Howard Jones

Happy birthday to Howard Jones, born this day in 1955! Here's the video for Propaganda's "Heaven Give Me Words," from 1990, which he co-wrote and plays on. He had plenty of hits of his own, of course, but I always liked this one...

Steve Priest

Happy birthday to Steve Priest, born this day in 1950! Here's Sweet playing "Wig Wam Bam" in 1972. Oh God, those costumes...

Graham Lewis

Happy birthday to Graham Lewis, born this day in 1953! Despite the temptation to post something from Wire, here's the fine and peculiar video for He Said's "Pump," circa 1986.

Ernie K-Doe

Happy birthday to the late Ernie K-Doe, born this day in 1936! Here's a recent video for his not-at-all-recent song "Here Come the Girls."

Atsuko Yamano

Happy birthday to Atsuko Yamano, born this day in 1960! Here's 1991 footage of Shonen Knife playing three songs, beginning with the classic "Making Plans for Bison."

Mark Arm

Happy birthday to Mark Arm, born this day in 1962! Here's a live-in-studio performance by Mudhoney of "Inside Job."

Ranking Roger

Happy birthday to Ranking Roger, born this day in 1961! Here's a 1984 performance of General Public's "General Public."

Kurt Cobain

Happy birthday to the late Kurt Cobain, born this day in 1967! Here's Nirvana covering Fang's "The Money Will Roll Right In" in 1992.

Alan Hull

Happy birthday to the late Alan Hull, born this day in 1945! Here's a chunk of a 1971 TV performance by Lindisfarne of "Meet Me on the Corner."

Smokey Robinson and Bobby Rogers

Happy birthday to Smokey Robinson and Bobby Rogers, both of the Miracles and both born this day in 1940! Here's a live performance of "Ooh Baby Baby" from the mid-'60s.

Lou Christie

Happy birthday to Lou Christie, born this day in 1943! Here's the 1969 promo clip for "I'm Gonna Make You Mine."

Falco

Happy birthday to the late Falco, born this day in 1957. Here's the video for "Der Kommissar." German-language hip-hop! Kinda.

Holly Johnson

Happy birthday to Holly Johnson, born this day in 1960! Here's the video for Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "Rage Hard."

Tony Iommi

Happy birthday to Tony Iommi, born this day in 1948! Here's an Earth-leveling 1970 Black Sabbath live performance of "War Pigs."

Bobby Hart

Happy birthday to Bobby Hart, born this day in 1939! Here's the mid-'60s video for Boyce & Hart's "Out and About."

Yoko Ono

Happy birthday to Yoko Ono, born this day in 1933! I'm not sure where this video for 1970's "Why" came from, but it's a great song.

Randy Crawford

Happy birthday to Randy Crawford, born this day in 1952! Here's the video for the Crusaders' 1979 "Street Life"--that's her singing.

Irma Thomas

Happy birthday to Irma Thomas, born this day in 1941! Here's someone's rather spicy homemade video for "Take a Look."

Melissa Brooke Belland

Happy birthday to Melissa Brooke Belland, born this day in 1966! Here she is in Voice of the Beehive's 1988 video for "I Say Nothing."

Dodie Stevens

Happy birthday to Dodie Stevens, born this day in 1947! Here's a homemade video for her rather assertive 1960 hit "No."

Gene Pitney

Happy birthday to the late Gene Pitney, born this day in 1941! Here's a 1964 TV performance of the Jagger/Richards-written "That Girl Belongs to Yesterday."

Fred Frith

Happy birthday to Fred Frith, born this day in 1949! Here's "Morning Song," a 1989-ish recording involving Iva Bittová, Pavel Fajt, and (I think) an alarm clock.