December 4, 1985 ~ Rock drummer Iwan Griffiths born in Cardiff, UK ~ Influenced by drummers such as Muse's Dominic Howard, Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, Phil Collins, the Police's Stewart Copeland, and Bill Bruford. Co-founding member of the Automatic, known for their UK top 10 hit Monster of their 2006 Not Accepted Anywhere debut album
December 4, 1981 ~ Singer Lila McCann, full name Lila Elaine McCann, born in Puyallup, Washington, USA ~ Debuted at age 16 with the single Down Came A Blackbird, which would reach the Billboard Country top 30 in 1997. Her sophomore single, I Wanna Fall In Love, would make it to the top 5 in the USA as well as Canada
December 4, 1977 ~ Country, country rock, alternative rock, rock singer, guitarist, songwriter Dallas Smith, full name Dallas Hendry Smith, born in Langley, Canada ~ Lead singer of hard rock outfit Default. Debuted as a solo artist in 2012 with the Jumped Right In, which spawned five singles all of which would reach the Canadian country top 10. Would go on to score hits such as Tippin' Point, Wastin' Gas, Autograph, Side Effects, Sky Stays This Blue, Sleepin' Around, Make 'Em Like You, Timeless, and Like A Man
December 4, 1972 ~ Alternative rock, britpop drummer Justin Welch, full name Justin Steven Welch, born in Nuneaton, UK ~ Briefly an early member of Suede, departing the band in 1990 prior to their rise to fame. Member of Spitfire and of Elastica. Perhaps most notably known as co-founding member of Britpop supergroup Me Me Me alongside Blur bassist Alex James and the Lilac Time frontman Stephen Duffy, known for their sole single Hanging Around. Has also worked with Lush, Johnny Void, the Stalwart Lovers, and a latter day incarnation of the Jesus & Mary Chain
December 4, 1970 ~ Beat, blues-rock singer, bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter Edgar Jones, full name Edgar William Jones, born in Liverpool, UK ~ Bassist, lead singer for the Stairs, founded in 1990 with guitarist Ged Lynn and drummer Paul Maguire, known for their sole album, 1992's Mexican R'n'B, which received cult status. Jones would go on to front acts such as the Isrites, the Big Kids, Edgar Jones & the Joneses and Free Peace. Has also recorded as a solo artist and sessioned with artists such as Echo & the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch, father of Britpop Paul Weller, Saint Etienne and Ocean Colour Scene
December 4, 1970 ~ Patrick Lamont Hawkins, commonly known as rapper Fat Pat, born in Houston, Texas, USA ~ Brother of rapper Big Hawk, with whom he also worked. Best known for his appearance on Lil' Troy's Wanna Be A Baller, released after Hawkins' death. Has also worked with Dead End Alliance, and Screwed Up Click, the latter considered one of the premier acts in Southern rap ~ Hawkins passed away in 1998
December 4, 1969 ~ Shawn Corey Carter, commonly known as rapper, producer, songwriter Jay-Z, born in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ Known for a number of critically acclaimed albums including his 1996 Reasonable Doubt debut album, 2001 The Blueprint, and 2003's The Black Album. Sold over 50 million records. Married to Beyoncé since 2009. Known for hits such as Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem), Big Pimpin' featuring UGK, Izzo Hova, Excuse Me Miss featuring Pharrell Williams, 99 Problems, Run This Town featuring Kanye West and Rihanna, Empire State Of Mind featuring Alicia Keys, and Holy Grail featuring Justin Timberlake. Also collaborated with Big Daddy Kane, Foxxy Brown, Jermaine Dupri, Timbaland, Memphis Bleek, P Diddy, Mya, Talib Kweli, Missy Elliott, Lenny Kravitz, Bun B, Jeezy, Mariah Carey, and others
December 4, 1969 ~ Duval Clear, commonly known as rapper, MC Masta Ace, born in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ First gained attention as a member of the Juice Crew, notably appearing on the classic 1988 the Juice Crew track The Symphony. Released his full-length solo debut album, Take A Look Around, in 1990. Has collaborated with eMC, Marco Polo, Eminem, Koolade, Son Of Sam, DJ Premier, and others
December 4, 1967 ~ Fingerstyle guitarist Eric Roche born ~ Briefly worked as an accountant prior to enrolling at London Musicians Institute, studying classical guitar. After his degree would become head of its guitar department. As a guitar player known for his percussive style involving drumming on the body of guitar. Has released about half a dozen albums, starting with Perc U Later ~ Roche passed away in 2005
December 4, 1963 ~ Alternative rock bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer Danny Weinkauf born ~ Perhaps best known for his association with They Might Be Giants, joining the band in the late 1990s. The band is known for their unique style, humorous lyrics, experimental sttles and use of unconvential instruments. Weinkauf has written a number of songs for the band, all for their children's albums, namely Where Do They Make Balloons, Number Two, I Am A Paleonthologist and Elephants
December 4, 1955 ~ Drummer Brian Prout born in Troy, New York, USA ~ Co-founding member of Diamond Rio, known for a string of successful country hits in the 1990s and early 2000s including Meet In The Middle, Norma Jean Riley, In A Week Or Two, Love A Little Stronger, How Your Love Makes Me Feel, Unbelievable, One More Day, Beautiful Mess and I Believe. Prout actually came up with the band name. For a while dated Mary Bono, widow of singer Sonny Bono. Married to singer, songwriter Stephanie Bentley since 2001, who's best known for co-writing Faith Hill's 1999 hit Breathe
December 4, 1955 ~ Singer Cassandra Wilson born in Jackson, Mississippi, USA ~ Influenced by Miles Davis, Abbey Lincoln and Betty Carter. Worked with M-Base Collective, Steve Coleman, Wynton Marsalis, the Roots, Don Byron, Terence Blanchard, Terri Lyne Carrington, Regina Carter, Olu Dara, Kurt Elling, Robin Eubanks, Charlie Haden, Javon Jackson, Meshell Ndegeocello, Courtney Pine, David Sánchez, Steve Turre, Luther Vandross, and others
December 4, 1951 ~ Blues rock, boogie rock, southern rock guitarist Gary Rossington, full name Gary Robert Rossington, born in Jacksonville, Florida, USA ~ Last surviving original member of quintessential southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Especially noted for his lead guitar work on Tuesday's Gone and slide guitar on Free Bird. Also co-founded the Rossington-Collins Band with bandmate guitarist Allen Collins ~ Rossington passed away in 2023
December 4, 1949 ~ Singer, guitarist, songwriter Robert Williams, full name Robertos Konstantinos Williams, born in Athens, Greece ~ Co-founding member of pioneering Greek pop group Poll, known for their 1971 Anthrope. The album included the hit Anthrope Agapa (Ti Fotia Stamata) which is regarded as the first anti-war protest song in the history of Greek rock, dubbed “perhaps the most hippie hymn for the Greeks&rdquo and released during the junta years. Following the band's disbandement Williams has recorded as a solo singer, noted for his 1976 hit single Talk To Me, and for representing Greece at the 1977 Eurovision Songfestival alongside singers Pascalis, Marianna Toli and Bessy Argyraki reaching 5th place with the song Solfege ~ Williams passed away in 2022
December 4, 1948 ~ Singer, guitarist, bassist, songwriter Mikael Rickfors born in Stockholm, Sweden ~ Member of late-1960s pop group Bamboo. Member of the Hollies during the early 1970s, joining the band as replacement for Allan Clarke and present on the band's Romany and Out On The Road albums. Active as a solo artist since his 1975 eponymous Mikael Rikfors debut album. Songs written by Rikfors have also been recorded by Richie Havens, Carlos Santana (Daughter Of The Night), Jim Capaldi, Cyndi Lauper (Yeah Yeah), Carla Olson, Percy Sledge (Blue Night), and others
December 4, 1948 ~ Rock, pop, blue-eyed soul singer, guitarist, pianist, songwriter Southside Johnny born in Neptune, New Jersey, USA ~ Sometimes referred to as “the Grandfather of the New Jersey sound”. Cited by Bon Jovi as an influence. Frontman of Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, known for songs such as I Don't Wanna Go Home, Fever, Talk To Me, This Time It's For Real and Love On The Wrong Side Of Town
December 4, 1947 ~ Jazz pianist, arranger, composer Andy Laverne born in New York, New York, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Worked with Jerry Bergonzi, Mike Richmond, Bob Magnusson, John Abercrombie, Eddie Gomez, Peter Erskine, Danny Gottlieb, Rick Margitza, Chuck Loeb, Clifford Carter, Tim Hagans, Steve Laspina, Anton Fig, John Patitucci, Jeff Hirschfield, Randy Brecker, George Mraz, Ted Curson, and Stan Getz
December 4, 1945 ~ Henk Leeuwis, commonly known as singer Henkie, born in Elst, the Netherlands ~ Known for the novelty, surprise hits Lief Klein Konijntje and Mijn Goudvis, the former reaching top of the charts in Belgium in 2006 ~ Leeuwis passed away in 2022
December 4, 1945 ~ Singer, guitarist Robb Huxley, full name Robert William Huxley, born in Gloucester, UK ~ Pioneer of Israeli rock for his work in Israel with his band the Churchills and his collaborations with artists such as Arik Einstein. Also a member of the Tornados from 1965 until the band's disbandement in 1968, notably present on the 1966 singles Pop-Art Goes Mozart and Is That A Ship I Hear
December 4, 1944 ~ Folk singer, songwriter Anna McGarrigle born in Montreal, Canada ~ Best known for performing with her sister Kate McGarrigle as Kate & Anna McGarrigle, debuting with the critically acclaimed eponymous Kate & Anna McGarrigle album in 1976. The duo has collaborated with artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, the Chieftains, and Marianne Faithfull
December 4, 1944 ~ Guitarist, bassist, singer, songwriter Chris Hillman born in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Co-founding member of the Byrds. Following Gene Clark's departure from the band Hillman would establish himself as one of the key songwriters, writing or co-writing songs such as Have You Seen Her Face, Thoughts And Words, The Time Between, and Girl With No Name. Co-lead vocalist, along with Roger McGuinn, on So You Want To Be A Rock 'n Roll Star. Hillman was especially notably present on the 1967 Younger Than Yesterday album and its 1968 The Notorious Byrd Brothers follow-up. Member of the Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas and the Desert Rose Band, all quintessential to the development of country rock. Also worked with the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, the Hillmen, Souther Hillman Furay Band alongside Richie Furay and JD Souther, McGuinn Clark & Hillman, Down Home Praise, Herb Pedersen, Larry Rice, and others, as well as record as a solo artist
December 4, 1944 ~ Drummer, singer Dennis Wilson, full name Dennis Carl Wilson, born in Inglewood, California, USA ~ Co-founding member, drummer of the Beach Boys. The only one in the band who actually surfed. Wrote or co-wrote tracks such as All I Want To Do, Got To Know The Woman, Friends, Little Bird, Forever. Released his sole solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue, in 1977 ~ Wilson passed away in 1983
December 4, 1944 ~ Lynford Brown, commonly known as rocksteady, reggae guitarist Hux Brown, born in Port Antonio, Jamaica ~ In-demand session guitarist appearing on key recordings such as Girl I've Got A Date (Alton Ellis), Ba Ba Boom (the Jamaicans), Bangarang (Lester Sterling), Rivers Of Babylon (the Melodians), and The Harder They Come (Jimmy Cliff). Outside Jamaican music played lead guitar on Paul Simon's Mother And Child Reunion. Touring member of Toots & the Maytals for over three decades ~ Brown passed away in 2020
December 4, 1942 ~ Singer, bassist, songwriter Bob Mosley, full name James Robert Mosley born in San Diego, California, USA ~ Best known as member of 1960s outfit Moby Grape, notably present on songs such as Mr Blues, Come In The Morning and Lazy Me. Has also recorded as a solo artist and collaborated with artists such as the Frantics, Chris Darrow, Neil Young, and others
December 4, 1940 ~ Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr, commonly known as ock & roll singer, guitarist Freddy Cannon, born in Lynn, Massachusetts, USA ~ Influenced by Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard. Known for songs such as Tallahassee Lassie, Way Down Yonder In New Orleans, Palisades Park and Abigail Beecher. Plays lead guitar on the G-Clefs' 1956 hit Ka-ding-dong. Rhythm guitar and lead vocals on the Spindrifts' Cha-cha-do, a hit in 1958
December 4, 1939 ~ Oliver Lee Rodgers, commonly known as electric blues guitarist, singer, songwriter Sonny Rodgers, born in Hughes, Arkansas, USA ~ Influenced by BB King, Robert Nighthawk, Muddy Waters. On-and-off active as a backing musician since the late 1950s, working with the likes of Forest City Joe, Joe Hill Louis, Joe Willie Wilkins, Eddie Boyd, Lazy Bill Lucas, Willie Cobbs, and others. As a solo artist best known for his 1990 single Cadillac Baby, awarded a WC Handy Award. Would release his acclaimed They Call Me The Cat Daddy debut album the same year, only to have his promising solo career cut short by his death of heart failure at age 50 ~ Rodgers passed away in 1990
December 4, 1936 ~ Soul blues, electric blues singer, guitarist, bassist, songwriter Larry Davis, full name Larry Charles Davis, born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, USA ~ Perhaps best known for co-writing and first recording Texas Flood in 1958, later covered by Moses Whispering Smith, Roomful Of Blues and perhaps most notably Stevie Ray Vaughan. Reaching little commercial succes as a solo artist Davis would join Albert King's backing band, playing bass. A motorcycle accident in 1972 would leave him temporarily paralyzed, hindering his career. Returning to music a decade later Davis would record a handful of underpromoted albums, known only to blues afficionados ~ Davis passed away in 1994
December 4, 1932 ~ Thomas Morgan Edwards, commonly known as harmonica player Tommy Morgan, born in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ One of the most recorded harmonicists, especially active for film and TV playing on an estimated 500 soundtracks including Alfred Newman's How The West Was Won soundtrack and the main themes for the TV series The Rockford Files and Sanford And Son. In-demand session musician, appearing on albums by the Beach Boys (Pet Sounds), Elvis Presley (Elvis '68 Comeback Special), Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, the Bee Gees, Quincy Jones (Body Heat), the Carpenters, Carly Simon, Neil Diamond (Beautiful Noise), Olivia Newton-John, Melissa Manchester, Frank Zappa, Peter Cetera, Linda Ronstadt, and the Bangles. Morgan retired from music in 2013, following a stroke ~ Edwards passed away in 2022
December 4, 1930 ~ Jazz, cool jazz,post-bop guitarist, arranger, composer Jim Hall, full name James Stanley Hall, born in Buffalo, New York, USA ~ Influenced by Charlie Christian and Barney Kessel. Classically trained. Worked with Chico Hamilton, Jimmy Giuffre, Ben Webster, Lee Konitz, Sonny Rollins, Art Farmer, Big Joe Turner, Johnny Hartman, June Christy, Big Miller, Quincy Jones, Lalo Schifrin, Oliver Nelson, Gerry Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, Tommy Flanagan, Ron Carter, Joe Lovano, and others ~ Hall passed away in 2013
December 4, 1930 ~ Composer Paul-Heinz Dittrich born in Gornsdorf, Germany ~ Considered one of the most influential contemporary composers of Germany. Choral conductor of the FDGB Ensemble. Composed for orchestra, chamber music, cantatas and lieder, often inspired by poetry. Some of his compositions muxes electronic instruments or tape with more conventional instruments and voice. Known for compositions such as Concert Avec Plusieurs Instruments and Requiem Of Reconciliation, the latter commemorating the 50 year anniversary of the end of World War II ~ Dittrich passed away in 2020
December 4, 1928 ~ Jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist, bandleader Frank Tiberi born in Camden, New Jersey, USA ~ Regularly played with Woody Herman since the late 1960s and picked as bandleader shortly before Herman's death in 1987 and has led the band since. Has also worked with Benny Goodman, Urbie Green, Dizzy Gillespie
December 4, 1924 ~ Marion Colleen Nolan, commonly known as pop singer Toni Fisher, born in USA ~ Known for songs such as West Of The Wall, Maybe He'll Think Of Me, Why Can't He Leave Me Alone and perhaps her best-known The Big Hurt. The latter would later be covered by artists such as Del Shannon, Wes Montgomery, Scott Walker, Vikki Carr, Nick Cave, and others ~ Nolan passed away in 1999
December 4, 1915 ~ Jazz, swing, Dixieland pianist Eddie Heywood Jr born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA ~ Son of blues, jazz pianist Eddie Heywood Sr. Enjoyed popularity especially during the 1940s and 1950s. Occasionally accompanied Billie Holiday in the early 1940s. Partially paralysed twice, leaving him unable to perform for years on end each time, but made a comeback twice. Co-wrote and first recorded Soft Summer Breeze. Perhaps best remembered for co-writing Canadian Sunset, which was first recorded by Hugo Winterhalter in 1956, later recorded by over two hundred artists including Billy Vaughn, Santo & Johnny, Gene Ammons, Wes Montgomery, Illinois Jacquet, Hargus Pig Robbins, and Tommy Emmanuel. Heywood would continue to perform well into the 1980s ~ Heywood passed away in 1989
December 4, 1910 ~ Isadore Soifer, commonly known as songwriter Alex North born in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Film composer, songwriter perhap best remembered for co-penning Unchained Melody with Hy Zaret. The song was originally written for the 1955 film of the same name and first recorded by Todd Duncan. The song would become a standard and be covered by hundreds of artists, perhaps most notably by the Righteous Brothers in 1965. North has also worked on many renowned film scores, nominated for an Academy Award fifteen times but never winning one. Film scores written or co-written by North include A Streetcar Named Desire, Viva Zapata, Spartacus and Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf ~ Soifer passed away in 1991