April is a busy and auspicious month in music history:
- The 75th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Gil Scott-Heron was on April 1
- The 85th anniversary of the birth of R&B and soul legend Marvin Gaye was on April 2
- The 111th anniversary of the birth of legendary bluesman Muddy Waters was on April 4
- Pharrell Williams celebrated his 51st birthday on April 5
- One of the most beloved figures of the Outlaw Country movement,
- Merle Haggard was born 84 years ago on April 6
- Robert Glasper celebrated his 46th birthday on April 6
- The 109th anniversary of Billie Holiday‘s birth was on April 7
- John Oates, of Daryl Hall and John Oates fame celebrated his 75th birthday on April 7
- The 60th anniversary of Biz Markie‘s birth was on April 7
- The 77th anniversary of Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider‘s birth was on April 7
- A Tribe Called Quest‘s Q-Tip one of hip-hop’s greatest emcees and producers celebrated his 54th birthday on April 10
- The legendary and pioneering Herbie Hancock celebrated his 84th birthday on March 12
- Echo & The Bunnymen‘s Will Sergeant celebrated his 66th on April 12
- R&B and soul legend Al Green celebrated his 78th birthday on April 13
- Radiohead‘s Ed O’Brien celebrated his 56th birthday on April 15
- Midnight Oil‘s frontman Peter Garrett celebrated his 71st birthday on April 16
- Liz Phair celebrated her 57th birthday on April 17
- Redman celebrated his 54th birthday on April 17
- Onyx’s Fredro Starr celebrated his 53rd birthday on April 18
- The 73rd anniversary of Luther Vandross‘ birth was on April 20
- The legendary Iggy Pop celebrated his 77th birthday on April 21
- The Cure‘s founding member frontman, guitarist and principle songwriter Robert Smith celebrated his 65th birthday on April 21
- The 102nd anniversary of Charles Mingus‘ birth was on April 22
- The 88th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Roy Orbison was on April 23
- The 106th anniversary of the legendary Ella Fitzgerald‘s birth was on April 25
- Legendary electronic music artist and producer Giorgio Moroder celebrated his 84th birthday on April 26
- Duran Duran‘s Roger Taylor celebrated his 64th birthday on April 26.
The B-52’s Kate Pierson celebrates her 76th birthday today. It shouldn’t be surprising that the legendary Athens-based new wave act’s work has been a part of my life’s soundtrack for much of my life. There are just so many ridiculously fun, catchy songs throughout their catalog.
The Cosmic Thing album is one of my favorite B52s albums and its arguably one of the best albums of the 80s.
Happy birthday, Kate! May there be many, many more!
