Dave Swarbrick

Happy birthday to Dave Swarbrick, born this day in 1947! Here's a 1967 home movie of Martin Carthy and Swarbrick singing "I Haven't Told Her, She Hasn't Told Me."

Agnetha Fältskog

Happy birthday to Agnetha Fältskog, born this day in 1950! In lieu of an actual ABBA song, here's the video for her cover of the Cilla Black-associated song "If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind" from a 2004.

Muddy Waters

Happy birthday to the late Muddy Waters, born this day in 1915! Here he is playing "Got My Mojo Working" on stage in 1968.

Dave Hill

Happy birthday to Dave Hill, born this day in 1952! Here he is playing "Run Runaway" with Slade in 1984. Those look like mighty difficult conditions for performing, although the recording sounds suspiciously canned (I think the fadeout might be a tipoff).

Richard Thompson

Happy birthday to Richard Thompson, born this day in 1949! Here he is playing "Now Be Thankful" with Fairport Convention in 1970.

Jimmy Nolen

Happy birthday to the late Jimmy Nolen, born this day in 1934! You can't see much of him in this clip of James Brown playing 10 minutes' worth of hits on TV in 1969 (with bonus Sammy Davis Jr. action), but you can sure hear him playing guitar...

Marvin Gaye

Happy birthday to the late Marvin Gaye, born this day in 1939! Here's a mid-'60s live-on-TV performance of "How Sweet It Is"--although first you'll have to sit through Smokey Robinson & the Miracles doing a knockout version of "You Really Got a Hold on Me." And by "have to," I mean "get to."

Serge Gainsbourg

Happy birthday to the late Serge Gainsbourg, born this day in 1928! Here's a minute and a half of him performing "Requiem pour un con" in 1968.

Rev. Louis Overstreet

Happy birthday to Rev. Louis Overstreet, born this day in 1921! Here's a ferocious performance of "Working on a Building," from 1963.

Gil Scott-Heron

Happy birthday to Gil Scott-Heron, born this day in 1949! (Or, as LCD Soundsystem put it: "Gil! Scott! Heron!") Here's a circa-1975 clip for "The Bottle."

Leslie Langston

Happy birthday to Leslie Langston, born this day in 1964! Here's a very young Throwing Muses, playing "Fish" in 1986--the song from which the phrase "lonely is an eyesore" comes!

Amos Milburn

Happy birthday to the late Amos Milburn, born this day in 1927! Here's a 1951 performance of "Bad, Bad Whiskey."

Alberta Hunter

Happy birthday to the late Alberta Hunter, born this day in 1895! Here's a 1981 performance of "My Handy Man."

Arthur Conley

Happy birthday to Arthur Conley, born this day in 1946! Here's a 1967 performance of "Whole Lotta Woman" and "Sweet Soul Music."

Angus Young

Happy birthday to Angus Young, born this day in 1959! Here he is, attempting to steal the show with AC/DC as they play "Sin City" live on TV in 1978.

Herb Alpert

Happy birthday to Herb Alpert, born this day in 1935! Here's a 1966 Scopitone for Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass's "Bittersweet Samba"--"allegedly directed by Robert Altman." I will never again hear this song without thinking of "Rebel Without a Pause," though.

Marilyn Crispell

Happy birthday to Marilyn Crispell, born this day in 1947! Here she is with the Anthony Braxton quartet in 1981; if anybody knows the composition number, let me know...

Lene Lovich

Happy birthday to Lene Lovich, born this day in 1949! Here she is singing "New Toy" on TV in 1981, wearing the very most new wave hairdo of all time.

Eric Clapton

Happy birthday to Eric Clapton, born this day in 1945! Here he is with Cream in 1968, playing "Crossroads" live.