Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

December 5, 1922 Songwriter Don Robertson is born in Beijing, China. Aside from his own 1956 hit, "The Happy Whistler," he penned songs for several artists, including Elvis Presley ("Anything That's Part of You," "Love Me Tonight," among others), The Chordettes ("Born to Be with You") and Les Paul and Mary Ford ("Hummingbird").

November 7, 1922 Jazz trumpeter Al Hirt is born Alois Maxwell Hirt in New Orleans, Louisiana.

October 29, 1922 Neal Hefti is born in Toluca Lake, California. A jazz trumpeter and arranger for Woody Herman, he also composed classic TV themes of the '60s, notably for Batman and The Odd Couple.

October 7, 1922 Actress Martha Stewart (not to be confused with the TV personality Martha Stewart) is born Martha Haworth in Bardwell, Kentucky, but would be raised in Brooklyn, New York.

September 30, 1922 Oscar Pettiford, jazz double bassist and cellist, is born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.

September 13, 1922 Peruvian soprano Yma Sumac is born Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo in Callao, Peru.

September 13, 1922 Blues singer Charles Brown is born Tony Russell Brown in Texas City, Texas.

August 16, 1922 Bandleader/pianist Ernie Freeman is born in Cleveland, Ohio. Also a session musician, he worked on hits like Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody" and Frank Sinatra's "That's Life."

July 27, 1922 Record producer Bob Thiele is born in New York City. Co-wrote Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" under the pseudonym George Douglas.

July 21, 1922 Jazz singer Kay Starr, known for the '50s chart-toppers "Wheel of Fortune" and "Rock And Roll Waltz," is born Katherine Laverne Starks on a reservation in Dougherty, Oklahoma.

June 29, 1922 Jazz drummer Elmer J. "Mousey" Alexander, who would accompany Benny Goodman on a tour of the Far East, is born in Gary, Indiana.

June 29, 1922 Ralph Burns, pianist and composer who arranged the string orchestra for Ray Charles' "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Georgia On My Mind," is born in Newton, Massachusetts.

June 5, 1922 Jazz drummer Gordon "Specs" Powell is born in New York.

May 18, 1922 Kai Winding, jazz composer and trombonist, is born in Aarhus, Denmark.

April 22, 1922 Jazz double bassist Charles Mingus is born in Nogales, Arizona.

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.