Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

April 8, 1922 Jazz singer Carmen McRae is born in Harlem, New York City.

April 6, 1922 Jazz pianist Dorothy Donegan is born in Chicago, Illinois.

April 5, 1922 Actress and singer Gale Storm, star of the '50s TV shows My Little Margie and The Gale Storm Show, is born Josephine Owaissa Cottle in Bloomington, Texas.

March 24, 1922 Dave Appell (leader of The Applejacks) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

March 20, 1922 Jazz bandleader Larry Elgart is born in New London, Connecticut. Along with his older brother, Les, he records the American Bandstand theme, "Bandstand Boogie."

February 17, 1922 Tommy Edwards ("It's All In The Game") is born in Richmond, Virginia.

January 26, 1922 Pianist/vocalist Page Cavanaugh is born in Cherokee, Kansas. He notches a number of hits in the 1940s, including "Walkin' My Baby Back Home," as part of The Page Cavanaugh Trio with guitarist Al Viola and bassist Lloyd Pratt.

January 20, 1922 Trumpeter Ray Anthony (of the Glenn Miller Orchestra) is born in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania.

December 28, 1921 Johnny Otis is born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes in Vallejo, California. A singer and songwriter in his own right, he also works as a talent scout and discovers several artists, including Etta James and "Hound Dog" singer Big Mama Thornton.

November 13, 1921 Composer Joonas Kokkonen, known for his opera The Last Temptations, is born in Iisalmi, Finland.

September 21, 1921 Jimmy Young is born in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England. Before becoming a successful BBC Radio 1 broadcaster, he records a string of pop hits, including "Too Young" in 1951.

September 19, 1921 R&B singer Billy Ward (of The Dominoes) is born Robert L. Williams in Savannah, Georgia.

August 13, 1921 Bluesman Jimmy McCracklin is born in St. Louis, Missouri (or Helena, Arkansas, according to some sources). Known for the hits "The Walk" and "Just Got To Know."

August 8, 1921 Country singer Webb Pierce is born in West Monroe, Louisiana. Known for the popular 1955 cover "In the Jailhouse Now."

August 7, 1921 Big Band trombonist Warren Covington is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

August 6, 1921 Jazz/Blues musician Buddy Collette (tenor saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist) is born in Los Angeles, California. He became a founding member of Chico Hamilton's quintet.

August 4, 1921 Jazz guitarist Herb Ellis is born in Farmersville, Texas. Along with drummer Buddy Rich, he was part of the backing band for comeback albums by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

August 3, 1921 Broadway lyricist/composer Richard Adler (The Pajama Game) is born in New York City. With Frank Loesser, he writes Tony Bennett's "Rags To Riches."

July 24, 1921 Jazz pianist and composer Billy Taylor is born in Greenville, North Carolina. He penned the unofficial civil rights anthem "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" in 1963.

June 1, 1921 Nelson Riddle is born in Oradell, New Jersey. He'll become famous as the orchestrator and arranger behind countless hits for Capitol Records artists like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, and - decades later - Linda Ronstadt.

May 25, 1921 Lyricist Hal David, frequent collaborator of Burt Bacharach, is born in New York City.

May 25, 1921 Kitty Kallen is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Known for the hit 1954 single "Little Things Mean A Lot."

May 17, 1921 Bob Merrill, a prolific songwriter whose hits include "(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window?" and "Mambo Italiano," is born in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

May 3, 1921 Traditional pop vocalist Joe Ames (of The Ames Brothers) is born in Malden, Massachusetts.

April 22, 1921 Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist Candido Camero is born in Cuba.

April 12, 1921 Chicago blues musician Shakey Jake Harris is born James D. Harris in Earle, Arkansas, but would be raised in Chicago, Illinois. A professional gambler, he borrows his nickname from the dice players' expression "shake 'em."

April 10, 1921 Actor and novelty singer Sheb Wooley is born in Erick, Oklahoma.

March 31, 1921 Blues guitarist Lowell Fulson is born in Atoka, Oklahoma.

March 15, 1921 Doo-wop musician Les Cooper, known for the 1962 instrumental hit "Wiggle Wobble," is born in Norfolk, Virginia.

January 31, 1921 Italian tenor Mario Lanza is born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He takes his stage name from his mother's maiden name: Maria Lanza.