This Week in Rock History: We'll Need More Cake

Rock music has a robust history, so every Wednesday, J.A. Bartlett of the Hits Just Keep On Comin' talks about the biggest and most intriguing moments from years past...

This week in 1935, Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. On the same day in 1946 (January 8), Robby Krieger of the Doors was born in Los Angeles. One year later, same day, David Robert Jones was born in the Brixton area of London. As a young musician in the 1960s, he changed his name to David Bowie to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees.

This week in 1941, folksinger Joan Baez was born on Staten Island, New York City. On the same day in 1944 (January 9), guitarist Jimmy Page was born in the British county of Middlesex. And on the same day in 1967, Dave Matthews was born in South Africa. As a boy, he lived in both the United States and England, but left South Africa for good in the mid '80s, and formed the Dave Matthews Band around 1990. (A new album from the band is due in April.)

This week in 1943, singer/songwriter Jim Croce was born in South Philadelphia. On the same day in 1945 (January 10), soccer and supermodel aficionado Rod Stewart was born in North London. (He sings a little, too.) Three years later, on the same day, Donald Fagen was born in Passaic, New Jersey. At Bard College in New York State, he met Walter Becker, and the two shared an interest in jazz and black humor, both of which would be key components of their music in Steely Dan.

This week in 1929, Lavern Baker was born in Chicago. An early star of R&B often billed as "Little Miss Sharecropper," her most famous song was Jim Dandy, covered in the '70s by Black Oak Arkansas. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. On the same day in 1942 (January 11), sax man Clarence Clemons of the E Street Band was born in Norfolk, Virginia. As Bruce Springsteen says, "You all want to be him, but you can't."

Did we miss something this week? Add it to the comments below...