Society of Certified Senior Advisors: Famous and 65

Look who's turning 65 this month

Find out which celebrities are turning 65 this month!

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April 7 - Greg Reeves, American bass guitarist

A talented musician who peaked early, Greg Reeves is an enigmatic figure in rock history. Even his birthday is contested; rumor has it that he had a fake drivers license when he was perhaps 15 in order to appear to be 19. At the time, he was playing with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young — a gig that lasted less than a year (August 1969 to January 1970) before he was fired.

Stephen Stills told Reeves to hit the road because “he suddenly decided he was an Apache witch doctor.” While Reeves dabbled in native American shamanism, the real reason may be closer to another Stills opinion: “He freaked out too much on the bass and no one could keep up because he did not play one rhythm the same. He could play bass imaginatively, but he has to be predictable as well.”

There are reports that Reeves worked with Motown Records as a session player when he was 12 years old, but they are disputed by his mother. What is known is that he was mentored by several Motown stars, including Rick James.

Reeves was a good friend of Young while he was with CSNY, and they recorded together afterward, including on After the Gold Rush. Young and others laud his ability to go from simple to complex bass lines, and the versatility of his playing.

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April 8 - Barbara Kingsolver, American novelist

Novelist, essayist and poet Barbara Kingsolver is an epic figure in American literature. She has earned a bucket of awards, including the National Humanities Medal, and has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Every one of her books that has been published since 1983 has made The New York Times Best Seller list.

Raised in rural Kentucky with a childhood stint in the African Congo, Kingsolver writes about ordinary people who sometimes have extraordinary talents. Her seminal work is arguably The Poisonwood Bible, the story of a deteriorating missionary family set in the Congo.

Kingsolver’s work revolves around themes including social justice, human interaction with the natural world, and biodiversity. She established the Bellwether Prize for Fiction, in support of authors whose work hasn’t been published but advocates for positive social change.

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April 24 - Michael O'Keefe, American actor

A film and television actor, O’Keefe is best known for his role as Fred on TV sitcom Roseanne, but he got an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor as Ben Meechum in The Great Santini. You may also remember him in his role as Danny Noonan in Caddyshack.
O’Keefe was married to famed singer Bonnie Raitt from April 1997 to November 1999. He married the actress Emily Donahoe in 2011; the couple have one child. O’Keefe was raised in a large Catholic family but has practiced Zen Buddhism since 1981.

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April 24 - John Epperson [Lypsinka], American drag artist

The art of drag has become more mainstream, due in part to many talented performers such as Epperson. The actor, pianist, vocalist and writer has become known for his shows where he portrays “Lypsinka,” where she lip-syncs, in drag, to a host of well-known female roles in movie and song.

Born in Mississippi, Epperson is a gifted pianist and was full-time rehearsal pianist for the American Ballet Theatre in New York in 1980.