February Birthdays

Since it's February, time to say Happy Birthday

George Russell

-Birth name: George William Russell

-DOB: 2/15/1998

-Where: King's Lynn, England

-He began in competitive go kart racing at age 7

Pierre Gasly

-Birth name: Pierre Jean-Jacques Gasly

-DOB: 2/7/1996

-Where: Rouen, France

-Like most Formula 1 drivers, he started out in competitive go kart racing at age 10

Tony Iommi

-Birth name: Anthony Frank Iommi

-DOB: 2/19/1948

-Where: Birmingham, England

-Spent a year playing guitar for Jethro Tull

Paul Wight

-Birth name: Paul Donald Wight

-DOB: 2/8/1972

-Where: Aiken, South Carolina

-He got his wrestling name "The Giant" from his massive height

Rod Smallwood

-Birth name: Roderick Charles Smallwood

-DOB: 2/17/1950

-Where: Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England

-His father was a police officer

Adrian Smith

-Birth name: Adrian Frederick Smith

-DOB: 2/27/1957

-Where: Hackney, London, England

-He left Iron Maiden after they announced that they wanted to return to a more basic style of music, like what they started out doing, after their Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album. Adrian wanted to go bigger and felt this return to basic approach was a step backwards

Alice Cooper

-Birth name: Vincent Damon Furnier

-DOB: 2/4/1948

-Where: Detroit, Michigan

-He once suffered from severe alcoholism. In order to keep himself from falling back into alcoholism, he plays golf

Alan Rickman

-Birth name: Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman

-DOB: 2/21/1946

-Where: London, England

-DOD: 1/14/2016

-Where: London, England

-The 2016 film Alice Through the Looking Glass was dedicated to him

Steve Irwin

-Birth name: Stephen Robert Irwin

-DOB: 2/22/1962

-Where: Upper Ferntree Gully, Australia

-DOD: 9/4/2006

-Where: Batt Reef, Australia

-He was known for his strong love of animals of all types

Matt Groening

-Birth name: Matthew Abram Groening

-DOB: 2/15/1954

-Where: Portland, Oregon

-He based The Simpsons character Comic Book Guy on himself

George Harrison

-DOB: 2/25/1943

-Where: Liverpool, England

-DOD: 11/29/2001

-Where: Beverly Hills, California

-The location where he passed away was falsified on his death certificate out of fear fans would turn it into a Beatles shrine

Rachel Bolan

-Birth name: James Richard Southworth

-DOB: 2/9/1964

-Where: Point Pleasant, New Jersey

-He took the name "Rachel Bolan" from a combination of his brother Richard's name and his grandfather's name, Manuel. The "Bolan" part came from his idol, T. Rex front man Marc Bolan

Henry Rollins

-Birth name: Henry Lawrence Garfield

-DOB: 2/13/1961

-Where: Washington, D.C.

-Was bullied as a child. He started working out and in tenth grade, while defending himself, he put a senior in the hospital

Rickey Medlocke

-DOB: 2/17/1950

-Where: Jacksonville, Florida

-Prior to joining Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, he sang lead vocals and played lead guitar for fellow Southern rockers Blackfoot

Billie Joe Armstrong

-DOB: 2/17/1972

-Where: Oakland, California

-Wrote "Wake Me Up When September Ends" about his father passing away

Johnny Van Zant

-Birth name: John Roy Van Zant

-DOB: 2/27/1960

-Where: Jacksonville, Florida

-Was in a band before Lynyrd Skynyrd called the Austin Nickels Band, who changed their name to the Johnny Van Zant Band