Happy Birthday to singer supreme, Eric Benet
Happy birthday to Eric Benet, born October 15, 1966. Eric Benét has been one of the most successful and enduring male vocalists of the past three decades. With both the looks and an incredible tenor voice, Benet has stayed relevant in a business where artists over 50 have difficulty continuing to connect. But his albums […]
Happy Birthday to the great Karyn White
Happy birthday to Karyn White, born October 14, 1965. While sometimes overlooked in retrospectives of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Karyn White was one of that era’s biggest R&B singers – even though she only recorded three albums – working with that period’s biggest name producers and delivering some of its most memorable R&B […]
Happy Heavenly Birthday to the great Melvin Franklin of the Temptations
Happy birthday to the late, great Melvin Franklin of the Temptations, born October 12, 1942, in Montgomery, Alabama. Melvin Franklin was a vital and unforgettable member of The Temptations and the quintessential soul music bass singer. Born David Melvin English, he later adopted the stage name Melvin Franklin. Franklin’s deep bass voice became an iconic element […]
Happy Birthday to Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates!
Happy birthday to Daryl Hall, born October 11, 1946. During the late 60s, as Detroit ruled the pop and soul airwaves, the seeds for the next dominant soul city, Philadelphia, were germinating. And while they’re often not given their due as soul artists, two Temple University students, Daryl Hall & John Oates, were among the […]
Happy 75th Birthday to The Stylistics leader Airrion Love
Happy Birthday to Airrion Love, co-founder of the Stylistics, born October 8, 1949. Love has been with the Stylistics since the beginning, his rich baritone gracing such songs as “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” and his leadership keeping the group in the public eye for five decades. At their peak, the Stylistics were perhaps the most […]
Happy Birthday to the great Toni Braxton!
Happy birthday to Toni Braxton, born October 7, 1967. Drop dead gorgeous and with an equally attractive deep, rich voice, Toni Braxton seemingly came from nowhere to become one of the top R&B vocalists of the 90s. As the perfect interpreter of some of the great songs written and produced by Babyface and L.A. Reid […]
Happy Birthday to the great Teddy Riley
A very Happy Birthday to the incredible Teddy Riley, born Edward Theodore Riley on October 8, 1967, in Harlem, New York. It is difficult to look at popular music in the late 1980s and through the 1990s without marveling at the visionary work of Teddy Riley. As a songwriter and producer, he was pivotal in […]
Happy heavenly birthday to Richard Street of The Temptations
Happy birthday to the late, great Richard Street of The Temptations, born on October 5, 1942. Street was a mainstay in the Temptations during the 1970s and 80s and was the lead vocalist on several major hits. Born in Detroit, he was a child prodigy, talented both as a pianist and as a singer. His […]
Happy Birthday to singer supreme, Heather Headley
Happy birthday to singer supreme Heather Headley, born October 5, 1974. She is a star of stage and radio whose talent seems to know no bounds. Heather Headley, the enchanting songstress, has carved her name into the annals of soul music with a voice that resonates with passion and authenticity. Born on October 5, 1974, in […]
Happy birthday to jazz and R&B great Ronnie Laws
With Ronnie Laws, it has always been a family affair, and he and his siblings have, in their understated way, been among the most influential jazz artists of the past half centurey. Born on October 3, 1950, in Houston, Texas, Laws’ musical journey began when he picked up the saxophone as a child, a path […]
