Born On This Day In Music, June 2nd

1987
Sarah Joyce Peasall is born at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. At age 13, she appears as a member of The Peasall Sisters on the multi-million-selling “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack singing “In The Highways”

1986
Blues singer ZZ Ward is born Zsuzsanna Ward outside of Philadelphia.

1983
Rob Lundquist is born in Minneapolis. He handles tenor harmony in the a cappella country quintet Home Free after joining the act in 2008. Home Free wins the 2013 NBC competition “The Sing-Off” before scoring a number of Top 10 country albums beginning in 2014

1980
Fabrizio Moretti, Brazilian-American musician and drummer from American rock band The Strokes who had the 2001 UK No.14 single ‘Last Nite’ and the 2001 UK No.2 album Is This It.

1976
Tim Rice-Oxley, piano, producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist with Keane. Their 2004 UK No.1 album Hopes And Fears was the second best-selling British album of the year. In 2010 he formed a side-project, Mt. Desolation.

1970
Louis Freeze, B-Real, from Cypress Hill, who had the 1993 UK No.15 single ‘I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That’, and the 1993 US No.1 album ‘Black Sunday’.

1970
Dominic Greensmith, drummer with English band Reef who had the 1996 UK No. 6 single ‘Place Your Hands’ and the 1997 UK No.1 album ‘Glow’.

1968
American songwriter, musician, and guitarist Jason Falkner who was a member of the bands Jellyfish, the Three O’Clock, and the Grays. Falkner has also worked with Beck, Noel Gallagher and St. Vincent.

1965
Jeremy Cunningham, bassist, with English folk rock band The Levellers who had the 1995 UK No.12 single ‘Just The One’.

1962
Thor Eldon Jonsson, guitarist for The Sugarcubes, is born in Iceland.

1960
Tony Hadley, English pop singer-songwriter with Spandau Ballet who became one of the most successful groups to emerge during the New Romantic era and have produced a number of international hits during the 80s including ‘True’, ‘Gold’ and ‘Through the Barricades.’ In 2003 Hadley was the winner of the ITV reality television series Reborn in the USA and in 2007, Hadley performed in the West End musical Chicago.

1955
Michael Steele, American bassist, guitarist, songwriter, and singer who began her professional career as Micki Steele in the teen-girl band the Runaways. With The Bangles she scored the 1986 UK No.2 hit single with the Prince song ‘Manic Monday’, and the 1986 US No.1 single ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’.

1952
Pete Farndon, bassist for The Pretenders is born in Hereford, England.

1951
Steve Brookins, drummer for .38 Special from 1974-1987, is born.

1950
Chubby Tavares, from American R&B, funk, and soul group Tavares, who had the 1976 UK No.4 and US No.15 single ‘Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel’.

1945
Lord David Dundas, English musician and actor, known for his film and television scoring. His 1976 single ‘Jeans On’ reached No. 3 in the UK and No. 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

1944
Marvin Hamlisch, pianist, composer, 1974 US No.1 album ‘The Sting’, US No.3 single ‘The Entertainer.’ He won four Grammy Awards in 1974, two for ‘The Way We Were’. In 1975, he wrote the original theme music for Good Morning America and co-wrote ‘Nobody Does It Better’ for The Spy Who Loved Me with his then-girlfriend Carole Bayer Sager. Hamlisch died on August 6, 2012.

1941
Charlie Watts, English drummer who joined The Rolling Stones in 1963 and had the 1965 UK & US No.1 single ’(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and over 35 Top 40 singles and albums. Watts also plays occasional gigs with Charlie Watts and his Big Band. In 2006, Watts was elected into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. Watts died at a London hospital on 24 August 2021, at the age of 80.

1941
William Guest, singer with The Pips. Their first hit single was a version of ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’ in 1967. With Gladys Knight had the 1973 US No.1 single ‘Midnight Train To Georgia’, and the 1975 UK No.4 single with Gladys ‘The Way We Were’. Guest died on 24th Dec 2015 of heart failure at the age of 74.

1940
Earl Young, American drummer who rose to prominence in the early 1970s as part of the Philly Soul sound. Young is best known as the founder and leader of The Trammps who had a 70’s hit record with ‘Disco Inferno’. He also played drums on the Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes’ classic ‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’.

1939
American songwriter Janie Bradford, most known for her tenure with Motown. With Berry Gordy, she co-wrote ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’, originally recorded by Barrett Strong, and then by The Beatles on their second album With The Beatles. ‘Money’ is also on The Rolling Stones’ first UK EP (January 17, 1964).

1937
American singer-songwriter Jimmy Jones, who had the 1960 UK No.1 & US No.3 single ‘Good Timin’ and the hit ‘Handy Man’. He died on August 2, 2012 aged 75.

1936
Otis Williams, singer, from American doo-wop vocal group The Charms, who had the 1956 US No.11 single ‘Ivory Tower’.

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