1986
Schoolboy Q, (Quincy Matthew Hanley), American hip hop artist who had the 2014 US No.1 album Oxymoron.
1981
Guy Sebastian, Australian singer-songwriter, winner of the first Australian Idol series. (2003 Australian No.1 single, ‘Angels Brought Me Here’).
1978
Mark Barry, from English pop group BBMak who scored the 2001 UK No.5 single ‘Back Here’ which was also a No.1 hit in Japan.
1967
Keith Urban, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. In 1991, he released a self-titled debut album, and charted four singles in Australia before moving to the United States in 1992. Eventually, Urban found work as a session guitarist before starting a band known as The Ranch. Since 2006, he has been married to actress Nicole Kidman.
1965
Judge Jules, UK remixer, producer. He was voted best DJ in the world by DJ Mag in the year 1995.
1963
Natalie Merchant, singer, songwriter from American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs that was founded in 1981. After the recording of MTV Unplugged (1993) Merchant left the band to pursue a solo career.
1962
Singer/songwriter Kristen Hall is born in Gross Pointe, Michigan. She becomes a founding member of the trio Sugarland, introduced in 2004, but leaves at the end of 2005 before the act reaches its peak
1962
Steve Wren, with English rock band Then Jerico who had the 1989 UK No.13 single ‘Big Area’.
1953
Keith Strickland, guitar, keyboards, drums, with the American new wave band The B-52’s. Best known for their 1978 debut single ‘Rock Lobster and the 1990 UK No.2 & US No.3 single ‘Love Shack’.
1952
David Was, founder of the American 1980s pop group group Was Not Was, who had the 1992 UK No.4 single ‘Shake Your Head’. Was produced two soundtrack albums for the X-Files TV show and feature film.
1951
American musician and singer-songwriter Bootsy Collins. He plaed with James Brown, Parliament, Funkadelic, and Bootsy’s Rubber Band.
1951
Maggie Roche, singer, songwriter, The Roches, worked with Paul Simon and Loudon Wainwright. On January 21, 2017, Maggie Roche died from breast cancer at the age of 65.
1946
Keith Hopwood, guitarist with English beat rock band, Herman’s Hermits who scored the 1964 UK No.1 single ‘I’m Into Something Good’ (cover of Earl-Jean’s) and the 1965 US No.1 single ‘Mrs Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter’.
1944
Michael Piano, American rocker (Sandpipers), born in Rochester, New York
1936
American guitarist Al Casey. Mainly noted for his work as a session musician and as a member of the Wrecking Crew, Casey worked with The Beach Boys, Phil Spector, Elvis Presley, Glen Campbell, The Association, The Monkees, Johnny Cash, Simon And Garfunkel, 5th Dimension, Harry Nilsson, The Partridge Family, Frank Sinatra, and Nancy Sinatra. Casey died on 17 September 2006, in Phoenix, Arizona aged 69.
1929
Neal Matthews is born in Nashville. As a member of The Jordanaires, he sings background on hits by George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Johnny Horton, Elvis Presley and others, propelling the quartet into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Died April 21, 2000
1911
American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson (“Whole World In His Hands”). Known as the “Queen of Gospel Music” she recorded over 30 albums and became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world and was heralded internationally as a singer and civil rights activist. She died on 27 January 1972 of heart failure and diabetes complications aged 60.
