Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and former co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin is the founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings. With the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy and Run?D.M.C., Rubin helped popularize hip hop music. Rubin has also worked with artists such as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Black Sabbath, Slipknot, Slayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jay-Z, Danzig, Dixie Chicks, Metallica, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Weezer, Linkin Park, The Cult, Neil Diamond, Mick Jagger, System of a Down, The Mars Volta, Rage Against the Machine, Melanie C, Audioslave, Sheryl Crow, ZZ Top, Adele, Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, and Eminem. In the 1990s and 2000s, he produced the "American Recordings" albums with Johnny Cash. In 2007, MTV called him "the most important producer of the last 20 years", and the same year Rubin appeared on Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World list. [More at Wikipedia]

March 10th, 1963 in Lido Beach, New York (Age 61)