Kim Deal
Her sludgy bass lines and deadpan harmonies defined the Pixies' sound, creating a blueprint for 90s alternative rock.
Born 1961 (age 65)·American musician·Birthday: June 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Kim Deal emerged from Dayton, Ohio, a self-taught musician who answered a classified ad and helped form the Pixies. As the band's bassist and co-vocalist, her minimalist, melodic playing and cool, contrasting harmonies became the essential counterweight to Black Francis's manic intensity. The chemistry birthed era-defining albums like 'Doolittle.' Frustrated by sidelined songwriting, she channeled that energy into the Breeders, a side project that became her main vehicle. Their 1993 album 'Last Splash,' with its smash single 'Cannonball,' proved her knack for hook-laden, off-kilter rock could command the mainstream. Her career, marked by hiatuses and a battle with addiction, is a story of resilient, instinctive artistry; her influence echoes in every band that pairs sweet melody with raw, subterranean noise.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Kim was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Kim Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Kim's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote and performed on the Pixies' seminal albums 'Surfer Rosa' (1988) and 'Doolittle' (1989).
- Led the Breeders to mainstream success with the platinum-selling album 'Last Splash' and its hit single 'Cannonball.'
- Her bass line on the Pixies' 'Gigantic' is one of the most recognizable in alternative rock.
- Formed the Breeders with Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses, creating a defining alt-rock supergroup.
Did You Know?
She was working as a bartender and answering machine repairperson before joining the Pixies.
The Breeders' name was inspired by a headline about plant breeders she saw in a newspaper.
She is the twin sister of Kelley Deal, who joined the Breeders on guitar in the early 1990s.
She turned down an offer to be the bassist for Courtney Love's band Hole.
“I'm not a musician. I'm a songwriter who plays an instrument.”
