Paul Williams

Happy birthday to the late Paul Williams, born this day in 1939! Here he is singing lead with the Temptations, doing "Don't Look Back" in 1965.

Monie Love

Happy birthday to Monie Love, born this day in 1970! Here she is doing "Ladies First" with Queen Latifah in 1989 or so.

Alvino Rey

Happy birthday to the late Alvino Rey, born this day in 1907! Here he is playing a rather astonishing steel guitar solo on "St. Louis Blues" in 1941.

Syl Johnson

Happy birthday to Syl Johnson, born this day in 1936! Here he is in 1975, performing "Take Me to the River" live.

Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott

Happy birthday to Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, born this day in 1971! Here's the first record she rapped on: Raven-Symoné's 1993 single "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of" (Missy wrote it, too).

Evelyn "Champagne" King

Happy birthday to Evelyn "Champagne" King, born this day in 1960! Here's her 1978 performance of "Shame."

Florence Ballard

Happy birthday to the late Florence Ballard, born this day in 1943! Here she is singing lead with the Supremes--which she didn't get to do very often--in somebody's homemade video for the 1962 single "Buttered Popcorn." Double-entendres ahoy!

Lena Horne

Happy birthday to Lena Horne, born this day in 1917! Here she is singing "Stormy Weather" in 1943, in the movie of the same name.

Little Eva

Happy birthday to Little Eva, born this day in 1943! Here's a 1964 video for "Makin' with the Magilla." Yes, she did record songs besides "The Loco-Motion"...

Gilberto Gil

Happy birthday to Gilberto Gil, born this day in 1942! Here he is backed up by Os Mutantes, playing "Domingo no Parque" sometime in the late '60s. Fantastic.