#10 1978), "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" (#5 1982)
songwriter
see Melissa Manchester

Michael Reynolds

b. 1964
country/bluegrass/rock singer
founding member of Pinmonkey (2001- ), "Barbed Wire and Roses" (#25c 2002), "I Drove All Night" (#36c 2003), "The Longest Road" (2002, he wrote), "Fallin' All the Time" (2006, he wrote), "Big Shiny Cars" (2006), "Mountain Song" (2006)

Georgeanna Tillman (Georgeanna Marie Tillman)

b. 1944 in Inkster, MI - d. 6 Jan 1980 (Sickle Cell Anemia)
R&B/pop singer
founding member of The Marvelettes (1961-63), "Please, Mister Postman" (#1 1961), "Twistin' Postman" (#34 1962), "Beechwood 4-5789" (#17 1962), "Playboy" (#7 1962), "Locking up My Heart" (#25 1963), "Tie a String Around My Finger" (1963)
songwriter
md. to Billy Gordon of The Contours
left The Marvelettesbecause she had leukemia and lupis, and never regained good health

Denny Zager (Dennis Zager)

b. 1943/44 in Wymore, NB or Lincoln, NB
folk/rock singer
instrument: guitar
founding member of Zager and Evans (1968-74), "Listen to the Raindrops" (1968), "In the Year 2525" (#1 1969, One-Hit Wonder), "In My House" (1969), "Less Than Tomorrow" (1969), "The Plastic Park" (1970)
with The Eccentrics (1962-65), "Share Me" (1964), "Nighttime Noontime" (1965)
songwriter
see Zager and Evans

February 16

Patty Andrews

b. 1918 in Minneapolis, MN
pop/country singer
"It's All Over But the Memories" (1952), "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know About Him" (1953)
duets with Dick Haymes, "Why Won't You?" (1950), "I Oughta Know More About You" (1950), "Can I Come in for a Second?" (1950)
duet with Danny Kaye, "Orange-Colored Sky" (1950)
founding member of The Andrews Sisters, "Lullaby to a Jitterbug" (#10 1938), "Ferry Boat Serenade" (#1 1940), "The Shrine of St. Cecilia" (#3 1941), "Six Jerks in a Jeep" (1942), "Here Comes the Navy" (#17 1942), "Pennsylvania Polka" (#17 1942), "Three Little Sisters" (#8 1942), "Shoo Shoo Baby" (#1 1944), "The Blond Sailor" (#8 1945), "Rum and Coca-Cola" (#1 1945), "Near You" (#2 1947), "I Can Dream, Can't I?" (#1 1949), "(I Love You) A Bushel and a Peck" (#17 1950), "I Wanna Be Loved" (#1 1950), "My Mom" (1951), "That's the Chance You Take" (1952), "My Midnight Prison" (#1963), "Three Little Fishes" (1973)
The Andrews Sisters with Bing Crosby, "Pistol Packin' Mama" (#1c 1943), "Don't Fence Me in" (#1 1944), "Along the Navajo Trail" (#2 1945)
The Andrews Sisters with Ernest Tubb, "I'm Bitin' My Fingernails and Thinking of You" (#2c 1949)
sister of Maxene and LaVerne Andrews

Otis Blackwell (aka John Davenport)

b. 1932 in Brooklyn, NY – d. 6 May 2002 in Nashville, TN (heart attack)
rock singer, whistler
instrument: piano
"Nobody Met the Train" (1954), "Oh, What a Wonderful Time" (1955), "When You're Around" (1957), "Don't Run Away" (1958), "What a Coincidence" (1958), "Jeannie's Wedding" (1961)
session musician on Jimmy Jones' "Handy Man" (#2 1960)
songwriter, wrote Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire" (#2 1957), "Breathless" (#7 1958); Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel" (#1 1956), "All Shook Up" (#1 1957), "Return to Sender" (#2 1962); Peggy Lee's "Fever" (#8 1958)

Sonny Bono (Salvatore Phillip Bono)

b. 1935 in Detroit, MI – d. 5 Jan 1998 at Lake Tahoe (skiing accident)
pop singer
"Laugh at Me" (#10 1965), "Revolution Kind" (#70 1965, he co-wrote)
founding member of Sonny and Cher, "Baby, Don't Go" (#8 1965), "But You're Mine" (#15 1965), "I Got You, Babe" (#1 1965, he wrote), "Walkin' the Quetzal" (1965), "Just You" (#20 1965), "What Now, My Love?" (#14 1966), "Little Man" (#21 1966), "Monday" (1966), "The Beat Goes on" (#6 1967, he wrote), "All I Ever Need is You" (#7 1971), "A Cowboy's Work is Never Done" (#8 1972), "When You Say Love" (#32 1972)
songwriter
music producer
comedian; author
mayor of Palm Springs; congressman
md. to Cher (1964-74)
his tombstone is inscribed: 'The Beat Goes on'
see Sonny and Cher on www.classicbands.com

Bill Doggett (William Ballard Doggett)

b. 1916 in Philadelphia, PA - d. 13 Nov 1996 in NY
R&B/jazz musician, instruments: Hammond organ, piano
"Big Dog" (1952), "Moon Dust" (1953), "Ready Mix" (1953), "High Heels" (1954), "It's a Dream" (1954), "Misty Moon" (1955), "Honky-Tonk" (#2 1956), "Mudcat" (1965), "Pimento" (1958), "Ocean Liner" (1959), "Crackers" (1964)
pianist for The Ink Spots (1942-44, replaced Ace Harris), "Shout, Brother, Shout" (1942)
The Ink Spots with Ella Fitzgerald, "I'm Making Believe" (#1 1944)
session musician with Ella Fitzgerald, Lucky Millinder, Louis Jordan, and others
songwriter
arranger

James Ingram

b. 1956 b. in Akron, OH (grew up in Prosser, OH)
soul/pop singer
instruments: piano, guitar, bass, drums
"How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" (#45 1983), "There's No Easy Way" (#58 1984), "A Better Way" (1987), "I Don't Have the Heart" (#1 1989), "When Was the Last Time the Music Made You Cry?" (1991)
duet with Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes, "What About Me?" (#15, #70c 1984)
duet with Linda Ronstadt, "Somewhere Out There" (#2 1987)
backup singer on Quincy Jones' "Just Once" (#17c 1982), "One Hundred Ways" (#14 1983); Patti Austin's "Baby, Come to Me" (#1 1983); and with Ray Charles, Nancy Wilson, Natalie Cole, and others
songwriter
music producer

Hal Kalin (Harold Kalin)

b. 1939 in Port Jervis, NY - d. 23 Aug 2005 in Waldorf, MD (auto accident)
pop/rock singer
founding member of The Kalin Twins, "When?" (#5, #13c 1958), "Forget Me Not" (#12 1958), "Oh, My Goodness" (1959), "It's Only the Beginning" (1959), "One More Time" (1961, he co-wrote), "Thinkin' about You, Baby" (1966), "Cross Over the Bridge" (1966), "Silver Sea Gull" (1978), "Giveaway" (1978), "American Eagle" (1980)
songwriter

Herb Kalin (Herbert Harry Kalin)

b. 1934/39 in Port Jervis, NY - d. 21 Jul 2006 in Waldorf, MD (heart attack)
founding member of The Kalin Twins, "When?" (#5, #13c 1958), "Forget Me Not" (#12 1958), "Oh, My Goodness" (1959), "It's Only the Beginning" (1959), "One More Time" (1961, he co-wrote), "Thinkin' about You, Baby" (1966), "Cross Over the Bridge" (1966), "Silver Sea Gull" (1978), "Giveaway" (1978), "American Eagle" (1980)
songwriter

Wayne King (Harold Wayne King aka the 'Waltz King')

b. 1901 in Savanna, IL (or GA) - 16 Jul 1985
pop musician, instrument: sax
founding member of Wayne King and His Orchestra (1927-42, 1946- ), "To Be Forgotten" (1929), "The Waltz You Saved for Me" (#4 1930), "Dream a Little Dream of Me" (#1 1931), "Goodnight, Sweetheart" (#1 1931), "Sweethearts Forever" (#3 1932), "The Moon Song" (#3 1933), "I Love You Truly" (1933), "Josephine" (#3 1937), "Cornsilk" (1939), "The Man With the Mandolin" (#6 1939), "Maria Elena" (#2 1941), "Let Your Heart Lead the Way" (1948), "Do We Have to Say Goodnight?" (1948), "Anna Rosa" (1948), "There Was Moonlight in Her Hair" (1948), "So Goes My Heart" (1950)
with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra
songwriter
football player
served in the Army during WWII, ended as a major
md. to actress, Dorothy Janis (1932-85, his death)

Cliff Maddox (Clifton R. E. Maddox)

b. 1912 in Boaz, AL - d. 1949 (heart disease)
country/honky-tonk singer
instruments: guitar, mandolin
founding member of The Maddox Brothers and Rose (1933-57), "Careless Driver" (1947), "Gosh, I Miss You All the Time" (1948), "At the First Fall of Snow" (1949), "I'm Sending You Daffydills" (1949), "Sally Let Your Bangs Hang Down" (1950), "Just One Little Kiss" (1950), "Dark as a Dungeon" (1950), "Chocolate Ice Cream" (1950), "I'll Make Sweet Love to You" (1952), "These Wasted Years" (1953), "Kiss Me Like Crazy" (1953), "Poor Little Heartbroken Rose" (1954), "You've Been Talkin' in Your Sleep" (1954), "Second Choice" (1955), "Hey Little Dreamboat" (1956), "Wish You Would" (1956), "Take a Gamble on Me" (1957), "1-2-3-4 Anyplace Road (Somewhere, USA)" (1957)

Lyn Paul (Lynda Susan Belcher)

b. 1949 in Manchester, England
folk/pop singer
"Sail the Summer Winds" (1974), "Here Comes That Wonderful Feeling" (1975), "I Don't Believe You Ever Loved Me" (1977), "Echoes of Love" (1983)
with The New Seekers (1970-74), "Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma" (1970), "When There's No Love Left" (1970), * "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" (#7 1971), "The Nickel Song" (1971), "Cincinnati" (1971), "The World I Wish for You" (1972), "Unwithered Rose" (1972), "I'll Be Your Song" (1972), "Ride a Horse" (1973)

Doug Phelps (Douglas Phelps)

b. 1960 (maybe Dec 16) in Edmonton, KY or Paragould, AR
country/rock singer
instruments: bass, electric guitar
founding member of Kentucky Headhunters (1985-93, 1997- ), "Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine" (#25c 1989), "Oh, Lonesome Me" (#8c 1990), "Rock 'n' Roll Angel" (#23c 1990), "With Body and Soul" (#56c 1991), "Honky-Tonk Walkin'" (#54c 1992), "Singin' the Blues" (#70c 1997), "Too Much to Lose" (#66c 2000)
founding member of Brother Phelps (1993- ), "Let Go" (#6c 1993), "Were You Really Livin'?" (#28c 1994, he co-wrote), "Not So Different after All" (#65c 1995)
songwriter
brother of Richard Phelps
see The Kentucky Headhunters

Jimmy Wakely (James Clarence Wakely)

b. 1914 in Mineola, AR (grew up in OK) – d. 23 Sep 1982 in Mission Hills, CA (emphysema)
country/pop singer
instruments: guitar, piano, bass, harmonica
"There's a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere" (1943), "Blue Blue Eyes" (1946), "I'm Sending You Red Roses" (#2c 1944), "Song of the Sierras" (1947, he wrote), "One Has My Name (the Other Has My Heart)" (#1c 1948), "I Love You So Much it Hurts" (#1c 1949), "You Can't Break the Chains of Love" (1949), "Forever More" (#10c 1949, he wrote), "Someday You'll Call My Name" (#10c 1949), "I Wish I Had a Nickel" (#4c 1949), "Peter Cottontail" (#26, #7c 1950), "Mister Easter Bunny" (1950), "Mona Lisa" (#10c 1950), "Telling My Troubles to My Old Guitar" (1951), "Did You Write a Letter to Your Sweetheart?" (1951), "Let's Walk Into the Future" (1955), "The Shelter of Your Arms" (1966)
founding member of The Jimmy Wakely Trio (1937- )
duets with Margaret Whiting, "Slippin' Around" (#1, #1c 1949), "Wedding Bells" (#6c 1949), "I'll Never Slip Around Again" (#2c 1949), "Broken Down Merry-Go-Round" (#2c 1950), "Let's Go to Church (Next Sunday Morning)" (#2c 1950), "Six Times a Week and Twice on Sunday" (1950), "A Bushel and a Peck" (1953)
duets with Les Baxter, "Beautiful Brown Eyes" (#5c 1951), "My Heart Cries for You" (#7c 1951)
duet with Eileen Barton, "Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed" (1954)
songwriter
cowboy actor

February 17

Billie Joe Armstrong

b. 1972 in Oakland, CA (grew up in Rodeo, CA)
rock singer
instruments: guitar, piano, harmonica, mandolin, sax, drums
founding member and lead singer of Green Day (1989- ), "When I Come Around" (1994), * "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)" (1997), "Hitchin' a Ride" (1997), "American Idiot" (2004)
session musician
songwriter
md. to Adrienne Nesser" (1994- )
he suffers from panic attacks

Packy Axton (Charles Axton)

b. 1941 - d. Jan 1974 (heart attack)
R&B musician, instrument: tenor sax
founding members of The Mar-Keys (1958- ), "Last Night" (#3 1961, One-Hit Wonder), "About Noon" (1961), "Foxy" (1961), "One Degree North" (1961), "Philly Dog" (1966)
session musician on Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour" (#21 1965), "Mustang Sally" (#23 1966); Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman" (#1 1966); and with Otis Redding, and others

Johnny Bush (John Bush Shin III)

b. 1935 in Houston, TX
country singer
instruments: drums, guitar
"Your Kind of Love" (1958), "What a Way to Live" (#29c 1968), "Undo the Right" (#10c 1968), "Each Time" (#16c 1969), "You Gave Me a Mountain" (#7c 1969), "Warmth of the Wine" (#25c 1970), "City Lights" (#53c 1971), "I'll Be There" (#17c 1972), "Right Back into Your Arms Again" (1972), "Whiskey River" (#14c 1972, he co-wrote), "There Stands the Glass" (#34c 1973), "Another Bridge to Burn" (1973), "We're Back in Love Again" (#37c 1974), "From Tennessee to Texas" (1974), "Toy Telephone" (#48c 1974), "You'll Never Leave Me Completely" (#78c 1975), "Adrianna's Song" (1976), "Hands Can Say a Lot" (1978), "When My Conscience Hurts the Most" (#83c 1979)
with Ray Price's Cherokee Cowboys (1963-65), "Make the World go Away" (#100, #2c 1963), "Burning Memories" (#2c 1964)
songwriter
he stated to lose some of his vocal range in the 1970's because of spastic dysphonia (a neurological disorder)

Billy Byrd (William Lewis Byrd)

b. 1920 in Nashville, TN - d. 7 Aug 2001 in Nashville, TN
country musician, instrument: electric guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass
"I Love You So Much it Hurts" (1960), "Half As Much" (1960), "That's What it's Like to Be Lonesome" (1962)
with Wally Fowler and His Georgia Clodhoppers (1946-48), "I Miss a Little Miss in Mississippi" (1947), "You Can't Conceal a Broken Heart" (1948), "Linger Longer Little Darling" (1950)
with Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadours (1949-59, 1969-70), "Warm Red Wine" (#8c 1949), "Slippin' Around" (#1c 1949), "Blue Christmas" (#1c 1950, #9c 1951, #5c 1952), "I Love You Because" (#2c 1950), "Remember Me, I'm the One Who Loves You" (#5c 1950), "Letters Have No Arms" (#2c 1950, he co-wrote), "Driftwood on the River" (#7c 1951), "Missing in Action" (#3c 1952), "Fortunes in Memories" (#5c 1952), "Two Glasses, Joe" (#11c 1954), "The Yellow Rose of Texas" (#7c 1955), "Half a Mind" (#8c 1958), "Goodbye, Sunshine" (1958), "I Cried a Tear" (#12c 1959), "Saturday Satan, Sunday Saint" (#43c 1969)
session musician with Cowboy Copas, Tex Ritter, Webb Pierce, and others
guitar designer
served in the Navy during WWII
see The Texas Troubadours on Hillbilly-Music dawt dom

Tommy Edwards

b. 1922 in Richmond, VA – d. 23 Oct 1969 in Richmond, VA (brain aneurysm)
soul/jazz/pop singer
instrument: piano
"All Over Again" (1951), "The Morning Side of the Mountain" (#24 1951, re-release #27 1959), "You Win Again" (#13 1952), "Please, Mister Sun" (#22 1953, re-release #11 1959), "Now and Then There's a Fool Such as I" (#24 1953), "Secret Love" (#28 1954), "Please Love Me Forever" (#61 1958), "Love is All We Need" (#15 1958), "It's All in the Game" (#18 1951, re-release #1 1958), "My Melancholy Baby" (#26 1959), "Don't Fence Me in" (#45 1960), "Left-Over Dreams" (1964), "Nine Chances Out of Ten" (1964)
songwriter

Clayton Ivey

b. 19?? in Pensacola, FL
country/soul/rock/blues musician, instruments: keyboards, piano, organ
session musician on Sailcat's "Motorcycle Mama" (#12 1972); Toby Keith's "Who's That Man" (#1c 1994), "Big Ol' Truck" (#15c 1994), "Upstairs Downtown" (#10c 1995), "Dream Walkin'" (#5c 1998), "I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight" (#27, #1c 2001), "I Wanna Talk About Me" (#28, #1c 2001); James and Bobby Purify's "I'm Your Puppet" (#6 1966); The Osmond Brothers's "One Bad Apple" (#1 1971); Diana Ross' "Touch Me in the Morning" (#1 1973); and with Johnnie Taylor, Brooks and Dunn, Lou Rawls, Bobby Womack, Greg Allman, Bob Seger, Roy Orbison, Amy Grant, Etta James, John Michael Montgomery, Chet Atkins, Little Richard, Sawyer Brown, and others
songwriter
arranger; music producer

Hoppy Jones (Orville Jones)

b. 1902 in Chicago, IL - d. 18 Oct 1944 in NY (collapsed during a performance and died shortly after)
R&B singer
instrument: bass
founding member of The Ink Spots (1932-44), "Swingin' on the Strings" (1935), "Address Unknown" (#1 1939), "If I Didn't Care" (#2 1939, re-release #1 1946), "Do I Worry?" (1940), "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me)" (#1 1941), "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" (#4 1941), "Shout, Brother, Shout" (1942)
The Ink Spots with Ella Fitzgerald, "I'm Making Believe" (#1 1944)

Bobby Lewis

b. 1933 in Indianapolis, IN
R&B/country singer
instruments: piano
"Tossin' and Turnin'" (#1 1961), "One-Track Mind" (#9 1961), "What a Walk" (1961), "I'm Tossin' and Turnin' Again" (1962), "Intermission" (1963), "Love Me and Make it All Better" (#12c 1967)
he lived in an orphanage until being adopted at age twelve by a family in Detroit, MI

Mickey McGill (Michael McGill)

b. 1937 in Chicago, IL
rock/R&B singer (baritone)
founding member and baritone of The Dells (1952- ), "Oh What a Nite" (#4 1956), "There is" (#20 1967), "Stay in My Corner" (#10 1968), "Always Together" (#18 1968), "Oh, What a Night" (#10 1969 remake), "Love is Blue" (#22 1969), "The Love We Had Stays on My Mind" (#30 1971)
The Dells backing Barbara Lewis, "Hello, Stranger" (#3 1963)
backup for Dinah Washington (1961-62)
see The Dells

Rickey Medlocke (Rick Medlocke)

b. 1950
rock singer
instruments: guitar, drums
with Blackfoot
with Lynyrd Skynyrd (1971, 1973), Sweet Home Alabama" (#8 1971), "Tuesday's Gone" (1973)
with the new Lynyrd Skynyrd (1996- ), "We Ain't Much Different" (1997), "Blame it on a Sad Song" (1997), "Life's Lessons" (2003)
see Lynyrd Skynyrd

Gene Pitney (Gene Francis Alan Pitney)

b. 1941 near Hartford, CT (grew up in Rockville, CT) - d. 5 Apr 2006 in Cardiff, Wales (coronary artery atherosclerosis right after a concert)
country/pop/rock singer
instruments: guitar, piano
"I Laughed So Hard I Cried" (1960), "Town Without Pity" (#13 1961), "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away" (#39 1961), "Airmail Special Delivery" (1961), * "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" (#4 1962), * "Half Heaven, Half Heartache" (#12 1962), * "Only Love Can Break a Heart" (#2 1962), "Mecca" (#12 1963), "True Love Never Runs Smooth" (#21 1963), "Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa" (#17 1963), "I'm Gonna Be Strong" (#9 1964), "That Girl Belongs to Yesterday" (#49 1964), "Last Chance to Turn Around" (#13 1965), "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" (#28 1965), "I Must Be Seeing Things" (#31 1965), "Backstage" (#25 1966), * "It Hurts to Be in Love" (#7 1967), "For Me, This is Happy" (1967), "Animal Crackers (in Cellophane Boxes)" (1967), "Building Up My Dream World" (1967), "Tremblin'" (1967), "She's a Heartbreaker" (#16 1968), "She Lets Her Hair Down (Early in the Morning)" (1969), "The French Horn" (1969), "A Street Called Hope" (1970), "Shady Lady" (1970)
duets with George Jones, "I've Got Five Dollars and it's Saturday Night" (#16c 1965), "Louisiana Man" (#25c 1965)
duet with Melba Montgomery, "Baby, Ain't That Fine" (#15c 1966)
duet with Marc Almond, "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" (#1 1989)
songwriter, wrote Ricky Nelson's "Hello, Mary Lou" (#9 1961), The Crystals' "He's a Rebel" (#1 1962), Bobby Vee's "Rubber Ball" (#6 1960)

Jon Randall (John Randall Stewart)

b. 1969 in Dallas, TX
country singer
instruments: guitar, mandolin
"This Heart" (#74c 1994), "I Came Straight to You" (1995), "She Don't Believe in Fairytales" (1998), "Cold Coffee Morning" (#71c 1999), "A Long Way Down" (2005), "I Shouldn't Do This" (2005)
duet with Patty Loveless, "Someone I Used to Know" (2001), "Are You Teasing Me?" (2003)
duet with Lorrie Morgan, "By My Side" (#18c 1996)
with Emmylou Harris' band (1989-94)
with Sam Bush's band (1996-98)
songwriter, co-wrote Allison Krauss and Brad Paisley's "Whiskey Lullaby" (#41, #3c 2004)
md. to Lorrie Morgan (1997-99)

Dodie Stevens (Geraldine Ann Pasquale)

b. 1947 in Chicago, IL (grew up in Temple City, CA)
pop singer
"Tan Shoes and Pink Shoelaces" (#3 1959, One-Hit Wonder), "Miss Lonely Heart" (1959), "Steady Eddy" (1959), "Candy Store Blues" (1960), "So Let's Dance" (1960), "You Are the Only One" (1961), "I Wore Out Our Record" (1963), "Don't Send Me No Roses" (1963), "You Don't have to Prove a Thing to Me" (1964), "Billy, I've Got to Go to Town" (#57c 1969, reply to Kenny Rogers' "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town")
with Sergio Mendes and Brasil '77 (1972-73)
founding member of a.k.a. Stevens
backup for Mac Davis, and others
actress
see Dodie Stevens

Buck Trent (Charles Wilburn Trent aka 'Mr. Banjo')

b. 1938 in Spartenburg, SC
country/pop/bluegrass singer
instruments: 5-string banjo, guitar, steel guitar, electric bass, dobro, mandolin
"Bionic Banjo" (1976), "Wrestling Matches" (1976), "You Are My Love Song" (1977)
with Porter Wagoner's Wagon Masters (1962-73)
duets with Roy Clark, "A Pair of Fives" (1974)
songwriter
he invented the Electric banjo

Orrin Tucker

b. 1911 in St. Louis, MO (grew up in Wheaton, IL)
pop singer
instrument: tenor sax (taught himself using written instructions)
founding member and leader of the Orrin Tucker Orchestra (1933-42), "Drifting and Dreaming" (1939, the orchestra's theme song)
the orchestra with Orrin Tucker as vocalist: "I'll Dream Tonight" (1938), "Calling All Hearts" (1941)
the Orrin Tucker Orchestrabacking Wee Bonnie Baker, "Havin' Myself a Time" (1938), "Oh, Johnny" (#2 1939), "Wouldja Mind?" (1939), "Not Yet" (1940), "Apple Blossoms and Chapel Bells" (#8 1940), "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" (1941)
with Orrin Tucker and the Go-Group, "Been Lookin' for Love" (1959), "I Need Lovin'" (1959)
started a new band after the war that played in hotels for many years, "The Moon is Always Bigger on Saturday Night" (1948)
the band appeared in the movie Queen of the Stardust Ballroom in 1974
started medical school but decided to go into music
served in the Navy (1942-46), pilot instructor and entertainment officer
had spinal surgery in 1997

Bryan White (Bryan Shelton White)

b. 1974 in Whitesville, WV or Shellman, GA or Lawton, OK (grew up in Oklahoma City, OK)
country singer
instrument: guitar, drums
"Someone Else's Star" (#1c 1994), "Rebecca Lynn" (#1c 1994), "I'm Not Supposed to Love You Anymore" (#4c 1996), "So Much for Pretending" (#1c 1996), "Sittin' on Go" (#1c 1997), "That's Another Song" (#15c 1997), "Leave My Heart Out of This" (1997), "Love is the Right Place" (#4c 1997), "Bad Day to Let You Go" (#30c 1998, he co-wrote), "You're Still Beautiful to Me" (#39c 1999)
duet with Shania Twain, "From This Moment on" (#6c 1998)
songwriter
md. to actress, Erika Page (2000- )
quote by Bryan White: "We never really grow up, we just learn how to act in public."
see Bryan White

February 18

David Blue (Stuart David Cohen)

b. 1941 in Pawtucket, RI - d. 2 Dec 1982 in NY (heart attack while jogging)
folk singer
instrument: guitar
"Beautiful Susan" (1969), "Blues (All Night Long)" (1972), "Yesterday's Angel" (1973), "Outlaw Man" (1973), "Dancing Girl" (1973), "Cupid's Arrow" (1976)
songwriter
actor

Claude Boone

b. 1916 near Ashville, NC
country singer
instruments: guitar, bass fiddle, electric bass
"Burglar Man" (1949), "Groundhog Blues" (1949), "Get Your Kisses while You Can" (1949), "Memories of Wedding Bells" (1949)
songwriter

Buddy Cage

b. 1946 in Canada
country singer
country/rock musician, instruments: pedal steel guitar, dobro
with The New Riders of the Purple Sage (1971-78, 1980-82, 2005), "Louisiana Lady" (1971), "Last Lonely Eagle" (1971), "Runnin' Back to You" (1972), "California Day" (1972), "On My Way Back Home" (1972), "Lonesome L.A. Cowboy" (1973), "Sunday Susie" (1974), "Neon Rose" (1974), "Farewell, Angelina" (1975), "Strangers on a Train" (1975), "Annie May" (1976), "Fifteen Days Under the Hood" (1976), "(Just) Another Night in Reno" (1977), "Till I Met You" (1977), "Green Eyes a Flashing" (1977), "Echoes" (1977), "The Way She Dances" (1980), "Day-Dreamin' Girl" (1980), "Saralyn" (1980)
session musician with Ian and Sylvia, Anne Murray, Boby Dylan, and others
see New Riders of the Purple Sage

Dudley Connell

b. 1956 in Scherr, WV (grew up in Rockville, MD)
country/bluegrass singer
instrument: guitar, banjo
duets with Don Rigsby, "Meet Me By the Moonlight" (1999), "Dark and Thorny" (1999), "Goodbye, Maggie" (1999), "Another Saturday Night" (2001), "I Can't Forget" (2001), "Dreams of Home" (2001), "Too Late" (2001)
founding member of The Johnson Mountain Boys (1978-89, 1991- ), "I'm Still to Blame" (1983), "Say You'll Take Me Back" (1983), "Five Speed" (1983), "Making up Stories" (1984), "I'll Never See You Anymore" (1984), "Let the Whole World Talk" (1987), "Memories That We Shared" (1987), "I've Found a Hiding Place" (1988), "I Could Change My Mind" (1988), "Cold and Windy Night" (1988), "Now Just Suppose" (1989, he wrote), "Teardrops Fell Like Raindrops" (1992), "It Don't Bring You Back to Me" (1993, he wrote), "Our Last Goodbye" (1993), "The Future Remains" (1993, he wrote)
with Longview
with The Seldom Scene
songwriter
see the Seldom Scene

Dennis DeYoung

b. 1947 in Chicago, IL
rock singer
instruments: keyboards, piano, accordion
"Desert Moon" (#10 1984, One-Hit Wonder, he wrote), "Don't Wait for Heroes" (1984, he wrote), "Warning Shot" (1986, he wrote), "Beneath the Moon" (1988, he wrote), "Outside Looking in Again" (1988, he wrote), "Someone to Watch Over Me" (1994), "Once Upon a Dream" (1994), "When I Dance with You" (1996), "Sanctuary" (1996), "Turn Off CNN" (2007, he wrote), "I Believe in You" (2007, he wrote)
founding member of Styx (1961-1999), "Best Thing" (#82 1972), "Lady" (#6 1975), "Lorelei" (#27 1976), "Come Sail Away" (#8 1977), "Babe" (#1 1979), "The Best of Times" (#3 1981), "Too Much Time on My Hands" (#9 1981), "Don't Let it End" (#6 1983), "Show Me the Way" (#3 1991)
songwriter
md. to Suzanne Feusi (1970- )
see Dennis DeYoung
see Styx

Bobby Hart

b. 1939 in Phoenix, AZ
pop singer
"Girl in the Window" (1959), "The Spider and the Fly" (1961), "The People Next Door" (1962), "I Think it's Called a Heartache" (1963), "Baby, Let Your Hair Down" (1965), "Cry My Eyes Out" (1966), "One Song Title After Another" (1977), "The Loneliest Night" (1979), "First Impressions" (1979)
with Boyce and Hart, "Out and About" (#39 1967), "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" (#8 1968), * "Alice Long (You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend)" (#27 1968)
founding member of The Tommy Band (1979- )
songwriter, co-wrote The Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville" (#1 1966), "Words" (#11 1967); Paul Revere and the Raiders' "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone" (#20 1967); Jay and the Americans' "Come a Little Bit Closer" (#3 1964); Curtis Lee's "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" (#7 1961)
music producer

Brenda Lee Jones (Brenda Lee Melson)

b. 1938 in Dayton, OH - d. 4 Aug 2001 (cancer)
pop singer
instrument: bass
"You're the Love of My Life" (1966), "Big Mistake" (1974)
recorded as Brenda Lee Melson, "The Love Game" (1967)
founding member of Dean and Jean, "We're Gonna Get Married" (1958), "Never Let Love Fade Away" (1959), "Come Take a Walk with Me" (1962), "I Love the Summertime" (1963), "Tra La La La Suzy" (#35 1964, she co-wrote), "I Wanna Be Loved" (#91 1964), "Lovingly Yours" (1965)
backup singer on Tommy Tucker's "Hi-Heel Sneakers" (#11 1964)
songwriter

PeeWee King (Frank Julius Anthony Kuczynski)

b. 1914 in Abrams, WI (grew up in Milwaukee, WI) – d. 7 Mar 2000 (heart attack)
country/western swing singer
instruments: accordion, fiddle, harmonica
"I Can't Tell a Waltz From a Tango" (1954), "Catty Town" (1956), "Absolutely Positively" (1956), "Slow-Poke Cha Cha" (1959)
founding member and leader of PeeWee King and the Golden West Cowboys (1936- ), "Tennessee Waltz" (#3c 1948, #6c 1951, he co-wrote), "The Waltz of Regret" (1949), "Tennessee Tears" (#12c 1949), "Tennessee Polka" (#3c 1949), "River Road Two-Step" (1950), "Whisper Waltz" (1951), "Slow Poke" (#1c, #1 1951, he co-wrote), "Last Night on the Back Porch (I Loved Her Best of All)" (1953)
founding member of Pee Wee King and His Band, "Silver and Gold" (#5c 1952), "BusyBody" (#8c 1952), "The Crazy Waltz" (1952), "Changing Partners" (#4c 1954), "Beauty is as Beauty Does" (1955), "Levi Lady" (1962)
songwriter
actor

Keith Knudsen

b. 1948 LeMars, IA - d. 8 Feb 2005 in Kentfield, CA (pneumonia)
country/rock singer
instruments: drums, percussions
with The Doobie Brothers (1974-83, 1987, 1993-2005), "Black Water" (#1 1975), "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me)" (#11 1975), "Sweet Maxine" (#40 1975), "Takin' it to the Streets" (#13 1976), "Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels" (1978), "What a Fool Believes" (#1 1979), "Minute by Minute" (#14 1979), "Real Love" (#5 1980), "Rockin' Down the Highway" (1996), "Wild Ride" (1996), "Angels of Madness" (2000)
founding member of Southern Pacific (1983-91), "Luanne" (1985), "Perfect Stranger" (#18c 1985), "Reno Bound" (#9c 1986), "A Girl Like Emmylou" (#17c 1986, he co-wrote), "Don't Let Go of My Heart" (#26c 1987), "Midnight Highway" (#14c 1988), "New Shade of Blue" (#2c 1988), "Bail Out" (1988), "Wheels on the Line" (1988), "Honey, I Dare You" (#5c 1989), "Any Way the Wind Blows" (#4c 1990), "Side Saddle" (1990), "Reckless Heart" (#32c 1990), "I Go to Pieces" (#31c 1990)
Southern Pacific and Carlene Carter, "Time's Up" (#26c 1989)
Southern Pacific and Emmylou Harris, "Thing about You" (#14c 1985)
songwriter
see Southern Pacific on Wikipedia

Juice Newton (Judy Kay Cohen)

b. 1952 in Lakehurst, NJ (grew up in Virginia Beach, VA)
country/folk/rock/pop singer
instrument: guitar
* "Angel of the Morning" (#4, #22c 1981), "Queen of Hearts" (#2, #14c 1981), "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)" (#7, #1c 1981), "Break it to Me Gently" (#11, #2c 1982), "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me" (#7 1982), "Tell Her No" (#27, #14c 1983), "You Make Me Want to Make You Mine" (#1c 1985), "Hurt" (#1c 1985), "Old Flame" (#5c 1986), "What Can I Do With My Heart?" (#9c 1987), "Tell Me True" (#8c 1988)
duet with Eddie Rabbitt, "Both to Each Other (Friends and Lovers)" (#1c 1986)

Derek Pellicci

b. 1953
rock musician, instrument: drums
founding member of Little River Band (1975-84, 1986-97), "It's a Long Way There" (#28 1976), "Help is on the Way" (#14 1977), "Reminiscing" (#3 1978), "Happy Anniversary" (#16 1978), "Lady" (#10 1979), "Cool Change" (#10 1979), "Lonesome Loser" (#6 1979), "The Night Owls" (#6 1981), "Take it Easy on Me" (#10 1981), "Man on Your Mind" (#14 1982), "The Other Guy" (#11 1982), "We Two" (#22 1983), "You're Driving Me Out of My Mind" (#35 1983), "Every Time I Turn Around" (1990, he co-wrote), "I Dream Alone" (1990), "Parallel Lines" (1991)
see Little River Band

Steve Phillips

b. 1948 in London, England
country/rock/blues singer
instruments: guitar, piano
"Moon Going Down" (1996), "I Couldn't Stay There" (1996)
founding member of The Notting Hillbillies (1986- ), "That's Where I Belong" (1990), "Feel Like Going Home" (1990)
founding member of The Rough Diamonds
artist; guitar maker

Yoko Ono

b. 1933 in Tokyo, Japan
pop singer
"Who Has Seen the Wind?" (1970), "Touch Me" (1971)
with the Plastic Ono Band, "Cold Turkey" (#30 1969), "Listen, the Snow is Falling" (1972), "Now or Never" (1972), "Whatever Gets You Through the Night" (#1 1974)
the Plastic Ono Band and John Lennon, "Imagine" (#3 1971)
with Elephant's Memory
songwriter
music producer; artist
md. to John Lennon; mother of Sean

Don Rigsby

b. 1962/68 in KY
country/bluegrass/gospel singer
instruments: mandolin, guitar, fiddle, dulcimer
"Rose among the Thorns" (1998), "Empty Old Mailbox" (2000), "Don't Sell the Land" (2000), "The Midnight Call" (2003), "I've Already Turned That Page" (2003)
with his band Midnight Call, "Hillbilly Heartache" (2006), "Old Green Chevrolet" (2006), "Any Bar in Birmingham" (2006)
duets with Dudley Connell, "Meet Me By the Moonlight" (1999), "Dark and Thorny" (1999), "Goodbye, Maggie" (1999), "Another Saturday Night" (2001), "I Can't Forget" (2001), "Dreams of Home" (2001), "Too Late" (2001)
with The Lonesome River Band
with Longview
songwriter
cousin of Ricky Skaggs

Herman Santiago

b. 1941 in San Juan, Puerto Rico (grew up in Manhattan, NY)
doo-wop/rock singer
founding member of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers (1955-57), * "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" (#6 1956, he co-wrote), "I Want You to Be My Girl" (#13 1956), "Who Can Explain?" (1956), "The ABC's of Love" (1956), "I Promise to Remember" (1956), "Paper Castles" (1957), "Miracle in the Rain" (1957)
founding member of The Teenagers (1958- )
songwriter
see Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers

Bobby Taylor

b. 1936 in NC (grew up in Washington, DC)
soul/R&B/doo-wop singer
"Oh, I've Been Bless'd" (1969), "It Should Have Been Me Loving Her" (1969), "Blackmail" (1969), "There are Roses Somewhere in the World" (1972), "Why Play Games?" (1973)
founding member and lead singer of Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers (1965-68), "Does Your Mama Know about Me?" (#29 1968, One-Hit Wonder), "Malinda" (#48 1968), "I am Your Man" (#85 1968)
music producer
Olympic boxer
see Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers on Wikipedia

Irma Thomas (Irma Lee)

b. 1941 in Ponchatoula, LA
soul/R&B singer
"I May Be Wrong" (1960), "Girl Needs Boy" (1961), "Ruler of My Heart" (1962), "Done Got Over it" (1962), "Two Winters Long" (1963), "Wish Someone Would Care" (#17 1964, One-Hit Wonder), "Anyone Who Knows What Love is (Will Understand)" (#52 1964), "He's My Guy" (#63 1964), "Times Have Changed" (#98 1964), "Somewhere Crying" (1967), "We Got Something Good" (1968), "That's How I Feel About You" (1971), "She's Taken My Part" (1972)

Sean Watkins

b. 1977
bluegrass singer
instrument: guitar
with Nickel Creek, "When You Come Back Down" (#48c 2000), "Reasons Why" (2000), "Smoothie Song" (2002), "This Side" (#56c 2002, he wrote), "Seven Wonders" (2002, he co-wrote), "When in Rome" (2005), "Somebody More Like You" (2005, he wrote), "Best of Luck" (2005), he co-wrote), "First and Last Waltz" (2005, he co-wrote)
songwriter
brother of Sara Watkins
see Nickel Creek

February 19

Daniel Adair (Daniel Patrick Adair)

b. 1975 in Ontario, Canada
rock/country/jazz musician, instrument: drums
founding member of Nickelback (2005- ), "Photograph" (#2 2005), * "Far Away" (#8 2006), "Rockstar" (#6 2006), "If Everyone Cared" (#17 2007), "Side of a Bullet" (2007)
with 3 Doors Down (2002-04)
session musician
see Nickelback

Mark Andes

b. 1948 in Philadelphia, PA
country/rock singer
instrument: bass
founding member of Spirit (1967-71), "Straight Arrow" (1968), "It's All the Same" (1968), "Mechanical World" (#31 1968), "I Got a Line on You" (#25 1969, One-Hit Wonder), "Dark-Eyed Woman" (1969), "So Little Time to Fly" (1969), "1984" (#69 1970), "Morning Will Come" (1970), "Nature's Way" (1970)
founding member of Jo Jo Gunne (1971-72), "Run, Run, Run" (1972)
founding member of Firefall (1974-80), "You Are the Woman" (#9 1976), "Just Remember I Love You" (#11 1977), "Strange Way" (#11 1978)
with Heart (1982-1993), "What about Love?" (#10 1985), "Never" (#4 1985), "These Dreams" (#1 1986), "Alone" (#1 1987), "Stranded" (#13 1990), "I Don't Want to Need You" (#23 1990), "All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You" (#2 1990)
session musician

Ray 'Duck' Atkins (Raymond Atkins)

b. 1927 near Erwin, TN - d. 1 Feb 1997
country singer
instruments: dobro, steel guitar
with Johnnie and Jack, "Poison Love" (#4c 1951), "Cryin' Heart Blues" (#5c 1951), "Three Ways of Knowing" (1952), "The Only One I Ever Loved I Lost" (1952), "Private Property" (1953), "Dynamite Kisses" (1954), "(Oh, Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely" (#1c 1954), "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" (#3c 1954), "You're Just What the Doctor Ordered" (1954), "Kiss-Crazy Baby" (#7c 1955), "No One Dear But You" (#14c 1955), "Tom Cat's Kittens" (1956), "Stop the World and Let Me Off" (#7c 1957), "That's Why I'm Leavin'" (1957), "I've Seen This Movie Before" (1958), "Sailor Man" (#16c 1959), "Happy Lucky Love" (1960), "Talkin' Eyes" (1960)
with The Dixie Partners
session musician with Kitty Wells, and others

Lou Christie (Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco)

b. 1943 in Glen Willard, PA
pop singer, falsetto
"The Gypsy Cried" (#24 1963), "You and I (Have a Right to Cry)" (1963), "Little Did I Know" (1963), * "Two Faces Have I" (#6 1963), "Lightnin' Strikes" (#1 1966), "Rhapsody in the Rain" (#16 1966), * "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" (#10 1969), "One and Only Original Sunshine Kid" (1975)
see Lou Christie

Bob Engemann

b. 1936 in Highland Park MI
pop singer
with The Lettermen (1960-68), "Come Back, Silly Girl" (#17 1962), * "A Summer Place" (#16 1965), "The Way You Look Tonight (#13 1961), "Goin' Out of My Head"/"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (medley) (#7 1967), "When I Fall in Love" (#7 1962)
see The Lettermen

Jerry 'Max' Lane

b. 1939/43 in Gorman, TX or Fort Worth, TX
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Fine as Wine" (1974), "Right Out of This World" (#63c 1974), "Asphalt, It's Your Fault" (1975), "Teenage Crush" (1975), "I've Got a Lot of Missin' You to Do" (#81c 1975, #96c 1983, he wrote), "Walk Off the World" (1976), "I'd Rather Stay and Wish I Had Left" (1977), "(I Wish I Had a Bottle of) the Way I Feel Tonight" (1977), "When the Music Stops" (#87c 1983, he wrote), "Just Another Dream Come True" (2002)
songwriter, wrote George Strait's "Gone as a Girl Can Get" (#5c 1992)
police officer

Schuyler Larsen

b. 1947 in NY
rock musician, instrument: bass
founding member of Every Mother's Son (1967-69), "Come on Down to My Boat" (#6 1967, One-Hit Wonder), "Put Your Mind at Ease" (1967), "The Proper Four-Leaf Clover" (1967, he co-wrote), "What Became of Mary?" (1967), "Alison Dozer" (1967), "Didn't She Lie?" (1967), "No One Knows" (1968), "Pony with the Golden Mane" (1968), "Rainflowers" (1968)
songwriter

Ralph 'Thundersticks' McCauley

b. 1964 in Needville, TX
country musician, instrument: drums
with Wild Horses, "I Will Survive" (#46c 2001), "You Gotta Ride" (2003), "Am I Going too Fast?" (2003), "Listen to My Heart" (2003), "Wild Horses" (2003), "Ride, Cowboy Ride" (2003), "Safely Home" (2003), "How Love Should Be" (2007), "You and Me and San Antone" (2007), "Touch Me There Again" (2007)

Sam Myers (Samuel Joseph Myers)

b. 1936 in Laurel, MS (grew up in Jackson, MS) - d. 17 Jul 2006 in Dallas, TX (throat cancer)
blues singer
instruments: harmonica, drums, trumpet
"Sleeping in the Ground" (1957, he wrote), "My Love is Here to Stay" (1957), "You're So Fine" (1979), "Back in My Baby's Arms" (1987)
with Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets (1986-2006)
sessionist with Elmore James, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and others
songwriter

Cedric Rainwater (Howard Staton Watts aka Arizona Slim)

b. 1913 in Monticello, FL - d. 21 Jan 1970 in Nashville, TN (heart attack)
country singer (baritone/bass)
instrument: string bass
with Hank Williams' backup band Drifting Cowboys Band (1950-51), "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" (#1c 1950), "Why Don't Ya Love Me?" (#1c 1950), "Moanin' the Blues" (#1c 1950), "Cold, Cold Heart" (#1c 1951), "Hey, Good Lookin'" (#1c 1951), "I Can't Help it (If I'm Still in Love with You)" (#2c 1951), "Howlin' at the Moon" (#3c 1951), "Jambalaya" (#1c 1952)
with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys (1944-48, 1951), "Kentucky Waltz" (#3c 1946), "Footprints in the Snow" (#5c 1946), "Blue Moon Over Kentucky" (1947), "My Rose of Old Kentucky" (1948), "Sweetheart, You Done Me Wrong" (#11c 1948), "Christmas Time's a Comin'" (1951)
with Flatt and Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Boys (1948-50)
comedian
see The Blue Grass Boys

Smokey Robinson (William Robinson, Jr.)

b. 1940 in Detroit, MI
rock/soul singer
instrument: guitar
"The Agony and the Ecstasy" (#36 1975), "Baby, That's Backatcha" (#26 1975), "Coincidentally" (1976), "Shoe Soul" (1978), "I'm Loving You Softly" (1978), "Daylight and Darkness" (1978), "Cruisin'" (#4 1979), "Being with You" (#2 1981), "You Are Forever" (1981), "Just to See Her" (#8 1987), "One Heartbeat" (#10 1987)
founding member and lead of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (1955-72), "Who's Loving You?" (1960), "Come on, Do the Jerk" (1961), "Shop Around" (#2 1961), "If Your Mother Only Knew" (1962), "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (#8 1962), "Mickey's Monkey" (#8 1963), "I've Gotta Dance to Keep from Crying" (#35 1963), "I Like it Like That" (#27 1964), "Ooo Baby Baby" (#16 1965), "My Girl Has Gone" (#14 1965), "The Tracks of My Tears" (#16 1965, he co-wrote), "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need" (#17 1966), * "I Second That Emotion" (#4 1967), "More Love" (#23 1967), "Yester Love" (#31 1968), "Special Occasion" (#26 1968), "If You Can Want" (#11 1968), "Abraham, Martin and John" (#33 1969), "Baby Baby Don't Cry" (#8 1969), "Doggone Right" (1969), "The Tears of a Clown" (#1 1970, he wrote), "Flower Girl" (1971)
duet with Syreeta Wright, "First Time on a Ferris Wheel" (1985)
songwriter, co-wrote Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar" (#8 1965), "I'll Be Doggone" (#8 1965); The Temptations' "My Girl" (#1 1965, about his wife Claudette), "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (#11 1964), "Since I Lost My Baby" (#17 1965); Mary Well's "My Guy" (#1 1964); The Marvelettes' "Don't Mess with Bill" (#7 1966); Brenda Holloway's "When I'm Gone" (#25 1965)
music producer; arranger
md. to singer, Claudette Rogers (1959-86)
see Smokey Robinson on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
see The Miracles on Wikipedia

Bobby Rogers (Robert Rogers)

b. 1940 in Detroit, MI
soul singer (tenor)
with The Miracles (1956-83, 1993- ), "Who's Loving You?" (1960), "Come on, Do the Jerk" (1961), "Shop Around" (#2 1961), "If Your Mother Only Knew" (1962), "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (#8 1962), "Happy Landing" (1962), "Mickey's Monkey" (#8 1963), "I've Gotta Dance to Keep from Crying" (#35 1963), "I Like it Like That" (#27 1964), "Ooo Baby Baby" (#16 1965), "My Girl Has Gone" (#14 1965), "The Tracks of My Tears" (#16 1965), "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need" (#17 1966), * "I Second That Emotion" (#4 1967), "More Love" (#23 1967), "Yester Love" (#31 1968), "Special Occasion" (#26 1968), "If You Can Want" (#11 1968), "Abraham, Martin and John" (#33 1969), "Baby Baby Don't Cry" (#8 1969), "Doggone Right" (1969), "The Tears of a Clown" (#1 1970), "Flower Girl" (1971), "Do it, Baby" (#13 1974), "Smog" (1976), "Love Machine" (#1 1976)
songwriter, co-wrote The Temptations' "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (#11 1964)
cousin of Claudette Rogers
md. to Wanda Young of The Marvelettes
see The Miracles on Wikipedia

Danny Valentino (Vincent Pacimeo)

b. 1941 in Flushing, NY
rock/rockabilly/novelty singer
"Stampede" (1959), "Biology" (#95 1960), "A Million Tears" (1960), "Pictures from the Past" (1960), "Till the End of Forever" (1960)

February 20

David Ackles

b. 1937 in Rock Island, IL – d. 2 Mar 1999 in Pasadena, CA (lung cancer)
rock/folk singer
instrument: piano
"The Road to Cairo" (1968, he wrote), "Down River" (1968, he wrote), "Blue Ribbons" (1968, he wrote), "His Name is Andrew" (1968, he wrote), "When Love is Gone" (1968), "Subway to the Country" (1970), "Be My Friend" (1970), "Out on the Road" (1970), "Love's Enough" (1972), "Midnight Carousel" (1972), "A Photograph of You" (1973), "Postcards" (1973)
songwriter
actor

Les 'Carrot Top' Anderson (Clelland Irving Anderson aka Red Anderson)

b. 1921 in Siloam Springs, AR - d. 4 Oct 2001 (stroke)
western swing singer
instrument: steel guitar
"She's Dynamite in Blue Dungarees" (1951), "Tennessee Moon" (1951), "Brenda Lee" (1958)
with The Texas Playboys (1943-45), "New San Antonio Rose" (remake, #3c 1944), "Smoke on the Water" (#1c 1945), "Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima" (#1c 1945), "Roly Poly" (1945), "Nobody's Darling But Mine" (1945), "Texas Two-Step" (1945)
with Spade Cooley's band
session musician
see The Texas Playboys

Randy Archer (Randy Allen Archer)

b. 1959 in Swainsboro, GA
country singer
"Just As Crazy" (2006), "That's Not Gonna Bring Her Back" (2006), "A Different Piece of Cloth" (2006), "Look What Your Leavin' Left Behind" (2006)
founding member of Archer Park (1993-94), "Where There's Smoke" (#29c 1994), "We've Got a Lot in Common" (#63c 1994, he co-wrote), "You Don't Know Where This Heart's Been" (1994, he co-wrote)
songwriter
farmer

Kathie Baillie

b. 1951 in Morristown, NJ
country singer
instrument: guitar
founding member and lead singer of Baillie and the Boys (1977- ), "Oh, Heart" (#9c 1987, she co-wrote), "Waitin' Out the Storm" (1987), "Wilder Days" (#9c 1988), "Long Shot" (#5c 1989), "(I Wish I Had a) Heart of Stone" (#4c 1989), "I Can't Turn the Tide" (#9c 1990, she co-wrote), "(Now and Then There's a) Fool Such As I" (#5c 1990), "Treat Me Like a Stranger" (#18c 1991), "While the Forgettin's Good" (1996), "Road That Led Me to You" (2000)
backup singer on Ed Bruce's "My First Taste of Texas" (#6c 1983)
songwriter
md. to Michael Bonagura (1977- )
see Baillie and the Boys on WikipediA

Walter Becker (Walter Carl Becker)

b. 1950 in Queens, NY
rock/jazz musician, instruments: guitar, bass
founding member of Steely Dan (1972-81, and reunions), "My Old School" (#63 1973), "Do it Again" (#6 1973), "Reelin' in the Years" (#11 1973), "Rikki, Don't Lose That Number" (#4 1974), "Pretzel Logic" (#57 1974), "Black Friday" (#37 1975), "Green Earrings" (1976), "Josie" (#26 1978), "Peg" (#11 1978), "Hey, Nineteen" (#10 1981), "Time Out of Mind" (#22 1981)
music producer
see Steely Dan

Randy California (Randy Craig Wolfe)

b. 1951 in Los Angeles, CA - d. 2 Jan 1997 in HI (drowned)
rock/jazz singer
instrument: guitar
founding member of Spirit (1967-71, and reunions), "Straight Arrow" (1968), "It's All the Same" (1968), "Mechanical World" (#31 1968), "I Got a Line on You" (#25 1969, One-Hit Wonder, he wrote), "Dark-Eyed Woman" (1969), "So Little Time to Fly" (1969), "1984" (#69 1970), "Morning Will Come" (1970), "Nature's Way" (1970)
with Jimmy James and the Blue Flames (1966)
songwriter
step-son of drummer, Ed Cassidy
he drowned while rescuing his son from an ocean current

Barbara Ellis (Barbara Laine Ellis)

b. 1940 in Olympia, WA
pop/doo-wop singer
founding member of The Fleetwoods (1958-64, and reunions), * "Come Softly to Me" (#1 1959, she co-wrote), "Mr. Blue" (#1 1959), "Graduation's Here" (#39 1959), "Outside My Window" (#28 1960), "Runaround" (#23 1960), "Tragedy" (#10 1961), "(He's) the Great Impostor" (#30 1962), "Lovers by Night, Strangers by Day" (#36 1962), "Goodnight, My Love" (#32 1963), "Lonely is as Lonely Does" (1964), "Before and After (Losing You)" (1964), "Ten Times Blue" (1964)
songwriter
see The Fleetwoods
see The Fleetwoods Official Web Site

Sunny Gale (Selma Sega)

b. 1927 in Philadelphia, PA
pop singer
"I Laughed at Love" (1952), "Teardrops on My Pillow" (1953), "A Stolen Waltz" (1953), "Love Me Again" (1953), "Before it's Too Late" (1953), * "Call Off the Wedding" (1954), "Unsuspecting Heart" (1954), "An Old Familiar Love Song" (1954), "Let Me Go, Lover" (#17 1955), * "Certainly Baby" (1956), "A Meeting of the Eyes" (1957), "Who Are We to Say?" (1957), "Please Don't Tell Him I Love Him" (1961), "I'm Telling My Heart" (1963), "I'm Not Sorry" (1964), "Let the Rest of the World Go By" (1966), "Our Love is a Sad Song" (1968)

Claire Lynch

b. 1954 in Poughkeepsie, NY or Albany, NY
bluegrass singer
instruments: guitar, piano
"Your Presence is My Favorite Gift" (1993), "After the Storm" (1993), "Alabama State of Mind" (1994), "Stranger Things Have Happened" (2000), "He Rode All the Way to Texas" (2001)
founding member of the Front Porch String Band (1975-82, 1990- ), "Some Morning Soon" (1991, she co-wrote), "If You're Ever in Oklahoma" (1992), "Hearts Against the Wind" (1992)
songwriter
md. to Larry Lynch (1976- )

Leland Martin

b. 1957 in Success, MO
country singer
instrument: guitar
"There Ain't No Speed Limit" (2002), "If I Had Long Legs (Like Alan Jackson)" (#60c 2002, he wrote), "Hey Love, No Fair" (#59c 2003), "Country As the Day is Long" (2005), "Don't Forget to Remember" (2005)

Buffy Sainte-Marie (Beverly Sainte-Marie)

b. 1941 in Saskatchewan, Canada
folk/country singer
instrument: guitar
"Now That the Buffalo's Gone" (1964, she wrote), "The Universal Soldier" (1964, she wrote), "The Carousel" (1967), "I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again" (1968), "Take My Hand for a While" (1968), "From the Bottom of My Heart" (1968), "She Used to Want to Be a Ballerina" (1971), "Sweet September Morning" (1971), "Starwalker" (1976), "I'm Going Home" (1992), "Disinformation" (1992), "He's a Keeper of the Fire" (2000)
songwriter
Native-American
rights activist

Murv Shiner (Mervin J. Shiner)

b. 1921 in Bethlehem, PA
country singer, guitar
"Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me?" (#5c 1949), "I'm Gonna Tie a String Around Your Finger" (1949), "Peter Cottontail" (#8, #6c 1950), "Settin' the Woods on Fire" (1952), "Landslide of Love" (1952), "Our Heartbreaking Waltz" (1954), "A Love With No Tomorrow" (1955), "Too Hard to Say I'm Sorry" (#50c 1969)
duet with Jack Clements, "The Moods of Mary" (1965)
duets with Grady Martin, "Our Love isn't Legal" (1952), "Let's Take a Trip to the Moon" (1952)
songwriter

Lew Soloff (Lewis Soloff)

b. 1944 in Brooklyn, NY (grew up in Lakewood, NJ)
jazz/rock instruments: trumpet, flugelhorn
with Blood Sweat and Tears (1968-73, after the first album), "You've Made Me So Very Happy" (#2 1969), "More and More/Spinning Wheel" (#2 1969), "And When I Die" (#2 1969), "Hi-De-Ho" (#14 1970), "Lucretia MacEvil" (#29 1970), "Go Down Gamblin'" (#32 1971), "Lisa, Listen to Me" (#73 1971), "So Long Dixie" (#32 1972)
with The Manhattan Jazz Quintet
session musician
see Blood, Sweat and Tears

Chris Thile (Christopher Scott Thile)

b. 1981 in Santa Monica, CA
bluegrass singer
instruments: mandolin, banjo, guitar, drums
"Brakeman's Blues" (2006), "Stay Away" (2006, he wrote), "I'm Yours if You Want Me" (2006, he wrote)
founding member of Nickel Creek, "When You Come Back Down" (#48c 2000), "Reasons Why" (2000), "Smoothie Song" (2002, he wrote), "This Side" (#56c 2002), "Seven Wonders" (2002), "When in Rome" (2005, he wrote), "Somebody More Like You" (2005), "Best of Luck" (2005), he co-wrote), "First and Last Waltz" (2005, he co-wrote)
songwriter
see Nickel Creek

Nancy Wilson (Nancy Sue Wilson)

b. 1937 in Chillicothe, OH (grew up in Columbus, OH)
jazz/pop singer
"Like in Love" (1959), "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am" (#11 1964), "Never Less Than Yesterday" (1964), "Where Does That Leave Me?" (1965), "Rain Sometimes" (1966), "Ten Years of Tears" (1967), "Face it Girl, it's Over" (#29 1968), "Like a Circle Never Stops" (1975)
actress

Buddy Wise

b. 1928 in Topeka, KS - d. Jul 1955
swing/jazz musician, instrument: tenor sax
with Gene Krupa and His Orchestra (1946-49), "Tomorrow is Forever" (1946), "Aren't You Kind of Glad We Did?" (1946), "Old Devil Moon" (#21 1947), "It Might Have Been a Different Story" (1947), "Lemon Drop" (1949), "Bop Boogie" (1949)
session musician with Ray Anthony, Nat King Cole, and others
see Gene Krupa

February 21

Ava Aldridge

b. 1946 in AZ - d. 12 Aug 2003 in Sheffield, AL
country/pop singer
backup singer with Hank Williams, Jr., Crystal Gayle, Mac Davis, Wilson Pickett, Joan Baez, Narvel Felts, Percy Sledge, Roy Clark, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Billy Ray Cyrus, Ronnie Milsap, Delbert McClinton, Amy Grant, and others
songwriter, wrote Narvel Felts' "Somebody Told Me" (#10c 1976); Johnny Rodriguez and Charly McClain's "I Hate the Way I Love it" (#16c 1979); Billy 'Crash' Craddock's "Real Cowboy" (#20c 1980); Sue Richards' "Sweet Sensuous Feelings" (#25c 1976); Gus Hardin's "Loving You Hurts" (#32c 1983)
co-wrote Sawyer Brown's "Treat Her Right" (#3c 1996); Dr. Hook's "Sharing the Night Together" (#6, #50c 1978)

Mary Chapin Carpenter

b. 1958 in Princeton, NJ
country/folk singer
instrument: guitar
"Never Had it So Good" (#8c 1989, she co-wrote), "Quittin' Time" (#7c 1990), "Something of a Dreamer" (#14c 1990, she wrote), "Down at the Twist and Shout" (#2c 1991, she wrote), "I Feel Lucky" (#4c 1992, she co-wrote), "The Hard Way" (#11c 1993, she wrote), "Passionate Kisses" (#57, #4c 1993), * "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" (#2c 1994, she co-wrote), "I Take My Chances" (#2c 1994, she co-wrote), "Shut up and Kiss Me" (#90, #1c 1994, she wrote), "Stones in the Road" (1994), "Tender When I Want to Be" (#6c 1994, she wrote), "Why Walk When You Can Fly?" (#45c 1995, she wrote), "Let Me into Your Heart" (#11c 1997, she wrote), "Almost Home" (#85, #22c 1999, she co-wrote), * "Grow Old with Me" (1999)
songwriter
see Mary Chapin Carpenter

Bobby Charles (Robert Charles Guidry)

b. 1938 in Abbeville, LA
rock/R&B singer
"Since She's Gone" (1958), "Four Winds" (1959), "The Town is Talking" (1959), "Big Boys Cry" (1963), "One More Glass of Wine" (1964), "Everybody's Laughing" (1964, he co-wrote), "Worrying Over You" (1965, he wrote), "Small-Town Talk" (1972, he co-wrote), "Secrets" (1986, he co-wrote)
songwriter, co-wrote Frogman Henry's "(I Don't Know Why) But I Do" (#4 1961)

Orville Couch (Orville G. Couch, Jr.)

b. 1935 in Grapevine, TX - d. 26 May 2002 in TX (heart failure)
country/rockabilly/gospel singer
instrument: guitar
"Five-Cent Candy" (1957), "I Will if You Will" (1957), "Hello, Trouble" (#5c 1963, he co-wrote), "Did I Miss You?" (#25c 1963, he co-wrote), "Since You've Gone" (1963), "Farmington, New Mexico" (1966), "Permanent Wave" (1966)
founding member of Orville Couch and the Troublemakers, "Wild Girl" (1964)
songwriter
DJ

Eric Heatherly

b. 1970 in Chattanooga, TN
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Flowers on the Wall" (#6c 2000), "Someone Else's Cadillac" (2000), "Swimming in Champagne" (#46c 2000, he co-wrote), "The Wrong Five O'Clock" (#32c 2001, he co-wrote), "The Last Man Committed" (#36c 2002, he wrote), "Hang it on Your Heart" (2005), "Dark Days" (2005)
songwriter

Rusty McHugh (James Rushton McHugh, III)

b. 1948 in Birmingham, AL - d. 21 Feb 2005 in Pensacola, FL (throat cancer)
country/novelty singer
instrument: guitar
duets with Mike Fincher, "Walmart II - the Return" (2001, he wrote), "A Bus Back to Birmingham" (2001), "My Truck" (2002), "Hang up and Drive" (2002), "Daddy Was a Working Girl" (2002), "Tequila Makes My Clothes Fall Off" (2002, he wrote), "How Long is Forever in Dog Years?" (2005, he wrote), "Take Care of Your Car" (2005)
session musician
songwriter
comedian

John Nallie

b. 1963 in Beaumont, TX
country singer
instruments: keyboards, drums
with Sons of the Pioneers (1993-2000)
with The Nallie Brothers Band
with Mason Dixon (1989- ), "Exception to the Rule" (#35c 1989)
md. to Daphne Stewart (1992- )
see The Sons of the Pioneers

Don Reno (Donald Wesley Reno)

b. 1927 in Spartanburg, SC (grew up in Haywood County, NC) - d. 16 Oct 1984
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: banjo, guitar
"I'm Worried About Me" (1966), "I Want to Know" (1966)
founding member of The Tennessee Cut-Ups (1951-64, 1971-84), "I'm Using My Bible for a Roadmap" (1952), "Barefoot Nellie" (1955), "All I Have is Just a Memory" (1958), "Money, Marbles, and Chalk" (1960), "Bringin' in the Georgia Mail" (1960), "Dill Pickles" (1964), "Sweet Miss Sarah Jane" (1972), "Katy Hill" (1973)
founding member of Reno and Smiley, "Don't Let Your Sweet Love Die" (#14c 1961), "Love, Oh Love, Oh Please Come Home" (#23c 1961)
with Benny Martin's band (1965-70), "Soldier's Prayer in Vietnam" (#46c 1966, he co-wrote), "Too Bad You're Not Good for Me" (1966)
songwriter
comedian
served in the military during WWII
father of Don Wayne Reno
see Don Reno on WikipediA

February 22

Jesse Ashlock

b. 1915 in Walker County, TX - d. 9 Aug 1976 in Austin, TX (cancer)
western swing musician, instrument: fiddle
founding member of The Texas Playboys (1935-46, off and on later), "San Antonio Rose" (1938), "Maiden's Prayer" (1938), "New San Antonio Rose" (#11c 1940), "Time Changes Everything" (1940), "Take Me Back to Tulsa" (1941), "Cherokee Maiden" (1941), "You're from Texas" (1942), "New San Antonio Rose" (remake, top twenty, #3c 1944), "Smoke on the Water" (#1c 1945), "Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima" (#1c 1945), "Roly Poly" (1945), "Nobody's Darling But Mine" (1945), "Texas Two-Step" (1945), "Stay a Little Longer" (#2c 1946), "New Spanish Two-Step" (#1c 1946)
founding member of The Musical Brownies (1932)
songwriter
his last performance was just 3 days before his death
see The Texas Playboys
see Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies

Phillip Ballou (Phillip Demitrius Ballou)

b. 1950 in Pittsburgh, PA - d. 19 Mar 2005 in NY (stroke)
soul/pop/gospel singer
founding member of Revelation (1974- ), "Get Ready for This" (1975), "Where it's Warm" (1975), "Sweet Talk and Melodies" (1975), "What Good am I (Without You)?" (1975), "You to Me Are Everything" (1976)
session musician with Luther Vandross, Todd Rundgren, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Tom Jones, George Benson, Nona Hendryx, Teddy Pendergrass, Asleep at the Wheel, James Taylor

James Blunt (James Hillier Blount)

b. 1974 in Wiltshire, England
pop/rock/folk singer
instruments: guitar, piano, organ, marimba
"You're Beautiful" (#1 2006), * "Goodbye, My Lover" (#66 2006), "1973" (#73 2007), "Same Mistake" (2007, he wrote)
songwriter
see James Blunt

Curly Chalker (Harold Lee Chalker)

b. 1931 in Enterprise, AL - d. 30 Apr 1998 (brain tumor)
country/western swing/pop musician, instrument: pedal steel guitar
session musician on Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life" (#1c 1952); Marie Osmond's "Paper Roses" (#5, #1c 1973); Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer" (#7 1968); and with Lefty Frizzell, Charlie McCoy, Buddy Spicher, Doug Kershaw, Ray Price, Dick Curless, and others
served in the military

Big Sonny Edwards (Robert Edwards)

b. 1942 in Philadelphia, PA
soul/pop singer
founding member of The Intruders (1960-75), "But You Belong to Me" (1964), "A Book for the Broken-Hearted" (1966), "Together" (#48 1966), "Up and Down the Ladder" (1966), "Devil With an Angel's Smile" (1966), "Friends No More" (1968), "Cowboys to Girls" (#6 1968), "Turn the Hands of Time" (1968), "(Love is Like a) Baseball Game" (#26 1968), "When We Get Married" (#45 1970), "(Win, Place or Show) She's a Winner" (1971), "Do You Remember Yesterday?" (1971), "Memories Are Here to Stay" (1972), "I'll Always Love My Mama" (#36 1973), "I Wanna Know Your Name" (#60 1973), "Rainy Days and Mondays" (1975)
see The Intruders on soulwalking

Dave Hanner (David Nicely Hanner)

b. 1949 in Kittanning, PA
country/rock singer
instruments: guitar, keyboards
founding member of Corbin Hanner (1979-84, 1990- ), "Livin' the Good Life" (#46c 1981), "Everybody Knows I'm Yours" (#46c 1982, he wrote), "Oklahoma Crude" (#49c 1982), "Work Song" (#55c 1990), "Wild Winds" (1990), "I Will Stand by You" (#49c 1992), "Any Road" (#71c 1992, he co-wrote)
songwriter

Bobby Hendricks

b. 1938 in Columbus, OH
doo-wop/R&B singer (tenor)
"A Thousand Dreams" (1958), "Molly Be Good" (1958), "Itchy Twitchy Feeling" (#25 1958, One-Hit Wonder), "If I Just Had Your Love" (1960), "Let's Get it Over" (1963)
with The Drifters (1958), "Drip Drop" (#58 1958)
with Bill Pinkney's Drifters (1965-68)

Ernie K-Doe (Ernest Kador Jr.)

b. 1936 in New Orleans, LA - d. 5 Jul 2001 in New Orleans, LA (liver failure)
R&B singer
instrument: drums
"Mother-in-Law" (#1 1961, One-Hit Wonder), "I Cried My Last Tear" (1962), "Hello, My Lover" (1962), "Looking into the Future" (1964), "Little Bit of Everything" (1965), "How Sweet You Are" (1968), "I'll Make Everything All Right" (1970), "Wishing in Vain" (1970)
songwriter

Millard Kelso (aka The Little Man with the Mustache)

b. 1912 in Cleveland, OK - d. 12 Mar 1968 in Santa Clara, CA
western swing musician, instrument: piano
with The Texas Playboys (1943-48), "Home in San Antone" (1943), "You're From Texas" (#2c 1944), "We Might as Well Forget it" (#2c 1944), "New San Antonio Rose" (#3c 1944, he co-wrote), "Smoke on the Water" (#1c 1945), "Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima" (#1c 1945), "Roly Poly" (1945), "Nobody's Darling But Mine" (1945), "Texas Two-Step" (1945), "Stay a Little Longer" (#2c 1946), "New Spanish Two-Step" (#1c 1946), "Can't Get Enough of Texas" (1947), "Sugar Moon" (#1c 1947), "Bubbles in My Beer" (#4c 1948), "Keeper of My Heart" (#8c 1948)
with Tommy Duncan and His Western All Stars
see The Texas Playboys

Guy Mitchell (Albert Cernik)

b. 1925/27 (maybe Feb 27) in Detroit, MI – d. 2 Jul, 1999 in Las Vegas, NV (complications of surgery)
pop/novelty/folk/country singer
"Belle, Belle, My Liberty Belle" (#9 1951), "Rock-a-Billy" (1956), "Singing the Blues" (#1 1956), * "The Lord Made a Peanut" (1957), * "Heartaches by the Number" (#1 1959), "She Wears Red Feathers" (1959), "Blue Violet" (1963), "Traveling Shoes" (#51c 1967), "Frisco Line" (#71c 1968)
duets with Mindy Carson, "Tell Me You're Mine" (#22 1952), "Tell Us Where the Good Times Are" (1953), "This Above All" (1954)
backed by Mitch Miller and His Orchestra, "My Heart Cries for You" (#2 1951), "The Roving Kind" (1951), "My Truly, Truly Fair" (#2 1951), "(There's a Pawnshop on the Corner in) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania" (#4 1952)
actor
saddle maker
served in the Navy (1944-47)
he is of Yugoslavian descent

Oliver (William Oliver Swofford aka Bill Swofford)

b. 1945 in North Wilkesboro, NC – d. 12 Feb 2000 in Shreveport, LA (cancer)
pop singer
"Good Morning, Starshine" (#3 1969), "Jean" (#2 1969), "Sunday Mornin'" (#35 1969), "Angelica" (#97 1970)
with The Virginians
with The Good Earth, "I Can See a Light" (1968), "There's More Than One Road to Philadelphia" (1969)

Nina Simone (Eunice Kathleen Waymon)

b. 1933 in Tryon, NC - d. 21 Apr 2003 in France
jazz/soul/folk/gospel singer
instrument: piano
"My Baby Just Cares for Me" (1958), "I Loves You, Porgy" (#18 1958, One-Hit Wonder), "If Only for Tonight" (1960), "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair" (1960), "Plain Gold Ring" (1960), "In the Evening By the Moonlight" (1962), "He Needs Me" (1962), "Little Liza Jane" (1963), "Feeling Good" (1965), "Either Way I Lose" (1965), "Lilac Wine" (1966), "Wild is the Wind" (1966)
songwriter
arranger
civil rights activist
she suffered from bipolar disorder
md. to Andrew Stroud
see Nina Simone

Vince Welnick

b. 1951 in Phoenix, CA - d. 2 Jun 2006 in CA (suicide)
rock singer
instruments: keyboards, piano, organ
with The Grateful Dead (1990-1995), "The Eyes of the World" (1990), "Looks Like Rain" (1990)
founding member of The Tubes (197?-86)
session musician with Todd Rundgren, and others
songwriter
he attempted suicide in 1995 while depressed over the death of Jerry Garcia, and being diagnosed with emphysema and throat cancer
see The Grateful Dead

Del Wood (Polly Adelaide Hendricks)

b. 1920 in Nashville, TN – d. 3 Oct 1989 (stroke)
country/honky-tonk/gospel singer
instrument: piano
"Down Yonder" (#5c 1951, first million-selling record by a female artist), "Jersey Jump" (1953), "There's a Tavern in the Town" (1955), "Piano Roll Waltz" (1957), "Shortcake" (1958), "Echo Waltz" (1961), "The Old Piano Roll Blues" (1963), "Are You from Dixie?" (1970)
md. to Mr. Hazelwood

February 23

Steve Barri (Stephen Barry Lipkin)

b. 1942 in Brooklyn, NY (grew up in CA)
folk/rock backup singer
instruments: percussions
"Down Around the Corner" (1961), "Whenever You Kiss Me" (1962)
founding member of the first group known as The Grass Roots (1965-66), * "Where Were You When I Needed You?" (#28 1966, he co-wrote), "Only When You're Lonely" (1966), "Here's Where You Belong" (1966)
songwriter, co-wrote The Grass Roots' "Glory Bound" (#34 1972); Johnny Rivers' "Secret Agent Man" (#3 1966); Herman's Hermits' "A Must to Avoid" (#8 1966)
music producer
see The Grass Roots

Thom Bresh (Thomas Charles Bresh)

b. 1948 in Hollywood, CA
country singer
instruments: guitar, steel guitar, clarinet, trumpet, sax, banjo, bass, tuba
"D.B. Cooper, Where Are You?" (1972), "Homemade Love" (#6c 1976), "Sad Country Love Song" (#17c 1976), "Hey, Daisy (Where Have All the Good Times Gone)" (#33c 1977), "Until I Met You" (#57c 1977, he wrote), "First Encounters of a Close Kind" (#84c 1978, he wrote)
duet with Lane Brody, "When it Comes to Love" (#77c 1982)
session musician with Chet Atkins, Gordon Lightfoot, and others
with Hank Penny's band (1963- )
songwriter
actor
son of singer, Merle Travis

Dusty Drake

b. 1964 in Monaca, PA
country singer
instruments: drums, guitar
"And Then" (#57c 2002), "Too Wet to Plow" (2003), "Ain't Nobody's Business" (2003, he co-wrote), "Smaller Pieces" (#50c 2003, he co-wrote), "One Last Time" (#26c 2003)
songwriter

Mary Ann Fisher

b. 1923 in Henderson County, KY - d. 12 Mar 2004 in Louisville, KY
blues/soul singer
"Wild As You Can Be" (1959), "Put on My Shoes" (1959), "Can't Take the Heartbreak" (1961)
with Ray Charles' band (1955-58), "A Fool for You" (1955), "Mary Ann" (1956)
duet with Ray Charles, "What Kind of Man Are You?" (1962)

Steve Holy

b. 1972 in Dallas, TX
country singer
"Blue Moon" (#24c 2000), * "Good Morning, Beautiful" (#1c 2000), "I'm Not Breakin'" (#27c 2003), "Put Your Best Dress on" (#26c 2004), "Brand New Girlfriend" (#40, #1 2006), "Come on Rain" (#38c 2006)

Les Kummel (Leslie Kummel)

b. 1945- 18 Dec 1978 (auto accident)
rock/pop/soul musician, instrument: bass
with The New Colony Six (1968-70, replaced Walt Kemp), "I Will Always Think About You" (#22 1968, he co-wrote), "Things I'd Like to Say" (#16 1968), "Girl Unsigned" (1968), "Hold Me with Your Eyes" (1968), "You Know Better" (1968), "I Could Never Lie to You" (1969), "Prairie Grey" (1969)
songwriter

Mike Maxfield (Michael Maxfield)

b. 1944 in Manchester, England
rock musician, instrument: lead guitar
with The Dakotas (1962-66, 1990-2004), "The Cruel Surf" (1963), "Magic Carpet" (1963)
Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas * "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" (1963), * "Little Children" (#7 1964), "Bad to Me" (#9 1964), "I'll Keep You Satisfied" (#30 1964), "From a Window" (#23 1964), "It's Gonna Last Forever" (1965), "You Make Me Feel Like Someone" (1966)
session musician
songwriter
had a stroke in 2004 and had to stop performing

Tommy Moeller (Thomas Moeller)

b. 1945 in Liverpool, England
folk/pop/rock singer
instruments: tambourine, piano, guitar
founding member of Unit 4 + 2 (1963- ), * "Concrete and Clay" (#28 1965, One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "You've Never Been in Love Like This Before" (#95 1965), "Baby, Never Say Goodbye" (1966)
songwriter
brother of Billy Moeller (aka Whistling Jack Smith)
see Unit 4 + 2 on Wikipedia

Greg Wilson

b. 19?? in IL
country/rock singer
instruments: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar
* "Forgetting to Remember" (1998), * "I Love You" (1998), "Even if I Wanted to" (1998), "Cross the Line" (1998), "October Rose" (2000), "Really I Do" (2000), "Too Late for Goodnight" (2000)
with Freedom Reign
backup singer
songwriter

Rusty Young

b. 1946 in Long Beach, CA (grew up in Denver, CO)
country/rock singer
instruments: pedal steel guitar, slide guitar, dobro, fiddle
founding member of Poco (1968-84, and reunions), "A Good Feelin' to Know" (1972), "Keep on Tryin'" (1975), "Rose of Cimarron" (1976), "Crazy Love" (#17, #95c 1979, he wrote), "Heart of the Night" (#20, #96c 1979)
founding member of The Sky Kings, "Picture Perfect" (#52c 1996)
songwriter

February 24

Rupert Holmes

b. 1947 in Cheshire, England (grew up in Nanuet, NY)
pop singer
instrument: piano
"Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" (#1 1979, he wrote), "Partners in Crime" (1979, he wrote), "Him" (#6 1980, he wrote), "Answering Machine" (#32 1980, he wrote)
lead singer with Street People (not a real band, just sessionists), * "Jennifer Tomkins" (#36 1970), "Thank You, Girl" (#96 1970), "I Wonder What Happened to Sally" (1970)
session musician on The Buoys' "Timothy" (#17 1971, he wrote), "Give up Your Guns" (#84 1971, he wrote)
songwriter
music producer; arranger
author

Nicky Hopkins (Nicholas Christian Hopkins)

b. 1944 in London, England, d. 6 Sep 1994 in Nashville, TN (complications of surgery)
rock singer
instruments: piano, organ, harpsichord
"Jenni" (1966, he wrote), "Nothing as Yet" (1967), "High on a Hill" (1968), "Waiting for the Band" (1973, he wrote), "Speed on" (1973, he co-wrote), "Sundown in Mexico" (1973, he wrote), "Banana Anna" (1973, he co-wrote)
with The Jeff Beck Group (1967-69)
with Quicksilver Messenger Service (1970-72), "Three or Four Feet from Home" (1970), "Words Can't Say" (1970)
session musician on Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful" (#5 1975); George Harrison's "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" (#1 1973); The Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice" (#7 1972); and with New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, John Lennon, and others
songwriter
arranger
he had Crohn's disease
see Quicksilver Messenger Service on Wikipedia

Paul Jones (Paul Pond)

b. 1942 in Hampshire, England
rock singer
instrument: harmonica
founding member and lead singer of Manfred Mann (1963-66), * "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" (#1 1964), "Sha La La" (#12 1964), "Come Tomorrow" (#50 1965), "Pretty Flamingo" (#29 1966)
with The Manfreds (1991- )
songwriter
actor
see Manfred Mann on www.classicbands.com

Sammy Kershaw (Samuel Paul Kershaw)

b. 1958/59 in Abbeville, LA (grew up in Kaplan, LA)
country/honky-tonk singer
instrument: guitar
"Cadillac Style" (#3c 1991), "Anywhere But Here" (#10c 1992), "She Don't Know She's Beautiful" (#1c 1993), "Queen of My Double-Wide Trailer" (#7c 1993), "Haunted Heart" (#9c 1993), "I Can't Reach Her Anymore" (#3c 1994), "National Working Woman's Holiday" (#2c 1994), "Third-Rate Romance" (#2c 1994), "Racing With My Heart" (1995), "Meant to Be" (#5c 1996), "Vidalia" (#10c 1996), "Love of My Life" (#85, #2c 1998), "Me and Maxine" (#35c 1999), "I Want My Money Back" (#33c 2003)
duet with Lorrie Morgan, "Maybe Not Tonight" (#17c 1999)
songwriter
md. to Kim (1985- ), md. 4th to singer, Lorrie Morgan (2001-03); distant cousin of Doug Kershaw
see Sammy Kershaw

Little Roy Lewis (Roy M. Lewis, Jr.)

b. 1942 in Lincolnton, GA
bluegrass/gospel musician, instrument: 5-string banjo
with The Lewis Family (1950- ), "Just One Rose Will Do" (1960), "Dust on the Bible" (1963), "Seeking a Far-Off Home" (1964), "Lonesome Valley" (1970), "Put Your Hand in the Hand" (1971), "The Baptism of Jesse Taylor" (1975), "Precious Memories" (1978), "Slippers with Wings" (1980), "Just Like Angels in the Sky" (1984), "Green Pastures" (1986), "On the Wings of a Dove" (1988), "Looking Through the Windows of Heaven" (1990), "You are My Sunshine" (1996), "God's Gonna Getcha for That" (1998), "Angels Gathering Flowers" (2004), "Those Good Old Country Sundays" (2006)
comedian

Butch McDade (David Hugh McDade)

b. 1946 in Clarksdale, MS - d. 29 Nov 1998 in Maryville, TN (bladder cancer)
country/rock/pop singer
instruments: drums, percussions
founding member of The Amazing Rhythm Aces (1974-80, 1994-1998), "Third-Rate Romance" (#14, #11c 1975), "Amazing Grace (Used to Be Her Favorite Song)" (#9c 1976), "Dancin' the Night Away" (1976), "If I Just Knew What to Say" (1976), "The End is Not in Sight (The Cowboy Tune)" (#12c 1976), "Ashes of Love" (#100c 1978), "Whispering in the Night" (1979), "I Musta Died and Gone to Texas" (#77c 1980), "Waitin' on Sundown" (1997), "Cold, Cold Rain" (1997), "I Feel Forever" (1997), "Out of the Storm" (1997)
songwriter

Steve Priest (Stephen Norman Priest)

b. 1950 in Hayes, Middlesex
rock singer
instrument: bass
founding member of Sweet (1968-81), * "Funny, Funny" (1971), "Little Willy" (#3 1973), "The Ballroom Blitz" (#5 1975), "Fox on the Run" (#5 1976, he co-wrote), "Action" (#20 1976), "Love is Like Oxygen" (#8 1978)
songwriter
see Sweet

Joanie Sommers (Joan Drost)

b. 1941 in Buffalo, NY
pop singer
"One Boy" (#54 1960), "When the Boys Get Together" (#94 1962), "Johnny, Get Angry" (#7 1962, One-Hit Wonder), "Little Girl Bad" (1963), "If You Love Him" (1964), "Never Throw Your Dreams Away" (1966), "Talk Until Midnight" (1968), "Sunshine after Rain" (1970), "Step Inside Love" (1970), "Little Girl From Greenwood, Georgia" (1970)
duets with Edd Byrnes, "Like I Love You" (#42 1959), "Hot Rod Rock" (1959)
actress

Andy Thompson (Andrew Thompson)

b. 1972 in Norwell, MA
country/rock singer
instrument: guitar
founding member of The Thompson Brothers Band, "The Rain Came Down" (1996), "Drive Me Crazy" (#56c 1997), "A Million Miles Away" (1998), "Back on the Farm" (#58c 1998), "Run Away with You" (1998), "Painful Days and Sleepless Nights" (1998)
brother of Matt Thompson

Lonnie Turner

b. 1947 in Berkeley, CA
rock/blues singer
instruments: bass, guitar
founding member of The Steve Miller Band (1968-81), "Sittin' in Circles" (1968), "Living in the U.S.A." (#49 1968), "Quicksilver Girl" (1968), "Song for Our Ancestors" (1969), "Going to the Country" (#69 1970), "Nothing Lasts" (1972), "The Joker" (#1 1973), "Fly Like an Eagle" (#2 1976), "Rock 'N Me" (#1 1976), "Sweet Maree" (1976), "Jet Airliner" (#8 1977), "Heart Like a Wheel" (#24 1981)
session musician with Eddie Money, Tommy Tutone, Terry and the Pirates, and others
see the Steve Miller Band on Wikipedia

February 25

Jim Backus (James Gilmore Backus)

b. 1913 in Cleveland, OH - d. 3 Jul 1989 in Santa Monica, CA (pneumonia and Parkinson's Disease)
novelty singer
"Delicious" (#40 1958, One-Hit Wonder), "The TV Man" (1974), "Me and My Shadow" (1974)
actor Thurston Howell III on Gilligan's Island); voice actor (voice of Mr. Magoo)
author; comedian

Ricky Baker (Rick Biagiola)

b. 1948 in Cleveland, OH
rock/soul musician, instrument: drums
founding member of The Outsiders (1964-68), "Was it Really Real?" (1966), "Time Won't Let Me" (#5 1966), "Girl in Love" (#21 1966), "Respectable" (#15 1966), "Help Me, Girl" (#37 1967), "Oh, How it Hurts" (1968)
see The Outsiders

George Harrison (George Harold Harrison)

b. 1943 in Liverpool, England – d. 29 Nov 2001 (cancer)
rock singer
instruments: guitar, slide guitar, sitar, organ
"Beware of Darkness" (1970), "My Sweet Lord" (#1 1970), "Isn't it a Pity?" (#1 1970), "Deep Blue" (1971), "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" (#1 1973), "Dark Horse" (#15 1975), "This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying)" (1975), "Crackerbox Palace" (#19 1977), "Blow Away" (#16 1979), "All Those Years Ago" (#2 1981), "Got My Mind Set on You" (#1 1988)
with The Quarrymen
with The Moondogs
with The Silver Beatles
founding member and lead guitarist with The Beatles, "You'll Be Mine" (1960), "Cayenne" (1960), * "P.S. I Love You" (1962), * "Anna (Go to Him)" (1963), "She Loves You" (#1 1963), "Can't Buy Me Love" (#1 1964), * "Love Me Do" (#1 1964), * "Please, Please Me" (#3 1964), * "Twist and Shout" (#4 1964), "A Hard Day's Night" (#1 1964), "I Saw Her Standing There" (#14 1964), "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" (#9 1964), "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (#1 1964), "I Feel Fine" (#1 1965), "Eight Days a Week" (#1 1965), "Ticket to Ride" (#1 1965), "Help!" (#1 1965), "Yesterday" (#1 1965), "Yellow Submarine" (#2 1966), "We Can Work it Out" (#1 1966), "Paperback Writer" (#1 1966), "When I'm Sixty-Four" (1967), "Penny Lane" (#1 1967), "All You Need is Love" (#1 1967), "I Am the Walrus" (1967), "Rocky Raccoon" (1968), "Hello, Goodbye" (#1 1968), "Hey Jude" (#1 1968), "Come Together" (#1 1969), "Let it Be" (#1 1970), (he was not on "The Long and Winding Road")
on 4 Apr 1964 The Beatles had the top 5 singles on the Billboard charts
The Beatles with Billy Preston, "Get Back" (#1 1969)
The Beatles with Tony Sheridan, "Ain't She Sweet?" (1962), "Sweet Georgia Brown" (1962), "Nobody's Child" (1962), "My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean)" (#26 1964)
founding member of The Traveling Wilburys (1988-91), "Handle With Care" (#45 1988), "End of the Line" (#63 1989), "She's My Baby" (1990)
songwriter
music producer; actor, movie producer
he celebrated his birthday on February 25 most of his life until he discovered he was born shortly before midnight February 24
see The Beatles
see George Harrison

Justin Jeffre

b. 1973 in Mount Clemens, MI
pop/soul singer
founding member of 98 Degrees (1997- ), "Invisible Man" (#12 1997), "Because of You" (#3 1998), "I Do (Cherish You)" (#13 1999), * "The Hardest Thing" (#5 1999), "My Everything" (#34 2000), "Can You Imagine?" (2000)
98 Degrees duet with Mariah Carey, "Thank God I Found You" (#1 2000)

Sleepy Johnson (Clifton C. Johnson)

b. 1909 in OK or Locker, TX - d. 24 Apr 1976 in Turkey, TX (died on stage)
country musician, instruments: guitar, tenor banjo
founding member of The Texas Playboys (1935-38, also on some recordings 1960-63), "San Antonio Rose" (1938), "Maiden's Prayer" (1938)
founding member of The Light Crust Doughboys (1930- )
md. to Elnora 'Sally' Beard (1934- )
see The Texas Playboys

b. 1921 in PA - d. 1 Jun 2000 in Chester, PA
rock/jazz/rockabilly musician, instrument: drums
drummer with Bill Haley and the Comets (1954-60, and reunions), "Dim, Dim the Lights" (#11 1954), "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (#7 1954), * "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" (#1 1955, #39 1974), "Razzle Dazzle" (#15 1955), "Rock-a-Beatin' Boogie" (#23 1955), "See You Later, Alligator" (#6 1956), "Rudy's Rock" (#34 1956), "The Saints' Rock 'n' Roll" (#18 1956), "Rock the Joint" (1957), "Rockin' Rita" (1957), "Mary, Mary Lou" (1957), "B-B-Betty" (1958), "Skinny Minnie" (#22 1958)
several Comets recording as The Lifeguards, "Everybody Out of the Pool" (1959)
several Comets recording as The Kingsmen, "Weekend" (#35 1958, One-Hit Wonder), "The Cat Walk" (1958)
session musician with Sally Starr, and others
songwriter
see The Comets

Roy Michaels

b. 1942
rock singer
instruments: bass guitar
founding member of Cat Mother and the All Night News Boys (1967-73), "Good Old Rock and Roll" (#21 1969, he co-wrote), "Can You Dance to it?" (1969), "Probably Won't" (1969), "Riff Raff" (1970), "I Must Be Dreaming" (1970), "Letter to the President" (1972)
songwriter

Daniel Powter (Daniel Robert Powter)

b. 1971 in British Columbia, Canada
pop singer
instrument: piano
"Negative Fashion" (2000), "Still Nothing" (2000), * "Bad Day" (#1 2005, he wrote), "Free Loop" (2005, he wrote), "Lie to Me" (2006, he wrote), "Love You Lately" (2007, he wrote)
he has dyslexia

Dee Dee Sperling (Mary Sperling)

b. 1945 in Santa Monica, CA
pop/rock singer
founding member of Dick and Dee Dee, "The Mountain's High" (#2 1961), "Tell Me" (#22 1962), "Young and in Love" (#17 1963), "Turn Around" (#27 1964), "Thou Shalt Not Steal" (#13 1964), "Make Up Before We Break Up" (1966), "Escape Suite" (1968)
backup singer with The Rolling Stones, and others
songwriter
author or Vinyl Highway (about her days as a singer)
md. to Mr. Phelps
see Dick and Dee Dee

Ralph Stanley (Ralph Edmund Stanley)

b. 1927 in Stratton, VA
bluegrass singer
instrument: banjo
"Little Birdie" (2008), "Will You Miss Me?" (2008)
founding member of The Clinch Mountain Boys (1946- ), "Rambler's Blues" (1948), "I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow" (1951, 1959, 1961), "I'm Lonesome Without You" (1953), "Lonesome and Blue" (1955), "Midnight Ramble" (1958), "Gonna Paint the Town" (1958), "The Memory of Your Smile" (1959), "How Far to Little Rock?" (#17c 1960), "Stone Walls and Steel Bars" (1963), "Lips That Lie" (1963), "I Just Stood There" (1964), "Shout, Little Lucie" (1964), "Rollin' on Rubber Wheels" (1965), "The End of the Road" (1966), "The Hills of Roan County" (1967), "Hemlock and Primrose" (1967), "Highway Ambush" (1969), "I'll Just Go Away" (1969), "Katy Daley" (1971), "Bright Morning Star" (1972), "Death is Only a Dream" (1972), "Step Out in the Sunshine" (1972), "Those Two Blue Eyes" (1972), "Traveling the Highway Home" (1977), "Amazing Grace" (1977), "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem" (1977), "Mama Don't Allow" (1992), "Legend of the Rebel Soldier" (1992), "White Dove" (1992), "Will You Miss Me?" (2002)
The Clinch Mountain Boys were also known as The Stanley Brothers
duets with Joe Isaacs, "Step Off on That Beautiful Shore" (1995, he co-wrote), "Cast the First Stone" (1995)
songwriter
md. to Jimmie Crabtree

David Stensen

b. 1947 in San Bruno, CA
folk/rock musician, instrument: bass guitar
founding member of the first group known as The Grass Roots (1965-66), * "Where Were You When I Needed You?" (#28 1966, he co-wrote), "Only When You're Lonely" (1966), "Here's Where You Belong" (1966)
see The Grass Roots

Foster Sylvers (Foster Emerson Sylvers)

b. 1962
R&B/soul singer
instrument: bass
"Misdemeanor" (#22 1973), "Only My Love is True" (1973)
founding member of The Sylvers (1971- ), "Fool's Paradise" (1972), "Wish That I Could Talk to You" (#77 1972), "Stay Away from Me" (1973), "Through the Love in My Heart" (1973), "Boogie Fever" (#1 1976), "Cotton Candy" (#57 1976), "Hot Line" (#5 1976), "High School Dance" (#17 1977), "Any Way You Want Me" (1977), "Mahogany (Do You Know)?" (1979)
songwriter
arranger; producer
see The Sylvers on soulwalking

Johnny Tulucci (Johnny M. Tulucci)

b. 1959 in Miami, FL
country musician, instrument: drums
with The Cactus Brothers (1995- ), "This Love's Gonna Fly" (1995), "Secret Language" (1995), "A Woman's Touch" (1995)
with the Kurth and Taylor Band
session musician

Pete Wernick (Peter Wernick aka 'Dr. Banjo')

b. 1946 in New York, NY
bluegrass/rock singer
instrument: banjo
"Ruthie" (1993)
founding member of Hot Rize (1976-92), "No Brakes" (1981), "Footsteps So Near" (1986), "You Don't Have to Move the Mountain" (1987), "A Voice on the Wind" (1992), "Rocky Road Blues" (1992)
Hot Rize also performed as Red Knuckles and the Trail Blazers, "Always Late" (1982), "Waldo's Discount Donuts" (1982), "Shady Grove" (1982)
with Country Cooking (1971-75
songwriter
he is a survivor of the United Airlines Flight 232 disaster
see Hot Rize

Faron Young (aka 'The Singing Sheriff')

b. 1932 near Shreveport, LA – d. 10 Dec 1996 (shot himself after developing severe emphysema)
country/honky-tonk singer
instrument: guitar
"Have I Waited Too Long?" (1951), "I Heard That Jukebox Playing" (1952), "Going Steady" (#2c 1953, he wrote), "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" (#2c 1954), "A Place for Girls Like You" (#8c 1954), "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young" (#1c 1955), "All Right" (#2c 1955, he wrote), "Sweet Dreams" (#2c 1956), "I've Got Five Dollars and it's Saturday Night" (#4c 1956), * "Until I Met You" (1956), "It's a Great Life (If You Don't Weaken)" (#5c 1956), "You're Still Mine" (#3c 1956, he co-wrote), "I Miss You Already (and You're Not Even Gone)" (#5c 1957, he co-wrote), "The Locket" (1957), * "Alone with You" (#51, #1c 1958, he co-wrote), "Every Time I'm Kissing You" (#10c 1958, he co-wrote), "Country Girl" (#1c 1959), "We're Talking it Over" (1959), "There's Not Any Left Like You" (1960), "Hello, Walls" (#12, #1c 1961, Pop One-Hit Wonder), "The Comeback" (#4c 1962), "Yellow Bandana" (#4c 1963), "Walk Tall" (#10c 1965), "Forgive Me, Dear" (#1c 1965), "I Just Came to Get My Baby" (#8c 1968), "Your Time's Coming" (#4c 1969), "Wine Me Up" (#2c 1969, he co-wrote), "Occasional Wife" (#6c 1970), * "Goin' Steady" (#5c 1970, new version, he wrote), "Step Aside" (#6c 1971), * "It's Four in the Morning" (#92, #1c 1971), "Leavin' and Saying Goodbye" (#9c 1971), "This Little Girl of Mine" (#5c 1972), "Just What I Had in Mind" (#9c 1973), "(The Worst You Ever Gave Me Was) the Best I Ever Had" (#30c 1976), * "Please Change the Subject" (1974), * "Some Kind of a Woman" (#8c 1974), * "The Wrong in Lovin' You" (#20c 1974), "Loving Here and Living There and Lying in Between" (#38c 1978)
duet with Margie Singleton, "Keeping up with the Joneses" (#5c 1964)
songwriter
publisher, actor
served in the Army during the Korean War (1952-54)

Doug Yule (Douglas Alan Yule)

b. 1947
rock singer
instruments: guitar, bass guitar, organ, drums
with The Velvet Underground (1970-73, replaced John Cale), "Sweet Jane" (1970)

February 26

J.R. Bailey (James Ralph Bailey)

b. 1932/34 in SC - d. Jan 1980 in NY
doo-wop singer (tenor)
"Hold Back the Dawn" (1968), "After Hours" (1973), "Love Won't Wear Off (as the Years Wear on)" (1968)
lead singer with The Cadillacs (1956-59, and reunions)
founding member of The Halos (1960-61), "Nag" (#25 1961, One-Hit Wonder), "Copy Cat" (1961)
backup singer for Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, and others
songwriter, wrote Main Ingredient's "Everybody Plays the Fool" (#3 1972)

Jonathan Cain (Jonathan Leonard Friga)

b. 1950 in Chicago, IL
rock singer
instruments: keyboards, rhythm guitar, bass, harmonica, accordion
"Windy City Breakdown" (1977), "Spinning My Wheels" (1977), "Just the Thought of Losing You" (1995), "Even in My Wildest Dreams" (1997, he wrote), "I'll Always Remember" (1997, he co-wrote), "Daydream" (1997, he wrote), "Just to Love You" (1998, he wrote), "A Day to Remember" (1998, he wrote)
with Journey (1980-87, 1991, 1995- ), "Any Way You Want it" (#23 1980), "Who's Crying Now?" (#4 1981, he co-wrote), "Don't Stop Believin'" (#9 1981, he co-wrote), "Open Arms" (#2 1982, he co-wrote), "Still They Ride" (#19 1982), "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" (#8 1983), "Faithfully" (#12 1983, he wrote), "Only the Young" (#9 1985), "Be Good to Yourself" (#9 1986), "I'll Be Alright Without You" (#14 1987), "When You Love a Woman" (#12 1997, he co-wrote)
founding member of Bad English
songwriter

Johnny Cash (J.R. Cash aka 'The Man in Black')

b. 1932 near Kingsland, AR (grew up in Dyess, AR) – d. 12 Sep 2003 in Nashville, TN (complications of diabetes)
country/folk/rockabilly singer (baritone)
instrument: guitar
backed by his band, The Tennessee Three, "Bandana" (1955), "Wabash Blues" (1955), "Cry, Cry, Cry" (#14c 1955, he wrote), * "I Walk the Line" (#17, #1c 1956, he wrote), "Folsom Prison Blues" (#4c 1956, he wrote), "So Doggone Lonesome" (#4c 1956, he wrote), * "There You Go" (#1c 1957, he wrote), "The Ways of a Woman in Love" (#24, #2c 1958), "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" (#14, #1c 1958), * "Guess Things Happen That Way" (#11, #1c 1958), "I Just Thought You'd Like to Know" (1958), "You're the Nearest Thing to Heaven" (#5c 1958, he co-wrote), * "I Still Miss Someone" (1958, he wrote about June Carter), * "Remember the Alamo" (1959), "Don't Step on Mother's Roses" (1959), "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" (#32, #1c 1959, he wrote), * "I Love You Because" (1959), "Get Rhythm" (#1c 1959), "Katy Too" (#66, #11c 1959, he co-wrote), "Thanks a Lot" (#8c 1959), "I Got Stripes" (#43, #4c 1959, he co-wrote), "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" (1959), "Five Feet High and Rising" (#76, #14c 1959, he wrote), * "One More Ride" (1959), "You Dreamer You" (#13c 1959, he wrote), "Mean-Eyed Cat" (#30c 1960, he wrote), "Come in, Stranger" (#66, #6c 1960), "Seasons of My Heart" (#10c 1960), * "I Feel Better All Over" (1960), "Tennessee Flat-Top Box" (#84, #11c 1961, he wrote), * "The Rebel (Johnny Yuma)" (#24c 1961), * "Forty Shades of Green" (1961), * "Sing it Pretty, Sue" (1962), * "Delia's Gone" (1962), "In the Jailhouse Now" (#8c 1962), "Little Drummer Boy" (#63, #24c 1963), * "What Do I Care" (#52, #7c 1963, he wrote), * "Ring of Fire" (#17, #1c 1963), "Great Matador" (#2c 1963), "Bad News" (#3c 1964), "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" (#3c 1964, true story written by Peter LaFarge), "Understand Your Man" (#35, #1c 1964, he wrote), * "Time and Time Again" (1964), * "Apache Tears" (1964), * "As Long As the Grass Shall Grow" (1964), * "Custer" (1964), * "Drums" (1964), "Orange Blossom Special" (#80, #3c 1965), "The One on the Right is on the Left" (#46, #2c 1966), "Folsom Prison Blues" (#32, #1c 1968, he wrote), "Rosanna's Going Wild" (#91, #2c 1968), "Daddy Sang Bass" (#42, #1c 1969), "A Boy Named Sue" (#2 #1c 1969, CMA single of the year 1969), "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" (#46, #1c 1970), "Accidentally on Purpose" (1970), "Flesh and Blood" (#54, #1c 1970, he wrote about June Carter), "Man in Black" (#58, #3c 1971, he wrote), "A Thing Called Love" (#2c 1972, he wrote), "Kate" (#75, #2c 1972), "Oney" (#2c 1972), * "Kentucky Straight" (1972), * "Any Old Wind That Blows" (#3c 1972), "Lady Came from Baltimore" (#14c 1974), "Ragged Old Flag" (#31c 1974, he wrote), "One Piece at a Time" (#29, #1c 1976), "I Will Rock 'n' Roll with You" (#21c 1978, he wrote), "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" (#2c 1979), "Baron" (#10c 1981), "We Must Believe in Magic" (#84c 1982), "I'm Ragged But I'm Right" (#75c 1983, he wrote), "The Night Hank Williams Come to Town" (#43c 1987), "Goin' by the Book" (#69c 1991), "The One Rose" (1996), "Hurt" (2003, #56c, CMA single of the year 2003)"Engine 143" (2003, the last song he recorded)
duets with June Carter, * "It Ain't Me, Babe" (#4c 1964), "Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man" (#6c 1967), "Jackson" (#2c 1967), "If I Were a Carpenter" (#36, #2c 1970), "What is Truth?" (#19, #3c 1970)
duet with Hank Williams, Jr., "That Old Wheel" (#21c 1988)
duets with Waylon Jennings, "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" (#2c 1978), "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" (#35c 1986)
duet with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, "Walk That Lonesome Valley" (1956)
duet with Karen Brooks, "I Will Dance With You" (#45c 1985)
with The Highwaymen, * "The Highwayman" (#1c 1985), "Desperadoes Waiting for a Train" (#15c 1985), "Silver Stallion" (#25c 1990)
songwriter
actor; author
he only had initials until the Air Force required a name when he joined in 1950, honorably discharged in 1954
md. to Vivian Liberto (1954-67, she remarried 8 days later)
met June Carter 7 Jul 1956 (his first time on the Grand Ole Opry); proposed to her on stage early in 1968, they were married 1 Mar 1968
see Johnny Cash
see The Carter Family

Paul Cotton (Norman Paul Cotton)

b. 1943/45 in Camp Rucker, AL (grew up in Chicago, IL)
country/rock singer
instrument: guitar
"From Across a Crowded Room" (1990), "Woman with a Broken Heart" (2000, he co-wrote), "Let the Wind Blow" (2000, he co-wrote), "Not Out of Mind" (2000, he co-wrote)
with Poco (1972- , replaced Jim Messina), "A Good Feelin' to Know" (1972), "Keep on Tryin'" (1975), "Rose of Cimarron" (1976), "Crazy Love" (#17, #95c 1979), "Heart of the Night" (#20, #96c 1979, he wrote), "Call it Love" (#18 1989), "Nothin' to Hide" (#39 1990), "One Tear at a Time" (2002), "Never Get Enough" (2003), "Shake it" (2003), "Never Loved...Never Hurt Like This" (2005), "Father's Day" (2006)
songwriter

Jan Crutchfield (Jan Lynn Crutchfield)

b. 1938 in Paducah, KY
western swing singer
instruments: guitar, keyboards
"I Always Look This Way" (1966), "Blue Guitar" (1966), "My Heart is an Open Book" (1973), "She Goes Walking" (1973)
with The Texas Playboys (1967)
sessionist with Webb Pierce, Freddy Hart, and others
songwriter, wrote Lee Greenwood's "It Turns Me Inside Out" (#17c 1981), "Going, Going, Gone" (#1c 1984); Dave and Sugar's "Tear Time" (#1c 1978); Ricky Van Shelton's "Statue of a Fool" (#2c 1990); Faron Young's "This Little Girl of Mine" (#5c 1972)
see The Texas Playboys

Fats Domino (Antoine Domino, Jr.)

b. 1928 in New Orleans, LA
R&B/jazz/rock/blues singer
instrument: piano
"Detroit City Blues" (1950), "Rocking Chair" (1951), "You Know I Miss You" (1952), "Goin' Home" (1952), "You Can Pack Your Suitcase" (1954), "Troubles of My Own" (1955), * "Ain't That a Shame" (#10 1955, he co-wrote), "Poor Me" (1956), "My Blue Heaven" (#19 1956), "I'm in Love Again" (#3 1956, he co-wrote), "Blueberry Hill" (#2 1956), "Blue Monday" (#5 1957, he co-wrote), * "I'm Walkin'" (#4 1957, he co-wrote), "Wait and See" (#23 1957), "How Will I Tell My Heart?" (1957), * "Whole Lotta Loving" (#6 1958), "It's You I Love" (#6 1958), * "I Want to Walk You Home" (#8 1959), "Be My Guest" (#8 1959), * "I'm Ready" (#19 1959), "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday" (#17 1959), * "Walking to New Orleans" (#6 1960), "Country Boy" (#25 1960), "Three Nights a Week" (#15 1960), "My Girl Josephine" (#14 1960), "Don't Come Knockin'" (#21 1960), "Be My Guest" (#8 1960), * "Let the Four Winds Blow" (#15 1961), "Ain't That Just Like a Woman" (#33 1961), "It Keeps Rainin'" (#23 1961), "Fell in Love on Monday" (#32 1961), "What a Party" (#22 1961), "Rockin' Bicycle" (1961), "Do You Know What it's Like to Miss New Orleans?" (#7c 1962), "Ida Jane" (1962), "Hands Across the Table" (1962), "You Win Again" (#22 1962), "My Real Name" (1962), "Yes, My Darling" (#55 1963), "Red Sails in the Sunset" (#35 1963), "Kansas City" (#99 1964), "Mary, Oh Mary" (#127 1964), "Wigs" (1965), "Lady Madonna" (#100 1968), "Whiskey Heaven" (#51c 1981)
bandleader
songwriter

Bill Dorsey (William Nelson Dorsey)

b. 1945
country singer
* "Mother Mabel's"

Rodney Hayden

b. 1980
country singer
"December Rose" (2002), "Heartaches and Highways" (2002), "Can't Wait to Get Back Home" (2003), "Goodbye to My Hometown" (2003), "Down the Road" (2007, he co-wrote), "Whoever Wrote This Song" (2007, he co-wrote), "These Arms" (2007, he co-wrote)
songwriter
actor

Chic Hetti (Carl Cicchetti)

b. 1930 in Waterbury, CT
pop/novelty singer
instrument: piano
founding member of The Playmates (1956-64), "I Have Only Myself to Blame" (1956), "Nickelodeon Rag" (1956), "Barefoot Girl" (1957), "Magic Shoes" (1957), "While the Record Goes Around" (1958), "Jo-Ann" (#9 1958), "Don't Go Home" (#22 1958), "Beep Beep" (#4 1958, he co-wrote), "What is Love?" (#15 1959), "Wait for Me" (#37 1960), "Eyes of an Angel" (1960), "Little Miss Stuck-Up" (1961), "Tell Me What She Said" (1961), "What a Funny Way to Show it" (1962), "Petticoats Fly" (1962), "The Cop on the Beat" (1962)
songwriter
comedian

Bob 'The Bear' Hite (Bob Ernest Hite)

b. 1943/45 in Torrance, CA – d. 5 Apr 1981 in Oxnard, CA (heart attack)
rock/R&B singer
instrument: harmonica
founding member of Canned Heat (1966-81), "Bullfrog Blues" (1967), "On the Road Again" (#16 1968), "Going up the Country" (#11 1968), "Let's Work Together" (#26 1970), "Wooly Bully" (1971), "Long Way from L.A." (1971)
Canned Heat performed at Woodstock
see Canned Heat

Orion (Jimmy Ellis)

b. 1945 in Orrville, AL - d. 12 Dec 1998 (shot while being robbery)
country/rockabilly/rock singer
"That's All Right" (1972), "Changing" (1973), "The Closer She Gets" (1976), "Ebony Eyes" (#89c 1979), "Am I That Easy to Forget?" (#68c 1980), "Rockabilly Rebel" (#65c 1980), "Green Green Grass of Home" (1980), "Memphis Sun" (1980), "Morning, Noon and Night" (#69c 1982), "I'm Starting Over" (1985), "I Need You in My Life" (1989)
recorded as Ellis James, "Her Memory Won't Let Us Lay Down" (1989), "Only a Woman Like You" (1990)
He sounded very like Elvis Presley and at the suggestion of his manager he performed wearing a mask to keep people guessing
born Jimmy Bell then adopted by the Ellis family

Flip Phillips (Joseph Edward Filipelli)

b. 1915 (maybe 26 Mar) in Brooklyn, NY - d. 17 Aug 2001 in Fort Lauderdale, FL (after surgery for kidney cancer)
swing/bebop/jazz/blues musician, instruments: tenor sax, clarinet
"Melody from the Sky" (1944), "Drowsy" (1947), "Closing Comments" (1949), "The Lady's in Love with You" (1954), "Poor Butterfly" (1988), "I Got a Right to Sing the Blues" (1988)
with Jazz at the Philharmonic (1946-57)
with Woody Herman's band (1944-45), "Goosey Gander" (1945), "Blowin' up a Storm" (1945), "Wild Root" (1945), "Saturday Night is the Loneliest Night of the Week" (#15 1945)
with The Woodchoppers
with Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (1959)
session musician with Bill Harris, Red Norvo, and others

Larry Ripley (Lawrence Ripley)

b. 1948
pop singer
instruments: bass, horns
with 1910 Fruitgum Company (1968-69), "Goody Goody Gumdrops" (#37 1968), "Hot Diggity Dog" (1968), "Indian Giver" (#5 1969)
session musician

Mitch Ryder (William S. Levise Jr.)

b. 1945 in Hamtramck, MI
rock/soul singer
"Won't You Dance With Me?" (1964), "Blessing in Disguise" (1967), "What Now, My Love?" (#30 1967), "Lights of the Night" (1968), "I'd Rather Go to Jail" (1969), "I Believe (There Must Be Someone)" (1969, he co-wrote), "Wear and Tear on My Heart" (1969), "Jenny Take a Ride" (1970), "Tough Kid" (1978, he co-wrote), "Dance Ourselves to Death" (1978, he co-wrote), "I Don't Wanna Hear it" (1979, he co-wrote)
founding member of Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels (1966-67, and reunions), "Jenny Take a Ride" (#10 1965), "Little Latin Lupe Lu" (#17 1966), "Devil with a Blue Dress on" (#4 1966), "Good Golly, Miss Molly" (1966), "Sock it to Me, Baby" (#6 1967), "Box of Old Roses" (1972)
songwriter

Debbie Swisher

b. 1948 in Hanover, PA
pop singer
"You're So Good to Me" (1965), "Thank You and Goodnight" (1965)
founding member of The Pixies Three (1955-65, 1991-2000), "Birthday Party" (#40 1963, One-Hit Wonder), "Our Love" (1963), "442 Glenwood Avenue" (#56 1963), "Cold, Cold Winter" (#79 1963), "Gee" (#87 1964), "It's Summertine U.S.A." (#116 1965), "Your Way" (1965)
with The Angels (1967-68, replaced Peggy Santiglia)
md. Mr. Horn
see The Pixies Three

Chris Wall

b. 1952 in Los Angeles, CA
country singer
"Boots" (1991), "Faded Blue" (1991), "Once Before I Go" (1991), "I Wish John Stetson Made a Heart" (1991), "Something to Shoot" (1991), "Sure is Smokey in Here" (1991), "Somewhere Between Forty and Fallin' Apart" (1994), "Old Broken Record" (1994), "Ship Me Back to Texas" (1996, he co-wrote), "Texas Time" (1996), "Waltz to Cheyenne" (1998), "God's Own Jukebox" (1998), "I Never Got Over Losing You" (1998), "33 Reasons to Say Goodbye" (1998), "Three Across" (1998), "Leanna" (1999), "Cowboy Nation" (1999), "Cold Blue Highway" (1999), "My Favorite Lies" (1999)
songwriter
see Chris Wall

Billy Jack Wills

b. 1926 in Memphis, TX - d. 2 Mar 1991
western swing singer
instruments: bass, guitar, drums
founding member and lead of Billy Jack Wills and His Western Swing Band (1950-60), "Teardrops from My Eyes" (1952), "Lonesome-Hearted Blues" (1952), "There's Good Rockin' Tonight" (1953), "Teardrops on a Diary" (1954), "Red Mittens" (1955), "All She Wants to Do is Rock" (1956), "Troubles (Those Lonesome Kind)" (1957), "Hey, Mister Mailman" (1957), "I Loved and Lost" (1957)
with The Texas Playboys (1945-50), "Smoke on the Water" (#1c 1945), "Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima" (#1c 1945), "Roly Poly" (1945), "Nobody's Darling But Mine" (1945), "Texas Two-Step" (1945), "Stay a Little Longer" (#2c 1946), "New Spanish Two-Step" (#1c 1946), "Can't Get Enough of Texas" (1947), "Sugar Moon" (#1c 1947), "Bubbles in My Beer" (#4c 1948), "Keeper of My Heart" (#8c 1948), "Thorn in My Heart" (#10c 1949), "Ida Red (Likes the Boogie)" (#10c 1950), "Faded Love" (#8c 1950, he co-wrote)
bandleader
songwriter
younger brother of Bob and Johnnie Lee Wills
see The Texas Playboys

February 27

Bobby Balderrama (Robert Lee Balderrama)

b. 1950 in O'Donnell, TX (raised in MI)
rock musician, instrument: guitar
founding member of ? and the Mysterians (1964-68, and reunions), "96 Tears" (#1 1966), "I Need Somebody" (#22 1967), "Can't Get Enough of You" (#56 1967), "Talk is Cheap" (1968)

Chuck Glaser (Charles Vernon Glaser)

b. 1936 in Spaulding, NE
country/pop singer
instrument: guitar
"Gypsy Queen" (#81c 1974)
founding member and baritone with Tompall and the Glaser Brothers (195?-58, 1962-73, 1979-82), "Five-Penny Nickel" (1958), "She Loves the Love I Give Her" (1959), "Cry of the Wild Goose" (1961), "Winner Take All" (1965), "Through the Eyes of Love" (#27c 1967), "California Girl (and the Tennessee Square)" (#11c 1969), "Gone Girl" (#23c 1970), "That's When I Love You the Most" (1971), "Rings" (#7c 1971), "Ain't it All Worth Living For?" (#15c 1972), "She's Sweet, She's Kind and She's Mine" (1972), "Phoney World" (1972), "Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" (#2c 1981), "Just One Time" (#17c 1981), "It'll Be Her" (#19c 1982), "I Still Love You (After All These Years)" (#28c 1982)
Tompall and the Glaser Brothers and Leon McAuliffe and the Cimarron Boys, "Faded Love" (#22c 1971)
sang backup on Marty Robbin's "El Paso" (#1, #1c 1959)
songwriter
music producer
served in the Army (1950-61)
suffered a stroke in 1975 that paralyzed his left side and vocal cords, he wasn't expected to walk or talk again But recovered to rejoin his brothers in 1979

Eddie Gray

b. 1948
rock musician instrument: guitar
with Tommy James and the Shondells, "Hanky Panky" (#1 1966), "Say I Am (What I Am)" (#21 1966), * "I Think We're Alone Now" (#4 1967), "Gettin' Together" (#18 1967), "I Like it That Way" (#25 1967), "Mirage" (#10 1967), "Mony, Mony" (#3 1968), "Crimson and Clover" (#1 1969), "Crystal Blue Persuasion" (#2 1969, he co-wrote), "Sweet Cherry Wine" (#7 1969), "Kelly Told Anne" (1970)
songwriter
see Tommy James and the Shondells

Hardrock Gunter (Sidney Louie Gunter, Jr.)

b. 1925 in Birmingham, AL
country/western swing/rockabilly singer
"Birmingham Bounce" (1950, he wrote), "(Gonna Rock and Roll) Gonna Dance All Night" (1950), "Maybe Baby, You'll Be True" (1950), "The Little Things You Do" (1951), "Rifle Belts and Bayonets" (1951), "I've Done Gone Hog Wild" (1951), "If Only I Could Live in My Dreams" (1951), "Sunday Angel" (1953), "I Won't Tell Who's to Blame" (1954), "Before My Time" (1955), "First, Last, and Always" (1955), "Jukebox, Help Me Find My Baby" (1956), "Fiddle Bop" (1956), "Whoo, I Mean Whee" (1957), "The Freckle Song" (1958), "It May Be Silly (But Ain't it Fun)" (1958), "Is it Too Late?" (1959)
founding member of Hardrock Gunter and the Thunderbirds, "Go Low Boogie" (1963), "Tico Tico" (1963)
duets with Roberta Lee, "Sixty-Minute Man" (1951), "Tennessee Blues" (1951)
duets with Buddy Durham, "Hillbilly Twist" (1962), "As Long As You're Happy" (1962)
songwriter
DJ
served in the Army (1943-45, 1951-52)
some consider "Birmingham Bounce" to be the first rock and roll record
see Hardrock Gunter

Roger Helton (John Roger Helton)

b. 1960 in Kingsport, TN
country musician, instrument: acoustic guitar, dobro, fiddle, banjo
with Western Flyer (199?-97), "Western Flyer" (#61c 1994), "She Should've Been Mine" (#62c 1994), "I Would Give Anything" (1994), "Cherokee Highway" (#75c 1995), "Liar's Moon" (1994), "What Will You Do with M-E?" (#21c 1996)

Todd Potter

b. 1950 in Austin, TX
rock singer
instruments: lead guitar, sax
"Last Time" (2005), "Dance for Me" (2005), "Crystal Blue" (2005)
founding member of Bubble Puppy (1967-71), "Hot Smoke and Sasafrass" (#14 1968, One-Hit Wonder), "I've Got to Reach You" (1969), "Elizabeth" (1969), "Hurry Sundown" (1969), "If I Had a Reason" (1969)
with Sirius (1977-79), "Runaway Bay" (1979), "No Idea" (1979)
with The Fabulous Filler Brothers (197?-77)
songwriter
see Todd Potter

Texas Jim Robertson

b. 1909 in Batesville, TX - d. 11 Nov 1966
country singer
"What Good is the Sunshine?" (1939), "Way Down in Texas (Where the Bluebonnets Grow)" (1940), "I'm Gonna Be Long Gone" (1940), "In Texas for the Round Up in the Spring" (1941), "Too Blue to Cry" (1941), "When This War is Over" (1942), "Pal in Palo Alto" (1944), "Somebody Loses, Somebody Wins" (1948), "The Letter I'm Mailing to You" (1948), "Signed, Sealed and Delivered" (#8c 1948), "Slipping Around" (#13c 1950), "Bite Your Tongue and Say You're Sorry" (1951), "Pal in Palo Alto" (1944)
founding member of Texas Jim Robertson and the Panhandle Punchers, "Filipino Baby" (#5c 1946), "Rainbow at Midnight" (#5c 1947), "I Don't Want No More of This Army Life" (1950), "It Hurts Me to See You With Somebody Else" (1950), "Gotta Git a Gittar" (1951), "Wildcat Baby" (1951), "Taffy" (1952), "Blue-Eyed Ellen" (1952)
served in the Marines during WWII
md. to Marianne Holliday (1937- )

Neal Schon (Neal Joseph Schon)

b. 1954 near Oklahoma City, OK (grew up in San Mateo, CA)
rock/jazz singer
instruments: lead guitar, rhythm guitar
"Cool Breeze" (1995, he co-wrote), "Send Me an Angel" (1995, he co-wrote), "Deep Forest" (1995, he wrote)
founding member of Journey (1973-87, 1991, 1995- ), "Wheel in the Sky" (#57 1978), "Any Way You Want it" (#23 1980), "Who's Crying Now?" (#4 1981), "Don't Stop Believin'" (#9 1981), "Open Arms" (#2 1982), "Still They Ride" (#19 1982), "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" (#8 1983), "Faithfully" (#12 1983), "Only the Young" (#9 1985), "Be Good to Yourself" (#9 1986), "When You Love a Woman" (#12 1997, he co-wrote)
founding member of Bad English (198?-199?), "Price of Love" (1990)
session musician with Sammy Hagar, Paul Rodgers, Michael Bolton, and others
songwriter
excessive noise has caused him to have tinnitus

Johnny Van Zant

b. 1959 in Jacksonville, FL
rock/country singer
"Standing in the Darkness" (1980), "Put My Trust in You" (1980), "Party in the Parking Lot" (1990), "Brickyard Road" (1990), "Standing in the Falling Rain" (1994), "Rock Survivors" (1997), "She's Out with a Gun" (1997)
founding member of Austin Nickels Band
founding member of Van Zant (1985- ), "You've Got to Believe in Love" (1985), "Rage" (1998), "Help Somebody" (#66, #8 2005), "Nobody's Gonna Tell Me What to Do" (#16c 2005), "Things I Miss the Most" (#59c 2006), "That Scares Me" (#50c 2007), "Goes Down Easy" (#45c 2007)
founding member and lead singer of the new Lynyrd Skynyrd (1987- ), "Pure and Simple" (1991), "Can't Take That Away" (1993), "We Ain't Much Different" (1997), "Blame it on a Sad Song" (1997), "Life's Lessons" (2003)
younger brother of Ronnie and Donnie Van Zant
see Lynyrd Skynyrd

February 28

Barbara Acklin (Barbara Jean Acklin aka Barbara Allen)

b. 1943/44 in Oakland, CA (grew up in Chicago, IL) – d. 27 Nov 1998 in Omaha, NE (pneumonia)
pop/soul singer
"Fool, Fool, Fool (Look in the Mirror)" (1967), "Love Makes a Woman" (#15 1968, One-Hit Wonder), "Am I the Same Girl?" (#79 1969, she co-wrote), "Just Ain't No Love" (#67 1969), "Seven Days of Night" (1969), "A Raggedy Ride" (1969)
duet with Gene Chandler, "From the Teacher to the Preacher" (#57 1968), "I'm Living With a Memory" (1970)
backup singer with The Chi-Lites, and others
songwriter, wrote Jackie Wilson's "Whispers (Gettin' Louder)" (#11 1966); co-wrote The Chi-Lites' "Have You Seen Her?" (#3 1971)
md. to Eugene Record of The Chi-Lites

Jason Aldean (Jason Aldine Williams)

b. 1977 in Macon, GA
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Hicktown" (#68, #10c 2005), "Why?" (#43, #1c 2005), "Amarillo Sky" (#59, #4c 2005), "Johnny Cash" (#70, #6c 2006), "Laughed Until We Cried" (#29c 2007)
songwriter
see Jason Aldean

Don Ciccone

b. 1946 in Plainfield, NJ
folk/pop singer
instruments: bass, guitar
"There's Got to Be a Word" (1970), "If I Were You" (2003, he wrote), "Forever Begins Today" (2003, he wrote), "Less Than Lovers, More Than Friends" (2003, he wrote)
founding member of The Critters (1964-66), "Georianna" (1964), "He'll Make You Cry" (1965), "Mr. Dieingly Sad" (#17 1966, he wrote), "Bad Misunderstanding" (1966), "Forever or No More" (1966), "Marrying Kind of Love" (1966), "Gone for a While" (1966), "I Wear a Silly Grin" (1966), "Don't Let the Rain Fall Down on Me" (#39 1967)
with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (1975- ), "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" (#1 1976, #14 1994)
songwriter
served in the Air Force (1966- )

Jim Fungaroli

b. 1958 in Harrisonburg, PA
country musician, instrument: steel guitar
with The Cactus Brothers (1995- ), "This Love's Gonna Fly" (1995), "Secret Language" (1995), "A Woman's Touch" (1995)

Jon Dee Graham

b. 1959 in Levelland, TX (grew up in Quemado, TX)
country/rock/folk singer
instruments: acoustic guitar, electric guitar
"Twilight" (2004), "Sleep Enough to Dream" (2004), "Something to Look Forward to" (2004), "Lonesome Valley" (2004)
with Jack Ingram's Beat up Ford Band (2002), "Goodnight, Moon" (2002)
with The Skunks
with True Believers
songwriter
see Jack Ingram
see Jon Dee Graham

Don 'Shag' Helms (Donald Hugh Helms)

b. 1927 in New Brockton, AL
country singer
instrument: steel guitar
founding member of Hank Williams' backup band The Drifting Cowboys (1944-45, 1949-52)
with The Wilburn Brothers' band (1957-67), "Which One to Blame" (#4c 1959), "Somebody's Back in Town" (#6c 1959), "A Woman's Intuition" (#9c 1959), * "Trouble's Back in Town" (#4c 1962), "Roll Muddy River" (#4c 1963), "Tell Her So" (#10c 1963), "It's Another World" (#5c 1965), "Someone Before Me" (#8c 1966), "Hurt Her Once for Me" (#3c 1966)
with Hank Williams, Jr.'s band (1968-72)
with Jett Williams backup band The Drifting Cowboys (1989-)
session guitarist with Lefty Frizzell, Jim Reeves, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline (on Walkin' after Midnight"), and others
see The Drifting Cowboys

Brian Jones (Lewis Brian Hopkin-Jones)

b. 1942/44 in England – d. 3 Jul 1969 in England (found dead in his swimming pool less than a month after leaving the group because of drug problems)
rock singer
instruments: guitar, keyboards, sax, dulcimer, and others
founding member of The Rolling Stones, (1962-69), "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (#1 1965), "She Said Yeah" (1965), "As Tears Go By" (1965), "Get Off My Cloud" (#1 1965), "Oh Baby (We've Got a Good Thing Goin')" (1965), "Paint it Black" (#1 1966), "19th Nervous Breakdown" (1966), "Ruby Tuesday" (#1 1967), "Stray Cat Blues" (1968), "Honky-Tonk Woman" (#1 1969)
see The Rolling Stones on Wikipedia

Eddie Manion (Edward Manion)

b. 1952 in NJ
rock/soul/blues singer
instruments: baritone sax, tenor sax
"There's a Reason" (2004, he wrote), "Unspoken Love" (2004, he wrote), "Wishing You Were Here" (2004, he wrote)
with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes (1977-81, 1996-2005), "This Time it's for Real" (1977), "Love on the Wrong Side of Town" (1977), "When You Dance" (1977), "Hearts of Stone" (1978), "All I Want is Everything" (1979), "Looks Like Rain" (2000), "Livin' with the Blues" (2000), "Lost in the Night" (2002), "I Can't Dance" (2002)
session musician with Bruce Springsteen, and others
with The Miami Horns
songwriter
see Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes

Jonathan McEuen

b. 1976 in Evergreen, CO
country/rock/bluegrass/folk singer
instruments; electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo
founding member of Hanna-McEuen, "Something Like a Broken Heart" (#38c 2005), "Read Between the Lines" (2005), "A Rock and a Heartache" (2005), "Tell Me" (#56c 2005)
session musician
son of musician, John McEuen; first cousin of Jaime Hanna (their mothers were identical twins)

Dickie Peterson

b. 1948 in Grand Forks, ND
rock singer
instrument: bass
founding member and lead singer of Blue Cheer (1967-71, and reunions), "Summertime Blues" (#14 1968, One-Hit Wonder), "Out of Focus" (1968, he wrote), "Sun Cycle" (1968, he co-wrote), "Aces 'n' Eights" (1969, he co-wrote), "I Want My Baby Back" (1969), "Saturday Freedom" (1969)

Ronnie Rosman

b. 1945
pop/rock musician, instruments: keyboards, organ
with Tommy James and the Shondells, "Hanky Panky" (#1 1966), "Say I Am (What I Am)" (#21 1966), * "I Think We're Alone Now" (#4 1967), "Gettin' Together" (#18 1967), "I Like it That Way" (#25 1967), "Mirage" (#10 1967), "Mony, Mony" (#3 1968), "Crimson and Clover" (#1 1969), "Crystal Blue Persuasion" (#2 1969), "Sweet Cherry Wine" (#7 1969), "Kelly Told Anne" (1970)
see Tommy James and the Shondells

Marty Sanders

b. 1940/41
rock/pop singer
instrument: guitar
with Jay and the Americans (1961- ), "She Cried" (#5 1962), "Only in America" (#25 1963), "Come a Little Bit Closer" (#3 1964), "Cara Mia" (#4 1965), "Let's Lock the Door (and Throw Away the Key)" (#11 1965), "Livin' Above Your Head" (1966), "Some Enchanted Evening" (#13 1965), "Crying" (#25 1966), "Sunday and Me" (#18 1965), "This Magic Moment" (#6 1968), "Walkin' in the Rain" (#19 1969)
music producer
see Jay and the Americans

Audrey Sheppard (Audrey Mae Sheppard)

b. 1923 in Banks, AL - d. 4 Nov 1975 in Nashville, TN
country singer
instrument: upright bass
duet with Hank Williams, "Jesus, Remember Me" (1949)
session musician with Hank Williams
songwriter
md. to Hank Williams (1944-52); mother of Hank Williams, Jr.

Joe South (Joseph Alfred Souter)

b. 1940 in Atlanta, GA
pop/rock singer
instrument: guitar
"My Fondest Memories" (1958), "One Fool to Another" (1958), "What a Night" (1959), "You're the Reason" (#16c 1961), "Formality" (1961), "Just to Be with You Again" (1962), "Deep Inside of Me" (1965), "Mirror of Your Mind" (1969)
with Joe South and the Believers, "Hiding Place" (1965), "Games People Play" (#12 1969), "Don't it Make You Wanna Go Home?" (#27c 1969, he wrote), "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" (#12, #56c 1970, he wrote)
sessionist on Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools" (#2 1968), Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" (#1 1966); and with Eddy Arnold, Wilson Pickett, Marty Robbins, and others
songwriter, wrote Lynn Anderson's "I Never Promised you a Rose Garden"(#3 #1c 1970), Billy Joe Royal's "Down in the Boondocks" (#9 1965), Deep Purple's "Hush" (#4 1968)
music producer; DJ
brother of drummer Tommy South
see Joe South

Marlow Tackett

b. 1944 in Dorton, KY
country/bluegrass/gospel singer
instrument: guitar
"Midnight Fire" (#93c 1980), "Would You Know Love?" (1980), "Ever-Lovin' Woman" (#67c 1982), "634-5789" (#54 1982), "I Know My Way to You By Heart" (#67c 1983), "I Spent the Night in the Heart of Texas" (1983)
songwriter

Syreeta Wright (Rita Wright)

b. 1946 in Pittsburgh, PA – d. 5 Jul 2004 (bone and breast cancer)
R&B singer
"I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You" (1967), "Something on My Mind" (1967), "I Love Every Little Thing About You" (1972), "Spinnin' and Spinnin'" (1974), "Your Kiss is Sweet" (1975), "Touch Me, Take Me" (1976), "Blame it on the Sun" (1980)
duet with Billy Preston, "With You I'm Born Again" (#4 1979)
duet with Smokey Robinson, "First Time on a Ferris Wheel" (1985)
backup singer with Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, George Harrison, and others
songwriter, co-wrote Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" (#3 1970), "If You Really Love Me" (#8 1971), The Spinners' "It's a Shame" (#14 1970)
md. to Stevie Wonder (1970-72); md. 2nd to Curtis Robertson, Jr.

February 29

Gretchen Christopher (Gretchen Diane Christopher)

b. 1940 in Olympia, WA
pop/doo-wop singer
founding member of The Fleetwoods (1958-64, and reunions), * "Come Softly to Me" (#1 1959, she co-wrote), "Mr. Blue" (#1 1959), "Graduation's Here" (#39 1959), "Outside My Window" (#28 1960), "Runaround" (#23 1960), "Tragedy" (#10 1961), "(He's) the Great Impostor" (#30 1962), "Lovers by Night, Strangers by Day" (#36 1962), "Goodnight, My Love" (#32 1963), "Lonely is as Lonely Does" (1964), "Before and After (Losing You)" (1964), "Ten Times Blue" (1964)
songwriter
see The Fleetwoods
see The Fleetwoods Official Web Site

Chris Conley (Christopher Lane Conley)

b. 1980 in Princeton, NJ
rock singer
instruments: guitar, bass
founding member of Save the Day, "Blindfolded" (1998, he wrote), "Collision" (1998, he wrote), "Sometimes, New Jersey" (1998, he wrote), "Nebraska Bricks" (1998, he wrote), "Third Engine" (1999), "At Your Funeral" (2001), "This is Not an Exit" (2001), "Wednesday the Third" (2003), "Driving in the Dark" (2003), "In Reverie" (2003)
songwriter
he suffers from Crohn's disease

Jimmy Dorsey (James Francis Dorsey)

b. 1904 in Shenandoah, PA – d. 12 Jun 1957 in New York, NY (throat cancer)
swing/jazz musician, instruments: clarinet, alto sax
founding member and leader of Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (1935-52), "Is it True What They Say about Dixie?" (#1 1936), "Change Partners" (#1 1938), "Love is Here to Stay" (1938), "Deep Purple" (#2 1939), "All This and Heaven Too" (#9 1940), "The Breeze and I" (#1 1940), "I Hear a Rhapsody" (#1 1941), "Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)" (#1 1941), "Green Eyes" (#1 1941), "Embraceable You" (#23 1941), "When the Sun Comes Out" (1941), "Tangerine" (#1 1941), "Blue Champagne" (#1 1941), "Maria Elena" (#1 1941), "My Sister and I" (#1 1941), "I Said No" (1942), "My Devotion" (#10 1942), "Dusk in Upper Sandusky" (1949), "Parade of the Milk Bottle Caps" (1949), "Flight of the Bumblebee" (1950), "Dolamite" (1950), "Rigamarole" (1950)
founding member of The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (1927-35, 53- ), "I Can Dream, Can't I" (#1 1930), "Lullaby of Broadway" (#1 1935), "Chasing Shadows" (#1 1935), "The Music Goes Round and Round" (#1 1936), "So Rare" (#2 1957), "Tea for Two Cha Cha" (#7 1958)
duets with Bing Crosby, "Too Marvelous for Words" (#1 1937), "What Will I Tell My Heart?" (#5 1937)
actor
older brother of Tommy Dorsey

Dinah Shore (Frances 'Fanny' Rose Shore)

b. 1916/17 in Winchester, TN – d. 24 Feb 1994 in Beverly Hills, CA (cancer)
pop/swing singer
"Yes, My Darling Daughter" (1941), "Blues in the Night" (#4 1942), "Miss You" (#8 1942), "Why Don't You Fall in Love with Me?" (#3 1943), "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to" (#3 1943), "I'll Walk Alone" (#1 1944), "The Gypsy" (#1 1946), "Laughing on the Outside" (#3 1946), "The Anniversary Song" (#1 1947), "You Do" (#4 1947), * "Buttons and Bows" (#1 1948), "Three-Cornered Tune" (1951), "Why Should I Believe in Love?" (1951), "Blues in Advance" (1952), "Reflections on the Water" (1953), "Blue Canary" (1953), "Love and Marriage" (#20 1955)
variety show hostess, actress

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