Born on March 8th in music

Born On This Day In Music, March 8th

1988 – Eleanor Jackson
Eleanor Jackson, singer with La Roux who had the 2009 UK No.1 single ‘Bulletproof’.

1979 – Tom Chaplin
Tom Chaplin singer, songwriter with UK group Keane who had the 2004 UK No.1 album ‘Hopes And Fears’ which was the second best-selling British album of the year.

1976 – Gaz Coombes
Gaz Coombes singer, songwriter with UK group Supergrass who had the 1995 UK No.2 single ‘Alright’. Their 1995 UK No.1 album I Should Coco spent 35 weeks on the UK chart. He first entered the music scene aged sixteen as the lead singer of the band The Jennifers.

1968 – Shawn Mullins
Shawn Mullins, US male singer, songwriter who had the 1999 UK No.9 single ‘Lullaby’.

1964 – Peter Gill
Peter Gill, drummer with Frankie Goes To Hollywood, the British band who formed in Liverpool and had the 1984 UK No.1 & US No.10 single ‘Relax’. The single eventually sold 2 million copies in the UK alone, making it the seventh best-selling single in the UK Singles Chart’s history. Their debut album, Welcome to the Pleasuredome, reached No.1 in the UK in 1984 with advanced sales of over one million.

1962 – Steve Grantley
Steve Grantley from Eighth Wonder who had the 1988 UK No.7 single ‘I’m Not Scared’.

1960 – Richard Darbyshire
Richard Darbyshire, singer, songwriter from UK group Living In A Box, who had the 1987 UK No.5 single ‘Living In A Box’.

1958 – Gary Numan
Gary Numan, singer with Tubeway Army who had the 1979 UK No.1 single ‘Are Friends Electric’. As a solo artist had the 1979 UK No.1 & 1980 US No.9 single ‘Cars’ plus 18 other UK Top 40 singles.

1957 – Clive Burr
Clive Burr, drummer with UK Rock group Iron Maiden who had the 1982 UK No.1 album The Number Of The Beast, and the 1991 UK No.1 single ‘Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter’. Burr died on 13th March 2013 at the age of 56. He had been suffering from multiple sclerosis, and died in his sleep. Burr was a member of up-and-coming British metal band, Samson, before joining Maiden in 1979.

1954 – Cheryl Baker
Cheryl Baker,singer with British pop group Bucks Fizz who had the UK hits ‘Making Your Mind Up’ (1981), ‘The Land of Make Believe’ (1981) and ‘My Camera Never Lies’ (1982) and became one of the top-selling groups of the 1980s. Baker now works as a TV presenter.

1949 – Dave Lambert
Dave Lambert with English folk rock group The Strawbs who scored the 1973 UK No.2 single with ‘Part Of The Union’.

1947 – Carole Bayer Sager
Songwriter Carole Bayer Sager is born in Manhattan, New York City. She wrote with Bette Midler, “You’re Moving Out Today”, an international hit in 1977.

1948 – Peggy March
Little Peggy March, (Margaret Battivio.) US singer who had the 1963 US No.1 single ‘I Will Follow Him’.

1948 – Mel Galley
Mel Galley, guitarist with Whitesnake who had the 1987 US No.1 & UK No.9 single ‘Here I Go Again‘. Died of cancer on 1st July 2008.

1947 – Mike Allsup
Mike Allsup, guitarist with US group Three Dog Night who had the 1970 UK No.3 & US No.1 single with their version of the Randy Newman song ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come’.

1946 – Carole Bayer Sager
Carole Bayer Sager, singer, songwriter. Wrote ‘Groovy Kind Of Love’, hit for The Mindbenders and Phil Collins. Sinatra, Pitney and Dolly Parton have all recorded her songs. Married Burt Bacharach in 1982.

1946 – Randy Meisner
Randy Meisner, guitarist with US group Poco who later joined the Eagles who had the 1977 US No.1 & UK No.8 single ‘Hotel California‘. He quit The Eagles in 1977. Meisner died due to complications associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Los Angeles on July 26, 2023, at the age of 77.

1945 – Michael Dolenz
Michael Dolenz, singer and drummer with The Monkees who had the 1967 UK & US No.1 single ‘I’m A Believer‘ plus 10 US & 8 UK Top 40 singles. Dolenz is now a actor, television director, radio personality and theatre director.

1943 – Shel Macrae
Shel Macrae, lead singer and rhythm guitarist for The Fortunes, is born Andrew Raeburn Semple in Burnbank, Scotland. Shel Macrae had the 1965 UK No.2 & US No.7 single ‘You’ve Got Your Troubles’ and the hits ‘Here It Comes Again and ‘Storm in a Teacup’. He died November 27, 2022.