BIRTHDAYS
1916     Wilmer "Little Axe" Broadnax, (gospel) vocals, b. Houston, TX, USA.
1903     Dick Ball, Bass/Sousaphone, b. England, d. Dec. 31, 1978.
1932     Dorsey Burnett, Rockabilly singer/songwriter/bassist, b: Memphis, TN, USA
1927     Leonard "Chick" Carbo, vocals, b. Houma, LA, USA. Member: The Spiders'
1950     Alex Chilton, r&r vocals. Member: The Box Tops, and Big Star.
1953     Richard Clayderman, Piano, b: France
1906     Rene Compere, trumpet, b. Brussels, Belgium, d. April 24, 1969
1943     Bobby Comstock, rock 'n' roll vocals (1950s and '60s), b: Ithaca, NY, USA
1930     Gene "Mighty Flea" Conner, trombone, b. Birmingham, AL, USA
1934     Bob Cunningham, Bass, b. Cleveland, OH, USA.
1943     Rick Danko , vocals/guitar/bass, b. Simcoe, Ont, Canada. d. Dec. 10, 1999, Woodstock, NY, USA. Member group: The Band.
1971     Anita Dels, vocals, b. Amsterdam, Holland. Member group: '2 Unlimited', formed in 1991 and comprised of Anita, and Ray Slijngaard (b. June 28, 1971, Amsterdam, Holland).
1958     Joe Diffie, C&W singer-songwriter/guitar, b. Tulsa, OK, USA.
1947     Dick Diamonde, vocals/guitar, Member: 1960s rock group the 'Easybeats'
1929     Ray "Professor" Foxley, Jazz piano, b. Bromsgrove (near Birmingham), England. d. July 6, 2002, London, England, UK. (Cancer - originally diagnosed as Bell's Palsey). né: Raymond Geoffrey Foxley. Along with co-founding 'The Gutbucket Six', he helped form 'The Kenlyer Trust Band'. . Among the many other Jazz groups with which he worked are Henry Gardiner's Southsiders, Rod Mason, Chris Barber, Colyer's Crane River Jazz Band, Rod Mason, Mick Mulligan, Ken Ingram, Mike Daniels, The Paragon Jazz Band, and Eddie Matthews's Jump Band.
1903     Earl "Fatha" Hines, Piano/Leader/Composer, b. Duquesne, PA, USA, d. April 22, 1983, Oakland, CA, USA. We could write a book about the "Fatha".
1943     Charles Hodges, guitar, b. Edmonton, England. Member groups: 'Heads Hands And Feet' / 'Chas & Dave', - comprised of Charles Hodges and Dave Peacock (bass, b. Ponders End, England).
1960     Marcus Hummon, C&W singer-songwriter, b. One of Nashville’s Top Songwriters.
1936     Young Jessie, rock vocals, b. Dallas, TX, USA. né: Obediah ("Obie") Donmell Jessie
1962     Brian Kellock, Jazz piano, b. Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. In 1986, Brian graduated (with a B. Music (Hons)) from Edinburgh University. Since then, he has become one of the top piano players on the UK jazz scene. He has worked with such Jazzmen as Red Rodney, Bill Watrous, Art Farmer, Stanley Turrentine, Sheila Jordan, Scott Hamilton, Charlie Rouse, Herb Geller and many others. In 1995, hebecame a member of Australian trumpeter James Morrison's Band; touring Europe and Australia, and recording a live album for Warner Bros. (at the New Morning Club in Paris, France). He also leads his own Trio, with Kenny Ellis on bass and John Rae on drums, which, interestingly, first appeared in 1988 as the rhythm section for the Scottish band 'John Rae Collective'.
1915     Al Klink, Tenor-alto-tenor sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, b. Danbury, CT, USA. d. March 7, 1991, Bradenton, FL, USA. Perhaps best recalled for his work in the Glenn Miller orchestra.
1925     Hildegard Knef, vocals/actress, b: Ulm, Germany. d. February 1, 2002, Berlin, Germany. She was also a good friend of Marlene Dietrich. She found fame in the U.S. for her performance as a Soviet commissar in Cole Porter's 'Silk Stockings'. She starred opposite Gregory Peck in 'The Snows of Kilimanjaro'.
1928     Moe Koffman, Flute, alto and soprano sax, clarinet, piccolo, b. Toronto, ONT, Canada. d. March 28, 2001. Studied saxophone and piano, then switched to the flute becoming well-known jazz flutist in his native Canada and the United States. After a five year stint in the U.S.A. with the Jimmy Dorsey Orch., he returned to Canada. Curiously, he is best remembered for his composition "Swingin' Shepherd Blues" which, on January 25, 1958, entered the charts becoming a top 40 hit.
1912     Billy Mackel, Elec. Guitar, b. Baltimore, MD, USA. d. May 5. 1986. (some sources say b. 1910) He played with Lionel Hampton from 1944 to 1982.
1958     Mike McGuire, drums, b. Haleyville, AL, USA. Member group: 'Shenandoah', formed 1985 consisted of Marty Raybon (Lead Vocals, Dec. 8, 1959, Greenville, AL, USA -left 1997), Jimmy Seales (Lead Guitar, vocals, March 20, 1954, Hamilton, AL, USA), Ralph Ezell (Bass Guitar,Vocals, June 26, 1953, Union, MI, USA), Stan Thorn (Keyboards, Vocals, March 16, 1959, Kenosha, WI, USA. -left 1995), Mike McGuire (Drums, Vocals, Dec. 28, 1958, Haleyville, AL, USA), and Brent Lamb (Lead Vocals).
1948     Joseph Zigaboo Modeliste, vocals, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. Member: 'The Meters'.
1959     Ted Nash, alto & tenor saxes
1938     Charles Neville, sax, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. Member group: 'The Neville Brothers'. Charles is the second oldest Neville brother, and has the most diverse musical background. Art, Aaron, and Cyril are the other brothers, and and David Ritz was also in the group. .
1921     Johnny Otis, Leader/Drums/Vibes/vocals, b. Vallejo, CA, USA. né: John Veliotes. Began recording in the late 1940's, but didn't have his first big hit until 1958, with "Willie and the Hand Jive". He is credited with discovering such artists as Hank Ballard, Little Willie John, Little Esther Phillips, Jackie Wilson. Otis was also instrumental in the "discovery" of Etta James and Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton. Otis, a son of Greek immigrants, thoroughly absorbed the prevailing culture and lifestyle of the largely black neighbourhood where he was raised. By his mid-teens, he was already playing the drums in local bands, including, in 1941, Lloyd Hunter's orchestra. In 1943 he joined Harlan Leonard for a short spell. During WWII, when many musicians went off to war, Otis replaced another ex-Leonard drummer, Jesse Price, in Stan Kenton's band. In the mid-40s Otis recorded with Illinois Jacquet's all-star band, and with a septet led by Lester Young, which also featured Howard McGhee and Willie Smith, as well as with several small Jazz groups. In 1945 Otis formed his own big band, in Los Angeles, that played a blues-based Jazz repertoire. Among the musicians were Eli Robinson, Paul Quinichette, Teddy Buckner, Bill Doggett, Curtis Counce and singer Jimmy Rushing. One of the band's early notable recording was "Harlem Nocturne". Otis also backed singer Wynonie Harris on a recording date with a small group that included McGhee and Teddy Edwards. Slowly, Otis began to slant his repertoire more towards R&B, becoming one of the leading R&B, groups in the R&B boom of the late 1940s and early '50s. His popularity was helped in this because he was also a radio Disc Jockey airing a daily show, as well as doing a weekly television show with his band. During this time, he also formed several recording companies, all of which helped to make him a widely recognized force in west coast R&B music. During the 1960s and '70s, Otis continued appearing on both Radio and TV, and also toured with an R&B show. in which his son, Johnny "Shuggie" Otis Jnr., appeared. "Shuggie", at just age 13, even had his own hit with "Country Girl". Occasionally, Otis would have some problems with song credits. One tune that comes to mind is "Hound Dog". When Otis set up the date for Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton to record the tune, he listed himself as the composer. Subsequently, as co-composer with its originators, Leiber And Stoller. And finally, when Elvis Presley made it a million dollar seller, the lawyers stepped in, and Otis's name was dropped entirely. In the late 1960s, in the aftermath of the Watts riots in Los Angeles, CA, he even found time to wrete a book 'Listen To The Lambs'.
1951     Rebecca Parris, vocals, b. Nedham, Massachusetts, USA. née: Ruth Blair McClosky
1911     "Peg Leg Sam" (né: Arthur Jackson), harmonica, b. Jonesboro, SC, USA
1871     Manuel Perez, Cornet/Leader, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d.1946
1962     Michel Petrucciani, Piano, b. Orange, France, d. Jan. 6, 1999, age 36
1960     Timothy Martin "Marty" Roe, Vocals/Acoustic Guitar, b. Lebanon, OH, USA. Member: "Diamond Rio"
1899     Abner Silver, composer, b. New York, NY, USA, d. Nov. 24, 1966, New York, NY, USA.
1940     Lonnie Liston Smith, Piano/Organ/keyboards, b. Richmond, VA, USA.
1915     Roebuck "Pop" Staples, vocals, Member (leader): The Staples Singers.
1938     Richard "Dick" Sudhalter, Cornet, b. Boston, MA, USA.
1930     Ed Thigpen, Drums, b. Chicago, IL, USA. Ed's father, Ben, was a excellent drummer best remembered for his work with the Andy Kirk Orchestra. In the 1950s, Ed began his own career as a member of the Cootie Williams Band. From 1952 to 1954, he served in the US military, first as a drum instructor and later with the Eighth Army Band in Korea. He first met Oscar Peterson in Japan during a side trip to Tokyo during his time in Korea. IT was to be the start of a long association. On January 1, 1959, on Ray Brown's recommendation, he replaced Herb Ellis in the Oscar Peterson Trio. Prior to that, Ed had worked in New York City with such artists as Toshiko Akiyohi, Jutta Hipp, the Johnny Hodges band, Gil Melle, the Billy Taylor Trio, Lennie Tristano and vocalist Dinah Washington. In 1965, Thigpen relocated in Los Angeles to try his luck as a freelance musician. In 1972, he relocated to Copenhagen, Denmark, performing with his newly formed group, Action-Re-Action. He also began to teach at the Malm Conservatory. He is author of several manuals on drumming techniques including 'Talking Drums' (Toronto, 1965), and 'Rhythm Analysis and Basic Coordination' (Copenhagen, 1977).
1954     Rosie Vela, piano/singer/songwriter, b. Galveston, TX, USA.
1964     Paul Wagstaff, guitar, b. UK. Member group: 'Black Grape', comprised of Shaun Ryder (vocals, formerly of the 'Happy Mondays') and Paul Wagstaff (guitar, formerly with the 'Ruthless Angels', Paul Leveridge (vocals,formerly with the 'Ruthless Rap Assassins'), Ged Lynch (drums), and Mark "Bez" Berry (vibes/percussion and idiot dancing, also formerly from the "Happy Mondays").
1909     Leonard Ware, Guitar/Composer, b. Richmond, VA, USA.
1916     Billy Williams, vocals, b: Waco, TX, USA
1946     Edgar Winter, piano/alto sax, b: Beaumont, TX, USA Member: Edgar Winter Band
         Notable Events occuring this date include:
1842.    Calixa Lavallee was born in Vercheres, Canada. Composed the music to "O Canada," with words by Judge A.B. Routhier. Lavalle, whose work remains largely unknown, died in Boston, MA, USA in 1891, and is considered one of Canada's musical pioneers. Regretfully, he gave little thought to preserving his own compositions (more than half of them have been lost or destroyed).
1949.    Ivie Anderson, vocals, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 44
1973.    John Wesley "Mr. Shortstuff" Macon, guitar, died in Macon, MS, USA. Age: 50
1976.    Freddie King, guitar, died in Dallas, TX, USA. Age: 42
1977.    Sam Brown, guitar, died in Bloomington, IN, USA. Age: 38
1980.    Walter "Popee" Lastie, drums, died in New Orleans, LA, USA. Age: 42. Best recalled for his work with "Fats" Domino
1982.    Jesse Williams, guitar, died in Chicago, IL, USA. Age: 36
1984.    Eddie J. "Bongo" Brown, Percussionnist/actor, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 52
1984.    Stanley "Stash" O'loughlin, piano, died in Newark, NJ, USA. Age: 60. Best recalled for his work with Earl Bostic band
1985.    Benny Morton, trombone, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 78
1991.    Swan Johnson, alto sax, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 83. Best recalled for his work with Panama Francis band.
1995.    "Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis" (né: Charles Thomas), guitar, died in Chicago, IL, USA. Age: 70. Chicago's Maxwell Street market was a flourishing aspect of that city's culture, and a place where itinerant sidewalk musicians could always be heard. "Maxwll Street Jimmy" earned his sobriquet because he was always heard playing his guitar while walking around that 'flea' market. (Jimmy was born Charles Thomas in 1925, near Clarksdale, MS, USA.) The days of the itinerant sidewalk minstel had sadly past. Municipal legislation and the compulsory licensing of peddlers in most large US cities had doomed the art. However, street busking (in America) seems to be enjoying a renaissance of sorts. It is still alive in Chicago, Los Angeles, and, in New York city where musicians can, and do, still perform in the Subway system, - competing with the roar of the trains. They are also heard in the city's parks.
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1944     I Dream Of You, - Tommy Dorsey Orch.
1944     There Goes That Song Again , - Russ Morgan Orch.
1951     Bermuda, - Bell Sisters
1951     Tell Me Why, - Eddie Fisher voc.
1958     All American Boy, The, - Bobby Bare
1958     I Cried A Tear, - LaVern Baker
1958     Goodbye Baby, - Jack Scott
1959     Village Of St. Bernadette, The, - Andy Williams
1963     Out Of Limits, - Marketts
1963     Surfin' Bird, - Trashmen
1968     Hang 'Em High, - Booker T. and The MG's
1974     Get Dancin', - Disco Tex and The Sex-O-Lettes
1974     Best Of My Love, - Eagles
1974     Fire, - Ohio Players
1985     How Will I Know, - Whitney Houston