Born Today In Music, April 17th

1989 – Avi Kaplan
American singer and songwriter Avi Kaplan a member of the a cappella group Pentatonix. Together with Pentatonix, Kaplan has released seven studio albums, won three Grammy Awards, and sold over six million albums. They scored the 2017 US No.1 album ‘A Pentatonix Christmas’.

1988 – Eliza Doolittle
British singer-songwriter, Eliza Doolittle, (born Eliza Sophie Caird). Her debut self-titled album released in 2010, (where it debuted at No.3 on the UK Albums Chart), produced two UK top forty hits: ‘Skinny Genes’ and ‘Pack Up’.

1974 – Victoria Beckham
businesswoman, fashion designer, model and singer, Victoria Beckham, (Posh Spice), The Spice Girls who scored the 1996 UK No.1 & 1997 US No.1 single ‘Wannabe’, plus eight other UK No.1 singles). She had the solo 2000 UK No. 2 single ‘Out Of Your Mind’ and married footballer David Beckham at Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland in June 1999. Beckham has become an internationally recognised style icon and fashion designer.

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1973 – Craig Anderson
Rhythm guitarist Craig Anderson is born in Huntsville, Alabama. He becomes a member of Heartland, which picks up a hit in 2006 with the ballad “I Loved Her First”

1970 – Redman
Redman, US rapper who had the 2001 US No.4 album Malpractice and the 2002 UK No.1 single with Christina Aguilera ‘Dirrty’.

1967 – Matt Chamberlain
Matt Chamberlain one of the world’s most widely-heard session drummers. Worked with, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Pearl Jam, Tori Amos, Morrissey, Fiona Apple, Christina Aguilera, Dido, David Bowie, Elton John, Peter Gabriel, The Wallflowers, Natalie Merchant, Robbie Williams, Garbage, John Mayer and William Shatner.

1967 – Liz Phair
Liz Phair is born in New Haven, Connecticut; she is raised by her adoptive parents in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Winnetka, Illinois. Her 1993 debut studio album Exile in Guyville was ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

1964 – James Keenan
James Keenan from American rock band Tool who had the 2001 US No.1 album Lateralus. Keenan is also a member of A Perfect Circle and Puscifer.

1955 – Pete Shelley
English singer, songwriter and guitarist Pete Shelley from punk rock band Buzzcocks, who had the 1978 UK No.12 single ‘Ever Fallen In Love, With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve’. They made their first appearance in 1976 in Manchester, opening for the Sex Pistols. Shelley also had a solo career: his song ‘Homosapien’ charted in the US in 1981. He died of a suspected heart attack on 6 December 2018.

1954 – Michael Sembello
American Grammy-award winning and Oscar nominated singer, musician, songwriter, Michael Sembello, who had the 1983 US No.1 single ‘Maniac’, which featured in the film Flashdance.

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1948 – Jan Hammer
Jan Hammer, keyboard player, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Jeff Beck. He scored the solo, 1985 US No.1 & UK No.5 single ‘Miami Vice Theme’ and the 1987 UK No.2 single ‘Crockett’s Theme’.

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1943 – Roy Estrada
Roy Estrada, bassist with Frank Zappa and a founder member of Little Feat, playing on their first two albums. Estrada was convicted of sexual assault on a child in 1977 for which he served six years in prison. In January 2012, he pleaded guilty to a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child which happened in 2008 and he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and is not eligible for parole.

1940 – Billy Fury
English singer Billy Fury, who had the 1961 UK No.3 single ‘Halfway To Paradise’, plus 25 other Top 40 UK singles. He played rock ‘n’ roller “Stormy Tempest” in the film That’ll Be The Day along side David Essex and Ringo Starr. An early British rock and roll (and film) star, he equalled the Beatles’ record of 24 hits in the 1960s, and spent 332 weeks on the UK chart. Fury died of a heart attack on 28th January 1983.

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1934 – Don Kirshner
American music publisher, talent manager, and songwriter Don Kirshner who helped launch the careers of Neil Diamond, Bobby Darin, Carole King, Neil Sedaka and The Archies. Kirshner was hired by the producers of The Monkees to provide hit-worthy songs to accompany the television program and also served as a music consultant for almost two dozen TV series between 1966 and 1977. He died on January 17, 2011.

1930 – Chris Barber
English jazz musician, Chris Barber. He sponsored African-American blues musicians to visit Britain, making Barber a significant figure in launching the British rhythm and blues and “beat boom” of the 1960s. This, with the encouragement of local enthusiasts such as Alexis Korner and John Mayall, sparked young musicians such as Peter Green, Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones. He died on 2 March 2021 age 90.