Events in 1946
- John York Foley, bassist and guitarist known for his work with The Byrds, was born in White Plains, New York.
- American bassist Walter Powers III, who later played with The Velvet Underground, was born.
- Greg Leskiw, guitarist for The Guess Who, was born in Manitoba, Canada.
- British jazz and rock guitarist and composer Allan Holdsworth was born in Bradford, England. His work influenced, among others, Eddie Van Halen, Frank Zappa, Tom Morello and Joe Satriani.
- Marinus “Rinus” Gerritsen, bassist and keyboardist with Golden Earring, was born in The Hague, Netherlands.
- John Parry, trombonist with The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, was born.
- Mick Clarke, bassist and singer of The Rubettes, was born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England.
- Michal Prokop was born. He became a singer and member of the band Framus Five.
- The bassist from Sly and the Family Stone was born in Beaumont, Texas.
- American composer, singer and lyricist Jimmy Webb was born.
- Gordon Fleet, drummer for The Easybeats, was born in Merseyside, England.
- Ralf Hütter, German musician, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer and co-founder of the electronic group Kraftwerk, was born in Krefeld, Germany. Kraftwerk are regarded as pioneers of electronic music, with major albums including “Autobahn”, “Trans-Europe Express”, “The Man-Machine” and “Computer World”. Their music combined electronic sounds with pop melodies, sparse arrangements and repetitive rhythms.
- Rock singer Jim Sohns of The Shadows Of Knight was born in Chicago, Illinois. The group was known for their popular 1966 cover version of “Gloria” by Them.
- English drummer Keith Moon was born in Wembley, London. After playing with the local group Beachcombers, he joined The Who in 1964 before their first single. With the group, he had the hit “My Generation” and more than 20 other Top 40 hits, as well as the US hit “I Can See For Miles” and the rock operas “Tommy” and “Quadrophenia”. He became famous for his wild lifestyle and died on September 7, 1978 after overdosing on Heminevrin, a drug intended to alleviate alcohol dependence.
- American singer and songwriter Valerie Simpson, one half of the songwriting and singing duo Ashford & Simpson, was born in New York. Together with Nick Ashford, she wrote songs including “Ain't No Mountain High Enough”, “You're All I Need To Get By”, “Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing” and “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)”.
- Ella Fitzgerald and The Delta Rhythm Boys recorded the song "It's a Pity to Say Goodnight".
- John Victory, a studio guitarist, was born.
- He was born in Douglas on the Isle of Man. He became known as a singer, songwriter and producer with the Bee Gees, which he founded with his brothers Robin and Maurice Gibb.
- Billy Preston was born in Houston, Texas. He became known as a keyboardist, singer and session musician who worked with, among others, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, as well as for his successful solo career.
- Radio announcer Marty Brennaman was born.
- American guitarist, singer and songwriter Gary Duncan was born in San Diego, California. He became known for his work with The Brogues and Quicksilver Messenger Service; Quicksilver Messenger Service was formed in San Francisco in 1965.
- Ronald LePread, bassist for the American funk and soul group The Commodores, was born. The group had the UK and US number-one single “Three Times a Lady” in 1978, as well as the hits “Easy” and “Nightshift.”
- Scottish singer and songwriter Dean Ford, born Thomas McAleese, was born in Coatbridge. He became known as the lead singer and frontman of the Marmalade.
- Singer and songwriter Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara, was born in Stone Town, Zanzibar. He became internationally famous as the frontman of Queen.
- American folk-rock singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Loudon Wainwright III was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. His father was journalist and Life magazine editor Loudon Wainwright Jr.
- American disco and soul singer Alfa Anderson, known as one of the lead singers of Chic, was born in Augusta, Georgia. Chic had the US No. 1 hit “Le Freak” in 1978 and the hit “Good Times” in 1979. Anderson recorded backing vocals for Roy Buchanan, Dionne Warwick, Odyssey and other artists, and her voice also appeared on the soundtrack to The Wiz. She died on December 17, 2024, at the age of 78.
- American soul singer Patricia Ann Cole, known by her stage name PP Arnold, was born in Los Angeles, California. She first performed as a backing singer with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue and later established herself as a solo artist. She had several hits, including the original version of Cat Stevens' “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” and later released singles produced by Barry Gibb. As a session singer, she also worked with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters.
- Jamaican singer and songwriter Millicent “Millie” Small was born in Clarendon, Jamaica. She became best known for the hit “My Boy Lollipop,” which reached No. 2 on both the UK and U.S. charts in 1964.
- American musician Dean Daughtry, co-founder of Atlanta Rhythm Section, was born. He was the band's only constant member until his retirement in 2020.
- British singer Russell Stone was born. In 1971, he spent one year with Brotherhood of Man and later formed the pop duo R&J Stone with his American wife, Joanne Ruby Stone.
- Actor, dancer and singer Ben Vereen was born Benjamin Augustus Middleton in Miami, Florida. He won a Tony Award for his performance in the 1973 musical “Pippin.”
- American country-folk singer, songwriter and guitarist John Prine was born in Maywood, Illinois, near Chicago. He became known for songs such as “Sam Stone” from his 1971 album John Prine. He released a total of 19 studio albums and died on April 7, 2020, from complications related to COVID-19.
- Daryl Franklin Hohl, known professionally as Daryl Hall, was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. He co-founded the pop-rock duo Hall & Oates and became its lead singer. The duo scored numerous major hits, including "Maneater," which reached No. 1 in the United States in 1982. Hall was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004 and later hosted the music program Live from Daryl's House.
- American drummer, percussionist and backing vocalist Gary Mallaber was born in Buffalo, New York. He played with Steve Miller Band and Greg Kihn Band and also recorded with artists including Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, John Lennon, Peter Frampton, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Seger, Barbra Streisand and Warren Zevon.