Born on this day in music, February 3rd

1990
Sean Kingston, (Ka’Shon Anderson), Jamaican-American reggae, rap and pop musician who scored the 2007 US and UK No.1 single ‘Beautiful Girls’.

1977
Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, rapper, actor and record producer Daddy Yankee. He featured on the 2017 single ‘Despacito (Remix)’ with Justin Bieber and Luis Fonsi.

1970
Richie Kotzen, Mr. Big, with American hard rock supergroup Mr. Big, who had the 1992 US No.1 & UK No.3 single ‘To Be With You’.

1969
Matt Johnson, British keyboardist with Jamiroquai who had the 1993 UK No.1 album Emergency on Planet Earth and the 1998 UK No.1 single ‘Deeper Underground’. Jamiroquai have sold more than 26 million albums worldwide and won a Grammy Award in 1998.

1965
Nick Hawkins, guitarist with Big Audio Dynamite who had the 1986 UK No.11 single ‘E=MC2’.

1964
Singer/songwriter Matraca Berg is born in Nashville. She writes Deana Carter’s “Strawberry Wine,” Reba McEntire’s “The Last One To Know,” Martina McBride’s “Wild Angels” and Kenny Chesney’s “You And Tequila,” among others.

1959
Lol Tolhurst, keyboards, with The Cure, who had the 1989 US No.2 single ‘Love Song’, the 1992 UK No.6 single ‘Friday I’m In Love’, plus over 20 other UK Top 40 singles.

1956
Lee Ranaldo, guitarist with American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, who had the 1993 UK hit single ‘Sugar Kane’. The band is considered to be a pivotal influence on the alternative and indie rock movements.

1949
Arthur ‘Killer’ Kane, bass guitarist with The New York Dolls, who had the 1973 album ‘New York Dolls’. Kane died in Los Angeles on July 13th 2004, due to complications from leukaemia, aged 55.

1947
English singer, songwriter and guitarist Dave Davies, with The Kinks who scored the 1964 UK No.1 & US No.7 ‘You Really Got Me’, and the 1967 UK No.2 single ‘Waterloo Sunset’ plus 19 other UK Top 40 singles. Davies suffered a stroke in 2004 after being interviewed by the BBC in London where he had been promoting his then current album, Bug.

1947
Melanie Safka, US singer, songwriter who had the 1971 US No.1 & 1972 UK No.4 single ‘Brand New Key’. She died January 23, 2024.

1946
Stan Webb, guitar, vocals, with British group Chicken Shack, who had the 1969 UK No.14 single ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’.

1945
Johnny Cymbal is born John Hendry Blair in Ochiltree, Ayrshire, Scotland.

1943
Dennis Edwards, singer with The Temptations, who had the 1971 US No.1 & UK No.8 single ‘Just My Imagination’ and re- issued ‘My Girl’ UK No.2 in 1992.

1943
Eric Haydock best known as the original bass guitarist of The Hollies from December 1962 until July 1966. He was one of the first British musicians to play a Fender Bass VI, a six-string bass. Haydock died on January 5, 2019, age 75.

1943
Folk rocker Shawn Phillips is born in Fort Worth, Texas. He starts his music career as a session musician for Donovan.

1940
Angelo D’Aleo, vocals, Dion And The Belmonts, who 1961 US No.1 & UK No.11 single ‘Runaround Sue’.

1935
Johnny ‘guitar’ Watson, American blues guitarist, singer. His ferocious ‘Space Guitar’ single of 1954 pioneered guitar feedback and reverb. Watson died on 17th May 1996 while on tour in Yokohama, Japan. According to eyewitness reports, he collapsed mid-guitar solo. His last words were “ain’t that a bitch”.

1928
Val Doonican, Irish singer, and television presenter who had the 1964 UK No. 4 single ‘Walk Tall’, and 1967 UK No.1 album ‘Val Doonican Rocks, But Gently’. Doonican died at a nursing home in Buckinghamshire on 1 July 2015, aged 88.

1928
Frankie Vaughan, UK singer. During the 50s he scored twenty UK Top 30 singles including, UK No.2 ‘Green Door’. He was made an OBE in 1965. Vaughan died 17th Sept 1999 aged 71.

1809
German composer Felix Mendelssohn is born in Hamburg. Died November 4, 1947 in Leipzig, Germany.

---