Born On This Day

March 9th

1930 - Ornette Coleman

American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer Ornette Coleman. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s. Coleman died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 85 in New York City on June 11, 2015.

1934 - Lloyd Price

Lloyd Price, US singer, songwriter who had the 1959 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Stagger Lee' and the 1959 million-selling hit, 'Personality'. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

1936 - Mickey Gilley

Mickey Gilley, US singer, (1980 US No. 22 single 'Stand By Me' from the soundtrack 'Urban Cowboy').

1942 - John Cale

Welsh singer, songwriter and record producer, John Cale who was a founding member of the American rock band Velvet Underground, who released the 1968 single 'White Light, White Heat', and the classic 1967 album Velvet Underground And Nico 'peeled banana' album. He produced the first albums of the Stooges, the Modern Lovers, Patti Smith, Squeeze, and Happy Mondays.

1942 - Mark Linday

Mark Lindsay, singer, guitarist with Paul Revere & The Raiders, (1971 US No.1 single with ‘Indian Reservation’ plus 14 other US Top 30 hit singles).

1944 - Trevor Burton

English guitarist Trevor Burton a founding member of The Move who scored the 1969 UK No.1 single 'Blackberry Way'. He later teamed up with Steve Gibbons who fronted the long-established Birmingham group The Uglys and was also a member of the Birmingham supergroup Balls and then fronted The Trevor Burton Band.

1945 - Robert Calvert

Robert Calvert, singer, poet, Hawkwind & solo, (1972 UK No.3 single 'Silver Machine'). Calvert died on 14th August 1988.

1945 - Ron Wilson

Ron Wilson, drummer, The Surfaris, (1963 US No.2 & UK No.3 single 'Wipe Out'). Died of a brain anueryism on 7th May 1989.

1945 - Robin Trower

English rock guitarist and vocalist Robin Trower who with Procol Harum, had the 1967 UK No.1 single & US No.5 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale'. He formed the Robin Trower Band in 1973 and has since released over 20 albums.

1946 - Jim Cregan

Jim Cregan, guitarist who worked with Family and Cockney Rebel, who scored the 1975 UK No.1 single 'Make Me Smile', Come Up And See Me. He also worked with Rod Stewart.

1948 - Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson, singer with Manfred Mann's Earth Band, who had the 1976 US No.1 & UK No.6 single 'Blinded By The Light'.

1948 - Jeffrey Osborne

Jeffrey Osborne, soul singer, (1984 UK No.11 & US No. 29 single 'On The Wings Of Love').

1949 - Jimmy Fadden

Jimmy Fadden, from American country rock band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band who scored the 1971 US No.9 single 'Mr Bojangles'.

1951 - Frank Rodriguez

Frank Rodriguez, ? & The Mysterians, (1966 US No. 1 & UK No.37 single 96 Tears). The song was a UK No.17 hit for The Stranglers in 1990.

1958 - Martin Fry

Martin Fry, singer with English pop band ABC who as part of the New Romantic movement had the 1982 UK No.4 & 1983 US No.18 'The Look Of Love'. Their 1982 debut album, The Lexicon of Love, was a UK No.1 and they achieved ten UK and five US Top 40 hit singles between 1981 and 1990.

1968 - Robert Sledge

Robert Sledge, bassist from American alternative rock trio Ben Folds Five. Their single 'Brick' from the 1997 album Whatever and Ever Amen gained airplay on many mainstream radio stations.

1969 - Adam Siegel

Adam Siegel, American rock guitarist and producer. Founding member of the Los Angeles punk band Excel, and subsequently became the lead guitarist for the Suicidal Tendencies side project Infectious Grooves.

1980 - Chingy

Chingy, US rapper, (2003 US No.2 album ‘Jackpot’, 2003 US No.2 & UK No.17 single ‘Right Thurr’).

1985 - Wretch 32

Jermaine Sinclair, better known by his stage name Wretch 32 who scored three UK top-five charting songs from his 2011 debut album Black and White. 

1987 - Lil Bow Wow

Bow Wow, (Shad Moss), US rapper who had the 2001 UK No. 6 single 'Bow Wow, That's My Name' and the US No.3 single 'Like You'. He appeared in the 2002 film All About the Benjamins, and played a supporting role in the film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift in 2006.