BIRTHDAYS
1935   Woody Allen, Actor/Producer/Clarinetist, b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA. né: Allan Stewart Konigsberg. Woody is a talented musician who loves the music of the 1920s, '30s and '40s. He is often found playing his clarinet around New York City venues.
1959   Steve Batt, drums, né: Steve Janson. Member group: Japan
1942   Casey Van Beek, Country/Rock vocals, b. Tulsa, OK, USA. Member: "The Tractors", an early 1990s group based in Tulsa,OK, but comprised of well known Nashville, TN session musicians. The group consisted of guitarist Steve Ripley, bassist Ron Getman, vocalist Casey Van Beek, keyboardist Walt Richmond, and drummer Jamie Oldaker.
1920   Joyce Brown, piano/arranger, b. New York, NY, USA.
1927   Ted Brown, Tenor Sax, b. Rochester, NY, USA.
1921   John Bunch, Piano, b. Tipton, IN, USA.
1944   Eric Bloom, Guitar/Singer/Songwriter, b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA. Member group: 'Blue Oyster Cult', 'Soft White Underbelly', and 'Stalk-Forest Group', --which were all the same band, at different times.
1932   Hadley Caliman, Tenor-alto-soprano Sax, b. Idabel, OK, USA. (NOTE: Some sources show birthdate as Jan. 12, 1932.) While still a teenager growing up in Los Angeles, CA, Caliman took lessons from him Dexter Gordon. In the 1950s, his drug addiction, and a run-in with the law sent Caliman to prison, -almost derailing his career. Fortunately, Caliman was able to beat his drug addiction, focusing on his music again. Later in the '50s, Coltrane became his main influence. In 1970, he relocated to San Francisco, CA, and started a notable association with Carlos Santana, and will always be remembered for his rousing solos on Santana's "Caravanserai" release. He has recorded well over 100 times with such stars as Earl Hines, Jon Hendricks, Della Reese, Freddie Hubbard, Mongo Santamaria, Julien Preister, Eddie Henderson, Joe Henderson, Jessica Williams and Carlos Santana.
1944   Jim Chestnut, guitar/vocals, b. USA.
1947   Leo Cuypers, piano, b. The Netherlands.
1945   John Paul Densmore, drums/actor, b. Santa Monica, CA, USA. Member "The Doors" vocal group.
1950   Armen Donelian, piano/educator, b.New York, NY, USA.
1964   Darryl Ellis, (C&W) vocals, b. Norfolk, VA, USA. Member: "Ellis Brothers", a country duo (with his brother Don Ellis) who now perform as singles). né: Darryl Gatlin
CAUTION: Do not confuse Ellis (né: Daryl Gatlin) with the Daryl Gatlin, one of the Gatlin Brothers Band. The Gatlin Brothers Band, consisted of Larry Wayne Gatlin (Singer, Songwriter, Guitar, b. May 2, 1948, Seminole, Texas), Steven Daryl Gatlin (Low Harmony Vocals, b. April 4, 1951, Olney, Texas), and Rudy Michael Gatlin (High Harmony Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, b. August 20, 1952, Olney, Texas).
Also do not confuse with the Gospel singing Ellis', with (Pastor) David Ellis, a group orignally formed by their father the late Rev. V.B. (Vep) Ellis.
And, don't confuse with the British C&W group 'The Ellis Brothers & Country Wine' homebased in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England, UK.
1967   Dave Ellis, tenor sax, b. Chicago, IL, USA.
1938   Carlos Garnett, Tenor Sax, b. Red Tank, Panama
1944   Charlie Grima, drums, b. U.K. Member groups: Roy Wood's Wizzard, and Mongrel
1896   Ray Henderson, Composer, b. Buffalo, NY, USA. d. Dec. 31, 1970, Greenwich, CT, USA. Team of DeSylva, Brown and Henderson. Some of his songs are 'Bye, Bye Blackbird' 'Five Foot Two, and Eyes of Blue','Varsity Drag', 'Button Up Your Overcoat', 'You Are My Lucky Star', and 'Life Is Just A Bowl of Cherries'
1946   Rocky Hill, guitar, b. Dallas, TX, USA
1926   Jolyon Hunter, musician, b. Ealing, London, England, UK.
1928   Lurlean Hunter, singer, b. Clarksdale, MS, USA. Good 'Pop' -not Jazz- singer.
1923   Wessel Ilcken, Drums, b. Hilversum, Netherlands, d. July 13, 1957
1919   Ike Isaacs, Jazz Guitar, b. Rangoon, Burma, d. Jan. 11, 1996, age 76.
CAUTION: Don't confuse with the bassist Ike Issacs (aka: Isaacs. b. March 28, 1923, Cleveland, OH, USA, d. 1981), who went on to play for, and marry, singer Carmen McRae.
1925   Dick Johnson, Alto Sax/clarinet/flute, b. Brockton, MA, USA.
1915   Johnny Johnston, vocalist, b. St. Louis, MO, USA. d. Jan. 6, 1996, Cape Coral, FL. USA. Johnny began his career singing in local cafes, but soon joined Art Kassel and His Castle's In the Air Orch. In the late 1930s, he was heard on several radio shows. Johnny was also seen in some of the Hollywood musicals of the 1940s. In 1942, he was one of the first singers signed to Johnny Mercer's then new Capitol Records label. His recording of Laura for that label was a million-seller. His versions of 'I Don't Want To Walk Without You' and 'That Old Black Magic' were also good sellers.
1939   Dianne Lennon, vocals, b. Los Angeles, CA, USA. Member group: The Lennon Sisters, consisting of eldest daughter Dianne, Peggy (b. April 8, 1941), Kathy (b.August 2, 1943), and Janet (b. June 15, 1946). The girls would become one of the Lawrence Welk show's most beloved musical acts.
1933   Jimmy Lyons, Alto-soprano sax, b. Jersey City, NJ, USA. d. May 19, 1986
1904   Jimmy Lytell, Clarinet, b. New York, NY, USA. d. 1972
1913   Mary Martin, Actress/Vocals, d. Nov. 3, 1990. A Stage actress. Her single biggest hit was Cole Porter's 'My Heart Belongs To Daddy' (from the 1938 B'way show 'Leave It To Me' that had another big hit tune 'Get Out Of Town'). Perhaps her greatest role was that of Nurse Nellie Forbush in Rodgers and Hammerstein production of James Michener's 'South Pacific'. During the production's 'run', she had to wash her hair on stage nightly while singing 'I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair'.
1945   Bette Midler, Actress/vocals.b. Honolulu, HI. USA. In 1963, she graduated from Radford High School, Honolulu, HI In her early years, she worked at a Dole pineapple processing plant in Hawaii and majored in drama at the University of Hawaii. Her professional career began in the 1970's when she performed her cabaret act at the famed gay men's club, 'The Continental Baths' (NYC), with Barry Manilow as her accompanist, and Barry produced her first big album "The Divine Miss M" (which has since become her "tag"). Bette has gone on to a career in Films, TV and Records.
1930   Matt Monro, Singer, b. London, England, UK. d. Feb. 7, 1985, Ealing, London, England, UK. (cancer). né: Terry Parsons
1975   Sarah Masen, (Gospel) vocals, b. USA.
1938   Sandy Nelson, drums, b. Santa Monica, CA, USA. né: Sander Nelson. Between his first hit, "Teen Beat," and his second, "Let There Be Drums," he lost a foot in a motorcycle accident. However, Sandy continued to release teen dance albums.
1931   Jim Nesbitt, C&W vocals/comedian, b. Bishopville, SC, USA.
1946   Gilbert O'Sullivan, vocals, b: Waterford, Ireland. né: Raymond O'Sullivan.
1951   Jaco Pastorious, bass, b. Norristown, PA, USA, d. Sept. 21, 1987, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA. age: 35 (injuries sustained in a fight.) Perhaps best known for his work with group 'Weather Report'
1934   Billy Paul, vocalist, b: Philadelphia, PA, USA. né: Paul Williams. His 1972, "Me and Mrs. Jones", charted No. 1 in the USA.
1971   Mika Pohjola, Piano/keyboards/arranger/composer, b. Helsinki, Finland. After studying in Sweden (for 5 years), he relocated to New York City where he currently (2005) lives. He is active playing gigs in local venues. Mika works with many other musicians in the New York area including Mark and Alan Ferber, Yusuke Yamamoto, David Ambrosio, Christof Knoche, Theo Bleckmann and many others
1933   Lou Rawls, Pops vocalist, b. Chicago, IL, USA. (some sources say b. 1935). né: Louis Allen Rawls. Rawls was raised by his grandmother when his father abandoned the family. After he graduated Dunbar Technical School (where he and fellow classmate Sam Cooke would often harmonize in the school lavatory), he toured with the 'Pilgrim Travelers' gospel group. In 1956, Rawls left the group and joined the U.S. Army becoming a Sargeant with the Screaming Eagle Paratroopers. In 1958, he and Sam Cooke had a serious auto accident that killed one, -Rawls being pronounced dead on the way to the hospital. He remained in a deep coma for five days and even after reviving, suffered memory loss for several months. (Sam Cooke was uninjured.) It was during a performance in "Pandora's" a Los Angeles, CA, coffee shop, that his four active range was noticed by one of the producers (Nick Benet) at Capitol Records. "Stormy Monday", his debut effort, recorded with the Les McCann Trio, was the first of 28 albums Rawls made for the Capitol label. In 1959, Rawls performed with Dick Clark at the Hollywood Bowl, and two years later, he opened for The Beatles at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, OH. His 1966 hit, "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing," topped the charts and earned Rawls his first two Grammy nominations. (He received 13 more Grammy nominations over his career.) Other hits followed in time, including "Dead End Street" and "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine". In 1998, he released the album "Seasons 4 U" on his own label, 'Rawls & Brokaw Records'. During his long career, Rawls appeared in 18 movies, including "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Blues Brothers 2000," and 16 television series, including "Fantasy Island" and "The Fall Guy." In addition to his records, Rawls also performed at local venues in the L.A. area. In the mid-1970's he became a corporate spokesman for the Anheuser Busch Brewery, and since 1980, he has appeared in concerts co-sponsored by Anheuser Busch, the USO, and the U.S. Dept. Of Defense at American military bases all over the world. During christmas of 1983, he toured U.S. bases in Korea, Japan, and the Phillipines. He raised hundreds of millions of dollars for Black colleges and every year he sponsored a celebrity golf tournament in L.A. to raise money for the United Negro College Fund. Rawls was also the singing voice of the animated film cartoon 'Garfield'. Rawls has won four Grammys.     Addendum 2006: Rawls died early Friday, Jan. 6, 2006 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, where he had been hospitalized the previous month for treatment of lung and brain cancer. Rawls has lived in Scottsdale, Arizona, since 2003. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in December 2004 and brain cancer in May 2005. On his demise, the family told reporters that Rawls was age 72, although other records indicated he was 70. (Based on this information, we have changed his date of birth from 1935 to 1933)
1963   Sam Reid, keyboards, b. Toronto, Canada. Member group: 'Glass Tiger', a band that had their first gig in 1980, working as a Southern Ontario bar band called 'Tokyo'. Scottish-born singer Alan Frew and guitarist Al Connelly (b. Oct. 10, 1960) fronted the group which also included Sam Reid on keyboards, Wayne Parker on bass and drummer Michael Hanson.
1956   Kim Richey, (C&W) singer/songwriter, b. Zane, OH, USA.
1896   Ethel Shutta, vocalist, d.Feb. 5, 1976. During the 1920s, Shutta was a well-known stage actress. In Eddie Cantor's 1930 film 'Whoopie', Ethel played Eddie Cantor's nurse. She married band leader George Olsen, and is perhaps still best remembered as vocalist with the Olsen band, singing in clubs and radio appearances. During the late 1930s, she worked as a "singles" act (as a singer). She was able to make some career comebacks (on the Broadway stage, in 1943 and again in 1963 and 1971.
1861   James Thornton, Composer, b. Liverpool, England d. July, 27, 1938, New York, NY, USA. His father was John Thornton, a baker and his mother was Catherine Thornton nee Molloy. They were married in Liverpool 13th May 1855. (Source.. copies of original certificates )
1915   Gabe Tucker, Manager/C&W Entertainer, b: Pierce (Green County) Kentucky, U.S.A, d: Jan. 25, 2003. né: Gaylord Bob Tucker. Managed Eddy Arnold and worked with George Jones. Co-suthor of the book, "Up And Down With Elvis Presley".
1940   James Uzzell, vocals, b. La Grange, NC, USA. Member: 'The Corsairs'
1942   Casey Van Beek, bass guitar/harmony vocals, b. Holland (raised in Los Angeles, CA, USA). Worked with Linda Ronstadt, The Righteous Brothers', and the Tractors
1949   Klaaseje Van Der Wal, bassist, b. The Netherlands. Member group: 'Shocking Blue'.
1934   Brian White, Clarinet/ alto sax/vocal, b. UK. In the mid-1950s, Brian led the "Magna Jazz Band", London He has several CD on the Jazzology label, and has recorded (with trumpeter Alan Gresty) 'Muggsy Remembered', - a tribute to the Dixieland trumpeter Muggsy Spanier
CAUTION: Do not confuse with C&W singer Brian White, b. Feb 17, 1974, Lawton, OK, USA.
1919   Slim Willet, composer/entertainer, b. Victor (or maybe in Dublin), TX, USA. né: Winston Lee Moore aka: "Telli W. Mils", the "Fat Cat". Willet owned publishing, recording, booking, and advertising companies, but he will perhaps always be remembered for composing the song "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes".
         Notable Events occuring this date include:
1954.    Country music publisher Fred Rose ('Acuff-Rose Music Publ'g Corp.") died in Nashville, TN, USA. Age: 57 (heart attack)
1964    Sam Stept, composer, piano, died in Los Angeles (Hollywood), CA, USA.
1966.    Carter Glen Stanley, (Bluegrass) Singer-Songwriter/Guitarist, died in Bristol, Tennessee, USA. Age: 41 (b. August 27, 1925. Member: Stanley Brothers. Brother Ralph was born February 25, 1927. Both brothers were born in Stratton, Virginia, USA.) Many of the songs they recorded are now considered 'Bluegrass' music standards.
1969.    "Magic Sam", guitar, died in Chicago, IL, USA. Age: 32
1980.    Joe Heathcock, C&W vocals/fiddler/actor, died in Nashville, TN, USA. Age: 66
1981.    Taft Jordan, trumpet, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 66
1986.    Lee Dorsey, singer-songwriter, died in New Orleans, LA, USA. Age: 59
1990.    Simon Napier, co-founder Blues Unlimited, died in Cooden, UK. Age: 51
1992    Bill Hood, baritone sax, 1924
1996    Irving Gordon, songwriter, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
1997.    Famed Jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli died in Paris, France at the age of 89.
1999    Don "Sugarcane" Harris, violin, vocal, organ, bass, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1943     'Besame Mucho', Abe Lyman Orch.
1950     Frosty The Snowman, - Gene Autry
1950     My Heart Cries For You, - Guy Mitchell
1958     Whole Lotta Loving, - Fats Domino
1958     Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, - The Platters
1962     You Are My Sunshine, - Ray Charles
1962     Dear Lonely Hearts, - Nat "King" Cole
1973     Time In A Bottle, - Jim Croce
1979     Coward Of The County, - Kenny Rogers
1984     You're The Inspiration , - Chicago
1990     Love Will Never Do (Without You), - Janet Jackson
1990     After The Rain, - Nelson