Friday, October 16: Rock n Roll Birthdays

Happy Birthday today (Oct. 16) to bassist Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He's 53. Also celebrating today is Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead (68), bassist Fred Turner of Bachman-Turner Overdrive (72), and former Rainbow keyboardist Tony Carey (62).

Flea is widely regarded as one of the greatest bass players of all time. He was ranked the second-best bassist of all time in a Rolling Stone top ten reader's poll, behind John Entwistle and ahead of Paul McCartney. Flea and his band Red Hot Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Bob Weir is best known as a co-founder of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead. The band featured various former Grateful Dead members. He also founded and performed in several other band's including The Bob Weir Band, RatDog, and Further, co-led by former Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh. Weir and former Grateful Dead members celebrated the 50th anniversary of the band with a series of concerts in 2015. Bob Weir, along with Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann are performing shows with John Mayer under the name Dead & Company this fall. Dates include the Times Union Center in Albany Oct. 29 and Madison Square Garden in NYC Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.