Composer and soul singer Percy Mayfield was born this day in 1920 (d. 1984). These days, he is more famous for his compositions like Hit the Road Jack than his performances.
Country star Porter Wagoner, who first brought Dolly Parton to a national audience as well as being a fine musician in his own right, was born today in 1927 (d. 2007).
Country icon Buck Owens was born today in 1929 (d. 2006). To his credit, Buck stuck with his raw country sound even while country music went ‘Nashville Pop’ with strings and slick arrangements. He also influenced and helped other musicians, most notably Merle Haggard.
And here’s Buck singing on another one of his compositions that was covered by Ray Charles:
Jazz fusion guitar virtuoso Pat Metheny was born today in 1954.
