BIRTHDAYS
1926     Buddy Arnold, tenor sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, b. New York (Bronx), NY, USA, d. Nov. 9, 2003, Los Angeles, CA, USA. né: Arnold Buddy Grishaver.
1885     Lucie E. Campbell, (gospel) songwriter, b. Duck Hill, MS, USA.
1971     Christopher 'Choc' Dalyrimple, Vocals. Member group: 'Soul For Real'
1896     Rev. "Blind" Gary Davis, vocals/guitar, b. Laurens, South Carolina, USA, d. May 5, 1972, Hammonton, New Jersey, USA né: Gary D. Davis. Gary's importance in the history of Black rural music cannot be overestimated. Self-taught from the age of six, he lost his sight during his late 1920s. All during the great Economic Depression of the 1930s, he worked as a street singer in North Carolina, playing spirituals, rags, marches and square dance tunes. In 1933, he was ordained as a Baptist minister and continued to tour as a gospel preacher, while also recording several spiritual and Blues songs for the ARC label in the mid-1930s. In 1940, after moving to New York, he achieved fame on the folk circuit. Davis's playing greatly inspired other Folk artists such as Stefan Grossman, Bob Dylan, Taj Mahal, Ry Cooder and Donovan. In 1964, Davis visited the UK returning as a soloist on several other occasions. He appeared at various music festivals, including a 1968 appearance at Newport. Davis was the subject of two TV documentaries (1967 and 1970).
1887     Lawrence Duhe, Clarinet/bandleader, b. LaPlace, LA, USA. d. 1960
1971     Darren Emerson, re-mixer (hip-hop), b. Hornchurch, England. Member group: 'Underworld'
1941     Johnny Farina, guitar. b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA. Member group: 'Santo and Johnny'
1924     Sheldon Harnick, Chicago, lyricist (Fiorello, Fiddler on the Roof). Team of Jerry Bock and Harnick
1923    Percy Heath, Bass, b. Wilmington, NC. USA (raised in Philadelphia, PA). d. April. 28, 2005. Best remembered as member of the 'Modern Jazz Quartet' and 'The Heath Brothers'. A child of a musical family (his father was an amateur clarinetist and his mother sang in a church choir), Percy and his two younger brothers all became professional musicians, and eventually all worked together. As a child, Heath studied the violin and only relatively late in life took up the bass. During World War II, he entered the Army Air Corps in Alabama and was trained as a pilot, -becoming a member of the 'Tuskegee Airmen'. In 1946, while a student at Philadelphia's Granoff School of Music, he began playing bass and within a few months was performing with local Jazz bands and working as the house bassist at the Down Beat, a Philadelphia nightclub. In 1947, he and his brother Jimmy (sax/composer) relocated to New York City, and in 1950 they both joined Dizzy Gillespie's group. Shortly after, Percy and three other former Gillespie sidemen - John Lewis, Milt Jackson and the drummer Kenny Clarke - formed the 'Modern Jazz Quartet' (MJQ). From 1952 to 1974, the quartet remained constant with only one personnel change: Kenny Clarke left in 1955 and was replaced by Connie Kay. Then, when the MJQ disbanded, Percy began working with both his brothers, Jimmy and the youngest, Albert, a drummer. Where the MJQ's style of Jazz was dignified and restrained, the Heath Brothers specialized in a loose, freewheeling brand of Jazz, with Percy being more prominently featured, even playing the melody line on some numbers (often on a cello tuned like a bass, which he jokingly called a "baby bass"). In the early 1980's, the Modern Jazz Quartet reformed, and the Heath brothers rejoined. The MJQ, with the Heaths as members, continued working, with occasional hiatuses, over the next two decades. The group recorded albums for the Columbia, Concord, Antilles and Strata East labels. For the remainder of the reunited 'Modern Jazz Quartet's' existence, Percy Heath would remain the group's backbone, and upon Kay's death in 1994, was joined by his brother Albert who then became the group's drummer. When Percy announced he had enough of the grueling life of a touring musician, the MJQ members decided to disband, -doing so quietly and without fanfare. In 2004, shortly before his 81st birthday, the 'Daddy Jazz' label released an album by Percy, "A Love Song." It was his first, and only, recording as a leader, although by Percy's own count, he had played on more than 300 records. The Modern Jazz Quartet never again performed. Jackson died in 1999, Lewis in 2001, Percy Heath in 2005.
1929     Johnny Horton, C&W vocals, b. Tyler, TX, USA. d. Nov. 5, 1960, Milano, TX, USA (auto crash). In 1959, his "Battle of New Orleans" sold a million copies, and in 1960 his recording of "North to Alaska," was another million seller.
1971     Carolyn Dawn Johnson, C&W pianist/singer-songwriter/Producer, b. Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada. While still in high school she added the clarinet, flute, and saxophone, then later the mandolin and the guitar.
1960     Rodney Kendrick, Piano, b. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1948     Wayne Kramer, guitar, b. Detroit, MI, USA. Co-founder of group: 'MC5'
1944     Andy Kulberg, bass/flute, b. Buffalo, NY, USA.
1870     Franz Lehar, composer, b. Kom�om, Austria-Hungary. [now Komrno, Slovakia] d. Oct. 24, 1948, Bad Ischl, Austria.. Perhaps his greatest success was "The Merry Widow", which was first produced on December 30, 1905, at Vienna's 'Theater-an-der-Wein', and ran for more than five thousand performances. At one time five different 'Merry Widow' companies were playing in Buenos Aires, Argentina; speaking five different languages and working in five different theaters, -all running simultaneously. Another of his operettas was "Naughty Marietta"
1940     Darrell McCall, C&W Singer-Songwriter/Guitar/Bass Guitar/Actor, b. New Jasper, OH, USA
1930     Bobby Marchan, vocals. b. Youngstown, OH, USA. Worked with: Huey "Piano" Smith & 'The Clowns'
1915     Donald Mills, vocals. né: Donald Friedlich Mills. Teamed on The Mills Brothers
1933     Willie Nelson, vocals, b. Abbott Texas, USA. d. Sept. 12, 2003. né: Willie Hugh Nelson.
1953     Merrill Osmond, vocals, b. Ogden UT, USA, (Member: 'Osmond Brothers', -Donnie, Marie, and Jimmy)
1906     Hayes Pillars, Tenor Sax/Leader,b. No.Little Rock, AR, USA.
1962     Robert Earl Reynolds, C&W Guitar (Bass)/Vocals (Background), b.Kansas City, MO, USA. Member group: 'The Mavericks'
1972     J. R. Richards, vocalist, b. Santa Barbara, CA, USA. né: John Robert Richards. Member group: 'Dishwalla' was formed in the early 1990s by Richards and friends (bassist Scot Alexander, guitarist Rodney Browning, and drummer George Pendergast, -all Santa Barbara born. In 1998, they added keyboardist Jim Wood. CAUTION: DO NOT CONFUSE WITH Johnny Richards, arranger, b. November 2, 1911, Querétaro, Mexico. (Raised in Schenectady, NY, USA, where he learned to play the piano, violin, banjo, and trumpet.)
1931     "Lonesome" Jimmie Lee Robinson (aka: J.L. Latif Aliomar), Blues vocals/guitar/composer, b. Chicago, IL, USA, d. July 6, 2002, Chicago, IL, USA. (Suicide.) Best recalled for his reocodings of "Maxwell St. Teardown Blues", and "All My Life". He workded with such other musicians as Freddie King, 'Little Walter', Eddie "Playboy" Taylor, 'Magic Sam' and Jimmy Reed. Robinson shot himself after having been diagnosed with bone cancer.
1944     Richard Schoff, vocals. Member group: The Sandpipers. Best recalled for songs "Guantanamera", and "Come Saturday Morning"
1915     Mabel Scott, vocals, b. Richmond, VA, USA.
1916     Robert Shaw, vocals/leader of the Robert Shaw Chorale
1898     Lee Sims, piano, b. Champagne, IL, USA (raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa), d. May 7, 1966, New York, NY, USA (cancer). At just age 8, he was playing for a Y.M.C.A. calisthenics class in Cedar Rapids. At 11, he was playing the theatre pipe organ for silent movies. At 14, he the organist at the Majestic Theater, La Salle, Illinois. He was still a teenager when he traveled the U.S.A. demonstrating pipe organs for a local manufacturer. In 1920 (age 22), Sims settled in Chicago, IL where he began making piano rolls for the United States Piano Roll Company and other piano roll companies. He subsequently found a career as a studio manager for various radio stations, beginning with station WTAS. He next worked as studio manager of KYW, the Westinghouse station in Chicago, and then with WBBM, for the Stewart-Warner "Theatre of the Air". He was also performing on a late-night program called "Piano Moods" for NBC's Chicago affiliate, WMAQ. During this time, he founded the Lee Sims School of Music, and one of his pupils was Ilomay Bailey, who had been a vocalist with the Paul Ash and Ben Pollack orchestras. Love blossomed and marriage followed. Sims' introduction of Ilomay Bailey on his "Piano Moods" proved successful. In the 1930s, Lee and Ilomay appeared as stars on NBC's 'Chase and Sanborn Sunday Night Show', and they subsequently appearanced on Rudy Vallee's radio program, as well as on the Ben Bernie and Phil Baker shows. In 1928, his collection of "Five Piano Rhapsodies" was published, and Sims recorded two of those “Rhapsodies” for the Brunswick label. He appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra playing his symphonic tone poem, "Blythewood" (with Ferde Grofé's orchestration). Interestingly. Art Tatum's biographer James Lester described Sims's compositions as being "drawn from the same sources as Bix Beiderbecke's 'In a Mist'". As a child, Tatum had listened to Sims's radio broadcasts and later acknowledged Sims as an important influence on his musical development. Sims finished his years as a teacher in his New York studio apartment, where his lovely wife, Ilomay, also taught voice.
1917     Frankie Lee Sims, Guitar/Vocals, b. April 30, 1917, New Orleans, LA, USA, d. May 10, 1970, Dallas, TX, USA
1973     Jeff Timmons, Vocals/Producer/Vocal Arrangement/Mixing/Instrumentation. Member group: '98 Degrees', comprised of brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons.
1931     Dick Twardzik, Piano, composer, b. Danvers, MA, USA. d. Oct. 21, 1955. Paris, France.
1951     Des Tong, bass, b. Manchester, England. Member group: 'Sad Cafe', a group formed in Manchester, England in 1976 when two Manchester bands merged (Gyro and Mandella). The original line-up included Wythenshawe vocalist Paul Young, guitarists Ian Wilson and Ashley Mulford, bassist John Stimpson, Vic Emerson (keyboards) drummer Tony Creswell and Lenni (saxophone). The group ended in 1997, but Paul Young went on to enjoy success with his other projects.
1967     "Turbo B", rapper, né: Durron Maurice Butler. Member group: 'Snap'
1943     Bobby Vee, vocals, b. Fargo, ND, USA. né: Robert Thomas Velline. Biggest hit records: "Devil or Angel" and "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes".
1930     John Fenno "Billy" Ver Planck, arranger, conductor, trombone, bNorwalk, CT, USA.
1969     Clark Vogeler, Guitar/Vocals (Background). Member group: 'Toadies'
1947     Abdul Wadud, Cello, b. Cleveland, OH, USA.
1917     Bea Wain, singer/radio host (Lucky Strike Hit Parade). But, best known for her stay with the "old Dipsy Doodler" Larry Clinton's Orch.. Bea Wain (née, Beatrice Wayne) was voted most popular vocalist of 1939. (She later married Rado Announcer Andre Baruch.) Among her 'hits' are:
   Deep Purple (Mitchell Parrish lyric)
   Heart and Soul (Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser)
   My Reverie
   The Masquerade is Over.
   True Confession
   Satan Takes A Holiday
   Martha
   I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls.
   The Dipsy Doodle (named for the Carl Hubbell's Dipsy Doodle Pitch. (N.Y.Giants Baseball team)
   You Go to My Head
   Whistle While You Work
1906     Theo Wade, (gospel) vocals, b. Palestine, AR, USA. Member: 'Spirit Of Memphis'
1914     Sid Weiss, Bull Fiddle, b. Schenectady, NY, d. March 30, 1994. As a teenager, he played Tuba, Violin and Clarinet, only later turning to the double Bass. 1931 he began professional career in New York city. In 1934, played with Louis Prima. In 1935, he played with 'Adrian Rollini and His Tap Room Gang', and their recording of "Nagasaki" is still a "must hear". Also with Wingy Manone 1935 into early '36. Also in '36, he worked with Charlie Barnet and Artie Shaw. Again with Shaw '37-9, and late 1939 with Joe Marsala. During 1940-'41, he was playing with the Tommy Dorsey band, but there's not doubt that his greatest fame was recording with Benny Goodman's band 1941 - 1945. In late '45, he toured Europe with the Hal McIntyre band, returning to New York and became a Studio musician, working with such Jazzmen as PeeWee Russell (cl), Muggsy Spanier (tr) and Cozy Cole (dr.) In 1945, he worked with both Duke Ellington and Bud Freeman. In 1947 he played with Eddie Condon, Wild Bill Davison, and Joe Bushkin. While with Condon, his bass and Eddie's guitar, were often heard backing famed vocalist Lee Wiley, both of them are seen in the background of this picture. In 1954, he relocated to Los Angeles, CA. and went into semi-retirement.
1951     Ken Whiteley, guitar/producer, b. Bellefonte, PA, USA. Member: 'Original Sloth Band'
1984     Tyler Wilkinson, C&W vocals. Member group: 'The Wilkinsons'
1954     Glenn Wilson, baritone sax
             Notable Events occuring this date include:
1966.   Folk singer/songwriter Richard Farina died in a motorcycle accident in Carmel, CA, USA. Age: 29. He and his wife Mimi, Joan Baez's sister, recorded several albums. 1970.    Hall Johnson, vocals, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 82 Member: 'Hall Johnson Choir' 1982.    Lester Bangs, critic/author, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 33
1983.    Legendary Blues singer Muddy Waters died in his sleep in Westmont, IL, USA. Age: 68. né: McKinley Morganfield. (The Rolling Stones took their name from his song, "Rollin' Stone." )
1990.    DeWitt "Snuffy" Jenkins, Bluegrass banjo, died. Age: 81
1992.    Ella Tate, singer-songwriter, died in Memphis, TN, USA. Age: 57
             Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
      1944  "San Fernando Valley" - Bing Crosby
      1948  "Dickey-Bird Song, The", - Freddy Martin Orch.
      1952  "Wheel of Fortune" - Kay Starr
      1952  "Anytime" - Eddie Fisher
      1952  "Blacksmith Blues" - Ella Mae Morse
      1960  "Sixteen Reasons" - Connie Stevens
      1960  "Sink the Bismarck" - Johnny Horton
      1966  "Groovy Kind Of Love, A", Mindbenders
      1966  "When A Man Loves Woman", Percy Sledge
      1966  "How Does That Grab You, Darlin'?", - Nancy Sinatra voc
      1977  "Dreams", Fleetwood Mac
      1983  "Time (Clock Of The Heart)", Culture Club
      1983  "Don't Let It End", -Styx
      1988  "Together Forever", -Rick Astley