BIRTHDAYS
1940     George Adams, Tenor Sax/flute/vocal, b. Covington, GA, USA. d. 1992
1943     Duane Allen, vocals. Member group: 'Oak Ridge Boys'
1932     Gene Allison, vocals. b. Pegram, TN, USA. d. Feb. 28, 2004, Nashville, TN, USA. (liver and kidney failure.) Grew up singing in church groups and later sang with professional groups including 'The Fairfield Four' and 'The Skylarks'. His only big hit release was "You Can Make It If You Try", which was a Billboard Magazine's Top Five hit, and then crossed over to Billboard's list of Top-40 Pop songs. He never again matched the success of that tune. Interestingly, the Rolling Stones debut album featured a version of the tune.
1954     Mike Auldridge, Dobro player.
1929     Ray Barretto, Conga Drums, b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA. d. Feb 17, 2006, Hackensack, NJ, USA. Age: 76. In a career spanning over 50 years, this percussionist helped define the role of the conga drum in Jazz and became an influential figure in both jazz and Latin music At the time of his demise, Barretto had been living in Warwick, N.Y. (but died at the Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey).
1972     James Bonamy, C&W singer-songwriter, b. Winter Park, FL, USA.
1954     Karen Brooks, singer-songwriter, b. Dallas, TX, USA.
1908     Philippe Brun, Trumpet, b. Paris, France, d. Jan. 15, 1994 (some sources say d. Jan. 14)
1928     Errol Leslie Buddle, Tenor Sax, b. Adelaide, Australia
1909     Jacques Butler, Trumpet/ Vocals. unkown (raised in Washington).
1956     Ira Coleman, Bass
1936     Albee Cracolici, vocals. Member: The Mystics
1925     Danny Davis, b. Randolph, MA, USA. né: George Nowland. Bought first trumpet with earnings from making delivery rounds and played in his high school band. At age 14 was performing with the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra. At just 17, he was guesting with some of the best swing bands including Gene Krupa and Bob Crosby. By 1958, he was working as a record producer, producing several successful singles for Connie Francis, (Woody) Herman's Hermits and Johnny Tillotson. In 1965, he began working as an assistant to Chet Atkins at RCA. For two years he attempted to convince folks that country music and brass bands could be combined. He finally formed the Nashville Brass. Though some 'Country' music fans were reluctant to accept them, the albums sold well and the 'Brass' had such 'Country' hits as "Wabash Cannonball" and "Columbus Stockade Blues". For six consecutive years, Danny Davis And The Nashville Brass were voted the Instrumental Band Of The Year at the Country Music Association's awards. In 1969, they won a Grammy for their 'More Nashville Sounds' album. In 1980, a curious album was released in which Davis added the Nashville Brass to some existing Willie Nelson tracks. The versions of 'Night Life' and 'Funny How Time Slips Away' both made the US country charts.
1931     Lonnie Donegan, Guitar/Vocal/Leader, b. Glasgow, Scotland, d: Nov. 3, 2002, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. 1961 saw his biggest hit release, "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor (On the Bedpost Over Night." Peterborough, England. Best recalled hit release was "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor (On the Bedpost Overnight)"
1899   "Duke" Ellington, Leader/Piano/Composer, b. Washington, DC, d. May 24, 1974. né: Edward Kennedy Ellington. Not very well known is that fact that Duke composed the score for Otto Preminger's film Anatomy of a Murder'. He composed over 1000 works, including such standards as "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", "Solitude", "Mood Indigo", "Take the 'A' Train", "Sophisticated Lady", and "Prelude To A Kiss". The Ellington band traveled all over the world, and appeared in motion pictures made by several studios.
1928     Carl Gardner, vocals. b. Tyler, TX, USA, Member group: 'The Coasters'. The group had a string of R&B hits including "Yakety Yak," "Charlie Brown," and "Poison Ivy"
1933     Raymond Hill, sax, b. Clarksdale, MS, USA.
1973     Mike Hogan, bassist. Member group: The Cranberries
1945     Hugh Hopper, bassist, b. Canterbury, Kent, England. Member group: The Soft Machine
1929     J. B. Hutto, guitar, b. Elko, SC, USA.
1947     Tommy James, guitar/vocals, b. Dayton, OH, USA. Worked with Tommy James & The Shondells. I think his Only hit record (perhaps his ONLY record) was "Crimson and Clover, Over and Over"
1957     Mark Kendall, guitar, born in Loma Linda, California. Member group: Great White
1941     "Little Frankie" Lee, vocals, b. Mart, TX, USA.
1933     Rod McKuen, vocals/poet, b. Oakland, CA, USA. Sadly, he suffered Clinical Depression for 10 years (1982-'92). Fathered two children with his "live-in" girlfriend. Biggest hits: "Alone", and "Beatsville"
1928     "Big" Jay McNeely, Tenor Sax, b. Watts, CA, USA.
1915     Donald Mills, vocals, b. Piqua, OH, USA. d. Nov. 13, 1999. (May be born on the 29th, or 30th.) né: Donald Friedlich Mills. part of The Mills Brothers
1929     Billy Mize, C&W singer-songwriter, b. Arkansas City, KS, USA.
1904     Russ Morgan, Leader/Trombone, b. Scranton, PA, d. Aug. 7, 1969, Las Vegas, NV. Russ managed to get out of his coal mining job by playing movie accompaniments on piano, in the old Silent Film theaters. Then he broke his arm. Ever resourceful, he studied the trombone, keeping it as his principle instrument throughout his impressive career. His musical career started in the 1920's and 30's when he found work as an arranger for John Phillip Sousa, Victor Herbert, Fletcher Henderson, and Louis Armstrong, among others. In 1936 he formed his own band, originally backing Rudy Vallee but eventually becoming a popular bandleader of the 1930's, '40's, and '50's. The coming of 'rock' drove him to Las Vegas, where he continued to compose, arrange, and perform crowd-pleasing pieces through the 1960's. His son Jack carries on the tradition today. .
1917     Paul Nero, violin, b. Hamburg, Germany. né: Kurt Nero.
1930     Eddie Noack, C&W singer-songwriter, b. Houston, TX, USA. né: D. Armona Noack
1930     Claus Ogerman, Composer, b. Ratibor, Germany
1906     Ward William Pinkett, Trumpet, b. Newport News, VA, d. March 15, 1937, New York, NY, USA
1942     Sammy Rimmington, (aka: Rimington), Clarinet, b. London, England
1949     Francis Rossi, guitar/vocals. Member group: Status Quo
1907     Tino Rossi, vocals, b. France
1934     Otis Rush, guitarist , b. Neshoba, MS, USA.
1965     Jody Sandhaus, vocalist, b. Houston, Texas, USA (based in New York city mostly)
1950     Wayne Secrest, bass guitar, b. Alton, IL, USA. Member: "Confederate Railroad"
1932     Andrew Simpkins, Bass, b. Richmond, IN, USA, d. June 2, 1999.
1936     April Stevens, vocalist , b. Niagara Falls NY, USA.
1911     Norma Louise Teagarden, pianist,b . Vernon, TX, USA, d. June 5, 1996 (Cancer). Married name: Norma Friedlander. Norma was the sister of Charlie, Cub and Jack Teagarden.
1945     Tammi Terrell, vocals, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA. d. March 16, 1970, Philadelphia, PA, USA. (Age: 24. Brain Tumor). née: Thomasina Montgomery. The duo of Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye (April 2, 1939, Washington, DC, USA, died April 1, 1984, Los Angeles, CA, USA) created some of the finest love songs ever to emerge from the Motown area. For some time, Tammy had been suffering some major Migraine headaches. Then, in 1967 she collapsed while in concert, with Marvin Gaye, at Virginia's Hampton-Sydney College, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The eight operations that Jean Terrell endured, ultimately resulted in loss of memory, partial paralysis; and finally death.
CAUTION: There is some very confusng information on Tammi Terrell. She is often mistaken for Jean Terrell, b,. Nov. 26, 1944, in Belzoni, MI, USA.
1922     "Toots" Thielmans, Harmonica/Guitar, b. Brussels, Belgium
1954     Dave Valentin, flute, b. New York, New York, USA
1942     Klaus Voorman, bass, b. Berlin, Germany. Worked with Manfred Mann, George Harrison ("All Things Must Pass") and John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band. (He also designed the covers for The Beatles "Revolver" and "Anthology" albums.)
1937     Walter "Lefty Dizz" Williams, guitar/singer-songwriter, b. Osceola, Arkansas, USA, d. Sept. 7, 1993. His stage name referred both to his left-handed guitar playing and to his youthful habit of imitating 'Dizzy' Gillespie. "Dizz" received his early music training from his father. In the later 1950s, the family moved to Kankakee, Illinois, and "Lefty" soon began to accompany various Blues artists, either as rhythm or lead guitarist. "Lefty's" home for many years was the 'Checkerboard Lounge' in Chicago. In 1960, he was first recorded (King label, as part of 'The Wallets'), but this tough, gritty Blues guitarist, later appeared on many labels including 'Black And Blue', 'JSP', 'CJ', and 'Isabel'.
1968     Carnie Wilson, vocals. Daughter of Brian Wilson (Beach Boys group). Her sister, Wendy Wilson, also sang. Member group: Wilson Phillips.
         Notable Events occuring this date include:
1935.    Leroy Carr, piano, died in Indianapolis, IN, USA. Age: 30
1967.    J. B. Lenoir, guitar, died in Urbana, IL, USA. Age: 38
1971.    Gladys Hampton, Lionel Hampton's wife and manager, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 66
1976.    'The Boss' went to visit 'the King', but wasn't allowed into the castle. Security guards forcibly removed Bruce Springsteen from Elvis Pressley's home, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee.
1981.    William "Cat" Anderson, trumpet, died in Norwalk, CA, USA. Age: 64
1981.    Jules C. Stein, label co-founder (MCA), died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 85
1982.    Jimmy Jones, piano, died in Burbank, CA, USA. Age: 63 né: James Henry Jones
1987.    Billy Johnson, guitar, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 58
1990.    Sammy Lawhorn, guitar, died in Chicago, IL, USA. Age: 54
1990.    Flo Edwards, vocals with the Ward Singers/Davis Sisters, died in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Age: 68
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
      1938  "John Silver", Jimmy Dorsey Orch. (A swinging instrumental)
      1941  "I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In A Five and Ten Cent Store)", Bobby Byrne Orch.
      1943  "Taking A Chance On Love", Benny Goodman
      1943  "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", Glen Gray and The Casa Loma Orch.
      1943  "Murder, He Says", - Dinah Shore voc.
      1951  "Mockingbird Hill" -Patti Page
      1957  "Dark Moon", Gale Storm voc.
      1959  "Come Softly to Me"- The Fleetwoods
      1967  "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon", Neil Diamond
      1967  "I Got Rhythm", Happenings
      1967  "Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)", Engelbert Humperdinck
      1972  "Nice To Be With You", Gallery