Pick a Day

Born on September 19

1964 Country singer Trisha Yearwood is born Patricia Lynn Yearwood in Monticello, Georgia.

1958 Lita Ford is born in London. She joins the all-female rock group The Runaways as a teenager and has a hit with "Kiss Me Deadly" in 1988.

1956 Singer/actor Rex Smith is born in Jacksonville, Florida. He makes his Broadway debut in 1978 playing Danny Zuko in Grease, a role John Travolta makes famous in the movie.

1952 Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers is born in New York City. His sophisticated disco group transforms the genre in the '70s with hits like "Le Freak," "Good Times" and "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)." Rodgers becomes a legendary producer for the likes of Diana Ross (Diana), David Bowie (Let's Dance), Daft Punk (Random Access Memories), and Madonna (Like A Virgin).

1951 Record producer/musician Daniel Lanois is born in Hull, Quebec. Produced albums for an array of artists, including Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Neil Young, and Emmylou Harris, and for bands like U2 (notably The Joshua Tree).

1947 Rocker Lol Creme (of 10cc) is born Laurence Neil Creme in Prestwich, England.

1947 Percussionist Ray Cooper is born Raymond Cooper in Watford, England.

1945 R&B singer Freda Payne is born in Detroit, Michigan.

1945 Musician/songwriter David Bromberg is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but would be raised in Tarrytown, New York. Co-wrote "The Holdup" with George Harrison in 1972.

1943 "Mama" Cass Elliot is born Ellen Naomi Cohen in Baltimore, Maryland. The name Cass comes from her father, who calls her "the mad Cassandra." She becomes Mama Cass when she joins The Mamas & The Papas in 1965. After landing a string of hits with the group, she launches a solo career in 1968 and becomes a regular on TV talk and variety shows as both a guest and host. She has her own nightclub act when she dies from a heart attack in 1974 at 32.

1940 Singer/songwriter Paul Williams is born in Omaha, Nebraska. A TV fixture in the '70s and '80s, he also writes many popular songs, including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song," the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun," and David Bowie's "Fill Your Heart."

1940 Blue-eyed soul singer Bill Medley (of The Righteous Brothers) is born in Los Angeles, California.

1934 Brian Epstein (Beatles manager) is born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.

1931 Pop/R&B singer Brook Benton is born Benjamin Franklin Peay in Lugoff, South Carolina.

1921 R&B singer Billy Ward (of The Dominoes) is born Robert L. Williams in Savannah, Georgia.