Music History Events: Births
August 8, 1942 John "Jay" David (drummer for Dr. Hook) is born in Bayonne, New Jersey.
August 7, 1942 B.J. Thomas is born in Hugo, Oklahoma. He lands #1 hits in America with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" and "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song."
August 5, 1942 Rick Huxley (bassist for The Dave Clark Five) is born in Dartford, Kent, England.
July 31, 1942 Daniel Boone, a British pop singer known for the 1972 hit "Beautiful Sunday," is born Peter Charles Green in Birmingham, England.
July 25, 1942 Bruce Woodley (of The Seekers) is born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
July 24, 1942 Bassist and singer Heinz Burt, of The Tornados, is born in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
July 23, 1942 Soul singer Madeline Bell (of Blue Mink) is born in Newark, New Jersey. She lands her first big hit in 1968 with a cover of Dee Dee Warwick's "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me."
July 17, 1942 Gale Garnett, known for the 1964 folk hit "We'll Sing In The Sunshine," is born in Auckland, New Zealand, but will relocate to Canada by age 11.
July 13, 1942 Stephen Bladd (drummer for The J. Geils Band) is born in Boston, Massachusetts.
July 13, 1942 Doo wop singer Jay Uzzell (of The Corsairs) is born in La Grange, North Carolina.
July 10, 1942 Heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (of Black Sabbath, Rainbow) is born Ronald James Padavona in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
July 1, 1942 Gospel singer Andrae Crouch is born in San Francisco, California.
June 29, 1942 Brazilian musician and songwriter Gilberto Gil is born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
June 27, 1942 Bruce Johnston (of The Beach Boys) is born Benjamin Baldwin in Peoria, Illinois. He is adopted by William and Irene Johnston and grows up in Los Angeles.
June 25, 1942 Jazz musician Joe Chambers is born near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
June 24, 1942 Arthur Brown is born Arthur Wilton in Yorkshire, England. Making a name for himself in the world of performance art, he has a huge hit with "Fire."More
June 22, 1942 Jazz pianist Deodato is born Eumir Deodato de Almeida in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
June 19, 1942 Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane (vocalist for Spanky & Our Gang) is born in Peoria, Illinois.
June 18, 1942 Paul McCartney is born James Paul McCartney in Allerton, Liverpool, England. McCartney's father and great-grandfather also were named James, although his dad was informally known as Jim. When Paul's father was younger, he'd led a local jazz band, and could play piano and the trumpet. Jim McCartney passed down his love for music to his son.
June 18, 1942 Carl Radle (bass player for Derek and the Dominos) is born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
June 17, 1942 Norman Kuhlke (drummer for The Swinging Blue Jeans) is born in Liverpool, England.
June 16, 1942 Edward Levert (lead vocalist of The O'Jays) is born in Birmingham, Alabama, but will be raised in Canton, Ohio.
June 12, 1942 '60s singer-songwriter Len Barry is born Leonard Borisoff in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
June 8, 1942 Chuck Negron (of Three Dog Night) is born in Manhattan, New York.
June 3, 1942 Curtis Mayfield is born in Chicago, Illinois. With his group The Impressions, he writes, produces and sings on '60s classics like "People Get Ready" and "Keep On Pushing." He makes his mark in the '70s as a solo artist with songs like "Superfly" and "Move On Up."
May 29, 1942 Sir Monti Rock III (frontman of Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes) is born Joseph Montanez, Jr. in The Bronx, New York City.
May 25, 1942 Brian "Blinky" Davison (drummer for The Nice) is born in Leicester, Leicestershire, England.
May 24, 1942 Derek Quinn (guitarist, harmonica player for Freddie & the Dreamers) is born in Manchester, England.
May 20, 1942 Pop singer Jill Jackson (of Paul & Paula) is born in McCartney, Texas.
May 17, 1942 Blues musician Taj Mahal is born Henry Saint Clair Fredericks in Harlem, New York.
Back to Categories©2026 Songfacts®, LLC