Born On This Day In Music, April 11th

1996 – Summer Walker
American singer-songwriter Summer Walker. Her 2021 album Still Over It, debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and broke the record for most album streams in a single day by a female artist on Apple Music, and broke her previous record for largest streaming debut-week for a female R&B artist; while she also tied with Taylor Swift as the only two female artists that have held 18 songs concurrently on the Billboard Hot 100.

1987 – Joss Stone
Joss Stone, (Joscelyn Eve Stoker), UK soul singer who rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist. Her multi-platinum Mind Body & Soul, topped the UK Albums Chart for one week and spawned the top ten hit ‘You Had Me’. Stone also joined the supergroup SuperHeavy which was formed by Mick Jagger together with Dave Stewart and Damian Marley (the youngest son of Bob Marley).

1979 – Sebastien Grainger
Rock drummer and vocalist Sebastien Grainger of Death from Above 1979 is born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

1978 – Tom Thacker
Canadian musician Tom Thacker, guitar, vocals and co-founde of Sum 41. They had the 2001 UK No 13 single ‘In Too Deep’, and the 2001 UK No. 7 album ‘All Killer No Filler’.

1977 – DJ Fresh
Daniel Stein better known by his stage name DJ Fresh, English musician, DJ and record producer. His two 2011 UK No.1 singles, ‘Louder’ and ‘Hot Right Now’ became the UK’s first dubstep and drum and bass No.1’s.

1971 – Oliver “Ollie” Riedel
Oliver “Ollie” Riedel, bassist, for the German rock band Rammstein who formed in Berlin in 1994. Five of their albums reached No.1 on the German album charts.

1970 – Delroy Pearson
Delroy Pearson, from British pop/R&B group Five Star who had the 1986 UK No.3 single ‘System Addict’ plus 15 other UK Top 40 singles.

1970 – Dylan Keefe
Alt rock bassist Dylan Keefe from Marcy Playground, is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1969 – Cerys Matthews
Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster Cerys Matthews, who with alternative rock band Catatonia who had the 1998 UK No.3 single ‘Mulder And Scully’. She founded ‘The Good Life Experience’, a festival of culture and the great outdoors in Flintshire in 2014.

1966 – Lisa Stansfield
English singer, songwriter and actress Lisa Stansfield, who had the 1989 UK No.1 & US No.3 single ‘All Around The World’, taken from her first solo album, Affection.

1965 – Nigel Pulsford
Nigel Pulsford, of the rock band Bush who had the 1997 UK No.7 single ‘Swallowed’. The bands debut album, Sixteen Stone sold over 7 million copies in the US.

1964 – Steve Azar
Steve Azar is born in Greenville, Mississippi. He first gains attention with an independent album in 1996, although he waits another six years to score his first hit, “I Don’t Have To Be Me (‘Til Monday)”

1961 – Doug Hopkins
Doug Hopkins, lead guitarist, songwriter for the Gin Blossoms is born in Seattle, Washington, but will be raised in Tempe, Arizona.

1958 – Stuart Adamson
Scottish guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Stuart Adamson. He formed The Skids, who had a 1979 UK No.10 single with ‘Into The Valley’ then Big Country, who had the 1983 UK No.10 single with ‘Fields Of Fire’ plus 14 other UK Top 40 singles. On 26 November 2001, Adamson was reported missing by his wife Melanie. At the time, the couple had been estranged for six weeks, and Melanie filed for divorce on the day he disappeared. Adamson had been due to face drunk-driving charges in March 2002 and had been ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous. He died on December 16th 2001, his body found in a closet in his room at the Best Western Plaza Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii.

1956 – Neville Staples
Jamaican born English singer Neville Staples who with The Specials had the 1981 UK No.1 single ‘Ghost Town’. When The Specials split up, Neville along with Terry Hall and Lynval Golding, formed Fun Boy Three. They had a string of chart hits, some in collaboration with the all-female trio Bananarama.

1952 – Terry Ollis
Rock drummer Terry Ollis from Hawkwind, is born in Hammersmith, London, England.

1949 – Lee Sheriden
Pop singer/songwriter Lee Sheriden is born in Horfield, England. As a member of The Brotherhood Of Man, he co-writes and performs on “Save Your Kisses For Me,” remade as a 1976 country hit by Margo Smith

1946 – Bob Harris
Bob Harris, English music presenter known for being a host of the BBC2 music programme The Old Grey Whistle Test, and as a co-founder of the listings magazine Time Out.

1943 – Tony Victor
R&B singer Tony Victor from The Classics is born in Brooklyn, New York City.

1935 – Richard Berry
Doo-wop singer Richard Berry, composer and original performer of “Louie Louie,” is born in Extension, Louisiana. He died January 23, 1997.

1934 – Cleotha Staples
Cleotha Staples, of The Staple Singers, is born in Chicago. The group joins Marty Stuart for a performance of “The Weight” on the album “Country Rhythm & Blues,” and cuts the first version of The Oak Ridge Boys’ hit “Touch A Hand, Make A Friend”. She died February 21, 2013.

1921 – Ronnie Milne
British musician Ronnie Milne who as a member of The Stargazers had two UK No.1 singles, ‘Broken Wings’ in 1953 (which was the first recording by a native British act to top the UK Singles Chart) and the 1954 ‘I See the Moon’. He died on 9 February 2014.

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