BIRTHDAYS James Gurley (1939) Big Brother and the Holding Company guitarist/co-founder (died 2009) age 69 – heart attack Colin “Barry” Jenkins (1944) The Nashville Teens drummer/co-founder [“Tobacco Road”] and The Animals drummer/co-founder Rick Nielsen (1948) Cheap Trick lead guitarist/songwriter/co-founder [current] Maurice Gibb (1949) Bee Gees singer/bassist/keyboardist/songwriter/co-founder (died 2003) age 53 – intestinal complications Robin Gibb… Continue reading December 22 Music History Report

BIRTHDAYS Freddie Hart (1926) country singer/songwriter/guitarist [“Easy Loving”] (died 2018) age 91 – pneumonia Hank Crawford (1934) Ray Charles saxophonist/arranger and solo saxophonist/pianist/songwriter (died 2009) age 74 – stroke complications Ray Hildebrand (1940) Paul & Paula singer/songwriter/co-founder [“Hey Paula”] (died 2023) age 82 – unknown causes Frank Zappa (1940) The Mothers of Invention singer/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/co-founder and… Continue reading December 21 Music History Report

BIRTHDAYS Kim Weston (1939) singer [“It Takes Two” (with Marvin Gaye)] Bobby Colomby (1944) Blood Sweat & Tears drummer/co-founder Peter “The Catman” Criss [born George Criscuola] (1945) KISS drummer/songwriter/singer [“Beth”]/co-founder and solo drummer/singer/songwriter Stevie Wright (1947) The Easybeats lead singer/songwriter/co-founder [“Friday on My Mind”] (died 2015) age 68 – pneumonia Alan Parsons (1948) The Alan… Continue reading December 20 Music History Report

BIRTHDAYS Professor Longhair [born Henry “Roy” Byrd] (1918) blues singer/pianist/songwriter (died 1980) age 61 – heart attack Little Jimmy Dickens (1920) country singer/songwriter [“May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose”] (died 2015) age 94 – cardiac arrest Phil Ochs (1940) singer/guitarist/pianist/songwriter (died 1976) age 35 – suicide by hanging Maurice White (1941) Earth,… Continue reading December 19 Music History Report

BIRTHDAYS Bryan “Chas” Chandler (1938) The Animals bassist/co-founder (died 1996) age 57 – aortic aneurysm Sam Andrew III (1941) Big Brother and the Holding Company guitarist/co-lead singer/songwriter/co-founder [“Down on Me”/”Piece of Me”/”Ball and Chain”] and Janis Joplin guitarist (died 2015) age 73 – open-heart surgery complications Keith Richards (1943) Rolling Stones guitarist/songwriter/singer/co-founder [current], also actor… Continue reading December 18 Music History Report

BIRTHDAYS Arthur Fiedler (1894) conductor (died 1979) age 84 – cardiac arrest Art Neville (1937) The Meters singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/co-founder and the Neville Brothers singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/co-founder (died 2019) age 81 – unknown causes Carl “Carlo” Little (1938) Rolling Stones drummer/co-founder (died 2005) age 66 – lung cancer Eddie Kendricks (1939) The Temptations lead singer/songwriter/co-founder and solo singer/songwriter [“Keep… Continue reading December 17 Music History Report

BIRTHDAYS Ludvig van Beethoven (1770) composer/pianist (died 1827) age 56 – liver damage Tony Hicks (1945) The Hollies lead guitarist/songwriter/co-founder [current] Goran “Benny” Andersson (1946) ABBA keyboardist/songwriter/singer/co-founder and solo keyboardist/songwriter/singer William Frederick “Billy” Gibbons (1949) ZZ Top lead guitarist/lead singer/songwriter/co-founder [current], also Moving Sidewalks lead guitarist/songwriter/co-founder and solo singer/guitarist/songwriter Robben Ford (1951) blues and jazz/rock… Continue reading December 16 Music History Report

BIRTHDAYS Stan Kenton (1911) jazz pianist/composer/arranger/bandleader [“Laura”/”How High the Moon”/”Dragnet”] (died 1979) age 67 – stroke complications Alan “Moondog” Freed (1921) disc jockey (died 1965) age 43 – alcoholism-related cirrhosis and uremia Cindy Birdsong (1939) The Supremes singer/songwriter Dave Clark (1939) The Dave Clark Five drummer/songwriter/founder Carmine Appice (1946) Vanilla Fudge drummer/songwriter/co-founder, Rod Stewart, King… Continue reading December 15 Music History Report

BIRTHDAYS Lindley “Spike” Jones (1911) Spike Jones and his City Slickers bandleader [“All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”/”Cocktails for Two”/”Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”] (died 1965) age 53 – emphysema Charlie “The Silver Fox” Rich (1932) country singer/songwriter/pianist/guitarist [“Behind Closed Doors”/”The Most Beautiful Girl”] (died 1995) age 62 – pulmonary embolism Johnny… Continue reading December 14 Music History Report

BIRTHDAYS Tony Gómez (1938) The Foundations keyboardist [“Build Me Up Buttercup”] (died 2015) age 77 – unknown causes Robert Martinez (1943) ? and the Mysterians drummer/co-founder [“96 Tears”] Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (1948) Steely Dan guitarist/co-founder and The Doobie Brothers guitarist/songwriter Ted Nugent (1948) Amboy Dukes lead guitarist/songwriter/co-founder [“Journey to the Center of the Mind”], Damn… Continue reading December 13 Music History Report