Dave Wakeling

Dave Wakeling, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

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Born: February 19, 1956
Age in 2026: 70
Zodiac sign: Pisces
Birth year: 1956

About Dave Wakeling

David Wakeling is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known for his work with the band the Beat and General Public. After he split with Ranking Roger, he formed the English Beat, and continued touring. Wakeling then formed General Public with Ranking Roger in 1983, and they released their debut studio album, All the Rage, the next year. The band's debut studio album, I Just Can't Stop It (1980), included "Mirror in the Bathroom", "Hands Off...She's Mine", and "Can't Get Used to Losing You", all of which charted within the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart. Wakeling began his professional career when he formed the band the Beat. In 1984, Wakeling, along with Ranking Roger, sang backing vocals on the song "Free Nelson Mandela" by the Special A.K.A.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Dave Wakeling timeline

1980The band's debut studio album, I Just Can't Stop It (1980), included "Mirror in the Bathroom", "Hands Off...She's Mine", and "Can't Get Used to Losing You", all of which charted within the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
1983Wakeling then formed General Public with Ranking Roger in 1983, and they released their debut studio album, All the Rage, the next year.
1984In 1984, Wakeling, along with Ranking Roger, sang backing vocals on the song "Free Nelson Mandela" by the Special A.K.A.

The world when Dave Wakeling was born

Dave Wakeling was born in 1956. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1956

#1 song"Heartbreak Hotel" – Elvis Presley
Top movieAround the World in 80 Days
Top TV showI Love Lucy
Best-selling bookPeyton Place – Grace Metalious

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentDon Larsen pitches a perfect game in the World Series
Top headlineElvis Presley takes America by storm
Technology milestoneFirst transatlantic telephone cable (TAT-1)
Defining fadElvis Presley mania
Notable inventionHard disk drive (IBM)
World population2.82 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderDwight D. Eisenhower
Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
Also wonPhiladelphia Warriors (NBA)
U.S. population168.1M

1956 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Dave Wakeling's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1956	2026
Gas	$0.30	$3.45/gal
Average home	$11,700	$435,000
Average income	$6,500	$67,500
Minimum wage	$1.00	$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket	$0.50	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.03	$0.73
Population	168.1M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.