Portrait of Shirley Manson

Birthday profile

Shirley Manson

Shirley Manson, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress

Born
August 26, 1966
Age in 2026
60
Zodiac sign
Virgo
Birth year
1966

About Shirley Manson

Shirley Ann Manson (born 26 August 1966) is a Scottish singer, songwriter, and musician who is the lead vocalist of the rock band Garbage. Deemed a "Godmother of Rock" by The New York Times, she is noted for her distinctive deep voice, forthright style, and rebellious attitude. As of 2017, Garbage have sold over 17 million records; her accolades with the band include nominations for two Brit Awards and seven Grammy Awards. Manson's musical career began in her teens, when she was approached to perform backing vocals and keyboards for the band Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. She was later approached by the band's record label with the idea of launching her as a solo artist, and recorded an album with her band Angelfish. She joined Garbage in 1994, and they achieved critical and commercial success with their self-titled debut album (1995) and Version 2.0 (1998). During this period, they released a string of successful singles including "Queer", "Only Happy When It Rains", "Stupid Girl", "Milk", "Push It", "Special" and "When I Grow Up". They followed this by performing and co-producing the theme song to the 19th James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999) and releasing their acclaimed third album Beautiful Garbage (2001), preceded by successful singles including "Androgyny" and "Cherry Lips". Following the troubled production of Garbage's fourth album Bleed Like Me (2005), the group went on hiatus; during this period, they released a greatest hits album (2007). Manson began to write and record solo material in 2006, and played Catherine Weaver on the science fiction television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008). Garbage reunited in 2010, and have since released four more albums: Not Your Kind of People (2012), Strange Little Birds (2016), No Gods No Masters (2021) and the acclaimed Let All That We Imagine Be the Light (2025). Manson also hosted the music podcast The Jump with Shirley Manson (2019–2021). Her first public performance was in 1970, at age four, singing "Never Smile at a Crocodile" with her older sister in an amateur show held at the local Church Hill Theatre.

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

Shirley Manson timeline

  1. Her first public performance was in 1970, at age four, singing "Never Smile at a Crocodile" with her older sister in an amateur show held at the local Church Hill Theatre.
  2. Manson began to write and record solo material in 2006, and played Catherine Weaver on the science fiction television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008).

The world when Shirley Manson was born

Shirley Manson was born in 1966. 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 1966

  • #1 song"The Ballad of the Green Berets" – SSgt Barry Sadler
  • Top movieA Man for All Seasons
  • Top TV showBonanza
  • Best-selling bookIn Cold Blood – Truman Capote

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentEngland wins the FIFA World Cup at Wembley
  • Top headlineCultural Revolution begins in China
  • Technology milestoneStar Trek premieres, inspiring future technologists
  • Defining fadBatman TV show craze
  • Notable inventionElectronic fuel injection
  • World population3.41 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderLyndon B. Johnson
  • Sports championBaltimore Orioles (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population196.6M

1966 versus 2026

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

Measure19662026
Gas$0.32$3.45/gal
Average home$14,200$435,000
Average income$9,400$67,500
Minimum wage$1.25$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$1.09$11.95
Postage stamp$0.05$0.73
Population196.6M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, 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.