The great sculptor Felix de Weldon was born on this day in 1907. Six fingered bluesman Hound Dog Taylor was born in 1912. And ethnomusicologist and wacky performer Tiny Tim was born in 1932.

Manuel Neri of the Bay Area Figurative Movement is 83. Dennis Banks of the American Indian Movement is 76. Herbie Hancock is 73. Tom Clancy and David Letterman are 66. David Cassidy is 63. And Andy Garcia is 57.

The birthday contest winner is author Scott Turow who is 64 today. I really can’t say how good Turow is, but his books are always fun to read. I give him the day because I really feel that he taught me how to write a novel. I read a bunch of his novels in quick succession, and I picked up a lot of his tricks: pacing, character development, and most of all, how to fool the reader.

So happy birthday Mr. Turow!

Afterword

Here’s a song for all of the birthdays: