Born on this day in music, January 23rd

1998
American rapper, singer, and songwriter Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy known professionally as XXXTentacion and commonly referred to as simply X. His second album ? (2018) debuted at No.1 on the Billboard chart. He was murdered at the age of 20 on 18 June 2018 when he was fatally shot near a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The attackers fled the scene in an SUV after stealing a Louis Vuitton bag containing $50,000 from him. Four suspects were arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

1975
Nick Harmer, bass guitarist with Death Cab for Cutie who scored the 2008 US No.1 album ‘Narrow Stairs’.

1974
Kita, drummer with Lordi. They became Finland’s first ever Eurovision Song Contest winners after their song ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’ won the contest held in Athens in 2006.

1964
American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Jonatha Brooke. In 2019 she won Overall Grand Prize in the 15th Annual IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards), as well as Best Female Artist with her song ‘Put the Gun Down’.

1959
Earl Falconer, bassist with UB40, who had the 1983 UK No.1 & US 1988 US No.1 single ‘Red Red Wine’ and over 30 other Top 40 hits.

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03:38

1955
Reggie Calloway (of the R&B duo Calloway) is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1954
Richard Finch (composer and former bass guitarist for KC & The Sunshine Band) is born in Indianapolis, Indiana, but is raised in Hialeah, Florida.

1953
Robin Zander, singer, songwriter from American rock band, Cheap Trick, who had the 1979 hit single ‘I Want You To Want Me’, and the 1988 US No.1 single ‘The Flame’.

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03:43

1950
Danny Federici, organ and keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band who had the 1984 US No.2 and 1985 UK No.4 single ‘Dancing In The Dark’. Federici who had worked with Springsteen for over 40 years, including early bands Steel Mill and Child died of cancer on April 17th 2008 at the age of 58.

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03:59

1950
Bill Cunningham, bass, piano, The Box Tops who had the 1967 US No.1 & UK No.5 single ‘The Letter’.

1948
Anita Pointer, singer with American R&B singing group The Pointer Sisters who had the 1981 US No.2 single, ‘Slow Hand’ and the 1984 UK No.2 single ‘Automatic’. The Pointer Sisters have won three Grammy Awards and had 13 US top 20 hits between 1973 and 1985. She died from cancer on 31 December 2022 at her home in Beverly Hills, California, aged 74.

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03:56

1944
Jerry Lawson, singer with The Persuasions, a-cappella group, who worked with Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder and Don McLean. Lawson died on 10 July 2019 age 75 after a long illness.

1941
Perry Carlton “Buddy” Buie is born in Dothan, Alabama. He writes The Classics IV pop hits “Stormy” and “Traces,” and forms the Atlanta Rhythm Section. Buie also co-writes the Wynonna country hit “Rock Bottom”. Died July 18, 2015

1940
Pop singer Joe Dowell is born in Bloomington, Indiana, but grows up in Bloomington, Illinois.

1938
Eugene Church (lead singer of the Fellows) is born in St. Louis, Missouri. Known for the 1958 R&B hit “Pretty Girls Everywhere.” Died April 3, 1993

1910
Django Reinhardt, jazz guitarist. He badly burned his third and fourth fingers of his left hand in a house fire aged 18. Doctors suggested he play the guitar to keep his fingers flexible, giving him his two fingered guitar style. Has worked with Stepane Grappelli and Duke Ellington. Reinhardt died of a stroke on 15th May 1953.

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