The list of August 2012 classic rock birthdays is so star-studded that we've had to double the size of our normal preview countdown in order to accommodate as many of these legends as possible.

So get your fingers ready to write a lot of greeting cards, and if you're planning on baking cakes for each of the 20 rockers celebrating birthdays this month, consider buying candles in bulk -- by our count, you're going to need 1,212 of them!

Sadly, some of these legendary musicians are no longer with us, but there's no reason we can't pay tribute to the impact of artists such as Keith Moon, Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott, and Dimebag Darrell Abbott anyway. We'll also take a look at how August 2012 classic rock birthday celebrants such as Robert Plant, Gene Simmons and Rush's Alex Lifeson will be keeping themselves busy on their big days.

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