Not only is it voice month but, looking at the lineup of these April musical birthdays, it seems like it is no coincidence that April is also named Jazz Appreciation Month. The Duke. Ella. Billie Holiday. Mingus. The list goes on with more jazz luminaries and many other interesting historical characters.
April 1 (no foolin’): Russian Composer Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), Actress Debbie Reynolds (1932), 
Jamaican entertainer Jimmy Cliff (1948), British singer Susan Boyle (1961), Rapper and Producer Method Man (1971)
April 2: OTW Guitar Teacher Travis Fischer! Whoo-hoo!, Soul Singer Marvin Gaye (1939-1984), Jazz guitarist Larry Coryell (1943), Grammy Award-winner Singer Emmylou Harris (1947)
April 3: Entertainers Wayne Newton (1942) and Tony Orlando (1944), Mike Ness of Social Distortion (1962)
April 4: Blues artist Muddy Waters (1913-1983), Jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela (1939), Berry Oakley of The Allman Brothers Band (1948-1972)
April 5: Abba’s Agnetha Faltskog (1950), Seattle’s Mike McCready of Pearl Jam (1966), Pharrell Williams (1973), Jazz Pianist Robert Glasper (1978)
April 6: Jazz pianist/composer Andre Previn (1929), Country singer Merle Haggard (1937), Jazz guitarist/singer John Pizzarelli (1960), Rocker Frank Black of The Pixies (1965)
April 7: Jazz Singer Billie Holliday (1915-1959), Jazz Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard (1938-2008), Singer John Oates of Hall & Oats (1949)
April 8: Singer Julian Lennon (1963), Rapper and entertainer Biz Markie (1964), Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend (1984)
April 9: Singer Carl Perkins (1932-1998), Albert Hammond, Jr. of The Strokes (1979)
April 10: Rapper Babyface (1959), Brian Setzer of his Orchestra (1959), Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional (1975)
April 11: Jazz Trumpeter Nick LaRocca (1889-1961), Richard Berry – singer/writer of “Louie Louie” – (1935-1997), Singer Joss Stone (1987)
April 12: Entertainer Tiny Tim (1932-1996), Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock (1940), Singer David Cassidy (1950), Country singer Vince Gill (1957), Panic! At the Disco’s Brendon Urie (1987)
April 13: Jazz saxophonist Bud Freeman (1906-1991), Composer and conductor Bill Conti (1942), Lowell George of Little Feat (1945-1979), Crooner Al Green (1946), Max Weinberg of Springsteen’s E Street Band (1951)
April 14: Jazz saxophonist Gene Ammons (1925-1974), Country singer Loretta Lynn (1932), Win Butler of Arcade Fire (1980)
April 15: Blues Singer Bessie Smith (1894-1937), Country singer Roy Clark (1933)
April 16: Entertainer Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977), Composer Henry Mancini (1924-1994), Jazz flutist Herbie Mann (1930-2003), Singer Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), Akon (1973)
April 17: Jazz keyboardist/composer Jan Hammer (1948), Singer Liz Phair (1967)
April 18: Conductor Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977), Jazz pianist “Little Brother” Montgomery (1906-1985), Guitarist Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown (1924-2005)
April 19: Bernie Worrell [Parliament/Funkadelic] (1944), Singer Luis Miguel (1970)
April 20: Jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton (1908-2002), Jazz composer/bandleader Tito Puente (1923-2000), Rocker Luther Vandross (1951-2005)
April 21: Jazz Trombonist Slide Hampton (1932), Iggy Pop (1947), Robert Smith of The Cure (1959)
April 22: Jazz composer/bassist Charles Mingus (1922-1979), Glen Campbell (1936), Pianist/conductor/historian Joshua Rifkin (1944), Peter Frampton (1950)
April 23: Composer Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953), Entertainer Shirley Temple (1928-2014), Roy Orbison (1936-1988), Jazz pianist Alan Broadbent (1947)
April 24: Jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson (1937-2001), Singer Barbra Streisand (1942), Kelly Clarkson (1982)
April 25: Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), Albert King (1923-1992), ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus (1945)
April 26: Ma Rainey (1886-1939), Gary Wright (1943), Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins of TLC (1970)
April 27: Jazz Drummer Connie Kay (1927-1994), Kate Pierson of The B-52’s (1948), Sheena Easton (1959), Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy (1984)
April 28: Jazz singer/pianist Blossom Dearie (1924-2009), Singer and actress Ann-Margret (1941), Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth (1953)
April 29: Jazz composer/pianist/band leader Duke Ellington (1899-1974), Lonnie Donegan (1931-2002), Willie Nelson (1933)
April 30: Reverend Gary Davis (1896-1972), Bea Wain (1917), Johnny Horton (1925-1960)
Weren’t born in April? We recently started this birthday gig, but check out some of our recent months and, if we haven’t done so yet, we promise that we’ll get to your month!
And, while you’re waiting….check out some of of our other birthday months: January, February, March.
