Happy Birthday today (May 14) to singer Ian Astbury of The Cult. He’s 56. Other rockers celebrating today include guitarist C.C. DeVille of Poison (56), bassist Mike Inez of Alice In Chains (52), and singer David Byrne of Talking Heads (66).

British rock band The Cult came onto the scene in the 1980s with singles like “She Sells Sanctuary,” “Love Removal Machine” and “Fire woman.” The bands influence of The Doors and Led Zeppelin fused with a heavy metal/post punk rock sound, garnered the band a dedicated following. Their 1989 album Electric was produced by Rick Rubin and 1990’s Sonic Temple by Bob Rock. The band was able to break into the North American market on the strength of these two albums. I’ve been a huge fan of The Cult for many years. Electric and Sonic Temple are among my favorite albums of all time. Cheers to Ian Astbury on his birthday today!

C.C. DeVille
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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Mike Inez
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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David Byrne
Rich Fury/Getty Images
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