Music History

Percussionist David Leon “Billy” Knight, brother of Gladys Knight, was born. He played, among other recordings, on “Midnight Train To Georgia” and on more than twenty other UK Top 40 hits. He died on December 6, 2002.

British racing driver James Hunt was born. He also took part in musical collaborations.

English drummer and percussionist Richard Coughlan was born. In 1968, he was one of the founding members of Caravan and remained a member until his death.

Eric Bell, founding member and original guitarist of Thin Lizzy, was born in East Belfast, Northern Ireland.

American drummer Buddy Miles, known for his work with Electric Flag and Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys, was born.

British saxophonist, flutist and multi-instrumentalist Mel Collins was born on the Isle of Man. He became known as a member of progressive rock group King Crimson and also worked with The Rolling Stones and David Bowie.

American singer and songwriter Sylvester James Jr., known simply as Sylvester, was born in Los Angeles. He became famous primarily in disco, R&B and soul, with his distinctive androgynous appearance, falsetto and disco hits of the late 1970s and 1980s. He died on December 16, 1988.

Dutch singer Mariska Veres was born in The Hague. She became famous as the singer of the rock band Shocking Blue.

Martin Turner, singer, bassist, and founding member of the British rock band Wishbone Ash, was born in Torquay, England.

American trumpeter, singer and songwriter Ben Cauley was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a founding member of the Stax group The Bar-Kays and later became known as the sole survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed soul singer Otis Redding and four members of The Bar-Kays. Cauley died on September 21, 2015.

Bassist Jim Fielder, a founding member of Blood, Sweat & Tears, was born in Denton, Texas. Before the formation of Blood, Sweat & Tears, he also worked with Tim Buckley, Buffalo Springfield, and Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention.

English singer and songwriter Brian Johnson was born in Dunston. He became famous as the singer of Geordie and later AC/DC.

American singer and songwriter Sheila Ferguson of The Three Degrees was born. She was a member of the group from 1966 to 1986 and sang lead vocals on many of their biggest hits.

Saxophonist and clarinetist Alan Wakeman was born. He was known for his work with the band Soft Machine.

American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter Sammy Hagar was born in Salinas, California. He became famous with the band Montrose and through his solo career, with songs such as “There’s Only One Way to Rock” and “I Can’t Drive 55.” In 1985, he replaced David Lee Roth as the lead singer of Van Halen.

Born in Ystrad Mynach, Wales, he was a Welsh singer, songwriter, and guitarist, a founding member and frontman of Amen Corner. He was also known for his work with Eric Clapton and other prominent musicians and performed as a backing vocalist on The Who's album Who Are You.

English singer, songwriter and guitarist Peter Beckett was born in Liverpool. He later became famous as the frontman of the soft rock band Player.

American R&B, pop and jazz singer Patti Austin was born in Harlem, New York City.

Bill Hurd, pianist and organist for The Rubettes, was born in East Ham, East London. The Rubettes had the UK No. 1 hit “Sugar Baby Love” in 1974.

The English bassist known for his work with Elvis Costello and the Attractions was born.

Founder and frontman of The Doobie Brothers Tom Johnston was born.

Barry Hay, singer and frontman of the Dutch rock band Golden Earring, was born.

American guitarist, singer and songwriter Elliot Lurie was born in Brooklyn, New York. He became known as the lead guitarist and singer of the pop-rock group Looking Glass, in which he performed from 1969 to 1974.

Country and pop singer Susan Jacks of The Poppy Family was born Susan Pesklevits in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Robert Plant, founding member and frontman of Led Zeppelin, was born in West Bromwich, England. After discovering the music of Elvis Presley, he became deeply involved in rock'n'roll and went on to become one of rock's most distinctive singers. Led Zeppelin had the No. 4 U.S. single “Whole Lotta Love” in 1969, and their fourth album “Led Zeppelin IV” from 1971 included “Stairway to Heaven” and sold more than 37 million copies. Plant had the 1983 solo hit “Big Log” and also performed with The Honeydrippers. With Alison Krauss, he won a Grammy for the 2007 album “Raising Sand”, which won the Grammy for Album of the Year.

American guitarist and singer David Lee Marks was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania. At the age of seven, he moved with his family to Hawthorne, California, where they lived across the street from the Wilson family. He became known with The Beach Boys in 1962, when he joined the group as rhythm guitarist following Al Jardine’s departure; he remained with the group until 1963 and contributed to their first four studio albums.

French composer, performer and producer of electronic and ambient music Jean-Michel Jarre was born in Lyon, France. His breakthrough album was „Oxygène“ in 1976.

American drummer and founding member of The Box Tops Danny Smythe was born. With The Box Tops he had, among others, the hit “The Letter”, which reached number one in the US in 1967.

American musician Danny Seraphine was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was the original drummer and a founding member of the rock band Chicago, remaining with the group from its formation in 1967 until 1990.

English composer, classically trained violinist, and keyboardist Simon House was born. He became known as a member of Hawkwind and the backing band of David Bowie.

Guitarist and founding member of rock band The Flamin' Groovies, Cyril Jordan was born in San Francisco, California.

Scottish guitarist and songwriter Ricky Gardiner was born. He was a member of Kingbees and The System, with whom he formed Beggars Opera in 1969. He played lead guitar on David Bowie's 1977 album "Low" and worked with Iggy Pop on "Lust for Life" that same year, co-writing the song "The Passenger" with him.

Guitarist, founder and leading figure of hard rock band Scorpions, Rudolf Schenker was born in Hildesheim, Germany. He founded the band in 1965 at the age of 17, and their power ballad "Wind of Change" topped European charts in 1990 and reached No. 4 in the United States.

Guitarist Dave Allen of Gang of Four was born.

He was born in San Francisco. He became known as the drummer of Sly and the Family Stone.

Christa Päffgen, the singer known as Nico and a collaborator with The Velvet Underground, was born.

American drummer and singer Donald “Don” Brewer was born in Flint, Michigan. He became known as a founding member of Grand Funk Railroad.

Claydes "Charles" Smith, co-founder and lead guitarist of Kool & the Gang, was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. The group had the U.S. No. 1 hit "Celebration" in 1981, the UK No. 2 hit "Joanna" in 1984, and more than 15 other Top 40 songs. Smith died on June 20, 2006, at the age of 57.

American musician and drummer Dennis Thompson of the hard rock group MC5 (Motor City 5) was born in Detroit, Michigan. The group was formed in 1964 and became known for its energetic live performances, one of which was captured on the 1969 debut album Kick Out the Jams. Thompson was nicknamed “Machine Gun” because of his fast and hard-hitting playing style. After suffering a heart attack in April 2024, he died on May 9, 2024, at the age of 75.

American guitarist and singer Duke Robillard was born. He founded Roomful of Blues, was a member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and also worked with Bob Dylan.

Russell Mael, singer and one of the leading figures of the brotherly pop-rock duo Sparks, was born in Los Angeles.

American musician Tawl Ross, whose real name was Lucius “Tawl” Ross, rhythm guitarist for Funkadelic, was born.

John William Cummings, known as Johnny Ramone, was born in New York. He was a founding member, guitarist, and songwriter of the punk rock band Ramones.

American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jackson Browne was born in Heidelberg, Germany, as Clyde Jackson Browne. He wrote "These Days" as a 16-year-old, and the song became a minor hit for Nico in 1967. The Eagles had their first Billboard Top 40 hit with his co-written song "Take It Easy". Browne later scored hits including "Stay" and "Somebody's Baby".

American percussionist and singer Cyril Neville was born on October 10, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He became known as a member of The Meters and later performed with his brother Art in the Neville Brothers. He also recorded with Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, Edie Brickell, Willie Nelson and Dr. John.

Rick Parfitt is born in Woking, England. He is a singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist with British rock band Status Quo, known for hits including “Pictures of Matchstick Men,” “Whatever You Want,” and “In the Army Now.”