Today is the birthday of Charlie Sexton, frontman for the Arc Angels as well as a solo musician, who was born in San Antonio, Texas 29 years ago. Sexton's androgynous good looks and early guitar skills earned him a reputation as a teen idol in the mid-1980s, a label which nearly proved inescapable. As a boy of 4, Sexton began learning to play guitar with encouragement from his mom. By age 10 he was playing in local clubs and he had a record contract by 15, releasing Pictures for Pleasure in 1985. The album went to #15 and a single, "Beat's So Lonely," went to #17 with Sexton's deep voice and hard-edged songs earning him comparisons to Billy Idol. Sexton's sophomore album, 1989's Charlie Sexton, flopped and it looked as if the youngster's career might already be over. A year later Sexton met drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon, who'd been playing with Stevie Ray Vaughn's band Double Trouble. When Vaughn was killed in a 1990 helicopter crash, his musicians were left free to record and tour. The trio formed the Arc Angels along with vocalist/guitarist Doyle Bramhall II and made Arc Angels in 1992, which earned a great deal of critical acclaim although it didn't sell well. Most recently, Sexton has created a new act called the Charlie Sexton Sextet and released a 1995 album called Under the Wishing Tree. Other birthdays: Mike Hugg (Manfred Mann), 55; Michael James Kale (Guess Who), 54; Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), 50; Eric Carmen, 48; Erik Braunn (Iron Butterfly), 47; Bryan Bassett (Wild Cherry), 43; Richie Ramone (Ramones), 40; Alan Frew (Glass Tiger), 38; and Joe Jackson.