Today is the 42nd birthday of Anne Dudley, keyboard player for the '80s ambient band Art of Noise and winner of a 1997 Oscar for composing the score to the hit comedy "The Full Monty."

Anne Dudley, Gary Langan and J.J. Jeczalik worked together as members of producer Trevor Horn's in-house studio band in the early '80s. Dudley was a string arranger and graduate of the Royal College of Music. In 1983, the trio formed Art of Noise, a techno-pop group specializing in studio noises, tape splicing and synthesizer programming. Their music was a mixture of rock, jazz, hip-hop, soul and pop. Dudley was the group's principal member. In addition to her work with ABC producer Horn, she produced and arranged for Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Paul McCartney. Art of Noise's first release was the 1983 ZTT EP Into Battle With The Art of Noise. Often mistaken in America for a black group because of the dance elements in this first offering, Art of Noise followed the U.S. dance-chart favorite with the full-length (Who's Afraid of) The Art of Noise? in 1984. The album's hit single, "Close (To The Edit)," prominently featured the Fairlight keyboard set to an urban rhythm. After leaving ZTT, the group collaborated with Duane Eddy, Tom Jones (on his hit cover version of The Artist's "Kiss") and others. In 1986, Art of Noise released In Visible Silence on China Records, which included the U.K. top-10 hit "Peter Gunn." Their 1987 album, In-No-Sense? Nonsense!, featured an orchestra, a choir and rock musicians. Critics and fans were unimpressed with 1989's Below The Waste, which dabbled in world music. The band's last effort, the remix album The Ambient Collection, was also released that year. Later in the year, the band broke up. Since the dissolution, Dudley has been the most productive and successful member. With Killing Joke's Jaz Coleman, Dudley released 1991's Songs From The Victorious City, which explored Egyptian and Asian music. In 1995, she issued Ancient and Modern, which featured Christian hymns with electronic music. Before working on "The Full Monty," Dudley also contributed to the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning film "The Crying Game" in 1992. She has also worked with Phil Collins, Cher, Pulp and Tina Turner. Whatever musical road Dudley takes in the future, Art of Noise will always be known as an influential group. Their innovations in sampling and remixing are major components of such current musical genres as hip-hop, house and techno.

Other birthdays: Johnny Maestro (Crests/Brooklyn Bridge), 59; Rick West (Tremeloes), 55; and Marty Willson-Piper (the Church), 39.