Singer/songwriter John Wozniak is the creative force behind pop-rockers Marcy Playground, who released their second LP late last year.

John Wozniak was born Jan. 19, 1971, in St. Paul, Minn. Until the fourth grade, Wozniak attended the Marcy Open School, hence his future band's name.

As the son of a professor with a Ph.D. in psychology, Wozniak read a lot of sophisticated children's fiction. Among these books was C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia," which later would be reflected in his lyrics.

Wozniak moved with his father to Pennsylvania when he was 9. Though he was not a model student, Wozniak continued to study literature, especially fantasy, in high school. When he was 15 he wrote the song "Rebel Sodville," which is included on Marcy Playground's latest LP, Shapeshifter.

Wozniak, who was taught guitar by his father, attended the Harcum College Music School in Bryn Mawr, Pa. After graduating, Wozniak began working on "Zog Bog Bean." He recorded the never-issued LP with his girlfriend and some friends in his home. During that period he also was a member of several Philadelphia bands.

After attending college in Olympia, Wash., Wozniak moved to New York to continue to work on original music. He soon enlisted bassist Dylan Keefe and drummer Dan Reiser to form Marcy Playground, which became the vehicle for Wozniak's philosophical songs.

Marcy Playground signed with Capitol Records in 1996. The following year came their eponymous debut LP, which yielded the hit "Sex and Candy" (RealAudio excerpt). It also included such tunes as "Poppies" and "Sherry Fraser," named for Wozniak's girlfriend and musical collaborator during the "Zog Bog Bean" era. Fraser even co-wrote some of the tunes on the debut, including "Ancient Walls of Flowers."

The band toured behind the album and played the 1998 "A Day in the Garden" festival with Joni Mitchell, the Goo Goo Dolls and others at the site of the original Woodstock festival in Bethel, N.Y.

In November Marcy Playground issued their second LP, Shapeshifter, including "Secret Squirrel" (RealAudio excerpt), "Wave Motion Gun" and the single "It's Saturday." The band also toured North America.

"His music is really special," Keefe said of Wozniak's songwriting. "I think as a lyricist he has something that a lot of rock music has lost."

The cover of Shapeshifter became the subject of a dispute when it was learned that Capitol had offered for the cover, to an unknowing Wozniak, a sample of a sketch by Butthole Surfers guitarist Paul Leary. The sketch was intended for a Butthole Surfers album. Wozniak chose the drawing as the basis for Shapeshifter's cover (painted by artist Mark Ryden).

"We asked our record company to hire Mark Ryden to do our record cover; I'd admired his work for a while," Wozniak said. "I had no idea that he'd done pieces for the Buttholes."

Wozniak said he chose the piece from a selection of already-completed works because its design — which depicts an alien smoking a peace pipe with an American Indian shaman — reflects the album's title, which he said is based on an American Indian legend.

Other birthdays Wednesday: Phil Everly (Everly Brothers), 61; Shelly Fabares, 56; Rod Evans (Deep Purple), 55; Dolly Parton, 54; Robert Palmer, 51; Dewey Bunnell (America), 48; Mickey Virtue (UB40), 43; Caron Wheeler (Soul II Soul), 37; Eric Dover (Imperial Drag, Slash's Snakepit), 33; Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe), 32; Trey Lorenz, 31; and Janis Joplin, 1943–1970.