Today is the birthday
… of Ray Price. Still for the good times at 85.
When Ray Noble Price was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996, many noted that the honor was long overdue. Such feelings weren’t based so much on the longevity of his career or on the number of major hits he has recorded, for in those regards Price was no different from many other deserving artists awaiting induction. More importantly, Price has been one of country’s great innovators. He changed the sound of country music from the late 1950s forward by developing a rhythmic brand of honky-tonk that has been hugely influential ever since. As steel guitarist Don Helms, a veteran of Hank Williams’s Drifting Cowboys once put it, “Ray Price created an era.”
… of Glenn Yarbrough. He’s 81.
… of William Lee Golden. The big, bearded member, but not the bass voice, of the Oak Ridge Boys is 72.
… of Smokin’ Joe Frazier. The champ is 67.
… of Cynthia Robinson. She’s dancing to the music at 67 (Sly and the Family Stone).
You might like to hear the horns blowin’,
Cynthia on the throne, yeah!
Cynthia & Jerry got a message they’re sayin’:
[Cynthia:] All the squares, go home!
… of Kirstie Alley. She’s 60.
… of the most dangerous man in America, Rush Limbaugh. The audio-terrorist is 60.
… of Howard Stern. He’s 57.
… of broadcast journalist Christiane Amanpour. She’s 53.
… of actor Oliver Platt, 51.
… of Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. The billionaire is 47.
… of Naya Rivera of Glee. The high school cheerleader is 24.
Jack London was born in San Francisco on this date in 1876. London wrote more than 50 books, including The Call of the Wild and White Fang (1906). His most unforgettable story may be To Build a Fire. London died at age 40. The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor has a long profile from its archives.
John Hancock was born on this date in 1737. Hancock was President of the Continental Congress of the United States of America in the summer of 1776. He was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence.
