BIRTHDAYS
1940     Tony Allen, drummer/composer/songwriter, b. Lagos, Nigeria. Most African bandleaders have a preference for traditional drum and percussion sounds, resulting in a dearth of African full 'kit' drummers However, Nigeria's Tony Allen, along with South Africa's Louis Moholo, deservedly rank with the world's best. Tony is the man who created the "Afrobeat" while working with Fela Kuti's band.
1912     Andy Anderson, Trumpet, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d. 1982 (some sources say d. 1983).
1912     Zinn Arthur, leader, d. March 11, 2003, West Hills (Los Angeles area), CA, USA. Age: 90
1925     Bent Axen, Piano, b. Copenhagen, Denmark
1907     Gladys "Fatso" Bentley, Blues vocals, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA, Jan. 18, 1960 (flu complications). née: Gladys Alberta Bentley. Tag: "Brown Bomber of Sophisticated Songs". "Fatso" Bentley was a 300-pound bisexual male-impersonator (who, in drag, eventually married another woman). In the 1920s, she recorded for Okeh Records (10 tracks recorded in New York between August 1928 and March 1929, 8 of which were officially released by the label). In the early 1930s, this well known lesbian singer appeared at Harlem's Ubangi Club, backed by a chorus of men in drag. Her first fame came when she appeared in white tuxedo and top hat in Harry Hansberry's "speakeasy", The Clam House on 133rd Street in New York's Harlem section. (The speakeasy was later fictionalized as "The Lobster Pot" in Blair Niles' "gay" novel: 'Strange Brother'.) In 1937, she moved to Hollywood, and then to San Francisco, where she recorded 10 tracks for Excelsior Records in 1945 and a single for Flame Records in the 1950s. She played various local venues (including the lesbian Club Mona), where she was tagged as "America's Greatest Sepia Piano Artist". In her later years, she published her autobiography "I Am A Woman Again", and joined the Church renouncing her previous lifestyle.
1940     Rod Bernard, (cajun) guitar, b. Opelousas, LA, USA.
1960     Morty Black, heavy metal rock musician Member group: TNT-7 Seas.
1954     Peter Boe, piano, Member: ' Too Slim & the Taildraggers', consisting of Peter Boe (Organ, Piano), D.K. Stewart (Piano), Tom Brimm (Bass), ,Tim Langford (Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals), Chris Mercer (Saxophone), Curtis Salgado (Harmonica, Vocals), Mike Moore (Engineer), "Too Slim" (Guitar), Terry Currier ( (Background) Vocals, Executive Producer, Mixing), and John Cage (Conga drum, Drums, Vocals (Background))
1904     Lester Boone, Alto Sax, b. Tuskegee, AL, USA. d. 1989
1925     Earl Coleman, Vocalist, b. Port Huron, MI, USA, d. July 14, 1995. In 1943, sang with Jay McShann, and in 1944 with Earl Hines Orch. In 1947, accompanied by Charlie Parker's band, he recorded "This Is Always" and "Dark Shadows". He recorded with such other groups as Fats Navarro in 1948, and, in 1956, with both Art Farmer, and Sonny Rollins. He had two of his own dates for the Xanadu label (1977 and 1979) and in 1984, one for Stash Records. His main influence was vocalist Billy Eckstine, still Earl labored in relative obscurity for most of his career.
1939     Mike Cotton, Trumpet, b. London, England
1951     August Darnell, vocals. b. Montreal, Canada. né: Thomas August Darnell Browder. Member group: Kid Creole And The Coconuts. 1982 single "Annie I'm Not Your Daddy" charted UK No.2.
1961     Pete De Freitas, rock guitar/vocals
1958     Jurgen Dehmel, Member group: Nena, 1984 single "99 Red Balloons" charted UK No.1 and US No.2.
1912     Billy Douglas, Trumpet/Vocal, b. New Haven, CT, USA. d. 1978
1941     Craig Douglas, vocals, b. Newport, Isle Of Wight, England, UK. né: Terrence Perkins. 1959 single "Only Sixteen" charted UK No.1.
1934     Roy Gaines, Blues guitar, b. Waskom, TX, USA. At age six, his family moved to Houston, TX. Originally played piano, but switched to guitar while still a teen. His older brother, Grady, later played in the 'Upsetters' - the band that backed "little Richard". At age 14, Roy met 'T-Bone' Walker, and also began playing local Houston, TX clubs before before relocating to Los Angeles two years later. In L.A., he played with the Roy Milton and Chuck Willis (d. 1958) bands, and also worked occasionally with 'T-Bone' Walker before Walker died (1975). He recored only infrequently as a 'star', but did much work as a 'sideman', working with such well known stars as Stevie Wonder, Milt Buckner, Della Reese, Albert King, Harry Belafonte, Diana Ross, and Aretha Franlin. And, there were still others with whom he worked including Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, Big Mama Thornton, Coleman Hawkins, Kenny Burrell, and Jimmy Rushing. He worked Quincy Jones in movies and TV. For the movie "The Color Purple" (1985), Roy wrote "Don't Make Me No Never Mind", and even had a cameo role in the film itself. In 1998, he won the W.C. Handy award for the artist "most deserving of wider recognition". He 'rocked the house' when he appeared at the 2001 'Poconos Music Festival'.
1954     Dennis Gonzales, trumpet, b. Abilene, Texas, USA. In 1977, he relocated to Dallas, TX, where he formed his own "Daagnim" label In 1986, he began recording for the 'Silkheart' label. Gonzales is basically a 'hard bop' trumpeter.
1940     Thurman Alexander Green, Trombone, b. Longview, TX, USA. d. June 18, 1997, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
1930     Stan Grieg, Piano, b. 1930, Edinburgh, Scotland
1912     Rex Griffin, C&W singer-songwriter, b. Gadsden, AL, USA. d. Oct 11, 1959, New Orleans, LA, USA. Age: 46. (tuberculosis). né: Alsie Griffin. Among the many songs he wrote include "An Old Faded Photograph", and "The Last Letter" (1937). Among the artists who have recorded "Last Letter" are Willie Nelson, Ernest Tubb, "Asleep at the Wheel", Waylon Jennings, and Merle Haggard. Still other songs he wrote are "Everybody's Tryin' to Be My Baby", "I'm Ready to Reform", "I Told You So" (later recorded by Bob Crosby Orch),"Lovesick Blues" (1939), and "Nobody Wants to Be My Baby" He is well remembered for having composed some of the best "honky tonk" style music of his era.
1930     George Hamilton, vocals. (NOT to be confused with George Hamilton, the actor also born this day 1939, in Memphis, TN, USA.)
1965     Bon Harris, programmer/percussionist, b. Chelmsford, England. Member group: 'Nitzer Ebb'.
1961     Roy Hay, keyboards/leader/arranger, b. Southend, Essex, England, UK. Member group: 'Culture Club'.
1926     Joe Jones, vocals, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. Best recalled release: "You Talk Too Much".
1950     "Kid Creole", vocals, b. Montreal, PQ, Canada. né: Augustus Darnell Browder
1933     Rev. F. D. Kirkpatrick, (Gospel) guitar, b. Haynesville, LA, USA.
1949     Mark F. Knopfler, guitarist/singer/songwriter, b. Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Member group: 'Dire Straits'
1930     Dave Lee, Piano, b.1930, London, England
1914    Ruth Lowe,, pianist/composer, b. Toronto, Canada, d. 1981
1920     Percy Mayfield,Blues vocals/Composer, b. Minden, LA, USA. d. Aug. 11, 1984, Los Angeles, CA, USA. His beautiful blues ballad "Please Send Me Someone to Love," was a number one R&B hit in 1950. A horrific 1952 auto wreck left him facially disfigured.
1941     Dewey McPeak, vocals. member: The McPeak Brothers
1954     Pat Metheny, Guitar, b. Lee's Summit, MO, USA. Worked with David Bowie and Gary Burton. ("As Wichita Falls').
1950     Ronald David Mael, b. UK. Member group: Sparks
1949     Mark Knopfler, guitar/film composer, b. Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
1929     Buck Owens, C&W Vocals/guitar, b. Sherman, TX, USA. né: Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. Member: 'Hee Haw Gospel Quartet'
1914     Wallace "Cheese" Read, Cajun fiddler, b. Eunice, LA, USA. Kerry Blech, writing in the 'Victory Review', has said “Read was a somewhat legendary Cajun fiddler who shunned the professional circuit. His diverse influences were the Breaux family, Mayeus Lafleur, Dennis McGee, Leo Soileau, Luderin Darbone, and Bob Wills". Read was not a professional musician. He preferred to play his music at home or at parties with a few friends but a more powerful singer or more precise Cajun fiddler couldn't be found in Southwest Louisiana.
1962     John Robinson, drums, Member group: 'The Questions'
1956     Danny Shirley, (Country Rock) vocals/guitar, b. Chattanooga, TN, USA. Member: "Confederate Railroad"
1953     Jerry Speiser (aka: Spicer), drums. b. Melbourne, Australia. Member group: 'Men At Work'. 1983 single Down Under" charted UK and US No.1.
1910     Joseph Spence, guitar, b. Andros, Bahamas, d. March 18, 1984, Nassau, Bahamas. Originally a Bahamian sponge fisherman, "Joe" Spence fused native musical traditions and a potpourri of American Styles into a powerfully original brand of fingerpicking, inspiring such diverse artists as Peter Lang, Taj Mahal, and Ry Cooder. Cooder once told a critic "It all started with Joseph Spence when I was a little kid. He was one of my all-time great inspirations. When he did those bass runs, I didn't understand it. I was so mad all the time." Spence's repertory mixed hillbilly folk music, church hymns, spirituals, but also square dances, polkas, waltzes, and calypso styles. In 1944 and 1945, Spence worked in the USA, in Florida, Georgia, Carolina, Tennessee, Delaware, and then returned to the Bahamas. His wife, Louise Spence, (b. August 8, 1911, b. Cat Island, Bahamas, d. July 21, 1991, Nassau, Bahamas), was also a fine guitarist who often accompanied and recorded with her husband.
1900     Elton Island "The Za Zu Girl" Spivey, vocals, b. Galveston, TX, USA.
1939     Johnny Talbot, guitar, b. Kilgore, TX, USA.
1969     Tanita Tikaram, singer/songwriter, b. Munster, West Germany. 1988 single "Good Tradition" charted UK No.10.
1968     Paul Tucker, keyboards, Member group: Lighthouse Family
1959     Suzanne Vega, folk guitarist-singer/songwriter.
1927     Porter Wagoner, C&W Vocals, b. (near) West Plains, MO, USA. d. Oct. 28, 2007, Nashville, TN, USA. Age: 80. né: Porter Wayne Wagoner. Though he had a wonderful career of his own, the rhinestone-clad 'Grand Ole Opry' star is perhaps best recalled as the man who helped launch the career of Dolly Parton by hiring her as his duet partner. In 1955, Wagoner signed with RCA Records and joined the 'Opry' in 1957. His syndicated TV show, 'The Porter Wagoner Show', ran for 21 years from 1960. When Parton left the show in 1974, she wrote "I Will Always Love You" as a tribute to Wagoner. Among his hits, many of which he wrote or co-wrote, were "Carroll County Accident", "Skid Row Joe" and "Green, Green Grass of Home".
1941     Jennifer Warnes, vocals.
1916     "Smokey" Warren, C&W vocals/guitar, b. Phoenix, AZ, USA. Member: 'Warren Brothers'
1915     Harold "Doc" West, Drums, b. Wolford, ND, USA, d. May 4, 1951, Cleveland, OH, USA. In the early 1930s, "Doc" was in Tiny Parham's band in Chicago, IL. He also worked with the Roy Eldridge and Erskine Tate orchestras. He also ocassionally stood in for Chick Webb when Chick was touring Texas in the late '30s. In the 1940s, he played with "Hot Lips" Page's group in New York. There, he played at the famed Minton's Playhouse, and often subbed for Jo Jones with the Count Basie band. His drums could often be heard behind such men as "Slam" Stewart, Leo Watson, and Wardell Gray and saxophonist Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, as well as behind the fine guitarist, Tiny Grimes. From the mid-'40s on, "Doc" was often heard with Erroll Garner's first trio. Few people today recall that 'Doc' West's drums backed up singer Billie Holiday's wonderful rendition of "Strange Fruit", - a song about the lynchings of innocent Black men in America's rural South region. 'Doc" continued working with Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge, and died while on the road with Eldridge's band.
         Notable Events on this date include:
1966.    The Beatles began their last tour at the International Amphitheater in Chicago; IL, USA. At the time, John Lennon apologized for boasting that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ. London's Catholic Herald noted Lennon's comment was "arrogant ... but probably true."
1968.    Ben "Pops Bart, owner: Hub Records, died in New Rochelle, NY, USA. Age: 67
1968.    Birleanna Blanks, vocals, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 79 Sang with the Fletcher Henderson Orch.
1972.    Joe Britton, trombone, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 61
1984.    Guitarist Lenny Breau is strangled in Los Angeles. His body is found in a swimming pool.
1987.    John B. Brown, bass, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 81
1990.    Roy Williamson, one-half of 'The Corries' Folk duo, and writer of "Flower Of Scotland", died at his home in Forres, Scotland, UK. (Cancer)
1990.    Harry Leahey, guitarist,died (cancer) (b. Sept. 1, 1935, Plattsburg, NY, USA)
1995.    Marty Paich pianist, arranger died in Santa Ynez, California, USA.
2005.    Francy Boland, piano, composer, arranger, died in Geneva, Switserland. (cancer) (né: François Boland. (b. Nov. 6, 1929, Namur, Belgium)
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1908     "Sunbonnet Sue", - Haydn Quartet
1912     "The Grizzly Bear Turkey Trot", - Arthur Pryor's Orch. (George Botsford tune)
1912     "Frolic of The Coons", - Fred Van Eps Banjo
1913     "On The Old Front Porch", - Ada Jones and Billy Murray vocal.
1913     "Sailing Down Chesapeake Bay", - American Quartet.
1919     "Mammy of Mine", - Joseph Smith's Orch.
1927     "She's Just What The Doctor Ordered", - Six Jumping Jacks (aka: Harry Reser Orch.)
1929     "Song of The Blues", - The Knickerbockers (aka: Ben Selvin Orch.)
1930     "The Palms Of Maracaibo", - Lionel Belasco Orch.
1930     "Ezekiel Saw De Wheel", - Hall-Johnson Choir
1930     "Tomorrow Is Another Day", - Ted Wallace and his Campus Boys
1930     "My Blue Bird Was Caught In The Rain", - Sam Lanin and the Ipana Troubadors Orch.
1935     "The Girl With The Dreamy Eyes", - Anson Weeks Orch.
1940     "Once In A Lovetime", - Will Bradley Orch.
1940     "I Could Make You Care", - Will Bradley Orch.
1941     "Those Gone and Left Me Blues", - Johnny Bond and The Red River Valley Boys
1937     "An Old Flame Never Dies", - Tommy Dorsey Orch.
1935     "Whoopie Ti Yi Yea", - Walter Jenkins vocal
1935     "Old Chisholm Trail", - Walter Jenkins vocal.
1949     "You're Breaking My Heart", - The Ink Spots
1949     "Someday (You'll Want Me To Want You)", - Mills Brothers
1949     "Whispering Hope", - Jo Stafford
1957     "Mr. Lee", - The Bobbettes
1957     "In The Middle Of An Island", - Tony Bennett
1957     "Remember You're Mine", - Pat Boone
1967     "Cold Sweat (Part 1)", - James Brown
1967     "Ode To Billie Joe", - Bobbie Gentry
1967     "You're My Everything", - The Temptations
1967     "Come Back When You Grow Up", - Bobby Vee
1972     "Saturday In The Park", - Chicago
1972     "Back Stabbers", - The O'Jays
1978     "Reminiscing", - Little River Band
1989     "One", - Bee Gees
1989     "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You", - Milli Vanilli