Musicians Born on February 29

1696 Esprit Antoine Blanchard, French composer, born in Pernes (d. 1770)
1724 Eva Marie Veigel [La Violette], Austrian ballet dancer and wife of actor David Garrick, born in Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire (d. 1822)

Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)

Italian composer (Barber of Seville, William Tell), born in Pesaro, Italy

1812 Hermann Hirschboch, German composer and music critic, born in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia (now Germany) (d. 1888)
1820 Adolf Schimon, Austrian German composer, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1887)
1884 Alfred Sendrey, American composer and musicologist, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1976)
1896 Wladimir Rudolfovich Vogel, Swiss composer, born in Zurich (d. 1984)
1904 Alan Richardson, Scottish composer and pianist, born in Edinbugh, Scotland (d. 1978)
1904 Jimmy Dorsey, American big band jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and bandleader (Green Eyes; Tangerine; Pennies From Heaven), born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania (d. 1957)
1904 Rukmini Devi Arundale (née Sastri), Indian dancer, educator (co-founder of Kalakshetra Academy), politician (Member or Parliament, 1952-62), and animal rights activist, born in Madurai, Madras Presidency, British India (d. 1986)
1920 Ivan Petrov [Krauze], Russian-Soviet operatic bass (Bolshoi Theatre, 1942-70), and educator, born in Irkutsk, Siberia (d. 2003)
1920 James Mitchell, American dancer and actor (All My Children, Bloomer Girl), born in Sacramento, California (d. 2010)
1920 Rudy Cafaro, American jazz guitarist, born in Middle Village, New York (d. 2000)
1928 Alan Loveday, New Zealand and British violinist, born in Palmerston North, New Zealand (d. 2016)
1928 McHenry Boatwright, American operatic singer, born in Tennille, Georgia (d. 1994)
1932 Reri Grist, African-American musical theater and operatic coloratura soprano (West Side Story - "Somewhere"; Zurich Opera, 1962-66; Bayerische Staatsoper, 1965-87; New York Metropolitan Opera, 1966-79), born in New York City
1940 Gretchen Christopher, American singer (The Fleetwoods), born in Olympia, Washington
1944 David Briggs, American record producer (Neil Young and Crazy Horse), born in Douglas, Wyoming (d. 1995)
1944 Geoff Nicholls, British rock keyboardist (Black Sabbath, 1980-2013), born in Birmingham, England (d. 2017)
1960 Khaled [Ibrahim], Algerian world music and raï singer-songwriter and musician ("Didi"; "Aicha"), born in Oran, Algeria
1960 Lucian Grainge, American executive (CEO Universal Music Group, most important person in music industry - Billboard), born in London, England
1964 Jahred [Jared Gomes], Afro-Brazilian-American rapper and singer (Hed PE; The Clue), born in California
1968 Gareth Farr, New Zealand percussionist, and composer (From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs; Chemin des Dames), born in Wellington, New Zealand
1972 Dave Williams, American rock singer (Drowning Pool), born in White Plains, New York (d. 2002)
1972 Johnny Rabb, American drummer (Collective Soul, 2012-present), and 1st to hit over 1,000 beats in 60 seconds, born in Fairfax, Virginia