Events in 1943
- Kathy Lennon, a member of The Lennon Sisters, was born on August 2, 1943, in Los Angeles.
- David Carr, keyboardist with the British group The Fortunes, was born in Leyton, London.
- Country singer and songwriter Sammi Smith, born Jewel Faye Smith, was born in Orange County, California.
- Popová zpěvačka Lana Cantrell se narodila v Sydney v Austrálii.
- American singer Wanda LaFaye Young, also known as Wanda Rogers, was born in Inkster, Michigan. She was a member of The Marvelettes and became their lead singer in 1965.
- Ronnie Spector, singer, co-founder and frontwoman of the girl group The Ronettes, was born Veronica Bennett in New York City.
- American singer, guitarist and songwriter James Griffin, a member of Bread, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Jim Kale, born Michael James Kale, bassist for The Guess Who, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Guess Who had the US No. 1 hit “American Woman” in 1970. Jim Kale also frequently performed with The Who.
- American singer and songwriter Kin Vassy was born. In addition to his solo work, he also recorded with Kenny Rogers, Frank Zappa and Elvis Presley.
- Carl Wayne, singer with The Move, whose real name was Colin David Tooley, was born in Winson Green, Birmingham, England.
- English pop singer William Howard Ashton, known as Billy J. Kramer, was born in Bootle, Lancashire, England. He became famous as the singer of Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, who were managed by Brian Epstein in the 1960s. In 1963, he had the UK number one hit “Bad to Me”, one of several Lennon–McCartney songs that The Beatles themselves did not record. In 1964, “Little Children” reached number one on the UK singles chart and number 7 in the US.
- Gospel singer, songwriter, pianist, producer, arranger and choir leader Edwin Hawkins was born in Oakland, California. With his choir, he recorded “Oh Happy Day”, the first traditional gospel song to break into the pop charts.
- „In the Blue of Evening“ by Frank Sinatra reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart.
- John Cipollina, founder and lead guitarist of the psychedelic rock group Quicksilver Messenger Service, was born.
- Walter Lee Williams, founding member of R&B group The O'Jays, was born in Canton, Ohio. The group had, among others, the US hit “Back Stabbers” and the 1973 US number-one single “Love Train”. After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1983, he became a spokesperson for the condition.
- Ann “Honey” Lantree, drummer and singer of the English beat and pop group The Honeycombs, was born in Hayes, Middlesex, England. In 1964, the group had the UK No. 1 single “Have I the Right”, produced by Joe Meek.
- American-British actor and singer David Richard Solberg, known as David Soul, was born in Chicago, Illinois. He became famous for playing Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson in the television series Starsky & Hutch from 1975 to 1979, and as a singer he had the UK No. 1 single “Silver Lady” in 1976 and “Don't Give Up On Us”, which reached No. 1 in both the UK and US in 1977.
- American musician, composer, and arranger Richard "Dick" Halligan, a founding member of Blood, Sweat & Tears, was born in Troy, New York. Halligan was a keyboardist, flutist, and singer. In 1969, the group had the US single "Spinning Wheel" at No. 2 and "You've Made Me So Very Happy" at No. 12, while its 1968 album "Blood, Sweat & Tears" reached No. 1 in the US. In the 1970s and 1980s, Halligan composed and arranged music for a number of films. He died on January 18, 2022, in Rome at the age of 78.