1939, Born on this day, Mavis Staples, American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist. She recorded and performed with her family's band The Staple Singers who scored two No.1 singles, 'I'll Take You There' and 'Let's Do It Again'.
1942, Born on this day, Ronnie James Dio, vocals, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his own band Dio. He died on May 16, 2010, after a six-month battle with stomach cancer. He was 67 years old.
1943, Born on this day, Jerry Miller, guitarist from American psychedelic rock group Moby Grape, known for their debut album Moby Grape (1967).
1944, Born on this day, John Dymond, (Beaky), guitarist from British pop/rock group, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, who scored the 1968 UK No.1 single 'Legend Of Xanadu'.
1947, Born on this day, Arlo Guthrie, US singer, songwriter, son of folksinger Woody Guthrie, (1967 album 'Alice's Restaurant', 1972 US No.18 single 'The City Of New Orleans').
1949, Born on this day, Dave Smalley, The Raspberries famous for their hits 'Go All The Way', 'I Wanna Be With You' and 'Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)'.
1950, Born on this day, Greg Kihn, American singer who scored the 1983 US No.2 single 'Jeopardy'.
1954, Born on this day, Neil Tennant, vocals, Pet Shop Boys, (1986 UK & US No.1 single 'West End Girls', plus 3 other UK No.1 singles and over 20 UK Top 40 hits), ex editor of music paper Smash Hits.
1958, Born on this day, American banjo player Béla Fleck, widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players. Fleck has shared Grammy wins with Asleep at the Wheel, and has been nominated in more categories than any other musician, namely country, pop, jazz, bluegrass, classical, folk, spoken word, composition, and arranging.
1959, Born on this day, Sandy West, drummer, founding member of US all girl group The Runaways. West died on 21 Oct 2006.
1960, Born on this day, Martyn P Casey, keyboards, from Australian rock band Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds who have released over 15 studio albums including the 2013 Australian No.1 Push the Sky Away.
1964, Born on this day, Graham Lambert, guitarist from English alternative rock band Inspiral Carpets who had the 1990 UK No.14 single 'This Is How It Feels'.
1965, Born on this day, Peter DiStefano, American guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work in the alternative rock band Porno for Pyros.
1970, Born on this day, Jason Orange, vocals, Take That (1995 UK No.1 single 'Back For Good' and seven other UK No.1 singles, 1993 UK No.1 album 'Everything Changes spent 78 weeks on the UK chart). Re-formed without Robbie Williams in 2006 for a sold-out European tour. Topped the UK singles and album charts simultaneously for the first time in their career when the single Patience and album Beautiful World both reached No.1 in Dec 2006.
1970, Born on this day, Gary LeVox, singer, with American country band Rascal Flatts who scored the 2004 US country No.2 single I Melt, and the 2006 US No.1 album Me And My Gang.
1974, Born on this day, Imelda May, Irish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who has worked with Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and David Gilmour. May is known for her musical style of rockabilly revival and has also been compared to female jazz musicians such as Billie Holiday
1978, Born on this day, American musician, singer-songwriter Jesse Lacey, the lead vocalist and guitarist for Brand New. Their fifth album Science Fiction released in 2017 went to No.1 on the US chart.
1980, Born on this day, Jessica Simpson, American singer who had the 2000 UK No.7 single 'I Wanna Love You Forever'. Her debut studio album released in 1999 sold over four million copies worldwide.
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