Today pretty much everyone woke up to a Facebook and twitter feed wishing KURT COBAIN a happy birthday. As Richard Bouchard, Boston's Indie Rock Ranger, put it, "Cobain would have turned 46 today, if Courtney Love hadn't murdered him in the face and made it look like a suicide." We're sure he's just kidding, CoCo.
But in addition to our late Nirvana leader, a look at the Notable Birthday List for February 20 shows today is a pretty remarkable day for musician birth. A lot of creative parents must have been getting freaky in mid-May through the years, possibly due to Spring Break being celebrated around the world.
Born on this day, throughout the years, are/were...
IAN BROWN of the Stone Roses (feels good to not throw a "former" in there), who, remarkably, turns 50. Which is, of course, 109 in simian years. Already counting down the days until the Roses' Coachella gig.
TONY WILSON, the co-founder of Factory Records (Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays) and founder/manager of the Hacienda nightclub in Manchester. As close to an "idol" as I've ever had. He would have been 63 today, had he not died in 2007. Peter Hook and I chatted briefly about Wilson a few weeks ago.
The Cramps' guitarist POISON IVY, born as Kristy Marlana Wallace, turns 60 today.
JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT, esteemed pop princes and acclaimed actress, is 33 (which is kinda nuts). But listen, she was GOLDEN in Can't Hardly Wait, and I always loved the underrated late-'90s shouldabeenahit pop jam "How Do I Deal," from the I Still Know What You Did Last Summer soundtrack. And we should never, ever, forget that she actually released a record titled Let's Go Bang in 1995. Happy birthday, my dear, I hope your day is free of Carson Daly texts.
Turning 25 today is current pop queen RIHANNA. Pretty impressive that's she's managed such a successful career after bursting onto the scene in 2006 with the still-lethal "S.O.S (Rescue Me)," which breathed new life into Soft Cell's "Tainted Love." One of the few true superstars in the modern pop climate.
Staying in the world of Top 40 pop, squirrelly singer BRIAN LITTRELL of Backstreet Boys is 38 today. Ok, I guess we're nearing the end of this post.
Europe will also be forever known for two things until the end of time: World War II and "The Final Countdown." The Swedish metal band's former guitarist, KEE MARCELLO, turns 53 today. Cue the keyboards, and start heading for Venus.
And lastly, I'm told that bilingual teen Latin-pop star MATT HUNTER turns 15 today, but you'll just have to take my word for it.
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