Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

August 24, 1915 Blues singer Wynonie Harris is born in Omaha, Nebraska. He'll land his first R&B chart-topper in 1945 with "Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well."

August 16, 1915 Al Hibbler (former singer for Duke Ellington's orchestra) is born in Tyro, Mississippi.

July 28, 1915 Accordionist Frankie Yankovic is born in Davis, West Virginia. No relation to fellow accordionist Weird Al Yankovic, though the parody master says his parents chose the instrument for him because "they figured there should be at least one more accordion-playing Yankovic in the world."

June 1, 1915 Country singer Johnny Bond, known for his 1947 hit "Divorce Me C.O.D.," is born Cyrus Whitfield Bond in Enville, Oklahoma.

April 26, 1915 Blues singer and guitarist Johnny Shines is born in Frayser, Memphis, Tennessee.

March 28, 1915 Composer Jay Livingston is born in McDonald, Pennsylvania. He teams with lyricist Ray Evans to write a number of popular songs for films, including the Academy Award-winning "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" for The Man Who Knew Too Much.

February 12, 1915 Lorne Greene, a radio personality who becomes known for his role as Ben Cartwright on the long-running Western Bonanza, is born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

January 10, 1915 Bandleader Buddy Johnson is born in Darlington, South Carolina.

December 28, 1914 Roebuck "Pops" Staples (The Staple Singers) is born on a cotton plantation near Winona, Mississippi.

December 10, 1914 Dorothy Lamour, actress and big band singer, is born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton in New Orleans, Louisiana. Starred with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in their series of Road To... movies.

December 8, 1914 Floyd Tillman, forerunner of western swing and honky tonk, is born in Ryan, Oklahoma, and grows up in Post, Texas.

October 17, 1914 Jazz musician John Clifford Mosley Jr., a trumpeter who also played the flugelhorn, the long horn and the flute, is born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. That's Mosley playing the flute during the intro of The Isley Brothers' 1971 cover of "Spill the Wine."

October 10, 1914 Singer/songwriter/pianist Ivory Joe Hunter is born in Kirbyville, Texas. Known for R&B hits like "I Lost My Mind" and "I Need You So," later recorded by Elvis Presley.

September 14, 1914 Music producer/songwriter Mae Axton is born in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Known as "The Queen Mother of Nashville," Axton co-wrote Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel."

September 7, 1914 Jazz composer/pianist Graeme Bell is born in Richmond, Victoria, Australia.

July 26, 1914 Erskine Hawkins, trumpeter and Big Band leader known for "Tuxedo Junction," is born in Birmingham, Alabama.

July 8, 1914 Swing era bandleader Billy Eckstine is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Known for his 1948 rendition of "I Apologize."

May 13, 1914 Country singer-songwriter Johnnie Wright (Johnnie and Jack), known for the 1965 hit "Hello Vietnam," is born in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.

May 9, 1914 Country singer Hank Snow is born Clarence Eugene Snow is born in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, Canada.

April 4, 1914 Singer and actress Frances Langford is born Julia Frances Langford in Hernando, Florida.

March 30, 1914 Blues harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson is born John Lee Williamson in Jackson, Tennessee. An influential musician known for playing the harmonica as the lead instrument, he becomes an early victim of identity theft when another bluesman impersonates him and assumes his name. That musician, often referred to as Sonny Boy Williamson II, becomes more famous, known for writing blues standards like "Help Me" and "One Way Out."

March 19, 1914 Actress/singer Patricia Morison is born in New York City.

March 11, 1914 Art Todd is born in Baltimore, Maryland. Billed as Art and Dotty Todd, he forms a singing duo with wife Dotty in the '50s.

February 18, 1914 Country singer Pee Wee King, co-writer of "Tennessee Waltz," is born Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski in Abrams, Wisconsin.

February 12, 1914 Saxophonist Tex Beneke, who solos on the Glenn Miller Orchestra's "In The Mood," is born in Fort Worth, Texas.

February 11, 1914 Matt Dennis is born in Seattle, Washington. Among many other tunes, he composes the pop standard "Everything Happens to Me," first recorded by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra featuring Frank Sinatra.

February 11, 1914 Bluesman Josh White is born in Greenville, South Carolina.

February 10, 1914 Renowned harmonica player Larry Adler is born in Baltimore, Maryland.

February 9, 1914 Ernest Tubb is born in Crisp, Texas.

December 25, 1913 Singer/actor Tony Martin is born Alvin Morris in San Francisco, California. A steady presence on the pop charts throughout the '40s and '50s, his biggest hits are 1940's "It's a Blue World" (#2) and 1949's "There's No Tomorrow" (#2).