About Long John Baldry
John William "Long John" Baldry (12 January 1941 – 21 July 2005) was a British and Canadian musician and actor. In the 1960s, he was one of the first British vocalists to sing the blues in clubs and shared the stage with many British musicians including the Rolling Stones, the Animals and the Beatles. Before achieving stardom, Rod Stewart and Elton John were members of bands led by Baldry. He enjoyed pop success in 1967 when "Let the Heartaches Begin" reached No. 1 in the UK, and in Australia where his duet with the American singer Kathi McDonald, a cover of the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", reached No. 2 in 1980. Baldry lived in Canada from the late-1970s onward, and continued to make records there. Beginning in the mid-1980s, he took up voiceover work, most notably as Doctor Ivo Robotnik in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Baldry became friendly with Paul McCartney after a show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in the early 1960s, leading to an invitation to sing on one of the Beatles' 1964 television specials, Around The Beatles. He enjoyed pop success in 1967 when "Let the Heartaches Begin" reached No. 1 in the UK, and in Australia where his duet with Kathi McDonald, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", reached No. 2 in 1980.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.