April 2        BIRTHDAYS 1956     Gregory Abbott, vocals/piano/composer/producer, b. New York, NY, USA. 1957     Paul Abler, guitar/composer, b. Saginaw, Missouri, USA. Paul graduated from the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles. CA, USA. An important Neo-Bop Artist, His Quartet's sound is a blend of post-bop, Brazilian and contemporary influences, and includes such musicians as Cindy Blackman and Carlton Holmes, and has toured the U.S. the world. Among the musicians with whom he has recorded and performed include David McMurray, Bobby Battle, Marcus Belgrave, Sara Jane Cion, Straight Ahead, Dwayne Burno, Craig Taborn, Bob Cranshaw, and Gerald Cleaver. 1929     Warren A, Bell, Sr., alto-tenor-baritone sax, b. New Orleans, LA, USA, d. Nov. 22, 2006, New Orleans, LA, USA. (complications while undergoing kidney dialysis). Bell's career began playing alto saxophone with the original Dooky Chase band, that also included trumpeters Teddy Riley, "Big Fat" Emery, and Tony Moret, trombonist Benny Powell, Arnold Benjamin, Harry Sweetwyne, and the band's arranger John Brunious a.k.a. Pickett, who wrote "A Sultan's Dream", a favorite among New Orleans musicians. Subsequently, Bell played tenor sax with Dave Bartholomew's band, and also performed with a group at the Caravan (in uptown New Orleans off Freret Street) and at the renowned Mason's on Claiborne Avenue. Eventually, he had to curtail his music career and took a "day job" to support his family. He worked for a chain of local food stores, but continuee to play whenever a gig arose, or when requested by fellow musicians. Upon his demise, his son, Warren Bell, Jr., told reporters that his father ".....was born in the Creole neighborhood of Treme next to the French Quarter in 1929 and he was one of the first black musicians to be invited to play with all-white bands in New Orleans", ".....During his 60-year career he performed as a back-up musician for Cab Calloway, Nancy Wilson and Ray Charles". 1910     J. T. Brown, tenor sax, b. MS, USA. 1891     Jack Buchanan, Actor/singer, b. Helensburgh, Scotland. Mostly active on the British Stage and films. In Hollywood, he appeared with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. 1967     Byron Burke, DJ-turned-keyboardist, Member group: 'Ten City'. In 1988, Byron Stingily (lead vocals - b. Chicago, IL, USA),and Marshall Jefferson (vocals, b. 1959- Chicago, IL, USA), who had been working together, recruited guitarist Herb Lawson and keyboardist Byron Burke to form the group 'Ragtyme'. The trio released "Devotion" and "Right Back to You." They later changed their name to 'Ten City' and recorded their debut album "Foundation". Today (2005) Byron Burke is a minister with the 'New City Outreach Ministries International/Byron Burke Ministres'. 1911     Ernie "Cag" Cagnolatti, Trumpet,b. Madisonville, LA, USA. d. 1983, USA. 1931     Kenneth Ray "Thumbs" Carllile, guitar/songwriter, b. St. Louis, MO, USA. d. 1987, USA. At just age 8, he began playing the Dobro, an instrument his sister had won by selling Balm. When his sister hid the steel bar, he used his thumbs to play, a practice he would keep for the rest of his life. At age 10, his family moved to Granite City, MO, where he made his debut playing "Sweet Georgia Brown" during a Ferlin Husky performance. At age 16, he was tossed out of high school for refusing to shave, and began performing regularly with Husky until 'discovered' by "Little" Jimmy Dickens in St. Louis, MO. (Dickens gave Carllile the nickname "Thumbs".) From 1949 to 1952, 'Thumbs' played with 'Dickens' Country Boys'. Between 1952-'54, he was serving a two-year stint in the Army's Special Services. He was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, and there, in 1955, he met and married singer/songwriter Virginia Boyle. After his army discharge, Carllile played with Bill Wimberley's Rhythm Boys, and then with Red Foley's Troupe. He also regularly appeared on the 'Ozark Jubilee' show as a soloist. During a (ca. 1961) meeting with famed guitarist Les Paul, Les became so impressed with both Boyle's writing, and Carllile's guitar playing, that he persuaded them to visit his home recording studio, where they layed down enough tracks for two albums. Later that year, Carllile sang a duet with his wife (then billed as 'Ginny O'Boyle') "Indian Girl, Indian Boy." In 1963, he joined the Wade Ray Five and Ray's Las Vegas band. In 1964, he joined Roger Miller. It was Miller who helped Carllile sign with Smash Records, where, in 1965, he released two albums, -"Roger Miller Presents Thumbs Carllile" and "All Thumbs". Among his 1966 releases were some singles, including "Let It Be Me," "Caravan," "Blue Skies" and "Hold It". In 1968, he made the album "Walking in Guitar Land". In 1980, he underwent surgery for colon cancer. After recovering, he began playing on the 'Sagebrush Boogie' show in Atlanta, GA. In 1986, Carllile,'s daughter Virginia had a minor hit with "Stay Until the Rain Stops" In 1987, Carllile was preparing to perform as the opening act for Michael Hedges when he suffered a massive coronary and died. 1943     Larry Coryell, guitar/piano/vocals, b. Galveston, TX, USA. Larry is a fusion pioneer who is at home in the worlds of rock, Jazz, Brazilian rhythms, and even classical genres. (Most active 1960s.) 1943     Glen Dale, vocals, b. Deal, Kent, England. Member group: 'The Fortunes' 1962     Billy Dean, (Country) guitar/singer-songwriter, b. Quincy, FL, USA. 1947     Jürgen Drews, vocals, b. Germany. 1902     "Buddy" Ebsen, Actor/composer/lyricist, b. Belleville, IL, USA. d. July 6, 2003, Torrance, CA, USA. Age: 95. né: Christian Rudolph Ebsen 1902     Edward Eliscu, lyricist, d. June 1998 1952     Chris Frank, singer-songwriter/guitar, b. Omaha, NE, USA. Member: "Red Clay Ramblers" In kindergarten, his Hawaiian music teacher taught him to play the ukulele. At age 14, Chris was playing acoustic bass in his brother's garage band. At age 15, and for the next 4 years, played eveery weekend with "Gib Krisinger & His Orchestra" (a six-piece band) at fireman's balls and country clubs. The average age of the sidemen was about 40, and Chris learned such Swing standards as "Moonglow" and "The Sheik of Araby" among others. (The band stopped booking gigs around 2001.) After graduating from college, he spent a few years as an elementay school teacher, before settling down in Chapel Hill, NC, USA, where he eventually became a menber of 'The Red Clay Ramblers'. has been scoring music for film, and for TV channels 'The Learning Channer' and 'The Discovery Channel'. In 1998, Chris founded "efolkMusic.com" as "an internet business, not a dot-com." " In 2003 efolkMusic was incorporated as a nonprofit to support Chris' non-commercial art form. 1969     Anthony Fredianelli, Bass/Guitar/Keyboards/Producer. Member group: 'Third Eye Blind' 1949     Paul Gambaccini, British disc jockey 1928     Serge Gainsbourg, singer/composer/arranger, b. Paris, France. d. March 2, 1991. aka: Lucien Gainsbourg. This Frenchman was called "the dirty old man of popular music". His voracious appetite for cigarettes, alcohol, and women made him a cult figure in both Europe and America. In 1958, Serge made his recording debut with the album "Du Chant a la Une!", followed by 1961's "L'Etonnant Serge Gainsbourg", and 1964's "Gainsbourg Confidentiel". While his own work did not receive much attention, his compositions for other singers such as Juliette Greco, Petula Clark, and Dionne Warwick were more successful. In the late 1960s, he briefly became actress Brigitte Bardot's lover. The couple recorded a series of duets including "Bonnie and Clyde," "Harley Davidson" and "Comic Strip" (celebrating some Pop culture icons). After Bardot, he became involved with Jane Birkin, and in 1969 they recorded a tune originally composed the tune for Bardot, "Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus", with steamy lyrics and explicit heavy breathing. It reached number one on the French charts, and elsewhere in Europe, but was also banned in many countries. The tune grew in stature becoming an underground classic that was later covered such stars as Ray Conniff, and Donna Summer. As his career continued, he became alienated from contemporary culture, and his work became fixated with Drugs, disease, suicide, and misanthropy, growing more esoteric, inflammatory and outrageous with each new release. His recording of a reggae version of the sacred "La Marseillaise", his single release of "Lemon Incest," (a duet with his daughter, actress Charlotte Gainsbourg), his posing in drag for the cover of 1984's Love on the Beat (a collection of songs about male hustlers), and his making sexual advances towards Whitney Houston on a live TV broadcast, all combined to make him both a vilified and celebrated character. Gainsbourg also scored a few French films, and also directed and appeared in some of them, most notably 1976's Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus, which starred Birkin and Andy Warhol, and Joe Dallesandro. 1939     Marvin Gaye, vocals, b. Washington, D.C. USA. d. April 1. 1984 (Murdered by his Father - gunshot). He was cremated and ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean. 1926     Max Greger, Piano/clar/tenorsax/accordion, b. Munich, Germany. 1941     Barrett Hansen, radio disk joockey. b. Minneapolis, MN, USA. aka: "Dr. Demento", on his 2 hour radio show is nationally syndicated on well over 100 stations coast to coast, and renowned for presenting mad music and crazy comedy. 1947     Emmylou Harris, C&W vocals, b. Birmingham AL, USA née: Emmy Lou Harris 1961     Buddy Jewell, C&W vocals, b. Lepanto, AR 1961. 1938     Booker Little, Jazz trumpet, b. Memphis, TN, USA. d: Oct. 5, 1961, in New York, NY, USA. First 'Black' trumpeter to gain fame after Clifford Brown's death. 1916     Oleg Lundstrem, Leader, b. Chita, Russia 1938     Warner "Warner Mack" MacPherson, C&W Singer, b. Nashville, TN, USA. All during the 1960s, he was a popular Decca Records star. 1909     Marty Marsala, cornet, trumpet, drums, vocal, b. Chicago, IL, USA, d. Chicago, April 27, 1975. His older brother was clarinetist Joe Marsala, b. Chicago, Jan. 4, 1907, d. Santa Barbara, CA, USA, March 3, 1978. Joe was also the husband of the great jazz harpist Adele Girard (1913-1993). 1940     Dave McRae, Piano, b. Auckland, New Zealand 1912     Herbert Mills, vocals, b. Piqua, OH, USA. d. April 12, 1989. Member: 'Mills Bros.' Voc. Group. né: Herbert Bowles Mills 1948     Kerry Minnear, Vocals/Cello/Keyboards, Member group: 'Gentle Giant' 1940     Sal Nistico, tenor sax, b. Syracuse, NY, USA, d. March 3, 1991, Berne, Switzerland. (Some sources say b April 12) 1953     Dick Oatts, tenor-soprano-alto sax/clarinet/flute. 1892     Roy Palmer, Trombone, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d. Dec. 22, 1963, Chicago, IL, USA. 1921     "Boomie" Richman, Tenor Sax/flute, b. Brockton, MA, USA. . né: Abraham Samuel Richman. After playing in the local clubs of Boston, MA, he joined Muggsy Spanier in New York City in 1942. In 1944, he was with Jerry Wald's band; in 1945, with George Paxton's band; and between 1946 to 1952, he was with Tommy Dorsey's band. He freelanced in NYC until joining Benny Goodman from 1953-'54, and then was active in the New York city studios. Today (May 2006), "Boomie is happily living, age 85. 1953     David Robinson, Drums, b. Boston, MA, USA. Member group: 'The Cars' 1941     Leon Russell, trumpet/piano/vocals, b. Lawton, OK. USA. Worked with the Rolling Stones, Phil Spector, and Jerry Lee Lewis. 1909     Hymie Shertzer, Alto Sax, b. New York, NY, d. 1977, Best recalled with the Benny Goodman Band. 1941     Sonny Throckmorton, singer/songwriter. b. Carlsbad, NM, USA. né: James Fron Sonny Throckmorton. He is one of the most successful C&W songwriters, with over 1,000 of his songs recorded by such artists as Tanya Tucker, Merle Haggard, Dave & Sugar,, Doug Stone, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Oak Ridge Boys and even comedian George Burns. Much of his childhood was spent traveling the Southwest before his family finally settled in Wichita Falls, Texas. After graduating college, Throckmorton moved to San Francisco where he performed Rock & Roll in local clubs. Guitarist/publisher Pete Drake induced him to switched to Country music, and, in 1964, Sonny moved to Nashville, TN, where he found work as a bass player for Carl and Pearl Butler (for two years). He also wrote for, and managed, Drake's publishing company. In 1965, Bobby Lewis had a Top Five hit with Throckmorton's "How Long Has It Been". He subsequently became a song promoter and staff writer for various companies before becoming a staff writer for the prestigious Tree Publishing Corp. Unfortunately, none of the young writer's songs became hits, and he was released. In 1975, Throckmorton quit the music business and moved to Texas. He had promised himself that he would quit music if he hadn't made a success by age 35. Even so, his fellow songwriters continued to "push" his songs, and six months later, Tree Publishing re-hired him. In the following nine months, well over 150 of his songs were recorded, including "Thinking of a Rendezvous," Johnny Duncan's first number one hit. Another of his songs, "Knee Deep in Love with You," was destined to become a Country standard. Between 1976 and 1980, one or more of Throckmorton songs appeared on the charts almost weekly. Jerry Lee Lewis' 1978 release of Throckmorton's, "Middle Age Crazy," even became the basis of a movie. Between 1978 and 1980, the Nashville Songwriters Association named him Songwriter of the Year, -three years in a row. In 1980, he was named BMI Songwriter of the Year. In 1987, Throckmorton was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. After his 1988 recording of "Southern Train" (Warner Bros.), he retired to his Texas farm. 1959     Dean Townson, C&W vocals, b. St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. Member: "Pirates of the Mississippi",(originally known as the Cloggers), a group formed 1987, with members: "Wild" Bill McCorvey (Guitar/Lead Vocals, b. July 4, 1959 Alabama, USA, Rich "Dude" Alves (Guitar, b. May 25, 1953, Pleasanton, California, USA), Dean Townson, (Bass Guitar, b. April 2, 1959 Battle Creek, Michigan, USA), Greg Trostle (joined 1994, Steel Guitar, b. November 10, 1950 Elmira, New York, USA), Jimmy Lowe (Drums b. August 2, 1955, Atlanta, Georgia, USA) (and former member: Pat Severs (left 1994. Steel Guitar, b. November 10, 1952 Camden, South Carolina, USA). 1908     Håkan Von Eichwald, Leader/piano, b. Turku, Finland, d. April 1, 1964, Malmö, Sweden. Age 55. 1952     Leon Wilkeson, bassist, b. Jacksonville, FL, USA. Member group: 'Lynyrd Skynyrd' 1946     Kurt Winter, guitar. Member group: 'Guess Who' (1997) 1961     Karen Woodward, vocals, b. Bristol, Avon, England. Member group: 'Bananarama' ("Venus")       Notable Events occuring this date include: 1935.    Bennie Moten, piano/leader, died in Kansas City, MO, USA. Age: 40 1969.    Wendell Hall, 1920's C&W recording artist died. 1976.    Gloria Spencer, gospel vocals, died in Charlottesville, NC, USA. Age: 39 1983.    Cliff Carlisle, C&W guitar/dobro, died in Lexington, KY, USA. Age: 78 1987.    Leslie Rout, bari sax, died in Detroit, MI, USA. Age: 51 1987.    Buddy Rich died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 69. (Coronary. - 2 Weeks after Surgery for Brain Tumor) 1992.    Milton Rackmil, label co-founder (Decca), died in New York (Manhattan), NY, USA. Age: 86 1996.    Roosevelt "Booba" Barnes died in Chicago, IL, USA. Age: 69. Died April, Cancer. 1995.    Miff Campbell, guitar, died in Indianapolis, IN, USA. Age: 89 1995.    Joe Madison, organ/piano, died in Niagara Falls, NY, USA. Age: 55 1995.    Julius Hemphill, sax, died in New York (Manhattan), NY, USA. Age: 57 1996.    Gabriel Guitar (né: Nyles Jones), guitar, died in Winston-Salem, NC, USA. Age: 70       Songs Recorded/Released this date include:      1942 "American Patrol", rec'd by Glenn Miller Orch.      1948 "Little White Lies", Haymes, Dick      1948 "You Can't Be True, Dear (Vocal)", Griffin, Ken      1955 "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie", Smith, Somethin' and The Redheads      1977 "Angel In Your Arms", Hot      1977 "I'm Your Boogie Man", KC and The Sunshine Band      1983 "Solitare", Branigan, Laura      1988 "Two Occasions", Deele, The      1988 "Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)", Fox, Samantha      1988 "Shattered Dreams", Johnny Hates Jazz      1988 "Piano In The Dark", Russell, Brenda