BIRTHDAYS
1956     Rick Aitken, guitar. b., d. Oct 11, 1989, Age: 33. Member group: 'A Witness'.
1908     William "Bill" James Apps, saxes/clarinet/bass clarinet/flute/piccolo, b. Wells, Kent-UK, d. April, 1993, London, UK.
1939     Molly Bee,, C&W vocals, b. Oklahoma City, OK, USA. (Raised in Beltbuckle, TN) né: Molly Beachboard. At just age 13, Bee signed with Capitol Records, who released her first single, "Tennessee Tango." However, it was the late 1952 release of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," that was her first major success. In the early 1960s, Bee began acting in several musical plays ('The Boy Friend', 'Finian's Rainbow', 'Paint Your Wagon') and movies ('Chartreuse Caboose', 'The Young Swingers'), as well as becoming a fixture in Las Vegas, NV. By the late 1960s, Bee had fallen prey to drug addiction. After a hiatus of several years off the road, she rebuilt her life and re-emerged in 1975 with release of "Good Golly Ms. Molly". Molly remains a popular concert draw.
1953     David Benoit, piano/keyboards/arranger, b. Bakersfield, CA, USA. Phil Benoit, David's younger brother, currently (2004) leads his own band ('Benoit JazzWorks') that features his Hawaiian born wife, Angela, as vocalist. (She has a lovely voice, and has studied under different coaches.) The band is homebased in Hawaii. Early training for both men came from their father, Robert, then a working Jazz guitarist in Los Angeles. David studied composition and piano at El Camino College (CA) and, in 1975, played on the soundtrack of the film Nashville. David plays a fairly light melodic music line, some call it "contemporary jazz", but critic Alex Henderson has dubbed David's style as "new age with a beat"
1940     Bryan Bowers, (Bluegrass) Autoharp, b. Yorktown, VA, USA.
1903     Lucienne Boyer, vocalist, b. Paris (Montparnasse Quarter), France, d. Dec. 6, 1983. Paris, France. née: Émilienne-Henriette Boyer. Her soldier father was killed during WWI, and she was working in a munitions factory to help the family get along. By age 16, she was modeling by day, and singing in local cabarets at night. Finding work as an office assistant in a prominent Paris theatre opened the door for her, and within a few years, she was cast as Lucienne Boyer, singing in major Parisian music halls. In 1927, American impresario Lee Shubert (1873-1953) heard her singing at a concert by another great French singer, Félix Mayol, and offered her a contract to come to America. Boyer spent the next nine months singing on Broadway, in New York City. Throughout the 1930s, she returned numerous times to perform on Broadway, as well as visiting South America. In 1939, she married French cabaret singer Jacques Pills (of the duo team 'Pills et Tabet'. Jacques was Jewish, and he had a difficult time during WWII, when the Nazis occupied France). Their successful marriage produced one daughter, Jacqueline, (b. April 23, 1941), who later also became a very successful singer (she won the 1960 Eurovision Song Contest). Throughout World War II, Lucienne Boyer continued to perform in France. After Allied Forces liberated France, she resumed her career, actively performing for the next thirty years. At the age of 73, she sang with her daughter at the famous Paris Olympia and appeared on several French television shows. Forty years earlier, in 1933, she had already made a large number of recordings for Columbia Records (of France), one of which was destined to become her signature song, "Parlez-moi d'amour". (Written by Jean Lenoir, 1891-1976). The song later won the Academie du Disque Francais' first-ever Grand Prix du Disque.
1944     Oscar Brashear, trumpet, b: Chicago, IL, USA
1939     Maxine Brown,, vocals, b. Kinston, NC, USA.
1934     Ronnie Carroll, vocals, b. Belfast, Northern Ireland. né: Ronald Cleghorn. Ronnie did have two UK Top Twenty hits, and was even chosen to represent Great Britain in the European Song Contest where he came in fourth singing 'Ring-A-Ding-Girl'. Eventually, with no more hits, a failed overseas business venture, and a broken marriage, he went into show business management.
1908     Augustus "Zinky", Cohn, Piano, b. Oakland, CA, USA, d. April 26, 1952, Chicago, IL, USA. Played with Roy Palmer 1928/Don Pasquall/Jimmy Noone 1929-31 / Erskine Tate 1932/Eddie South/Ethel Waters 1944
1930     Charles Raymond "Chuck" Connors, Trombone, b. Maysville, KY, USA, d. Dec. 11, 1994, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Played with Dizzy Gillespie/Duke Ellington.
1943     Sarah Dash,, vocals, b. Trenton, NJ, USA. Member: 'The Bluebelles'
1939     Huelyn Duvall,, rockabilly vocals, b. Garner, TX, USA.
1879     Gus Edwards, Composer/Vaudevillian, b. Hohensalza, Germany, d. Nov. 7, 1945, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
1950     Dennis Elliott, drums, b. London, England. Member group: 'Foreigner', 1985 single "I Want To Know What Love Is" charted both UK and US No.1 .
1959     Ronnie Garvin, guitar, b. Charleston, SC, USA, d. Oct. 7, 1996, suicide (shot himself). Member group: Stranger. Best recalled songs "Swamp Woman" and "Wrong Side Of The Tracks".
1967     Blas Elias Gomez, rock drums/vocals, b. Kennedy, TX, USA. Member group: Slaughter. (Band: Mark Slaughter vocals/guitar/keyboards; Dana Strum: bass guitar/vocals; Tim Kelly: lead guitar/vocals; .Blas Elias: drums/vocals.)
1926     Bruce Athol Gray, Reeds/Flute/Leader/Arranger, b. Adelaide-SA, Australia. Played with: Bob Wright/Bill Munro/Colin Taylor/Mal Badenoch/Bob Badenoch/Malcolm Bills/Southern Jazz Group/All Star bands/Alex Frame/Bob Wright/Geoff Ward/John Malpas/Max Dickson/Jim McKenzie/played support during Dave Brubeck's first tour, others
1949     Nigel Griggs, Bassist, b. New Zealand. Member group: 'Split Enz'. Currently resides in Australia.
1873    Otto Harbach, Lyricist, b. Salt Lake City, UT, USA, d. Jan. 24, 1963, New York, NY, USA. (Among his hit songs are "Yesterdays", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "Love Nest").
1945     Barbara Ann Harris, vocals, b. Elizabeth City, NC, USA. Member group: 'The Toys' ("A Lover's Concerto").
1943     Edwin R. Hawkins,, (gospel) piano, b. Oakland, CA, USA
1945     Nona Hendryx, vocals, b. Trenton, NJ, USA. Member: 'The Bluebells'
1918     Cisco Houston, Guitar, b. Willington, DE, USA, d. April 25, 1961, San Bernardino, CA, USA. né: Gilbert Vandine Houston. Though best remembered as a traveling companion and harmony vocalist for Woody Guthrie, Houston was equally influential as a folk singer in his own right.
1921     Lee Jackson,, guitar, b. Jackson, MS, USA.
1906     Curtis Jones, piano, b. Naples, TX, USA.
1896     Charlie Kunz, Leader/piano, b. Allentown, PA, USA, d. March 17. 1957, London, UK
1920     Donald Douglas "Don" Lamond, Drums, b. Oklahoma City, OK, USA. d. Dec. 23, 2003, Orlando, Florida, USA. (malignant brain tumor). Lamond was born in Oklahoma City, but grew up in the Washington, D. C. area and studied at Philadelphia's famed Peabody Conservatory. In 1943, he made his professional debut with Sonny Dunham, and developed his own style playing with the Boyd Raeburn Orchestra in 1944. In 1945, he joined (Woody) 'Herman's Herd replacing drummer Dave Tough. After it broke up, he freelanced with Parker, performed with Benny Goodman and Quincy Jones and appeared on television shows with Steve Allen and Perry Como. Lamond became a popular session drummer in New York City, playing traditional Jazz with Bob Crosby and Ruby Braff; Swing with Benny Goodman and be-bop with Stan Getz and Zoot Sims. In the 1970's, he moved to Orlando and played at the 'Top of the World' nightclub at Walt Disney World where he accompanied such stars as Rosemary Clooney, Mel Torme and Peggy Lee. Don was still playing well at age 77. Played at 1998 IAJRC annual Convention in Sarasota FL. Still, curiously, he was perhaps best known as a Los Angeles television personality (on KTTV Channel 11 as host of Stooges shorts). Lamond was the Son-in-law to "Stooge" Larry Fine, and hosted "The Three Stooges" local Television show in Los Angeles, California (which helped in the resurgence of The Three Stooges popularity).
1905     Enoch Light, Leader/Composer/Record Producer, b. Canton, OH, USA, d. July 31, 1978, Redding, CT. age 70. Among the songs that Enoch composed are: "Big Band Bossa"; "Daniel Boone"; "Cinderella"; "Rio Junction"; "The Daddy Of Them All"; "Private Eye Suite"; "Via Veneto"; and "Carribe". He worked with such vocalists as: Jerry Baker; Peggy Mann; and Bunny O'Dare
1940     Adam Makowicz, Piano, b.1940, Hnojnik (nr. Prague), Czechoslovakia. Worked with Ben Webster; Michal Urbaniak and Jan Garbarek.
1954     Jody Maphis,, 12-Strings guitar/drums/backing vocals. Member: "Earl Scruggs Revue".
1945     Vince Melouney, guitar, b. Sydney, Australia. Member group: Bee Gees
1919     Frank Parker, Drums, b.1919, New Orleans, LA, USA, d. Jan. 23, 2001.
1918     Hank Penny, 'Western Swing' vocals/leader/guitar, b. Birmingham, AL, USA. d. April 17, 1992, USA. né: "Herbert Clayton Penny.
1930     Johnny Preston, C&W Sax/vocals, b. Port Arthur, TX, USA. né: John Preston Courville. 1960 single "Running Bear" charted both US and UK No.1.
1918     Ola Belle Reed, banjo/singer/composer, b. Lansing, NC, USA, d. Aug. 16, 2002, At an early age she learned to pick the banjo and was soon writing songs about her life in the mountain area of North Carolina. During the Great Economic Depression of the 1930s, she, and her brother Alex, moved to Baltimore, MD, where she was soon performing on radio stations across that state. In 1954, together with her husband, Bud, she founded the popular music venue, "The New River Ranch". Over the years, she composed over two hundred songs, including, "High on a Mountain", and "The Leading Role". She is the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Award.
1938     Allen Reynolds,, record company executive/songwriter/producer, b. Little Rock, AR, USA.
1956     Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, drums, best known for his work with "Weird Al Yankovic Band".
1918     Eddie Shu, Tenor-Alto Sax/flute/clarinet/Vocals/Trumpet/arranger/harmonica/accordion, b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA, d. July 4, 1986, Tampa, FL, USA. (Cancer). . né: Edward Shulman. Worked with Gene Krupa's Orchestra in the 1950's and with Louis Armstrong's All Stars in the 1960's. Age: 68. As a child, Shu studied violin and guitar. He began his professional career working in 'Cappy Barra's Harmonica Band', but the instruments he played in Jazz groups were tenor and alto saxophone, clarinet and trumpet, - as well as harmonica. He was also a ventriloquist and a singer. He also played in groups led by Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich and George Shearing.
1928     "Barkin'" Bill Smith, vocals, b. Cleveland, MS, USA.
1957     Ron Stryker, guitar/vocals, b. Melbourne, Australia. Member group: 'Men At Work'
1923     Jack Osman Thomson, Reeds/Clarinet/Piano, b. Toowoomba-Qld, Australia. Played with: Al Hammett/Ernest Ritte's New Diggers/Eddie Colburn / Charlie Lees/Jim Somerville 1950/Cascades/Canecutters/Varsity Five/Vern Thomson
1925     Sonny Til, vocals, b. Baltimore, MD, USA, d. Dec. 9, 1981, (cardiac arrest). né: Earlington Carl Tilghman. Member group: 'The Orioles'.
1967     Tracy Tracy, vocals, b. Australia. née: Tracy Cattell. Member grooup: 'The Primitives', 1988 single "Crash" charted UK No.5.
1944     Carl Wayne, guitar, b. Birmingham, England. Member group: The Move. One of the most successful bands to appear in the USA during "The British Invasion" of 1966-1972.
1918     Vivian Weaver, piano/organ, b. Cleveland, OH, USA. Played with Noble Sissle
1955     Steve Wilkinson, (Country) vocals/songwriter, b. Belleville, Ontario, Canada. Member: "The Wilkinson's", the three Wilkinson are father Steve, and siblings Amanda and Tyler
           Notable Events on this date include:
1937.    Radio Station W1X0J, (later WGTR), in Boston, MA, received America's first FM radio construction permit. The station went on the air two years later.
1949.    Paul Mares, trumpet, died 1949,. Age: 49. (lung cancer) (b. June 15, 1900, New Orleans, LA, USA )
1973.    Jazz drummer Gene Krupa, a jazz and big band legend, played for the last time with members of the original Benny Goodman Quartet. Krupa died October 16, 1973.
1974.    John H. Jr.Anderson, trumpet, died in Birmingham, AL, USA. Age: 53. Played with Tiny Bradshaw
1976.    The first issue of legendary punk fanzine, "Sniffin' Glue" is published.
1984.    Marshall M. Jones, piano/drums, died in St. Louis, MO, USA. Played with Ike Turner Age: 41
1991.    Clarence Hutchenrider, clarinet, saxophone, died
1994.    Charles Redland, saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, vibes, xylophones, accordion, composer, arranger, leader, died in Saltsjöbaden, Nacka, Stockholms län, Sweden. (b. July 7, 1911, Södertälje, Stockholms län, Sweden )
2004.    Joe Dodge, drummer, with Dave Brubeck in 1950s, died
           Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1908    "The Widow Dooley", - Ada Jones and Len Spencer.
1918    "The Calicoco Foxtrot", - Joeseph Smith Orch.
1918    "K-K-K-Katy", - Billy Murray vocal.
1922    "Positively Mr Gallagher", - Gallagher and Shean vocal duet.
1926    "Ting-A-Ling, The Bells'll Ring ", - Fred Rich and his Orch.
1931    "I Don't Want Love", - DeBroy Somers Orch. (He used the Ben Selvin Orch.)
1934    "Two Cigarettes", - Joe Morrison Orch.
1936    "Love Will Tell", - Eddie Duchin Orch.
1936    "I'm Talking Through My Heart", - Eddie Duchin Orch.
1936    "Night In Manhattan", - Eddie Duchin Orch.
1937    "Caravan", - Bunny Berigan Orch. (Ellington/Tizol tune)
1937    "Study In Brown", - Bunny Berigan Orch. (Larry Clinton tune)
1937    "Why Talk About Love", Bunny Berigan Orch. (Sidney Mitchell/Lew Pollack tune)
1937    "You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming", - Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians
1937    "My Swiss Hill Billy", - Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians
1938    "Monday Morning", - Hal Kemp Orch.
1941    "Stardust", - Dinah Shore Vocal, with acc. by Paul Laval Orch.
1941    "Chloe", - Dinah Shore Vocal, with acc. by Paul Laval Orch.
1941    "Lady Of The Evening", - Paul Laval Orch.
1941    "Bach Goes To Town", - Paul Laval Orch.
1950    "I'll Never Be Free", - Kay Starr
1950    "No Other Love", - Jo Stafford
1954    "Skokiaan", - Ralph Marterie
1956    "Canadian Sunset", - Andy Williams
1958    "Devoted To You", - The Everly Brothers
1958    "Tears On My Pillow", - Little Anthony & The Imperials
1958    "Susie Darlin'", - Robin Luke
1962    "Ramblin' Rose", - Nat King Cole
1973    "We're An American Band", - Grand Funk Railroad
1973    "That Lady (Part 1)", - Isley Brothers
1973    "Loves Me Like A Rock", - Paul Simon
1979    "Sail On", - Commodores
1984    "Cover Me", - Bruce Springsteen
1990    "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven", - Phil Collins
1990    "My, My, My", - Johnny Gill
1990    "Oh Girl", - Paul Young