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Michael Berkeley

Michael Berkeley, English composer and radio host

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Born
May 29, 1948
Age in 2026
78
Zodiac sign
Gemini
Birth year
1948

About Michael Berkeley

Michael Fitzhardinge Berkeley, Baron Berkeley of Knighton is an English composer, broadcaster on music and non-party political member of the House of Lords, speaking as an advocate for the arts, contemporary music and music education. In 1977, Berkeley was awarded the Guinness Prize for Composition. In February 2013, it was announced that he would be made a life peer and enter the House of Lords as a crossbencher and on 26 March 2013 he was created Baron Berkeley of Knighton, of Knighton in the County of Powys. Also on radio, he contributed to Record Review (1972–77) and was a regular presenter of Mainly for Pleasure (1980–92) and In Tune (1992–93). He was awarded an honorary doctor of music degree by Aberdeen University in 2022.

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

Michael Berkeley timeline

  1. Also on radio, he contributed to Record Review (1972–77) and was a regular presenter of Mainly for Pleasure (1980–92) and In Tune (1992–93).
  2. In 1977, Berkeley was awarded the Guinness Prize for Composition.
  3. In February 2013, it was announced that he would be made a life peer and enter the House of Lords as a crossbencher and on 26 March 2013 he was created Baron Berkeley of Knighton, of Knighton in the County of Powys.
  4. He was awarded an honorary doctor of music degree by Aberdeen University in 2022.

The world when Michael Berkeley was born

Michael Berkeley was born in 1948. 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 1948

  • #1 song"Twelfth Street Rag" – Pee Wee Hunt
  • Top movieHamlet
  • Top TV showTexaco Star Theater (Milton Berle)
  • Best-selling bookThe Naked and the Dead – Norman Mailer

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentCleveland Indians win the World Series
  • Top headlineState of Israel declared
  • Technology milestoneLong-playing vinyl record (LP) introduced
  • Defining fadTelevision sets in homes
  • Notable inventionVelcro
  • World population2.50 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderHarry S. Truman
  • Sports championCleveland Indians (World Series)
  • Also wonBaltimore Bullets (BAA)
  • U.S. population146.6M

1948 versus 2026

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

Measure19482026
Gas$0.26$3.45/gal
Average home$8,300$435,000
Average income$5,000$67,500
Minimum wage$0.40$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.40$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population146.6M341 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.