2026 has gotten off to a terrible and uneasy start for most of us. But we’re here in February. Of course, February is a super busy month: It’s Black History Month, which I’ve made sure to celebrate in some way on this site for much of its history. But there are also a number of important birthdays in music history that we must celebrate. So let’s get to it.
- Big Boi celebrated his 51st birthday on February 1
- Rick James was born 78 years ago on February 1
- Stan Getz was born 99 years ago on February 2
- Stone Temple Pilots‘ Robert DeLeo celebrated his 60th — yes, 60th y’all! –birthday on February 2
- LCD Soundsystem frontman and DFA Records founder James Murphy celebrated his 56th birthday on February 2
- The legendary Graham Nash, known for his work with Crosby Stills and Nash, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Hollies and as a solo artist, celebrated his 84th birthday on February 2
- The Temptations‘ second and longest tenured lead vocalist Dennis Edwards was born 83 years ago on February 3
- The Offspring‘s guitarist Noodles — born, Kevin John Wasserman — celebrated his 63rd birthday on February 4
- Guns N’ Roses‘ Duff McKagan celebrated his 62nd birthday on February 5
- Bobby Brown celebrated his 57th birthday on February 5
- The legendary Bob Marley was born 81 years ago on February 6
- Natalie Cole, the daughter of the legendary jazz singer and pianist Nat King Cole was born 76 years ago on February 6
- James Dewit Yancey, best known to the entire world as J. Dilla, one of the most influential and important hip-hop producers and beatmakers was born 52 years ago on February 7
- Motley Crüe‘s Vince Neil celebrated his 65th — yes, y’all, 65th! — birthday on February 8
- French touch pioneer and one-half of acclaimed electronic outfit Daft Punk, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, celebrated his 52nd birthday on February 8
- Singer/songwriter and musician Carole King celebrated her 84th birthday on February 9
- The legendary Roberta Flack was born 89 years ago on February 10
- Sheryl Crow celebrated her 64th birthday on February 11
- D’Angelo was born 52 years ago on February 11
- Bad Brains‘ founder and frontman H.R. celebrated his 70th birthday on February 11
- Acclaimed singer/songwriter, pop star and actor Brandy celebrated her 47th birthday on February 11
- The Doors‘ Ray Manzarek was born 87 years ago on February 12
- Michael McDonald celebrated his 74th birthday on February 12
- Joy Division and New Order co-founder Peter Hook celebrates his 70th –yeah, y’all, 70th! — birthday on February 13
- The Monkees‘ Peter Tork was born 84 years ago on February 13
- Singer/songwriter, poet, author, comedian, actor and radio host Henry Rollins celebrated his 65th — yes, y’all, 65th! — birthday on February 13
- Peter Gabriel celebrates his 76th birthday on February 13
- Freedom Williams, whose sonorous baritone flow was part of C+C Music Factory‘s biggest hits of the early 1990s celebrated his 60th birthday on February 13
- Brian Holland, one-third of Holland-Dozier-Holland, the legendary songwriting and production team behind the classic Motown sound celebrates his 85th birthday today.
Incubus‘ frontman Brandon Boyd celebrates his 50th — yes, y’all, 50th! — birthday today. 1999’s wildly successful Make Yourself came out when I was a college sophomore and it was on heavy rotation back then. Going through these videos brought back some fond memories.
Happy birthday, Brandon!
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