BIRTHDAYS
1902     Les Allen, alto and tenor sax, clarinet,vocal, b. London, U.K, d. June 25, 1996, Toronto, ON, Canada.
CAUTION: Do not confuse with:
-- Country/Blues/Rocker Les Allen, guitar/vocals
-- Tenor saxophone player Lee Allen (1926 - 1994), who, in the early days of rock music and rhythm and blues, recorded with musicians such as Fats Domino, Little Richard and Lloyd Price, and was a fixture on the New Orleans music scene.
1934     Gene Allison, Gospel/R&B vocals, b. Pegram, TN, USA, d. Feb. 28, 2004, Nashville, TN, USA (Age: 69 liver and kidney failure.). né: Versle Eugene Allison. Perhaps best remembered for the R&B classic "You Can Make It if You Try".
1910     Jimmy Bell, piano, violin, bass, b. Peoria, IL, USA. d. Dec. 31, 1987
1893     Lawrence Brown, piano, b. Jacksonville, FL, USA. played with Paul Robeson
1966     Shawn Camp, C&W singer-songwriter/fiddler/guitarist, b. Little Rock, AR, USA.
1928     Roberto Carcasses, piano, keyboard, leader, arranger, b. Cuba. Carcasses has become one of Cuba's most prominent players, bandleaders, and arrangers. As a bandleader he has released 'Jazz Timbero' (1998) and 'Invitation' (2000). Among Carcasses' Havana-based band Irakere Band are such men as Cesar Lopez and Alfredo Thompson. x
1954     Chet Catallo, guitar. Member group: 'Spyro Gyra'
1975     Kyle Cook, vocals/guitar. Member group: 'Matchbox 20', 2000 single "Bent" charted US No.1.
1909     Grady Cole, (Gospel) guitar/singer-songwriter, b. (near) Lafayette, GA, USA, d. 1981. Member: 'Grady and Hazel Cole' (née: Hazel Key, b. Blue Ridge, Georgia. Cole and Key were married on August 18, 1930.)
1953     Rick Downey, vocals/guitar. Member group: 'Blue Oyster Cult'. 1978 single "Don't Fear The Reaper" charted UK No.16.
1932     Jerry Dodgion, soprano-alto sax, flute, b. Richmond, CA, USA
1922     Rolf Ericson, trumpet/flugelhorn, b. Stockholm, Sweden, d. June 16, 1997, Stockholm, Sweden. Age: 75. At age 8, Rolf began to study the Classical trumpet, but in 1933, after hearing Louis Armstrong then playimg in Stockholm, he switched to Jazz. In 1945, still in Sweden, he recorded with Alice Babs and others. In 1947, moved to New York and played with Charlie Barnet (1949) and Woody Herman (1950). In 1950, he returned to Sweden where he recorded as a leader and with Arne Domné:rus and Leonard Feather's Swinging Swedes. He also toured and recorded with Charlie Parker. During 1953-1956, Rolf was back in the U.S.A, where he played with the big bands of Charlie Spivak, Harry James, the Dorsey Brothers, and Les Brown and was with the Lighthouse All-Stars. In 1956, he toured Sweden and played with Ernestine Anderson and Lars Gullin. The years 1956-1965 found him back in the U.S.A, freelancing and playing with such stars as Benny Goodman, Gerry Mulligan, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson (1960-1961), Dexter Gordon, Harold Land, and Charles Mingus, among others. During 1963-1971, he toured with Duke Ellington. In 1971, he made Germany his home, and worked as a sessions musician, while still returning to the U.S. several times over the next couple of decades. One of Sweden's finest trumpeters, Ericson played in the U.S. often enough to gain a strong reputation in America. He possessed a creative yet still melodic style of playing.
1958     Elizabeth Fraser, vocals. Member group: 'Cocteau Twins', 1984 UK No.29 single "Pearly-Dewdrops".
1967     Chris Gorman, drums. Member group: 'Belly'
1958     Michael Jackson, vocals, b. Gary, IN, USA. né: Michael Joe Jackson
1900     Buell Kazee, C&W vocals/banjo, b. Magoffin County, KY, USA.
1927     Thomas Raymond "Red" Kelly, bass, b. Shelby, Montana, USA, d. June 9, 2004.
1961     Tony Macalpine, rock guitar.
1946     Bennie Maupin, tenor & soprano sax/flute/bass clarinet, b. Detroit, MI, USA.
1942     Sterling Morrison, guitar, d: Aug. 30, 1995 (Cancer). Founding member of band 'The Velvet Underground'.
1920     Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, alto/tenor sax, b. Kansas City, KS, USA. d. March 12, 1955, New York, NY, USA. (drug abuse). né: Charles Christopher Parker, Jr. In 1945, Parker - sometimes called "Bird" - and Dizzy Gilespie got together and formed a style originally called "rebop", later "bebop", and finally just plain "bop". In later years, Gilespie told various reviewers that they formed the music because they thought that "lesser" (codeword for "White") musicians would not be able to play in such a style. Early on, Parker had played with the Jay McShann Band, Earl Hines and also with vocalist Billy Eckstine's band. Parker's solos were bold and exhibited a technical virtuosity with his instrument.
1954     Dave Peck, piano
1956     Doug Raney, guitar
1959     Eddie Reader, singer/songwriter. Member group: 'Fairground Attraction', 1988 single "Perfect" charted UK No.1
1945     Trevor Richards, drums, b. England, UK. In 1966, Richards moved to New York, where he studied with Louis Armstrong's famed drummer Zutty Singleton, whose drums he inherited and still plays. He subsequently relocated to New Orleans, where, in 1972, he formed the "Trevor Richards New Orleans Trio", which toured for ten years. The trio included: Trevor Richards (drums); Evan Christopher (clarinet); and Dave Boeddinghaus (piano). Over the years, the Trio has featured artists like Red Richards, Charlie Gabriel, Gene "Mighty Flea" Connors, Butch Thompson, Evan Chistopher and Orange Kellin. Richards has also recorded and performed with such Jazz stars as Herb Hall, Albert Nichols, Benny Waters, Wallace Davenport, and former members of the Louis Armstrong All Stars. In 1982, he became co-leader of the 'Original Camellia Jazz Band'. As part of the Art Hodes Trio, he has made annual European tours from 1981-91, and thereafter with Ralph Sutton. Richards has won numerous awards including a 'Record of the Year' from the 'Hot Club of France'.
1939     Gilbert 'Bibi' Rovere, Bass, b. Toulon, France, d. March ?14, 2007, France. Age: 67. 'Bibi' was the younger brother of bassist Paul Rovere. In the 1960s, he was one of the most in-demand musician in France, and appeared with Bud Powell, Dexter Gordon, Martial Solal, René Thomas, Jean-Luc Ponty, Steve Grossman among others. He was for several years a member of the Martial Solal trio with Daniel Humair. In 1963, Duke Ellington hired Bibi Rovere to play at a recording session in Paris with Alice Babs. In 1964, played with a Duke Ellington small group on the Italian Riviera. He had been married to actress Liliane Rovere (b. 1933, France). Among the albums on which he can be heard are: Barney Wilen -'Tilt', René Thomas -'Meeting Mr. Thomas', Bud Powell -'In Paris', Martial Solal -'Sans Tambour, Ni Trompette', and with Al Haig on 'Invitation'.
1937     Ellyn Rucker, Piano/Vocal/arranger, b. Des Moines, IA. USA. At age 8, Ellyn began playing piano, and then discovered jazz at age 13. She subsequently studied Classical piano at Drake University, but did not decide to become a full-time musician until 1979, age 42. A sensuous singer, Ellyn, is Denver, CO based, but has toured Europe several times. On some tours, she was accompanied with Tenox saxist 'Spike' Robinson (b. Jan 16, 1930 in Kenosha, Wisconsinm, USA, d. Oct 29, 2001, Writtle, England, UK - his home). Interestingly, "Spike" also didn't reach his prime until he was already past age 50.
1952     Don Schlitz, C&W songwriter, b. Durham, NC, USA.
1963     Greg Steele, Singer/Songwriter/guitar. Member group: 'Faster Pussycat'. (Their big hit was "Wake Me When It's Over").
1906     Jimmy Strong, Clarinet/Tenor Sax, d. 1940?
1950     Brian Trainor, piano
1956     Dan Truman, b. St. George, UT, USA. Member: 'Diamond Rio'
1930     Albertina Walker, vocals, b. Chicago, IL, USA. Member: 'The Caravans'
1924     Dinah Washington, vocalist, b. Tuscaloosa, AL, d. Dec. 14, 1963, Detroit, MI, USA. née: Ruth Lee Jones. Sang with Lionel Hampton and other bands.
1927     Marion Williams, (gospel) vocals, b. Miami, FL, USA. Member: 'Caravans'
1954     Mark Wood, guitar, b. UK. Currently (2005) a member of 'The Mystics' (Polygram/Fontana), He recently performed at the Knitting Factory in New York city. Mark first came to prominence in the early 1980's with the award-winning group 'Sunwind'. Among the many other musicians with whom he has worked are Dudu Pukwana, Ian Carr, Hermeto Pascoal and has performed and recorded with many Colombian and South American musicians including Ivan Lins and Tania Libertad. Among the bands with which Mark has played are the Dave Matthews Band, and with Ian Carr's group, "Nucleus" -at times the Nucleus line up included Ian Carr - trumpet/leader, Mark Wood - guitar, Geoff Castle - keyboards, Rob Statham - bass, Nic France- drums, and Phil Todd - saxes (Ian Carr, b. April 21, 1933, Dumfries, Scotland. Ian is the younger brother of Mike Carr (jazz organist, pianist, and vibist)).
CAUTION: DO NOT CONFUSE with Rock Violinist Mark Wood, who plays (and builds) funky hardwood electric violins.
         Notable Events on this date include:
1928.     "Stump" Evans, sax/clarinet, died in Douglas, KS, USA. Age: 23. Played with Ida Cox
1943.     Paul Whiteman Presents, a summertime radio replacement show, was heard for the last time. The show's hostess was vocalist Dinah Shore.
1976.     Jimmy Reed, guitar/harmonica/songwriter, died in Oakland, CA, USA. Age: 50
1984.     John T. Roberts, founder: INAJE, died in Sherman Oaks, CA, USA. Age: 66
1986.     The former American Bandstand studio (at 4548 Market St. Phila,.PA), at the original home of WFIL-TV in Philadelphia, PA, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1986.     Oett M. "Sax" Mallard, sax, died in Chicago, IL, USA. Age: 70. Played with 'Memphis Slim', Frankie "Half Pint" Jaxon, and others.
1986.     Jimmie Short, guitarist, died. Played with the "Texas Troubadours"
1988.     Horace Henderson, piano, died in Denver, CO, USA. Age: 83
1989.     "Waxie Maxie" Silverman, DJ, died in Washington, DC, USA. Age: 79
1998.     Charlie Feathers, pioneer Rockabilly artist, died Memphis, TN, USA. Age: 66. Charlie was an active Rockabilly songwriter for SUN label recording artists.
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1910     "Sweet Italian Love", - Billy Murray vocal. (Ted Snyder tune)
1910     "Italian Rag", - Billy Murray vocal. (Piantadosi tune)
1927     "Shakin' The Blues Away", - Harry Reser's Syncopators.
1929     "Reach Out For A Rainbow", - Earl Burtnett Orch.
1929     "My Daddy Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll)", - Club Ambassadors. (Barbour tune)
1929     "My Daddy Rocks Me", - Jimmy Noone's Apex Club Orch.
1929     "Susiana", - Colonial Club Orch.
1929     "With Me - With You", - Merle Johnston's Orch. (Lanin Orch)
1929     "Maybe - Who Knows", - Ruth Etting vocal.
1929     "I'll See You Through", - Andy Sannella Orch.
1929     "My Lucky Star", - Paul Whiteman Orch.
1929     "It's A Precious Little Thing Called Love", - McKinney's Cotton Pickers.
1930     "You're Lucky To Me", - Ethel Waters and her Ebony 4.
1930     "I'm Learning A Lot From You", - Columbia Photoplayers (Ben Selvin Orch.)
1933     "Dinner at Eight", - Victor Young Orch.
1934     "One Night of Love", Freddy Martin Orch.
1939     "Two Weeks In July", - Larry Clinton Orch.
1941     "Let Me Off Uptown", - Gene Krupa
1941     "You And I", - Glenn Miller
1946     "Give Me Five Minutes More", - Tex Beneke
1946     "To Each His Own", - The Ink Spots
1953     "Ebb Tide", - Frank Chacksfield
1960     "Chain Gang", - Sam Cooke
1960     "Yogi", - Ivy Three
1964     "Oh, Pretty Woman", - by Roy Orbison was released.
1964     "It Hurts To Be In Love", - Gene Pitney
1970     "Candida", - Dawn
1970     "Cracklin' Rosie", - Neil Diamond
1981     "Arthur's Theme (The Best You Can Do)", - Christopher Cross
1981     "Start Me Up", - Rolling Stones
1987     "Who Will You Run To", - Heart
1992     "People Everyday", - Arrested Development
1992     "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough", - Patty Smyth