Born Today In Music: February 21st

1995
Giveon Evans, known as Giveon (typeset as GIV?ON), American R&B singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with his collaboration with Drake on their 2020 single, ‘Chicago Freestyle’ and was featured alongside Daniel Caesar on the Justin Bieber US No.1 single ‘Peaches’.

1989
Corbin Bleu, American actor and singer from High School Musical, as part of the cast had the 2006 US No.1 ‘High School Musical’ album and 2007, US No.1 ‘High School Musical 2’ album. Over 17 million viewers in the United States watched the TV premier of High School Musical; making it the highest rated basic cable broadcast in U.S. history.

1986
Charlotte Church, Welsh singer, who had the 1999 UK No.34 single ‘Just Wave Hello’ and the 1998 UK No.4 album, ‘Voice Of An Angel’.

1969
Welsh singer, songwriter, musician James Dean Bradfield, with Manic Street Preachers who had the 1996 UK No. 2 single ‘A Design For Life’, and the 1998 UK No.1 album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours.

1967
Michael Ward, guitarist with American rock band The Wallflowers who had the 1997 US No.3 album Bringing Down The Horse.

1962
Mark Arm singer, guitarist with American alternative rock band Mudhoney. Their early releases on the Sub Pop label were massively influential on the Seattle music scene.

1961
Ranking Roger, singer, musician from British group The Beat who had a string of UK hit singles in the 80s, including ‘Mirror in the Bathroom,’ ‘Can’t Get Used to Losing You’ and ‘Hands Off, She’s Mine’. He later was a member of General Public. He died on 26 March 2019.

1958
Mary Chapin Carpenter is born in Princeton, New Jersey.

1954
British musician and DJ Mike Pickering, who with M People had the 1993 UK No.2 single ‘Moving On Up’, plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles. He was a DJ at the Manchester club and worked for Factory Records where he signed Happy Mondays, To Hell With Burgundy and James.

1952
Franco-English musician, producer and songwriter Jean-Jacques Burnel, best known as the bass guitarist with The Stranglers who had the 1982 UK No.2 single ‘Golden Brown’ plus over 20 other UK Top 40 hits.

1951
American keyboardis Vince Welnick with The Tubes who had the 1977 UK No.28 single ‘White Punks On Dope’. 1983 US No.10 single ‘She’s A Beauty’. Also a member of Grateful Dead and the band’s keyboard player from the fall of 1990 until Jerry Garcia’s death in August 1995, when the group disbanded.

1949
American songwriter, musician Jerry Harrison, keyboards, guitar, Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers, and Talking Heads, who had the 1983 US No.9 single ‘Burning Down The House’, and the 1985 UK No.6 single ‘Road To Nowhere’. Also a member of Casual Gods.

1948
Paul Newton (bassist for Uriah Heep) is born in Andover, Hampshire, England.

1943
David Geffen, Geffen record label boss. Founder of Asylum records who signed the Eagles, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Tom Waits and Joni Mitchell. Formed Dreamworks in 1995.

1933
Nina Simone, (Eunice Wayman), US jazz, blues singer who had the 1959 US No.18 single ‘I Love You, Porgy’, and the 1968 UK No.2 single ‘Ain’t Got No I Got Life’. Simone died of cancer on 21st April 2003.

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