Nicholas Edward Cave was born in Warracknabeal, Australia 40 years ago

today. The son of a librarian and an English teacher, Cave is widely known

for his literate and haunting goth rock. Cave met Mick Harvey in high school and formed a band that would become the Boys Next Door.

In 1978, the band released a cover of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made

For Walking," which led to the recording of their 1979 album Door

Door. In 1980, the band changed its name to the Birthday Party, moved

to London and released their self-titled debut. The Birthday Party's

expression of raw emotion and sharp wit made quite an impression on the

British rock scene of that time. Prayers on Fire was released in

1981 and Junkyard in 1982. The band moved to West Berlin and broke

up in 1983 during the recording of Mutiny!.

Cave and Harvey recruited a new set of musicians and went on to form Nick

Cave and The Bad Seeds. In 1984, they released From Her To

Eternity and 1985 saw the release of The Firstborn Is Dead.

The song "Tupelo" from The Firstborn Is Dead contains some of the

initial ideas for "And The Ass Saw The Angel," the novel Cave published to

rave reviews in 1989. In 1986, the band released Kicking Against The

Pricks, a compilaton of blues covers, and Your Funeral. . .My

Trial, a whole album divided into two EPs. Cave appeared in the 1988

film "Wings Of Desire" and released Tender Prey that same year. In

1989, Cave wrote, composed the soundtrack for and starred in a prison film

entitled "Ghosts... of the Civil Dead." Cave moved from London to San

Paolo, Brazil that same year and many fans claim that 1990's The Good

Son was more melodious and friendly as a result. Critics and fans

both declared 1992's Henry's Dream and 1994's Let Love In a

return to form, with Cave having moved back to London in 1992. In 1996

Cave recorded Murder Ballads, a collection of duets about murder

which included appearances by dance-pop diva Kylie Minogue and grunge

goddess PJ Harvey. Cave contributed a track to 1996's Songs In The Key

Of X and released The Boatman's Call earlier this year.

Other birthdays: David Coverdale (Deep Purple/Whitesnake), 46; Debby

Boone, 41 and Joan Jett, 37.