Born on March 12th in music

Born on this day in music, March 12th

1986 – Danny Jones
Danny Jones, guitar, vocals, McFly, (2004 UK No.1 single ‘Colours In Her Hair’, 2004 UK No.1 album ‘Room On The 3rd Floor’).

1979 – Pete Doherty
Pete Doherty, guitar, vocals, from English rock band The Libertines, who had the 2004 UK No.1 album The Libertines. Doherty was banned from playing with The Libertines until he could overcome his substance abuse problems. He released two albums with Babyshambles, the 2005 Down in Albion and 2007 Shotter’s Nation.

1977 – Ben Kenny
Ben Kenny, bassist, from American rock band Incubus, who had the 2001 US No.9 & UK No.40 single, ‘Drive’, and the 2004 US No.2 and UK No.6 album A Crow Left of the Murder’, and the 2006 US No.1 album Light Grenades. Worldwide, Incubus has sold over 23 million albums.

1975 – Kelle Bryan
Kelle Bryan, from British R&B girl group Eternal who had the 1997 UK No.1 single ‘I Wanna Be The Only One’, and the 1993 UK No.2 album Always & Forever. They achieved 15 UK Top 20 hits between 1993 and 1999.

1969 – Graham Coxon
Graham Coxon, guitarist and singer with Blur who scored the 1994 UK No.1 album ‘Parklife’ which spent over 2 years on the UK chart, and the 1995 UK No.1 single ‘Country House’, plus over 12 other UK Top 40 singles. Coxon has also released a series of solo albums.

1965 – Coleen Nolan
Coleen Nolan, Nolan Sisters, (1980 UK No.3 single ‘I’m In The Mood For Dancing’).

1957 – Marlon Jackson
Marlon Jackson, from American family music group The Jackson 5. They were the first group to debut with four consecutive No.1 hits on the Hot 100 with the songs ‘I Want You Back’, ‘ABC’, ‘The Love You Save’, and ‘I’ll Be There’. And with The Jacksons, had the 1979 hit ‘Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)’.

1956 – Steve Harris
Steve Harris, bassist with English heavy metal band 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’. Iron Maiden have sold over 100 million copies of their albums worldwide.

1951 – Jack Green
British musician and songwriter Jack Green, who played with T. Rex between 1973 and 1974, then with The Pretty Things between 1974 and 1976.

1949 – Bill Payne
American pianist Bill Payne who co-founded with Lowell George the American rock band Little Feat. Their best-known songs are ‘Dixie Chicken’ and ‘Sailin Shoes’. Payne has also worked and recorded with J. J. Cale, Doobie Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Bryan Adams, Pink Floyd, Bob Seger, Toto, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Nicks and Robert Palmer.

1949 – Mike Gibbins
Welsh musician Mike Gibbins, drummer with Badfinger, who scored the 1970 UK No.4 & US No.7 single ‘Come And Get It’ and the hits ‘No Matter What and ‘Day After Day’. Gibbins died from a brain aneurysm in his sleep at his Florida home on 4 October 2005 at the age of 56.

1948 – James Taylor
James Taylor, American singer, songwriter. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the hit single ‘Fire and Rain’ and had the 1971 US No.1 & UK No.4 single ‘You’ve Got A Friend’, (written by Carole King). His first album was released on The Beatles Apple label. Taylor married Carly Simon in 1972.

1948 – Les Holroyd
Les Holroyd, from English progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest who scored eight UK Top 40 albums from 1974-87.

1946 – Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli, singer, actress, dancer, daughter of Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli. (1970 film ‘Cabaret’, 1989 UK No.6 single ‘Losing My Mind‘).

1942 – Brian O’Hara
Brian O’Hara, from English Merseybeat band The Fourmost who had the 1964 UK No.6 single ‘A Little Loving’. O’Hara took his own life on 27th June 1999.

1940 – Al Jarreau
American singer and musician Al Jarreau. He received a total of seven Grammy Awards and Jarreau is best known for his 1981 album Breakin’ Away. He also sang the theme song of the late-1980s television series Moonlighting. He died of respiratory failure on February 12, 2017 at the age of 76, just two days after announcing his retirement.

1938 – Lew DeWitt
Lew DeWitt (of The Statler Brothers) is born in Roanoke, Virginia. He died on August 15,1990.

1917 – Leonard Chess
Leonard Chess, the founder of the Chess record label, home to John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Jimmy Reed. Chess died of a heart attack on October 16th 1969, aged 52.