Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

August 12, 1940 Country/Rockabilly singer Rod Bernard is born in Opelousas, Louisiana.

August 10, 1940 Bobby Hatfield (of The Righteous Brothers) is born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

August 5, 1940 Singer/actress Damita Jo is born in Austin, Texas. Had a minor hit with a cover of "If You Go Away."

August 4, 1940 Larry Knechtel (keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist for Bread) is born in Bell, California.

July 26, 1940 Singer Dobie Gray is born in Simonton, Texas.

July 22, 1940 One-hit-wonder Thomas Wayne, known for 1959's "Tragedy," is born Thomas Wayne Perkins is Batesville, Mississippi. His brother is Johnny Cash's guitarist, Luther Perkins.

July 7, 1940 Beatles drummer Ringo Starr is born Richard Starkey in Liverpool, England. He has a run of solo hits in the '70s that includes "It Don't Come Easy" and "Photograph," but he doesn't tour until 1989, when he introduces his All Starr Band.

July 4, 1940 Dave Rowberry (keyboardist for The Animals) is born in Mapperley, Nottinghamshire, England.

July 3, 1940 Fontella Bass, known for the 1965 soul hit "Rescue Me," is born in St. Louis, Missouri.

June 30, 1940 Larry Hall, known for the one-hit-wonder song "Sandy" (1959), is born in Hamlett, Ohio.

June 29, 1940 L. Russell Brown, a lyricist and composer known for Tony Orlando and Dawn's "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree" and "Knock Three Times," is born in Newark, New Jersey.

June 23, 1940 Disco-funk saxophonist Jimmy Castor, known for the 1972 hit "Troglodyte (Cave Man)," is born in Manhattan, New York.

June 23, 1940 The Beatles' original bass player Stu Sutcliffe is born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He leaves the group before they hit it big so he can pursue painting.

June 23, 1940 British teen idol Adam Faith is born Terence Nelhams-Wright in Acton, London, England. Known for UK chart-toppers "What Do You Want" (1959) and "Poor Me" (1960).

June 13, 1940 Bobby Freeman, known for the 1958 hit "Do You Want To Dance," is born in Northern California.

June 11, 1940 Joey Dee of Joey Dee and the Starliters is born Joseph DiNicola in Passaic, New Jersey.

June 8, 1940 Nancy Sinatra is born in Jersey City, New Jersey. Her parents are Frank Sinatra and his wife Nancy Barbato. Nancy Jr. becomes a singer like her dad, and in 1966 has a #1 hit with "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'."

June 7, 1940 Tom Jones is born Thomas John Woodward in the village of Treforest in Glamorgan, Wales.

June 4, 1940 Cliff Bennett (of Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers) is born in Slough, Berkshire, England.

May 31, 1940 Augie Meyers (of the Sir Douglas Quintet) is born in San Antonio, Texas.

May 26, 1940 Ray Ennis (vocalist, lead guitarist for Swinging Blue Jeans) is born in Huyton, Liverpool, England.

May 26, 1940 Levon Helm (lead vocalist for The Band) is born Mark Lavon Helm in Elaine, Arkansas, but will grow up in nearby Turkey Scratch.

May 20, 1940 Soul singer Shorty Long, known for the 1968 hit "Here Comes The Judge," is born Frederick Earl Long in Birmingham, Alabama.

May 19, 1940 Mickey Newbury, who penned a record-breaking string of hits across four different charts in 1968, including The First Edition's "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," is born in Houston, Texas.

May 12, 1940 Motown songwriter Norman Whitfield is born in Harlem, New York City.

May 10, 1940 Singer-songwriter Arthur Alexander is born in Florence, Alabama, raised in nearby Sheffield. His song "You Better Move On" is the first hit to come out of FAME studios in Florence; his song "Anna (Go to Him)" is covered by The Beatles.

May 8, 1940 Rick Nelson is born Eric Hilliard Nelson in Teaneck, New Jersey. His parents are Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, and he appears with them on the TV show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet before becoming a recording star.

May 8, 1940 Toni Tennille of Captain & Tennille is born Cathryn Antoinette Tennille in Montgomery, Alabama.

May 4, 1940 Ronnie Bond (drummer for The Troggs) is born Ronald James Bullis in Andover, Hampshire, England.

April 26, 1940 Synthpop pioneer Giorgio Moroder is born in Italy. As Donna Summer's producer, he crafts a disco sound on hits like "I Feel Love" and "Bad Girls" that elevates her to queen of the genre. In the '80s he writes and produces the soundtrack hits "Flashdance... What a Feeling" and "Danger Zone."