Born On This Day In Music, June 12th

1985
Chris Young is born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He wins “Nashville Star” in 2006, earning an Academy of Country Music awards nomination and building a hit list that includes “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song),” “I’m Comin’ Over,” “Tomorrow” and a Cassadee Pope duet, “Think Of You”.

1979
Robyn (born Robyn Carlsson), Swedish singer, songwriter, and producer, who had the 2007 UK No.1 single ‘With Every Heartbeat’ and the No.2 smash hit, ‘Dancing on My Own’ in 2010.

1977
Blues rocker Kenny Wayne Shepherd is born Kenny Wayne Brobst in Shreveport, Louisiana.

1962
Drew “Grandmaster Dee” Carter (of Whodini) is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1960
Michael Hausman (drummer for ‘Til Tuesday) is born.

1959
John Linnell, accordion, keyboards, sax, from American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, who scored the 1990 UK No.6 single, ‘Birdhouse In Your Soul’. The band has won two Grammy Awards, one in 2002 for their song ‘Boss of Me, and in 2009 for ‘Here Come the 123s’.

1953
Jonathan “Rocky” Burnette is born in Memphis, the son of rockabilly pioneer Johnny Burnette. He has a pop hit in 1980 with “Tired Of Toein’ The Line”.

1952
Junior Brown, country guitarist and singer. Brown’s signature instrument is the “guit-steel” double neck guitar, a hybrid of electric guitar and lap steel guitar. In 1996 he won the CMA Country Music Video of the Year for his video, “My Wife Thinks You’re Dead,” which featured 6-foot-7-inch Gwendolyn Gillingham.

1952
Pete Fardon, bass player with English-American rock band The Pretenders, who had the 1980 UK No.1 single with ‘Brass In Pocket’. He died of a drug overdose on April 14th 1983.

1951
Brad Delp, guitarist and singer with Boston who had the 1977 UK No. 22 single ‘More Than A Feeling’ and the 1986 US No.1 single, ‘Amanda.’ Delp took his own life at his home in New Hampshire on March 9th 2007.

1951
Bun E Carlos, drummer 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’.

1949
John Wetton, bass, vocals, with Mogul Thrash, Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash. Wetton died in his sleep at his home in Bournemouth, Dorset, UK on 31 January 2017, from colon cancer.

1948
Barry Bailey, from American southern rock band Atlanta Rhythm Section who had the 1977 US No.7 single ‘So in to You’.

1944
Harold Cowart, from John Fred and His Playboy Band who had the 1968 US No.1 & UK No.3 single ‘Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)’ which was a parodic play on the title of The Beatles’ song ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’.

1941
American jazz pianist, electric keyboardist and composer Chick Corea who has worked with Miles Davis, Stanley Clarke, Bobby McFerrin. In the 1970s he formed the fusion band Return to Forever. Corea died of a rare form of cancer on February 9, 2021, at age 79.

1942
’60s singer-songwriter Len Barry is born Leonard Borisoff in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1941
English folk rock singer, songwriter Roy Harper. Led Zeppelin wrote ‘Hat’s Of To Roy Harper’ featured on the bands third album. In 2005, Harper was awarded the MOJO Hero Award, and in 2013 a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

1941
Reg Presley, singer, songwriter with English garage rock band The Troggs, who had the 1966 US No.1 & UK No.2 single ‘Wild Thing’ and the hits ‘With a Girl Like You’ and ‘Love Is All Around’ (which was covered by Wet Wet Wet in 1994, and stayed at No.1 in the UK for fifteen weeks). In 1990 Presley began to develop an interest in the paranormal, in particular crop circles. He used the royalties ‘Love Is All Around’ to fund his research into the area and outlined his findings in a book, Wild Things They Don’t Tell Us, which was published in 2002. Presley died on 4th Feb 2013.

1940
Bertha Barbee-McNeal, a co-founder of Motown hitmakers the Velvelettes. In 1963, the group released the non-charting ‘There He Goes’ before making a mark with ‘Needle in a Haystack’ and ‘He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’, Both became trademarks for the group, who were also especially noted for 1966’s ‘These Things Will Keep Me Loving You.’ She died on December 15, 2022 at the age of 82.

1928
American traditional pop and big band singe Vic Damone, who had the 1958 UK No.1 & US No.4 single ‘On The Street Where You Live’. Died: February 11, 2018.

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