Today is Their Birthday-Musicians: August 17: Belinda Carlisle, lead vocalist of The Go-Go's, is 55-years-old today.

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Belinda Jo Carlisle was born on August 17, 1958 in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles. She was a cheerleader at Newbury Park High School and, at the age of 19, left home.

Carlisle's first venture into music was a brief stint as drummer for the punk band the Germs, under the name Dottie Danger. Around this time Carlisle did some back-up singing for Black Randy and the Metrosquad. Soon after leaving The Germs, she co-founded the Go-Gos (originally named the Misfits), with friends and fellow musicians Margot Olavarria, Elissa Bello, and Jane Wiedlin.

Olavarria and Bello were soon out of the group and the new line-up included bassist-turned-guitarist Charlotte Caffey, guitarist-turned-bassist Kathy Valentine, and drummer Gina Schock. The Go-Go's became one of the most successful American bands of the 1980s, helping usher New Wave music into popular American radio.

The Go-Go's were the first all-female band who wrote their own music and played their own instruments to ever achieve a No. 1 album, Beauty and the Beat, which featured the hits "We Got the Beat" and "Our Lips Are Sealed.” The Go-Gos recorded two more studio albums on I.R.S. Records, including 1982's Vacation, which went gold.

"Head over Heels,” from their 1984 album Talk Show, made it to No. 11. In 1984, Carlisle made a foray into acting in the movie Swing Shift starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.

The Go-Go's disbanded in 1985 and Carlisle embarked on a solo career. Carlisle's first solo album Belinda was released in 1986, also on I.R.S. Records. This album was successful in North America and was certified Gold in the US and Platinum in Canada. Her summer hit "Mad About You" peaked at No. 3 in the US, and charted in Canada and Australia.

"Mad About You" was followed by the Motown-influenced single "I Feel the Magic,” and by a cover version of the Freda Payne song "Band of Gold.” She recorded other hits including "I Get Weak,” "Circle in the Sand,” "Leave a Light On" and "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" among others, which were major successes in the U.S., U.K. and elsewhere.

Her autobiography, Lips Unsealed, published in June 2010, reached No. 27 on the The New York Times Best Seller list and received favorable reviews.

On August 11, 2011, she received, as a member of the Go-Go's, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In early 2009, Carlisle was on the 8th season of Dancing with the Stars.

She presently consistently tours with The Go-Go's. In March 2013, Belinda released her first single in 17 years entitled "Sun,” an uptempo electropop song, which was included on ICON - a new greatest hits album.