May Birthdays

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May 1

Judy Collins (Judith Marjorie Collins)

b. 1939 in Seattle, WA
folk/pop/rock singer
instruments: piano, guitar
"Hard Lovin' Loser" (#97 1967), * "Both Sides Now" (#8 1968), "Someday Soon" (#55 1969), "Chelsea Morning" (#78 1969), "Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There is a Season)" (#69 1970), "Amazing Grace" (#15 1971), "Holly Ann" (1973), "Secret Gardens" (1973), "Send in the Clowns" (#19 1977), "Pretty Polly" (1977), "Roll on Columbia" (1990), "Lily of the Valley" (1995, she wrote, about spousal abuse)
duet with T.G. Sheppard, "Home Again" (#57 1984)
songwriter
social activist
md. to Peter Taylor (1958-65), md. to Louis Nelson (1996- )

Rita Coolidge

b. 1944 in Lafayette, TN
country/pop/rock singer
instrument: piano
"(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" (#2 1977), "We're All Alone" (#7, #82c 1977), "You" (#25 1978), "I'd Rather Leave while I'm in Love" (#38, #32c 1980), "All-Time High" (#36 1983)
founding member of Walela (1997- )
duets with Kris Kristofferson, "A Song I'd Like to Sing" (#49, #92c 1973), "Loving Arms" (#86, #98c 1973), "From the Bottle to the Bottom" (1973), "Love Please" (1974)
backup singer for Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, and others
songwriter
bandleader
actress
md. to Kris Kristofferson (1973-80)

Reather Dixon

b. 1945 in NY
R&B/pop singer
founding member and lead singer of The Bobbettes (1956- ), "Mr. Lee (#6 1957, One-Hit Wonder, she co-wrote), "I Shot Mr. Lee" (#52 1960, she co-wrote), "Have Mercy, Baby" (1960), "I Don't Like it Like That" (#72 1962, reply to Chris Kenner's "I Like it Like That")
The Bobbettes sang backup on Johnny Thunder's "Loop De Loop" (#4 1963), and others
songwriter
md. to Mr. Turner
see The Bobbettes

Nick Fortune (Nicholas Fortuna)

b. 1945/46 in Chicago, IL
rock singer
instruments: bass, guitar, drums
founding member of The Buckinghams (1966-70, and reunions), "I Call Her Name" (1967), "Kind of a Drag" (#1 1967), "Don't You Care?" (#6 1967), "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (#5 1967), "Hey, Baby (They're Playing Our Song)" (#12 1967), "Susan" (#8 1967)
Harley Davidson enthusiast
see The Buckinghams

Jimmy Gately (James David Gately)

b. 1931 in Springfield, MO - d. 17 Mar 1985
country singer
instrument: fiddle
"From Then on" (1963), "I Sure Like Your Truck" (1970), "I Just Wanna Stay Here with You" (1971), "Angel of the Barroom" (1975), "That's How Over You I Am" (1976), "I Thought Forever Lasted Longer" (1979)
with Bill Anderson's Po' Boys (1964-77)
session musician on The Browns' "I Take the Chance" (#2c 1956), and others
songwriter, wrote Sonny James' "The Minute You're Gone" (#9c 1963)

Wayne 'The Train' Hancock

b. 1965 in Dallas, TX
country/honky-tonk/western swing singer
instrument: guitar
"Cold Lonesome Wind" (1995), "Thunderstorms and Neon Signs" (1995), "87 Southbound" (1997), "Highway 54" (1997), "Lea Ann" (1997), "Wild, Free and Reckless" (1999), "That's Why I Ride" (1999), "Route 23" (2001), "The Sands of Time" (2001)
songwriter
served in the Marine Corps (1983-86)

Sonny James (James 'Jimmie' Hugh Loden, aka 'The Southern Gentleman')

b. 1929 in Hackleburg, AL
country singer
instruments: guitar, fiddle
"That's Me Without You" (#9c 1953), "For Rent (One Empty Heart)" (#7c 1956, he co-wrote), "Twenty Feet of Muddy Water" (#11c 1956), * "Young Love" (#1, #1c 1957), "First Date, First Kiss, First Love" (#25, #9c 1957), "Lovesick Blues" (#15c 1957), "You're the Reason I'm in Love" (#6c 1957), "Walk to the Dance" (1958), "Jenny Lou" (#22c 1960), "Broken Wings" (1961), "Innocent Angel" (1961), "The Day's Not Over Yet" (1962), "A Mile and a Quarter" (1962), "The Minute You're Gone" (#9c 1963), "Baltimore" (#6c 1964), "You're the Only World I Know" (#91, #1c 1965, he co-wrote), "Tying the Pieces Together" (1965), "I'll Keep Holding on (Just to Your Love)" (#2c 1965), "Behind the Tear" (#1c 1965), "Take Good Care of Her" (#1c 1966), "Room in Your Heart" (#2c 1966, he co-wrote), "I'll Never Find Another You" (#97, #1c 1967), "I Need You" (#1c 1967), "It's the Little Things" (#1c 1967), "A World of Our Own" (#1c 1968), "Heaven Says Hello" (#1c 1968), "Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow" (1968), "Born to Be with You" (#81, #1c 1969), "Only the Lonely" (#92, #1c 1969), "Running Bear" (#94, #1c 1969), "Since I Met You, Baby" (#65, #1c 1969), "It's Just a Matter of Time" (#87, #1c 1970), "My Love" (#1c 1970), "Don't Keep Me Hangin' on" (#1c 1970, he co-wrote), "Endlessly" (#1c 1970), "Here Comes Honey Again" (#1c 1971, he co-wrote), "Empty Arms" (#93, #1c 1971), "Bright Lights, Big City" (#91, #1c 1971), "Only Love Can Break a Heart" (#2c 1972), "When the Snow is on the Roses" (#1c 1972), "That's Why I Love You Like I Do" (#1c 1972), "I Love You More and More Every Day" (#4c 1973), "Is it Wrong (For Loving You)?" (#1c 1974), "A Little Bit South of Saskatoon" (#6c 1975, he co-wrote), "Little Band of Gold" (#5c 1975), "What in the World's Come Over You?" (#10c 1975), "When Something is Wrong with My Baby" (#6c 1976), "In the Jailhouse Now" (#15c 1977), "This is Love" (#16c 1978)
founding member of Sonny James and His Southern Gentlemen, "Innocent Lies" (#19c 1982, he co-wrote)
founding member of Sonny James and Silver, "The Fool in Me" (#33c 1983)
songwriter
actor
cattle rancher
served in the Army in the Korean War (1950-52)
see Sonny James

Don King (Donald Alan King)

b. 1954 in Fremont, NE
country singer
instruments: electric guitar, trumpet
"I've Got You to Come Home to" (#16c 1977, he co-wrote), "She's the Girl of My Dreams" (#17c 1977, he co-wrote), "Music is My Woman" (#29c 1978), "The Feeling's So Right Tonight" (#26c 1978, he co-wrote), "You Were Worth Waiting For" (#28c 1979), "Lonely Hotel" (#40c 1979), "Here Comes That Feeling Again" (#32c 1980), "I Still Miss Someone" (#38c 1981), "The Closer You Get" (#27c 1981)
songwriter

Tim McGraw (Samuel Timothy McGraw)

b. 1967 in Delhi, LA (grew up in Start, LA)
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Two-Steppin' Mind" (#71c 1993), * "Don't Take the Girl" (#17, #1c 1994), "Indian Outlaw" (#15, #8c 1994), * "Not a Moment Too Soon" (#1c 1995), * "Ain't That Just Like a Dream" (1995), "That's Just Me" (1995), "She Never Lets it Go to Her Heart" (#1c 1995), * "I Like It, I Love it" (#25, #1c 1995), "Everywhere" (#1c 1997), "Just to See You Smile" (#1c 1997), "Where the Green Grass Grows" (#79, #1c 1998), "One of These Days" (#75, #2c 1998), * "Something Like That" (#28, #1c 1999), * "Please Remember Me" (#10, #1c 1999), "For a Little While" (#37, #2c 1999), "My Best Friend" (#29, #1c 2000), * "My Next Thirty Years" (#27, #1c 2000), "The Cowboy in Me" (#33, #1c 2001), "Forget about Us" (2001), "Unbroken" (#24, #1c 2001), "Angry All the Time" (#38, #1c 2001), "Grown Men Don't Cry" (#25, #1c 2001), "Red Rag Top" (#40, #5c 2002), "She's My Kind of Rain" (#27, #2c 2003), "Real Good Man" (#27, #1c 2003), * "Live Like You Were Dying" (#29, #1c 2004, CMA single of the year 2004), "Back When" (#30, #1c 2004), "Watch the Wind Blow By" (#32m #1c 2004), "My Old Friend" (#79, #6c 2005), "My Little Girl" (#35, #3c 2006), "Last Dollar (Fly Away)" (#81, #1c 2007)
duets with Faith Hill, * "It's Your Love" (#7, #1c 1997), "Just to Hear You Say You Love Me" (#3c 1998), * "Let's Make Love" (#53, #6c 2000), "Like We Never Loved at All" (#45, #5c 2005), "I Need You" (#93, #17c 2007)
duets with Jo Dee Messina, "Burn" (#1c 2001), * "Bring on the Rain" (#36, #1c 2001)
actor
son of baseball player Tug McGraw (he was known as "Tim Smith" until he found out who his father was at age twelve)
md. to Faith Hill (1996- )
see Tim McGraw

Cory Morrow

b. 1972 in Houston, TX
country singer
instrument: guitar
"The Way Things Used to Be" (1998), "The World Through a Windshield" (1998), "Texas Bound Train" (2001), "Outside the Lines" (2002), "Misty Shade of Blue" (2002), "The Highway" (2003), "Nothing Left to Hide" (2005), "Carnival Ride" (2005), "Good Intentions" (2005), "Always and Forever" (2007), "More Than Perfect" (2007)
duet with Pat Green, "Texas on My Mind" (#60c 2001)
songwriter
see Cory Morrow

Kate Smith (Kathryn Elizabeth Smith)

b. 1907 in Greenville, VA - d. 17 Jun 1986 in Raleigh, NC (diabetes)
pop singer
"When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain" (#1 1931, she co-wrote), "River, Stay Away From My Door" (1931), "A Boy in Khaki, A Girl in Lace" (1942), "Foggy River" (#10c 1948), "Christmas Eve in My Home Town" (1966)
see Kate Smith

Carlos Ward (Carlos Nathaniel Ward)

b. 1940/47 in Panama (grew up in Seattle, WA)
jazz/blues musician, instruments: tenor sax, alto sax, flute
with B.T. Express, "Do it (Til You're Satisfied)" (#2 1974), "Express" (#4 1975), "Peace Pipe" (#31 1975)
session musician with Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor, and other
served in the Navy

Jerry Weiss

b. 1946 in NY
jazz/rock singer
instruments: trumpet, flugelhorn, bass guitar, piano
founding member of Blood Sweat and Tears (1967-68, first album only), "Meagan's Gypsy Eyes" (1968)
founding member of Ambergris (1970), "Something Happened to Me" (1970, he wrote), "Endless Night" (1970, he wrote)
session musician with Al Kooper, and others
songwriter
arranger
see Blood, Sweat and Tears

James Wise

b. 1948 in Houston, TX
soul singer
founding member of Archie Bell and the Drells (1966-79), "She's My Woman, She's My Girl" (1968), "Tighten Up" (#1 1968), "I Just Can't Stop Dancing" (#9 1968), "There's Gonna Be a Showdown" (#21 1969), "Dancing to Your Music" (1970), "Don't Let the Music Slip Away" (1970), "I Could Dance All Night" (1975), "Everybody Have a Good Time" (1977)
see The Drells on soulwalking

May 2

Dick 'Two Ton' Baker (Richard Baker)

b. 1916 in Chicago, IL - d. 4 May 1975
country/novelty singer (baritone)
instrument: piano
"Sioux City Sue" (#2c 1946, One-Hit Wonder), "Near You" (#4 1947), "An Old Flame Never Dies" (1948), "I Like Stinky Cheese" (1949), "All Right, Louis, Drop the Gun" (1947), "Dancers in Love" (1947), "The Bicycle Song" (1950), "Kansas City Kitty" (1950), "Satin Doll" (1972)
DJ
md. to Ruth Fisher (1936-75, his death)
see Dick 'Two Ton' Baker

R.C. Bannon (Daniel H. Shipley)

b. 1945 in Dallas, TX
country/soul singer
instrument: guitar
"Rainbows and Horseshoes" (#90c 1977), "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" (#33c 1978), "(The Truth is) We're Livin' a Lie" (#64c 1978), "Winners and Losers" (#26c 1979), "Lovely Lonely Lady" (#65c 1980)
duets with Louise Mandrell, "Reunited" (#13c 1979), "Never Be Anyone Else" (#36c 1980), "Our Wedding Bands" (#56c 1982), "Christmas is Just a Song for Us This Year" (#35c 1983, he wrote)
songwriter, wrote Louise Mandrell's "I Wanna Say Yes" (#5c 1985)
co-wrote Larry Stewart's "Why Can't You?" (#46c 1996); Ronnie Milsap's "Only One Love in My Life" (#1c 1978); Barbara Mandrell's "One of a Kind Pair of Fools" (#1c 1983)
md. to Louise Mandrell (1979-91)

John Bunzow

b. 1951 in Portland, OR
country/rock/folk/blues singer
instrument: guitar
"Easy as One, Two, Three" (#69c 1995, he wrote), "Your Mem'ry Will Keep Me Warm" (1996, he wrote), "Desolation Road" (1996, he wrote), "Memory is My Enemy" (2000, he wrote), "Unwind This Tailspin" (2000, he wrote), "How Far is Crazy From Here?" (2000, he wrote), "Corner of Darkness and Light" (2002), "Bare Wires" (2004), "How Did I Get Here?" (2004), "Sunshine Somewhere" (2004), "Bullets From a Gun" (2004)
session musician
songwriter

Randy Cain (Rudy Cain)

b. 1945/46 in Philadelphia, PA
soul singer
founding member of The Delfonics (1965-71), "He Don't Really Love You" (1966), "La La Means I Love You" (#4 1968), "I'm Sorry" (#42 1968), "Break Your Promise" (#35 1968), "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" (#35 1969, he wrote), "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)?" (#10 1970), "Trying to Make a Fool of Me" (#40 1970), "Over and Over" (#58 1971), "Walk Right up to the Sun" (#81 1971)
see The Delfonics on Wikipedia

Bunk Gardner (John Leon Gaunerra)

b. 1933 in Cleveland, OH
rock musician, instruments: flute, clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax, piccolo, bassoon
with The Mothers of Invention (1967-69), "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)
with The Grandmothers of Re-Invention, "The Great White Buffalo" (2000), "The Orange County Lumber Truck" (2000)
session musician with Little Richard, Van Morrison, and others
see The Mothers of Invention on Wikipedia

Larry Gatlin (Larry Wayne Gatlin)

b. 1948 in Seminole, TX
country singer
backed by his brothers, "Sweet Becky Walker" (#40c 1973, he wrote), "Delta Dirt" (#84, #14c 1974, he wrote), "Broken Lady" (#5c 1976, he wrote), "I Don't Wanna Cry" (#3c 1977, he wrote), "Love is Just a Game" (#3c 1977, he wrote), "I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love" (#1c 1978, he wrote), "Nighttime Magic" (#2c 1978, he wrote), "I've Done Enough Dyin' Today" (#7c 1979, he wrote)
founding member of The Gatlin Brothers (1979- ), "All the Gold in California" (#1c 1979, he wrote), "What Are We Doin' Lonesome?" (#4 1981, he wrote), "Sure Feels Like Love" (#5c 1982, he wrote), "Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You)" (#1c 1983, he wrote), "Denver" (#7c 1984, he wrote), * "The Lady Takes the Cowboy Every Time" (#3c 1984, he wrote), "She Used to Be Somebody's Baby" (#2c 1986, he wrote), "Talkin' to the Moon" (#4c 1987, he wrote), "Love of a Lifetime" (#4c 1988, he wrote)
duet with Janie Fricke, "From Time to Time (it Feels Like Love Again)" (#21c 1987, he wrote)
songwriter
md. to Janis Moss

Lesley Gore (Lesley Sue Goldstein)

b. 1946 in New York, NY (grew up in Tenafly, NJ)
pop singer
"It's My Party" (#1 1963), "She's a Fool" (#5 1963), "Judy's Turn to Cry" (#5 1963, reply to "It's My Party"), "You Don't Own Me" (#2 1964), "Maybe I Know" (#14 1964), "That's the Way Boys Are" (#12 1964), * "The Look of Love" (#27 1965), "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" (#13 1965), "Off and Running" (1966), "California Nights" (#16 1967), "When Yesterday Was Tomorrow" (1970), "Back Together" (1971), "The Road I Walk" (1972, she wrote)
songwriter, co-wrote Irene Cara's "Out Here on My Own" (1980)
see A Tribute to Lesley Gore

Bob Henrit (Robert Henrit)

b. 1945 in Hertfordshire, England
folk/pop/rock musician, instrument: drums
founding member of The Roulettes (1962-67)
The Roulettes backing Adam Faith, "Message to Martha" (1964), "(If You Want Me) it's Alright" (#31 1965, One-Hit Wonder), "Talk about Love" (#97 1965), "Hand-Me-Down Things" (1965), "Idle Gossip" (1966)
with The Kinks (1984-94, replaced Mick Avory)
founding member of Argent (1968- ), "Lonely Hard Road" (1970), "Sleep Won't Help Me" (1971), "Hold Your Head Up" (#5 1972), "Be My Lover, Be My Friend" (1972), "God Gave Rock and Roll to You" (1973)
session drummer on Unit 4 + 2's "Concrete and Clay" (#28 1965); and with Roger Daltrey, and others
see Argent

Roy Hensley

b. 1946 - d. 8 Jun 2005
rock musician, instrument: bass guitar
founding member of The Castaways (1962- ), "Liar, Liar" (#12 1965, One-Hit Wonder), "I Feel So Fine" (1967), "She's a Girl in Love" (1967), "Walking in Different Circles" (1968), "Lavender Popcorn" (1968)
see The Castaways

Ty Herndon (Boyd Tyrone Herndon)

b. 1962/63 in Meridian, MS (grew up in Butler, AL)
country/rock singer
instruments: piano, guitar
"What Mattered Most" (#90, #1c 1995), "I Want My Goodbye" (#7c 1995), "Livin' in a Moment" (#1c 1996), "Loved Too Much" (#2c 1997), "She Wants to Be Wanted Again" (#21c 1997), "I Have to Surrender" (#17c 1997), * "How Much Can One Man Love You?" (1998), "A Man Holding on (to a Woman Letting Go)" (#81, #5c 1998), "Hands of a Working Man" (#47, #5c 1999), "Steam" (#83, #18c 1999), "No Mercy" (#92, #26c 2000), "Heather's Wall" (#37c 2002)
duet with Sons of the Desert, "It Must Be Love" (#38, #1c 1998)
duet with Stephanie Bentley, "Heart Half-Empty" (#21c 1996)
md. to Renee Posey (1993- )
see Ty Herndon

Groove Holmes (Richard Arnold Holmes

b. 1931 in Camden, NJ - d. 29 Jun 1991 in St. Louis, MO (prostate cancer)
jazz/soul/bop musician, instruments: organ, piano
"Denise" (1961), "Jeannine" (1962), "Lee-Ann" (1966), "It Might as Well Be Spring" (1967), "I Can't Stop Dancing" (1969), "These Foolish Things" (1988), "Love Letters" (1989), "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" (1989)
duets with Gene Ammons, "Exactly Like You" (1961), "Hey You, What's That?" (1961)

Glenn Honeycutt

b. 1933 near Belzoni, MS (grew up in Memphis, TN)
rockabilly singer
instrument: guitar
"I'll Be Around" (1957), "I'll Wait Forever" (1957), "Rock All Night" (1957), "Campus Rock" (1958), "Right Gal, Right Place, Right Time" (1964), "All-Night Rock" (1985), "Promise Me Love" (2005, he wrote), "A Love Song" (2005, he wrote), "There is No Unloving You" (2005, he wrote)
songwriter
served in the Army (1952-55)
postal worker

Engelbert Humperdinck (Arnold George 'Gerry' Dorsey)

b. 1936 in Madras, India (grew up in England)
pop singer
"There Goes My Everything" (#20 1967), "Release Me (and Let Me Love Again)" (#4 1967), "The Last Waltz" (#25 1967), "Am I That Easy to Forget?" (#18 1968), "The Way it Used to Be" (1969), "Winter World of Love" (#16 1970), "After the Lovin'" (#8, #40c 1976), "This Moment in Time" (#93c 1979), "Til You and Your Lover Are Lovers Again" (#39c 1983)
he took his stage name from the composer of Hansel and Gretel
see Engelbert Humperdinck

Goldy McJohn (John Goadsby aka Goldy Melody)

b. 1945 in Canada
rock backup singer
instruments: organ, keyboards
founding member of Steppenwolf (1967-71, 1974, 1977-80), "Born to Be Wild" (#2 1968), "Magic Carpet Ride" (#3 1968), "Rock Me" (#10 1969), "It's Never Too Late" (#51 1969, he co-wrote), "Monster" (#39 1969), "Move Over" (#31 1969), "From Here to There Eventually" (1969), "Hey Lawdy, Mama" (#35 1970), "Ride With Me" (#52 1971), "For Ladies Only" (#64 1971, he co-wrote), "Sparkle Eyes" (1971), "Straight-Shootin' Woman" (#29 1974)
with Sparrow (1965-66)
see Steppenwolf

Bruce Robinson (Bruce D. Robinson)

b. 1932 - d. 4 Aug 2001 in OH
doo-wop singer
instrument: tambourine
founding member and lead singer of The Stereos (1959-65), "A Love for Only You" (1959), "I Really Love You" (#29 1961, One-Hit Wonder), "Echo in My Heart" (1962), "Unless You Mean it" (1962), "Mumbling Word" (1963), "Life" (1964), "Don't Let it Happen to You" (1965)

John Ware

b. 1944 in Tulsa, OK
pop/rock musician, instrument: drums
with The Corvettes, "Back Home Girl" (1969), "Beware of Time" (1969)
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)
session musician with Buck Owens, Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, Ricky Skaggs, Rodney Crowell, and others
see John Ware

Pat White (Patty M. White)

b. 1934 - d. 16 Jun 2002 (heart attack)
country/bluegrass singer
founding member of The Down Home Folks (1966-70)
founding member of The Whites (1971-73)
mother of Cheryl White and Sharon (White) Skaggs; wife of Buck White

Link Wray (Frederick Lincoln Wray, Jr.)

b. 1929 in Dunn, NC (grew up in AZ) - d. 5 Nov 2005 in Copenhagen, Denmark (heart attack)
rock/rockabilly singer
instruments: guitar, piano
"Tijuana" (1961)
founding member and lead of Link Wray and the Raymen, "Rumble" (#16 1958), "Rawhide" (#23 1959), "Ain't That Lovin' You, Babe?" (1960), "Right Turn" (1960), "Danger, One-Way Love Affair" (1961), "Big City after Dark" (1962), "Dance Contest" (1962), "The Black Widow" (1963), "Jack the Ripper" (#64 1963), "My Beth" (1963), "Steel Trap" (1963), "Ace of Spades" (1965), "Juke Box Mama" (1971), "Crowbar" (1971), "Don't" (1979), "Switchblade" (1979)
duets with Robert Gordon, "Red Hot" (#83 1977), "Sweet Surrender" (1977), "If This is Wrong" (1978)
session musician with Marvin Rainwater, and others
songwriter
farmer

May 3

Dick Allix

b. 1945 in Kent, England
pop singer
instrument: drums
founding member of Vanity Fare (1968-70), "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)
with Tapestry of Delights
see Vanity Fare

Joe Ames (Joe Urick)

b. 1921 in Malden, MA
pop singer
founding member of The Ames Brothers, "Can Anyone Explain? (No No No)" (#5 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

James Brown (James Joseph Brown Jr. aka 'The Godfather of Soul')

b. 1933 near Barnwell, SC (grew up in Augusta, GA) - d. 25 Dec 2006 in Atlanta, GA (pneumonia and congestive heart failure)
soul/R&B/rock singer
instruments: piano, drums, guitar, harmonica, percussions
"Mashed Potatoes USA" (1962), "Baby, You're Right" (1962), "Shout and Shimmy" (1962), "Out of Sight" (#24 1964), "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (#3 1965), "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (#8 1965, he wrote), "Devil's Hideaway" (1965), "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" (#8 1966), "Let Yourself Go" (1967), "Cold Sweat" (#7 1967), "I Got the Feelin'" (#6 1968), "Say it Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" (#10 1968), "Give it up or Turn it Loose" (#15 1969), "Hot Pants" (#15 1971), "Talking Loud and Saying Nothing" (1971), "Living in America" (#4 1986)
founding member of James Brown and the Famous Flames, "Please, Please, Please" (1956), "Think" (#33 1960), "Night Flying" (1961), "Bewildered" (#40 1961), "Night Train" (#35 1962), "Prisoner of Love" (#18 1963), "Stone Fox" (1967), "Bring it Up" (#29 1967), "Spinning Wheel" (1971)
songwriter
arranger, producer
md. 1st to Velma Warren (1953-69); md. 2nd to Deidre 'DeeDee' Jenkins (1970-81); md. 3rd to Adrienne Lois Rodriquez (1984-96, her death); md. 4th to Tomi Ray Hynie (2001-06, his death)
he had arrests for domestic violence on at least two of his wives
see James Brown on WikipediA

Jerry Chesnut (Jerry Donald Chesnut)

b. 1931 in Loyall, KY
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Small Enough to Crawl" (1968, he wrote), "Bet Your Sweet Life" (1969), "Legend of the Highway" (1970), "Anything But Over You" (1979)
songwriter, wrote Del Reeves' "A Dime at a Time" (#1c 1967); Jerry Lee Lewis' "Another Place, Another Time" (#1 1968); Faron Young's "It's Four in the Morning" (#92, #1c 1971); "Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton's "Holding on to Nothing" (#7c 1968); George Jones' "A Good Year for the Roses" (#2c 1970); Bill Anderson's "Don't She Look Good?" (#2c 1972); Johnny Cash's "Oney" (#2c 1972); Narvel Felts' "One Run for the Roses" (#26c 1978); Jan Howard's "When We Tried" (#24c 1969)
co-wrote Del Reeves' "Lookin' at the World Through a Windshield" (#5c 1968)
served in the Air Force during the Korean War

Bing Crosby (Harry Lillis Crosby)

b. 1903 in Tacoma, WA – d. 14 Oct 1977 in Madrid, Spain (heart attack)
pop singer
"Dancing in the Dark" (#3 1931), "I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a 5 & 10 Cent Store)" (#2 1931), "Out of Nowhere" (#1 1931), "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" (#1 1932), "Please" (#1 1932), "Shadow Waltz" (#1 1933), "June in January" (#1 1934), "Love in Bloom" (#1 1934), "I Wished on the Moon" (#2 1935), "It's Easy to Remember" (#1 1935), "Red Sails in the Sunset" (#1 1935), "Soon" (#1 1935), "Pennies from Heaven" (#1 1936), "Robins and Roses" (#2 1936), "I'm an Old Cowhand (from the Rio Grand)" (1936), "The Moon Got in My Eyes" (#1 1937), "Remember Me" (#1 1937), "Sweet Leilani" (#1 1937), "I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams" (#1 1938), "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" (#1 1938), "Only Forever" (#1 1940), "Trade Winds" (#1 1940), "Sierra Sue" (#1 1940), "New San Antonio Rose" (#7 1940), "Dolores" (#2 1940), "It Makes No Difference Now" (#23 1940), "Along the Santa Fe Trail" (1941), "Deep in the Heart of Texas" (#3 1942), "I've Got Plenty to Be Thankful For" (1942), "White Christmas" (#1 1942, #5 1944, #1 1945, #1 1947, #5 1950, #7 1955, #26 1960, #12 1961, #38 1962), "Moonlight Becomes You" (#1 1943), "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (#3 1943), "Sunday, Monday or Always" (#1 1943), "Let's Start the New Year Right" (#18 1943), "I Love You" (#1 1944), "I'll Be Seeing You" (#1 1944), "Swinging on a Star" (#1 1944), "San Fernando Valley" (#1 1944), "Now is the Hour" (#1 1948), "Someplace on Anywhere Road" (1950), "I Still See Elisa" (1953), "Tenderfoot" (1953), "Maria Bonita" (1954), "Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider" (1955), "Who Gave You the Roses?" (1955), "True Love" (#3 1956)
backed by The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, "Lullaby of Broadway" (#1 1935)
duet with Gary Crosby, "Simple Melody" (1950)
duet with Grady Martin, "Till the End of the World" (#10c 1952)
duets with Jimmy Dorsey, "Too Marvelous for Words" (#1 1937), "What Will I Tell My Heart?" (#5 1937)
duet with Bob Hope and Peggy Lee, "The Merry-Go-Run-Around" (1952)
duet with Les Paul, "It's Been a Long, Long Time" (#1 1945)
duets with The Andrews Sisters, "Pistol-Packin' Mama" (#1c 1944), "Don't Fence Me in" (#1 1944), "Along the Navajo Trail" (#2 1945)
duet with Carmen Cavallaro, "I Can't Begin to Tell You" (#1 1945)
actor
md. 1st to singer/actress, Dixie Lee (1930-52, her death); md. actress, Kathryn Grant (1957- )

Dave Dudley (David Darwin Pedruska)

b. 1926/28 in Spencer, WI (grew up in Stevens Point, WI) – d. 22 Dec 2003 in Danbury, WI (heart attack)
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Rock and Roll Nursery Rhyme" (1956), "Ink Dries Quicker Than Tears" (1956), "I Won't Be Just Your Friend" (1959), "It's Gotta Be That Way" (1960), "Maybe I Do" #28c 1961), "Under Cover of Night" (#18c 1962, he wrote), "Six Days on the Road" (#32, #2c 1963), "Cowboy Boots" (#95, #3c 1963), "Last Day in the Mines" (#7c 1963), "Mad" (#6c 1964), "Two Six-Packs Away" (#15c 1965), "Truckin' Son-of-a-Gun" (#3c 1965), "What We're Fighting For" (#4c 1965), "Vietnam Blues" (#12c 1966), "Lonelyville" (#13c 1966), "Long Time Gone" (#12c 1967, he co-wrote), "My Kind of Love" (#12c 1967), "Trucker's Prayer" (#23c 1967), "Anything Leaving Town Today" (#12c 1967, he co-wrote), "There Ain't No Easy Run" (#10 1968, he co-wrote), "I Keep Coming Back for More" (#14c 1968, he wrote), "Please Let Me Prove (My Love for You)" (#10c 1968), "One More Mile" (#12c 1969), "George (and the North Woods)" (#10c 1969), * "The Pool Shark" (#1c 1970), "Comin' Down" (#8c 1971, he wrote), "Fly Away Again" (#8 1971, he wrote), "Arms of a Satisfied Woman" (#12 1972), "Keep on Truckin'" (#19c 1973), "Me and Ole C.B." (#12c 1975, he co-wrote), "Rolaids, Doan's Pills and Preparation H" (#77c 1980)
duet with Tom T. Hall, "Day Drinkin'" (#23c 1970)
duet with Karen O'Donnal, "We Know it's Over" (#40c 1973)
session musician
songwriter
DJ
author
semi-pro baseball player
see Dave Dudley on Virtual Truck Route

Al Frazier (Alfred Frazier)

b. 1930 in Los Angeles, CA - 13 Nov 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada (complications of diabetes)
rock/R&B/doo-wop singer
founding member of The Lamplighters (1953-54, 1956), "Five Minutes Longer" (1954), "Ride, Jockey, Ride" (1954), "Hug a Little, Kiss a Little" (1956)
founding member of The Sharps (1954, 1956-58), "Our Love is Here to Stay" (1957)
The Sharps sang backup on Thurston Harris' "Little Bitty Pretty One" (#6 1957), Duane Eddy's "Rebel Rouser" (#6, #17c 1958)
founding member of The Rivingtons (1961- ), "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" (#48 1962, he co-wrote), "Kickapoo Joy Juice" (1962), "The Bird's the Word" (#52 1963), "Cherry" (1963), "I Love You Always" (1964), "Just Got to Be More" (1965), "A Rose Growing in the Ruins" (1966)
backup singer with with Paul Anka, Duane Eddy, and others
songwriter
served in the Army in the Korean War
see The Rivingtons on Wikipedia

Bruce Hall

b. 1953 in Champaign, IL
rock singer
instrument: bass
with REO Speedwagon (1978- , replaced Gregg Philbin), "Back on the Road Again" (1979), "Take it on the Run" (#5 1981), "In Your Letter" (#20 1981), "Keep on Loving You" (#1 1981), "Keep the Fire Burnin'" (#7 1982), "Can't Fight This Feeling" (#1 1985), "That Ain't Love" (#16 1987), "In My Dreams" (#19 1987), "Here with Me" (#20 1988), "Born to Love You" (2007, he wrote)
songwriter

Mary Hopkin

b. 1950 in Pontardawe, Wales
folk singer
* "Those Were the Days" (#2 1968), "Turn, Turn, Turn" (1968), "Goodbye" (#13 1969), "Postcard" (1969), "Knock Knock, Who's There?" (1970), "Think about Your Children" (1970), "Let My Name Be Sorrow" (1971), "If You Love Me" (1976)
duet with Dolly Parton, "Those Were the Days" (#48, #9c 2005)
backup singer for Tom Paxton, David Bowie, and others
md. to Tony Visconti (1971-81)

Brad Martin

b. 1973 in Greenville, OH
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Before I Knew Better" (#15c 2002), "Rub Me the Right Way" (#51c 2002, he co-wrote), "Turn to Me" (2002, he co-wrote), "On the Wings of a Honky-Tonk Angel" (2002), "One of Those Days" (#50c 2003)
songwriter

Shane Minor (Shane Allen Minor)

b. 1968 in Modesto, CA
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Tell Me Now" (1999), "I Will Be True" (1999), "Ordinary Love" (#24c 1999), "Slave to the Habit" (#82, #20c 1999), "I Think You're Beautiful" (#44c 2000)
songwriter, co-wrote Steve Holy's "Brand New Girlfriend (#1c 2006), Diamond Rio's "Beautiful Mess" (#28, #1c 2002)
rodeo bull rider; LAPD police officer

Cactus Moser (Scott Moser)

b. 1953/57 in Montrose, CO
country musician, instruments: drums, guitar
founding member of Highway 101 (1986- ), "The Bed You Made for Me" (#4c 1987), "Whiskey, if You Were a Woman" (#2c 1987), "Somewhere Tonight" (#1c 1987), "Cry, Cry, Cry" (#1c 1987), "Do You Love Me (Just Say Yes)?" (#1 1988), "All the Reasons Why" (#5c 1988), "Setting Me Up" (#7c 1989), "Honky-Tonk Heart" (#6c 1989), "Who's Lonely Now?" (#1 1989), "Walkin' Talkin' Cryin' Barely Beatin' Broken Heart" (#4c 1990), "This Side of Goodbye" (#11c 1990, he co-wrote), "Restless Kind" (1991), "Baby, I'm Missing You" (#22c 1992), "You Baby You" (#67c 1993), "She Don't Have the Heart to Love You" (1996), "Long List of Obvious Reasons" (2003)
songwriter
see Highway 101

Nathaniel Ruff

b. 1939
doo-wop/rock singer
founding member of The Jarmels (1959- ), "She Loves to Dance" (1961), "Little Lonely One" (1961), "A Little Bit of Soap" (#12 1961, One-Hit Wonder), "Come on, Girl" (1963)
Jarmel is a street in Harlem

Pete Seeger (Peter Seeger)

b. 1919 in Patterson, NY
folk singer (tenor)
instruments: banjo, guitar, mandolin
"Talking Atom" (1948), "The Titanic" (1957), "Get up and Go" (1960, he co-wrote), "I Come and Stand at Every Door" (1962), "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)" (1962, he co-wrote), * "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" (1963, he co-wrote), "Little Boxes" (#70 1964), "Quite Early Morning" (1969, he wrote)
founding member of The Weavers (1947-53, 1955-1958), "Hush, Little Baby" (1951), "Easy Rider Blues" (1951), "It's Almost Day" (1951), "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" (#19 1951), "Wimoweh" (#14 1952), "Quilting Bee" (1952)
The Weavers and Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra, "Goodnight, Irene" (#1 1950)
The Weavers and Terry Gilkyson, "Across the Wide Missouri" (1951), "On Top of Old Smokey" (#2 1951)
founding member of The Almanac Singers (1940-41)
songwriter
environmental activist; peace activist
the inscription on his banjo reads: "This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender."
teacher; editor
it is said that he left The Weavers because they recorded a cigarette commercial
in 1957 he was caught up in the McCarthy communist witch-hunts, but his contempt of congress conviction was later overturned

Pete Staples (Peter Lawrence Staples)

b. 1944 in Hampshire, England
rock musician, instrument: bass
founding member of The Troggs, "Lost Girl" (1966), * "With a Girl Like You" (#29 1966), "Wild Thing" (#1 1966), "Hi Hi Hazel" (1967), "As I Ride By" (1967), "Girl in Black" (1967), "Cousin Jane" (1968), * "Love is All Around" (#7 1968), "Sweet Madelaine" (1970)

Frankie Valli (Francis Stephen Castelluccio)

b. 1937 in Newark, NJ
pop singer (with a three-octave range)
"Night Hawk" (1965), "(You're Gonna) Hurt Yourself" (#39 1966), "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" (#2 1967), "I Make a Fool of Myself" (#18 1967), "A Face Without a Name" (1969), "Listen to Yesterday" (1973), "Swearin' to God" (#6 1975), "My Eyes Adored You" (#1 1975), "Our Day Will Come" (#11 1976), "Fallen Angel" (#36 1976), "Grease" (#1 1978)
leader of The Four Seasons (1961-78, 1981- ), "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" (#23 1962), "Sherry" (#1 1962), "Big Girls Don't Cry" (#1 1962), "Walk Like a Man" (#1 1963), "Candy Girl" (#3 1963), "Marlena" (#36 1963), "Ronnie" (#6 1964), "Rag Doll" (#1 1964), "Lucky Ladybug" (1964), "Dawn (Go Away)" (#3 1964), "Save it for Me" (#10 1964), "Stay" (#16 1964), "Let's Hang on" (#3 1965), "Bye Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye)" (#12 1965), "Working My Way Back to You" (#9 1966), "Tell it to the Rain" (#10 1966), "C'mon, Marianne" (#9 1967), "Let's Ride Again" (1967), "Who Loves You?" (#3 1975), "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" (#1 1976)
The The Four Seasons recording as The Wonder Who?, "Don't Think Twice" (#12 1965), "Sassy" (1965)
with The Four Lovers, "You're the Apple of My Eye" (#62 1956), "The Girl in My Dreams" (1956), "Shake a Hand" (1957)
his career almost ended from hearing loss in 1967 but surgery restored his hearing
md. to Mary Delgado
see The Four Seasons

May 4

Nickolas Ashford

b. 1942 in Fairfield, SC (grew up in Willow Run, MI)
soul/R&B singer
duets with Valerie Simpson as Valerie and Nick, "It Ain't Like That" (1964), "You Don't Owe Me a Thing" (1964)
founding member of Ashford and Simpson (1973- ), "(I'd Know You) Anywhere" (#88 1974), "Don't Cost You Nothing" (#79 1978), "Found a Cure" (#36 1979), "It Shows in Your Eyes" (1981), "Street Corner" (#56 1982), "Solid as a Rock" (#12 1984)
backup singer
songwriter, co-wrote Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (#19 1967), "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" (#8 1968), "Your Precious Love" (#5 1967), "You're All I Need to Get By" (#7 1968); Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman" (#4 1993)
music producer
md. to songwriter/singer, Valerie Simpson (1974- )
see Ashford and Simpson on WikipediA

Ronnie Bond (Ronald Bullis)

b. 1943 in Hampshire, England – d. 13 Nov 1992 in England
rock musician, instrument: drums
"Carolyn" (1969), "Anything for You" (1969)
founding member of The Troggs, "Lost Girl" (1966), * "With a Girl Like You" (#29 1966), "Wild Thing" (#1 1966), "Hi Hi Hazel" (1967), "As I Ride By" (1967), "Girl in Black" (1967), "Cousin Jane" (1968), * "Love is All Around" (#7 1968), "Sweet Madelaine" (1970)

Ritchie Burns (Richard Burns aka Dick Burns)

b. 1941 in Buffalo, NY
pop/rock/novelty singer
instruments: guitar, bass guitar
founding member of The Super Stocks (1964-65), "'T' Roadster" (1964, he co-wrote), "Ballad of Bonneville" (1964, he co-wrote), "Wheel Stands" (1964), "Trophy Run" (1964, he co-wrote), "Redondo Beach" (1964), "Malibu Blues" (1964), "Readin', Ridin' and Racin'" (1964)
with The Ghouls (1964), "Little Old Lady From Transylvania" (1964), "Be True to Your Ghoul" (1964)
founding member of The Hondells, "Little Honda" (#9 1964, One-Hit Wonder), "You're Gonna Ride with Me" (1964), "Black Boots and Bikes" (1964), "Two-Wheel Show Stopper" (1964), "A Guy Without Wheels" (1964), "Lonely Rider" (1964), "Lay it Down (Before it's Too Late)" (1964), "Cycle Chase" (1964), "Honda Holiday" (1964), "Younger Girl" (1966), "Suzuki" (1966)
founding member of The Devons, "Haulin' Honda" (1964), "Someone to Treat Me (the Way You Used to)" (1969)
session musician
songwriter

Ed 'Cass' Cassidy

b. 1923 in Chicago, IL (grew up in Bakersfield, CA)
rock/jazz/country musician, instrument: drums
founding member of Rising Sons (1964)
founding member of Spirit (1967-73, 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), "Dark-Eyed Woman" (1969), "So Little Time to Fly" (1969), "1984" (#69 1970), "Morning Will Come" (1970), "Nature's Way" (1970)
session musician
actor
step-father of Randy California
served in the Navy during WWII

Dick Dale (Richard Anthony Mansour aka 'King of the Surf Guitar')

b. 1937 in Boston, MA or Quincy, MA
pop/rock/country singer
instruments: guitar, piano
"Jessie Pearl" (1960), "Misirlou" (1962)
founding member of The Del-Tones, "We'll Never Hear the End of it" (1960), "Let's Go Trippin'" (#60 1961), "Surf Beat" (1962), "Mag Wheels" (1963), "Wild Ideas" (1963), "Wild Wild Mustang" (1964), "The Victor" (1964), "That's How Many Tears" (1964), "Don't You Dare" (1965)
session musician
actor
environmental activist
he is left-handed

Tyrone Davis

b. 1938 near Greenville, MS – d. 9 Feb 2005 in Chicago, IL (stroke)
soul singer
"Bet You Win" (1967), "Can I Change My Mind?" (#5 1969), "Undying Love" (1969), "Turn Back the Hands of Time" (#3 1970), "I Had it All the Time" (1972), "Without You in My Life" (1972), "There it is" (1973), "There's Got to Be an Answer" (1974), "I Wish it Was Me" (1974), "Turning Point" (1975), "Give it up (Turn it Loose)" (1976), "Don't Let it Be Too Late" (1976)
see Tyrone Davis on SoulWalking

Al Dexter (Clarence Albert Poindexter)

b. 1902/05 in Jacksonville, TX - d. 28 Jan 1984 in Lewisville, TX (heart attack)
country/honky-tonk singer
instruments: guitar, fiddle, organ, banjo
founding member of Al Dexter and His Troopers, "Honky-Tonk Blues" (1937, he co-wrote, first country song to use the term 'Honky-Tonk'), "Pistol Packin' Mama" (#1 1944, he wrote), "Rosalita" (#1c 1944, he wrote), "I'm Sending Roses to My Lawyer" (1944, he wrote), "So Long, Pal" (#1c 1944), "Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Try" (#1c 1944, he wrote), "I'm Losing My Mind Over You" (#1c 1945, he co-wrote), "I'll Wait for You, Dear" (#2c 1945, he wrote), "I'm Lost Without You" (#5c 1945, he co-wrote), "Triflin' Gal" (#2c 1945, he co-wrote), "Guitar Polka" (#1c 1946, he wrote), "Wine, Women and Song" (#1c 1946, he wrote), "Honey, Do You Think it's Wrong?" (#2c 1946, he co-wrote), "It's up to You" (#3c 1946, he co-wrote), "Down at the Roadside Inn" (#4c 1947, he wrote), "Calico Rag" (#11c 1948, he co-wrote), "Rock and Rye Rag" (#14c 1948, he wrote), "Sitting By the Jukebox (Playin' Number Ten)" (1964)
songwriter

Mike Dirnt (Michael Ryan Pritchard)

b. 1972 in Rodeo, CA
rock singer
instrument: bass
founding member of Green Day (1989- ), "Basket Case" (1994), "When I Come Around" (1994), "J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)" (1995, he wrote), * "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)" (1997), "Hitchin' a Ride" (1997), "Minority" (2000), "American Idiot" (#61 2004), "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (#2 2005), "Holiday" (#19 2005), "Wake Me up When September Ends" (#6 2005), "Working-Class Hero" (#53 2007)
with The Frustrators
songwriter

Bill Eyden (William James Eyden)

b. 1930 in Middlesex, England - d. 15 Oct 2004 in Middlesex, England
R&B/rock/jazz musician, instrument: drums
with Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames (Oct1964-65, replaced Phil Seaman), "Yeh, Yeh" (#21 1965), "Blue Monday" (1965)
with The Dick Morrissey Quartet (1965-66)
with the Charlie Watts Big Band (1985-86)
session musician with Procol Harum, Ronnie Scott, and others

Phil McLean

b. 1923 in Detroit, MI - 28 May 1993 in Hilton Head, SC
novelty singer
"Small Sad Sam" (#21 1961, One-Hit Wonder, he wrote, parody of Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John"), "Chicken" (1961)
songwriter
DJ
served as a Navy fighter pilot during WWII
md. 2nd to Donna Fisher (1972-82)

Mouse Michalski (John Michalski)

b. 1949 in Cleveland, OH
pop musician, instrument: lead guitar
founding member of The Count Five (1964-69), "Psychotic Reaction" (#5 1966, One-Hit Wonder), "Revelation in Slow Motion" (1968), "Mailman" (1969)
see The Count Five

Robert Ellis Orrall

b. 1955 in Wintrhop, MA
country/rock singer
"Boom! it Was Over" (#19c 1992, he co-wrote), "I'm Learning As You Go" (1992, he co-wrote), "I'm Ready When You Are" (1992), "A Little Bit of Her Love" (#31c 1993, he co-wrote), "Every Day When I Come Home" (#64c 1993, he co-wrote)
founding member of Orrall and Wright (1994- ), "If You Could Say What I'm Thinking" (#70c 1994, he co-wrote), "She Loves Me Like She Means it" (#47c 1994, he co-wrote), "The Last Time I Loved Like That" (1994)
duet with Carlene Carter, "I Couldn't Say No" (#32 1983)
songwriter, co-wrote Shenandoah's "Next to You, Next to Me" (#1c 1990)

Stella Parton

b. 1949 in Sevierville, TN or Locust Ridge, TN
country/gospel singer
instruments: guitar, autoharp
songwriter
"I Want to Hold You in My Dreams Tonight" (#9c 1975, she co-wrote), "The Danger of a Stranger" (#15c 1977), "Love Me to Sleep" (1977), "Standard Lie Number One" (#14c 1977), "Four Little Letters" (#20c 1978), "Undercover Lovers" (#28c 1978), "Lie to Linda" (1978), "Stormy Weather" (#21c 1979), "Steady As the Rain" (#26c 1979), "I Don't Miss You Like I Used to" (#74c 1998)
duet with Carmol Taylor, "Neon Woman" (1977)
songwriter
actress; author
sister of Dolly and Randy Parton

Jim Pash

b. 1949 - d. 29 Apr 2005 in Yucca Valley, CA (congestive heart failure while waiting for a liver transplant)
rock musician, instruments: sax, guitar, keyboards
founding member of The Surfaris (1962-66, and reunions), "Point Panic" (#49 1963), "Scatter Shield" (1964), "Karen" (1964), "Hot Rod High" (1964), "Dune Buggy" (1964), "Black Denim" (1965), "My Little Bike" (1965), "My Buddy Seat" (1965), (he did not play on "Wipe Out" or "Surfer Joe")
see The Surfaris

Peggy Santiglia (aka Peggy Davison aka Peggy Farina)

b. 1944 in Belleville, NJ
pop singer
recorded as Peggie Sans, "Snowman" (1964), "Give Your Love" (1964, she co-wrote)
founding member of The Delicates, "Black and White Thunderbird" (1959, she co-wrote), "My First Date" (1959), "Too Young to Date" (1960), "I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)" (1961), "Not Tomorrow" (1961)
with The Angels (1963-65, and reunions, replaced Linda Jankowski), * "My Boyfriend's Back" (#1 1963), * "Snowflakes and Teardrops" (1963), * "Wow Wow Wee (He's the Boy for Me)" (1963)
with Dusk, "I Cannot See to You" (1971), "I Hear Those Church Bells Ringing" (1972)
with Jessica James and the Outlaws, "Come Closer" (1965), "Lucky Day" (1966)
backup singer on Lou Christie's "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" (#10 1969), and others
songwriter
md. to Mr. Davison
see The Delicates

Randy Travis (Randy Bruce Traywick or Gillian Randolph Traywick)

b. 1959 in Marshville, NC
country singer
instrument: guitar
"1982" (#6c 1986), * "On the Other Hand" (#1c 1986), "Diggin' up Bones" (#1c 1986), "No Place Like Home" (#2c 1987), * "Forever and Ever, Amen" (#1c 1987), "I Won't Need You Anymore (Always and Forever)" (#1c 1987), "Too Gone Too Long" (#1c 1988), "I Told You So" (#1c 1988, he wrote), "The Blues in Black and White" (1988), "Honky-Tonk Moon" (#1c 1988), "Deeper Than the Holler" (#1c 1988), "Is it Still Over?" (#1c 1989), "It's Just a Matter of Time" (#1c 1989), "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart" (#1c 1990), "Heroes and Friends" (#3c 1991, he co-wrote), "Forever Together" (#1c 1991, he co-wrote), "Better Class of Losers" (#2c 1992, he co-wrote), "If I Didn't Have You" (#1c 1972), "Look Heart, No Hands" (#1c 1992), "An Old Pair of Shoes" (#21c 1993), "Before You Kill Us All" (#2c 1994), "Whisper My Name" (#1c 1994), "This is Me" (#5c 1995), "Are We in Trouble Now?" (#24c 1996), "Out of My Bones" (#64, #2c 1998), "Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man" (#42, #2c 1999), "Stranger in My Mirror" (#81, #16c 1999), "Where Can I Surrender?" (#48c 1999), "Three Wooden Crosses" (#31, #1c 2003)
duet with George Jones, "A Few Ole Country Boys" (#8c 1990)
songwriter
actor
md. to his manager, Lib Hatcher (1991- )
see Randy Travis

May 5

Lee Andrews (Arthur Lee Andrew Thompson)

b. 1938 in Goldsboro, NC (grew up in Philadelphia, PA)
R&B/pop singer
"I Miss You So" (1960), "A Night Like Tonight" (1961)
founding member and lead singer of The Hearts (1952-58, 1962), "Maybe You'll Be There" (1954), "Just Suppose" (1956), "Long Lonely Night" (#45 1957), Teardrops (#20 1957), "The Girl Around the Corner" (1957), "Try the Impossible" (#33 1958), "All I Ask is Love" (1958), "I'm Sorry, Pillow" (1962)
songwriter
dress-shop owner
see The Hearts on Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks

Bobby Austin (Robert Allen Austin)

b. 1933 in Wenatchee, WA - d. 6 Jan 2002 in Camas, WA
country/rockabilly singer
instruments: bass, guitar
"Polynesian Baby" (1960), "My Book of Memories" (1960), "Apartment No. 9" (#21c 1966, he co-wrote), "I Wouldn't Know Where to Begin" (1967), "Knoxville Station" (#39c 1972)
session musician with Buck Owens, Tommy Collins, Wynne Stewart, and others
songwriter
artist

Norman Burnett

b. 1943 in Philadelphia, PA
soul/pop singer (baritone)
founding member and baritone with The Tymes (1959-77, and reunions), "So Much in Love" (#4 1963), "Address Unknown" (1963), "Wonderful, Wonderful" (#23 1963), "View From My Window" (1963), "What Would I Do?" (1966), "People" (#39 1968), "You Little Trustmaker" (#12 1974), "Miss Grace" (#91 1974), "It's Cool" (#68 1976), "Savannah Sunny Sunday" (1976)
painting contractor
see The Tymes on Soul Express

Ace Cannon (Johnny Henry Cannon, Jr.)

b. 1934 in Grenada, MS
rock/soul/rockabilly singer
instrument: alto sax
"Tuff" (#17 1962), ".38 Special" (1962), "Blues (Stay Away from Me)" (#36 1962), "Mildew" (1963), "Searchin'" (#84 1964), "Sleep Walk" (1968), "Lodi" (1970), "Tuffer Than Tuff" (1973), "Closin' Time's a Downer" (1973), "Malt Liquor" (1975), "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" (#73c 1976), "Sugar Blues" (#92 1980)
with The Bill Black Combo (1959-61), "White Silver Sands" (#9 1960), "Don't Be Cruel" (#11 1960), "Blue Tango" (1960), "Hearts of Stone" (#20 1961)
session musician

Steve Cash

b. 1946 in Springfield, MO
country/rock singer
instruments: harmonica, 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, he wrote), "Jackie Blue" (#3c 1975, he co-wrote), "If I Only Knew" (1975), "Homemade Wine" (1976), "You Made it Right" (#84c 1976), "Giving it All to the Wind" (1977), "River to the Sun" (1978)
songwriter
science fiction author
see The Ozark Mountain Daredevils

Glen Duncan

b. 1955 in Columbus, IN
bluegrass/country singer
instruments: fiddle, guitar
founding member of Lonesome Standard Time (1990-95), "Highway 40 Blues" (1992), "Lonesome As it Gets" (1995), "Anything Southbound" (1995), "Possession's Nine-Tenths of the Law" (1995)
with Longview
with J.D. Crowe and the New South (1999), "Come on Down to My World" (1999), "(I'm So) Afraid of Losing You Again" (1999), "You Didn't Say Goodbye" (1999)
with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys (1985-86)
session musician
see The Blue Grass Boys
see Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time

Marshall Grant

b. 1928 in Bessemer City, NC
country/rockabilly musician, instrument: bass
founding member of Johnny Cash's backup band, The Tennessee Three (1954-80), "I Walk the Line" (#17, #1c 1956), "Folsom Prison Blues" (#4c 1956), "There You Go" (#1c 1957), "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), "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" (#32, #1c 1959), "Get Rhythm" (#1c 1959), "Thanks a Lot" (#8c 1959), "I Got Stripes" (#43, #4c 1959), "Come in, Stranger" (#66, #6c 1960), "Seasons of My Heart" (#10c 1960), "In the Jailhouse Now" (#8c 1962), "What Do I Care" (#52, #7c 1963), "Ring of Fire" (#17, #1c 1963), "Great Matador" (#2c 1963), "Bad News" (#3c 1964), "Understand Your Man" (#35, #1c 1964), "Orange Blossom Special" (#80, #3c 1965), "One on the Right is on the Left" (#46, #2c 1966), "Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man" (#6c 1967), "Folsom Prison Blues" (#32, #1c 1968), "Rosanna's Going Wild" (#91, #2c 1968), "Daddy Sang Bass" (#42, #1c 1969), "A Boy Named Sue" (#2, #1c 1969), "Sunday Morning Comin' Down" (#46, #1c 1970), "Flesh and Blood" (#54, #1c 1970), "Man in Black" (#58, #3c 1971), "Thing Called Love" (#2c 1972), "Kate" (#75, #2c 1972), "Oney" (#2c 1972), "Any Old Wind That Blows" (#3c 1972), "One Piece at a Time" (#29, #1c 1976), "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" (#2c 1979), and others
The Tennessee Three was also known as The Tennessee Two and a Friend and The Tennessee Two
session musician

Bunker Hill (David 'Dave' Walker)

b. 1941 in Washington, DC - d. 198? in Houston, TX
rock/gospel singer
instrument:
"Hide and Go Seek" (#33 1962, One-Hit Wonder, he wrote), "Red Ridin' Hood and the Wolf" (1962, he wrote), "There's a Hole in the Middle of the Moon" (1963), "The Girl Can't Dance" (1963)
with The Mighty Clouds of Joy (1959- ), "I'll Be Alright" (1961), "Family Circle" (1962), "Nearer to Thee" (1963), "Two Wings" (1965), "Holy Ghost" (1967), "In This World Alone" (1969), "Everything is All" (1976), "Music is My Way of Life" (1977)
songwriter
professional boxer

Glenys Lynne (Glenys Lynne Mynott)

b. 1945 in South Africa
pop singer
founding member of Four Jacks and a Jill, "Master Jack" (#18 1968, One-Hit Wonder), "I Looked Back" (1967), "Stone in My Shoe" (1968), "Mr. Nico" (#64 1968), "Sunny Side of Somewhere" (1968), "Hey, Mister" (#98 1969)
md. to bass player, Clive Harding (1968- )

Robin McNamara

b. 1947 in Newton, MA
pop/rock singer
* "Lay a Little Lovin' on Me" (#11 1969, One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "Got to Believe in Love" (#80 1970), "Lost in Boston" (1970), "I'll Tell You Tomorrow" (1970), "Mary, Janey and Me" (1971)
songwriter
actor
see Robin McNamara

Sam Norris (Samuel Norris Allred)

b. 1938 in Austin, TX
country comedy singer
instrument: mandolin
founding member of The Geezinslaw Brothers, "Chubby (Please Take You Love to Town)" (#48c 1967), "Boney and Claude" (1968), "The Bicycle Wreck" (1969), "Help, I'm White and I Can't Get Down" (#56c 1992), "I Wish I Had a Job to Shove" (1993)

Jerry Riopelle

b. 19?? in Detroit, MI
pop/rock singer
instruments: keyboards, drums
"We Can Go the Distance" (1971, he wrote), "To Tell the Truth" (1971, he wrote), "Elaine" (1971), "Like We Used to Be" (1974), "Naomi's Song" (1974), "Hey, Old Friend" (1975), "Hush Money" (1994, he co-wrote), "Hand in Hand" (1994, he wrote), "Show Me You Know Me" (1999)
founding member of The Parade, "Sunshine Girl" (#20 1967, One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "This Old Melody" (1967), "She's Got the Magic" (1967), "She Sleeps Alone" (1968)
session musician with the Ronettes, the Righteous Brothers, Ike and Tina Turner, and others
songwriter
music producer
see Jerry Riopelle

Roni Stoneman (Veronica Loretta Stoneman)

b. 1938 in Washington, D.C.
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: guitar, bass, banjo
"Don't You Kinda Get the Feelin'" (1972), "You Make Me Feel Like Singing" (1972)
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)
daughter of Ernest 'Pop' Stoneman

Johnnie Taylor (Johnnie Harrison Taylor)

b. 1937 in Crawfordsville, AR (grew up in West Memphis, AR) - d. 31 May 2000 in Dallas, TX (heart attack)
blues/doo-wop/soul/pop singer
"Dance What You Wanna" (1963), "Who's Making Love?" (#5 1968), "Take Care of Your Homework, (#20 1969), "(I Wanna) Testify" (#36 1969), "I Don't Wanna Lose You" (1971), "Cheaper to Keep Her" (#15 1973), "Keep on Dancing" (1978), "I Love to Make Love When it's Raining" (1978), "What About My Love?" (1982), "This is Your Night" (1984)
with theSoul Stirrers (1957-58, replaced Sam Cooke)
with The Five Echoes, "Lonely Mood" (1953), "I Really Do" (1954), "Tastee Freeze" (1955, he wrote)
duet with Carla Thomas, "Just Keep on Loving Me" (1969)
songwriter
see Johnnie Taylor

Travis Wammack

b. 1946 in Walmut, MS
rock/R&B singer
instrument: guitar
"Rock and Roll Blues" (1957), "I'm Leaving Today" (1957), "Scratchy" (#80 1964), "Waiting" (1966), "I Ain't Lying" (1965), "Upset" (1966), "Don't Walk Out of My Life" (1970), "Whatever Turns You on" (#95 1972), "You're All That I Had" (1973), "How Can I Tell You?" (#68 1973), "Love Being Your Fool" (#38 1975), "Easy Evil" (#72 1975), "Greenwood, Mississippi" (1975), "Just Your Kind of Song" (1982), "Keep on Running" (tribute to Dale Earnhardt)" (2001)
session guitarist on Clarence Carter's "Patches" (#4 1970); Bobbie Gentry's "Fancy" (#31, #26c 1970); Osmond Brothers' "One Bad Apple" (#1 1971); and with Little Richard, The Bill Black Combo, Wilson Pickett, Percy Sledge, Paul Anka, and others
see Travis Wammack

Tammy Wynette (Virginia Wynette Pugh aka 'First Lady of Country Music')

b. 1942 in Itawamba County, MS – d. 6 Apr 1998 in Nashville, TN (cardiac arrhythmia)
country singer
instruments: piano, guitar
"Apartment No. 9" (#44c 1966), "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" (#3c 1967), "I'm Not Mine to Give" (1967), "I Don't Wanna Play House" (#1c 1967), "Stand by Your Man" (#19, #1c 1968, she co-wrote), "Take Me to Your World" (#1c 1968), "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" (#63, #1c 1968), "Singing My Song" (#1c 1969, she co-wrote), "Ways to Love a Man" (#81, #1c 1969, she co-wrote), "Run, Woman, Run" (#92, #1c 1970), "He Thinks I Love Him" (1970), "He Loves Me All the Way" (#97, #1c 1970), "I'll See Him Through" (#100, #2c 1970), "We Sure Can Love Each Other" (#2c 1971, she co-wrote), "Good Lovin' (Makes it Right)" (#1c 1971), "Bedtime Story" (#86, #1c 1972), "My Man" (#1c 1972), "Bridge of Love" (1972), "Reach Out Your Hand (and Touch Somebody)" (#2c 1972, she co-wrote), "Till I Get it Right" (#1c 1973), "Kids Say the Darndest Things" (#72, #1c 1973), "Another Lonely Song" (#1c 1974), "What My Thoughts Do All the Time" (1974), "Woman to Woman" (#4c 1974), "(You Make Me Want to Be) a Mother" (#4c 1975), "You and Me" (#1c 1976), "Til I Can Make it on My Own" (#84, #1c 1976, she co-wrote), "You Can Be Replaced" (1976), "You Hurt the Love Right Out of Me" (1976), "One of a Kind" (#6c 1977), "Womanhood" (#3c 1978), "You Never Cross My Mind" (1979), "No One Else in the World" (#7c 1979), "He Was There (When I Needed You)" (#17c 1980), "Another Chance" (#8c 1981), "Cowboys Don't Shoot Straight (Like They Used To)" (#21c 1981), "Crying in the Rain" (#18c 1981), "You Still Get to Me in My Dreams" (#16c 1982), "With a Friend Like You, Who Needs a Lover" (1983), "You Can Lead a Heart to Love (But You Can't Make it Fall)" (#48c 1985), "Your Love" (#12c 1987), "I Wasn't Meant to Live My Life Alone" (1987), "Talkin' to Myself Again" (#16c 1988), "Thank the Cowboy for the Ride" (#66c 1989), "Liar's Roses" (1989), "What Goes with Blue?" (#56c 1991)
duets with George Jones, "Take Me" (#9c 1972), "The Ceremony" (#6c 1972), "We're Gonna Hold on" (#1c 1973), "(We're Not) the Jet Set" (#15c 1974), "We Loved it Away" (#8c 1974), "God's Gonna Get Cha (For That)" (#25c 1975), "Golden Ring" (#1c 1976), "Near You" (#1c 1977), "Two-Story House" (#2c 1980, she co-wrote), "A Pair of Old Sneakers" (#19c 1980)
duets with David Houston, "My Elusive Dreams" (#89, #1c 1967), "It's All Over" (#11c 1968)
duets with Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, * "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know (About Him) (1993), "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" (#68c 1993), * "Wings of a Dove" (1993)
duet with Wynonna, "A Girl Thang" (#67c 1994)
duet with Aaron Neville, "All I Am to You" (1994)
duet with Mark Gray, "Sometimes When We Touch" (#6c 1985)
songwriter, co-wrote Ronnie Milsap's "(I'm a) Stand by My Woman Man" (#1 1976)
actress; hair stylist
md. 1st to Euple Byrd (1959-66); md. 2nd to Don Chapel (1967-68); md. 3rd to singer, George Jones (1969-75); md. 4th to Michael Tomlin (1976); md. 5th to George Richey (1978-98, her death)
see Tammy_Wynette on Wikipedia

May 6

B.J. Baker (Betty Jane Rase aka Betty Jane Phillips)

b. 1927 in Birmingham, AL - d. 2 Apr 2002 in Rancho Mirage, CA (complications from a stroke)
pop singer
backup singer on Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love with You" (#2 1962); Frank Sinatra's "That's Life" (#4 1966); Jackie Wilson's "Baby Workout" (#5 1963); The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (#1 1965); Sam Cooke's "You Send Me" (#1 1957); Lloyd Price's "Stagger Lee" (#1 1959); Bobby Darin's "Dream Lover" (#2 1959); and others
md. to actor, Mickey Rooney (1944-49); md. to songwriter, Buddy Baker (1950-57); md. to guitarist, Barney Kessel (1961-80)
she was 'Miss Alabama' in 1944

Kim Bullard

b. 1955 in Atlanta, GA
country/rock/pop singer
instrument: keyboards
with Poco (1979-83), "Midnight Rain" (1980), "Widowmaker" (1981), "When Hearts Collide" (1982)
session musician with Weird Al Yankovic, Nine Inch Nails, Cheap Trick, Eddie Money, and others

Bill Cannon (William Cannon)

b. 1943
soul/rock/gospel singer
instrument: sax
founding member of The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band (1968- ), "Do Your Thing" (#11 1969), "Till You Get Enough" (#67 1969), "Love Land" (#16 1970), "Express Yourself" (#12 1970), "Road Without an End" (1970), "Solution for Pollution" (1971), "Your Love (Means Everything to Me)" (#12 1971), "I Got Love" (1972)
see The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band on Wikipedia

Cliff Carlisle (Clifford Raymond Carlisle aka Amos Greene aka Bob Clifford)

b. 1904 in Taylorsville, KY - d. 2 Apr 1983 in Lexington, KY (heart attack)
country/blues/folk singer, yodeler
instruments: lap steel guitar, dobro
"Memories That Haunt Me" (1931), "Shanghai Rooster Yodel" (1931), "Where Southern Roses Climb" (1931), "Seven Years With the Wrong Woman" (1932), "Looking for Tomorrow" (1933), "A Wild Cat Woman and a Tom Cat Man" (1936), "Look Out, I'm Shifting Gears" (1936), "I'm Saving Saturday Night for You" (1936), "My Lovin' Cathleen" (1936), "You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone" (1936), "Sweet as the Roses of Spring" (1937)
founding member of The Carlisle Brothers (1930-47), "Desert Blues" (1930), "The Written Letter" (1931), "She's Waiting for Me" (1931), "Memories That Make Me Cry" (1931), "The Rustler's Fate" (1933), "No Letter in the Mail Today" (1938), "Rainbow at Midnight" (#5c 1946)
duet with Tommy Carlisle, "A Little White Rose" (1936)
songwriter
older brother of Bill Carlisle
see Cliff Carlisle on Wikipedia

Herbie Cox

b. 1939 in Cincinnati, OH
R&B/rock singer
"Vacation in the Mountains" (1957)
founding member and lead singer of The Cleftones (1955-64 and reunions), "Little Girl of Mine" (#57 1956, he wrote), "Can't We Be Sweethearts?" (1956), "See You Next Year" (1957), "Heart and Soul" (#18 1961, One-Hit Wonder), "For Sentimental Reasons" (1961)
songwriter
see The Cleftones on SoulWalking

Denny Craswell (Dennis Craswell)

b. 1947
rock musician, instruments: drums, harmonica
founding member of The Castaways (1962- ), "Liar, Liar" (#12 1965, One-Hit Wonder), "I Feel So Fine" (1967), "She's a Girl in Love" (1967), "Walking in Different Circles" (1968), "Lavender Popcorn" (1968)
with Crow (1969-71), "Time to Make a Turn" (1969), "Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games with Me)" (#20 1969), "Cottage Cheese" (1970), "Yellow Dawg" (1971)
see The Castaways
see Crow

Jimmie Gilmore (Jimmie Dale Gilmore)

b. 1945 in Tulia, TX (grew up in Lubbock, TX)
country/rock/folk/blues singer
instrument: guitar
"White Freight Liner Blues" (#72c 1988), "Red Chevrolet" (1989), "Honky-Tonk Song" (#85c 1989), "Treat Me Like a Saturday Night" (1991, he wrote), "Chase the Wind" (1991), "Nothing of the Kind" (1993), "Reunion" (1993), "Headed for a Fall" (1996, he co-wrote), "One Endless Night" (2000, he co-wrote), "Georgia Rose" (2000)
founding member of The Flatlanders (1970-72, and reunions), "The Heart You Left Behind" (1990), "South Wind of Summer" (1998, he co-wrote), "Right Where I Belong" (2002, he co-wrote), "My Wildest Dreams Grow Wilder Every Day" (2002, he co-wrote), "Neon of Nashville" (2004), "Once Followed By the Wind" (2004), "Wishin' for You" (2004)
songwriter
see Jimmie Dale Gilmore

Mary MacGregor

b. 1948 in St. Paul, MN
pop/country singer
instrument: piano
"Torn between Two Lovers" (#1, #3c 1976), "This Girl (Has Turned into a Woman)" (#46, #36c 1977, she co-wrote), "For a While" (#90, #86c 1977), "Good Friend" (#39 1979), "Dancin' Like Lovers" (#72 1980)
songwriter

Bob Seger (Robert Clark Seger)

b. 1945 in Ann Arbor, MI or Dearborn, MI (grew up in Detroit, MI)
rock singer
instrument: guitar
"East Side Story" (1966), "Persecution Smith" (1967), "Tales of Lucy Blue" (1968, he wrote), "2 + 2 = ?" (1968, he wrote), "Death Row" (1969, he wrote), "Highway Child" (1970, he wrote), "Mongrel" (1970, he wrote), "Brand New Morning" (1971, he wrote), "Maybe Today" (1971, he wrote), "Let it Rock" (1972), "Turn the Page" (1973, he wrote), "So I Wrote You a Song" (1973, he wrote), "Get Out of Denver" (1974, he wrote), "Shame on the Moon" (#15c 1983), "Lock and Load" (1995, he co-wrote), "Sixteen Shells from a 30-6" (1995), "The Answer's in the Question" (2006, he wrote), "Wreck This Heart" (2006, he wrote), "No Matter Who You Are" (2006, he wrote)
founding member and lead of Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (1975- ), "Katmandu" (1975, he wrote), "Night Moves" (#4 1976), "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" (1976, he wrote), "Main Street" (#24 1977), "Still the Same" (#4 1978, he wrote), "We've Got Tonight" (#13 1978, he wrote), "That Old-Time Rock 'n' Roll" (#28 1978), "Hollywood Nights" (#12 1978, he wrote), "You'll Accommp'ny Me" (#14 1980, he wrote), "Fire Lake" (#6 1980, he wrote), "Against the Wind" (#5 1980, he wrote), "Tryin' to Live My Life Without You" (#5 1981), "Shame on the Moon" (#2 1982), "Even Now" (#12 1983, he wrote), "Roll Me Away" (#27 1983, he wrote), "Understanding" (#17 1984), "American Storm" (#13 1986, he wrote), "Like a Rock" (#12 1986, he wrote), "Shakedown" (#1 1987), "The Real Love" (#24 1991, he wrote), "She Can't Do Anything Wrong" (1991)
founding member of The Bob Seger System, "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" (#17 1968, he wrote)
songwriter
music producer

May 7

Terry Allen

b. 1943 in Wichita, KS (grew up in Lubbock, TX)
country singer
instruments: piano, keyboards
"Color Book" (1968), "What of Alicia?" (1975), "Dogwood" (1975), "Arizona Spiritual" (1976), "Heart's Road" (1976), "The Thirty Year Waltz" (1979, he wrote), "The Girl Who Danced Oklahoma" (1979, he wrote), "Helena, Montana" (1980), "Texas Tears" (1980), "Bloodlines" (1983), "Let Freedom Ring" (1987), "Gone to Texas" (1996), "Southern Comfort" (1999)
session musician
songwriter
poet; sculpture; artist
md. to Jo Harvey

Thomas 'Beans' Bowles

b. 1926 in South Bend, IN - d. 28 Jan 2000 in Detroit, MI (prostate cancer)
R&B/jazz musician, instruments: baritone sax, flute
founding member of Beans Bowles and the Swinging Tygers, "Motorcity Magic" (1992)
session musician on Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On?" (#2 1971); The Supremes' "Baby Love" (#1 1964); and with Martha and the Vandellas, Billie Holiday, and others

Teresa Brewer (Teresa Breuer)

b. 1931 in Toledo, OH - d. 17 Oct 2007 in New Rochelle, NY (supranuclear palsy)
pop singer
"(Put Another Nickel in) Music, Music, Music" (#1 1950), "Choo'n Gum" (#17 1950), "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" (#25 1952), "Rhode Island Redhead" (1952), "Kisses on Paper" (1952), "Ricochet Romance" (#2 1953), "Till I Waltz Again with You" (#1 1953), "Jilted" (#6 1954), "Bell Bottom Blues" (#17 1954), "A Tear Fell" (#5 1956), "Mutual Admiration Society" (#21 1956), "A Sweet Old-Fashioned Girl" (#7 1956), "Empty Arms" (#13 1957), "You Send Me" (#8 1957), "Lost a Little Puppy" (1958), "Anymore" (#31 1960), "If There Are Stars in My Eyes" (1960), "I've Got My Fingers Crossed" (1961), "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (1965)
duet with The Lancers, "Let Me Go, Lover" (#6 1955)
actress
md. 1st to Bill Monahan; md. 2nd to Bob Thiele (1972-96, his death)
see the Teresa Brewer Center

Lorrie Collins (Lawrencine May Collins)

b. 1942 in Tahlequah, OK
country/rockabilly singer
instruments: guitar
"That's Your Affair" (1960), "Waitin' and Watchin'" (1961)
founding member of The Collins Kids, "Beetle-Bug Bop" (1955), "The Rockaway Rock" (1956), "My First Love" (1956), "Young Heart" (1957), "Move a Little Closer" (1957), "Hop, Skip and Jump" (1957), * "Kinda Like Love" (1959), * "Sugar Plum" (1959), "Hot Rod" (released 1982)
songwriter
sister of Larry Collins; md. to Stu Carnall (1959- )

Roy Hall (James Faye Hall)

b. 1922 in Big Stone Gap, VA - d. 2 Mar 1984 in Nashville, TN (heart attack)
country/rockabilly singer
instrument: piano
"Ain't You Afraid?" (1950), "No Rose of San Antone" (1951), "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad" (1953), "You Ruined My Blue Suede Shoes" (1956), "Three Alley Cats" (1956), "Flood of Love" (1960)
with Roy Hall's Alley Cats, "Go Go Little Queenie" (1965)
with Roy Hall and His Cohutta Mountain Boys (1949), "My Freckle-Faced Gal" (1949), "Five Years in Prison" (1949)
with Webb Pierce's band (1954-55), "More and More" (#1c 1954), "You're Not Mine Anymore" (#4c 1954), "Slowly" (#1c 1954), "Even Tho'" (#3c 1954), "I Don't Care" (#1c 1955), "Love, Love, Love" (#1c 1955), "In the Jailhouse Now" (#1c 1955), "If You Were Me and I Were You" (#1c 1955)
session musician with Marty Robbins, Hawshaw Hawkins, and others
songwriter, co-wrote Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' on" (#3, #1c 1957)

Bill Kreutzmann (William Kreutzmann, Jr.)

b. 1946 in Palo Alto, CA
rock musician, instruments: drums, percussions
founding member of The Grateful Dead (1965-95), "You Don't Have to Ask" (1966), "Dark Star" (1967), "The Golden Road" (1967), "Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks) (1968), "China Cat Sunflower" (1969), "Truckin'" (#68 1970), "Friend of the Devil" (1970), "Bird Song" (1971), "Ramble on Rose" (1972), "One More Saturday Night" (1972), "Sugar Magnolia" (#91 1973), "The Music Never Stopped" (#81 1975), "Dancin' in the Streets" (1977), "Alabama Getaway" (#68 1980), "Dire Wolf (#37 1981), "Touch of Grey" (#9 1987), "Hell in a Bucket" (#3 1987), "Throwing Stones" (#15 1987), "West L.A. Fadeaway" (#40 1987), "Foolish Heart" (#8 1989), "The Eyes of the World" (1990), "Looks Like Rain" (1990)
with The Other Ones (2000-02)
with The Dead (2003- )
founding member of The Rhythm Devils (2006- )
session musician with New Riders of the Purple Sage, and others
artist
see The Grateful Dead

Jim Lowe

b. 1927 in Springfield, MO
pop singer
instrument: piano
"Close the Doors, They're Coming in the Windows" (1955, he wrote), "John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith" (1955), "The Green Door" (#1 1956, he wrote), "I Feel the Beat" (1957), "Talkin' to the Blues" (#8c 1957, he co-wrote), "Play Number Eleven" (1958), "Kewpie Doll" (1958), "Dress Rehearsal" (1960), "A Tomorrow That Never Comes" (1960), "Hootenanny Granny" (1963), "The Ol' Racetrack" (1968)
founding member of Jim Lowe and the Dream Dusters, "Santa Claus Rides a Strawberry Roan" (1956)
songwriter, wrote Rusty Draper's "Gambler's Guitar" (#6, #6c 1953)
DJ

Johnny Maestro (John 'Jim' Mastrangelo)

b. 1939 in Brooklyn, NY
doo-wop/R&B/rock singer
instrument: rhythm guitar
"We've Got to Tell Them" (1961), "Phone Booth on the Highway" (1965), "She's All Mine Alone" (1965)
founding member and lead singer of The Brooklyn Bridge (1968- ), "From My Window" (1968), "The Worst That Could Happen" (#3 1969, One-Hit Wonder), "You'll Never Walk Alone" (1969), "Blessed is the Rain" (1969), "Opposites" (1970)
with The Del-Satins (1967)
founding member and lead singer of The Crests (1956-62), "My Juanita" (1957), "I Thank the Moon" (1958), "16 Candles" (#2 1959), "The Angels Listened in" (#22 1959), "Molly Mae" (1959), "If My Heart Could Write a Letter" (1960), "Step by Step" (#14 1960), "Trouble in Paradise" (#20 1960), "What a Surprise" (1961), "Modern Girl" (#20 1961)

Bernie Marsden (Bernard John Marsden)

b. 1951 in England
rock musician, instrument: guitar
"Song for Fran" (1979), "Behind Your Dark Eyes" (1981), "Who's Fooling Who?" (1981)
founding member of Whitesnake (1978-81), "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" (1978), "Walking in the Shadows of the Blues" (1979, he co-wrote), "Fool for Your Loving" (#53 1980), "Would I Lie to You?" (1981, he co-wrote), "Til the Day I Die" (1981)
founding member of Paice, Ashton, and Lord (1977- )
songwriter
see Whitesnake
see Bernie Marsden

Ray Monette

b. 1946
rock/R&B/soul singer
instrument: guitar
with Rare Earth (1971-2002), "Born to Wander" (#17 1971), "I Just Want to Celebrate" (#7 1971), "Hey, Big Brother" (1971), "Hum Along and Dance" (1973), "Keepin' Me Out of the Storm" (1975), "Midnight Lady" (1976), "Warm Ride" (1978)
with The San Remo Golden Strings (group of session musicians), "Hungry for Love" (#27 1965, One-Hit Wonder), "I'm Satisfied" (#89 1965), "Joy Road" (1967), "Lonely One" (1967)
see The San Remo Golden Strings
see Rare Earth on Wikipedia

Riley Puckett (George Riley Puckett)

b. 1894 near Alpharetta, GA - d. 14 Jul 1946 in East Point, GA (blood poisoning from an untreated boil)
country/blues singer, yodeler
instruments: guitar, banjo, fiddle
"Rock All Our Babies to Sleep" (1924), "The Little Old Cabin" (1924), "You'll Never Miss Your Mother Till She's Gone" (1924), "Come, Be My Rainbow" (1927), "My Carolina Home" (1931), "K.C. Railroad" (1934), "Back on the Texas Plains" (1939), "I Get the Blues When it Rains" (1939), "South of the Border" (1940), "When I'm Back in Tennessee" (1940), "Where the Shy Little Violets Grow" (1941)
founding member of Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers (1924-34), "Alabama Gal" (1924), "Don't Forget Me, Little Darlin'" (1926), "Riding a Buckin' Mule Through Cumberland Gap" (1927), "Old Dan Tucker" (1928), "Hell's Broke Loose in Georgia" (1929), "Show Me the Way to Go Home" (1929), "New Arkansas Traveler" (1930), "Sleeping Lulu" (1931)
duet with Hugh Cross as The Alabama Barnstormers, "Red River Valley" (1927, first time this was recorded), "Gonna Raise a Ruckus Tonight" (1928)
duets with Red Jones, "Take Me Back to My Carolina Home" (1936), "The Broken Engagement" (1936)
he became blind as an infant

Jimmy Ruffin

b. 1939 in Collinsville, MS
soul singer
* "What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted?" (#7 1966), "I've Passed This Way Before" (#17 1966), "Tomorrow's Tears" (1966), "Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got" (#29 1967), "Don't You Miss Me a Little Bit, Baby" (1967), "I'll Say Forever My Love" (1970), "It's Wonderful (to Be Loved by You)" (1970), "Maria (You Were the Only One)" (1970), "Tell Me What You Want" (1974), "Fallin' in Love with You" (1977), "Hold on to My Love" (#10 1980)
duets with David Ruffin, "The Things We Have to Do" (1971), "Steppin' on a Dream" (1971)
older brother of singer, David Ruffin

Rick Schell

b. 1963 in Homer, NY
country singer
instruments: drums
"Tender and Tough" (2004), "Loneliest One" (2004), "Nothing I Wouldn't Do" (2004)
with Pure Prairie League (1998- )
founding member of Pinmonkey (2001-2003), "Barbed Wire and Roses" (#25c 2002), "I Drove All Night" (#36c 2003), "The Longest Road" (2002)
session musician with Steve Earle, Allison Moorer, David Allan Coe, and others
see Pure Prairie League

Rich West (Richard Charles Westwood aka Ricky West)

b. 1943 in Essex, England
pop/rock singer
instruments: lead guitar, dobro, mandolin
founding member of Brian Poole and the Tremeloes (1958-66), "Do You Love Me?" (1963), "I Wish I Could Dance" (1964), "Someone, Someone" (#97 1964), "After a While" (1965), "I Want Candy" (1965)
with The Tremeloes (1966- , and reunions), "Here Comes My Baby" (#13 1967), * "Silence is Golden" (#11 1967), "Even the Bad Times are Good" (#36 1967), "Suddenly You Love Me" (#44 1968)

May 8

Philip Bailey

b. 1951 in Denver, CO
soul/pop/rock/jazz singer
founding member of Earth, Wind and Fire (1972-83, and reunions), "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), "Let's Groove (Tonight)" (#3 1981), "Fall in Love with Me" (#17 1983), "System of Survival" (#60 1987), "Sunday Morning" (#53 1993)
md. 2nd to singer, Krystal Bailey
see Earth, Wind, and Fire

Jack Blanchard

b. 1942 in Buffalo, NY (grew up in OH)
country/rock/novelty singer
instruments: sax, piano, keyboards, slide guitar
duets with Misty Morgan, "Big Black Bird (Spirit of My Love)" (#59c 1969, he wrote), "Tennessee Birdwalk" (#23, #1c 1970, he wrote), "Humphrey the Camel" (#78, #5c 1970, he wrote), "You've Got Your Troubles (I've Got Mine)" (#27c 1970), "There Must Be More to Life (Than Growing Old)" (#25c 1971, he wrote), "Somewhere in Virginia in the Rain" (#15c 1972, he wrote), "Second Tuesday in December" (#60c 1972, he wrote), "The Legendary Chicken Fairy" (#38c 1972, he wrote), "Fire Hydrant No. 79" (#46c 1972, he wrote), "Just One More Song" (#23c 1974, he wrote), "Something on Your Mind" (#53c 1974, he wrote)
songwriter
arranger, music producer
md. to Misty Morgan (1967- )
see Jack and Misty, and check out his amusing and interesting column

Billy Burnette (William Beau Burnette III)

b. 1953 in Memphis, TS
country/rockabilly singer
instrument: guitar
"What's a Little Love between Friends" (#76c 1979, he co-wrote), "Don't Say No" (#68 1980, he wrote), "Ain't it Just Like Love" (#51c 1985, he co-wrote), "Try Me" (#68c 1986, he co-wrote), "Soldier of Love" (#54c 1986), "Nothin' to Do (and All Night to Do it)" (#64c 1992, he co-wrote)
with Fleetwood Mac (1988-91, 1994-95)
session musician
songwriter
actor
son of Dorsey Burnette

John Fred (John Fred Gourrier, Jr.)

b. 1941 in Baton Rouge, LA - d. 14 Apr 2005 in New Orleans, LA (complications of a kidney transplant)
pop/soul singer
founding member and lead singer of John Fred and His Playboy Band (1956-60, 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)
songwriter
music producer
high school baseball coach

Del Gray (Del Anthony Gray)

b. 1968 in Hamilton, OH
country musician, instrument: drums
founding member and drummer with Little Texas (1988-97, 2004- ), "Some Guys Have All the Love" (#8c 1991), "What Were You Thinkin'?" (#17c 1992), "You and Forever and Me" (#5c 1992), "I'd Rather Miss You" (#16c 1993), "Stop on a Dime" (#14c 1993), "God Blessed Texas" (#55, #4c 1993), "What Might Have Been" (#74, #2c 1993), "My Love" (#83, #1c 1993), "Cut-Off Jeans" (1993), "Kick a Little" (#5c 1994), "Amy's Back in Austin" (#4c 1995), "Life Goes on" (#5 1995), "You Gotta Wanna Win" (1996), "Country Crazy" (#44c 1996), "Bad for Us" (#45c 1997), "Kiss the Girl" (#52c 1997)
session musician
see Little Texas

Keith Harling

b. 1963 in Greenwood, SC (grew up in Chattanooga, TN)
country singer
instruments: guitar, bass, drums, sax, trumpet
"Papa Bear" (#24c 1998, he wrote), "Coming Back for You" (#39c 1998), "Three Words Away" (1998), "Afterthoughts" (1998), "Bring it on" (#52c 1999), "Love Without Question" (1999), "Santa's Got a Semi" (#60c 2000)
songwriter

Darren Hayes (Darren Stanley Hayes)

b. 1972 in Queensland, Australia or San Francisco, CA
pop/R&B/rock singer
instruments: guitar, piano
"Insatiable" (#77 2002), "Pop!ular" (2004), "So Beautiful" (2005)
founding member and lead singer of Savage Garden (1994-2001), "I Want You" (#4 1996, he co-wrote), "To the Moon and Back" (#24 1996, he co-wrote), * "Truly, Madly, Deeply" (#1 1998, he co-wrote), "The Animal Song" (#19 1999, he co-wrote), "I Knew I Loved You" (#1 1999, he co-wrote), "Crash and Burn" (#24 2000, he co-wrote)
Savage Garden's name came from a quote in an Anne Rice novel "The mind of each man is a savage garden...")
duet with Olivia Newton-John, "Lift Me Up" (2002)
songwriter
music producer

Enrique Iglesias (Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler

b. 1975 in Madrid, Spain
pop singer
"Bailamos (Let's Dance)" (#1 1999), "Be With You" (#1 2000), * "Hero" (#3 2001), "Escape" (#12 2002), * "Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)" (#21 2007)
duet with Whitney Houston, "Could I Have This Kiss Forever?" (2000)
songwriter
actor
son of singer, Julio Iglesias
see Enrique Iglesias

Benny Martin (Benjamin Edward Martin aka 'The Big Tiger')

b. 1928 in Sparta, TN – d. 13 Mar 2001 (heart failure)
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: fiddle, guitar, mandolin
"Do Me a Favor" (1957), "A Dime's Worth of Dreams" (1960), "Thinking about Love" (1962), "Rosebuds and You" (#28c 1963), "Two Take Away One Equals Lonesome" (1963), "One Way or the Other" (1965), "Hello, City Limits" (1965), "Weekend Ellie" (1965)
with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys (1948-49, 1959), "My Rose of Old Kentucky" (1948), "Sweetheart, You Done Me Wrong" (#11c 1948), "When You Are Lonely" (#12c 1949), "Heavy Traffic Ahead" (1949), "Along about Daybreak" (1949), "Gotta Travel on" (#15c 1959)
duet with Don Reno, "Soldier's Prayer in Vietnam" (#46c 1966, he co-wrote)
session musician with Roy Acuff, Flatt and Scruggs, Vince Gill, and others
songwriter
invented the 8-string fiddle
see The Blue Grass Boys

Ricky Nelson (Eric Hilliard Nelson)

b. 1940 in Teaneck, NJ – d. 31 Dec 1985 in DeKalb, TX (plane crash along with his band members and his fiance)
country/pop/rockabilly singer
instruments: guitar, drums, piano
backed by his Stone Canyon Band, "Teenager's Romance" (#2 1957), "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" (#29 1957), * "Be-Bop Baby" (#3 1957), * "I'm in Love Again" (#67 1958), * "Lonesome Town" (#7 1958), * "Stood Up" (#2, #8c 1958), "Poor Little Fool" (#1, #3c 1958), * "Believe What You Say" (#4, #10c 1958), * "Waitin' in School" (#12, #12c 1958), * "Just a Little Too Much" (#9 1959), * "It's Late" (#9 1959), * "Never Be Anyone Else But You" (#6 1959), "You Are the Only One" (#25 1960), "Young Emotions" (#12 1960), "Travelin' Man" (#1 1961), * "Everlovin'" (#16 1961), * "A Wonder Like You" (#11 1961), * "Hello, Mary Lou" (#9 1961), "It's up to You" (#6 1962), "Teenage Idol" (#5 1962), "Fools Rush in" (#12 1963), "There's Not a Minute" (1963), "For You" (#6 1964), "Come Out Dancin'" (1965), "Fender Bender" (1966), "Suzanne on a Sunday Morning" (1967), "She Belongs to Me" (#33 1969), "Garden Party" (#6, #44c 1972, he wrote after he was booed at a concert in Madison Square Garden), "That Ain't the Way Love's Supposed to Be" (1979), "Young World" (#5 1982)
songwriter
music producer; actor
son of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson; father of Tracy, Matthew and Gunnar Nelson; md. to Kris Harmon (1963-82)

Red Nichols (Ernest Loring Nichols)

b. 1905 in Ogden, UT - d. 28 Jun 1965 in Las Vegas, NV (heart attack)
Dixieland jazz musician, instrument: cornet
"Avalon" (1949), "Eccentric" (1951), "Original Dixieland One-Step" (1951)
founding member of Red Nichols and the Five Pennies, "You're My Everything" (1950)
with The Syncopating Seven
with the Johnny Johnson Orchestra
with
session musician
mc. to dancer, Willa Stutsman

Shana Petrone

b. 1972 in Parkridge, IL (grew up in Fort Lauderdale, FL)
country/pop singer
"Zero to Sixty" (1989), "I Want You" (#40 1990), "You Can't Get Away" (#82 1990), "Falling Slowly" (1990), "Heaven Bound" (#60c 1998), "This Time" (#45c 1999), "Something Real" (#66c 1999)

Paul Samwell-Smith (Paul Samwell-Smith)

b. 1943 in Surry, England
rock musician, instrument: bass, keyboards
founding member of The Yardbirds (1963-66), "For Your Love" (#6 1965), "Heart Full of Soul" (#9 1965), "Shapes of Things" (#11 1966), "I'm Not Talking" (1966), "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" (#13 1966), "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" (#30 1966)
songwriter
music producer
see The Yardbirds

Leroy Sanders

b. 1943
R&B singer (tenor)
founding member of Little Caesar and the Romans (1961-62, 1975- ), * "Those Oldies But Goodies (Remind Me of You)" (#9 1961, One-Hit Wonder), "She Don't Wanna Dance" (1961), "Hully Gully Again" (1961), "Memories of Those Oldies But Goodies" (#101 1961)

Motorhead Sherwood (Euclid James Sherwood aka Larry Fanoga)

b. 1942 in Arkansas City, KS
rock singer
instruments: soprano sax, baritone sax, tambourine
with The Mothers of Invention (1967-70, and reunions), "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)
see The Mothers of Invention on Wikipedia

Jimmie Tarlton

b. 1892 in Cheraw, SC - d. 29 Nov 1979
country/blues/bluegrass/folk singer
instruments: slide steel guitar, banjo
"Steel Guitar Rag" (1965), "She's Waiting for Me (Fort Benning Blues)" (1965), "Put-Together Blues" (1965)
founding member of Darby and Tarlton (1927-33), "Cumberland Stockade Blues" (1927, he co-wrote), "Hannah" (1927), "After the Ball" (1928), "Down in the Old Cherry Orchard" (1928), "Heavy-Hearted Blues" (1928), "Sweet Sarah Blues" (1929), "Oyster Stew" (1929), "Frankie Dean" (1930), "Going Back to My Texas Home" (1930), "By the Old Oaken Bucket, Louise" (1931), "Let's Be Friends Again" (1933)
session musician with Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, The Delmore Brothers, and others
songwriter
Darby and Tarlton supposedly never liked each other

Danny Whitten (Danny Ray Whitten)

b. 1943 in Columbus, GA (grew up in Canton, OH) - d. 18 Nov 1972 in Los Angeles, CA (heroin overdose)
rock/country/blues singer
instrument: guitar
founding member of Crazy Horse (1969-71), "(Come on Baby, Let's Go) Downtown" (1971, he co-wrote), "I Don't Want to Talk about it" (1971, he wrote)
Crazy Horse backed Neil Young on, "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" (1969), "Cinnamon Girl" (#55 1970), "When You Dance You Can Really Love" (#93 1970)
session musician with Buffy Ste. Marie, and others
songwriter
see Neil Young and Crazy Horse

May 9

Frank Chacksfield (Francis Charles Chacksfield)

b. 1914 in East Sussex, England - d. 9 Jun 1995 in England (Parkinson's Disease)
pop musician, instrument: piano, organ
founding member and leader of Frank Chacksfield and His Orchestra, "Flirtation Waltz" (1951, he wrote), "Ebb Tide" (#2 1953), "Limelight (Terry's Theme)" (#5 1953), "Misty Valley" (1955), "On the Beach" (1960, he wrote), "Wanderin' Star" (1975)
songwriter
arranger

Sonny Curtis

b. 1937 in Meadow, TX
rock singer
instruments: steel guitar
"Willa May Jones" (1958), "Talk about My Baby" (1960), "Red-Headed Stranger" (1960), "Atlanta, Georgia Stray" (#36c 1968), "The Straight Life" (#36, #45c 1968, he wrote), "Love is All Around" (#29c 1980, he wrote), "Good Ol' Girls" (#15c 1981), "Married Women" (#33c 1981)
with Buddy Holly and the Crickets, "That'll Be the Day" (#1 1957)
session steel guitarist with Waylon Jennings, Gene Sisco, Eric Clapton, Crystal Gayle, and others
songwriter, wrote Bobby Fuller's "I Fought the Law" (#9 1965); The Everly Brothers' "Walk Right Back" (#7 1961)
see Sonny Curtis

Don Dannemann

b. 1944 in Albany, NY or Easton, PA
rock/folk singer
instrument: guitar
founding member and lead singer of The Cyrkle (1966- ), "Red Rubber Ball" (#2 1966), "Turn Down Day" (#16 1966), "Please Don't Ever Leave Me" (#59 1966), "I Wish You Could Be Here" (#70 1967)
songwriter
served in the Coast Guard
see The Cyrkle on ClassicBands.com

Nokie Edwards (Nole Edwards)

b. 1939 in Lahoma, OK
rock/country musician, instruments: lead guitar, bass
with The Ventures (1960-61, 1962-68, 1974-84, 1989-92), * "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), "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
actor
guitar designer, designed 'The Hitchhiker'
see The Ventures

Richie Furay

b. 1944 in Yellow Springs, OH or Los Angeles, CA
rock/country/folk singer
instruments: guitar, rhythm guitar
"Gettin' Through" (1976, he co-wrote), "I Still Have Dreams" (#39 1979), "Seasons of Change" (1982), "So Far to Go" (2005, he co-wrote)
founding member of Buffalo Springfield (1966-68), "For What it's Worth (Stop, Hey, What's That Sound)" (#7 1967, One-Hit Wonder), "Bluebird" (1967), "Rock and Roll Woman" (1967), "Merry-Go-Round" (1968, he wrote), "In the Hour of Not Quite Rain" (1968, he co-wrote), "Carefree Country Day" (1968), "On the Way Home" (1968), "Expecting to Fly" (1968)
as by Buffalo Springfield but only Neil Young and Richie Furray, "Sad Memory" (1967, he wrote)
founding member and lead singer of Poco (1968-75 and reunions), "A Good Feelin' to Know" (1972), "Keep on Tryin'" (1975)
founding member of Souther Hillman Furay Band (1973-76), "Believe Me" (1974, he wrote), "Border Town" (1974), "Safe at Home" (1974), "Prisoner in Disguise" (1975), "Trouble in Paradise" (1975), "For Someone I Love" (1975, he wrote)
founding member of The Richie Furay Band, "Your Friends" (1978), "Bittersweet Love" (1978, he wrote)
songwriter
pastor
see Richie Furay

Don Gardner (Donald Gardner)

b. 1931 in Philadelphia, PA
soul/R&B/jazz singer
instrument: drums
"Dark Alley" (1957), "Sneakin' in" (1957), "Ask Anything" (1959), "The Bitter with the Sweet" (1963), "Little Girl Blue" (1964), "My Baby Likes to Boogaloo" (1966), "Cheatin' Kind" (1967), "Somebody's Gonna Get Hurt" (1967), "You Babe" (1968), "Is This Really Love?" (1970), "We're Gonna Make it Big" (1973)
founding member of The Sonotones (1952- ), "New Kind of Love" (1954)
duets with Baby Washington, "Lay a Little Lovin' on Me" (1974)
duet with Dee Dee Ford, "I Need Your Lovin'" (#20 1962, One Hit-Wonder)

John Hawken (John Christopher Hawken)

b. 1940 in Dorset, England
rock musician, instruments: piano, keyboards
founding member of The Nashville Teens (1962-68), "Tobacco Road" (#14 1964, One-Hit Wonder), "Find My Way Home" (1965), "This Little Bird" (1965)
The Nashville Teens backed Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, and others
founding member of Renaissance
session musician with Spooky Tooth, and others
see The Nashville Teens

Clint Holmes

b. 1946 in Dorset, England (grew up in Buffalo, NY)
pop/rock singer
* "Playground in My Mind" (#2 1973, One-Hit Wonder), "There's No Future in My Future" (1973), "Fools and Children" (1997)
actor
served in the Army (1967-69)

Billy Joel (William Joseph Martin Joel aka 'Piano Man')

b. 1949 in The Bronx, NY (grew up in Long Island, NY)
pop singer
instrument: piano
"She's Got a Way" (1971), "Piano Man" (#25 1974), "The Entertainer" (#34 1975), "New York State of Mind" (1976), "Only the Good Die Young" (#24 1977), "She's Always a Woman" (#17 1977), "Just the Way You Are" (#3 1977), "My Life" (#3 1978), "Rosalinda's Eyes" (1978), "Honesty" (#24 1979), "You May Be Right" (#7 1980), "It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me" (#1 1980), "Uptown Girl" (#3 1983), "Tell Her about it" (#1 1983), "An Innocent Man" (#10 1984), "A Matter of Trust" (#10 1986), "We Didn't Start the Fire" (#1 1989), "And So it Goes" (#37 1990), "The River of Dreams" (#3 1993), "All about Soul" (#29 1993), "To Make You Feel My Love" (#50 1997), "This is the Time to Remember" (1998)
with The Echoes
with The Hassles, "I'm Thinkin'" (1967), "Every Step I Take" (1968)
session musician on The Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack" (#1 1964)
songwriter
md. to Elizabeth Weber (1971-83); md. to model, Christie Brinkley (1985-94); md. to Katie Lee (2004)
injured his hand in a motorcycle accident in 1983 but continued to perform
see Billy Joel

Steve Katz

b. 1945 in Brooklyn, NY (grew up in Schenectady, NY)
rock/jazz singer
instruments: guitar, harmonica
with American Flyer
founding member of Blood Sweat and Tears (1967-73), "Meagan's Gypsy Eyes" (1968), "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 Blues Project
songwriter
music producer
md. to ceramic artist, Alison Palmer
see Blood, Sweat and Tears

Dee Dee Kennibrew (Dolores Henry)

b. 1945 in Brooklyn, NY
pop singer
with The Crystals (1960-66, 1971-73, and reunions), "Dreams and Wishes" (1961), "There's No Other Like My Baby" (#20 1962), "Uptown" (#13 1962), "Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)" (#3 1963), * "Then He Kissed Me" (#6 1963), "All Grown Up" (1964)
"He's a Rebel" and "He's Sure the Boy I Love" were credited to The Crystals' but were by Darlene Love backed by The Blossoms

Bobby Lewis

b. 1942/46 in Hodgenville, KY
country singer
instruments: guitar, lute
"Sandra Kay" (1963), "Perfect Example of a Fool" (1965), "How Long Has it Been?" (#6c 1966), "Easy to Say, Hard to Do" (1966), "My Mind is a Bridge for Your Memory" (1967), "Love Me and Make it All Better" (#12c 1967), "From Heaven to Heartache" (#10c 1968), "Too Close to a Memory" (1968), "Long Enough to Forget" (1969), "Hello, Mary Lou (Goodbye Heart)" (#14c 1970), "Today's Teardrops" (#45c 1971), "Too Many Memories" (#21c 1973), "Already Gone to My Heart" (1973), "I Never Get Over Missing You" (#32c 1974), "It's So Nice to Be With You" (1975), "Hitchin' Rides to Memories in My Mind" (1977), "She's Been Keepin' Me up Nights" (#39c 1979)
songwriter

Mike Millward (Michael Millward)

b. 1942 in England – d. 7 Mar 1966 (leukemia)
rock singer
instruments: rhythm guitar
founding member of The Fourmost (1961-66), "Hello, Little Girl" (1963), "A Little Lovin'" (1964), "Here, There and Everywhere" (1966)
see The Fourmost

Bruce Milner

b. 1943 in NY
rock singer
instruments: keyboards, pianos, harpsichord
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 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
dentist

Mike Myerson

b. 19??
country/rock musician, instrument: lead guitar
founding member of Heartland, "I Loved Her First" (#34, #1c 2006), "Boys Like Us" (2006), "Freebird in a Firebird" (2006), "Built to Last" (#58c 2007), "Once a Woman Gets a Hold of Your Heart" (#52c 2007)

Tom Petersson

b. 1950 in Rockford, IL
rock singer
instrument: 12-string bass, 18-string bass, guitar, piano
"My Car" (1984, he co-wrote), "Rainy Day" (1984, he co-wrote)
founding member of Cheap Trick (1973-81, 1988- ), "I Want You to Want Me" (#7 1979), "Dream Police" (1979), "Don't Be Cruel" (#4 1988), "The Flame" (#1 1988), "Can't Stop Fallin' into Love" (#12 1990)
songwriter
invented the 12-string guitar

Dave Prater (David Prater)

b. 1937 in Ocilla, GA - d. 9 Apr 1988 in GA (auto accident)
soul/pop singer
"Keep My Fingers Crossed" (1972)
with Sam and Dave (1964-70, and reunions), "Never, Never" (1964), "A Place Nobody Can Find" (1965), "Hold On! I'm a-Comin'" (#21 1966), "Soul Man" (#2 1967), "I Thank You" (#9 1968), "You Don't Know What You Mean to Me" (1968), "A Little Bit of Good" (1974)
see Sam and Dave

Danny Rapp (Daniel Joseph Rapp)

b. 1941 in Philadelphia, PA – d. 5 Apr 1983 in Philadelphia, PA (shot himself)
rock/pop singer
founding member and lead singer of Danny and the Juniors (1955- ) * "At the Hop" (#1 1958), "Rock and Roll is Here to Stay" (#19 1958), "Dottie" (1958), "Sassy Fran" (1958), "Somehow I Can't Forget" (1959), "Twistin' USA" (#27 1960), "Daydreamer" (1961), "Some Kind of Nut" (1961), "Your Hair's Too Long" (1961), "Twistin' All Night Long" (#68 1962), "Doin' the Continental Walk" (1962)
he was born at home May 9 but his birth was not registered until the next day
see Danny and the Juniors

Tommy Roe (Thomas David Roe)

b. 1942 in Atlanta, GA
pop singer
instruments: guitar
"Sheila" (#1 1962, he wrote), "Susie Darlin'" (1962), "Don't Cry, Donna" (1962), * "Everybody" (#3 1963), "The Folk Singer" (1963), "Sorry I'm Late, Lisa" (1963), "Come on" (#36 1964), "Wild Water-Skiing Weekend" (1964), "Fourteen Pairs of Shoes" (1965), "The Gunfighter" (1965), * "Sweet Pea" (#8 1966), "Hooray for Hazel" (#6 1966), "It's Now Winter's Day" (#23 1966), "Night Time" (1967), "Soft Words" (1968), "Paisley Dreams" (1967), "Dizzy" (#1 1969), "Jam up and Jelly Tight" (#8 1969), "Heather Honey" (1969), "Tip Toe Tina" (1969), "A Dollar's Worth of Pennies" (1970), "Traffic Jam" (1971), "Back Streets and Alleys" (1971), "Working-Class Hero" (#73c 1973, he wrote), "Massachusetts" (#77 1979), "Some Such Foolishness" (#57c 1985), "Let's Be Fools Like That Again" (#38c 1987), "Back When it Really Mattered" (#67c 1987)
songwriter
music producer
md. to actress, Josette Banzet
see Tommy Roe

Marvin Rosenberg

b. 1942
rock/doo-wop singer
founding member of The Safaris (1959-61), "Image of a Girl" (#6 1960, One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "Girl with the Story in Her Eyes" (#85 1960), "Soldier of Fortune" (1961)
songwriter

Sami Jo (Jane Annette Jobe)

b. 1947 in Batesville, AR
country/pop singer
"Tell Me a Lie" (#21, #52c 1974), "It Could Have Been Me" (#46, #61c 1974), "I'd Believe Anything You Say" (#62c 1975), "Storms of Troubled Times" (1975), "Just Enough to Make Me Stay" (1975), "You're My Home" (1975)
recorded as Sami Jo Cole, "One Love, Over Easy" (#76c 1981)
toured with the USO

Harry Simeone (Harry Moses Simeone)

b. 1911 in Newark, NJ - b. 22 Feb 2005 in Manhattan, NY
pop musician, instrument: piano
founding member and leader of The Harry Simeone Chorale, "The Little Drummer Boy" (#13 1958, #24 1960, #22 1961, #28 1962, One-Hit Wonder), "Onward Christian Soldiers" (1960), "Walking Alone" (1965), "Situation Hopeless But Not Serious" (1965)
arranger
md. to singer, Margaret McCravy

Hank Snow (Clarence Eugene Snow aka 'the Singing Ranger')

b. 1914 in Nova Scotia, Canada – d. 20 Dec 1999 in Nashville, TN (heart attack)
country/folk/pop singer
instrument: guitar
"Marriage Vow" (#10c 1949), "The Blind Boy's Dog" (1949), "The Anniversary of My Broken Heart" (1949), "I'm Movin' on" (#1c 1950, he wrote), "The Golden Rocket" (#1c 1950, he wrote), "A Faded Rose, a Broken Heart" (1951), "The Rumba Boogie" (#1c 1951, he wrote), "With This Ring I Thee Wed" (1951), "A Fool Such As I" (#3c 1952), "Music Makin' Mama from Memphis" (#4c 1952, he wrote), "The Gold Rush is Over" (#2c 1952), "Confused With the Blues" (1952), "Lady's Man" (#2c 1952), "I Went to Your Wedding" (#3c 1952), "When Mexican Joe Met Jolie Blon" (#6c 1953), "The Gal Who Invented Kissing" (#4c 1953), "I Don't Hurt Anymore" (#22, #1c 1954), "The Next Voice You Hear" (1954), "Let Me Go, Lover" (#1c 1955), "Yellow Roses" (#3c 1955), "I'm Glad I Got to See You Once Again" (1955), "Born to Be Happy" (#5c 1955), "Cryin', Prayin', Waitin', Hopin'" (#7c 1955), "Would You Mind?" (#3c 1955), "Mainliner (The Hawk with Silver Wings)" (#5c 1955), "Hula Rock" (#5c 1956), "Conscience, I'm Guilty" (#4c 1956), "Blossoms in the Springtime" (1956), "These Hands" (#5c 1956), "A Tangled Mind" (#4c 1957), "Stolen Moments" (#7c 1957), "My Arms Are a House" (#8c 1957), "Whispering Rain" (#15c 1958), "The Last Ride" (#3c 1959), "Chasin' a Rainbow" (#6c 1959), "The Party of the Second Part" (1959), "Miller's Cave" (#3c 1960), "From a Beggar to a King" (#5c 1961), * "Under the Double Eagle" (1961), * "I've Been Everywhere" (#68, #1c 1962), "You Take the Future (and I'll Take the Past)" (#15 1962), "Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead-End Street)" (#2c 1963), "The Wishing Well" (#7c 1965), "I've Cried a Mile" (#18c 1966), "Lay My Head Beneath a Rose" (1966), "Blue Rose of the Rio" (1967), "Christmas Roses" (1967), "The Name of the Game Was Love" (#16c 1969), "Duquesne, Pennsylvania" (1971), "Hello, Love" (#1c 1974), "Merry-Go-Round of Love" (#47c 1975), "I'm Still Movin' on" (#80c 1977), "Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)" (#93c 1978)
duets with Anita Carter, "Bluebird Island" (#4c 1951, he wrote), "Down the Trail of Aching Hearts" (#2c 1951), "Down at the Pawn Shop" (#18c 1967)
duets with Chet Atkins, "Silver Bell" (#15c 1955), "The Convict and the Rose" (1964)
songwriter
trick rider with his horse, Pawnee
served in the Merchant Marines
supports charities against child abuse
md. to Minnie Blanche Alders (1935- ), cousin of Reg Smith
see the Hank Snow Small Town Museum

May 10

Arthur Alexander (Arthur Bernard Alexander, Jr.)

b. 1940 in Florence, AL – d. 9 Jun 1993 in Nashville, TN (heart attack)
country/soul singer
"You Better Move on" (#24 1962, One-Hit Wonder, he wrote), "Go Home Girl" (#102 1963, he co-wrote), "Where Did Sally Go?" (1963), "In My Baby's Eyes" (1966), "Miles and Miles from Nowhere" (1968), "Love's Where Life Begins" (1968), "Down the Back Roads" (1972), "Every Day I Have to Cry Some" (#45 1975, he wrote)
songwriter, wrote Donny Osmond's "Soldier of Love" (#2 1989); Elvis Presley's "Burning Love" (#2 1972); co-wrote Steve Alaimo's "Every Day I Have to Cry" (#46 1963)
music producer

Fred Astaire (Frederick Austerlitz)

b. 1899 in Omaha, NE - d. 22 Jun 1987 in Los Angeles, CA (pneumonia)
pop singer
instruments: piano, clarinet
"I'd Rather Charleston" (1926), "High Hat" (1928), "After You, Who?" (1932), "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan" (1933), "Isn't This a Lovely Day?" (1935), "Cheek to Cheek" (1935), "I'm Building Up to an Awful Let-Down" (1936, he co-wrote), "I've Got Beginner's Luck" (1937), "Shall We Dance?" (1937), "It's Just Like Taking Candy From a Baby" (1941, he co-wrote), "Dream Dancing" (1941), "You're Easy to Dance With" (1942), "Steppin' Out With My Baby" (1948), "Shoes With Wings on" (1949), "You're All the World to Me" (1951), "I Wanna Be a Dancin' Man" (1952), "That Face" (1957), "It Happens Every Spring" (1963), "I Love Everybody But You" (1975, he co-wrote), "City of Angels" (1975, he co-wrote)
duets with Adele Astaire, "Oh Gee, Oh Gosh" (1923), "Hang on to Me" (1926), "I Love Louisa" (1931)
duet with Ginger Rogers, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" (1937)
dancer; choreographer
actor
brother of dancer, Adele Astaire
md. 1st to Phyllis (Baker) Potter (1933-54, her death); md. 2nd to Robyn Smith (1980-87, his death)
see Fred Astaire on Wikipedia

Mother Maybelle Carter (Maybelle Addington)

b. 1909 in Nicklesville, VA – d. 23 Oct 1978 in Nashville, TN
bluegrass/country singer
instruments: guitar, autoharp, banjo
"Gold Watch and Chain" (1960), "Liberty Dance" (1960), "Sail Away Lady" (1964)
founding member of The Carter Family (1926- ), "Poor Orphan Child" (1927), "Why There's a Tear in My Eyes" (1939)
The Carter Family and the Oak Ridge Boys, "Praise the Lord and Pass the Soup" (#57c 1973)
with The Carter Sisters (1943- )
duets with Sara Carter, "Little Darling Pal of Mine" (1931), "Who's That Knocking at My Window?" (1939), "The Soldier and His Sweetheart" (1939)
songwriter
cousin of Sara Dougherty Carter; md. to Ezra J. Carter; mother of Helen, June, and Anita Carter
see The Carter Family

Donovan (Donovan Philip Leitch)

b. 1946 in Glasgow, Scotland (grew up in England)
folk/rock singer
instruments: guitar, harmonica, piano
* "Catch the Wind" (#23 1965), "Sunshine Superman" (#1 1966), "Mellow Yellow" (#2 1966), "There is a Mountain" (#11 1967), "Summer Day Reflection Song" (1967), "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (#5 1968), "Jennifer Juniper" (#26 1968, he wrote), "Atlantis" (#7 1969), "To Susan on the West Coast Waiting" (1969), "Maria Magenta" (1973), "Rock 'n' Roll with Me" (1974), "Dark-Eyed Blue Jean Angel" (1975)
songwriter
actor
limped from having polio as a child
see Donovan

Henry Fambrough

b. 1935/38 in Detroit, MI
soul/pop singer
founding member of The Spinners (1957- ), "That's What Girls Are Made For" (#27 1961), "Heebie Jeebies" (1961), "I'll Always Love You" (#35 1965), "Truly Yours" (1966), "In My Diary" (1969), "It's a Shame" (#14 1970), "I'll Be Around (Whenever You Want Me)" (#3 1972), "Could it Be I'm Falling in Love?" (#4 1972), "One of a Kind (Love Affair)" (#11 1973), "I'm Coming Home" (#18 1974), "They Just Can't Stop it (Games People Play)" (#5 1975), "The Rubberband Man" (#2 1976), "I'm Tired of Giving" (1977), "Working My Way Back to You"/"Forgive Me Girl" (medley) (#2 1979), "Heavy on the Sunshine" (1980), "Cupid" (#4 1980)
The Spinners and Dionne Warwicke, "Then Came You" (#1 1974)

Jay Ferguson (John Ferguson)

b. 1947 in Burbank, CA
folk/rock singer
instruments: percussions, keyboards, banjo
"All Alone in the End Zone" (1976), "Thunder Island" (1978), "Shakedown Cruise" (1979), "Real Life Ain't That Way" (1979), "Missing Persons" (1980), "Empty Sky" (1982)
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 (1971-75, 2005- ), "Run, Run, Run" (1972), "Wait a Lifetime" (1973), "Neon City" (1974)
songwriter
actor
step-son of Ed Cassidy
see Jo Jo Gunne

Graham Gouldman

b. 1946 in Lancashire, England
rock singer
instruments: keyboards, bass, guitar
"Stop or I'll Be Gone" (1966), "Pamela Pamela" (1968), "Upstairs Downstairs" (1968, he wrote), "Growing Older" (1972), "Can Anybody See You?" (2002), "You Stole My Love" (2002)
with The Mindbenders (1968), "Uncle Joe the Ice Cream Man" (1968, he wrote)
founding member of 10cc (1972-82, and reunions), "I'm Not in Love" (#2 1975, he co-wrote), "Life is a Minestrone" (#7 1975), "The Things We Do for Love" (#5 1977, he co-wrote)
lead singer with Ohio Express (1969), "Sausalito (is the Place to Go)" (1969, he wrote), "Mercy" (#30 1969), "The Race (That Took Place)" (1969)
founding member of Wax (1984-90)
songwriter, wrote The Yardbirds' "For Your Love" (#6 1965), "Heart Full of Soul" (#9 1965); The Hollies' "Look Through Any Window" (#32 1966), "Bus Stop" (#5 1966); Herman's Hermits' "Listen People" (#3 1966)
see 10cc

Pee Wee Hunt (Walter Gerhardt Hunt)

b. 1907 in Mount Healthy, OH – d. 22 Jun 1979 in Plymouth, MA
pop/jazz singer
instruments: trombone, banjo
founding member of the Pee Wee Hunt Orchestra, "12th Street Rag" (novelty version, #1 1948), "Clarinet Marmalade" (1950), "Dixieland Detour" (1952), "Oh" (#3 1953)
with the Casa Loma Orchestra (1937-43), "Study in Brown" (1937), "Shades of Hades" (1937), "Sunrise Serenade" (#1 1939)
bandleader; DJ
served in the Merchant Marines during WWII)

Shooter Jennings (Waylon Albright Jennings

b. 1979
country/rock singer
instrument: guitar
"4th of July" (#112, #26c 2005, he wrote), "Steady at the Wheel" (2005), "Gone to Carolina" (2005), "Electric Rodeo" (2005), "It Ain't Easy" (2007), "Walk of Life" (2007)
songwriter
actor
son of singers, Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter

Jackie Lomax (John Richard Lomax)

b. 1944 in Cheshire, England
rock/soul singer
instruments: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass
"Genuine Imitation Life" (1967, he wrote), "The Eagle Laughs at You" (1968, he wrote), "Sunset" (1969, he wrote), "When I Miss You the Most" (1971, he wrote), "Time Will Tell You" (1972, he wrote), "No Reason" (1972, he co-wrote), "More (Livin' for Lovin')" (1976, he wrote), "I Remember (Memorabilia)" (1976, he wrote), "Friend-a-Mine" (2004, he wrote)
with The Undertakers, "What About Us?" (1963), "If You Don't Come Back" (1964), "Throw Your Love Away, Girl" (1965, he wrote), "Leave My Kitten Alone" (recorded 1965, released 1996)
founding member of The Lomax Alliance, "Try as You May" (1967, he wrote), "Hey, Taxi" (1967, he co-wrote)
session musician
songwriter
see Jackie Lomax

Dave Mason (David Thomas Mason)

b. 1945 Worchester, England
rock singer
instruments: guitar, bass, sitar
"Only You and I Know" (#42 1970), "You Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave" (1971), "A Heartache, a Shadow, a Lifetime" (1971, he wrote), "We Just Disagree" (#12 1977), "Let it Go, Let it Flow" (#45 1978), "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" (#39 1978)
founding member of Traffic (1967-69), "Paper Sun" (#94 1967), "Hole in My Shoe" (1967, he wrote), "Feelin' Alright" (1968, he wrote), "Withering Tree" (1968)
with Fleetwood Mac (1995)
session musician on The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "All Along the Watchtower" (#20 1968); and with Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and others
songwriter
see Dave Mason
see Traffic

Ernie McDaniel

b. 1937 in Coates, KS - d. 7 Nov 2005 in Tarzana, CA
jazz/R&B/pop musician, instrument: bass
worked with Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Lou Rawls, Burt Bacharach, Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass, Nelson Riddle, Ray Charles and others
entertained troops in Vietnam

Bill McElhiney (William Krohmer McElhiney

b. 1915 in New Orleans, LA d. 9 Feb 2002 in Bay St. Louis, MS (Alzheimer's disease)
country musician, instrument: trumpet
founding member of Bill McElhiney and His Orchestra, "Down Yonder" (1963), "Rainbows" (1963), "Tequila" (1963), "Walk, Don't Run" (1963)
session musician on Johnny Cash's "Orange Blossom Special" (#80, #3c 1965); Ray Charles and Willie Nelson's "Seven Spanish Angels" (#1c 1985); and with Jim Reeves, Chet Atkins, Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, Hank Snow, Patsy Cline, Floyd Cramer, Johnny Cash, Jim Ed Brown, and others
songwriter
arranger

Jimmy Moschella (James Moschella)

b. 1938 in Staten Island, NY
do-wop/pop singer (bass)
founding member of The Elegants (1957-71, and reunions), "Little Star" (#1 1958, One-Hit Wonder), "Getting Dizzy" (1958), "Please Believe Me" (1958), "Pay Day" (1959), "Little Boy Blue (is Blue No More)" (1960, reply to "Little Star"), "Get Well Soon" (1960), "Barbara, Beware" (1965), "Bring Back Wendy" (1965)
bus driver

Groovey Joe Poovey (Arnold Joseph Poovey aka Jumping Joe Poovey)

b. 1941 in Dallas, TX (grew up in Plano, TX) - d. 6 Oct 1998
honky-tonk/rockabilly singer
"Santa's Little Helper" (1955), "Move Around" (1957), "Sweet Louella" (1958, he co-wrote), "Ten Long Fingers" (1958, he co-wrote), "The Secret Me" (1960), "Her Mother's Wedding Dress" (1963), "I Must Have Some Sleep" (1965), "Broken, Busted, Battered, Beaten and Bewildered" (1966), "Two Young Hearts" (1985, he co-wrote), "The Jungle to the Zoo" (1990), "To Get From There to Here" (1999, he co-wrote)
recorded as Johnny Dallas, "Heart Full of Love" (#62c 1967), "You Are My Sunshine" (1984)
songwriter
DJ

Ray Tunia

b. 1916 - d. 16 Aug 1983
R&B/jazz musician, instrument: piano
pianist with The Ink Spots (1944-46, replaced Bill Doggett), "The Gypsy" (#1 1946)
The Ink Spots with Ella Fitzgerald, "I'm Making Believe" (#1 1944), "I'm Beginning to See the Light" (#5 1945)
session musician
songwriter

Julius Wechter

b. 1935 in Chicago, IL - d. 1 Feb 1999 in CA (lung cancer)
pop/rock musician, instruments: marimba, vibraphone, percussions
founding member of The Baja Marimba Band (1963-7?), "December's Child" (1963), "Comin' in the Back Door" (1963), "Acapulco 1922" (1964), "Up Cherry Street" (1964), "Goin' Out the Side Door" (1965), "The Last of the Red Hot Llamas" (1966)
with the Tijuana Brass (1962- ), "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, he wrote), "What Now, My Love?" (#24 1966), "Casino Royale" (#27 1967), "This Guy's in Love With You" (#1 1968)
session musician with Jan and Dean, Cher, The Righteous Brothers, The Beach Boys, and others
songwriter
had a Master's Degree in psychology
see Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
see Julius Wechter

Larry Williams (Lawrence E. Williams)

b. 1935 in New Orleans, LA – d. 7 Jan 1980 in Los Angeles, CA (shot himself)
R&B/rock singer
instrument: piano
"Short Fat Fannie" (#5 1957), * "Bonie Maronie" (#14 1957, he wrote), "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" (#69 1958, he wrote), "Every Day I Wonder" (1959), "Like a Gentle Man" (1960), "I'd Rather Fight Than Switch" (1966), "I Am the One" (1967), "You Asked for One Good Reason" (1967)
duet with Johnny Watson, "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (#96 1967), "A Quitter Never Wins" (1967)
session musician with Ray Price, and others
songwriter
his drug use kept him from building on his early success

Jeff Wood

b. 1968 in Oklahoma City, OK (grew up in FL)
country/rock/pop singer
instruments: keyboards, bass guitar
"You Call That a Mountain" (#63c 1997), "You Just Get One" (#44c 1997), "Use Mine" (#55c 1997), "There's No Place Like You" (1997, he co-wrote), "Long Way From Oklahoma" (1997, he co-wrote)
songwriter, co-wrote John Michael Montgomery's "Cowboy Love" (#4c 1996)
music producer

May 11

Bob Atcher (James Robert Owen Atcher)

b. 1914 in Hardin County, KY (grew up in ND) – d. 31 Oct 1993 in Prospect, KY
country/novelty singer
instruments: guitar, fiddle
"Those Eyes of Grey" (1939), "The Last Letter" (1940), "I Dream of Your Bonnie Blue Eyes" (1940), "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes" (1941), "I Must Have Been Wrong" (#7c 1946, he wrote), "Signed, Sealed and Delivered" (#6c 1948), "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me" (#9c 1949), "Tennessee Border" (#12c 1949)
duets with Loretta Applegate (aka Bonnie Blue Eyes), "Answer to You Are My Sunshine" (1941), "You'll Always Have My Heart" (1941), "Pins and Needles (in My Heart)" (1943)
duet with Randy Atcher, "Papa's Going Crazy, Mama's Going Mad" (1940)
songwriter
served in the army during WWII (1942-46)
mayor of Schaumburg, IL (1959-79)
md. 1st to Loretta Applegate; md. 2nd to Marguerite 'Maggie' Whitehill (1947-93, his death)

Bobby Black (aka 'Mr. Versatility')

b. 1934 in Prescott, AZ
country/rock/pop/western swing musician, instruments: pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar
"Blue Bayou" (1974), "Hot Dusty Roads" (1978), "Angie Baby" (1980), "Love in the Shadows" (1980), "Ebb Tide" (2006), "On a Little Street in Singapore" (2006), "Santa Lucia" (2006)
with New Riders of the Purple Sage (1983- )
with Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen (1970-7?), "Hot Rod Lincoln" (#9, #51c 1972, One-Hit Wonder), "Truck-Stop Rock" (1972), "It Should've Been Me" (1972), "That's What I Like about the South" (1975)
session musician on Linda Hargrove's "Blue Jean Country Queen" (#98c 1974), "I've Never Loved Anyone More" (#82c 1974); and with Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, Merle Travis, Ray Price, David Alan Coe, and others
see New Riders of the Purple Sage

Eric Burdon

b. 1941 in Northumberland, England
rock singer
"I Will Be with You Again" (1988), "Living in Fear" (1988), "Heart Attack" (1995), "The Road" (1995)
founding member and lead singer of The Animals (1962-66, and reunions), "House of the Rising Sun" (#1 1964), "We've Got to Get Out of This Place" (#13 1965), "Don't Bring Me Down" (#12 1966), "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (#15 1965)
founding member and lead singer of Eric Burdon and the New Animals (1966-69, and reunions), "See See Rider" (#10 1966), "San Franciscan Nights" (#9 1967), "Monterrey" (#15 1967), "When I Was Young" (#15 1967, he co-wrote), "Sky Pilot" (#14 1968)
lead singer of War (1969-71), "Spill the Wine" (#3 1970)
songwriter
see Eric Burdon
see War on Wikipedia

Tutti Camarata (Salvador Camarata)

b. 1913 in Glen Ridge, NJ - d. Apr 2005 in Burbank, CA
pop/swing musician, instrument: trumpet
"Veradero" (#26 1952)
with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (1939-41), "Deep Purple" (#2 1939), "All This and Heaven Too" (#9 1940), "The Breeze and I" (#1 1940), "I Hear a Rhapsody" (#1 1941), "Amapola" (#1 1941), "Blue Champagne" (#1 1941), "Green Eyes" (#1 1941), "Maria Elena" (#1 1941), "My Sister and I" (#1 1941)
session musician with Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and others
arranger, producer
songwriter
served in the Army Air Force during WWII
see Tutti Camarata on Space Age Pop

Les Chadwick (John Leslie Chadwick)

b. 1943 in Liverpool, England
rock musician, instrument: bass
founding member of Gerry and the Pacemakers (1959-66), "You'll Never Walk Alone" (#48 1963), * "How Do You Do it?" (#6 1964), "I Like it" (#17 1964), "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" (#4 1964), * "She's the Only Girl for Me" (1965), * "I'll Be There" (#14 1965), "It's Gonna Be Alright" (#23 1965), "Ferry Cross the Mersey" (#6 1965), "Girl on a Swing" (#28 1966)

Bob Folschow (Robert Folschow)

b. 1947
rock singer
instrument: lead guitar
founding member of The Castaways (1962- ), "Liar, Liar" (#12 1965, One-Hit Wonder), "I Feel So Fine" (1967), "She's a Girl in Love" (1967), "Walking in Different Circles" (1968), "Lavender Popcorn" (1968)
see The Castaways

Tom Giuliano

b. 1943
pop/rock singer (tenor)
instrument: percussions
founding member of The Happenings, "See You in September" (#3 1966), "He Thinks He's a Hero" (1966), "Go Away, Little Girl" (#12 1966), "Tea Time" (1966), "Lilies by Monet" (1966), "I Got Rhythm" (#3 1967), "Living in Darkness" (1969), "Won't Anybody Listen?" (1969), "Strawberry Morning" (1972), "Me Without You" (1972)
see The Happenings

Wes Henderson

b. 1942
R&B singer
instrument: guitar
"Reality" (1969), "In Bed" (1969)
founding member 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)
see Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers on Wikipedia

Mark Herndon (Mark Joel Herndon)

b. 1955 in Springfield, MA
country musician, instruments: drums, percussions
with Alabama (1979- ), "My Home's in Alabama" (#17c 1980), "Tennessee River" (#1c 1980), "Why Lady Why?" (#1c 1980), "Words at Twenty Paces" (1981), * "See the Embers, Feel the Flame" (1981), * "Fantasy" (1981), * "Old Flame" (#1c 1981), * "Feels So Right" (#20, #1c 1981), "Love in the First Degree" (#15, #1c 1981), "Mountain Music" (#1c 1981), * "Never Be One" (1981), * "Close Enough to Perfect" (#65, #1c 1982), "Take Me Down" (#18, #1c 1982), "Alabama Sky" (1983), "Dixieland Delight" (#1c 1983), "Lady Down on Love" (#76, #1c 1983), "The Closer You Get" (#38, #1c 1983), "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" (#1c 1984), "When We Make Love" (#72, #1c 1984), "Roll on (Eighteen Wheeler)" (#1c 1984), * "Forty-Hour Week (for a Livin')" (#1c 1985), "(There's a) Fire in the Night" (#1c 1985), "There's No Way" (#1c 1985), "Can't Keep a Good Man Down" (#1c 1985), "She and I" (#1c 1986), "Touch Me When We're Dancing" (#1c 1986), "You've Got the Touch" (#1c 1987), "Fallin' Again" (#1c 1988), "Song of the South" (#1c 1989), "High Cotton" (#1c 1989), "If I Had You" (#1c 1989), "Southern Star" (#1c 1990), "Jukebox in My Mind" (#1c 1990), "Forever's As Far As I'll Go" (#1c 1991), "Here We Are" (#2 1991), "Then Again" (#4c 1991), "Born Country" (#2c 1991), "Down Home" (#1c 1991), "I'm in a Hurry (and Don't Know Why)" (#1c 1992), "Take a Little Trip" (#2c 1992), "Once Upon a Lifetime" (#3c 1992), "Reckless" (#1c 1993), "Cheap Seats" (#13c 1994), "T.L.C. A.S.A.P." (#7c 1994), "She Ain't Your Ordinary Girl" (#2c 1995), "In Pictures" (#4c 1995), "Give Me One More Shot" (#3c 1995), "Sad Lookin' Moon" (#2c 1997), "Why Lady Why?" (#1c 1998), "Feels So Right" (#1c 1998), "How Do You Fall in Love?" (#82, #2c 1998), "We Can't Love Like This Anymore" (#6c 1998), "Keepin' Up" (#69, #14c 1999), "When it All Goes South" (#15c 2001)
Alabama and K.T. Oslin, "Face to Face" (#1c 1988)
Alabama and Lionel Richie, "Deep River Woman" (#71, #10c 1987)
Alabama and 'N Sync, "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You" (#29, #3c 1999)
see Alabama

Chick Hurt (Charles Hurt)

b. 1901 in Summershade, KY or Willow Shade, KY - d. 9 Oct 1967
country singer
instruments: mandolin, tenor banjo
founding member of The Prairie Ramblers (1930- ), "Go Easy Blues" (1933), "Shady Grove, My Darling" (1933), "Next Year" (1933), "Blue River" (1933), "Riding Down the Canyon" (1935), "Put on an Old Pair of Shoes" (1935)
The Prairie Ramblers backed Gene Autry, "Old Faithful" (#10 1935)
The Prairie Ramblers backed Patsy Montana (1933-41), * "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), "My Pinto Pony" (1939), "Shy Little Anne from Cheyenne" (1940), "Swing-Time Cowgirl" (1940)
The Prairie Ramblers also recorded as Rusty Gill and the Westernaires, "Whatever Made You Stop Loving Me?" (1941, he wrote), "I Ain't the Man I Used to Be" (1941), "Weary and Worried" (1941), "Straddlin' My Saddle" (1941), "Blaze Away" (1941), "In a Little Texas Town" (1941), "To You and My West Virginia Home" (1941), "Let Me Wake up in Wyoming" (1941)
highway patrolman
motorcycle enthusiast

Marilyn King (Marilyn Adine Driggs)

b. 1930 in Los Angeles, CA - 4 Aug 1997 in Sandy, UT (cancer)
swing/jazz/pop singer
"I Don't Know Enough about You" (1972), "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" (1972), "The Me That I Am" (1974), "What Can I Do for You?" (1974)
with The King Sisters (195?- , replaced Donna King)
before becoming part of the group in the 50's, she often substituted for one of her sisters
see The King Sisters

Bobby Lowell

b. 1937 in Lincoln, NE - d. 3 Oct 2000
rockabilly singer
"Iron Pony" (1985), "Take Me Back" (1985)
founding member of Bobby Lowell and the Rock-A-Boogie Boys, "Sixteen Chicks" (1955), "Um, Baby Baby" (#10 1956, he wrote), "Rockabilly Heart" (1999), "Drag Race" (1999), "Dancin' Tonight" (1999)
duets with Jay Fremont, "Ice-Cold Heart" (1985), "It's Been So Long" (1985)
songwriter

Tim Raybon

b. 1963 in Jacksonville, FL
country singer, musician
"Other Than That (I'm Doin' Fine)" (2003), "Xs and Ys" (2004), "I Could Almost Hear the Tears" (2004)
founding member of The Raybon Brothers, "Butterfly Kisses" (#22, #37c 1997), "The Way She's Lookin'" (#64c 1997), "Tangled up in Love" (1997), "Falling" (1997)
brother of Marty Raybon

Arnie Satin (Arnie Silver)

b. 1943 in Philadelphia, PA
rock/R&B singer (baritone)
founding member of The Dovells (1960-197?), "Letters of Love" (1960), "The Bristol Stomp" (#2 1961), "Do the Continental" (#37 1962), "Bristol Twistin' Annie" (#27 1962), "Hully Gully Baby" (#25 1962), "Kissin' in the Kitchen" (1962), * "You Can't Sit Down" (#3 1963), "You Can't Run Away From Yourself" (1963), "Watusi With Lucy" (1964), "Happy Birthday Just the Same" (1964), "Dragster on the Prowl" (1964)
The Dovells sang backup on Chubby Checker's "Let's Twist Again" (#8, #26c 1961)
finance manager for an auto dealership

Ocie Stockard

b. 1909 in Crafton, TX - d. 23 Apr 1988
country/western swing musician, instrument: tenor banjo
"Twin Guitar Polka" (1947)
founding member of The Musical Brownies (1933-36), "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)
founding member of Ocie Stockard and the Wanderers (1938-45)
with The Texas Playboys (1945-1952), "Smoke on the Water" (#1c 1945), "Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima" (#1c 1945), "Hang Your Head in Shame" (#3c 1945), "Texas Playboy Rag" (#2c 1945), "You Don't Care What Happens to Me" (#5c 1945), "Silver Dew on the Bluegrass Tonight" (#1c 1945), "Texas Two-Step" (1945), "White Cross in Okinawa" (#1c 1946), "New Spanish Two-Step" (#1c 1946), "Stay a Little Longer" (#2c 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), "Sittin' on Top of the World" (1951)
see The Texas Playboys
see Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies

Butch Trucks (Claude Hudson Trucks)

b. 1947 in Jacksonville, FL or Macon, GA
rock/blues/country singer
instrument: drums
founding member of the Allman Brothers Band (1969-75, 1979-82, 1989- ), "Black-Hearted Woman" (1969), "Revival" (#92 1971), "Melissa" (1972), "Ramblin' Man" (#2 1973), "Jessica" (1973), "Crazy Love" (#29 1979), "Angeline" (#58 1980), "Straight from the Heart" (#39 1981), "Good Clean Fun" (1990), "Seven Turns" (1990), "It Ain't Over Yet" (1990), "The High Cost of Low Living" (2003), "Old Friend" (2003), "Who to Believe" (2003)
uncle of Derek Trucks
see The Allman Brothers

Keith West

b. 19??
country/rock singer
instrument: bass guitar
founding member of Heartland, "I Loved Her First" (#34, #1c 2006), "Boys Like Us" (2006), "Freebird in a Firebird" (2006), "Built to Last" (#58c 2007), "Once a Woman Gets a Hold of Your Heart" (#52c 2007)

May 12

Janna Allen

b. 1957 - d. 25 Aug 1993 (leukemia)
rock singer
backup singer on Hall and Oates' "Everything Your Heart Desires" (#3 1988), and others
songwriter, co-wrote Hall and Oates' "Kiss on My List" (#1 1981), "Private Eyes" (#1 1981), "Method of Modern Love" (#5 1985)
sister of songwriter, Sara Allen

Louie Allen

b. 1960 in West Rutland, VT
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Redneck Alley" (2006), * "She Wants to Marry a Cowboy" (2006), "A Two-Step Above the Rest" (2006)
founding member of Quarterline (1978-95)
founding member of

Burt Bacharach

b. 1929 in Kansas City, MO
pop singer
instrument: piano
"Saturday Sunshine" (1963, he co-wrote), "April Fools" (1971, he co-wrote), "Freefall" (1971, he wrote), "Nikki" (1971, he co-wrote), "Reflections" (1973, he co-wrote), "Long Ago Tomorrow" (1973, he co-wrote)
songwriter, co-wrote The Fifth Dimension's "One Less Bell to Answer" (#2 1970); Marty Robbins' "The Story of My Life" (#15, #1c 1957); The Shirelles' "Baby, it's You" (#8 1961); Gene Pitney's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (#4 1962), "Only Love Can Break a Heart" (#2 1962), "Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa" (#17 1963); Bobby Vinton's "Blue on Blue" (#3 1963), Dusty Springfield's "Wishin' and Hopin'" (#6 1964), "The Look of Love" (#22 1967); Jackie DeShannon's "What the World Needs Now is Love" (#7 1965); Dionne Warwick's "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" (#10 1968); B.J. Thomas' "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (#1 1969)
conductor; music producer; arranger
md. 1st to Paula Stewart (1953-58); md. 2nd to actress, Angie Dickinson (1965-80); md. 3rd to songwriter, Carole Bayer Sager (1982-91); md. 4th to Jane Hanson (1993- )
see Burt Bacharach

B.B. Borden (Barry Borden)

b. 1954
country/rock musician, instrument: drums
with The Outlaws (1990-96), "Hittin' the Road" (1993), "Steam on the Blacktop" (1994), "Diablo Canyon" (1994), "Freedom in Flight" (1994)
with Mother's Finest (1976-81)
session musician with Hughie Thomasson, The Marshall Tucker Band, and others
see The Outlaws

Kix Brooks (Leon Eric Brooks III)

b. 1955 in Shreveport, LA
country singer
instruments: guitar, piano
"Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down" (#73c 1983, he wrote), "Sacred Ground" (#87c 1989, he co-wrote)
founding member of Brooks and Dunn, * "Brand New Man" (#1c 1991, he co-wrote), * "My Next Broken Heart" (#1c 1991, he co-wrote), "Neon Moon" (#1c 1992), * "Boot Scootin' Boogie" (#50, #1c 1992), "Hard-Workin' Man" (#4c 1993), "We'll Burn That Bridge" (#2c 1993), "She Used to Be Mine" (#1c 1993), * "Rock My World (Little Country Girl)" (#97, #2c 1994), "She's Not the Cheatin' Kind" (#1c 1994), "That Ain't No Way to Go" (#1c 1994, he co-wrote), "Little Miss Honky-Tonk" (#1 1995), "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" (#1c 1995, he co-wrote), "My Maria" (#79, #1c 1996), "I Am That Man" (#2c 1996), * "My Love Will Follow You" (1996), "A Man This Lonely" (#1c 1996), "Honky-Tonk Truth" (#3c 1997), "He's Got You" (#2c 1998), "How Long Gone?" (#1c 1998), "Born and Raised in Black and White" (1998), "Husbands and Wives" (#36, #1c 1998), "I Can't Get Over You" (#51, #5c 1999), "Ain't Nothin' 'Bout You" (#25, #1c 2001), * "Only in America" (#33, #1c 2001, he co-wrote), * "My Heart is Lost to You" (#48, #5c 2002), "The Long Goodbye" (#39, #1c 2002, he co-wrote), "Red Dirt Road" (#25, #1c 2003, he co-wrote), "You Can't Take the Honky-Tonk Out of the Girl" (#39, #3c 2004), "That's What it's All About" (#2c 2004, he co-wrote), "Independent Trucker" (2004), "It's Getting Better All the Time" (#1c 2005), * "Play Something Country" (#37, #1c 2005), "Believe" (#60, #8c 2006, CMA single of the year 2006), "Proud of the House We Built" (#57, #4c 2007), "Put a Girl in it" (#54, #3c 2008), "Texas Women (Don't Stay Lonely Long)" (2008)
Brooks and Dunn duet with Reba McEntire, "If You See Him, if You See Her" (#1c 1998)
Brooks and Dunn duet with Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow, "Building Bridges" (#66, #4c 2006)
songwriter, co-wrote "John Conlee's "I'm Only in it for the Love" (#1c 1983); The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Modern-Day Romance" (#1c 1985)
md. to Barbara (1981- )
see Brooks and Dunn

Tom Coe

b. 1950 in Marin, CA
folk/pop singer (baritone with 4-octave range)
instrument: electric bass
with The Brothers Four (1972-74, replaced Bob Flick)
see The Brothers Four

Tiki Fulwood (Ramon Fulwood)

b. 1944 - d. 29 Oct 1979 (stomach cancer)
R&B musician, instruments: drums, percussions
with P-Funk (1968-71, 1973-75)
with Funkadelic (1968-71, 1973-79), "Into You" (1978), "Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?" (1978)
session drummer on Tyrone Davis' "Can I Change My Mind?" (#5 1969), "Turn Back the Hands of Time" (#3 1970)

Gordon Jenkins (Gordon Hill Jenkins)

b. 1910 in Webster Groves, MO – d. 1 May 1984 in Malibu, CA (Lou Gehrig's disease)
jazz/pop musician, instrument: piano
founding member of Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra, "Don't Cry, Joe" (#3 1949), "Again" (#2 1949), "My Foolish Heart" (#3 1950), "Two on a Bike" (1950), "Bewitched" (#4 1950), "Sally Doesn't Care" (1951), "The Touch of Your Hand" (1952), "In an Inn in Indiana" (1955), "Last Love" (1955), "Blueberry Hill" (#29 1956)
Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra and The Weavers, "Goodnight, Irene" (#1 1950)
Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra and The Andrews Sisters, "I Can Dream, Can't I?" (#1 1949)
songwriter, wrote Bing Crosby's "San Fernando Valley" (#1 1944); co-wrote Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman" (#1 1966)
arranger
md. to singer, Loulie Jean Norman

Eddie Kilgallon (Edward James Kilgallon)

b. 1965 in East Greenbush, NY
country singer (baritone)
instruments: keyboards, rhythm guitar, sax, trombone, bass, drums
founding member of Ricochet (1993-2001), "What Do I Know?" (#5c 1996), "Daddy's Money" (#1c 1996), "Love is Stronger Than Pride" (#9c 1996), "The Truth is, I Lied" (1996), "Don't Forget to Feed the Jukebox (While I'm Gone)" (1997), "The Girl Formerly Known As Mine" (1997), "Ease My Troubled Mind" (#20c 1997), "He Left a Lot to Be Desired" (#18c 1997), "Blink of an Eye" (#39c 1997), "Connected at the Heart" (#44c 1998), "Seven Bridges Road" (#48c 2000), "Do I Love You Enough?" (#45c 2000), "She's Gone" (#48c 2000)
with Montgomery Gentry
backup singer with Travis Tritt, and others
songwriter, co-wrote George Strait's "One Night at a Time" (#59, #1c 1997)
see Ricochet

Bob MacVittie (Robert MacVittie)

b. 1946 in Chicago, IL
rock musician, instruments: drums
founding member of Sugarloaf (1969-75), "Green-Eyed Lady" (#3 1970), "West of Tomorrow" (1970), "Mother Nature's Wine" (1971), "Tongue in Cheek" (1971), "Myra, Myra" (1973), "Texas Two-Lane" (1975), "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" (#9 1975), "Stars in Her Eyes" (#87 1975)
Sugarloaf was named after a mountain in Colorado

Joe Maphis (Otis Wilson Maphis aka 'King of the Strings')

b. 1921 in Suffolk, VA – d. 27 Jun 1986
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: electric guitar, fiddle, mandolin, bass, banjo
"Fire on the Strings" (1955, he wrote), "Guitar Rock and Roll" (1956, he wrote), "Tennessee Two-Step" (1956), "Lorrie Ann" (1957), "Short Recess" (1959), "Black Sombrero" (1960), "Hot Rod Guitar" (1964), "Ridin' Down Old 99" (1964), "Memories of Maybelle" (1982)
founding member of Joe and Rose Lee Maphis, "Honky-Tonk Down Town" (1955, he wrote), "I'm Willin' to Try" (1955), "I Love You Deeply" (1959), "Molly and Tenbrooks" (1959), "Little Black Book" (1965), "Run That By Me One More Time" (1970)
duet with Jody Maphis, "If I'm Gonna Have Your Lovin'" (1971), "Fire and Rain" (1971)
session lead guitarist on Ricky Nelson's "Stood Up" (#2 1958), "Waitin' in School" (#12 1958); and with Rose Maddox, The Jodimars, Wanda Jackson, Johnny Burnette, and others
songwriter
md. to singer, Rose Lee Schetrompf (1948- )
see Joe Maphis on WikipediA

Ian McLagan

b. 1945 in Middlesex, England
rock singer
instruments: keyboards, electric piano, Hammond B3 organ, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
"La De Da" (1979, he wrote), "Little Troublemaker" (1979), "Headlines" (1979, he wrote), "Last Chance to Dance" (1985, he co-wrote)
founding member of The Bump Band, "Not Running Away" (1981, he co-wrote), "Casualty" (1981, he wrote)
with Small Faces (1965-69), "I Can't Dance With You" (1966), "Itchycoo Park" (#16 1967, One-Hit Wonder), "Tin Soldier" (#73 1967), "I'm Only Dreaming" (1967), "Lazy Sunday" (1968)
with Faces (1970-73), "Love Lives Here" (1971), "Stay with Me" (#17 1972), Cindy Incidentally" (#48 1973)
session musician on the Rolling Stones' "Miss You" (#1 1978); Rod Stewart's "Maggie Mae" (#1 1971); and with Bob Dylan, and others
songwriter
md. to Kim (McLagan) Moon (1978-2006, her death in an auto accident)
see The Faces
see The Small Faces

Bob Montgomery (Bobby LaRoy Montgomery)

b. 1937 in Lampasas, TX
country/rockabilly singer
instrument: guitar
"Because I Love You" (1959)
duets with Buddy Holly as Buddy and Bob, "Let's Pretend" (1953), "Door to My Heart" (1954), "Memories" (1955, he wrote)
founding member of Bob and Carol (1960-61)
with The Holidays (1964)
session musician with Norman Petty, and others
songwriter, wrote Eddy Arnold's "Misty Blue" (#3c 1967); Buddy Holly's "Heartbeat" (#82 1958); The Bobby Fuller Four's "Love's Made a Fool of You" (#26 1966)
music producer
father of singer, Kevin Montgomery

Tiny Moore (Billy Moore)

b. 1920 in Energy, TX or Port Arthur, TX - d. 15 Dec 1987 in Jackpot, NV (heart attack during a performance)
western swing singer
instruments: fiddle, guitar, electric mandolin, banjo, drums
with The Texas Playboys (1945-50), "Smoke on the Water" (#1c 1945), "Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima" (#1c 1945), "Hang Your Head in Shame" (#3c 1945), "Texas Playboy Rag" (#2c 1945), "You Don't Care What Happens to Me" (#5c 1945), "Nobody's Darling But Mine" (1945), "Silver Dew on the Bluegrass Tonight" (#1c 1945), "Texas Two-Step" (1945), "White Cross in Okinawa" (#1c 1946), "New Spanish Two-Step" (#1c 1946), "Stay a Little Longer" (#2c 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, he co-wrote), "Faded Love" (#8c 1950)
founding member and lead of Billy Jack Wills and His Western Swing Band (1950- ), "Teardrops from My Eyes" (1952), "Lonesome-Hearted Blues" (1952), "There's Good Rockin' Tonight" (1953), "Teardrops on a Diary" (1954), "All She Wants to Do is Rock" (1956), "Troubles (Those Lonesome Kind)" (1957), "Hey, Mister Mailman" (1957), "I Loved and Lost" (1957)
with Merle Haggard's band
developed the electric five-string mandolin
children's TV show host
md. to singer, Dean McKinney
see The Texas Playboys

James Purify

b. 1944 in Pensacola, FL
soul singer
duets with Bobby Purify, "I'm Your Puppet" (#6 1966), "So Many Reasons" (1966), "Let Love Come Between Us" (#23 1967), "Shake a Tail Feather" (#25 1967), "Wish You Didn't Have to Go" (#38 1967)
cousin of Robert Dickey (aka Bobby Purify)

Ada 'Cry Baby' Ray (Ada Ray Kelly)

b. 1944
R&B singer
"I No Longer Believe in Miracles" (1963), "I Cried to Be Free" (1964)
with The Jaynetts (1963-64), * "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" (#2 1963), "Keep an Eye on Her" (1963), "There's No Love at All" (1964)
the same group also recorded as The Hearts, "Dear Abby" (1963)

Billy Swan (Billy Lance Swan)

b. 1942 in Cape Girardeau, MO
country/rockabilly/soul singer
instruments: guitar, keyboards, drums
"Breakin' Up" (1966), "Below Average Everyday Girl" (1966), "I Can Help" (#1, #1c 1974, One-Hit Wonder, he wrote), "Everything's the Same (Ain't Nothing Changed)" (#91, #17c 1975, he wrote), "I Just Want to Taste Your Wine" (#45c 1976), "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (#95c 1976), "Do I Have to Draw a Picture?" (#18c 1981, he co-wrote), "I'm into Lovin' You" (#18c 1981, he wrote), "Rainbows and Butterflies" (#39c 1983)
founding member of Black Tie (1986- ), "Learning the Game" (#59c 1991)
sessionist with Mel Tillis, Kris Kristofferson, and others
songwriter, wrote Clyde McPhatter's "Lover, Please" (#7 1962); Emmylou Harris' "Drivin' Wheel" (#26c 1984)
music producer

Rodney Taylor

b. 1942
R&B/rock singer
instrument: drums
founding member of The Essex (1961-64), * "Easier Said Than Done" (#1 1963), "Are You Going My Way?" (1963), "A Walkin' Miracle" (#12 1963), "She's Got Everything" (#56 1963), "Dance Without Music" (1963), "What Did I Do?" (1964)
served in the Marines

David Walker

b. 1943 in Montgomery, AL
rock musician, instruments: guitar, keyboards
founding member of Gary Lewis and the Playboys (1964-65), * "Little Miss Go Go" (1965), "This Diamond Ring" (#1 1965), "Count Me in" (#2 1965), "Save Your Heart for Me" (#2 1965), "She's Just My Style" (#3 1965), "Everybody Loves a Clown" (#4 1965), "I Won't Make That Mistake Again" (1965)
see Gary Lewis and the Playboys

Walter Wanderley (Walter Jose Wanderley Mendoza)

b. 1932 in Brazil - d. 4 Sep 1986 in San Francisco, CA (cancer)
pop/jazz musician, instruments: organ, piano
"You and I" (1966), "Surfboard" (1969), "Monica" (1981)
lead of The Walter Wanderley Trio (1966-67, 1971), "Summer Samba (So Nice)" (#26 1966, One-Hit Wonder), "Jet Samba" (1966), "A Certain Smile" (1966), "Cry Out Your Sadness" (1966)
songwriter
arranger
md. to singer, Isaurinha Garcia

Steve Winwood (Stephen Lawrence Winwood)

b. 1948 in Birmingham, England
rock/soul/blues/jazz singer
instrument: guitar, bass, keyboards, organ, piano
"While You See a Chance" (#7 1981), "Still in the Game" (#47 1982), "Higher Love" (#1 1986), "Back in the High Life Again" (#13 1987), "The Finer Things" (#8 1987), "Valerie" (#9 1987), "Don't You Know What the Night Can Do?" (#6 1988), "Holding on" (#11 1988), "Roll with it" (#1 1988), "Put on Your Dancing Shoes" (1988), "One and Only Man" (#18 1990)
founding member and lead singer of The Spencer Davis Group (1963-67), "Somebody Help Me" (#47 1966), "Keep on Running" (1966), "Trampoline" (1966), "Blues in F" (1967), "Gimme Some Lovin'" (#7 1967, he co-wrote), "I'm a Man" (#10 1967, he co-wrote), "Sanity Inspector" (1967)
founding member of Traffic (1967-77, and reunions), "Paper Sun" (#94 1967), "Hole in My Shoe" (1967), "Feelin' Alright" (1968), "Withering Tree" (1968), "Empty Pages" (#74 1970), "Rock and Roll Stew" (#93 1971), "Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory" (1973), "Evening Blue" (1973), "Walking in the Wind" (1974)
founding member of Blind Faith (1969)
founding member of Ginger Baker's Air Force (1970), "Man of Constant Sorrow" (#86 1970), "Don't Care" (1970), "Sweet Wine" (1970)
session musician with Jimi Hendrix, Marianne Faithfull, and others
songwriter
see Traffic
see Steve Winwood

Bill Woods (Billy Woods)

b. 1924 in Denison, TX - d. 30 Apr 2000 (complications of bypass surgery)
country/honky-tonk musician, instruments: piano, fiddle, guitar
"Truck-Drivin' Man" (1963)
founding member of Bill Woods and the Orange Blossom Playboys (1949-6?), "Have I Got a Chance with You?" (1949)
with Merle Haggard's band (1972-73), "Carolyn" (#58, #1c 1972), "Grandma Harp" (#1c 1972), "It's Not Love (But it's Not Bad)" (#1c 1972), "I Wonder if They Ever Think of Me" (#1c 1973), "Everybody's Had the Blues" (#62, #1c 1973)
session musician with Buck Owens, Patsy Cline, Tommy Duncan, and others
DJ
stock car racer

May 13

Jack Anglin

b. 1916 in Franklin, TN (grew up in Athens, AL) – d. 7 Mar 1963 (auto accident)
country/gospel singer
instrument: rhythm guitar
founding member of Johnnie and Jack (1938- ), "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), "(Oh, Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely" (#1c 1954), "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" (#3c 1954), "Dynamite Kisses" (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)
Johnnie and Jack duet with Ruby Wells, "I Want to Be Loved" (#13c 1956)
founding member of The Anglin Brothers (1933- ), "They Are All Going Home But One" (1937), "You Give Me Your Love (and I'll Give You Mine)" (1937)
session rhythm guitarist on Kitty Wells' "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels" (#1c 1952)
songwriter, co-wrote the Desert Rose Band's "Ashes of Love" (#26c 1987)
served in the Army during WWII
md. to Louise Wright; brother-in-law of Johnnie Wright
killed in an auto accident while on the way to Patsy Cline's memorial service

Richard Brooks

b. 1940 in Chattanooga, TN
doo-wop/soul/R&B singer
founding member of The Impressions (1957-64), "For Your Precious Love" (#11 1958), "Come Back, My Love" (1958), "Meanwhile, Back in My Heart" (1959), "Say That You Love Me" (1959), "Gypsy Woman" (#20 1961), "Sad, Sad Girl and Boy" (1963), "It's All Right" (#4 1963), "Keep on Pushing" (#10 1964), "I Made a Mistake" (1964), "Amen" (#7 1964), "Talking about My Baby" (#12 1964), "You Must Believe Me" (#15 1964), "Long, Long Winter" (1964)
songwriter
brother of Arthur Brooks

Terry Fell

b. 1921 in Dora, AL
country/rockabilly singer
instruments: guitar, mandolin, bass
"He's in Love With You" (1955), "What Am I Worth?" (1955), "That's Something I Like" (1955), "Consolation Prize" (1956), "Play the Music Louder" (1956), "Child Bride" (1958), "Paper Kite" (1958), "Y'all Be Good Now" (1960), "If I Could Learn to Love You Less" (1964)
founding member of Terry Fell and the Fellers, "I've Done All I Know to Do" (1947), "Don't Drop it" (#4c 1954, he wrote), "Get Aboard My Wagon" (1955)
songwriter, co-wrote Bobby Edwards' "You're the Reason" (#11, #4c 1961)
served in the Army

Carolyn Franklin (Carolyn Ann Franklin)

b. 1944 in Memphis, TN – d. 25 Apr 1988 in Bloomfield Hills, MI (cancer)
soul singer
"It's True I'm Gonna Miss You" (1969), "You Really Didn't Mean it" (1970), "Chain Reaction" (1970), "As Long As You're There" (1972), "You Are Everything" (1973), "Can't Help Feeling So Blue" (1976)
recorded as Candy Carroll, "When I Fall in Love" (1964)
backup singer for Aretha Franklin
songwriter, wrote Aretha Franklin's "Angel" (#20 1973)
younger sister of singer, Aretha Franklin

Little Joey Hall

b. 1939 in Philadelphia, PA - d. Sep 1972 (insulin shock)
R&B/doo-wop singer
founding member and lead of Little Joey and the Flips, "Bongo Stomp" (#33 1962, One-Hit Wonder), "Hot Rod" (1962), "It Was Like Heaven" (1962), "Mystery of the Night" (1962), "Fool, Fool, Fool" (1964), "Beachcomber" (1964)

Marlon Hargis

b. 1949 in Somerset, KY
country/rock singer
instrument: keyboards
with Exile (1978-84), "Kiss You All Over" (#1 1978), "You Thrill Me" (#40 1979), "The High Cost of Leaving" (#27c 1983), "Woke up in Love" (#1c 1984), "I Don't Want to Be a Memory" (#1c 1984), "Give Me One More Chance" (#1c 1984)

Fred Hellerman

b. 1927 in Brooklyn, NY
folk singer (baritone)
instrument: guitar
"Sixteen Tons" (1957), "When I Lost You" (2005), "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier" (2005)
recorded as Bob Hill, "Pity the Downtrodden Landlord" (1950)
founding member of The Weavers (1947-52, 1957-64, and reunions), "Hush, Little Baby" (1951), "Easy Rider Blues" (1951), "It's Almost Day" (1951), "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" (#19 1951), "Wimoweh" (#14 1952), "Quilting Bee" (1952), "Erie Canal" (1959), State of Arkansas" (1959), "Every Night When the Sun Goes Down" (1960), "Seven Blessings of Mary" (1960), "I Ride an Old Paint" (1960), "Because All Men Are Brothers" (1963), "Come Away, Melinda" (1963)
The Weavers and Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra, "Goodnight, Irene" (#1 1950)
The Weavers and Terry Gilkyson, "Across the Wide Missouri" (1951), "On Top of Old Smokey" (#2 1951)
session musician for Joan Baez, Judy Collins, The Chad Mitchell Trio, and others
songwriter, co-wrote Don Williams' "I'm Just a Country Boy" (#1c 1977)
served in the Coast Guard during WWII
see The Weavers

Ray Kennedy

b. 1954 in Buffalo, NY
country singer
instrument: guitar
"All the Love I Need" (1990), "Doin' Life Without You" (1990), "What a Way to Go" (#10c 1990, he co-wrote), "Scars" (#58c 1991, he co-wrote), "I Like the Way it Feels" (#74c 1991), "No Way, Jose" (#70c 1992), "All She Ever Wants is More" (1992), "Complicated" (1992)
session musician
songwriter
music producer; arranger

Danny Kirwan (Daniel David Kirwan)

b. 1950 in South London, England
rock singer
instruments: guitar, banjo, vox organ
"Odds and Ends" (1975), "Second Chapter" (1975), "Misty River" (1977), "Windy Autumn Day" (1977)
with Fleetwood Mac (1968-72), "Jigsaw Puzzle Blues" (1968), "No Place to Go" (1969), "Oh, Well" (#55 1969), "Rattlesnake Shake" (1969)
his drinking and emotional problems eventually led him to being homeless

Nervous Norvus (Jimmy Drake)

b. 1912 in Memphis, TN (grew up in Oakwood, CA) – d. 24 Jul 1968 in CA (cirrhosis of the liver)
novelty singer
instruments: guitar, piano
"There's Gonna Be a Wedding" (1955, he co-wrote), "Transfusion" (#8 1956, he wrote), "Dig" (1956, he wrote), "Ape Call" (#24 1956, he wrote), "Wild Dog of Kentucky" (1956), "I Like Girls" (1959)
recorded as Jimmy Drake, "Let's Face the World Together" (1962), "My Crazy Heart" (1957), "You Are My Inspiration" (1957), "His Last Letter" (1962)
songwriter
truck driver
he had asthma

Frank Smith (John Smith)

b. 1938/39 in Newark, NJ - d. 26 Nov 2000 (lung cancer)
doo-wop/rock singer (bass)
founding member of The Monotones (1955-62, and reunions), "(Who Wrote) the Book of Love?" (#5 1958, One-Hit Wonder), "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1958), "Tom Foolery" (1958), "Reading the Book of Love" (1960, reply to "The Book of Love"), "Daddy's Home, But Mama's Gone" (1960, reply to "Daddy's Home"), "Book of Dance" (1962)
see The Monotones on Wikipedia

Lucille Starr (Lucille Raymonde Marie Savoie)

b. 1938 in Manitoba, Canada
country/pop singer, yodeler
"Sit Down and Write a Letter to Me (Wontcha Baby?)" (1964), "I Want a Steady Guy" (1965), "Here Come More Roses" (1965), "Crazy Arms" (1965), "Jolie Jacqueline" (1965), "Wooden Heart" (1965), "Too Far Gone" (#72c 1967), "Is it Love?" (#63c 1968), "Power in Love" (1981), "The First Time I've Ever Been in Love" (1988), "That's How Long I'll Love You" (1999), "I'm Not the Woman I Want to Be" (1999)
founding member of The Canadian Sweethearts (1956-77), "Eeny Meeny Miney Moe" (1958), "Big Kiss" (1959), "What's the Password?" (1959), "No Help Wanted" (1961), "Freight Train" (1963), "Hootenanny Express" (#45c 1964), "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" (1964), "We're Gonna Stand up on the Mountain?" (1965), "Dream Baby" (#50c 1970)
songwriter
md. to Bob Regan; md. to Mr. Cunningham

Ritchie Valens (Ricardo Steven Valenzuela)

b. 1941 in Pacoima, Ca. – d. 3 Feb 1959 near Clear Lake, IA (plane crash)
rockabilly/rock singer
instrument: guitar
"Come on, Let's Go" (#42 1958, he co-wrote), "Frames" (1958), * "La Bamba" (#22 1959), "Donna" (#2 1959, he wrote), "That's My Little Suzie" (#55 1959), "Little Girl" (#92 1959), "Stay Beside Me" (1960)
songwriter
he was left-handed but learned to play guitar right-handed because that was all he had available
killed in the same plane crash as Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper
see Ritchie Valens

Mary Wells (Mary Esther Wells)

b. 1943 in Detroit, MI – d. 26 Jul 1992 (cancer of the larynx)
soul/R&B/pop singer
"Bye Bye, Baby" (#45 1961), "I Don't Want to Take a Chance" (#33 1961), "Two Lovers" (#7 1962), "The One Who Really Loves You" (#8 1962), "You Beat Me to the Punch" (#9 1962), "Laughing Boy" (#15 1963), "What's So Easy for Two is Hard for One" (#29 1963), "You Lost the Sweetest Boy" (#22 1963), "My Guy" (#1 1964), "Use Your Head" (#34 1964), "Guarantee (for a Lifetime)" (1964), "Dear Lover" (#51 1965), "The Doctor" (#65 1968), "Mind Reader" (1969)
duets with Marvin Gaye, "Once Upon a Time" (#19 1964), "What's the Matter with You, Baby?" (#17 1964)
songwriter
md. 1st to Herman Griffin; md. 2nd to Cecil Womack

Lari White

b. 1965 in Dunedin, FL or Crystal Beach, FL
country singer
instruments: guitar, piano
"What a Woman Wants" (#44c 1993, she co-wrote), "Itty-Bitty Single Solitary Piece of My Heart" (1993), "That's My Baby" (#10c 1994, she co-wrote), "Now I Know" (#5c 1994), "That's How You Know (When You're in Love)" (#10c 1995, she co-wrote), "Ready, Willing and Able" (#20c 1996), "Stepping Stone" (#73, #16c 1998)
duet with Travis Tritt, "Helping Me Get Over You" (#18c 1997, she co-wrote)
toured with the USO 1998
songwriter
md. to Chuck Cannon (1994- )
see Lari White

Harold Winley (Jerome Winley)

b. 1933 in Washington, DC
pop/R&B singer (bass)
with The Clovers (1948- ), "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" (1950), "Don't You Know I Love You?" (#1 1951), "Here Goes a Fool" (1953), "I've Got My Eyes on You" (1954), "In the Morning Time" (1955), "Love, Love, Love" (#30 1956), * "Love Potion #9" (#23 1959), "Wrapped up in a Dream" (1961)

Johnnie Wright (Johnnie Robert Wright, Jr.)

b. 1914 in Mount Juliet, TN (grew up in Nashville, TN)
country singer
instruments: bass fiddle, guitar
"Nickels, Quarters and Dimes" (#31c 1966), "Racing Man" (1967), "Music to Cry By" (#69c 1967), "Think of Me" (1967), "Old Honky-Tonk" (1968)
backed by his band The Tennessee Mountain Boys, "Walkin', Talkin', Cryin', Barely Beatin' Broken Heart" (#22c 1964), "Don't Give up the Ship" (#37c 1965), "Hello, Vietnam" (#1c 1965), "Bright Lights and Country Music" (1965)
founding member of Johnnie and Jack (1938- ), "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), "(Oh, Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely" (#1c 1954), "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" (#3c 1954), "Dynamite Kisses" (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)
Johnnie and Jack duet with Ruby Wells, "I Want to Be Loved" (#13c 1956)
duet with Kitty Wells, "We'll Stick Together" (#54c 1968)
session bass player on Kitty Wells' "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels" (#1c 1952)
songwriter, co-wrote the Desert Rose Band's "Ashes of Love" (#26c 1987)
md. to Kitty Wells (1937- ); father of Ruby Wells and Bobby Wright; brother-in-law to Jack Anglin

Stevie Wonder (Stevland Hardaway Judkins, changed to Steveland Hardaway Morris)

b. 1950 in Saginaw, MI
R&B/soul singer
instruments: piano, keyboards, organ, drums, harmonica, bass
"Fingertips" (#1 1963), "Castles in the Sand" (1963), "Hey, Harmonica Man" (#29 1964), "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" (#3 1966), "Blowin' in the Wind" (#9 1966), * "A Place in the Sun" (#9 1966), "I Was Made to Love Her" (#2 1967), "I'm Wondering" (#12 1967), "For Once in My Life" (#2 1968), "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" (#9 1968), "Angie Girl" (1968), "My Cherie Amour" (#4 1969), * "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" (#7 1969), * "Heaven Help Us All" (#9 1970), "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" (#3 1970, he co-wrote), "If You Really Love Me" (#8 1971, he co-wrote), "Superstition" (#1 1972), "Tuesday Heartbreak" (1973), "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (#1 1973), "Higher Ground" (#4 1973), "Boogie on Reggae Woman" (#3 1974), "I Wish" (#1 1977), "Sir Duke" (#1 1977), "Send One Your Love" (#4 1979), "As if You Read My Mind" (1981), "That Girl" (#4 1982), "I Just Called to Say I Love You" (#1 1984), "Part-Time Lover" (#1 1985), "Go Home" (#10 1985), "Skeletons" (#19 1987)
recorded with Elton John and Gladys Knight, "That's What Friends are For" (#1 1985)
duet with Paul McCartney, "Ebony and Ivory" (#1 1982)
duet with The Jackson 5, "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (#1 1974)
songwriter
arranger; music producer
social activist
md. to singer, Syretta Wright (1970-72); md. to Kai Milla
he has born prematurely and became blind after too much oxygen was put in his incubator
quote by Stevie Wonder: "Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn't mean he lacks vision."
see Stevie Wonder
see A World of Wonder

May 14

Jack Bruce (John Bruce)

b. 1943 in Glasgow, Scotland
rock/blues singer
instruments: bass, guitar, cello
"Never Tell Your Mother She's Out of Tune" (1969, he wrote), "Without a Word" (1977, he co-wrote), "Ships in the Night" (1993, he co-wrote), "We're Going Wrong" (2003, he wrote)
with Manfred Mann (1965-66), "Come Tomorrow" (#50 1965), "Pretty Flamingo" (#29 1966), "The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)" (#10 1968), "Fox on the Run" (#97 1968)
founding member and bass player with Cream (1966-68), "Sunshine of Your Love" (#5 1968), "Deserted Cities of the Heart" (1968), "Born Under a Bad Sign" (1968), "Crossroads" (#28 1969)
sessionist
songwriter
see Manfred Mann on www.classicbands.com
see Cream

Gene Cornish

b. 1946 in Ottawa, Canada
soul/rock singer
instruments: guitar, bass
"I Wanna Be a Beatle" (1964), "Lonely I Will Stay" (1964), "You're Gonna Cry Someday" (1997)
with Joey Dee and the Starlighters, "Peppermint Twist" (#1 1962), "Shout" (#6 1962), "Dancing on the Beach" (1966), "She's So Exceptional" (1966)
founding member of The (Young) Rascals (1965-71), "Good Lovin'" (#1 1966), "Groovin'" (#1 1967), "How Can I Be Sure?" (#4 1967), "I've Been Lonely Too Long" (#16 1967), "A Girl Like You" (#10 1967), "Any Dance'll Do" (1968), "A Ray of Hope" (#24 1968), "People Got to Be Free" (#1 1968), "A Beautiful Morning" (#3 1968), "See" (#27 1969), "Heaven" (#39 1969), "Carry Me Back" (#26 1969)
the group dropped 'Young' from their name in 1968
founding member of Fotomaker (1978-79), "Where Have You Been All My Life?" (1978), "All There in Her Eyes" (1978), "Love Me Forever" (1979), "Fooled Again" (1979)
see The Young Rascals

Bobby Darin (Walden Robert Cassotto)

b. 1936 in Philadelphia, PA – d. 20 Dec 1973 (born with a heart defect, died after heart surgery)
pop singer
instruments: piano, guitar, drums, harmonica
"Splish Splash" (#3, #14c 1958, he co-wrote), "Queen of the Hop" (#9 1958, he wrote), "Dream Lover" (#2 1959, he wrote), "Mack the Knife" (#1 1959), "Beyond the Sea" (#6 1960), "Artificial Flowers" (#20 1960), "Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey?" (#19 1960), "Clementine" (#21 1960), "Lazy River" (#14 1961), "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" (#5 1961), "If a Man Answers" (#32 1962), "What'd I Say?" (#24 1962), "Things" (#3 1962), "Irresistible You" (#15 1962), "You're the Reason I'm Living" (#3 1963, he wrote), "Eighteen Yellow Roses" (#10 1963, he wrote), "Gyp the Cat" (1965), "The Girl Who Stood Beside Me" (1966), "If I Were a Carpenter" (#8 1966), "Lovin' You" (#32 1967)
as by The Rinky Dinks, "Early in the Morning" (#24 1958, One-Hit Wonder
songwriter
music publisher; actor
md. 1st to actress, Sandra Dee (1960-67); md. to Andrea Yeager (1973)
see Bobby Darin

Sonny Garrish

b. 1943 in Fairplay, MD
country musician, instruments: steel guitar, dobro
"Sweet Loriana" (1975), "Melody for Danette" (1975)
with Bill Anderson's band (197?-7?), "Roller Coaster Ride" (1975)
session steel guitarist on Kenny Chesney's "I Will Stand" (#27c 1998); Tracy Lawrence's "I See it Now" (#84, #2c 1994); Jo Dee Messina's "I'm Alright" (#43, #1c 1998); Gene Watson's "Between This Time and the Next Time" (#17c 1981); Keith Whitley's "Some Old Side Road" (#16c 1987); Moe Bandy's "Barroom Roses" (#45c 1985); and with Eddie Rabbitt, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Toby Keith, The Judds, Faith Hill, Clay Walker, Billy Joe Royal, Pam Tillis, and others
songwriter

Charlie Gracie (Charles Anthony Graci)

b. 1936 in Philadelphia, PA
pop/rock singer
instrument: guitar
"Butterfly" (#1 1957), "Fabulous" (1957), "Wanderin' Eyes" (1957), "Dressin' Up" (1958), "Hurry Up, Buttercup" (1959), "I'm a Fool, That's Why" (1959), "Doodlebug" (1959), "The Race" (1960), "Pretty Baby" (1962), "Count to Three" (1963), "Walk with Me, Girl" (1969)
with The Wildcats, "Wildwood Boogie" (1955), "Honey, Honey" (1955), "3625 Groovy Street" (1964)
he was 5' 4" tall

Dixie Lee Innes (Dixie Lee Stone)

b. 1946 in Calgary, Canada
pop singer
"Propinquity" (1972), "Black Paper Roses" (1972), "Friends With You" (1972), "Watch Me Fly" (1977), "Queen of Colby Kansas" (1977)
founding member of The Original Caste (1968- ), "One Tin Soldier" (#34 1969), "Mr. Monday" (#119 1970), "Nothing Can Touch Me" (#114 1970), "Leaving it All Behind" (1970), "Ain't That Tellin' You People" (#117 1970), "Come Together" (1971), "When Love is Near" (1972), "Butte, Montana" (1974)
md. to Bruce Innes (19??-80)

Will 'Dub' Jones (Will J. Jones)

b. 1928 in Shreveport, LA – d. 16 Jan 2000 in Long Beach, CA (complications of diabetes)
doo-wop/novelty/rock/gospel singer (bass)
founding member of The Cadets (1955-57, and reunions), "Annie Met Henry" (1955), "Do You Wanna Rock?" (1955), "Stranded in the Jungle" (#2 1956, One-Hit Wonder), "Love Can Do Most Anything" (1957), "Car Crash" (1960)
The Cadets also recorded as The Jacks, "This Empty Heart" (1955), "Let's Make Up" (1956), "Dream a Little Longer" (1956)
with The Coasters (1958-68, replaced Bobby Nunn), "Searchin'" (#3 1957), * "Yakety Yak" (#1 1958), * "Charlie Brown" (#2 1959), "Along Came Jones" (#9 1959), "Poison Ivy" (#7 1959), "Wake Me, Shake Me" (#51 1960), "Little Egypt (Ying-Yang)" (#23 1961)
served in the military
see The Coasters

Lek Leckenby (Derek Leckenby)

b. 1943 in Leeds, England - d. 4 Jun 1994 (cancer)
rock/pop singer
instruments: lead guitar, dobro
with Herman's Hermits (1963-72), * "I'm into Something Good" (#16 1964), "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (#1 1965), * "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" (#1 1965), * "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat?" (#2 1965), * "Silhouettes" (#5 1965), "Just a Little Bit Better" (#7 1965), * "Wonderful World" (#4 1965), "Listen People" (#3 1966), "Dandy" (#5 1966), "Leaning on a Lamp Post" (#9 1966), "A Must to Avoid" (#8 1966), "This Door Swings Both Ways" (#12 1966), "Last Bus Home" (1967), * "There's a Kind of Hush" (#4 1967), "Don't Go Out into the Rain" (#18 1967), "I Can Take or Leave Your Loving" (#22 1968), "Nobody Needs to Know" (1968), "My Sentimental Friend" (1969)
founding member of Sour Mash, "Prohibition" (2006), "Autumn Country" (2006), "Lubbock Lights" (2006) (all recorded 1972)
songwriter
see Herman's Hermits

Marilyn Maye (Marilyn Maye McLaughlin)

b. 1930 in Wichita, KS (grew up in Des Moines, IA)
jazz/pop singer
"Where Are You?" (1965), "If I Were in Your Shoes" (1965), "Step to the Rear (and Let a Winner Lead the Way)" (1967), "Popularity" (1968), "If My Friends Could See Me Now" (1968)

Randy Shaw

b. 19??
pop singer
founding member of The Clique (1964-72), "Splash 1 (Now I'm Home)" (1967), "Stay By Me" (1967), "Sugar on Sunday" (#22 1969, One-Hit Wonder), "I'll Hold Out My Hand" (#45 1969), "My Darkest Hour" (1969), "Southbound Wind" (1970)
he was backed by session musician on the hits

Troy Shondell (Gary Shelton)

b. 1939/40 in Fort Wayne, IN
country/rockabilly singer
"Goodbye, Little Darlin'" (1959), "This Time (We're Really Breaking Up)" (#6 1961, One-Hit Wonder), "Tears from an Angel" (1962), "Some People Never Learn" (1963), "No Fool Like an Old Fool" (1963), "A Rose and a Baby Ruth" (1967), "Something's Wrong in Indiana" (1969), "Still Loving You" (#95c 1979, he wrote), "(I'm Still Looking for Some) New Blue Jeans" (#79c 1988, he co-wrote)
recorded as Gary Shelton, "Don't Send Me Away" (1957), "Kissin' at the Drive-in" (1958)
songwriter

John Michael Whitby

b. 19?? in Waco, TX
western swing singer
instruments: piano, guitar
with Asleep at the Wheel (2001- ), "One Six-Pack to Go" (2003), "Amarillo by Morning" (2003), "Texas, Me and You" (2005)
session musician with Bob Childers, Kevin Fowler, and others
see Asleep at the Wheel

Foy Willing (Foy Willingham)

b. 1914/15 in Bosque County, TX - d. 24 Jun 1978 in Nashville, TN (heart attack)
country singer
instrument: guitar
founding member and leader of The Riders of the Purple Sage (1943-52, and reunions), "Texas Blues" (#3c 1944, he co-wrote), "Detour" (#6c 1946), "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" (#4c 1946), "Anytime" (#14c 1948), "Brush Those Tears From Your Eyes" (#15c 1949), "Beautiful Moon Over Texas" (1958), "No One to Cry to" (1958), "My Heart is Blind" (1958), "I Cried Myself to Sleep" (1962)
session musician with Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and others
songwriter
actor

May 15

Eddy Arnold (Richard Edward Arnold aka 'The Tennessee Plowboy')

b. 1918 near Henderson, TN
country singer, yodeler
instruments: guitar, harmonica
backed by his band The Tennessee Plowboys, "Each Minute Seems a Million Years" (#5c 1945), "That's How Much I Love You" (#2c 1946, he co-wrote), "Chained to a Memory" (#3c 1946), "It's a Sin" (#1c 1947), "What is Life Without Love?" (#1c 1947, he co-wrote), "I Couldn't Believe it Was True" (#4c 1947, he co-wrote), "I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)" (#1c 1947, he co-wrote), "Molly Darling" (#10c 1948), "Anytime" (#17, #1c 1948), "What a Fool I Was" (#2c 1948), "Texarkana Baby" (#1c 1948), "Bouquet of Roses" (#13, #1c 1948)
"Just a Little Lovin' (Will Go a Long, Long Way)" (#13, #1c 1948, he co-wrote), "A Heart Full of Love (for a Handful of Kisses)" (#1c 1948, he co-wrote), "Then I Turned and Walked Slowly Away" (#2c 1949), "You Know How Talk Gets Around" (1949), "Don't Rob Another Man's Castle" (#1 1949), "The Echo of Your Footsteps" (#2c 1949), "Bring Your Roses to Her Now" (1949), "One Kiss Too Many" (#23, #1c 1949, he co-wrote), "I'm Throwing Rice (At the Girl I Love)" (#19, #1c 1949, he co-wrote), "Sugarfoot Rag" (#1c 1950), "Take Me in Your Arms and Hold Me" (#1c 1950), "Why Should I Cry?" (#3c 1950), "Cuddle-Buggin' Baby" (#2c 1950), "A Prison Without Walls" (1950), "The Little Angel With the Dirty Face" (1950), "Kentucky Waltz" (#1c 1951), "I Wanna Play House with You" (#1c 1951), "A Million Miles From Your Heart" (1951), "Heartstrings" (#5c 1951), "There's Been a Change in Me" (#1c 1951), "Something Old, Something New" (#4c 1951, he co-wrote), "A Full-Time Job" (#1c 1952), "Easy on the Eyes" (#1c 1952, he co-wrote), * "I'd Trade All My Tomorrows (for Just One Yesterday)" (#9 1952), "Eddy's Song" (#1c 1953), "Free Home Demonstration" (#4c 1953), "I Really Don't Want to Know" (#1c 1954), "Hep-Cat Baby" (#7c 1954), "This is the Thanks I Get" (#3c 1954), "Cattle Call" (#69, #1c 1955), "That Do Make it Nice" (#1c 1955, he co-wrote), "Just Call Me Lonesome" (#2c 1955), "I Walked Alone Last Night" (#6c 1955), "I've Been Thinking" (#2c 1955), "A Good Lookin' Blonde" (1956), "You Don't Know Me" (#10c 1956, he co-wrote), "Casey Jones, the Brave Engineer" (#15c 1956), "Little Miss Sunbeam" (1957), "Before You Know it" (1958), "What's the Good (of All This Love)?" (1959), "Tennessee Stud" (#48, #5c 1959), "After Loving You" (#7c 1962), "I'll Do as Much for You Someday" (1962), "A Million Years or So" (1963), "Molly" (#5c 1964), "Make the World Go Away" (#6, #1c 1965), * "Laura Lee" (1965), "What's He Doing in My World?" (#60, #1c 1965), "I Want to Go with You" (#36, #1 1966), "The Last Word in Lonesome is Me" (#40, #2c 1966), "Long, Long Friendship" (1966), "Tip of My Fingers" (#43, #3c 1966), "Mary Claire Melvina Rebecca Jane" (1966), "Somebody Like Me" (#53, #1c 1966), "Lonely Again" (#87, #1c 1967), "Misty Blue" (#3c 1967), "Turn the World Around" (#66, #1c 1967), "Here Comes the Rain, Baby" (#74, #4c 1968), Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" (#84, #1c 1968), "Apples, Raisins and Roses" (1968), "Here Comes Heaven" (#91, #2c 1968), "Since December" (#73c 1970), "Ten Times Forevermore" (1970), "Welcome to My World" (#34c 1971), "I Wish That I Had Loved You Better" (#19c 1974), "Cowboy" (#13c 1976), "If Everyone Had Someone Like You" (#13c 1979), "Let's Get it while the Gettin's Good" (#6c 1980), "All I'm Missing is You" (#30c 1982)
with Pee Wee King's Golden West Cowboys (1940-44)
duet with LeAnn Rimes, "Cattle Call" (#18c 1999)
songwriter
actor
md. to Sally Katherine Gayhart (1941- )

Lee Emerson (Lee Emerson Bellamy)

b. 1927 in St. Paul, VA - d. 2 Dec 1978
country singer
"A Pair of Broken Hearts" (1955), "Start All Over" (1957), "I Cried Like a Baby" (1957)
duets with Marty Robbins, "I'll Know You're Gone" (1956), "How Long Will it Be?" (1956)
songwriter

Graham Goble (Graeham Goble)

b. 1947 in Adelaide, Australia
rock singer
instrument: guitar
founding member of Little River Band, (1975-90), "It's a Long Way There" (#28 1976, he wrote), "Help is on the Way" (#14 1977), "Reminiscing" (#3 1978, he wrote), "Happy Anniversary" (#16 1978), "Lady" (#10 1979, he wrote), "Cool Change" (#10 1979), "Lonesome Loser" (#6 1979), "The Night Owls" (#6 1981), "Take it Easy on Me" (#10 1981, he wrote), "Man on Your Mind" (#14 1982), "The Other Guy" (#11 1982, he wrote), "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)
songwriter
see Little River Band

Howie Johnson (Howard Johnson)

b. 1938 in Olympia, WA - d. Jan 1988
rock musician, instrument: drums
with The Ventures (1961-62), "Perfidia" (#15 1961), "Lullaby of the Leaves" (#69 1961), "Yellow Jacket" (1962)
songwriter
he left the band after being severely injured in an auto accident
see The Ventures

James Kirkland

b. 1934 in Linden, TX
rockabilly/rock/country musician, instruments: upright bass, electric bass
with Bob Luman's band (1957, 1960), "Let's Think about Living" (#7, #9c 1960), and others
with Rick Nelson's band (1958-59), "I'm in Love Again" (#67 1958), "Lonesome Town" (#7 1958), "Stood Up" (#2 1958), "Poor Little Fool" (#1 1958), "Believe What You Say" (#4 1958), "Waitin' in School" (#12 1958), "Just a Little Too Much" (#9 1959), "It's Late" (#9 1959), "Never Be Anyone Else But You" (#6 1959)
with Jim Reeves' band (1960-62), "We Could" (1960), "He'll Have to Go" (#2, #1c 1960), "I Missed Me" (#44, #3c 1960), "Am I Losing You?" (#31, #8c 1960), "I'm Gettin' Better" (#37, #3c 1960), "I Know One" (#82, #6c 1960), "The Blizzard" (#62, #4c 1961), "Adios Amigo" (#90, #2c 1962), "I'm Gonna Change Everything" (#95, #2c 1962), "Losing Your Love" (#89, #2c 1962)
session bass player with The Mamas and the Papas, The Monkees, Jodimars, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Marc Collie, Elvis Presley, and others
songwriter
welder

Trini Lopez (Trinidad Lopez, III)

b. 1937 in Dallas, TX
pop/rock/folk singer
instruments: guitar
"My Runaway Heart" (1959), "Rosalia" (1959), "Schemes" (1960), "If I Had a Hammer" (#3 1963), "Jeannie Marie" (1963), "Kansas City" (#23 1963), "Sad Tomorrows" (1964), "Lemon Tree" (#20 1965), "The 32nd of May" (1966), "Takin' the Back Roads" (1966), "I'm Comin' Home, Cindy" (#39 1966), "Sally Was a Good Old Girl" (1968), "There Was a Crooked Man" (1970)
songwriter
actor
see Trini Lopez

K.T. Oslin (Kay Toinette Oslin)

b. 1941 in Crossett, AR (grew up in Houston, TX or Mobile, AL)
country singer
instrument: piano
"Clean Your Own Tables" (#72c 1981), "80's Ladies" (#7c 1987, she wrote), "Do Ya"? (#1c 1987, she wrote), "I'll Always Come Back" (#1c 1988, she wrote), "Hold Me" (#1c 1988, she wrote), "Hey, Bobby" (#2c 1989, she wrote), "This Woman" (#5c 1989, she wrote), "Come Next Monday" (#1c 1990, she co-wrote), "Mary and Willie" (#28c 1991, she wrote)
duet with Alabama, "Face to Face" (#1c 1988)
songwriter
see the K.T. Oslin fan site

Scott Reeves

b. 1966 in Delight, AR (grew up in Los Angeles, CA)
country singer
founding member of Blue Country, "Good Little Girls" (#63, #11c 2004), "That's Cool" (#24c 2004, he co-wrote), "Sunday Driver" (2004), "Ride on" (2004), "Nothin' But Cowboy Boots" (#38c 2005), "I Get to" (#51c 2006), "Firecrackers and Ferris Wheels" (2006)
actor

Lenny Welch (Leon Welch)

b. 1938 in New York City, NY (grew up in Asbury Park, NJ)
soul/pop singer
"The Blessing of Love" (1959), "Why Do I Love You So?" (#45 1960), "It's Just Not That Easy" (1962), "The Old Cathedral" (1962), "Since I Fell for You" (#5 1963), "Ebb Tide" (#25 1964), "I'm Dreaming Again" (1965), "My Fool of a Heart" (1965), "You Can't Run Away (From Your Own True Feelings)" (1968), "Breaking up in Hard to Do" (#34 1970), "Right in the Next Room" (1973), "Eyewitness News" (1973), "The Iguana" (1974), "Minx" (1974)
see Lenny Welch

May 16

Jock Bartley

b. 1950 in Hutchinson, KS (grew up in CO)
rock singer
instrument: guitar
founding member of Firefall (1974- ), "You Are the Woman" (#9 1976), "Just Remember I Love You" (#11 1977), "Strange Way" (#11 1978), "Staying with it" (1981)
suicide prevention activist; environmentalist
artist
songwriter

Nick Forster

b. 1955 in Beirut, Lebanon
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: bass, guitar
with Hot Rize (1978- ), "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)
see Hot Rize

Woody Herman (Woodrow Charles Thomas Herman)

b. 1913 in Milwaukee, WI - d. 29 Oct 1987 in Los Angeles, CA (congestive heart failure)
blues/swing/jazz singer
instruments: alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet
leader of various 'big bands'
founding member and leader of the Band That Plays the Blues (1936-43), "Woodchoppers Ball" (1939), "Golden Wedding" (1940), "Blues in the Night" (#1 1941), "This Time the Dream's on Me" (#8 1941)
founding member and leader of The First Herd (1944-46), "Goosey Gander" (1945, he wrote), "Blowin' up a Storm" (1945, he wrote), "Wild Root" (1945), "Saturday Night is the Loneliest Night of the Week" (#15 1945)
founding member and leader of The Second Herd aka The Four Brothers Band (1947-49), "Four Brothers" (1947), "Sabre Dance" (#3 1948), "Keen and Peachy" (1947), "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues" (1949)
founding member and leader of The Third Herd (1950-56), "Calliope Blues" (1950), "Blues Upstairs" (1950), "Blues Downstairs" (1950), "Lonesome Gal" (1951), "Go Down the Wishing Road" (1952), "Cool Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1954), "The Boot" (1955)
founding member and leader of The New Thundering Herd (1959-87), "Poor Butterfly" (1963), "Light My Fire" (1969)
duet with Tito Puente, "Blue Gardenia" (1958)
duet with Mac Wiseman, "My Blue Heaven" (#69c 1979)
md. to Charlotte Neste

Redd Holt (Isaac Holt)

b. 1932 in Rosedale, MS (grew up in Chicago, IL)
jazz/R&B/pop singer
instrument: drums
with The Ramsey Lewis Trio (1954-65, 1983-), "Carmen" (1956), "Tracy Blues" (1958), "Consider the Source" (1959), "Thanks for the Memory" (1962), "Memphis in June" (1962), "Barefoot Sunday Blues" (1963), "Egg Nog" (1965), "The 'In' Crowd" (#5 1965), "Hang on, Sloopy" (#11 1965)
founding member of The Young-Holt Trio (1965-67), "Wack, Wack" (#10 1966)
founding member of Young-Holt Unlimited (1968-74), "Soulful Strut" (#3 1969), "Got to Get My Baby Back Home" (1970)
founding member of Redd Holt Unlimited (1974- )
songwriter
served in the Army

Kripp Johnson (Corinthian Johnson)

b. 1933 – d. 22 Jun 1990 (prostate cancer)
doo-wop/rock singer (tenor)
founding member and lead of The Del-Vikings (1956-57, 58- ), "Come Go with Me" (#4 1957), "Bring Back Your Heart" (1961) (not on "Cool Shake")
performed with his own group called The Dell-Vikings (late 1957), "Whispering Bells" (#9 1957)
served in the Air Force

Ted Kowalski

b. 1931 in Ontario, Canada
pop singer (tenor)
founding member of The Diamonds (1953-58), "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" (#12 1956), "The Church Bells May Ring" (#14 1956), "Little Darlin'" (#2 1957), "Words of Love" (#13 1957), "Silhouettes" (#10 1957), "The Stroll" (#4 1958), "Kathy-O" (#16 1958), "Walking Along" (#29 1958)
electrical engineer

Barbara Lee (Barbara Lee Jones)

b. 1944/47 in New York, NY - d. 15 May 1992
pop/rock singer
founding member of The Chiffons (1960-72, and reunions), "Tonight's the Night" (#76 1960), * "He's So Fine" (#1 1963), * "One Fine Day" (#5 1963), "A Love So Fine" (1963), "I Have a Boyfriend" (#36 1963), "Why Am I So Shy?" (1963), "I'm Gonna Dry My Eyes" (1963), "Easy to Love (So Hard to Get)" (1964), "Sailor Boy" (1964), "Nobody Knows What's Going on (in My Mind But Me)" (1965), "Tonight I'm Gonna Dream" (1965), "Did You Ever Go Steady?" (1966), "Sweet-Talkin' Guy" (#10 1966), "Three Dips of Ice Cream" (1969)
The Chiffons also recorded as The Four Pennies, "My Block" (#67 1963), "When the Boy's Happy (the Girl's Happy Too)" (#95 1963)
see The Chiffons

Laura Lee Owens

b. 1920 in Bridgeport, OK - d. 25 Jan 1989 (cancer)
western swing singer
with The Texas Playboys (1943-1944, 1950, and reunions), "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), "Ida Red (Likes the Boogie)" (#10c 1950), "Faded Love" (#8c 1950)
founding member of the Prairie Pioneers (1938- )
with Ernest Tubb's band (1971-77)
daughter of songwriter, Tex Owens; neice of Texas Ruby Owens
md. 1st to guitar player, Herb Kratoska (1939); md. 2nd to guitar player, Camerson Hill (194?-45); md. 3rd to bandleader, Dickie McBride (1946-71, his death)

Allan Riddle

b. 1929 in Spartanburg, SC (grew up in Greenville, SC)
country/rockabilly singer
instrument: guitar
"The Moon is Crying" (#16c 1960)
DJ
served in the Army (1948-49)

Joe Saraceno

b. 1937
pop/rock singer
founding member of Tony and Joe, "The Freeze" (#33 1958, One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "Gonna Get a Little Kissin' Tonight" (1958)
songwriter, co-wrote The Marketts' "Surfer's Stomp" (#31 1962)
music producer

Rick Trevino (Ricardo Trevino, Jr.)

b. 1971 in Austin, TX
country singer
instruments: keyboards, rhythm guitar, clarinet
"She Can't Say I Didn't Cry" (#3c 1994), "Doctor Time" (#5c 1995), "Bobbie Ann Mason" (#6c 1995), "Learning As You Go" (#2c 1996), "Running Out of Reasons to Run" (#1c 1997), "I Only Get This Way with You" (#7c 1997), "In My Dreams" (#41c 2003, he co-wrote)
duets with Jay Perez, "She Can't Say I Didn't Cry" (2001), "Nobody Told My Heart" (2001)
songwriter
md. to Karla Blank (1996- )
see Rick Trevino

May 17

Penny DeHaven (Charlotte DeHaven)

b. 1948 in Winchester, VA
country singer
"Big City Men" (1968), "Mama Lou" (#34c 1969), "Down in the Boondocks" (#37c 1969), "Don't Change on Me" (#42c 1971), "The First Love" (#46c 1971), "Bayou Lullaby" (1982)
recorded as Penny Starr, "A Grain of Salt" (#69c 1967), "A Thing of Pleasure" (1967)
duet with Boxcar Willie, "We Made Memories" (#77c 1982)
duet with Buddy Cagle, "Kid Games and Nursery Rhymes" (1968)
duets with Del Reeves, "Landmark Tavern" (#20c 1970), "Crying in the Rain" (#54c 1971)
duets with Porter Wagoner, "Someone I Used to Know" (2002), "40 Miles from Poplar Bluff" (2002), "The Last Thing on My Mind" (2002)
actress

Pat Flynn

b. 1952 in Los Angeles, CA
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo
"Sundown" (2004), "In the Middle of the Night" (2004)
with New Grass Revival (1981-89), "You're the Best Friend That I Know" (1984), "Where Do I Go from Here?" (1984), "Ain't That Peculiar?" (#53c 1986), "Unconditional Love" (#44c 1987), "Hold on to a Dream" (1987), "One-Way Street" (1987), "Can't Stop Now" (#45c 1988), "Callin' Baton Rouge" (#37c 1989)
session guitarist on Lee Anne Womack's "I Hope You Dance" (#1c 2000); and with Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, and others
songwriter
music producer
see New Grass Revival on Wikipedia
see Pat Flynn

Malcolm Hale

b. 1941 in Butte, MT - d. 30/31 Oct 1968 in Chicago, IL (carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty heater)
folk/rock singer
instruments: lead guitar, trombone
founding member of Spanky and Our Gang (1965-69), "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" (#9 1967), "Making Every Minute Count" (#22 1967), "Lazy Day" (#14 1967), "Sunday Mornin' in the Spring" (#30 1968), "Like to Get to Know You" (#17 1968), "Give a Damn" (#43 1968), "Three Ways from Tomorrow" (1968), "Without Rhyme or Reason" (1969), "And She's Mine" (1969)
see Spanky and Our Gang

Cousin Herb Henson (Herbert Lester Henson)

b. 1925 in East St. Louis, IL - d. 26 Nov 1963
country/hillbilly/rock singer
instrument: piano
"I Wrote My Heart a Letter" (1953), "Tattle-Tale Moon" (1953), "I've Never Heard" (1954), "How Come Y'all Come?" (1954), "When You Give a Rose to a Redhead" (1954)
DJ; comedian

Pervis Jackson

b. 1938 in New Orleans, LA
R&B/pop singer (bass)
founding member of The Spinners (1957- ), "That's What Girls Are Made For" (#27 1961), "Heebie Jeebies" (1961), "I'll Always Love You" (#35 1965), "Truly Yours" (1966), "In My Diary" (1969), "It's a Shame" (#14 1970), "I'll Be Around (Whenever You Want Me)" (#3 1972), "Could it Be I'm Falling in Love?" (#4 1972), "One of a Kind (Love Affair)" (#11 1973), "I'm Coming Home" (#18 1974), "They Just Can't Stop it (Games People Play)" (#5 1975), "The Rubberband Man" (#2 1976), "I'm Tired of Giving" (1977), "Working My Way Back to You"/"Forgive Me Girl" (medley) (#2 1979), "Heavy on the Sunshine" (1980), "Cupid" (#4 1980)
The Spinners and Dionne Warwicke, "Then Came You" (#1 1974)

Keith (James Barry Keefer)

b. 1949 in Philadelphia, PA
pop singer
"Ain't Gonna Lie" (#39 1966), "Tell Me to My Face" (#37 1967), "98.6" (#7 1967), "Daylight Savin' Time" (1967)
with Keith and the Admirations, "Caravan of Lonely Men" (1966)
session musician
legally changed his name to Bazza Keefer in 1988
see Keith

Sonny Knight (Joseph Coleman Smith)

b. 1934 in Maywood, IL - d. 25 Oct (maybe 5 Sep) 1998 in Maui, HI
R&B singer
instrument: piano
"But Officer" (1953), "Lonesome Shadows" (1953), "Confidential" (#17 1956, One-Hit Wonder), "End of a Dream" (1957), "A Short Walk" (1957), "She Had Me Reelin'" (1961), "Those Oldies But Goodies Are Dedicated to You" (1961), "Could We Be Falling in Love?" (1963), "If You Want This Love" (1964), "I Just Called to Say Hello" (1964)
session musician with Sandy Nelson, and others
author

Bobby Sheen (Robert Joseph Sheen)

b. 1941, St. Louis, MO (grew up in CA) - d. 23 Nov 2000 in Los Angeles, CA (pneumonia)
pop singer
"How Many Nights (How Many Days)?" (1962), "I Want You for My Sweetheart" (1965)
with The Robins (1958-61), "Live-Wire Suzie" (1960), "Mary Lou Does the Hoochie Koo" (1961)
founding member of Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, "Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah" (#8 1962), "Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Hearts?" (#38 1963), "Not Too Young to Get Married" (1963), "Annette" (1963)
backup singer with The Crystals, The Blossoms, and others
songwriter

Red Smiley (Arthur Lee Smiley, Jr.)

b. 1925 in Asheville, NC - d. 2 Jan 1972 (complications of diabetes)
country/bluegrass musician, instrument: guitar
founding member of The Tennessee Cut-Ups (1951-64, 1971-84), "I'm Using My Bible for a Road Map" (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 The Bluegrass Cut-Ups (1965-70)
comedian

Jesse Winchester (James Ridout Winchester)

b. 1944 in Bossier City, LA (grew up in Memphis, TN)
country/folk/rock singer
instruments: guitar, keyboards
"Brand New Tennessee Waltz" (1970, he wrote), "Yankee Lady" (1970, he wrote), "Silly Heart" (1972, he wrote), "North Star" (1972, he wrote), "How Far to the Horizon?" (1974, he wrote), "Defying Gravity" (1974, he wrote), "Nothing But a Breeze" (1977, he wrote), "Seems Like Only Yesterday" (1977), "Wintery Feeling" (1978, he wrote), "I Love You No End" (1981, he wrote), "I Want to Mean Something to You" (1988, he wrote)
songwriter, wrote Michael Martin Murphey's "I'm Gonna Miss You, Girl" (#3c 1988)
moved to Canada in 1967 rather than go to Vietnam

May 18

Leon Ashley (Leon Walton)

b. 1936 in Covington, GA
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Teenage Angel" (1961), "Longest Walk" (1961), "It's Alright, Baby" (1962), "You Gave Me Reason to Love" (1964), * "Laura, What's He Got That I Ain't Got?" (#1c 1967, he co-wrote), "Anna, I'm Taking You Home" (#26c 1968, he co-wrote), "Mental Journey" (#14c 1968, he co-wrote), "Flower of Love" (#8c 1968, he co-wrote), "While Your Lover Sleeps" (#25c 1969, he co-wrote), "Walkin' Back to Birmingham" (#23c 1969, he co-wrote), "Ain't Gonna Worry" (#55c 1969, he co-wrote), "Ease Up" (1972)
duets with Margie Singleton, "How Can We Divide These Little Hearts?" (1967), "Hangin' on" (#54c 1967), "You'll Never Be Lonely Again" (#55c 1968, he co-wrote), "Happy Loving You" (1970)
songwriter
md. to Margie Singleton (1967- )

Joe 'Cat' Bonsall (Joseph Sloan Bonsall)

b. 1948 in Philadelphia, PA
country/gospel singer (tenor)
instrument: piano
with The Oak Ridge Boys (1973- , replaced Willie Wynn), "Family Reunion" (#83c 1976), "Ya'll Come Back Saloon" (#3c 1977), "Emmylou" (1977), "You're the One" (#2c 1977), "I'll Be True to You" (#1 1978), "Cryin' Again" (#3c 1978), "Come on in" (#3c 1978), "Sail Away" (#2c 1979), "Tryin' to Love Two Women" (#1c 1980), "Heart of Mine" (#105, #3c 1980), "Beautiful You" (#3c 1980), "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight" (#1c 1980), "Elvira" (#5, #1c 1981, CMA single of the year 1981), "Fancy Free" (#104 #1c 1981), "I Wish You Could Have Turned My Head (and Left My Heart Alone)" (#2c 1982), "Bobbie Sue" (#12, #1c 1982), "Thank God for Kids" (#3c 1982), "American Made" (#72, #1c 1983), "Love Song" (#1c 1983), "I Guess it Never Hurts to Hurt Sometime" (#1c 1983), "Every Day" (#1c 1984), "Make My Life with You" (#1c 1984), "Little Things" (#1c 1985), "Touch a Hand (Make a Friend)" (#1c 1985), "You Made a Rock Out of a Rolling Stone" (#24c 1986), "It Takes a Little Rain (To Make Love Grow) (#1C 1987), "This Crazy Love" (#1c 1987), "Whatever it Takes" (#1c 1987), "Bridges and Walls" (#10c 1988), "Gonna Take a Lot of River" (#1c 1988), "No Matter How High" (#1c 1989), * "Baby on Board" (#44c 1991), "Lucky Moon" (#6c 1991), "Love This Cat" (1991)
The Carter Family and the Oak Ridge Boys, "Praise the Lord and Pass the Soup" (#57c 1973)
the Oak Ridge Boys sang backup on Paul Simon's "Slip Slidin' Away" (#5 1978)
duet with Sawyer Brown, "Out Goin' Cattin'" (#11c 1986)
children's book author
see The Oak Ridge Boys

Joe Cavender

b. 1944 in Seattle, WA
pop musician, instrument: drums
with The Original Caste (1970- , replaced Peter Brown), "Mr. Monday" (#119 1970), "Nothing Can Touch Me" (#114 1970), "Leaving it All Behind" (1970), "Ain't That Tellin' You People" (#117 1970), "Come Together" (1971), "When Love is Near" (1972), "Butte, Montana" (1974)

Perry Como (Pierino Roland Como)

b. 1912 in Canonsburg, PA – d. 12 May 2001 in Jupiter, FL
pop/swing singer
"Till the End of Time" (#1 1945), "Prisoner of Love" (#1 1946), "Surrender" (#1 1946), "Chi-Baba Chi-Baba" (#1 1947), "If We Can't Be the Same Old Sweethearts, We'll Just Be the Same Old Friends" (1948), "Far Away Places" (1949), "Two Little, New Little, Blue Little Eyes" (1949), "'A' You're Adorable" (#1 1949), "Forever and Ever" (#2 1949), "When is Sometime?" (1949), "Some Enchanted Evening" (#1 1949), "Hoop-Dee-Doo" (#1 1950), "Patricia" (#7 1950), "If" (#1 1951), "Tulips and Heather" (1952), "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" (#1 1953), "No Other Love" (#1 1953), "Say You're Mine Again" (#3 1953), "Wild Horses" (#6 1953), "Act of Contrition" (1953), "Wanted" (#1 1954), * "The Things I Didn't Do" (#27 1954), "There Never Was a Night So Beautiful" (1954), "The Rose Tattoo" (1955), "Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity)" (#1 1956), "Jukebox Baby" (1956), "Dream Along With Me" (1956), "Glendora" (#8 1956), "Round and Round" (#1 1957), "Ivy Rose" (1957), "The Girl With the Golden Braids" (1957), "Mandolins in the Moonlight" (1958), "Catch a Falling Star" (#1 1958), "Kiss Me and Kiss Me and Kiss Me" (1959), "Delaware" (#22 1960), "Caterina" (#23 1962), "Dream on, Little Dreamer" (#25 1965), "The Father of Girls" (1968), "Sunshine Wine" (1969), "It's Impossible" (#10 1971), "And I Love You So" (#29 1973), "Just Out of Reach" (#100c 1976)
duets with Eddie Fisher, "Maybe" (#3 1952), "Watermelon Weather" (1952)
duets with The Fontane Sisters, "I Wanna Go Home (With You)" (1949), "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo" (#14 1950), "If Wishes Were Kisses" (1951), "Kissing Bridge" (1953)
actor
md. to Roselle Belline (1933-98, her death)

Rodney Dillard (Rodney Adean Dillard)

b. 1942 in East St. Louis, IL or Salem, MO
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: guitar, dobro
"Dixieland" (1991), "The Last Thing on My Mind" (1991)
founding member of The Dillards (1962-80), "Somebody Touched Me" (1963), "Rainin' Here This Mornin'" (1963), "Polly Vaughn" (1964), "Biggest Whatever" (1968), "West Montana Hanna" (1970), "Hot Rod Banjo" (1973), "Headed for the Country" (1979)
founding member of The Ozark Mountain Boys (1956-59)
brother of Doug Dillard
see The Dillards

Mike Elliott

b. 1940 in Chicago, IL - d. 14 Sep 2005 in St. Paul, MN (heart failure)
jazz/country musician, instrument: guitar
"Sarah Jane" (1974), "Theme for Carla" (1974), "Maybe September" (1977), "City Traffic" (1977), "Dearly Beloved" (1977), "There'll Be Other Times" (2001), "Round Midnight" (2001)
founding member of Natural Life (197?- )
session musician with Clark Terry, Joe Diffie, Les Paul, Chubby Checker, Trisha Yearwood, Brenda Lee, Johnny Cash, and others
songwriter
music producer; sound engineer
he was a member of Mensa

Johnny Fortune (Johnny Stephen Sudetta)

b. 1943 in Warren, OH - d. 8 Jan 2006 in Rialto, CA
rock/country singer
instruments: guitar, bass
"Alone and Cryin'" (1960), "Gee, But I Miss You" (1960), "Dragster" (1963), "Soul Surfer" (#1 1963, he wrote), "I'm Lonely for You" (1965), "Stay One More Day" (1966)
with The Johnny Fortune Band
session guitarist on Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang" (#2 1960); Terry Stafford's "Amarillo by Morning" (#31c 1974); and with Barbara Mandrell, Willie Nelson, Ricky Nelson, and others
songwriter

Albert Hammond

b. 1942 in London, England
pop singer
instrument: guitar
"It Never Rains in Southern California" (#5 1972), "Down by the River" (1972), "The Road to Understanding" (1973), "The Peacemaker" (1973), "Tangled up in Tears" (1977), "Moonlight Lady" (1977), "Your World and My World" (1980), "Somewhere in America" (1982)
with Magic Lanterns (1971), "One-Night Stand" (#74 1971)
songwriter, wrote Leapy Lee's "Little Arrows" (#16, #11c 1968), The Pipkins' "Gimme Dat Ding" (#9 1970), The Hollies' "The Air That I Breathe" (#6 1974)
co-wrote Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (#1 1987); Chicago's "I Don't Want to Live Without Your Love" (#3 1988)

Omar Martinez

b. 1949 in Cuba (can to the USA at age thirteen)
rock/gospel singer
instruments: drums
"Morning Star" (2002), "Lost and Found" (2002), "Man of Sorrow" (2002)
with Paul Revere and the Raiders (1972-2006), "Country Wine" (1972), "Ain't Nothin' Wrong" (1976)
session musician with K.C. and the Sunshine Band, and others
see Paul Revere and the Raiders'

Gary Paxton (Gary Sanford Paxton)

b. 19?? in Coffeyville, KS (grew up in Mesa, AZ) - d. July 17, 2016
pop/rock/country/gospel singer
instrument: guitar
"How to Be a Fool (in Six Easy Lessons)" (1963), "Your Past is Back Again" (1964), "Too Far Gone (to Care What You Do to Me)" (#85c 1976, he co-wrote), "The Race Drivers Song" (1980)
founding member of The Hollywood Argyles, "Alley-oop" (#1 1960, One-Hit Wonder), "Gun-Totin' Critter Called Jack" (1960), "Long Hair, Unsquare Dude Called Jack" (1965)
founding member of Skip and Flip, "It Was I" (#14 1959, he wrote), "Lunch Hour" (1959), "Fancy Nancy" (1959), "Cherry Pie" (#11 1960, he wrote), "One More Drink for Julie" (1962)
songwriter, wrote Don Gibson's "Woman, Sensuous Woman" (#1c 1972); Roy Clark's "Honeymoon Feelin'" (#1c 1974); co-wrote Don Gibson's "One Day at a Time" (#8c 1974)
music producer
md. to Vickie Sue Roberts

Gary Scruggs

b. 1949 in Knoxville, TN
country/bluegrass musician, instruments: bass, harmonica
with The 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)
son of Earl Scruggs; md. to singer, Gail Davies

George Strait (aka 'King George')

b. 1952 in Poteet, TX (grew up in Pearsall, TX)
country/western swing/honky-tonk singer
instruments: guitar, piano
"Unwound" (#6c 1981), "If You're Thinking You Want a Stranger (There's One Coming Home)" (#3c 1982), "Fool-Hearted Memories" (#1 1982), "I Can't See Texas From Here" (1982), "Amarillo by Morning" (#4c 1983), * "A Fire I Can't Put Out" (#1c 1983), * "You Look So Good in Love" (#1c 1983), "Right or Wrong" (#1c 1984), "Let's Fall to Pieces Together" (#1c 1984), "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind?" (#1c 1984), "The Fireman" (#5c 1985), "Blue is Not a Word" (1985), "The Chair" (#1c 1985), "Nobody in His Right Mind Would've Left Her" (#1c 1986), "It Ain't Cool to Be Crazy about You" (#1c 1986), "Ocean-Front Property" (#1c 1987), "All My Ex's Live in Texas" (#1c 1987), "Am I Blue?" (#1c 1987), "Second Chances" (1987), "Famous Last Words of a Fool" (#1c 1988), "Baby Blue" (#1c 1988), * "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" (#1c 1988), "Baby's Gotten Good at Goodbye" (#1c 1989), "Ace in the Hole" (#1c 1989), "What's Gone on in Your World?" (#1c 1989), "Love Without End, Amen" (#1c 1990), "I've Come to Expect it from You" (#1c 1990), * "The Chill of an Early Fall" (#3c 1991), "Her Only Bad Habit is Me" (1991), * "If I Know Me" (#1c 1991), * "I've Convinced Everybody But Me" (1991), * "You Know Me Better Than That" (#1c 1991), * "I Cross My Heart" (#1c 1992), "Overnight Male" (#70c 1992), "Gone As a Girl Can Get" (#5c 1992), "Heartland" (#1c 1993), "Easy Come, Easy Go" (#71, #1c 1993), "I'd Like to Have That One Back" (#3c 1994), "The Big One" (#1c 1994), "You Can't Make a Heart Love Somebody" (#1c 1994), "Adalida" (#3c 1995), * "Check Yes or No" (#1c 1995, CMA single of the year 1996), * "Blue Clear Sky" (#1c 1996), * "Carried Away" (#1c 1996), "I Can Still Make Cheyenne" (#4c 1996), * "She Knows When You're on My Mind" (1996), * "I'd Just As Soon Go" (1996), * "No One Like You" (1996), * "One Night at a Time" (#59, #1c 1997), * "Carrying Your Love with Me" (#1c 1997), "Today My World Slipped away" (#3c 1997), "Round about Way" (#1c 1998), * "I Just Want to Dance with You" (#61, #1c 1998), "True" (#2c 1998), * "We Really Shouldn't Be Doing This" (#44, #4c 1998), * "Write This Down" (#27, #1c 1999), * "What Do You Say to That?" (#45, #4c 1999), * "Meanwhile" (#38, #4c 1999), "The Best Day" (#31, #1c 2000), "Go on" (#40, #2c 2000), * "Don't Make Me Come Over There and Love You" (#17c 2000), "Don't Tell Me You're Not in Love" (2001), "Run" (#34, #2c 2001), "If You Can Do Anything Else" (#51, #5c 2001), "She'll Leave You with a Smile" (#23, #1c 2002), "Living and Living Well" (#27, #1c 2002), "Tell Me Something Bad about Tulsa" (#69, #11c 2003), "Cowboys Like Us" (#38, #2c 2003), "I Hate Everything" (#35, #1c 2004), "Desperately" (#44, #6c 2004), "Honk if You Honky-Tonk" (#45c 2004), "You'll Be There" (#27, #1c 2005), * "She Let Herself Go" (#54, #1c 2005), "Give it Away" (#58, #1c 2006), "It Just Comes Natural" (#58, #1c 2007), "Wrapped" (#76, #2c 2007), "I Saw God Today" (CMA single of the year 2008)
duet with Alan Jackson, "Murder on Music Row" (#38c 2000)
songwriter
actor
md. to Norma Voss (1971- )
served in the Army (1971-75)
see George Strait

Tommy Tucker (Gerald L. Duppler)

b. 1903 in Souris, ND - d. 11 Jul 1989 in Sarasota, FL (heart failure)
pop musician, instrument: trombone
founding member of Tommy Tucker and His Orchestra, "There I Go" (#10 1940), "Seven Beers With the Wrong Woman" (1940), "You Walk By" (#7 1941), "The Hummingbird" (1942), "I Love You (Oh, How I Love You)" (1943, he wrote), "Rocky Mountain Lullaby" (1946)
songwriter
md. to Virgina 'Dare' Miller (1941-89, his death)
see Tommy Tucker on the Big Band Library

Big Joe Turner (Joseph Vernon Turner, Jr.)

b. 1911 in Kansas City, MO - d. 24 Nov 1985 in Inglewood, CA (heart attack)
blues/swing/jazz singer
"Corrina, Corrina" (#41 1941), "Story to Tell" (1950), "Chains of Love" (#30 1951), "Honey, Hush" (#23 1953), "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (#7 1954), "Flip, Flop and Fly" (1955, he co-wrote), "Wee Baby Blues" (1956), "Sweet Sue" (1960), "I Walk a Lonely Mile" (1964), "The Things I Used to Do" (1977)
duet with Pete Johnson, "Cherry Red" (1939)
songwriter
see Big Joe Turner on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum

Bill Wallace

b. 1949 in Winnipeg, Canada
rock/blues singer
instrument: bass
with The Guess Who (1972-74, 1981, 2000-03), "Heartbroken Bopper" (#47 1972), "Guns, Guns, Guns" (1972), "Follow Your Daughter Home" (#61 1973), "Clap for the Wolfman" (#6 1974), "Star Baby" (#39 1974), "Dancin' Fool" (#28 1975)
songwriter, co-wrote The Guess Who's "Hand-Me-Down World" (#17 1970)
see The Guess Who on Wikipedia

Steve Walmsley

b. 1949 in Oxford, OH
folk/rock/pop musician, instrument: bass
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)
session musician

Little David Wilkins

b. 1946 in Parsons, TN
country/rockabilly singer
instruments: piano, piano
"Love in the Back Seat" (#63c 1973, he wrote), "To My One and Only" (1973), "She Cries Like a Baby" (1974), "Whoever Turned You On, Forgot to Turn You Off" (#14c 1975, he co-wrote), "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" (#11c 1975, he co-wrote), "The Goodnight Special" (#18c 1976, he co-wrote), "He'll Play the Music (But You Can't Make Him Dance)" (#21c 1977, he co-wrote), "Agree to Disagree" (#21c 1977), "Boogie Woogie Man" (2005), "Lady in Distress" (2005), "Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired" (2005), "It Took a Stranger to Change Her" (2006)
duet with Johnny Russell, "Butterbeans" (1987), "You Can't Go Back" (2005)
songwriter, wrote Brenda Lee's "Coming on Strong" (#11 1966); Billy 'Crash' Craddock's "Afraid I'll Want to Love Her (One More Time)" (#22c 1972); Conway Twitty's "Georgia Keeps Pulling on My Ring" (#3c 1977)

Kai Winding (Kai Chresten Winding)

b. 1922 in Denmark (grew up in NY) - d. 6 May 1983 in NY (brain tumor)
jazz/pop musician, instrument: trombone
"More" (#8 1963, One-Hit Wonder), "The Lonely One" (1963), "The Ice Cream Man" (1963), "The Sidewinder" (1966)
with Kai's Krazy Kats
with the Stan Kenton Orchestra (1946-47), "Artistry in Rhythm" (1946), "Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy" (1946)
with The Giants of Jazz (1971-72)
duet with J.J. Johnson, "Out of This World" (1959)
sessionist with Alvino Rey, Miles Davis, Benny Goodman, and others
songwriter
served in the Coast Guard 1943-45

May 19

Rex Gosdin

b. 1938 in Woodland, AL - d. 23 May 1983 (heart attack)
bluegrass/country/rock singer
instrument guitar
"We're Making Up for Lost Time" (#94c 1979, he co-wrote), "Lovin' You is Music to My Mind" (#92c 1980, he co-wrote), "That Old-Time Feelin'" (#90c 1983, he co-wrote)
founding member of The Gosdin Brothers (1961-73), "To Ramona" (1966), "Hangin' on" (#37c 1967), "She Still Wishes I Were You" (1968)
duet with Tommy Jennings, "Just Give Me What You Think is Fair" (#51c 1980)
songwriter
brother of Vern Gosdin

Jerry Hyman

b. 1947 in Brooklyn, NY
rock singer
instrument: trombone
with Blood Sweat and Tears (1968-71), "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)
session musician
chiropractor
Bell's Palsey caused him to stop playing professionally
see Blood, Sweat and Tears

Stephen A. Love

b. 1950 in Crawfordville, IN
country/rock singer
instrument: bass guitar
with New Riders of the Purple Sage (1976-78, replaced Skip Battin), "(Just) Another Night in Reno" (1977, he wrote), "Till I Met You" (1977, he wrote), "Green Eyes a Flashing" (1977, he wrote)
with Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band (1970-73), "Garden Party" (#6 1972)
songwriter
music producer
see New Riders of the Purple Sage

Bliss Mackie

b. 1943 in Calgary, Canada
pop singer
instrument: acoustic guitar
founding member of The Original Caste (1968- ), "One Tin Soldier" (#34 1969), "Mr. Monday" (#119 1970), "Nothing Can Touch Me" (#114 1970), "Leaving it All Behind" (1970), "Ain't That Tellin' You People" (#117 1970), "Come Together" (1971), "When Love is Near" (1972), "Butte, Montana" (1974)

Mickey Newbury (Milton Sim Newbury, Jr.)

b. 1940 in Houston, TX – d. 29 Sep 2002 in Vida, OR (pulmonary fibrosis)
country/folk singer
instrument: guitar
"(It May Not Take) Too Much" (1966), "Leavin' Makes the Rain Come Down" (1967), "Dreaming in the Rain" (1967), "Organized Noise" (1968), "Weeping Annaleah" (1968), "American Trilogy" (#26 1971, he wrote), "Mobile Blue" (1972), "Sunshine" (#87, #53c 1973), "Heaven Help the Child" (1973, he wrote), "Song for Susan" (1973), "Love Look" (1974), "You Only Live Once (in a While)" (1974), "When Do We Stop Starting Over?" (1975), "If You Ever Get to Houston" (1975), "Hand Me Another One of Those" (#94c 1977), "Looking for the Sunshine" (#82c 1979), "Nights When I am Sane" (1994), "Shades of '63" (1996), "Amen for Old Friends" (2000)
songwriter, wrote Jerry Lee Lewis' "She Even Woke Me up to Say Goodbye" (#2c 1969); Don Gibson's "Funny, Familiar, Forgotten Feelings" (#8c 1967); Willie Nelson's "Sweet Memories" (#4c 1979); The First Edition's "Just Dropped in (to See What Condition My Condition is in)" (#5 1971); Eddy Arnold's "Here Comes the Rain, Baby" (#1c 1968); Carl Smith's "How I Love Them Old Songs" (#20c 1970); Tompall and the Glaser Brothers' "I Still Love You (After All These Years)" (#28c 1982); Kin Vassey's "Makes Me Wonder if I Ever Said Goodbye" (#67c 1980); Johnny Darrell's "Why You Been Gone So Long?" (#17c 1969)
served in the Army (1959-62)
see Mickey Newbury

Pete Townshend (Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend)

b. 1945 in London, England
rock singer
instruments: guitar, bass, drums, piano, violin, mandolin, banjo
"Forever's No Time at All" (1972), "Let My Love Open the Door" (#9 1980, he wrote), "A Little is Enough" (1980, he wrote), "Cat's in the Cupboard" (1980, he wrote), "North Country Girl" (1982, he wrote), "Second-Hand Love" (1985, he wrote), "Crashing by Design" (1985, he wrote), "Fast Food" (1989, he wrote)
founding member and lead guitarist of The Who (1964-83, reunions), "My Generation" (#74 1965), "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" (1965), "The Ox" (1965), "Boris the Spider" (1966), "La-La-La-Lies" (1966), "Happy Jack" (#24 1967), "Pictures of Lily" (1967), "I Can See for Miles" (#9 1967), "Magic Bus" (#25 1968), "I'm Free" (#37 1969), "Pinball Wizard" (#19 1969), "See Me, Feel Me" (#12 1970), "Won't Get Fooled Again" (#15 1971), "Join Together" (#17 1972), "Squeeze Box" (#16 1975), "Who Are You?" (#14 1978), "You Better You Bet" (#18 1981), "Athena" (#28 1982)
The Who performed at Woodstock
duets with Ronnie Lane, "Nowhere to Run" (1977), "Catmelody" (1977), "A Heart to Hang Onto" (1977, he wrote)
songwriter
humanitarian
md. to Karen Astley (1967-2000)
he now has hearing loss and tinnitus from exposure to loud music

Chip Young (Jerry Marvin Stembridge)

b. 1938 in Atlanta, GA
country singer
instruments: rhythm guitar, steel guitar
"There's a Great Day Coming" (1959), "Just as You Are" (1959)
duet with Jerry Reed, "Thumbin' a Ride" (2000)
duet with Grady Martin, "I'll See You in My Dreams" (2000)
duet with Jimmy Capps, "Thumbs Up" (2000)
session musician on Deryl Dodd's "That's How I Got to Memphis" (#36c 1996); and with Joe Ely, Bobby Bare, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Moe Bandy, Waylon Jennings, Ray Stevens, Gary Stewart, Keith Whitley, Vern Gosdin, and others

May 20

Vic Ames (Victor Urick)

b. 1925 in Malden, MA – d. 23 Jan 1978 in Nashville, TN (auto accident)
pop singer
founding member of The Ames Brothers, "Can Anyone Explain? (No No No)" (#5 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

Cher (Cherilyn Sarkesian LaPierre)

b. 1946 in El Centro, CA
pop singer
"Where Do You Go?" (#25 1965), "All I Really Want to Do" (#15 1965), "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (#2 1966), "You Better Sit Down Kids" (#9 1967), "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" (#1 1971), "Living in a House Divided" (#22 1972), "The Way of Love" (#7 1972), "Half-Breed" (#1 1973), "Dark Lady" (#1 1974), "Take Me Home" (#8 1979), "It's Too Late to Love Me Now" (#87c 1979), "Just Like Jesse James" (#8 1989), "If I Could Turn Back Time" (#3 1989), "Love and Understanding" (#17 1991), "Save up All Your Tears" (#37 1992), "Believe" (#1 1998, first #1 hit by a female artist over 50)
founding member of Sonny and Cher (1964-74), "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)
duet with Peter Cetera, "After All" (#6 1989)
backup singer on The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (#1 1965)
songwriter
actress; author
humanitarian
md. to singer, Sonny Bono (1963-75); md. 2nd to Gregg Allman (1975-77)
she dropped out of high school and only later was her dyslexia diagnosed
she has recently had some of her numerous tattoos removed
see Sonny and Cher on www.classicbands.com

Joe Cocker (John Robert Cocker)

b. 1944 in Sheffield, England - d. 2014
rock/blues/folk singer
instruments: piano
"I'll Cry Instead" (1965), "With a Little Help from My Friends" (1968), "Sandpaper Cadillac" (1969, he co-wrote), "Delta Lady" (1969), "Cry Me a River" (#11 1970), "Midnight Rider" (#27 1972), "You Are So Beautiful" (#5 1975), "Ruby Lee" (1982), "So Good, So Right" (1982), "Edge of a Dream" (1984), "Living Without Your Love" (1986), "Two Wrongs" (1987), "Just to Keep From Drowning" (1989), "When the Night Comes" (#11 1990), "Highway Highway" (1994), "Have a Little Faith in Me" (1994), "I Keep Forgettin'" (2004)
duet with Leon Russell, "The Letter" (#7 1970)
duet with Jennifer Warnes, "Up Where We Belong" (#1 1982)
bandleader
songwriter
see Joe Cocker

Sue Cowsill (Susan Claire Cowsill)

b. 1959 in Newport, RI
pop/rock/country singer
"It Might As Well Rain Until September" (1976), "The Next Time That I See You" (1977), "I Know You Know" (2004), "Just Believe it" (2004)
with The Cowsills (1967-71, and reunions), "We Can Fly" (#21 1967), "In Need of a Friend" (#54 1968), "Poor Baby" (#44 1968), "Hair" (#2 1969)
The Cowsills were the inspiration for the television series The Partridge Family
with Dwight Twilley's band (1983-96), "Girls" (1984)
with The Continental Drifters (1994-2001), "I Can't Let Go" (1995), "Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway" (1997), "I Want to Learn to Waltz with You" (1999), "Spring Day in Ohio" (1999)
with The Psycho Sisters, "Timberline" (1994), "This Painting" (1994)
with Double Date
with Giant Sand (1993-94)
backup singer on Steve Wynn's "Tuesday" (1992); and with Nanci Griffith, Carlene Carter and others
md. to Peter Holsapple (1992-2001); md. to drummer, Russ Broussard (2003- )
see The Cowsills

Jill Jackson

b. 1942 in McCamey, TX
rock/rockabilly singer
"Pixie Girl" (1964)
Paula of Paul and Paula (1962-65), "Hey Paula" (#1 1963), "Young Lovers" (#6 1963), "First Quarrel" (#27 1964)
songwriter
see Paul and Paula on Classic Bands

Shorty Long (Frederick Earl Long)

b. 1940 in Birmingham, AL - d. 29 Jun 1969 in MI (boating accident)
soul/R&B/rock/country singer
instruments: piano, organ, trumpet, harmonica, drums
"A Bottle and a Blonde" (1950), "Waltz of Colorado" (1950), "Calm, Cool, and Collected" (1950), "Just Like Two Drops of Water" (1951), "Crying Steel Guitar Waltz" (1953), "Luscious" (1956), "Burnt Toast and Black Coffee" (1956), "Hey, Doll Baby" (1956), "Little White Horse" (1957), "Devil with the Blue Dress" (1964, he co-wrote), "Wind it Up" (1964), "It's a Crying Shame" (1964), "Here Comes the Judge" (#8 1968, One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "I Had a Dream" (1969)
session musician with Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, and others
songwriter
music producer
Stevie Wonder played harmonica at Shorty's burial

Jane Wiedlin (Jane Marie Genevieve Wiedlin)

b. 1958 in Oconomowoc, WI
pop/rock singer
instrument: guitar
"One Hundred Years of Solitude" (1985, she wrote), "Rush Hour" (#9 1988, One-Hit Wonder, she co-wrote), "Inside a Dream" (1988, she co-wrote), "Tangled" (1990, she co-wrote), "Icicle" (2000, she co-wrote), "The Good Wife" (2000)
founding member of The Go-Gos (1980-84, and reunions), "Our Lips Are Sealed" (#20 1981, she co-wrote), "We Got the Beat" (#2 1981), "Vacation" (#8 1982, she co-wrote), "The Way You Dance" (1982, she co-wrote), "Head Over Heels" (#11 1984)
songwriter
actress
animal rights activist

May 21

Marcie Blane (Marcia Blank)

b. 1944 in Brooklyn, NY
pop singer
instruments: piano, guitar, flute, violin
"Bobby's Girl" (#3 1962, One-Hit Wonder), "What Does a Girl Do?" (#82 1963), "Little Miss Fool" (1963), "Bobby Did" (1964), "The Hurtin' Kind" (1965), "She'll Break the String" (1965)
see Marcie Blane

Vincent Crane (Vincent Rodney Cheesman)

b. 1943 in England – d. 14 Feb 1989 (suicide by overdose of sleeping pills)
R&B musician, instruments: organ, piano
founding member of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (1967-69), "Fire" (1968, One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote)
founding member of Atomic Rooster (1969-73, 1980-84), "Tomorrow Night" (1971), "Devil's Answer" (1971)
with Katmandu (1983)
session musician
songwriter
he suffered from a manic-depressive disorder

Dennis Day (Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty)

b. 1916 in New York City, NY - d. 22 Jun 1988 in Los Angeles, CA (Lou Gehrig's disease)
pop singer
"My Wild Irish Rose" (1947), "My Nellie's Blue Eyes" (1947), "Bless This House" (1949), "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" (1949), "Back to Donegal" (1949), "Hand-Holdin' Music" (1949), "The Horse Told Me" (1950), "Christmas in Killarney" (1950), "A Shawl of Galway Grey" (1950), "Galway Bay" (1950), "The Laundromat Song" (1950), "There's an 'X' in the Middle of Texas" (1950), "St. Patrick's Day Parade" (1951), "Mary Rose" (1951), "A Trinket of Shiny Gold" (1951), "Sweet, Sweet Pauline" (1951), "My Sweetheart, Mamie" (1953)
actor; comedian
served in the Navy (1944-46)
md. to Peggy Almquist (1948-88, his death)
see Dennis Day on Wikipedia

Ronnie Isley (Ronald Isley)

b. 1941 in Cincinnati, OH
R&B/rock/soul/doo-wop singer
founding member and lead of The Isley Brothers (1954- ), "Teach Me How to Shimmy" (1961), "Standing on the Dance Floor" (1961), "Twistin' with Linda" (1962), "Twist and Shout" (#17 1962), "Move on Over and Let Me Dance" (1965), "Wild as a Tiger" (1965), "This Old Heart of Mine (is Weak for You)" (#12 1966), "Behind a Painted Smile" (1968), "I Turned You on" (#23 1969), "It's Your Thing" (#2 1969), "Love the One You're With" (#18 1971), "That Lady" (#6 1973), "Fight the Power" (#4 1975), "For the Love of You" (#23 1975), "Take Me to the Next Phase" (1978), "I Wanna Be with You" (1979), "Don't Say Goodnight (it's Time for Love)" (#39 1980), "Contagious" (#19 2001)
The Isley Brothers and R. Kelly, "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" (#4 1996)
duet with Patti LaBelle, "Gotta Go Solo" (2004)
duet with Rod Stewart, "This Old Heart of Mine" (#10 1990)
songwriter
actor
md. to singer/songwriter, Angela Winbush (1993-2001); md. to singer, Kandy Johnson
see The Isley Brothers

Luise King (Luise Driggs)

b. 1914 in Payson, UT - 4 Aug 1997 in Sandy, UT (cancer)
swing/jazz/pop singer
founding member of The Driggs Sisters (1931-34)
founding member of The King Sisters (1935- ), "Half Moon on the Hudson" (1938)
The King Sisters backed by The Alvino Rey Orchestra, "The Sailor with the Navy Blue Eyes" (1940), "Where the Mountains Meet the Moon" (1941), "It's Love, Love, Love" (#4 1944)
The King Sisters backed by The Buddy Cole Orchestra, "Divorce Me C.O.D." (#5c 1946)
actress
md. to guitarist/band leader Alvino Rey (1937-97, her death)
see The King Sisters

Bobby Gene McNelly

b. 1950 in Columbus, OH - d. 7 Jan 1987 (shot his fiancee and then himself)
country/rock/bluegrass singer
instruments: acoustic guitar
lead singer with McGuffey Lane (1974-85), "Long Time Lovin' You" (1980), "People Like You" (1980), "Let Me Take You to the Rodeo" (1980), "Start it All Over" (1981), "Outlaw Rider" (1981), "It Comes from the Heart" (1981), "Making a Living's Been Killing Me" (#44c 1982), "Doing it Right" (#62c 1983), "Let the Hard Times Roll" (1983), "Day by Day" (#44c 1984, he co-wrote), "Lorianne" (1984), "The First Time" (#63c 1984, he co-wrote)
songwriter

Leo Sayer (Gerard Hugh Sayer)

b. 1948 in Sussex, England
pop singer
instruments: guitar, harmonica
"Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)" (#9 1975), "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (#1 1976), "When I Need You" (#1 1977), "How Much Love?" (#17 1977), "Thunder in My Heart" (#38 1977), "Easy to Love" (#36c 1977), "Raining in My Heart" (#47, #63c 1978), "More Than I Can Say" (#2 1980), "Living in a Fantasy" (#23 1981)
songwriter, co-wrote Roger Daltrey's "Giving it All Away" (#83 1973)
see Leo Sayer

Tony Sheridan (Andrew Esmond Sheridan McGinnity)

b. 1940 in Norfolk, England
rock singer
instrument: guitar, electric guitar, violin
"Skinny Minny" (1962), "I Know Baby" (1962, he wrote), "If She'd Have Stayed" (1975)
with The Big Six, "Hey! Baba Re-Bop" (1965), "Skinny Minnie" (1966)
duets with The Beatles, "Ain't She Sweet?" (1962), "Sweet Georgia Brown" (1962), "Nobody's Child" (1962), "My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean)" (#26 1964)
songwriter
he performed for troops in Vietnam

Hilton Valentine (Hilton Stewart Paterson Valentine)

b. 1943 in England
rock musician, instrument: guitar
It's All in Your Head" (1969, he wrote), "Is There Anything But Love?" (1969)
founding member of Skiffledog, "Looking to the Sun" (2004), "Probably 3rd Street" (2004)
with The Wildcats
founding member of The Animals (1962-66, 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), "Don't Bring Me Down" (#12 1966), "The Night" (#48 1983)
songwriter

May 22

Rich 'Dude' Alves

b. 1953 in Pleasanton, CA
country/rock musician, instrument: guitar
founding member of Pirates of the Mississippi (1987-96, 2000- ), "Honky-Tonk Blues" (#26c 1990), "Feed Jake" (#15c 1990), "This Ain't the Denver I Remember" (1991), "Till I'm Holding You Again" (#22c 1992), "Dream You" (#68c 1993), "The Biggest Broken Heart in Tennessee" (1995), "Weakness for the Weekend" (1995)
session musician

Kenny Ball (Kenneth Daniel Ball)

b. 1930 in Essex, England
jazz singer
instrument: trumpet
founding member and lead of Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen (1958- ), "Midnight in Moscow" (#2 1962) One-Hit Wonder), "Seven Golden Daffodils" (1964), "When I'm Sixty-Four" (1967), "Wild Daffodil" (1968)
session musician
songwriter

Al Brown (Alfonso Brown)

b. 1934 in Fairmont, WV
jazz/R&B/rockabilly singer
instrument: tenor sax
founding member and lead of Al Brown's Tunetoppers, "The Madison" (#23 1960, One-Hit Wonder, he wrote), "It's True 'Bout Love" (1960)
Al Brown's Tunetoppers backing The Storey Sisters, "Bad Motorcycle" (#45 1958)
songwriter
brother of Donald and Charles Brown; no relation to Cookie Brown

Lee Dresser

b. 1941 in Washington, DC (grew up in Moberly, MO)
country singer
instruments: guitar, harmonica
"You're All the Woman I'll Ever Need" (#78c 1978, he wrote), "A Beautiful Song (for a Beautiful Lady)" (#86c 1978, he wrote), "The Hero" (#77c 1983, he wrote)
founding member of The Krazy Kats (1957-60, and reunions), "Wiggly Little Mama" (1959), "Thinkin' 'Bout Your Love" (1960), "Your Lovin' Way" (1964)
session musician with Merle Haggard, the Oak Ridge Boys, and others
songwriter
served in the Army

Doug Gray

b. 1948 in Spartansburg, SC
country/rock singer
instrument: percussions
founding member and lead singer of The Marshall Tucker Band (1973- ), "Take the Highway" (1973), "Southern Woman" (1973), "Blue Ridge Mountain Sky" (1974), "Where a Country Boy Belongs" (1974), "Fire on the Mountain" (#38 1975), "Holdin' on to You" (1976), "Searchin' for a Rainbow" (#82c 1976), "Long Hard Ride" (#63c 1976), "Heard it in a Love Song" (#14, #51c 1977), "Desert Skies" (1977), "Never Trust a Stranger" (1977), "Asking Too Much of You" (1978), "Last of the Singing Cowboys" (#42 1979), "Melody Ann" (1979), "Running Like the Wind" (1979), "It Takes Time" (#79 1980), "Silverado" (#60 1981), "Any Way the Wind Blows Rider" (1982), "Even a Fool Would Let Go" (1982), "Reachin' for a Little Bit More" (1982), "A Place I've Never Been" (#52c 1983), "When the Love Begins to Fade" (1983), "Good Ole Hurtin' Song" (1983), "Hangin' Out in Smokey Places" (#44c 1987), "Dancin' Shoes" (1988), "Stay in the Country" (1990), "Chase the Memory" (1990), "And the Hills" (1990), "Country Road" (1990), "Why Can't You Love Me?" (1990), "Destruction" (1990), "Love Will" (1990), "Driving You Out of My Mind" (#68c 1992), "Full Moon Rising" (1992), "Two Hearts Fallen" (1992, he co-wrote), "Walk Outside the Lines" (#71c 1993), "Daddy's Eyes" (1993), "The First to Say Goodbye" (1993), "If That isn't Love" (1993, he co-wrote), "Lost in Time" (1993), "I Like Good Music" (1997), "Love I Gave to You" (1998), "Long Goodbye" (1998), "Ways of a Woman" (1998), "Southern Belle" (1998), "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" (1999), "His Eye is on the Sparrow" (1999), "Down This Road Before" (2004), "Angel (With a Honky-Tonk Heart)" (2004)
with The New Generation, "She's a Soldier Boy" (1968), "Because of Love it's All Over" (1968, he co-wrote)
songwriter
see The Marshall Tucker Band

Jackie Landry

b. 1940/41 in NY - d. 23 Dec 1997 (breast cancer)
pop/doo-wop singer
founding member of The Chantels (1957-70, and reunions), "He's Gone" (#71 1957), "Maybe" (#15 1958), "Every Night (I Pray)" (#39 1958), "I Love You So" (#42 1958), "Look in My Eyes" (#14 1961), "Well, I Told You" (#29 1961, reply to Ray Charles' "Hit the Road, Jack"), "There's Our Song Again" (1961), "Eternally" (#77 1963), "Some Tears Fall Dry" (1963), "There's No Forgetting You" (1965)
court stenographer
md. to Mr. Jackson

Calvin Simon

b. 1942 in Beckley, WV
doo-wop/soul/gospel singer
"Share the News" (2004, he co-wrote), "Been Down This Road Before" (2004, he co-wrote), "Every Time I See Your Face" (2004, he co-wrote)
founding member of The Parliaments, "You're Cute" (1962), "That Was My Girl" (1966), "I Can Feel the Ice Melting" (1967), "Look at What I Almost Missed" (1968), "A New Day Begins" (1969) (he was not on "(I Wanna) Testify")
with Funkadelic
songwriter

Ian Underwood

b. 1939 in NY
rock musician, instruments: sax, flute, piano, keyboards
with The Mothers of Invention (1968-74, and reunions), "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), "Tuna Fish Promenade" (1971), "Dental Hygeine Dilemma" (1971), "Magdalena" (1972, about abuse), "Excentrifugal Forz" (1974)
session musician with Frank, Zappa, Quincy Jones, Barry Manilow, and others
md. to musician, Ruth Komanoff
see The Mothers of Invention on Wikipedia

Dana Williams

b. 1961 in Dayton, OH (grew up in Nashville, TN)
country/rock singer
instrument: bass
founding member of Diamond Rio (1989- ), "Meet in the Middle" (#1c 1991), "Mirror, Mirror" (#3c 1991), "Norma Jean Riley" (#2c 1992), "Nowhere Bound" (#7c 1992), "In a Week or Two" (#2c 1992), "Oh Me, Oh My, Sweet Baby" (#5c 1993), "Love a Little Stronger" (#2c 1994), "Finish What We Started" (#19c 1994), "Walkin' Away" (#2c 1996), "That's What I Get for Lovin' You" (#4c 1996), "Holdin'" (#4c 1996), "How Your Love Makes Me Feel" (#1c 1997), "Imagine That" (#4c 1997), * "Unbelievable" (#36, #2c 1998), "You're Gone" (#4c 1998), "Two-Pump Texaco" (1998), * "One More Day with You" (#29, #1c 2001), * "I Believe" (#31, #1c 2002), "Beautiful Mess" (#28, #1c 2002), "Wrinkles" (#16c 2003), "We All Fall Down" (#45c 2004), "Can't You Tell?" (#43c 2005), "God Only Cries" (#30c 2006)
see Diamond Rio

May 23

Buddy Alan (Alvis Alan Owens)

b. 1948 in Mesa, AZ (grew up in Bakersfield, CA)
country singer
instrument: guitar
"When I Turn Twenty-One" (#54c 1968), "Lodi" (#23c 1969), "Santo Domingo" (#57c 1970), "Lookin' Out My Back Door" (#37c 1971), "Magic Moon" (1972), "All-Around Cowboy of 1964" (#67c 1974, he co-wrote), "I Never Had it So Good" (#70c 1974), "Chains" (#35c 1975), "Another Saturday Night" (#88c 1975)
duet with Buck Owens, "Let the World Keep on a Turnin'" (#7c 1968)
duet with Don Rich, "Cowboy Convention" (#19c 1970)
songwriter
son of Buck and Bonnie Owens; step-son of Merle Haggard

Rayburn Anthony

b. 1937 in Humboldt, TN
country/rockabilly singer
instruments: rhythm guitar, bass
"There's No Tomorrow" (1960), "Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet?" (1960), "There'll Be Many Tomorrows (Before I Forget Yesterday)" (1967), "Lonely Eyes" (#39c 1977), "Maybe I Should Have Been Listenin' (When She Said Goodbye)" (#31c 1978), "Shadows of Love" (#28c 1979), "What Do You Need With Another Man?" (1980), "Cheatin' Fire" (1980), "I May Never Get Too Old for Blue Jeans" (1993), "My Baby's Car Crazy" (2005, he wrote), "What's She Doing in My Heart?" (2005), "Somebody Hurt Her Bad" (2005), "Absolutely Positively Gone" (2005), "Long-Legged Lucy" (2005)
duet with Kitty Wells, "The Wild Side of Life" (#60c 1979)
songwriter

Harry Boyle (Harold James Boyle)

b. 1943 in Brooklyn, NY
R&B singer
instrument: guitar
founding member of The Echoes (1960- ), "Baby Blue" (#12 1961, One-Hit Wonder), "Boomerang" (1961), "Sad Eyes" (#88 1961), "Bluebirds Over the Mountain" (1962), "I Love Candy" (1965)
backup singer on Bob Oliver's "Are You My Angel?" (2002), and others

Rosemary Clooney

b. 1928 in Maysville, KY – d. 29 Jun 2002 in Beverly Hills, CA (lung cancer)
pop/jazz singer
"Come on-a My House" (#1 1951), "Beautiful Brown Eyes" (#11 1951), "Botch-a-me" (#2 1952), "Tenderly" (#17 1952), "Half As Much" (#1 1952), "You'll Never Know" (#18 1953), "Hey There" (#1 1954), "Mambo Italiano" (1954), "This Ole House" (#1 1954), * "Swing Me" (1959), "What Takes My Fancy" (1960)
duet with Trudy Stevens, "Sisters" (1954)
duet with Guy Mitchell, "You're Just in Love" (#29 1951)
backed by The Benny Goodman Sextet, "Memories of You" (#20 1956)
actress
md. to Jose Ferrer (1953-61, 1964-67); md. to Dante PiPaolo (1997- )
aunt of George Clooney; mother-in-law of Debby Boone
see The Rosemary Clooney Palladium

Arthur Gunter

b. 1926 in Nashville, TN – d. 16 Mar 1976 in Port Huron, MI (pneumonia)
blues singer
instrument: guitar
"Baby, Let's Play House" (1954, he wrote), "Blues after Hours" (1954, he wrote), "She's All Mine" (1955), "Love Has Got Me" (1956), "Ludella" (1957), "You're Always on My Mind" (1957), "Crazy Me" (1958), "I Want Her Back" (1959), "Little Blue Jeans Woman" (1960, he wrote), "My Heart's Always Lonesome" (1961), "Workin' for My Baby" (1969), "Don't Leave Me Now" (1971)
with The Gunther Brothers Quartet
songwriter

Jewel (Jewel Kilcher)

b. 1974 in Payson, UT (grew up in Homer, AK)
pop/rock/folk/country singer, yodeler
instrument: guitar
"Who Will Save Your Soul?" (#11 1995), "You Were Meant for Me" (#2c 1997), "Foolish Games" (#2 1997), "Hands" (#6 1998), "Standing Still" (#25 2001), "Intuition" (#20 2003)
duet with Merle Haggard, "That's the Way Love Goes" (#56c 1999)
songwriter
actress; poet
humanitarian

Brian McComas

b. 1972 in Bethesda, MD (grew up near Harrison, AK)
country singer
"Night Disappear with You" (#41c 2001), "I Could Never Love You Enough" (#46c 2002), "99.9% Sure (I've Never Been Here Before)" (#57, #10c 2003), "You'd Have Never Said Goodbye" (2003), "You're in My Head" (#21c 2004), "The Middle of Nowhere" (#43c 2005), "That Won't Ever Change" (2006), "Let Love Lead the Way" (2006)
songwriter

Misty Morgan (Jacqueline Hyde)

b. 1945 in Buffalo, NY (grew up in OH)
country/rock/novelty singer
instruments: piano, organ, keyboards
duets with Jack Blanchard, "Big Black Bird (Spirit of My Love)" (#59c 1969), "Tennessee Birdwalk" (#23, #1c 1970), "Humphrey the Camel" (#78, #5c 1970), "You've Got Your Troubles (I've Got Mine)" (#27c 1970), "There Must Be More to Life (Than Growing Old)" (#25c 1971), "Somewhere in Virginia in the Rain" (#15c 1972), "Second Tuesday in December" (#60c 1972), "The Legendary Chicken Fairy" (#38c 1972), "Fire Hydrant No. 79" (#46c 1972), "Just One More Song" (#23c 1974), "Something on Your Mind" (#53c 1974)
songwriter
arranger, music producer
md. to Jack Blanchard (1967)
see Jack and Misty

Helen O'Connell

b. 1920 in Lima, OH - d. 9 Sep 1993 in San Diego, CA (liver cancer from hepatitis C)
pop singer
"The Moon Must Have Followed Me Home" (1955), "Far Away From Everybody" (1955), "No More Tears to Cry" (1957)
with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (1939-43), "Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)" (#1 1941), "Green Eyes" (#1 1941), "Embraceable You" (#23 1941), "When the Sun Comes Out" (1941), "Tangerine" (#1 1941)
dancer; actress
md. 4th to composer, Frank De Vol

Judy Rodman (Judy Mae Robbins)

b. 1951 in Riverside, CA (grew up in FL)
country/pop singer
instruments: piano, guitar
"I've Been Had by Love Before" (#40c 1985), "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" (#33c 1985), "I Sure Need Your Lovin'" (#30c 1985, she co-wrote), "Until I Met You" (#1c 1986), "She Thinks That She'll Marry" (#9c 1987, she co-wrote), "Then She'll Marry" (1986), "Girls Ride Horses, Too" (#7c 1987), "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" (#5c 1987), "I Want a Love Like That" (#18c 1988)
backup singer for Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, Ray Charles, and others
songwriter, wrote LeAnn Rimes "One-Way Ticket (Because I Can)" (#1c 1996); Tammy Wynette and Wynonna Judd's "A Girl Thang" (#67c 1994)
md. to drummer, John Rodman (1980- )
see Judy Rodman

Artie Shaw (Arthur Jacob Arshawsky)

b. 1910 in New York, NY (grew up in New Haven, CT) - d. 30 Dec 2004 in Thousand Oaks, CA (complications of diabetes)
swing/jazz musician, instrument: clarinet
founding member of the Artie Shaw Band (193?-54, 1981- ), "Any Old Time" (1938), "Back Bay Shuffle" (1938), "Frenesi" (#1 1940), "Stardust" (#2 1941), "Dancing in the Dark" (#9 1941)
founding member of The Gramercy Five
session musician
songwriter
author
served in the Navy during WWII
he was an expert marksman - fourth in the U.S. in 1962
md. 1st to Jane Cairns (1932); md. 2nd to Margaret Allen (1934-37); md. 3rd to actress, Lana Turner (1940); md. 4th to Betty Kern (1941-43); md. 5th to actress, Ava Gardner (1945-46); md. 6th to author, Kathleen Winsor (1946-48); md. 7th to Doris Dowling (1952-56); md. 8th to Evelyn Keyes (1957-85)

Jack Sigler, Jr.

b. 1950 in Tampa, FL
rock/pop/country singer
instruments: guitar, mandolin, bass, keyboards
founding member of Mercy, "Love (Can Make You Happy)" (#2 1969, One-Hit Wonder, he wrote), "Fireball" (1969), "Forever" (#79 1969), "Hello, Baby" (1969, he wrote)
songwriter

Tommy Sosebee

b. 1923 in Greenville, SC
country singer
instrument: guitar
"Columbus, Georgia" (1950), "Old Kentucky Waltz" (1950), "God Walks These Hills With Me" (1950), "Wedding Blossoms" (1951), "New Year Bells" (1951), "She's My Easter Lily" (1951), "You Can't Erase My Memory" (1951), "If You Don't Believe I'm Leaving" (1951), "Many Miles" (1952), "Anywhere, Anyplace, Anytime" (1952), "All-Nite Boogie" (1952), "Til I Waltz Again With You" (#7c 1953), "The Barber Shop Boogie" (1954), "Sittin' in the Backseat of Your Heart" (1955)
session musician with Pee Wee King, and others

Shelly West

b. 1958 in Cleveland, OH (grew up in Nashville, TN)
country/pop singer
instrument: guitar
* "Jose Cuervo" (#1c 1983), "Flight 309 to Tennessee" (#4c 1983), "Another Motel Memory" (#10c 1983), "Somebody Buy This Cowgirl a Beer" (#34c 1984), "Now There's You" (#21c 1985), "I'll Dance the Two-Step" (#64c 1985), "Don't Make Me Wait on the Moon" (#46c 1985), "Love Don't Come Any Better Than This" (#55c 1986)
duets with David Frizzell, "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" (#1c 1981), "A Texas Stated of Mind" (#9c 1981), "Another Honky-Tonk Night on Broadway" (#8c 1982), "I Just Came Here to Dance" (#4c 1982)
songwriter
md. to Alan Frizzell (1977-83); md. to Gary Hood
daughter of singer, Dottie West and steel guitarist, Bill West
see Shelly West on Wikipedia

Mac Wiseman (Malcolm B. Wiseman)

b. 1925 near Cremora, VA
country/bluegrass/folk singer
instruments: guitar, bass, banjo
"Are You Coming Back to Me?" (1951), "I Still Write Your Name in the Sand" (1952), "Georgia Waltz" (1952), "Six More Miles" (1953), "Let Me Borrow Your Heart Just for Tonight" (1953), "I Haven't Got the Right to Love You" (1954), "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" (#10c 1955), "I Hear You Knockin'" (1955), "I'm Waiting for Ships That Never Come in" (1956), "A Promise of Things to Come" (1958), "Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy" (#5c 1959, he co-wrote), "Your Best Friend and Me" (#12c 1963), "White Silver Sands" (1966), "(If I Had) Johnny's Cash and Charley's Pride" (#38c 1969), "Eight More Miles to Louisville" (1973)
with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys (1949), "When You Are Lonely" (#12c 1949), "Heavy Traffic Ahead" (1949), "Along about Daybreak" (1949)
with Flatts and Scruggs (1948)
duet with Lester Flatt, "Bluebirds are Singing for Me" (1971, he wrote)
session musician with Buddy Starcher, and others
songwriter
he limps from having polio as a child
see The Blue Grass Boys

May 24

Rosanne Cash

b. 1955/56 in Memphis, TN (grew up in CA)
country/rock/folk/blues singer
"Couldn't Do Nothing Right" (#15c 1980), "Seven-Year Ache" (#22, #1c 1981, she wrote), "My Baby Thinks He's a Train" (#1 1981), "Blue Moon with Heartache" (#104, #1c 1982, she wrote), "Ain't No Money" (#4c 1982), "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me" (#1c 1985, she co-wrote), "Never Be You" (#1c 1985), "Hold on" (#5c 1986, she wrote), "Second to No One" (#5c 1986, she wrote), "The Way We Make a Broken Heart" (#1c 1987), "Tennessee Flat-Top Box" (#1c 1987), "If You Change Your Mind" (#1c 1988, she co-wrote), "Runaway Train" (#1c 1988), "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" (#1c 1989), "Black and White" (#37c 1989), "What We Really Want" (#39c 1990, she wrote), "The Wheel" (1993), "Bells and Roses" (1996)
duet with Rodney Crowell, "It's Such a Small World" (#1 1988)
duet with Bobby Bare, "No Memories Hangin' Around" (#17c 1979)
duet with John Hiatt and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, "One Step Over the Line" (#63c 1990)
songwriter
author
daughter of Johnny Cash and Vivian Liberto
md. to Rodney Crowell (1979-92), md. to John Leventhal (1995- )
see Rosanne Cash

Tommy Chong (Thomas B. Kin Chong)

b. 1938 in Alberta, Canada
R&B musician, instrument: guitar
founding member of Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers (1965-68), "Does Your Mama Know about Me?" (#29 1968, One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "Malinda" (#48 1968), "I am Your Man" (#85 1968)
songwriter
comedian with Cheech and Chong
served time in prison for selling drug paraphernalia
see Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers on Wikipedia

Bob Dylan (Robert Allen Zimmerman)

b. 1941 in Duluth, MN (grew up in Hibbing, MN)
folk/rock/blues/country singer
instruments: guitar, piano, harmonica
"Don't Think Twice, it's Alright" (1963), "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" (1963), "Dusty Old Fairgrounds" (1963, he wrote), "Blowin' in the Wind" (1964, he wrote), "Like a Rolling Stone" (#2 1965), "Positively 4th Street" (#7 1965), "Outlaw Blues" (1965), "Just Like a Woman" (#33 1966), "Visions of Johanna" (1966), "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35" (#2 1966), "I Want You" (#20 1966), "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" (#81 1966), "Lay Lady Lay" (#7 1969), "Tell Me That it isn't True" (1969), "All the Tired Horses" (1970), "If Dogs Run Free" (1970), "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (#12 1973), "Tangled up in Blue" (#31 1975), "Lily Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" (1975), "Long Distance Operator" (1975, he wrote), "Romance in Durango" (1976), "Rita May" (1976, he co-wrote), "Mozambique" (#54 1976), "Gotta Serve Somebody" (#24 1979), "Let's Keep it Between Us" (1980), "Sweetheart Like You" (#55 1983), "Dark Eyes" (1985, he wrote), "I'll Remember You" (1985, he wrote), "Brownsville Girl" (1986), "Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead-End Street)" (1988), "Sally Sue Brown" (1988), "Silvio" (1988), "Slow Train" (1989), "Everything is Broken" (1989), "He Was a Friend of Mine" (1991), "My Back Pages" (1993), "Dirt Road Blues" (1997, he wrote), "Summer Days" (2001), "Denise" (2001)
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
poet; actor
md. to Sara Lownds (1965-77); md. to singer, Carolyn Dennis (1986-92)
quote by Bob Dylan: "Democracy don't rule the world, You'd better get that in your head; This world is ruled by violence, But I guess that's better left unsaid."
see Bob Dylan

Herbie Fields

b. 1919 in Elizabeth, NJ - 17 Sep 1958 in Miami, FL (suicide by overdose of sleeping pills)
jazz/swing/pop singer
instruments: alto sax, tenor sax, clarinet
founding member of the Herbie Fields Orchestra and Quintet (1946-48), "Connecticut" (1946), "Dardanella" (1947), "You Twisted My Heart Around Your Finger" (1947)
founding member of The Herbie Fields Septet (1949- ), "Lemon Drop" (1949), "Harlem Nocturne" (#24 1953), "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" (1953)
with Lionel Hampton's band (1944-46), "Hey Baba Re-Bop" (1946)
served in the Army (1941-43)

Guy Fletcher

b. 1960 in Kent, England
country/rock singer
instruments: guitar, keyboards
founding member of The Notting Hillbillies (1986- ), "That's Where I Belong" (1990), "Feel Like Going Home" (1990)
with Dire Straits (1984-95), "So Far Away" (#19 1985), "Money for Nothing" (#1 1985), "Walk of Life" (#7 1986)
session musician with Mark Knopfler
songwriter
see Guy Fletcher

Billy Gilman (William Wendell Gilman III)

b. 1988 in Westerly, RI (grew up in Hope Valley, RI)
country singer
* "One Voice" (#38, #20c 2000), "Oklahoma" (#63, #33c 2000), * "Til I Can Make it on My Own" (2000), * "I Think She Likes Me" (2000), * "I Wanna Get to Ya" (2000), * "Little Bitty Pretty One" (2000), * "Little Things" (2000), "Elisabeth" (#56c 2001), "She's My Girl" (#50c 2001)
songwriter
his hit at age eleven broke Brenda Lee's 1957 record for being the youngest artist on the Billboard country charts

Chic James (James Chitkowski)

b. 1946 in Chicago, IL
pop/rock/soul musician, instrument: drums/li>
founding member of The New Colony Six (1964-69), "I Confess" (#71 1965), "At the River's Edge" (1966), "Love You So Much" (#55 1966), "Accept My Ring" (1967), "My Dreams Depend on You" (1967), "I Will Always Think about You" (#22 1968), "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)
founding member of The Raymond John Michael Band (aka RJM) (1969-71)
cousin of Walter Kemp

Red Kirk (Claude Kirk)

b. 1925 in Knoxville, TN - d. 13 May 1999
country singer
instrument: guitar
"A Package Tied in Blue" (1949), "Lovesick Blues" (#14c 1949), "Lose Your Blues" (#7c 1950), "Cold-Steel Blues" (1951), "Red-Lipped Girl" (1955), "How Still the Night" (1957), "Dark Streets" (1959)
duet with Judy Perkins, "I Wonder Who We Think We're Foolin'" (1959)
DJ
served in the Army during WWII

Patti LaBelle (Patricia Louise Holt)

b. 1944 in Philadelphia, PA
R&B/soul singer
"If You Only Knew" (#46 1983), "New Attitude" (#17 1985), "Stir it Up" (#41 1985), "Kiss Away the Pain" (1986), "Oh, People" (#29 1986), "If You Asked Me to" (#79 1989)
founding member of Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles (1961-70), "Down the Aisle" (#37 1963), "You'll Never Walk Alone" (#34 1964)
"I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" was by a completely unrelated group
The Blue Belles were backup on Wilson Pickett's "634-5789 (Soulsville, USA)" (#13 1966)
the group name changed to LaBelle (1970-76, and reunions), "Lady Marmalade" (#1 1975), "What Can I Do for You?" (#48 1975)
duet with Michael McDonald, "On My Own" (#1 1986)
md. to Armstead Edwards (1969-2000)
see Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles

Jens Pinkernell

b. 19?? in West Germany
country/rockabilly musician, instruments: guitar, bass
with Jack Ingram's Beat Up Ford Band (1999), "I Would" (1999, he co-wrote), "Work This Out" (1999, he co-wrote), "How Many Days?" (#64c 1999)
with Cory Morrow's band
with the Drew Womack Band, "Hey, Daisy" (2004), "Premium Gasoline" (2004), "The Fine Art of Failure" (2004), "Leaving October" (2004), "Country Heart" (2006), "Love of My Life" (2006)
see Jack Ingram

Derek Quinn

b. 1942 in Manchester, England
pop/rock musician, instruments: lead guitar, harmonica, percussions
lead guitarist with Freddie and the Dreamers (1961-67), "Send a Letter to Me" (1963), * "I'm Telling You Now" (#1 1965), * "You Were Made for Me" (#21 1965), "Do the Freddie" (#18 1965), "All I Ever Want is You" (1967)
songwriter

Mike Reid

b. 1947 in Altoona, PA or Alquippa, PA
country singer
instruments: keyboards, piano
"Walk on Faith" (#1c 1990, he co-wrote), "Your Love Stays with Me" (1991), "Til You Were Gone" (#17c 1991, he co-wrote), "As Simple As That" (#14c 1991, he co-wrote), "This Road" (1991), "I'll Stop Loving You" (#23c 1992, he co-wrote)
with the Apple Butter Band (1975- )
duet with Ronnie Milsap, "Old Folks" (#2c 1986, he wrote)
songwriter, wrote Conway Twitty's "Fallin' for You for Years" (#2c 1986); Willie Nelson's "There You Are" (#8c 1990); Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" (#18 1991); Colin Raye's "In This Life" (#1c 1992)
defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals (1970-75)

Tony Valentino

b. 1941 in Sicily
rock musician, instruments: guitar
"So Right for Saturday Night" (1962)
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'), "Can't Help But Love You" (1967)
"Dirty Water" is played after every home victory of the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins
owns an Italian restaurant in CA
see the

May 25

Jim Belken (James E. Belken)

b. 1931 in Dallas, TX - d. 19 Aug 2000 (liver cancer)
western swing/country musician, instrument: fiddle
with The Texas Playboys (1965-66), "I'll See You to the Door" (1965), "Footsteps to Nowhere" (1966)
session musician on Merle Haggard's * "Chill Factor" (#9c 1988), * "Twinkle Twinkle, Lucky Star" (#1c 1988); and with Ray Price, and others
see The Texas Playboys

Cody Canada

b. 1971 in Pampas, TX
country/rock singer
instrument; guitar
founding member of Cross Canadian Ragweed (1994- ), "Nowhere Texas" (2001), "42 Miles" (2001), "Highway 377" (2001), "17" (#57c 2002), "Broken" (2002), "Constantly" (#57c 2004), "Alabama" (#46c 2005, he co-wrote), "Fightin' For" (#39c 2005), "Late Last Night" (2005), "This Time Around" (#44c 2006), "I Believe You" (2007), "In Oklahoma" (2007, he co-wrote)
Cross Canadian Ragweed duet with Lee Ann Womack, "Sick and Tired" (#46c 2004, he wrote)
songwriter

Cindy Cashdollar

b. 1956 in Woodstock, NY
western swing/bluegrass musician, instruments: steel guitar, dobro, acoustic slide guitar
with Asleep at the Wheel (1991-2002), "Dance With Who Brung You" (#71c 1991), "The End of the Line" (1999)
session musician with Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, and others
see Asleep at the Wheel
see Cindy Cashdollar

Jessi Colter (Miriam Johnson)

b. 1943 in Phoenix, AZ
country singer
instruments: keyboards, guitar, piano
"If She's Where You Like Livin'" (1970), "I'm Not Lisa" (#4, #1c 1975, she wrote), "What's Happened to Blue Eyes?" (#5c 1975, she wrote), "It's Morning (and I Still Love You)" (#11c 1976, she wrote), "I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name" (#29c 1976), "Maybe You Should've Been Listening" (#45c 1978), "Holdin' on" (#70c 1982, she co-wrote), "Velvet and Steel" (2006), "Never Got Over You" (2006)
duets with Waylon Jennings, "Suspicious Minds" (#25c 1970, re-release #2c 1976), "Under Your Spell Again" (#39c 1971), "Storms Never Last" (#17c 1974, she wrote), "Wild Side of Life/It Wasn't God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels" (#10c 1981), "Out of the Rain" (2006)
songwriter
actress
md. to Duane Eddy (1961-68); md. to Waylon Jennings (1969- )
mother of singer, Shooter Jennings
see Jessi Colter on Wikipedia

Blinky Davison (Brian Davison)

b. 1942 in England
rock/jazz musician, instruments: drums, percussions
founding member of The Nice (1967- , and reunions), "Azrael (Angel of Death)" (1967, he co-wrote), "Little Arabella" (1968, he co-wrote), "Diary of an Empty Day" (1969, he co-wrote), "Hang on to a Dream" (1969), "Country Pie" (1969)
founding member of Refugee (1974- )
founding member of Every Which Way (1970- )
songwriter
see The Nice

Tom T. Hall (aka 'The Storyteller')

b. 1936 in a log cabin in Olive Hill, KY
country singer
instrument: guitar
"I Washed My Face in the Morning Dew" (#30c 1967, he wrote), "Ballad of Forty Dollars" (#4c 1969, he wrote), "Homecoming" (#5c 1969, he wrote), "Hang Them All" (1970), "A Week in a County Jail" (#1c 1970, he wrote), "Salute to a Switchblade" (#8c 1970, he wrote), "Shoeshine Man" (#8c 1970, he wrote), "One Hundred Children" (#14c 1971), "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" (#42, #1c 1971, he wrote), "Me and Jesus" (#92, #8c 1972, he wrote), "Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine" (#1c 1973, he wrote), * "Subdivision Blues" (1973), * "Running Wild" (1973), "Spokane Motel Blues" (1973, he wrote), "Ravishing Ruby" (#3c 1973, he wrote), * "I Love" (#12, #1c 1974, he wrote), "Country is" (#1c 1974, he wrote), "That Song is Driving Me Crazy" (#63, #2c 1974, he wrote), "Sneaky Snake" (#55, #69c 1974, he wrote), "I Care" (#55, #1c 1975, he wrote), "Deal" (#8c 1975, he wrote), "I Like Beer" (#4c 1975, he wrote), "Faster Horses (the Cowboy and the Poet)" (#1c 1976, he wrote), * "Fox on the Run" (#9c 1976), "Your Man Loves You, Honey" (#4c 1977, he wrote), "It's All in the Game" (#12 1977, he wrote), "What Have You Got to Lose?" (#9c 1978, he wrote), "You Show Me Your Heart (and I'll Show You Mine)" (#11c 1979, he wrote), "Back When Gas Was Thirty Cents a Gallon" (#36c 1980, he wrote), "The Old Side of Town" (#9c 1980, he wrote), "P.S. I Love You" (#8c 1984), * "Gravy Train"
duet with Dave Dudley, "Day Drinkin'" (#23c 1970, he wrote)
duet with Patti Page, "Hello, We're Lonely" (#14c 1972)
duet with Earl Scruggs, "There Ain't No Country Music on This Jukebox" (#77c 1982, he wrote)
songwriter, wrote Jimmy Newman's "DJ for a Day" (#1c 1963), "Artificial Rose" (#8c 1965), "Back-Pocket Money" (#10c 1966); Dave Dudley's "Mad" (#6c 1964), "What We're Fighting For" (#4c 1966), "Anything Leaving Town Today" (#12c 1968), "There Ain't No Easy Run" (#10c 1968), "Pool Shark" (#1c 1970); Johnnie Wright's "Hello, Vietnam" (#1c 1965); Jeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley PTA" (#1, #1c 1968, CMA single of the year 1968); Bobby Bare's "(Margie's at) the Lincoln Park Inn" (#4c 1969), "That's How I Got to Memphis" (#3c 1970); Faron Young's "If I Ever Fall in Love (with a Honky-Tonk Girl)" (#4c 1970); George Jones' "Second-Hand Flowers" (#5c 1972), "I'm Not Ready Yet" (#2c 1980); Johnny Rodriguez's "You Always Come Back (to Hurtin' Me)" (#86, #1c 1973); Jerry Lee Lewis' "I Can Still Hear the Music in the Restroom" (#13c 1975); Alan Jackson's "Little Bitty" (#1c 1996); George Kent's "Hello, I'm a Jukebox" (#26c 1970)
author
served in the Army (1957-61)
quote by Tom T. Hall: "I have my own religion. I'm sort of one-quarter Baptist, one-quarter Catholic, one-quarter Jewish."
see Tom T. Hall

Connie Hanson (Connie Anderson)

b. 1948 in Houston, TX
country singer
duet with Darrell McCall, "There's Still a Lot of Love in San Antone" (#64c 1983)
actress

Kitty Kallen

b. 1922 in Philadelphia, PA
pop singer
"Juke Box Annie" (1950), Are You Looking for a Sweetheart?" (1953), "Little Things Mean a Lot" (#1 1954), "I Want You All to Myself" (1954), "In the Chapel in the Moonlight" (#4 1954), "Sweet Kentucky Rose" (1955), "How Lonely Can I Get?" (1955), "A Little Lie" (1955), "Polly Pigtails" (1955), "I'm a Lonely Little Petunia (in an Onion Patch)" (1955), "Just Between Friends" (1955), "I Never Was the One" (1958), "If I Give My Heart to You" (1959), "My Coloring Book" (#18 1963), "Summer, Summer Wind" (1967)
duet with Bob Eberly, "Besame Mucho" (#1 1944)
backed by Harry James Orchestra (1943- ), "I'm Beginning to See the Light" (#1 1945), "I Don't Care Who Knows it" (1945), "11:60 P.M." (1945)
with Artie Shaw's band (1938)
md. to clarinet player, Clint Garvin; md. to Budd Granoff
Genevieve Agostinello is not her real name, that is someone who once tried to impersonate her
see Kitty Kallen

Joe King

b. 1980
rock singer
instrument: rhythm guitar
founding member of The Fray (2002- ), "Over My Head (Cable Car)" (#8 2005, he co-wrote), "How to Save a Life" (#3 2006, he co-wrote), "Look After You" (#59 2007)
songwriter

Mitch Margo (Mitchell Margo)

b. 1947
doo-wop singer
instruments: piano, drums
founding member and second tenor of The Tokens (1960- ), "When I Go to Sleep at Night" (1961), "(Hey Hey) Juanita" (1961), "Tonight I Fell in Love" (#15 1961, he co-wrote), * "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (#1 1961), "Please Write" (1963), "Two Cars" (1963), "Let's Go to the Drag Strip" (1963), "(A Girl Named) Arlene" (1964), "Sylvie Sleepin'" (1965), "Only My Friend" (1965), "I Hear the Trumpets Blow" (#30 1966, he wrote), "The Greatest Moments in a Girl's Life" (1966), "Green Plant" (1967), "Portrait of My Love" (#36 1967), "She Let's Her Hair Down (Early in the Morning)" (1970), "I Could See Me (Dancin' With You)" (1970)
founding member of Cross-Country, "Just a Thought" (1973), "Cross Country" (1973)
songwriter
brother of Phil Margo
author and illustrator of children's books
see The Tokens
see The Tokens on Wikipedia

Norman Petty

b. 1927 in Clovis, NM - d. 15 Aug 1984 in Lubbock TX (leukemia)
pop/rock musician, instruments: piano, Hammond organ
founding member of The Norman Petty Trio, "Moondreams" (1957, he wrote), "Almost Paradise" (#18 1957, he wrote), "Daisies Won't Tell" (1957), "When the White Azaleas Start Blooming" (1957), "If You Are But a Dream" (1958), "I Dream Too Much" (1958), "Bring Your Heart" (1960), "Lonely Snowflake" (1960)
songwriter, wrote Brian Poole and the Tremeloes' "Someone, Someone" (#97 1964)
music producer; sound engineer
md. to pianist, Vi Brady (1948-84, his death)

Robby Steinhardt

b. 1950 (grew up in Lawrence, KS)
rock/Christian singer
instrument: violin
with Kansas (1973-83, 1986-90, 1997-2002), "Point of No Return" (#28 1977, he co-wrote), "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 1987)
songwriter
see Kansas

Ernest 'Pop' Stoneman (Ernest V. Stoneman)

b. 1893 in Carroll County, VA - d. 14 Jun 1968 in Nashville, TN
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: autoharp, clawhammer banjo, harmonica, guitar
"The Sinking of the Titanic" (#3 1924), "Freckle-Faced Mary Jane" (1925), "May I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight, Mister?" (1926), "Are You Angry With Me?" (1927), "We Courted in the Rain" (1927)
founding member and lead of The Stoneman Family Band (1949- )
lead singer of The Stonemans (1959-68), "Nobody's Darling But Mine" (1962), "Groundhog" (1964), "Take Me Home" (1964), "Tupelo County Jail" (#40c 1966), "The Five Little Johnson Girls" (#21c 1966), "Katie Klein" (1967), "Christopher Robin" (#41c 1968)
duets with Eddie Stoneman, "Meet Me By the Seaside" (1934), "There's Somebody Waiting for Me" (1934)
songwriter
md. to Hattie Frost (1918- )

Bill Young

b. 1942 in Buffalo, NY
rock singer
founding member and lead singer of Dante and the Evergreens (1959-64), "Alley-Oop" (#15 1960, One-Hit Wonder), "Time Machine" (#77 1960), "Dreamland" (1960)
actor
see Dante and the Evergreens

May 26

Ken Archpowski

b. 1945 in Brooklyn, NY
doo-wop singer (bass)
founding member of Randy and the Rainbows (1962- ), "Denise" (#10 1963), "Why Do Kids Grow Up?" (#97 1963), "Dry Your Eyes" (1964), "Little Hot Rod Suzie" (1964), "Lovely Lies" (1966), "I'll Forget Her Tomorrow" (1966), "Hey, Look Who's Dancin'" (1970), "A Simple Love Song" (1978)

Adam Baker

b. 1964 in Oklahoma City, OK
country singer
"I Can See Him in Her Eyes" (#97 1985), "In Love With Her" (#48c 1986, he wrote), "Weren't You Listening?" (#46c 1986), "Standing Invitation" (#63c 1987), "Just an Old Friend" (2006), "I've Made Mistakes Before" (2006), "Just Enough to Hurt" (2006)
songwriter

Miles Davis (Miles Dewey Davis III)

b. 1926 in Alton, IL - d. 28 Sep 1991 in Santa Monica, CA (complications after a stroke)
jazz/bop musician, instruments: trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards
"Moon Dreams" (1950), "Boplicity" (1950), "Deception" (1950, he wrote), "A Gal in Calico" (1955), "Miles Ahead" (1957, he co-wrote), "Decoy" (1984, he co-wrote), "Katia" (1985, he co-wrote)
founding member of The Miles Davis Quintet (1955-57), "Blues by Five" (1956)
founding member of The Miles Davis Sextet (1958-64), "Blues in Green" (1959, he co-wrote), "All Blues" (1959, he wrote)
founding member of The Miles Davis Quintet (1964-68), "E.S.P." (1965), "Agitation" (1965, he wrote), "Iris" (1965)
duet with Gil Evans, "Wait Til You See Her" (1963)
songwriter
md. to Betty Mabry; md. to actress, Cicely Tyson (1981-88)
see Miles Davis

Diana (Diana Murrell)

b. 1955 in Cincinnati, OH
country singer
"He's the Fire" (#29c 1981), "Just When I Needed You Most" (#40c 1979), "Lonely Together" (#41c 1979), "This is the Way a Woman Wants to Feel" (1979), "Tie Me Down" (1979), "What a Fool I Was" (1981), "Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?" (#88c 1982)

Ray Ennis (Raymond Vincent Ennis)

b. 1942 in Liverpool, England
rock singer
instrument: lead guitar
founding member and leader of The Swinging Blue Jeans (1958-64), "Dizzy Chimes" (1961), * "Hippy Hippy Shake" (#24 1964, One-Hit Wonder), "Promise You'll Tell Her" (1964)
with Racing Cars, "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (1977), "Standing in the Rain" (1977), "Second Best" (1978), "Waiting for Someone" (1978)
songwriter
see The Swinging Blue Jeans

Keith Gattis

b. 1971 in Austin, TX or Georgetown, TX
country/rock singer
instruments: guitar, banjo, mandolin
"Back in Your Arms" (1996), "Little Drops of My Heart" (#53c 1996), "Everywhere I See You There" (1996), "Don't Lie" (2003), "Reconsider" (2003), "Big City Blues" (2003), "Wish I Had You" (2003)
session musician with George Jones, and others
songwriter

Levon Helm (Mark Lavon Helm)

b. 1940 in Marvell, AR - d. April 19, 2012
rock/folk singer
instruments: drums, mandolin, guitar, bass
"Ain't No Way to Forget You" (1978), "Blue Moon of Kentucky" (1980)
founding member of The Hawks (1959-66), "He Don't Love You" (1965), "The Stones I Throw" (1965)
with The Hawks backing Ronnie Hawkins (1959-64), "Mary Lou" (#26 1959, One-Hit Wonder), "Forty Days (to Come Back Home)" (#45 1959), "Lonely Hours" (1960)
with The Hawks backing Bob Dylan (1965-66), "Just Like a Woman" (#33 1966), "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35" (#2 1966), "I Want You" (#20 1966), "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" (#81 1966)
founding member and lead singer with The Band (1968-1976, 1983-99), "The Weight" (#63 1968), "Up on Cripple Creek" (#25 1969), "Whispering Pines" (1969), "Life is a Carnival" (#72c 1971), "Thinking Out Loud" (1971), "Don't Do it" (#34 1972), "Ain't Got No Home" (#73 1973), "Ophelia" (1989), "Endless Highway" (1989), "Too Soon Gone" (1993), "Where I Should Always Be" (1996), "Kentucky Downpour" (1998, he co-wrote), "Spirit of the Dance" (1998, he co-wrote), "White Cadillac (Ode to Ronnie Hawkins)" (1998, he co-wrote)
actor
he can no longer sing because he had throat cancer
see The Band
see Levon Helm

Rob Ickes

b. 1967 in San Mateo, CA
bluegrass/jazz musician, instrument: dobro
"A Song for Jennifer" (1997), "Can't Find My Way Home" (1999), "The Way We Was" (1999), "The Last Polar Bear" (1999), "Killeen" (2002), "Fifty Years Ago" (2002), "Self Portrait" (2002)
founding member of Blue Highway (1994- ), "Born in a Barn" (2004), "Machine Gun Kelly" (2004), "Lonesome Moonlight Waltz" (2004)
session musician with Patty Loveless, Peter Rowan, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Alison Krauss, The Lynn Morris Band, and others
see Rob Ickes

Vicki Lawrence (Vicki Ann Axelrad)

b. 1949 in Inglewood, CA
pop singer
"And I'll Go" (1969), "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" (#1, #36c 1973, One-Hit Wonder), "He Did with Me" (#75 1973), "The Other Woman" (#81 1975), "There's a Gun Still Smokin' in Nashville" (1976), "Your Lies" (1979)
comedian, actress
md. 1st to singer, Bobby Russell (1972-74); md. 2nd. to Al Schultz (1974- )
see Vicki Lawrence

Peggy Lee (Norma Delores Egstrom)

b. 1920 in Jamestown, ND – d. 21 Jan 2002 in Bel Air, CA (heart attack)
pop/jazz singer
"Waitin' for the Train to Come in" (#4 1945), "I Don't Know Enough about You" (#7 1946, she co-wrote), "Manana" (#1 1948, she co-wrote), "Golden Earrings" (#2 1948), "Riders in the Sky (a Cowboy Legend)" (#2 1949), "At the Café Rendezvous" (1950), "When You Speak With Your Eyes" (1950), "(When I Dance with You) I Get Ideas" (#14 1951), "Would You Dance With a Stranger?" (1951), "Lover" (#3 1952), "Moonflowers" (1952), "The Siamese Cat Song" (1955, from Lady and the Tramp, she co-wrote), "Baubles, Bangles, and Beads" (1955), "Fever" (#8 1958, she co-wrote), "Is That All There is?" (#11 1969, she co-wrote)
with the Benny Goodman Band (1941-43), "Somebody Else is Taking My Place" (#1 1942), "Idaho" (#4 1942), "Why Don't You Do Right?" (#4 1943)
songwriter
actress
md. to guitarist, Dave Barbour (1943-51); md. to drummer, Jack Del Rio
see Peggy Lee

Morty Nevins (Morton Tepper)

b. 1917 in Washington, DC (grew up in Brooklyn, NY) - d. 20 Jul 1990 in Beverly Hills, CA
pop musician, instrument: accordion
founding member of The Three Suns (1939-54, 1960- ), "Twilight Time" (#14 1944, he co-wrote), "When Day is Done" (1949), "I'll Never Wish for More Than This" (1949), "The Windmill's Turning" (1949), "In a Shady Nook By a Babbling Brook" (1949), "Close Your Eyes and Dream" (1949), "Cruising Down the River" (1950), "So Tall a Tree" (1950), "The Flying Red Horse Polka" (1950), "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" (1950), "Two Hearts in Three-Quarter Time" (1951), "You're Not Worth My Tears" (1952), "Plink, Plank, Plunk" (1952), "Perdido" (1954)
The Three Suns backing Rosalie Allen and Elton Britt, "Beyond the Sunset" (#7c 1950)
songwriter
arranger
cousin of Artie Dunn; brother of Al Nevins
see The Three Suns on Space Age Pop

Gates Nichols

b. 1944 in New York, NY
country/rock/honky-tonk singer
instruments: steel guitar, pedal steel guitar, dobro
founding member of Confederate Railroad (1987- ), "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), "That's What Brothers Do" (#39c 2001)

Stevie Nicks (Stephanie Lynn Nicks)

b. 1948 in Phoenix, AZ
rock singer
instruments: piano, guitar, tambourine
"After the Glitter Fades" (1982), "Stand Back" (#5 1983), "If Anyone Falls" (#14 1983), "Talk to Me" (#4 1985), "Rooms on Fire" (#16 1989), "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind" (#57 1994)
with Fleetwood Mac (1975-80 and reunions), "Say You Love Me" (#11 1976), "You Make Loving Fun" (#9 1977), "Go Your Own Way" (#10 1977), "Don't Stop" (#3 1977), "Dreams" (#1 1977), "Sara" (#7 1980), "Hold Me" (#4 1982), "Little Lies" (#4 1987)
duets with Sandy Stewart, "Nightbird" (#33 1983), "Whenever a Soft Rain Falls" (1992), "Moments Like This" (1999)
duet with Don Henley, * "Leather and Lace" (#6 1982)
duet with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" (#3 1981)
songwriter
quote by Stevie Nicks: "Right now I'm not involved with anybody, but I hope by 75 I will Be again."

Garry Peterson

b. 1945 in Winnipeg, Canada
rock/blues musician, instrument: drums
founding member of The Guess Who (1964-75), "Till We Kissed" (1964), "Shakin' All Over" (#22 1965), "Theme From a Music Box" (1965), "The Clock on the Wall" (1966), "His Girl" (1966), "This Time Long Ago" (1967), "A Wednesday in Your Garden" (1968), "Maple Fudge" (1968), "Pink Wine Sparkles in the Glass" (1968), "These Eyes" (#6 1969), "Laughing" (#10 1969), "Undun" (#22 1969), "No Time" (#5 1970), "Hand-Me-Down World" (#17 1970), "Share the Land" (#10 1970), "American Woman" (#1 1970, he co-wrote), "Bus Rider" (1970), "Rain Dance" (#19 1971), "One Divided" (1971), "Heartbroken Bopper" (#47 1972), "Guns, Guns, Guns" (1972), "Follow Your Daughter Home" (#61 1973), "Star Baby" (#39 1974), "Clap for the Wolfman" (#6 1974), "Dancin' Fool" (#28 1975), "Coors for Sunday" (1975)
The Guess Who was formerly called Chad Allan and the Expressions
songwriter
see The Guess Who on Wikipedia

Dave Robbins (Charles David Robbins or David Ray Robbins)

b. 1959 in Atlanta, GA
country singer
instrument: keyboards
founding member of Blackhawk, "Goodbye Says it All" (#11c 1993), "I Sure Can Smell the Rain" (#9c 1994), "Every Once in a While" (#2c 1994, he co-wrote), "That's Just about Right" (#7c 1995), "I'm Not Strong Enough to Say No" (#2c 1995), "Like There Ain't No Yesterday" (#3c 1995), "Almost a Memory Now" (#11c 1996, he co-wrote), "Postmarked Birmingham" (#37c 1997), * "Always Have, Always Will" (1998), "There You Have it" (#41, #4c 1998), "Your Own Little Corner of My Heart" (#27c 1999)
songwriter

Art Sharp (Arthur Sharp)

b. 1941 in Surrey, England
rock singer
instrument: guitar
founding member of The Nashville Teens (1962-72), "Tobacco Road" (#14 1964, One-Hit Wonder), "Find My Way Home" (1965), "This Little Bird" (1965), "The Biggest Night of Her Life" (1970), "Ella James" (1971)
The Nashville Teens backed Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, and others
see The Nashville Teens

Isaac Slade

b. 1981 in Denver, CO
rock singer
instrument: piano
founding member of The Fray (2002- ), "Over My Head (Cable Car)" (#8 2005), "How to Save a Life" (#3 2006), "Look After You" (#59 2007)
songwriter

Oscar Toney, Jr.

b. 1939 in Selma, AL (grew up in Columbus, GA)
soul/gospel singer
"Can it All Be Love?" (1964), "For Your Precious Love" (#23 1967, One-Hit Wonder), "I Found True Love" (1967), "Turn on Your Love Light" (#65 1967), "Love That Never Grows Old" (1968), "Ain't That True Love?" (1969)

Hank Williams, Jr. (Randall Hank Williams aka Bocephus)

b. 1949 in Shreveport, LA (grew up in Nashville, TN)
country/rock singer
instruments: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, steel guitar, keyboards, drums, fiddle, banjo, harmonica, piano
"Long Gone Lonesome Blues" (#67, #5c 1964), * "Doesn't Anybody Know My Name?" (1964), "Guess What, That's Right, She's Gone" (1964), "Standing in the Shadows" (#5c 1966, he wrote), "It's All Over But the Crying" (#3c 1968, he wrote), "Cajun Baby" (#3c 1969, he co-wrote), "I'd Rather Be Gone" (#4c 1969, he co-wrote), "All for the Love of Sunshine" (#1c 1970), "Rainin' in My Heart" (#3c 1971), "Ain't That a Shame?" (#7c 1971), "When I Stop Dreaming" (1971), "Eleven Roses" (#1c 1972), "Pride's Not Hard to Swallow" (#3c 1972), "The Last Love Song" (#4c 1973, he wrote), "I'll Think of Something" (#7c 1974), "Rainy Night in Georgia" (#13c 1974), "Family Tradition" (#4c 1979, he wrote), "Old Flame, New Fire" (#54c 1979), "Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound" (#2c 1979, he wrote), "Texas Women" (#1c 1981, he wrote), "Dixie on My Mind" (#1c 1981, he wrote), "All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down" (#1c 1981, he wrote), "A Country Boy Can Survive" (#2c 1982, he wrote), "Honky-Tonkin'" (#1c 1982), "Gonna Go Huntin' Tonight" (#4c 1983, he wrote), "Man of Steel" (#3c 1984, he wrote), "I'm for Love" (#1c 1985, he wrote), "This Ain't Dallas" (#4c 1985, he wrote), "Ain't Misbehavin'" (#1c 1986), "A Country State of Mind" (#2c 1986, he co-wrote), "Born to Boogie" (#1c 1987, he wrote), "If the South Woulda Won" (#8c 1988, he wrote), "Young Country" (#2c 1988, he wrote), "Finders Are Keepers" (#6c 1989, he wrote), "Don't Give Us a Reason" (#27 1990, he wrote), * "Hotel Whiskey" (#54c 1991, he wrote), "Daytona Nights" (1995)
duet with Lois Johnson, "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" (#12c 1970), "Lyin' Jukebox" (1992)
duet with Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, and Tom Petty, "Mind Your Own Business" (#1c 1986)
duet with Boxcar Willie, "Ramblin' in My Shoes" (1981)
duet with Hank Williams (using overdubbing), "There's a Tear in My Beer" (#7c 1989)
duet with Doug Kershaw, "Cajun Baby" (#52c 1988)
duet with Ray Charles, "Two Old Cats Like Us" (#14c 1985)
songwriter
son of Hank and Audrey Williams; md. to Mary Jane Thomas (1990- )
in 1975 he was seriously injured in a fall while mountain climbing in Montana that took two years to recover from
see Hank Williams, Jr.

May 27

Cilla Black (Pricilla Maria Veronica White)

b. 1943 in Liverpool, England
pop singer
"You're My World" (#26 1964, One-Hit "Wonder), "He Won't Ask Me" (1964), "I Couldn't Take My Eyes Off You" (1968), "I am a Woman" (1969), "Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight)" (1971), "Sad Sad Song" (1971), "Silly, Wasn't I?" (1972), "Little Bit of Understanding" (1975), "Easy in Your Company" (1976), "I Wanted to Call it Off" (1977)
actress
md. to her manager, Bobby Willis (196?-99, his death)
see Cilla Black

Alan Clark

b. 1974 in VA
country singer
instruments: guitar, harmonica
founding member and lead singer 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 Aaron, Adam, Ashley, Andrew, and Austin Clark
see The Clark Family Experience on Wikipedia

Robbie King (Robert Glenn King)

b. 1947 - d. 17 Oct 2003 in Vancouver, Canada (throat cancer)
R&B musician, instruments: keyboards, organ
founding member 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)
session musician on Terry Jack's "Seasons in the Sun" (#1 1974); and with Alice Cooper, and others
see Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers on Wikipedia

Marty Kristian (Martin Vanags)

b. 1947 in Leipzig, Germany (grew up in Australia)
folk/pop singer
with The New Seekers (1969-2002), "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), "It's So Nice" (1976), "Anthem (One Day in Every Week)" (1978)<
songwriter

Ramsey Lewis (Ramsy Emmanuel Lewis, Jr.)

b. 1935 in Chicago, IL
jazz/pop musician, instruments: piano, keyboards
founding member of The Ramsey Lewis Trio (1956- ), "Carmen" (1956), "Tracy Blues" (1958), "Consider the Source" (1959), "Thanks for the Memory" (1962), "Memphis in June" (1962), "Barefoot Sunday Blues" (1963), "Egg Nog" (1965), "The 'In' Crowd" (#5 1965), "Hang on, Sloopy" (#11 1965), "Wade in the Water" (#19 1966), "A Hard Day's Night" (#29 1966), "Hold it Right There" (1966)
session musician
songwriter

Kenny Price (James Kenneth Price aka the 'Round Mound of Sound')

b. 1931 near Florence, KY – d. 4 Aug 1987 (heart failure)
country singer
instruments: drums, guitar, banjo, stand-up bass
"A Crushed Red Rose" (1955), "Somebody Told Mary" (1964, he wrote), "Walking on New Grass" (#7c 1966), "Happy Tracks" (#7c 1967), "My Goal for Today" (#11c 1968), "Biloxi" (#10c 1970), "Northeast Arkansas Mississippi County Bootlegger" (#17c 1970), "The Sheriff of Boone County" (#8c 1971), "Just Plain Me" (1971), "Sea of Heartbreak" (#24c 1972), "Jamestown Ferry" (1973), "Turn on Your Light (and Let it Shine)" (#29c 1974)
songwriter
comedian
served in the Army during the Korean War (1952-54)
his nickname referred to his being 6' tall and weighing 300 pounds

Pete Sears (Peter Sears)

b. 1948
rock/folk singer
instruments: keyboards, bass
with Jefferson Starship (1974-84), "Miracles" (#3 1975), "With Your Love" (#12 1976), "Don't Let it Rain" (1976), "Runaway" (#12 1978), "Count on Me" (#8 1978), "Jane" (#14 1979), "Find Your Way Back" (#29 1981), "Be My Lady" (#28 1982), "No Way Out" (#23 1984)
founding member of Starship (1984-87), "We Built This City" (#1 1985), "Sara" (#1 1985), "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" (#26 1986), "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (#1 1987)
with Hot Tuna (1992-2001)
with
session musician on Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" (#1 1971); and with John Lee Hooker, Jerry Garcia, Long John Baldry, Tracy Nelson, and others
songwriter
environmentalist
md. to songwriter, Jeannette Sears

Leigh Stephens

b. 19??
rock singer
instruments: guitar, keyboards, bass
"Drifting" (1969, he wrote), "If You Choose to" (1969, he wrote), "You Can't Handle the Truth" (2004), "Rosarito Road" (2004)
founding member of Blue Cheer (1967-69), "Summertime Blues" (#14 1968, One-Hit Wonder), "Out of Focus" (1968), "Sun Cycle" (1968, he co-wrote), "Aces 'n' Eights" (1969), "I Want My Baby Back" (1969), "Saturday Freedom" (1969)
founding member of Siver Metre (1969-70)
founding member of Pilot (1971-72)
with Chronic with a 'K'
songwriter

Redd Stewart (Henry Ellis Stewart)

b. 1923 in Ashland City, TN (grew up in Louisville, KY) – d. 2 Aug 2003 in Louisville, KY (complications from injuries suffered in a fall years earlier)
country/western swing singer
instruments: guitar, piano, fiddle
"Talk to the Angels" (1947), "Blow Out the Candles" (1949), "When I'm in My Indiana Home" (1949), "When You Are Waltzing" (1949), "My Little Wild Rose of the Hills" (1950), "Tomorrow You'll Be Married" (1950), "Peek-a-Boo Waltz" (1951), "Downstream" (1954), "Homestead" (1956), "Vagabond Waltz" (1961), "My Home is the Dust of the Road" (1970), "And the Rain Comes Down" (1970), "Ballad of the Country Songwriter" (1970), "Plain Ole Country Me" (1972)
with Pee Wee King's Golden West Cowboys, "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, co-wrote Ernest Tubb's "A Soldier's Last Letter" (#1c 1944)
actor
served in the Army during WW II
md. to Frances Jean Grimes (1946- ), md. to Darlene Collins (1971- )

Patsy Stoneman (Patsy Inez Stoneman)

b. 1925 in Galax, VA
country/bluegrass singer
instruments: guitar, autoharp
with The Stonemans (1968- ), "Christopher Robin" (#41c 1968), "I'll Be Here in the Morning" (1970)

Don Williams (Donald Ray Williams aka 'the Gentle Giant')

b. 1939 in Floydada, TX
country/folk/pop singer
instruments: guitar, bass, piano, percussions
"The Shelter of Your Eyes" (#14c 1972, he wrote), "Atta Way to Go" (#13c 1973, he wrote), * "Come Early Morning" (#12c 1974), * "Amanda" (#33c 1973), * "We Should Be Together" (#5c 1974), * "I Wouldn't Want to Live (if You Didn't Love Me)" (#1c 1974), * "Your Sweet Love" (1974), "Goodbye isn't Really Good at All" (1974), "You're My Best Friend" (#1c 1975), "(Turn Out the Lights and) Love Me Tonight" (#1c 1975), "Till the Rivers All Run Dry" (#1c 1976, he co-wrote), * "Say it Again" (#1c 1976), "She Never Knew Me" (#2c 1976), * "Some Broken Hearts Never Mend" (#1c 1977), "I'm Just a Country Boy" (#1c 1977), "I Got a Winner in You" (#7c 1978, he co-wrote), "Tulsa Time" (#1c 1979), * "It Must Be Love" (#1c 1979, he wrote), "Love Me Over Again" (#1c 1980), * "I Believe in You" (#24, #1c 1980), "Good Ole Boys Like Me" (#2c 1980), "Lord, I Hope This Day is Good" (#1c 1982), "Mistakes" (#3c 1982), "If Hollywood Don't Need You" (#1c 1983), "Nobody But You" (#2c 1983), "Love is on a Roll" (#1c 1983), "Stay Young" (#1c 1984), "That's the Thing about Love" (#1c 1984), "Maggie's Dream" (#11c 1984), "Walkin' a Broken Heart" (#2c 1985), "Heartbreak in the Darkness" (#1c 1986), "I'll Never Be in Love Again" (#4c 1987), "Another Place, Another Time" (#5c 1988), "I've Been Loved by the Best" (#4c 1989), "Old Coyote Town" (#5c 1989), "Just As Long As I Have You" (#4c 1990), "Back in My Younger Days" (#2c 1990), "True Love" (#4c 1991), "It's Who You Love" (#73c 1992), "Lord Have Mercy on a Country Boy" (#7c 1992)
duet with Emmylou Harris, "If I Needed You, Baby" (#3c 1981)
founding member of The Pozo-Seco Singers (1964-71), "Time" (#3 1966), "I Can Make it with You" (#32 1966), "Look What You've Done" (#32 1967), "I Believe it All" (#96 1967)
songwriter
actor
md. to Joy Bucher (1960- )
see Don Williams

May 28

Sherry Bryce

b. 1946 in Haleyville, AL
country singer
"Treat Me Like a Lady" (1974, she wrote), "Don't Stop Now" (#45c 1974, she wrote), "Goodbye Song" (1975), "This Song's for You" (1975), "Let Your Body Speak Your Mind" (1976), "The Lady Ain't for Sale" (#79c 1977, she wrote)
duets with Mel Tillis, "Take My Hand" (#8c 1971), "Living and Learning" (#9c 1971), "Anything's Better Than Nothing" (#38c 1972), "Don't Let Go" (#11c 1974), "You Are the One" (#14c 1975)
songwriter

Sonny Burgess (Albert Austin Burgess)

b. 1931 near Newport, AR
country/rockabilly singer
instrument: guitar, electric guitar
"Is it Wrong?" (1965), "Mary Lou" (1965), "Tennessee Border" (1992)
founding member, lead singer and lead guitarist of The Pacers (1956-70), "Red-Headed Woman" (1956, he wrote), "My Buckets Got a Hole in it" (1957), "Sadie's Back in Town" (1960), "No Wonder" (1962), "Sassy Sue" (1964), "Beautiful Debbie" (1964), "Pace Setter" (1965)
with Conway Twitty's band (1960-65), "What Am I Living For?" (#26 1960), and others
songwriter
served in the Army (1951-53)
md. to Joann Adams (1956- )

Papa John Creach (John Henry Creach)

b. 1917 in Beaver Falls, PA - d. 22 Feb 1994 in Los Angeles, CA
rock/folk singer
instrument: fiddle
"The Janitor Drives a Cadillac" (1971)
with Jefferson Airplane (1970-74), "Feel So Good" (1971), "Pretty as You Feel" (1971), "Trial By Fire" (1971)
with Hot Tuna (1971-72), "Highway Song" (1972), "Keep on Truckin'" (1972)
founding member of Jefferson Starship (1974-75, 1978), "Miracles" (#3 1975), "Runaway" (#12 1978), "Count on Me" (#8 1978)
with The Dinosaurs (1982-89)

Jerry 'Flux' Douglas (Gerald Calvin Douglas)

b. 1956 in Warren, OH
country/bluegrass musician, instrument: dobro, guitar, electric mandolin, steel guitar
"Snow's First Fall" (2005), "The Best Kept Secret" (2005)
with The Country Gentlemen (1973-75), "Silence or Tears" (1974)
founding member of Boone Creek (1975-78)
dobro player with The Whites (1983-88), "Hangin' Around" (#9c 1983), "(I Wonder Who's) Holdin' My Baby Tonight" (#9c 1983), "When the New Wears Off Our Love" (#25c 1983), "Give Me Back That Old Familiar Feeling" (#10c 1984), "If it Ain't Love (Let's Leave it Alone)" (#12c 1985), "Pins and Needles" (#10c 1985), "Forever You" (#14c 1985), "Hometown Gossip" (#27c 1985), "Love Won't Wait" (#36c 1986), "You Wouldn't Be My First Mistake" (1986), "It Should Have Been Easy" (#30c 1987), "She's Written All Over Your Face" (1987), "Another Soldier Down" (1988)
with Allison Krauss and Union Station (1998- ), "Forget about it" (#67c 1999), * "Stay" (1999), * "Maybe" (1999), * "The Lucky One" (#46c 2001), * "Down to the River" (2002), "Restless" (#36c 2004)
duet with Derek Trucks, "She Makes Me Want to Sing" (2005)
session musician with Mark O'Connor, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Ray Charles, Paul Simon, and others
see Charlie Waller
see Allison Krauss and Union Station

John Fogerty (John Cameron Fogerty)

b. 1945 in Berkeley, CA
country/rock/blues singer
instruments: guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, harmonica, percussions, banjo, sax
"Comin' Down the Road" (1973), "Flyin' Away" (1975, he wrote), "You Got the Magic" (1976), "The Old Man Down the Road" (#10 1985), "Big Train (From Memphis)" (#38c 1985), "Rock and Roll Girls" (#20 1985), "Southern Streamline" (#67c 1997), "Hot Rod Heart" (1997, he wrote), "Walking in a Hurricane" (1997, he wrote), "A Hundred and Ten in the Shade" (1997, he wrote), "Deja Vu (All Over Again)" (2004, he wrote), "Rhubarb Pie" (2004, he wrote), "Nobody's Here Anymore" (2004, he wrote)
founding member, singer, guitarist and lead of Creedence Clearwater Revival (1967-72), "Suzie-Q" (#11 1968), "Bad Moon Rising" (#2 1969, he wrote), "Proud Mary" (#2 1969, he wrote), "Down on the Corner" (#3 1969, he wrote), "Green River" (#2 1969, he wrote), "Fortunate Son" (#14 1969), "Lookin' Out My Back Door" (#2 1970, he wrote), "Up Around the Bend" (#4 1970, he wrote), "Who'll Stop the Rain?" (#2 1970, he wrote), "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" (#8 1971, he wrote), "Sweet Hitchhiker" (#6 1971, he wrote)
with The Blue Ridge Rangers, "Blue Ridge Mountain Blues" (1973), "Jambalaya (on the Bayou)" (#16, #66c 1973)
songwriter
music producer
see Creedence Clearwater Revival
see John Fogerty

Gladys Knight

b. 1944 in Atlanta, GA
soul/pop singer
"Meet Me in the Middle" (1991, she co-wrote), "I Don't Want to Know" (1994), "Somehow He Loves Me" (1994, she co-wrote), "Next Time" (1995), "Many Different Roads" (1998, she co-wrote), "Something Blue" (2000), "Stormy Weather" (2006), "But Not for Me" (2006)
founding member and lead of Gladys Knight and the Pips (1952- ), "Every Beat of My Heart" (#6 1961), "Letter Full of Tears" (#19 1961), "A Love Like Mine" (1963), "Just Walk in My Shoes" (1966), "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" (#2 1967), "The End of Our Road" (#15 1968), "Friendship Train" (#17 1969), "The Nitty Gritty" (#19 1969), "If I Were Your Woman" (#9 1970), "I Don't Want to Do Wrong" (#17 1971), "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)" (#2 1973), "Daddy Could Swear, I Declare" (#19 1973), "Midnight Train to Georgia" (#1 1973), "On and On" (#5 1974), "I've Got to Use My Imagination" (1973), "The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me" (#3 1974), "Try to Remember" (#11 1975), "Landlord" (1980), "Love Overboard" (#13 1988)
duet with Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Dionne Warwick, "That's What Friends are For" (#1 1985)
duet with Kenny Rogers, "If I Knew Then What I Know Now" (1990)
with Charlie and Company
songwriter
md. to Jimmy Newman (1960- ); md. to Barry Hankerson (1976- )
see Gladys Knight and the Pips

John Madara (John Medora)

b. 1936 in Philadelphia, PA
rock/pop singer
founding member and lead singer of The Spokesmen, "The Dawn of Correction" (#36 1965, answer to Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction", One-Hit Wonder, he co-wrote), "Have Courage, Be Careful" (1965), "Better Days Are Yet to Come" (1966)
songwriter, co-wrote Danny and the Juniors "At the Hop" (#1 1958); Leslie Gore's "You Don't Own Me" (#2 1964); Len Berry's "1-2-3" (#2 1965); Chubby Checker's "The Fly" (#7 1961), The Sherrys' "Pop Pop Pop-Pie" (#35 1962); The Pixie Three's "Birthday Party" (#40 1963); The Secrets' "The Boy Next Door" (#18 1963)
music producer

Kylie Minogue

b. 1968 in Melbourne, Australia
pop/disco singer
"I Should Be So Lucky" (#28 1987), * "Locomotion" (#3 1988), "It's No Secret" (#37 1988), "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (#7 2001), "Love at First Sight" (#23 2002), "Slow" (2004, she co-wrote), "Chocolate" (2004), "Sweet Music" (2004, she co-wrote), "No More Rain" (2007, she co-wrote), "Heartbeat Rock" (2007, she co-wrote)
songwriter
actress; children's book author
she is a breast cancer survivor
see Kylie Minogue

Doug Rhodes (Thomas Harvey Bonniwell aka T.S. Bonniwell)

b. 1945 (grew up in Garden Grove, CA)
rock/jazz singer
instrument: organ, keyboards, sax, bass, flute, tuba
founding member of The Music Machine (1966-67), "Talk, Talk" (#15 1966, One-Hit Wonder), "The People in Me" (#66 1966), "Masculine Intuition" (1966), "Double Yellow Line" (1967), "Absolutely Positive" (1967)
founding member of The Millennium (1968), "To Claudia on Thursday" (1968), "5 a.m." (1968), "There is Nothing More to Say" (1968)
session musician on The Association's "Cherish" (#1 1966); and with Chad and Jeremy, Tommy Roe, Van Dyke Parks, and others
songwriter

Brent Rowan

b. 1956 in Waxahachie, TX
country musician, instruments: acoustic guitar, electric guitar
"Waxahachie Sunset" (2001), "Cottonwood Canyon" (2001)
session guitarist on Alabama's * "Forty-Hour Week (for a Livin')" (#1c 1985), "Cheap Seats" (#13c 1994); Amy Grant and Vince Gill's "House of Love" (#37 1995); Tracy Lawrence's "Time Marches on" (#1c 1996), "Lessons Learned" (#40, #3c 2000); Keith Whitley's "Some Old Side Road" (#16c 1987); John Conlee's "Friday Night Blues" (#2c 1980); Toby Keith's "How Do You Like Me Now?" (#31, #1c 2000); Tim McGraw's "Not a Moment Too Soon" (#1c 1995), "Everywhere" (#1c 1997); Mark Chesnutt's "Too Cold at Home" (#3c 1990), "Almost Goodbye" (#1c 1993); and with with Chalee Tennison, George Strait, Conway Twitty, Chris LeDoux, Shania Twain, Olivia Newton-John, Kathy Mattea, and others
for a complete list see Brent Rowan

Gary Stewart

b. 1945 in Jenkins, KY (grew up in Fort Pierce, FL) – d. 16 Dec 2003 in Fort Pierce, FL (shot himself a few weeks after the the death of his wife)
honky-tonk/country/rock singer
instruments: guitar, bass, piano
"Ramblin' Man" (#63c 1973), * "Drinkin' Thing" (#10c 1974), * "Out of Hand" (#4c 1974), * "I See the Want in Your Eyes" (1974), * "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)" (#1c 1975), "Backslider's Wine" (1975), * "Oh, Sweet Temptation" (#23c 1976), * "In Some Room Above the Street" (#15c 1976), * "Your Place or Mine?" (#11c 1976), "Dancin' Eyes" (1977), * "Ten Years of This" (#16c 1977, he co-wrote), * "Whiskey Trip" (#16c 1977), * "Cactus and a Rose" (#48c 1980), "Staring Each Other Down" (1980), * "Are We Dreamin' the Same Dream?" (#66c 1980), "She's Got a Drinkin' Problem" (#36c 1981), "Brand New Whiskey" (#63 1988, he co-wrote), "Draggin' Leather" (1993), "Honky-Tonk Hardwood Floor" (1993)
duets with Dean Dillon, "Brotherly Love" (#41c 1982, he co-wrote), "She Sings Amazing Grace" (#83c 1982), "Living on the Ragged Edge" (1984)
songwriter
md. to Mary Lou Taylor (1963-2003, her death)

Phil Vassar

b. 1962/65 in Lynchburg, VA
country singer
instrument: piano
"Carlene" (#45, #5c 2000, he co-wrote), "Just Another Day in Paradise" (#35, #1c 2000, he co-wrote), "Six-Pack Summer" (#56, #9c 2001, he co-wrote), "Rose Bouquet" (#16c 2001, he co-wrote), "That's When I Love You" (#37, #3c 2002, he co-wrote), "American Child" (#48, #5c 2003, he co-wrote), "In a Real Love" (#38, #1c 2004, he co-wrote), "Last Day of My Life" (#47, #2c 2006)
songwriter, wrote Collin Raye's "Little Red Rodeo" (#3c 1997); Tim McGraw's "For a Little While" (#37, #2c 1999); Alan Jackson's "Right on the Money" (#1c 1998); Jo Dee Messina's "I'm Alright" (#43, #1c 1998), "Bye Bye" (#43 #1c 1997)
md. to Julie Wood (2002- )
see Phil Vassar

Billy Vera (William McCord, Jr.)

b. 1944 in Riverside, CA (grew up in NY)
rock/pop/soul singer
instrument: guitar
"My Heart Cries" (1962), "Are You Coming to My Party?" (1968), "Something Like Nothing Before" (1977), "She Ain't Johnnie" (#93c 1987, he co-wrote)
founding member and lead of Billy and the Beaters (1979- ), "I Can Take Care of Myself" (#39 1981), "At This Moment" (#79, 1981, re-released #1, #42c 1987, he co-wrote), "Hopeless Romantic" (1987), "Between Like and Love" (1988), "Heart to Heart (Eye to Eye)" (1988), "Wrong When I'm Right" (1996, he wrote)
duets with Judy Clay, "Country Girl, City Man" (#36 1968), "Reaching for the Moon" (1969)
duet with Nona Hendryx, "Didn't You Know You'd Have to Cry Sometime?" (1992)
songwriter, wrote Dolly Parton's "I Really Got the Feeling" (#25, #1c 1979)
bandleader; music producer
actor; music historian
New York City police officer
see Billy and the Beaters

May 29

Gary Brooker

b. 1945 in London, England
rock singer
instruments: electric piano, keyboards, harmonica, banjo, guitar, trumpet
"(No More) Fear of Flying" (1979, he co-wrote), "Give Me Something to Remember You By" (1979, he co-wrote), "Get Up and Dance" (1979, he co-wrote), "Another Way" (1982, he wrote), "Low Flying Birds" (1982, he wrote), "Echoes in the Night" (1985), "Two Fools in Love" (1985, he co-wrote), "Nothing But the Truth" (1998, he co-wrote)
founding member and leader of Procol Harum (1967-77, and reunions), "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (1967), "Homburg" (#34 1967), "Rambling on" (1968), "Quite Rightly So" (1968), "She Wandered Through the Garden Fence" (1968), "Too Much between Us" (1969), "The Devil Came from Kansas" (1969), "A Salty Dog" (1969), "All This and More" (1969), "Conquistador" (#16 1972), "Fires (Which Burnt Brightly)" (1973), "Pandora's Box" (1975)
Procol Harum was named for a Latin phrase that the founding members thought meant 'beyond these things'; an asteroid and and orchid have both been named after the band
founding member of The Paramounts (1961-66), "Where's Carolyn Tonight?" (1963), "A Certain Girl" (1964), "Cuttin' in" (1965)
lead singer on Alan Parson's "Limelight" (1985)
session musician with Alan Clarke, Lonnie Donegan, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and others
songwriter
see Procol Harum

Bill Bruno (William Bruno)

b. 1945 in Pittsburgh, PA
rock/soul musician, instrument: lead guitar
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

Roy Crewsdon

b. 1941 in Manchester, England
pop/rock musician, instrument: rhythm guitar
founding member of Freddie and the Dreamers (1959-69, and reunions), * "I'm Telling You Now" (#1 1965), * "You Were Made for Me" (#21 1965), "Do the Freddie" (#18 1965), "Get Around Downtown Girl" (1969)
bar owner

Jerry Dengler

b. 1955 in Colorado Springs, CO
country/rock singer
instruments: guitar, banjo
with Mason Dixon (1979- ), "Every Breath You Take" (#69c 1983), "I Never Had a Chance with You" (#51c 1984), "Gettin' Over You" (#49c 1984), "Only a Dream Away" (#47c 1985), "3935 West End Avenue" (#39c 1987), "Dangerous Road" (#62c 1988), "When Karen Comes Around" (#49c 1988), "Exception to the Rule" (#35c 1989)

Melissa Etheridge (Melissa Lou Etheridge)

b. 1961 in Leavenworth, KS
rock singer
instruments: guitar, piano
"I'm the Only One" (#8 1993), "Come to My Window" (#25 1994), "If I Wanted to" (#16 1995), "Your Little Secret" (#47 1995), "I Want to Come Over" (#22 1996)
environmentalist
breast cancer survivor

Francis Rossi (Francis Dominic Michael Nicholas Rossi aka Mike Rossi)

b. 1949 in London, England
rock singer
instrument: guitar
"Give Myself to Love" (1996)
founding member lead singer and lead guitarist of Status Quo (1966- ), "Pictures of Matchstick Men" (1967, One-Hit Wonder, he wrote), "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)
duet with Bernie Frost, "Modern Romance" (1985)
songwriter

Eugene Wright (aka 'the Senator')

b. 1923 in Chicago, IL
jazz musician, instrument: double bass
with The Dave Brubeck Quartet (1958-67), "Take Five" (#25 1960, One-Hit Wonder), "Unsquare Dance" (1961), "Far More Blue" (1961)
sessionist with Count Basie, Kai Winding, Paul Desmond, Billie Holiday, and others
songwriter

May 30

Tooter Boatman (William McCon Boatman, Jr.)

b. 1936 in Mineral Wells, TX - d. 1 Aug 1964 in Clear Lake, LA (auto accident)
rockabilly singer
instrument: guitar
"Lost Love" (1964), "Heaven for Broken Hearts" (1964), "Hey, Little Missy" (1983)
founding member of The Chaparrals, "The Will of Love" (1958), "More and More (I Love You)" (1958), "Sweet Lies" (1958)

Steve Charles

b. 1966 in Stow, OH or Akron, OH
country singer
instrument: lead guitar
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)

Cathy Conn

b. 1945 in Chicago, IL
folk/rock singer
founding member of Friend and Lover, "If Tomorrow" (1967), "Reach Out of the Darkness" (#10 1968, One-Hit Wonder, he wrote), "Love is in Your Heart" (1968), "Ode to a Dandelion" (1968), "Zig-Zag" (1968)
dancer
md. to Jim Post

Lenny Davidson (Leonard Arthur Davidson)

b. 1942 in Middlesex, England
rock singer
instruments: lead guitar, bass, clarinet
founding member of The Dave Clark Five (1958-70), * "Glad All Over" (#6 1964), "Chaquita" (1964), * "Bits and Pieces" (#4 1964), * "Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance)?" (#11 1964), "Can't You See That She's Mine?" (#4 1964), "Because" (#3 1964), "Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)" (#15 1964), "Any Way You Want it" (#14 1965), "Come Home" (#14 1965), "Reelin' and Rockin'" (#23 1965), "I Like it Like That" (#7 1965), "Catch Us if You Can" (#4 1965), "Over and Over" (#1 1965), "At the Scene" (#18 1966), "Try Too Hard" (#12 1966), "Please Tell Me Why" (#28 1966), "You Got What it Takes" (#7 1967), "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" (#35 1967)
see the Dave Clark Five

Johnny Gimble (John Paul Gimble aka 'King of Swing Fiddle')

b. 1926 near Tyler, TX
country/western swing musician, instruments: 5-string fiddle, electric mandolin, banjo
"Under the X in Texas" (1995)
founding member of Texas Swing, "Slow 'n' Easy" (1976), "I'll Keep on Loving You" (1976), "Sweet Jennie Lee" (1976)
duets with Ray Price, backed his band Texas Swing, "One Fiddle, Two Fiddle" (#70c 1983), "San Antonio Rose" (1983)
with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys (1947–50, 1954- ), "Spanish Fandango" (1947), "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), "Waltzing in Old San Antone" (1954), "Cadillac in Model 'A'" (1954), "So Let's Rock" (1956), "Heart to Heart Talk" (#5c 1960), "I'll See You to the Door" (1965), "Footsteps to Nowhere" (1966), "It's a Good World" (1969)
founding member of The Nashville Superpickers, "New York Cowboy" (#83c 1981)
fiddle sessionist on Marty Robbins' "I Couldn't Keep from Crying" (#5c 1953); and with Lefty Frizzell, Ray Price, Asleep at the Wheel, Willie Nelson, Conway Twitty, and others
barber
md. to Barbara Kemp (1949- )
see The Texas Playboys

Benny Goodman (Benjamin David Goodman aka 'the King of Swing')

b. 1909 in Chicago, IL - d. 13 Jun 1986 in New York, NY (heart attack)
swing/jazz/big band musician, instrument: clarinet
founding member and leader of Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, "Sing, Sing, Sing" (1935), "Afraid to Dream" (1937), "When My Baby Smiles at Me" (1938), "How High the Moon" (#6 1940), "Idaho" (#4 1942), "Taking a Chance on Love" (#1 1943), "Symphony" (#2 1946), "Give Me the Simple Life" (1946), "I Don't Know Enough about You" (#12 1946), "A Gal in Calico" (#6 1947), "On a Slow Boat to China" (#10 1949), "Room 1411" (1949), "Shirt Tail Blues" (1949)
founding member and leader of The Benny Goodman Trio
founding member and leader of The Benny Goodman Quartet, "Moonglow" (#1 1934)
founding member and leader of The Benny Goodman Sextet, "Memories of You" (#20 1956, vocals by Rosemary Clooney)
with Red Nichols and the Five Pennies, "You're My Everything" (1950)
session musician
md. to Alice (Hammond) Duckworth (1942- )

Wynonna Judd (Christina Claire Ciminella)

b. 1964 in Ashland, KY
country/rock singer
instrument: guitar
"I Saw the Light" (#1c 1992), "She is His Only Need" (#1c 1992), "No One Else on Earth" (#83, #1c 1992), "My Strongest Weakness" (#4c 1992), "Tell Me Why" (#77, #3c 1993), "Only Love" (#3c 1993), "Rock Bottom" (#2c 1993), "Is it Over Yet?" (#6c 1993), "I Just Drove By" (1993), "Heaven Help My Heart" (#14c 1996), "To Be Loved by You" (#1c 1997), "When Love Starts Talkin'" (#98, #13c 1997), "Old Enough to Know Better" (1997), "Come Some Rainy Day" (#14c 1997), "We Can't Unmake Love" (1997), "Stuck in Love" (#26 2000), "What the World Needs" (#67, #14c 2003), "Heaven Help Me" (#37c 2003)
founding member of The Judds (duo with mother, Naomi), "Mama, He's Crazy" (#1c 1984), * "Why Not Me?" (#1c 1984, CMA single of the year 1985), "Girls Night Out" (#1c 1985), "Love is Alive" (#1c 1985), "Dream Chaser" (1985), "Have Mercy" (#1c 1985), * "Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain" (#1c 1986), "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)" (#1c 1986), "Cry Myself to Sleep" (#1c 1987), "I Know Where I'm Going" (#1c 1987), "Maybe Your Baby's Got the Blues" (#1c 1987), "Old Pictures" (1987), "Give a Little Love" (#2c 1988), "Turn it Loose" (#1c 1988), "Young Love (Strong Love)" (#1c 1988), "Cadillac Red" (1988), "Let Me Tell You about Love" (#1c 1989), "Change of Heart" (#1c 1989), "Love Can Build a Bridge" (#5c 1990), "Calling in the Wind" (1990), "Are the Roses Not Blooming?" (1990), "Guardian Angels" (#16c 1990), "John Deere Tractor" (#32, #29c 1991)
duet with Sam Moore, "I Can't Stand the Rain" (2006)
duet with Clint Black, "A Bad Goodbye" (#43, #2c 1993)
duet with Naomi Judd and Lyle Lovett, "Girls with Guitars" (#10c 1994)
songwriter
actress
daughter of singer Naomi Judd; half-sister of actress, Ashley Judd
md. 1st to Arch Kelley III (1996-98); md. 2nd to her former bodyguard, D. R. Roach (2003- )
see The Judds

David Miller (David Earl Miller)

b. 19?? in Garden Grove, CA
western swing/country singer
instruments: bass, drums
with Asleep at the Wheel (1991- ), "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)
session musician with George Strait, and others
see Asleep at the Wheel

Mike Snider

b. 1960 in Gleason, TN
country/bluegrass musician, instruments: banjo, fiddle, harmonica
"Putting on the Dog" (2000)
founding member and lead of the Mike Snider String Band, "Denver Belle" (2000), "If You Had What I've Got" (2000), "Born to Shop" (2000), "Squirrel Hunter" (2002)
songwriter
comedian
md. to Sabrina 'Sweetie' Goodwin (1982- )
see the Mike Snider String Band

May 31

Ed Adkins

b. 1967
country singer
instrument: upright bass, electric bass
with The Derailers, "The Right Place" (#71c 1999), "Knee-Deep in the Blues" (1999), "There Goes the Bride" (2001), "If it's Really Got to Be This Way" (2001), "She's a Lot Like Texas" (2006), "Get 'Er Done" (2006), "Every Time it Rains" (2006)
see The Derailers

John 'Bonzo' Bonham (John Henry Bonham)

b. 1948 in Worcestershire, England – d. 25 Sep 1980 in England (asphyxiation after drinking too much alcohol)
rock musician, instruments: drums, percussions
drummer with Led Zeppelin (1968-80), "Whole Lotta Love" (#4 1969), "Ramble on" (1969), "Communication Breakdown" (1969), "Black Dog" (#15 1971), "Stairway to Heaven" (#15 1971), "The Song Remains the Same" (1973), "Custard Pie" (1975), "All My Love" (1979), "Fool in the Rain" (#21 1979)
duet with John Paul Jones and Albert Lee, "One Long Kiss" (1984)
session musician with Paul McCartney, Roy Wood, and others
songwriter
see Led Zeppelin

Junior Campbell (William Campbell aka 'Junior Wullie')

b. 1947 in Glasgow, Scotland
pop/rock singer
instruments: guitar, keyboards, piano
"Hallelujah, Freedom" (1972), "Sweet Illusion" (1973)
founding member of The Marmalade (1966-70), "It's All Leading Up to Saturday Night" (1966), "I See the Rain" (1967), "Lovin' Things" (1968), "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (1968), "Reflections of My Life" (#10 1970), "Rainbow" (1970)
songwriter, wrote the theme for Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends

Clint Eastwood (Clint Eastwood, Jr.)

b. 1930 in San Francisco, CA
country/rock/jazz singer
"Unknown Girl" (1961), "For You, For Me, For Evermore" (1962), "Rowdy" (1963), "Cowboy Wedding Song" (1963), "When I Loved Her" (1970), "Cowboy in a Three-Piece Suit" (1981), "Another One Bites the Dust" (1981), "Sweet, Sweet Matilda" (1981), "Stop That Train" (1983), "Sidekick" (1990), "Sweet, Sweet Jamaica" (1990), "Golden Rule" (1999), "Rock Miss Lue" (1999)
duet with Merle Haggard, "Barroom Buddies" (#1c 1980)
duet with Ray Charles, "Beers to You" (#55c 1980)
duet with T.G. Sheppard, "Make My Day" (#62, #12c 1984)
songwriter
actor, director, producer
md. to Maggie Johnson (1953-78); md. to Dina Ruiz (1996- )
see Clint Eastwood

Paul Franklin

b. 1954 in Detroit, MI
country/rock musician, instruments: pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar, steel guitar, dobro, slide guitar, fiddle
founding member of The Notting Hillbillies (1986- ), "That's Where I Belong" (1990), "Feel Like Going Home" (1990)
session musician on George Strait's "The Fireman" (#5c 1985), "The Chair" (#1c 1985), "Nobody in His Right Mind Would've Left Her" (#1c 1986), "It Ain't Cool to Be Crazy about You" (#1c 1986), "Ocean-Front Property" (#1c 1987), "All My Ex's Live in Texas" (#1c 1987), "Am I Blue?" (#1c 1987), "Famous Last Words of a Fool" (#1c 1988), "Baby Blue" (#1c 1988), "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" (#1c 1988); Patty Loveless' "If My Heart Had Windows" (#10c 1988), "Little Bit in Love" (#2c 1988), "The Lonely Side of Love" (#1c 1988), "Don't Toss Us Away" (#5c 1989), "Timber, I'm Falling in Love" (#1c 1989), "Chains" (#1c 1990), "I'm That Kind of Girl" (#5c 1991), "Lonely Too Long" (#1c 1996), "You Can Feel Bad (if it Makes You Feel Better") (#1c 1996); Travis Tritt's "Country Club" (#9c 1989), "Help Me Hold on" (#1c 1990), "I'm Gonna Be Somebody" (#2c 1990); Faith Hill's "Breathe" (#2, #1c 1999), "If I'm Not in Love with You" (#74c 1999), "It Will Be Me" (#67c 1999), "The Way You Love Me" (#6, #1c 2000), "There Will Come a Day" (#6c 2001), "If My Heart Had Wings" (#39, #3c 2001), "There You'll Be" (#10, #11c 2001); and with Lyle Lovett, Jack Ingram, Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood, and others

Gene Gifford

b. 1908 in Armericus, GA - d. 1970
jazz/swing musician, instruments: guitar, banjo
founding member of The Casa Loma Orchestra (1929-35), "Lucky Me, Lovable You" (1929), "Casa Loma Stomp" (1930), "Dust" (1930), "Smoke Rings" (1931), "Clarinet Marmalade" (1931), "After Tonight" (1932), "Sweet Madness" (1933), "Dixie Lee" (1933), "A Hundred Years from Today" (1934)
songwriter
arranger

Augie Meyers

b. 1940/41
country singer
instruments: piano, keyboards, organ, accordion
"Que Paso" (#86c 1988, he wrote), "Velma From Selma" (2001), "Sausalito Sunshine" (2001)
founding member of The Sir Douglas Quintet, "She's about a Mover" (#13 1965), "The Tracker" (1965), "And the Rains Came" (#31 1966), "Mendocino" (#27 1969), "At the Crossroad" (1969), "Dynamite Woman" (1969), "What About Tomorrow?" (1970), "Pretty Flowers" (1971), "Texas Tornado" (1973), "Sheila Tequila" (1981), "Let's Don't Waste a Minute" (1983), "Everybody Gets Lonely Sometimes" (1984), "Too Little Too Late" (1994), "Sooner or Later" (1998)
founding member of Texas Tornados (1990-99), "(Hey Baby) Que Paso" (1990), "Laredo Rose" (1990), "She Never Spoke Spanish to Me" (1990), "Did I Tell You?" (1991), "Hanging on by a Thread" (1992), "A Little Bit is Better Than Nada" (1996)
session musician with Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and others
he had polio as a child
see Doug Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet

Johnny Paycheck (Donald Eugene Lytle aka Donny Young)

b. 1938 in Greenfield, OH – d. 18 Feb 2003 in Nashville, TN (emphysema, asthma and diabetes)
honky-tonk/rockabilly singer
instruments: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, bass
"Don't Start Countin' on Me" (1964), "A-11" (#26c 1965), "Heartbreak Tennessee" (#40c 1965), "Lovin' Machine" (#8c 1966), "I'm Barely Hangin' on to Me" (1966), "Jukebox Charlie" (#15c 1967, he co-wrote), "Motel Time Again" (#13c 1967), "Wherever You Are" (#31c 1969, he co-wrote), "(Don't Take Her) She's All I've Got" (#91, #2c 1971), "Someone to Give My Love to" (#4c 1972), * "She's All I Live For" (1972), * "Something about You I Love" (#10c 1973), "Mr. Lovemaker" (#2c 1973, he wrote), "For a Minute There" (#12c 1975), "Slide Off Your Satin Sheets" (#7c 1977), "I'm the Only Hell (My Mama Ever Raised)" (#8c 1977), "Colorado Kool-Aid" (#50c 1977), "Take This Job and Shove it" (#1c 1978), "Friend, Lover, Wife" (1978, he co-wrote), "In Memory of a Memory" (#22c 1980, he co-wrote), "You're Every Step I Take" (#47c 1985), "I Never Got Over You" (#30c 1985)
with George Jones' band (1962-66), "Aching, Breaking Heart" (#5c 1962), "She Thinks I Still Care" (#1c 1962), "The Race is on" (#96, #3c 1964), "Your Heart Turned Left (and I Was on the Right)" (#5c 1964), "Take Me" (#8c 1965), "Love Bug" (#6c 1965), "Wrong Number" (#14c 1965), "I'm a People" (#6c 1966), "Four-O-Thirty-Three" (#5c 1966), and others
duets with George Jones, "Maybelline" (#7c 1979), "You Can Have Her" (#14c 1979)
session musician
songwriter, co-wrote Tammy Wynette's "Apartment No. 9" (#44c 1966), Ray Price's "Touch My Heart" (#3c 1966)
served two years in prison for shooting a man in a barroom brawl in 1985
George Jones donated the cemetery lot where he was buried
quote by Johnny Paycheck: "Always go hard and fast enough so that when you hit the ditch you can pull out the other side."
see Johnny Paycheck

Vic Willis (John Victor Willis)

b. 1922 in Schulter, OK - d. 15 Jan 1995 (auto accident)
country/western swing singer
instruments: accordion, piano
with The Oklahoma Wranglers (aka The Willis Brothers) (1939-42, 1946-81), "Came the Dawn" (1947), "The Waltz and That Tennessee Moon" (1948), "Wrangler Boogie" (1950), "Country Kisses" (1951), "Hoot Owl Boogie" (1951), "Unhappy New Year" (1951), "Back Up and Push" (1951), "East a Long Way" (1954), "Little Footprints in the Snow" (1960), "Buyin' Popcorn" (1962), "Sally's Bangs" (1962), "Cody of the Pony Express" (1963), "Somebody Knows" (1963), "Give Me Forty Acres (to Turn This Rig Around)" (#9c 1964), "Gonna Buy Me a Juke Box" (1964), "Too Early to Get Up" (1964), "When I Came Driving Through" (1965), "A Six-Foot Two-by-Four" (#41c 1965), "Diesel-Drivin' Donut-Dunkin' Dan" (1965), "Pinball Anonymous" (1965), "Waltzing with Sin" (1966), "Ruby Ann" (1966), "Diamonds for Ruby" (1966), "Bob" (#14c 1967), "Rosebuds and You" (1967), "Show Her Lots of Gold" (1967), "Drivin's in My Blood" (1968), "Motorcycle Bill" (1968), "A Moonlight Ride in a Diesel" (1968), "Alcohol and No. 2 Diesel" (1969), "Gypsy Rose and Me" (1969), "Cold North Wind" (1969), "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me?" (1973)
The Willis Brothers and Johnny Bond, "One More Ride" (1977), "Sioux City Sue" (1977), "Idaho" (1977), "Boots and Saddles" (1977)
founding member of The Vic Willis Trio (1982-95)

Winnie Winston (Julian Winston)

b. 1941 in New York, NY - d. 12 Jun 2005
bluegrass/folk/country musician, instruments: banjo, pedal steel guitar, guitar
"High Sierra" (1978, he wrote), "Head Works" (1978), "Misty Morn" (2005), "Ellen's Waltz" (2005), "Play it Again Waltz" (2005), "Applejack" (2005)
founding member of The New York Ramblers
session musician with City Limits, Bill Monroe, The Greenbriar Boys, Steve Goodman, Jim Ringer and Mary McCaslin, and others
expert in homeopathis medicine
md. to Gwyneth Evans (1994-2005, his death)

Peter Yarrow

b. 1938 in New York, NY
folk singer
instrument: guitar
"Don't Remind Me of Time" (1968), "Don't Ever Take Away My Freedom" (1972, he co-wrote), "Wings of Time" (1972), "Wanderin'" (1975)
founding member of Peter, Paul, and Mary (1961- ), * "If I Had a Hammer" (#10 1962), * "This Land is Your Land" (1963), * "Blowin' in the Wind" (#2 1963), "Don't Think Twice, it's All Right" (#9 1963), * "Puff the Magic Dragon" (#2 1963, he co-wrote), "Tell it on the Mountain" (#33 1964, he co-wrote), "Car-Car" (1964), * "For Lovin' Me" (#30 1965), "I Dig Rock and Roll Music" (#9 1967), "Too Much of Nothing" (#35 1967), "Yesterday's Tomorrow" (1968), * "Day is Done" (#21 1969, he wrote), "Leatherwing Bat" (1969, he co-wrote), * "Leavin' on a Jet Plane" (#1 1969), "The Unicorn Song" (1978), "The Best of Friends" (1978), "Like the First Time" (1978, he co-wrote), "By Surprise" (1978, he co-wrote), "Would You Like to Learn to Dance?" (1983), "El Salvador" (1986), "With Your Face to the Wind" (1990), "The Fox" (1993), "Seventy-Five Septembers" (1995), "Virtual Party (See_You@Party.Net)" (1996)
songwriter
rights activist
md. to Mary Beth McCarty (1969- )
see Peter, Paul, and Mary

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