April 21

          TOP   BIRTHDAYS
    1904     Leo Adde, Drums, b. New Orleans, LA, USA.d. 1942, USA.
    1958     Mike Barson,Harmonica/Percussion/Keyboards.Member group: 'Madness'
    1931     Carl Robert Belew, C&W vocals/Composer. b. Salina, OK, USA. d. Oct. 31, 1990.Among the tunes he composed are "Lonely Street", "Am I That Easy to Forget?", "Stop the World and Let Me Off", and "What's He Doing in My World?"
    1924     Sonny Berman, Trumpet, b. New Haven, CT,USA.d. 1947
    1911     Johnny Blowers, Drums, b. Spartenburg, SC, USA
    1928     Hillous Butrum, vocals/guitar, b. Lafayette, TN, USA. Member: 'The Drifting Cowboys'
    1933     Ian Carr, Trumpet/author, b. Dumfries, Scotland.Ian is the younger brother of Mike Carr (jazz organist, pianist, and vibist).
    1919     Don Cornell, vocals, b. New York, NY, USA. ('Little Italy' Neighborhood). d. Feb. 23, 2004, Aventura. FL, USA. (Advanced Diabetes and Emphysema).né: Louigi Francisco Varlaro. As a child, his family moved to the Bronx, NY, where he soon became the Public School Middleweight Chanmpion. He later attended Fordham University (also in the Bronx).Cornell learned to play the mandolin from his father, and learned to sing from his Mother. However, he broke into the music business as a guitarist with 'Red Nichols and His Five Pennies'. He then played with several other bands before landing a position, in the early 1940s, with the Sammy Kaye Orchestra. His stay with Kaye was short lived, as Cornell served in the Army Air Force during WWII. At war's end, he resumed his singing career (with Kaye), and his "It Isn't fair" reached No. 2 on the Pop charts. Flushed with such success, he left Kaye, and got an RCA recording contract. None of his songs charted, and RCA dropped him. In early 1952, he signed with Coral Records, and had several hits including "I'll Walk Alone". In 1956, the lyric of his release "Hold My Hand" drew the ire of Great Britain's Archbishop of Canterbury, and the resulting publicity help boost his career in England, and he continued to perform there into the 1990s. (The Archbishop took umbrage at the lines "So this is the kingdom of heaven/So this is the sweet promised land/While angels tell of love/Don't break the spell of love/Hold my hand.") In 1979, Cornell moved to Sunny Isles, FL, where although in semi-retirement, he continued to tour for 35 - 50 weeks every year, usually with a show titled 'The Hitmakers', which included such other well known stars as Eddie Fisher, Billy Eckstine, and Della Reese. He always stayed in touch with his old friends such as Perry Como, Steve Lawrence, and Jose Ferrer. He was age 84 when he died. Best recalled recordings "I'll Walk Alone", "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing", "It isn't Fair", and "I'm Yours".
    1917     Joe Dixon, Clarinet/alto sax, b. Lynn, MA, USA, d. 1998
    1948     Paul Davis, C&W singer-songwriter/producer, b. Meridian, MS, USA.
    1968     Michael Franti, (hip-hop/soul) vocals. Member group: 'Spearhead'
    1910     Bill Gaither, guitar, b. Belmont, KY, USA.
    1944     Paul Geremia, guitar/piano, b. Providence, RI, USA.
    1911     Zilas Gorling, Tenor Sax, b. Hudiksval, Sweden, d. 1960.
    1935     Don Habib, Bass, b. Montreal, Que., Canada
    1932     Locksley Wellington "Slide" Hampton, Trombone, arranger, composer, b. Jeannette, PA, USA.
    1916     Hunter Hancock, DJ/label owner (Swingin'), b. Uvalde, TX, USA.
    1948     Pawel Jarzebski, Bass, b. Poznan, Poland
    1907     Beatrice Kay, vocals/Actress, b. New York, NY, USA. singer/actress
    1938     Eddie King, guitar, b. Talledega, AL, USA.
    1945     Robert Knight, vocals, b. Franklin, TN, USA. Member: 'The Paramounts'
    1944     Peter Kowald, Bass, b. Masserberg / Meiningen, Germany, d. Sept. 21, 2002, New York, NY, USA.
    1969     Keri Leigh, singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer/author, b. Birmingham, AL, USA.
    1908     Alfred Lion, Producer/label founder (Blue Note), b. Berlin, Germany, d. 1987
    1924     Ira Louvin, country and western singer, b. Rainsville, AL, USA. d. June 20, 1965 in Jefferson City, MO, USA (Car Crash). né: Ira Lonnie Loudermilk. Member: 'Louvin Brothers'
    1922     Mundell Lowe, Guitar, b. Laurel, MS, USA.
    1949     Patti LuPone, vocals/actress, b. Northport, NY, USA,. (Biggest hit vocal: "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" from Broadway show 'Evita',also: "Life Goes On"
    1946     Doug MacLeod, guitar, b. New York, NY, USA.
    1907     Wade Mainer, C&W vocals/banjo, b. Buncombe, NC, USA.
    1939     Ernie Maresca, vocals, b. New York (Bronx), NY, USA.
    1942     Bobby McClure, vocals, b. Chicago, IL, USA.
    1963     Johhny McElhone, bass/producer, b. , USA. Member group: 'Altered Images','Texas'
    1920     Jimmie Nabbie, vocals, b. Tampa, FL Member: 'The Four Tunes'
    1938     Jimmy Noone Jr., sax, clarinet, vocals, b. Chicago, IL, USA., d. March 29, 1991
    1950     Cyril Pahinui, guitar, ukulele, vocals, b. Waimanalo, HI, USA. Member: Pahinui Brothers
    1947     Iggy Pop,singer/songwriter. b. Muskegon, MI, USA. né: James Newell Osterburg Jr. Called "The Godfather of Punk". Member group: Psychedelic Stooges
    1956     Mark Rader, C&W vocals/rhythm guitar, b. Middletown, OH, USA. "Traditional Grass"
    1925     Carline Ray, vocalist/bass/piano/guitar, b. New York, NY, USA.This talented lady has performed internationally in Jazz clubs, at festivalhe Foundations were formed in January 1967 in the basement of a local coffee bar in Bayswater, gathered together through advertisements in ~Melody Maker. Lead singer Clem Curtis was a former boxer from Trinidad, while lead guitarist Alan Warner had been making his living in the printing trade in London while waiting for music to pay off. Flautist/saxman Pat Burke hailed from Jamaica, tenor saxman Mike Elliott had played with Colin Hicks (brother of Tommy Steele) in his band the Cabin Boys, as well as in several jazz bands, and trombonist Eric Allan Dale was another jazz veteran. Tony Gomez (keyboards), Peter Macbeth (bass), and Tim Harris (drums) rounded out the lineup. They selected a name Foundations based on their surroundings, a rehearsal space in the basement of a building. s and in concerts with such musicians as Ruth Brown, Carrie Smith, Melba Liston, and Sandra Reaves-Phillips. Carline's earliest musical training was from her father, a Juilliard School of Music graduate who played tuba, euphonium and bass. Subsequently, she received her Bachelor of Science degree from New York's famed Juilliard School of Music (she studied piano and composition), and earned her Master's degree (in voice) from the Manhattan School of Music.Her professional career began as rhythm guitarist and featured vocalist with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. After the 'Sweethearts', she became the vocalist with the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra. Her vocal experiences are wide and diverse.In the Pop/Jazz field, she has worked as a backup singer for such stars as Patti Page, Sylvia Syms, Della Reese, andThe McGuire Sisters, among others.In the Classical field, besides her work as a soloist, she has also been a concert chorister with groups such as'The Camarata Singers', the 'Schola Cantorum', and the 'American Opera Society'. In 1956, she fell in love with the Fender bass, and taught herself how to play.She has since performed with every size group, ranging from the big band of Duke Ellington to small combos led by Mary LouWilliams.Currently (2004), Ray maintains a full schedule as a teacher at several schools and colleges in the New York-New Jersey area.
    1935     Pat Rebillot, Keyboards, b. Louisville, Ohio,USA. (yes! Ohio)
    1942     Alan Skidmore, Tenor Sax, b. London, England. né: Alan Richard James Skidmore.
    1959     Robert Smith, guitar/vocals/songwriter. b. Blackpool (not Crawley), Lancashire, England, UK. Member group: 'The Cure'. While in high school, he could already play rhythm guitar and the harmonica. He began to also vocalize when he joined a garage band called 'Malice' which evolved from 'Malice' to 'Easy Cure' to 'The Cure'. Led by Robert Smith, the band became notorious for their slow, gloomy dirges and Smith's ghoulish appearance. Over the years, the group has had many different band members, but all of 'The Cure's' music has had Robert Smith's signature 'gloom and doom' melancholiness to it. Smith has kept an extremely large underground following, even though he has had no commercially successful albums in recent time.
    CAUTION: Do not confuse with:
    Robert Smith, b. March 18, 1936, and who plays Drums/Vocals, and leader of the Bob Smith band.
    Roger Smith, guitarist (who was also born on April 21, 1959 -- in Crawley (not Blackpool), England, UK)
    Bob Smith, rocker
    Bob Smith, C&W bassist
    Bob Smith, Classical trombonist
    Bob Smith, vocalist with the 'Atlanta Tams' soul group of the 1960s.
    Robert Smith (gospel) bassist
    and a dozen or more Bob or Robert Smiths.
    1959     Michael Timmins, guitar, b. Montreal, Quebec. Canada. Member group: 'Cowboy Junkies'
    1893     Lorenzo Tio Jr., Tenor Sax/Clarinet/arranger/teacher, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d. Dec. 24, 1933, New York, NY, USA. (just age 39.) This early New Orleans Jazzman worked with "Papa" Celestin, Manuel Perez, and Armond J. Piron. It is said that he taught Barney Bigard, Johnny Dodds, Albert Nicholas and Jimmy Noone to play Clarinet.
    1945     Ronnie Edwin Tober, vocals, b. Bussum (near Hilversum), The Netherlands. Ronnie was born as WW2 was ending, -just 2 weeks before the Germans pulled out from their occupation of Holland (May 5, 1945). In 1948, when Ronnie was just age 3, his family moved to Albany, New York. While still a child, he was already singing at St. Peters Episcopal Church in Albany. As a youngster, he was asked to sing on Tommy Sternfelds "Teen age Barn" on Radio Station WRGB, Schenectady, NY. He would later sing for Vice President Richard M. Nixon, in the Hendrik Hudson Hotel in Troy, New York, and for Senator John F. Kennedy, in the Van Curler Hotel in Schenectady, NY. Ronnie was often heard singing with the bands playing in local venues. One day, Bud Torinei, a theater agent in Albany NY, asked Ronnie to sing a few songs with the great Buddy Morrow in Rome, New York. And so, in the early 1960's, Ronnie was heard singing at the Beaches Restaurant Nightclub in Rome, New York with the Buddy Morrow Orchestra. In 1963, he moved back to the Netherlands where he has since been singing his heart out for a legion of devoted fans. One very interesting sidenote is that, from 1963 until the early '70's, Jack Bulterman was Ronnies musical director and producer. The same Jack Bulterman who was the trumpeter/arranger for The Ramblers. (Bulterman passed away in the early 1970s, -cancer.)
    1959     Michael Timmins, guitar,b. Montreal, Quebec, Canada.Played with 'Cowboy Junkies'
    1924     Clara Ward, Gospel Voc., Philadelphia, PA. USA.d. Jan. 16, 1973
    1914     Walt Yoder, Bass, b. Hutchinson, KS,USA.d. 1978
    1947     Alan Warner, guitarist,b. London, England. Member group: 'The Foundations',a name selected based on their surroundings, a rehearsal space in the basement of a local coffee bar in Bayswater, England. Formed in January 1967, they had been brought together through advertisements in Melody Maker magazine. The group consisted of Lead singer Clem Curtis (a former boxer from Trinidad), lead guitarist Alan Warner (working in the London printing trade), flutist/saxn Pat Burke (from Jamaica), tenor saxman Mike Elliott (who had already played with Colin Hicks -brother of Tommy Steele- in his band 'the Cabin Boys', as well as in several Jazz bands), trombonist Eric Allan Dale (another Jazz veteran, Tony Gomez (keyboards), Peter Macbeth (bass), and Tim Harris (drums).
    1947     John Weider, bassist.Member group: 'Family'
          TOP   Notable Events occuring this date include:
    1970.    Earl Hooker, Blues guitarist and singer, died of tuberculosis in Chicago, IL, USA.Age: 41.He was John Lee Hooker's first cousin.
    1977.    Blanche Thomas, vocals, died in New Orleans, LA, USA. Age: 54
    1985.    Irving Mills,music publisher, died in Palm Springs, CA, USA. Age: 91
    2000.    Neal Matthews, singer with "The Jordanaires," died in Nashville, TN, USA. Age: 70
    2003.    Rose Augustine, founder of "Guitar Review," died New York City, NY, USA. Age: 93 .
          TOP   Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
         1950 "Hoop-Dee-Doo",- Perry Como
         1950 "Bewitched",- Gordon Jenkins
         1950 "Sentimental Me",- Russ Morgan
         1951 "If" - Perry Como
         1951 "Mockingbird Hill" - Les Paul & Mary Ford
         1954 "Happy Wanderer, The",- Frank Weir
         1956 "Moonglow & Theme From Picnic", - George Cates
         1956 "Moonglow & Theme From Picnic",- Morris Stoloff
         1958 "Kewpie Doll", - Como, Perry
         1958 "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck", - Elvis Presley
         1958 "Chanson D'Amour (Song Of Love)", Art & Dotty Todd
         1959 "Come Softly to Me" - The Fleetwoods
         1959 "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I" - Elvis Presley
         1962 "Old Rivers", - Brennan, Walter
         1962 "Funny Way Of Laughin'", - Burl Ives
         1962 "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)", Ernie Maresca,
         1967 "Somethin' Stupid" - Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
         1967 "This is My Song" - Petula Clark
         1973 "Hocus Pocus", - Focus
         1973 "Daniel", - Elton John,
         1973 "Pillow Talk", - Sylvia
         1973 "Frankenstein", - Edgar Winter
         1975 "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" - B.J. Thomas
         1975 "Always Wanting You" - Merle Haggard
         1975 "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" - Tony Orlando & Dawn
         1979 "Love You Inside Out", - Bee Gees
         1979 "Just When I Needed You Most", - Randy Vanwarmer
         1983 "Billy Jean" - Michael Jackson
         1983 "Dixieland Delight" - Alabama
         1984 "Time After Time", - Cyndi Lauper
         1984 "Sister Christian", - Night Ranger
         1990 "It Must Have Been Love", - Roxette
         1991 "Down Home" - Alabama
         1991 "Joyride" - Roxette