BIRTHDAYS
1960     Peter Apfelbaum, soprano-tenor-bass sax/flute/piano/organ/drums, b Berkeley, CA, USA. Perhaps best-known as the leader of the group "Hieroglyphics".
1937     Classie Ballou, guitar, b. Elton, LA, USA.
1904    William "Count" Basie, Leader/piano/organ, b. Red Bank, NJ, USA. d. April 26, 1984, Hollywood, CA, USA. né: William Basie. He learned the piano from his mother and the organ from Fats Waller. At one time he was a theater organist at a Kansas City theater (1927). Wound up working in Benny Moten's Kansas City Orchestra; finally took over leadership of the band upon Moten's demise.
        "I don't dig that Two Beat Jive the New Orleans cats play because
        my boys and I have to have four heavy beats to a bar, and NO Cheatin'" --Count Basie.
1957     'Budgie', vocals, b. Lancashire. England, UK. né: Pete Clark. Member group: 'Siousie And The Banshees', 1983 single "Dear Prudence", charted UK No.3.
1939     James Burton, C&W guitar, b. Dubberly (near Shreveport), LA, USA. Guitarist with Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, Emmylou Harris, and many others
1968     Dina Carroll, vocals, 1993 UK No.3 single "Don't Be A Stranger" charted.
1920     Savannah Churchill,, Singer, New Orleans, LA, USA. d. 1974
1941     Tom Coster, keyboards
1895    Benny Davis, composer, b. New York, NY, USA. d. Dec. 20, 1979, Miami, FL, USA.
1971     Fred Durst, vocals. Member group: Limp Bizkit. 2001 single "Rollin'", and album 'Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water' all charted UK No.1.
1968     Bruce Eisenbeil, guitar b. Chicago, IL, USA. (raised in Plainfield, NJ)
1928     Addison Gerald Farmer, Bass, b. Council Bluffs, IA,USA, d. Feb. 20, 1963, New York, NY, USA. Age: 34. (Art Farmer's Twin Brother). During his short career, Addison worked with such men as: Charlie "Yardbird" Parker; Howard McGhee; Miles Davis; Benny Carter; with his twin bro. Art Farmer; the Benny Golson Jazztet and with Mose Allison.
1928     Arthur "Art" Farmer, trumpet/flugelhorn, b. Council Bluffs, IA, USA. d. Oct. 4, 1999, New York, NY, USA. (Cardiac Arrest). Age: 71). né: Arthur Stewart Farmer. (Art was raised in Phoenix, AZ, and was the twin brother of bassist Addison Farmer.) From 1945 to 1959 he played in several important bands, including those of Benny Carter (Bennett Lester Carter b. Aug. 8, 1907, d. July 12, 2003), Wardell Gray (1921-1955), Gigi Gryce, Lionel Hampton (April 20, 1908 - August 31, 2002), Jay McShann (James Columbus "Jay or Hootie" McShann, b. 1909, Muskogee, OK, USA.), Gerry Mulligan (Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan b. April 6, 1927, d. January 20, 1996), Johnny Otis (né: John Veliotes b. Dec. 28, 1921, Vallejo, CA, USA), and Horace Silver (né: Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver b. Sept. 2, 1928). From 1959 to 1962, he was a part of the Benny Golson (b. Jan. 25, 1929) "Jazztet". Subsequently, Farmer and Jim Hall formed a group. With the ending of the Big Bands era, and the changing musical taste of the new generation, Farmer relocated to Europe, where jazz was still appreciated. 1968 found him living in Austria and working with the 'Austrian Radio Orchestra'. Though he made Vienna his home, Farmer toured extensively to club dates and jazz festivals in London and Paris, and across Germany, Italy, Scandinavia and Switzerland. After 1977, Farmer spent equal time in Vienna and New York. Farmer was well aware of the work and commitment involved in being a full time musician, he often practiced five to seven hours a day. He was an inventive musician who believed in the "less is more" theory, conveying much in just a few notes. He eventually chose the less-showy flugelhorn over the trumpet, and later told interviewers that he found his musical voice with the flugelhorn. Only in his later career did he often record as a leader. When Farmer died in New York City, The New York Times reported that he was survived by his manager-companion, Lynne Mueller, a sister, Mauvolene, and son, Georg.
1947     Carl Giammarese, guitar/vocals. Member group: The Buckinghams, 1967 single "Kind Of A Drag" charted US No.1.
1971     Liam Howlett, keyboards. Member group: Prodigy, 1996 single "Firestarter" charted UK No.1.
1952     Glenn Hughes, Rock vocals, b. Cannock, Staffordshire, England. Member group: 'Deep Purple'. 1970 single "Black Night" charted UK No. 2.
1953     Doug James, baritone sax, b. Turlock, CA, USA. Member group: 'Roomful Of Blues'. With their performances over the last 36 years, 'Roomful of Blues' has earned critical, popular and radio success, and a legion of fans around the globe. Count Basie called them "the hottest blues band I've ever heard." DownBeat said the band is "in a class by itself." Since 1967, the band's deeply rooted, horn-driven blend of swing, rock 'n' roll, jump, Blues and soul has earned it five Grammy© Award nominations and a slew of other accolades, including four W.C. Handy Blues Awards.
1970     Marlon Jordan, trumpet. Marlon one of the seven children of musician-educator, and avant-garde saxophonist Edward "Kidd" Jordan and Edvidge Jordan, a classical pianist. A younger brother, Kent Jordan, is a flutist.
1954     Nick Kane, guitar, b. Jerusalem, GA, USA. né: Nicholas James Kane. Member group: The Mavericks. 1998 single Dance "The Night Away" charted UK No.4.
1906     Luke Kessenger, vocals, b. Kanawha County, WV, USA, d. May 6, 1944, USA. né: Luches W. Kessenger. Member: 'The Kessenger Brothers'
1930     Christiane Legrand, Vocal, b. Aix-Les-Bains, France
1926    Carolyn Leigh, Lyricist, b. New York, NY, USA, d. Nov. 19, 1983, New York, NY, USA
1868     Sylvester "Vess" Louis Ossman, banjo, b. Hudson, NY, USA. d. Dec. 8, 1923, Minneapolis, MN, USA. Tag: "The Banjo King". The following is Excerpted from liner notes to 'G.E. 31 Vess L. Ossman 5 String Banjo 1900-1916 CD'
"In 1880 he began to study the banjo. After a couple of teachers, in 1886 he met with E. M. Hall who was a renowned banjoist,and together they engaged in professional work. Ossman said to Walter Jacobs, the publisher of the Cadenza magazine, that 1888 was his peak year. By the 1890s he became the best selling maker of banjo records. In the 1896 Columbia catalog of cylinder recordings there were 15 of his songs listed. Ossman had the honor of appearing before President Theodore Roosevelt, with whom he scored a big hit with "Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight". In 1903 or 1904. he entertained King Edward VII in two command performances. While in England he played at the Palace, Tivoli & Alhambra theaters as well as other famous music halls. In the course of his career he performed with other celebrated banjoists such as Parke Hunter (Jack Tar March on this CD), then William "Bill" Farmer. In 1904 he formed his 'Ossman Banjo Trio' with Hunter & Farmer. In 1906 the Ossman-Dudley Trio (banjo, mandolin and harp-guitar) was formed and they recorded dozens of titles for Columbia & Victor records. Vess Ossman was a friend of Clifford Essex and in his studio they were joined by other English luminaries such as Charlie Rogers, Joe Morley & Burt Earle. In an interview published at the time, Vess said: I'm addicted to grace notes & appoggiaturas, and like to play them on the 5th string, because it is so taut". .........Thomas E. Gylnn was another of the many banjoists, with whom Ossman collaborated. Vess L. Ossman died .......one week after appearing for a charity at a theater in Minneapolis, where he had taken ill."
The liner notes credit: Except where the Cadenza is mentioned, the majority of the information was derived from a December 1951 article from the series called "The Banjo in America", written by W. M Brewer, for the B. M. G. magazine in London, England. W. M. Brewer was an extraordinary banjo historian, having in his possession or having access to the S.S. Stewart Banjo & Mandolin journals printed in the late 19th century among all the rare documents he perused. This B.M.G. magazine that is the foundation of this biography is from the J. McNaughton collection, who was the last editor of that magazine. (FFSI archives)
1965     Leon Parker, drums
1943     George Rains, drums, b. Fort Worth, TX, USA. Member: 'Antone's' house band Anyone who loves the Blues, knows the name Clifford Antone In 1975, Clifford Antone, with his driving passion for the Blues genre, created the legendary Austin, Texas nightclub that featured performers like Clifton Chenier, 'Sunnyland Slim', B.B. King, 'Fats' Domino, John Lee Hooker and 'Muddy' Waters, among many others. It was Clifford's first house band, 'The Fabulous Thunderbirds', who started those magical Monday nights. The joint really jumped, but when Clifford moved Antone's to a north location a few years later (due to the club's growing popularity), that popularity waned. Even though acts such as 'Asleep at the Wheel', Jerry Lee Lewis, and Ray Charles appeared. the 6th Street's club scene tempted the crowds to stay downtown. In the late 1970s, Antone's doors closed sending the 'Blues Monday' crowd to 'The Rome Inn'. In the early 1980's, 'The Rome Inn' closed, and 'Antone's' re-opened closer to its original home reviving the Monday night Blues party tradition. For almost all of Antone's 25 years, Derek O'Brien, was the Blue Monday House Band regular guitarist. He later recalled that "George Rains (was) on drums, Sarah Brown on bass, Denny Freeman on guitar, Mel Brown on organ, and me -- and usually Kim Wilson. Larry Fulcher, Charlie Sexton, Ian Moore, Mike Buck, Kaz Kazanoff, Jon Blondell, Angela Strehli, Frosty, and dozens of others have played off and on throughout the years. Kim (Wilson) and Stevie (Steve Ray Vaughn) especially just loved to play and would play all night. The music held everyone together... because it sure wasn't the money." (The late Stevie Ray Vaughn once said of Antone's, "The best music I've ever heard was at Antone's, and some of the best music I've ever played was there.")
1921     Uan Rasey, trumpet, b. Glasgow, Montana, USA. Uan Rasey was with MGM studios from 1949 until 1974. He was Billy May's band manager and section man, and over the years, has taught many important players.
1939     Harold Reid, vocals, b. Augusta County, VA, USA. Member: 'The Statler Brothers' vocal group.
1917     Rodney Richardson, bass/guitar, b. New Orleans, LA, USA, d. Oct. 29, 2005, Modesto, CA, USA. Age: 88. Richardson came from an artistic and musical family. His brother, James "Beans" Richardson is a bassist living in Detroit (2005), who worked with singer Aretha Franklin during her first years as a professional vocalist. (She began with a Jazz trio in which "Beans" was the bassist.) In the 1930s, Rodney, then playing bass and doubling on guitar, worked with various Tennessee territory bands, such as the 'Royal Knights' and the 'Georgia Boys'. In 1943, he was playing with the Harlan Leonard orchestra that toured to California, and where Richardson later worked with pianist Art Tatum. However, Richardson will always be recalled for his fine playing, from 1943 to'47, with the Count Basie orchestra. Art Tatum had recommended him to Basie as a replacement for the departing Walter Page. While working for Basie, Richardson also recorded with a variety of small-groups including the 'Kansas City Seven', Lucky Thompson, Herbie Fields, Roy Eldridge, and Lester Young. With the ending of the 'Big Bands Era', Richardson like other musicians faded from the spotlight. Occasionally, he worked with pianist Erroll Garner, the Tiny Grimes band, and with Duke Burrell's Louisiana Shakers in the 1970s. Eventually, he settled in Modesto, California, where he gigged locally, and died just 11 days before his 88th birthday. Famed drummer Ed Thigpen, after a concert in Modesto, once said that his family, James Moody's family, Leontyne Price's family, and Rodney's family all lived "across the street and down from each other" in Laurel, Mississippi. Richardson never led his own record date.
1938     Kenny Rogers, vocals, b. Houston, TX, USA. né: Kenneth Donald Rogers) also worked with 'The New Christy Minstrels'; 'The First Edition'.
1957     Kim Sledge, vocals, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA. Member group: 'Sister Sledge'. 1979 single "We Are Family" charted US No. 2, and 1985 with "Frankie" charted UK No. 1.
1954     Steve Smith, drums. Member group: 'Journey'. 1981 Their single "Who's Crying Now" charted US No. 14.
1952     Joe Strummer guitar/vocals, b. Ankara, Turkey. d. Dec. 22, 2002. né: John Graham Mellor. Member group: 'The Clash'. 1991 single "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" charted UK No. 1. (It was first released 1982)
1944     Bob Summers, trumpet, flugelhorn, b. Sacramento, CA, USA.
1949     Malachi Thompson, trumpet/composer/bandleader/writer/Jazz historian, b. Princeton, Kentucky, USA, d. July 16, 2006, Chicago, IL, USA.(leukemia, which had been in remission for almost 20 years) Thompson's jazz roots were on Chicago's South Side. In 1968, he joined the influential Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) playing the music of Henry Threadgill and Richard Muhal Abrams. In 1968, he became a member of Dr. M.L. King's Operation Breadbasket Orchestra, the musical arm of SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) working for civil rights for African Americans. In 1974, after completing work for a degree in Music Composition, Thompson was encouraged to move to New York City by jazz legend Art Blakey. In Hew York, he performed with many of the greatest names in jazz including Joe Henderson, Sam Wooding, Jackie McLean, Frank Foster, Leon Thomas, Sam Rivers, Lester Bowie, and Archie Shepp, Billy Harper and Oliver Lake, David Murray, and many others. In 1978, he formed the highly acclaimed Freebop Band. After 10 years in New York, he moved to Washington D.C., and later to Vienna, Austria, where he performed and composed for various bands. In 1989, Thompson was diagnosed with cancer and returned to his native Chicago. Malachi was a fine trumpet player, composer, writer, jazz historian, and a highly influential advocate for jazz and arts education. As part of the 2nd generation of AACM, Malachi Thompson was best known for his innovative approach in combining free jazz with bop, the blues and gospel.
1924     Clara Ward, Gospel singer, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA.
1918     James T. Wise, bass/clarinet, d. Aug. 15, 2002, Gary, IL., USA. Best recalled for his work with the Duke Ellington orch.
1914     Walter Yoder, bassist, b. Hutchinson, KS, USA, d. Dec. 3, 1978, Los Angeles County, USA. né: Walter Eli Yoder. Walt turned to the Bass in his teens after having first played the piano. Early in his professional career, he played with the Joe Haymes, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, and Isham Jones orchestras. When Isham disbanded, in 1936, some of Isham's players formed their own (cooperative) band which included Woody Herman, flugelhornist Joe Bishop, bassist Walt Yoder, drummer Frank Carlson and trombonist Neil Reid. In 1942, Yoder left Herman to settle in California. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he worked regularly with Ben Pollack Bob Crosby, Russ Morgan, and Gordon Jenkins. All during the 1970s, he free-lanced.
         Notable Events on this date include:
1973.     Bill Harris, trombonist with Woody Herman died, Hallandale, FL, USA. (b. Oct. 28, 1916, Philadelphia, PA, USA)
1975.     Sam Mcgee, Country guitarist, died in Franklin, TN, USA. Age: 81 (Tractor accident on his farm).
1976.     RCA Victor Records announced that sales of Elvis Presley records had passed the 400 million mark.
1977.     "Tarheel Slim", guitarist, died in New York (Bronx), NY, USA. Age: 52. Member: 'The Larks'
1980.     Vocalist Linda Ronstadt made her Broadway debut in the production of Gilbert and Sullivan's, "The Pirates of Penzance".
1984.     Philip Moore III, piano/arranger, died in Oakland, CA, USA. Age: 45. Played with Sonny Stitt
1985.     Hoyle Nix, C&W fiddler/bandleader/songwriter, died. Age 87.
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1908     "If You'll Remember Me", - Henry Burr voc. (Olcott/Ball tune from Ragged Robin
1923     "Shake It and Break It", - Vic Myer's Hotel Butler Orch.
1923     "Mean Mean Mama", - Vic Myer's Hotel Butler Orch.
1924     "You'll Never Get To Heaven With Those Eyes", - Fletcher Henderson Orch.
1925     "Pardon Me While I Laugh", -The Happiness Boys (Billy Jones and Ernie Hare).
1925     "Footloose", - Carl Fenton Orch.
1925     "Milenberg Joys", - Cotton Pickers Orch. (Rappolo/Mares/Morton tune)
1929     "For Just A Little Love From You", - Helen Savage voc. with King Oliver Orch.
1929     "Farewell Blues", - Ted Lewis Orch. (Schoebel/Mares/Rappolo tune)
1929     "Wabash Blues", - Ted Lewis Orch. (Meinken/Dave Ringle tune)
1931     "Guilty", - Ted Wallace and his Campus Boys.
1931     "Life Is Just A Bowl of Cherries", - Ted Wallace and his Campus Boys.
1933     "Marching Along Together", - Ben Bernie and All The Lads.
1934     "A New Moon Is Over My Shoulder", - Connee Boswell vocal.
1934     "I Only Have Eyes For You", - Arden and Ohman Twin Pianos
1934     "Love In Bloom", - Arden and Ohman Twin Pianos
1936     "Love Me Or Leave Me", - Benny Goodman Orch.
1936     "Moonglow", - Benny Goodman Orch. (Hudson/DeLange/Mills tune)
1936     "St. Louis Blues", - Benny Goodman Orch. (W.C.Handy)
1936    " Bugle Call Rag", - Benny Goodman Orch. (recorded in Hollywood. Arr. Jimmy Mundy)
1938     "Ain�t Misbehavin", recording BY Fats Waller.
1939     "Old Mill Wheel", - Gray Gordon and His Tic Toc Rhythm Orch.
1939     "Just For A Thrill", - Gray Gordon and His Tic Toc Rhythm Orch.
1939     "It's Funny To Everyone But Me", - Gray Gordon and His Tic Toc Rhythm Orch.
1941     "Lament To Love", - Harry James
1942     "My Devotion", - Jimmy Dorsey
1942     "Idaho", - Benny Goodman
1945     "Boogie Blues", - Gene Krupa Orch.
1945     "Just A Little Fond Affection", - Gene Krupa Orch.
1961     "Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)", - Barry Mann
1961     "Take Good Care Of My Baby", - Bobby Vee
1965     "In Crowd, The", - Ramsey Lewis
1965     "Heart Full Of Soul", - The Yardbirds
1965     "It Ain't Me Babe", - Turtles
1971     "Go Away Little Girl", - Donny Osmond
1971     "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", - Paul McCartney
1976     "If You Leave Me Now", - Chicago
1982     "You Can Do Magic", - America
1982     "Somebody's Baby", - Jackson Browne