Today is Ryuichi Sakamoto's 46th birthday. An accomplished new-age artist, Sakamoto is best-known to the average listener for composing the scores to "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence," "The Sheltering Sky" and "The Last Emperor." Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Sakamoto was playing piano by the age of 3. In 1974, he enrolled in the graduate studies program at the University of Art in Tokyo, where he studied electronic music and music from other cultures. After he graduated in 1976, Sakamoto quickly became a popular producer and a session musician, working with many Japanese musicians from a variety of genres.

By the end of the '70s, Sakamoto was heavily involved in the art-rock trio Yellow Magic Orchestra, a group that helped to pave the way for synthesizers in popular music. Y.M.O. disbanded in 1983, and Sakamoto embarked upon an influential solo career, mixing sounds from different cultures and experimenting with synthesizers and echo effects. His work has blazed the trail that many of today's ambient acts are walking down and has influenced the cultural sound-blending work of David Byrne and Paul Simon. On Feb. 10, Sakamoto will be releasing a new album entitled Discord, with DJ Spooky guesting.

Other birthdays: William Hart (the Delfonics), 53; Steve Earle, 43; Paul Young, 42; Jez Strode (Kajagoogoo), 40; Susanna Hoffs (Bangles), 41; John Crawford (Berlin), 41; and Shabba Ranks, 32.