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Music History Events: Births

December 28, 1903 Jazz pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines is born in Duquesne, Pennsylvania.

October 29, 1903 Composer Vivian Ellis is born in Hampstead, London, England. Known for "Spread A Little Happiness" (1929) and "Coronation Scot," the theme for BBC Radio's Paul Temple.

September 15, 1903 Country singer Roy Acuff is born in Maynardville, Tennessee. Along with Fred Rose, he founded the Acuff-Rose music publishing company and signed Hank Williams and Roy Orbison, among others.

May 29, 1903 Bob Hope is born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, London, England.

March 10, 1903 Jazz cornetist and pianist Bix Beiderbecke is born in Davenport, Iowa.

August 3, 1902 Ray Bloch, arranger and orchestra conductor for the long-running Ed Sullivan Show, is born in Alsace-Lorraine.

June 28, 1902 Richard Rodgers, a prolific composer known for his partnership with lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II, is born in New York City.

June 17, 1902 Composer Sammy Fain is born Samuel E. Feinberg in New York City. Known for classic songs like "Let A Smile Be Your Umbrella," "I'll Be Seeing You," and "That Old Feeling."

March 29, 1902 Composer William Walton is born in Oldham, Lancashire, England.

March 21, 1902 Son House is born Eddie James House Jr. in Lyon, Mississippi.

September 28, 1901 Ed Sullivan is born in Harlem, New York City. Before hosting his long-running eponymous TV show that introduces The Beatles and Elvis Presley, among others, he'll work as a sportswriter for the New York Evening Graphic and theater columnist for the New York Daily News.

September 26, 1901 Bandleader Ted Weems is born in Pitcairn, Pennsylvania. Known for the 1923 hit "Somebody Stole My Gal."

July 28, 1901 Pop crooner Rudy Vallee is born in Island Pond, Vermont.

June 29, 1901 Nelson Eddy, a singer and actor known for his collaborations with Jeannette MacDonald, is born in Providence, Rhode Island.

May 20, 1901 Jazz pianist Jimmy Blythe, who composed the seminal boogie-woogie tune "Chicago Stomp," is born in South Keene, Kentucky.

February 16, 1901 Orchestra leader Wayne King, who has a #1 hit with "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" in 1931, is born in Savanna, Illinois.

November 14, 1900 Composer and Aaron Copland is born in Brooklyn, New York City.

August 2, 1900 Torch singer and actress Helen Morgan is born in Danville, Illinois. She sings "Bill" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" in the original run of Show Boat in 1927.

March 2, 1900 Composer Kurt Weill is born in Dessau, Germany. Known for his collaborations with playwright Bertolt Brecht, including The Threepenny Opera and its famous ballad "Mack the Knife."

January 1, 1900 Bandleader Xavier Cugat is born with the impressive moniker Francisco de Asís Javier Cugat Mingall de Bru y Deulofeu in Girona, Spain.

December 16, 1899 Noël Coward is born in the Teddington suburb of London, England.

November 22, 1899 Bandleader Hoagy Carmichael is born Howard Hoagland Carmichael in Bloomington, Indiana. Known for composing enduring standards like "Stardust," "Georgia On My Mind," "Heart and Soul," and "The Nearness of You."

April 29, 1899 Duke Ellington is born in Washington, D.C.

January 7, 1899 Composer and pianist Francis Poulenc is born in Paris, France.

December 20, 1898 Actress and singer Irene Dunne is born in Louisville, Kentucky. Known for her Academy Award-nominated performances in the '30s and '40s, including Cimarron, Theodora Goes Wild, The Awful Truth, Love Affair and I Remember Mama.

September 27, 1898 Broadway producer and composer Vincent Youmans is born in New York City.

September 26, 1898 Composer/pianist George Gershwin is born in Brooklyn, New York.

May 5, 1898 Blues musician Blind Willie McTell is born William Samuel McTier in Thomson, Georgia.

September 8, 1897 Jimmie Rodgers is born in Meridian, Mississippi. Known as "The Singing Brakeman" because of his early railroad job, he becomes one of the first country music stars.

December 6, 1896 Ira Gershwin is born in New York City. With his younger brother George, he writes music for many popular songs, including "Summertime."