BIRTHDAYS
1947     Rex Allen Jr., C&W vocals, b. Chicago, IL, USA.
1929     Danny Barcelona, drums, b. Honolulu (Waipahu), Hawaii, USA, .d. April 1, 2007, Monterey Park, CA, USA. (complications of cancer) aka: : "The Little Hawaiian Drummer Boy". Perhaps best recalled as Louis Armstrong's drummer for 15 years. At just age 18, and still in high school, this self taught drummer was already playing music with trombonist, singer, and bandleader Trummy Young. In the early 1950s, Barcelona joined Young's Hawaii All-Stars, later assuming leadership of a sextet known as the Hawaiian Dixieland All-Stars - when Young left to join Louis Armstrong’s combo. In 1952. Barcelona toured the Hawaiian Islands, and the Far East. In the fall of 1957, Barcelona moved to New York City, where in February 1958 (helped by Trummy Young), he became a part of Armstrong's All-Stars band, replacing retiring drummer Barrett Deems. Barcelona toured the world with Armstrong,, and recorded over 130 times with him. With Armstrong's demise on July 3, 1971, Barcelona returned to Hawaii and became a permanent performer at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel, where he played with Bernie Halmann and Melveen Leed. He also worked for many years at Harry's Music Store and the Easy Music Center. In 1979, Barcelona moved to Monterey Park, California.
1970     Brian Berkowitz, keyboard, b. Belleville, NJ, USA. Worked with Junior Wells.
1918     Kjeld Bonfils, Piano/Vibes, b. Copenhagen, Denmark, d. Oct. 13, 1984 Denmark.
1938     Mike Burt, rock guitar/vocals. Member groups: 'The Rebel Rousers', 'Chas & Dave'. 1982 single "Ain't No Pleasing You" charted UK No.2.
1924     Wynona Carr, piano/songwriter, b. Cleveland, OH, USA.
1959     Bruno Chevillon, bass, b. France.
1949     Paul "Woody Paul" Chrisman, C&W fiddle, b. Nashville, TN, USA. Member: "Riders In The Sky", originally comprised of lead singer "Ranger Doug" (né: Douglas Bruce Green, b. March 20, 1946, Great Lakes, IL, USA), Woody Paul (né: Paul Woodrow Chrisman) on fiddle and vocals, "Too Slim" (né: Frederick Owen LaBour, b. June 3, 1948, Grand Rapids, MI, USA, string bass and guitar), -and since the mid-'90s, "Cowpolka King" Joey Miskulin on accordion. Before forming the band, the Michigan-born "Ranger Doug" was a member of 'Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys' and was also a country music journalist, working at the Country Music Foundation Press as editor of the 'Journal of Country Music'. Chrisman had previously played with 'Loggins & Messina' while 'Too Slim' was a songwriter who had played with Dickey Lee's band.
1928     Gilbert Lloyd "Gil" Coggins, piano, b. New York City, NY, USA, d. Feb. 15, 2004
1959     Edwyn Collins, vocals, b. Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Member: 'Orange Juice'. 1995 single "A Girl Like You" charted UK No.4.
1961     Dean Deleo, guitar. Member group: Stone Temple Pilots
1934     Raul de Souza, trombone, b: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1892     Valdemar Eiberg, Alto Sax/Leader, b. Kolding, Denmark, d. 1965
1932     Jack Earls, C&W vocals/guitar, b. Woodbury, TN, USA. Sun recording artist,
1932     "Little" Jimmy Dempsey, C&W Singer-Songwriter/Guitar, b. Atlanta, GA, USA. né: James Clifford Dempsey. Did you know that Jimmy has 35 instrumental solo guitar albums to his credit. As well as playing on Country records, he has appeared on more Gospel releases than any other guitarist, racking up over 500 recordings. He also played on recordings by Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carol Channing and the Harmonicats, to name but a few.
1921     Carl Erca, Bandleader/trumpet, b. Omaha, NB, USA, d. Nov. 1, 1999, Rowayton, CT, USA. (Pancreatitis). Brother in law of Felix Mayerhofer (trombonist)- Carl married Felix's sister Scottee Marsh, who also sang with Carl's band. Carl had played with Orrin Tucker and Bernie Cummins. He also had his own band for years at the famous Log Cabin, in Armonk, NY, USA.
1937     Jesse Green, drums, b. Delhi, LA, USA Worked with Otis Rush.
1942     Roger Greenaway, vocals, b. Taupo, New Zealand. Member: 'Blue Mink' (Band Members: Paul Robinson, Tim Parsons, Matthew Brown, Hinemoa Greenaway) . 1970 single "Melting Pot" charted UK No. 3.
1953     Bobby G. (Gubby), vocals. b. London, England, UK. Member group: 'Bucks Fizz'. 1981 single "Making Your Mind Up" charted UK No.1 (12 other UK top 40 singles).
1896     Wendell Hall, vocals, guitar, ukulele, composer, b. St. George, KS, USA, d. April 2, 1969, Fairhope (or Mobile), Alabama, USA. né: Wendell Woods Hall
1951     Mark Hudson, vocals/comedian, b. Portland, OR, USA.
1951     Jimi Jamison, vocals. Member group: Cobra, Survivor. 1982 single "Eye Of The Tiger" charted US and UK No. 1.
1912     Gene Kelly, dancer/vocals/actor, b. Pittsburgh, PA, USA, d. Feb. 2, 1996, Los Angeles (Beverly Hills), CA, USA. (complications from two strokes). né: Eugene Curran Kelly.
1936     Ruth Kelly, Member group: 'The Drifters'. 1960 single "Save The Last Dance For Me" charted US No.1 and UK No.2.
1941     Bunny Lee, vocals, b. Jamaica, BWI. né: Edward O'Sullivan Lee.
1936     Rudy Lewis, vocals, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA. Member: 'The Drifters'
1894     John Lindsay, Bass, trombone, b. Algiers (near New Orleans), LA, USA. d. 1950, Chicago, IL, USA. Worked with "Harlem Hamfats'
1936     German Luk'yanov, Trumpet, composer, b. Leningrad, Russia
1970     Brad Mehldau, piano, b. Hartford, CT, USA.
1947     Keith Moon, vocals/drums, b. Wembley, London, UK. d. Sept, 7, 1978. Member group: 'The Who'. 1965 single "My Generation" charted UK No.2 (20 other Top 40 hits and rock opera albums)
1910     Jack Nathan, bandleader/composer, b. London, England, UK, d. March 23, 1990, London, England, UK.
1979     Ritchie Neville, vocals. Member group: 'Five'. 1999 single "Keep On Movin'" charted UK No.1.
1937     Nathen Page, piano, guitar, b. Leetown, W. VA, USA, d. March 8, 2003, Florida, USA. (Cancer). Worked with Rene McLean, Roberta Flack, Jimmy Smith and Sonny Rollins, among others. .
1941     Ramon Phillips, guitar/vocals, b. Cardiff, Wales, UK. Member group: 'The Nashville Teens'.
1952     Dalton Reed, vocals, b. Cade, LA, USA.
1900     Malvina Reynolds, singer-songwriter, b. San Francisco, California, USA, d. March 17, 1978. née: Malvina Milder. Born into a Jewish socialist immigrant family, she made a career of writing and singing political protest songs, and such. In 1934, she married William 'Bud' Reynolds, a carpenter and labor organizer, and in 1935, the couple had a daughter, Nancy Schimmel (who is also a singer-songwriter). Malvina may have written over a hundred songs, mostly of the protest or political genre, but she did compose some "Popular" songs too, including 'Morningtown Ride,' a lullaby recorded in 1966, by 'The Seekers'. The tune eventually charted No. 1 (in England).
1897     Fred Rose, drums, d. Dec. 1, 1954
1962     Shaun Ryder, vocals, b. Manchester, England, UK. Member group: 'Happy Mondays'.
1947     Terje Rypdal, Guitar/Composer, b. Oslo, Norway
1961     Pete Siers, drums
1927     Martial Solal, piano, b. Algiers, Morrocco
1946     Jimmy Sohns, vocals. b. Prospect Heights, IL, USA. Member group: Shadows Of Knight.
1949     Rick Springfield, singer/songwriter/actor, b. Sydney, Australia. né: Richard Springthorpe.
1968     Will Taylor, violin/viola
1953     Bobby Watson, Alto Sax/leader, b. Lawrence, KS, USA. Worked with Count Basie also led his own group, "Horizon"
1958     Tom West, organ, b. Worcester, MA, USA. Worked with guitarist Robert "Duke" Levine (b. Nov. 29, 1961, Worcester, MA, USA.)
1917     "Tex" Williams, C&W vocals/guitar, b. Ramsey, IL, USA. d. Oct. 11, 1985. né: Sollie Paul Williams.
1922     "Smiley" Wilson, C&W guitar/vocals, b. Etowah County, AL, USA, d. May 8, 1988. "Smiley Wilson and His Range Partners" recorded and were heard on the radio station KWKH (Shreveport, LA, USA. 1949) "Louisiana Hayride" show. He was also featured on station WGWD "Midway Jamboree" show.
1917     Leslie York, C&W guitar/vocals, b. Louisa, KY 1917. Member: 'The York Brothers'
          Notable Events on this date include:
1923.     'The Happiness Boys', Billy Jones and Ernie Hare, were heard on radio for the first time. Billed as radio's first comedians, the team were also credited with creating and performing radio's first singing commercial.
1926.     Rudolph Valentino, vocals/actor, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 32
1943.     LIFE magazine spotlighted the "Lindy Hop", a dance craze then sweeping the U.S.A. The "Lindy Hop" is a dance, named after American aviation hero Charles A. Lindbergh. In 1927, "Shorty" George Snowden was dancing in a marathon and doing twists, turns, jumps and twirls. When a reporter asked what kind of dance he was doing, Snowden replied "The Lindy Hop... We're flyin' just like Lindy did!" The name stuck! In 1935, a young dancer named Frankie "Musclehead" Manning created some of the first airsteps during exhibitions at The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York, and the 'Lindy Hop' soared. Later on, White dancers would variously call the dance by such names as The jitterbug, Swing, or simply the Lindy. But it was in 1943, during WWII, that the dance was picked up by the youth of America, and the craze really swept the whole World.
1947.     U.S. President Harry S Truman's daughter Margaret Truman, was heard in her first public concert, before 15,000 people at the famed Hollywood Bowl. The critics didn't like Margaret's singing, and Margaret's dad didn't like the critics, and said so, -from the Oval Room in the White House.
1960.     Oscar Hammerstein II, died. Every New York theater turned off its lights on this night in honor of the man and his music.
1962.     "Hoot" Gibson, guitar/actor, died in Woodland Hills, CA, USA. Age: 70
1963.     Glen Gray, alto sax, leader, died in Plymouth, MA, USA (Cancer).
1983.     Willie Guy Rainey, guitar, died in College Park, GA, USA. Age: 82
1988.     Dottie Ivory, vocals, died in San Francisco, CA, USA. Age: 61
1990.     David Rose, conductor/composer, died in Burbank, CA, USA. Age: 80. Curiously, he is best recalled as composer of "The Stripper"
1990.     Bill "Boogie" Webb, guitar, died in New Orleans, LA, USA. Age: 66
1995.     Dwayne Goettell, drummer with 'Skinny Puppy', died in Edmonton, Canada. (heroin overdose at his parents home)
2001.     Frank Emilio Flynn, gifted blind Cuban pianist and composer, died in Havana, Cuba. Age: 80. (né: Francisco Emilio Flynn Rodriguez. b, April 13, 1921, Havana, Cuba) Member: Loquibambia, Los Amigos, Club Cubano de Jazz and Quinteto Instrumental de Musica Moderna. Alos worked with Omara Portuondo.
2002.     Phillip Thomas, drums, percussion, vocals, died in Evergreen Park, IL, USA. (Cardiac Arrest). Age: 76. (b. 1926, Chicago, IL, USA) During his long career, he performed and recorded with such stars as "Memphis Slim", Jimmy Reed, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Nancy Wilson, Etta James, Stanley Turrentine, Sonny Stitt, John M. Young, Al Grey, Billy Michell, Sonny Turner, Frank Foster, The Womack Brothers, Lorez Alexander, Horace Smith, Walter Cartwright, 'The Impressions', Von Freeman, George Freeman, Jimmy Ellis, Katherine Davis, Carl Wooley, Van Kelly, Steve Behr, and Earma Thompson. (CAUTION: Do not confuse with reggae singer/producer Phillip Thomas better known as 'Cutty Ranks').
2006.     Maynard Ferguson, trumpet, leader, died in Ventura, California, USA.
          Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1920     "Whispering", - Paul Whiteman Orch.
1921     "Say It With Music", - Paul Whiteman Orch. (Berlin tune)
1921     "Chicago", - Paul Whiteman Orch. (Fred Fisher tune)
1923     "Mama Goes Where Papa Goes", - Margaret Young voc. (Orig. Sophie Tucker in Yiddish)
1923     "You Darling You", - California Ramblers.
1923     "So This Is Love", - Paul Specht Orch.
1923     "You May Be Fast But Your Mama's Going To Slow You Down", - The Georgians Orch. (Gilbert Wells/Bud Cooper tune)
1926     "Moonlight On The Ganges", - Fred Rich Orch.
1927     "I Call You Sugar", - Ben Selvin Orch.
1932     "The Old Man Of The Mountain", - Ben Bernie Orch.
1933     "It's You Or No One", - Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians.
1933     "By A Waterfall", - Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians.
1933     "Shanghai Lil", - Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians.
1933     "This Time It's Love", - Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians.
1933     "Come To The Sea", - Pietro Deiro accordion.
1933     "Blue Danube", - Pietro Deiro accordion.
1934     "How Can You Face Me", - Casa Loma Orch.
1940     "When The Swallows Come Back To Capistran", - Glenn Miller
1947     "I Have But One Heart", - Vic Damone
1947     "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now", - Perry Como
1954     "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White", - Perez Prado Orch.
1969     "Oh, What A Night", - The Dells
1975     "Feelings", - Morris Albert
1975     "Run Joey Run", - David Geddes
1975     "It Only Takes A Minute", - Tavares
1980     "I'm Alright", - Kenny Loggins
1986     "Throwing It All Away", - Genesis
1986     "When I Think Of You", - Janet Jackson