BIRTHDAYS
1947     Kerrie Biddell, Vocal, b. Feb. 8, 1947, Sydney, Australia
1975     Wes Borland, guitar, b. Richmond, VA, USA. né: Wesley Louden Borland. Member group: 'Limp Bizkit'
1943     Creed Bratton, guitar, Sacramento, CA, USA. Member group: 'Grass Roots'
1928     Eddie "Guitar" Burns, guitar.
1936     Walter L. "Buddy" Cagle Jr., C&W vocals, b. Concord, NC, USA.
1946     Adolpho "Fito" de la Parra, drums, b. Mexico City, Mexico. aka: . Alfredo Fito. Member group: 'Canned Heat', A 'hard-luck' blues band of the 1960s, 'Canned Heat' was founded by blues historians and record collectors Alan Wilson and Bob Hite. On Sept. 3, 1970, Wilson died mysteriously (probably drug-related suicide), and Hite carried on with various reconstituted versions of the band until his own demise on Oct. 20, 1981 (coronary arrest), just before a show. With Hite's death, surviving members led by de la Parra carried on. Under the leadership of Fito de la Parra, the band has toured extensively all over the world, performing at numerous festivals,
1929     Floyd Dixon, (Boogie Woogie/jump-blues and R&B) pianist. b. Marshall, Texas, USA, d. July 26, 2006, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 77.(kidney failure). When his parents separated, Dixon was raised by his paternal grandmother. Ten years later, when she died, Dixon lived in a tree with his dog until moving to Los Angeles (at age 13) to live with his mother and maternal grandmother. In 1947, Dixon began recording in Los Angeles, CA, with Supreme Records, in 1949 with Modern Records, and and in 1951 switched to Aladdin Records. His biggest hit came in 1954, when he recorded "Hey Bartender" for the Cat label. In 1984, he received Billboard's 'Blues Award' for the song, as recorded by the 'Blues Brothers', and in 1985, a Billboard 'Country Award' when it was recorded by singer Johnny Lee. Dixon, nicknamed "Mr. Magnificent", toured constantly working with such fellow R&B artists as Ruth Brown, B.B. King, Charles Brown and Ray Charles. In the 1960s and early 1970s, he was living a secluded life in Paris, Texas. Only after reissues of his music started becoming popular in Europe during the early 1980s did Dixon began to tour again.
1908     Bob Dunn, (Western Swing) Guitar, b. Ft. Gibson, OK, USA.
1915     Georges Guetary, Vocalist/actor, d. Sept. 13, 1997. né: Lambros Worloou. Perhaps best recalled as the handsome crooner who competed with Gene Kelly for the hand of Leslie Caron in the film 'An American in Paris'. His Broadway credits include 'Arms and The Girl' and 'Portofino'.
1894     Lonnie Johnson, Guitar/Vocal, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d. June 16, 1970, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. né: Alonzo Johnson. NOTE: The exact year of his birth is not known, but 1894 is what appears on his passport. Some researchers think that 1889 may be correct.
1902     Bessie Jones, Gospel singer, b. Georgia Sea Islands, GA, USA.
1903     Greta Keller, cabaret singer and Hollywood actress, b. Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Austria), d. Nov. 11, 1977) Vienna, Austria. née: Margaretha Keller. Greta Keller began her career when she débuted in "Pavillon", in Vienna. In 1929, she was signed to a recording contract with Ultraphon. Her career as a singer took her from Vienna to Prague and Berlin, where she had a big success with composer Peter Igelhoff (b. July 22, 1904, Vienna, Austria, d. April 8, 1978, Bad Reichenhall, Germany), and composer / bandleader Peter Kreuder (b. August 18, 1905, Aachen, Germany, d. June 28, 1981, Salzburg, Austria). In the 1930s, she became a big star in the U.S.A. She acted, sang and danced in the play "Broadway", with Marlene Dietrich, made films with Fox Studio, sang on the radio and played with Fred Astaire and Rod McKuen, who later composed "If You Go Away" for her. She also sang "My Way", composed by Paul Anka. By the early 1940s, Greta was working in Hollywood as an actress. In Hollywood, she met and married a fellow actor, David Bacon (b. March 24, 1914, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, USA, d. Sept. 13, 1943, Hollywood, California, USA. (homicide - stabbed). né: Gaspar Griswold Bacon, Jr.. In 1943, two weeks after finishing a major role in the Republic serial 'The Masked Marvel', he was murdered. Speculation involved homosexual affairs with producer Howard Hughes and another actor, but the murder was never solved. At the time, Keller was pregnant, and not long afterwards their child was stillborn. (In her later years, Keller disclosed that Bacon was homosexual, and that she was lesbian, and that their marriage partly served as what she referred to as a "beard", allowing both of them to maintain a respectable facade in Hollywood, where they were both attempting to establish film careers.) In time, she recovered from these twin blows, and returned to Europe where she restarted her career in Switzerland, then on to Vienna, Berlin and back to New York City. Her career lasted for over 45 years, and made her a legend for her singing and acting in radio shows, films, revues, concerts and musicals. Her style of singing was intimate and personal, with great dramatization of a lyric. Her records were truly international hits. She was known as 'The Great Lady Of Chanson'.
1928     Gene Lees, Lyricist/Writer, b. Hamilton, ONT, Canada
1961     Samuel Llanas, singer-songwriter/guitar, b. Waukesha, WI, USA. Member group: 'BoDeans', a band formed in Waukesha, WI, USA by Llanas and his high school friend singer-songwriter/guitarist Kurt Neumann, bassist Bob Griffin, and drummer Guy Hoffman.
1930     Eddie Locke, Drums, b. Detroit, MI, USA.
1930     Joe Maini, Alto Sax, b. Providence, RI, USA. d. 1964
1955     Renee Manning, vocals
1962     Ken McCluskey, Bass, b. Scotland, U.K. Member group: 'The Bluebells', a group (all born in Scotland) that played briefly in the early 1980s, and comprised of Robert "Bobby Bluebell" Hodgens (b. June 6, 1959, songwriter/guitar), Kenneth McClusky (b. Feb. 8, 1962, vocals/harmonica), Dave McCluskey (b. Jan. 13, 1964, drums), Russell Irvin (guitar, -later replaced by Craig Gannon (b. July 30, 1966), and Lawrence Donegan (bass, -later replaced by Neil Baldwin), In 1986, after the McCluskey Brothers, Ken and David, left the Bluebells, they formed 'The McCluskey Brothers', with Gary Kane (bass), Ross McFarlane (drums) and Ali MacCleod (lead guitar).
1942     Terry Melcher, singer/songwriter/producer, b. New York, NY, USA, d. Nov. 19, 2004, Beverly Hills, CA, USA (Cancer). Terry was the son of famed actress/singer Doris Day (her only child) and her first husband, trombonist Al Jorden. (Doris was only 18 when she gave birth to Terry.) 10 years later, he was adopted by Doris Day's third husband, her agent and producer Martin Melcher, and took his surname. Besides composing songs, and producing festivals, Melcher is remembered today as the man most responsible for shaping the 1960s sounds of California-style folk and 'surf' music. In the early 1960's, Melcher started his career as a solo performer. He soon paired with Bruce Johnston (a future 'Beach Boy') as 'Bruce & Terry, and they had several hits. The duo then formed the 'Rip Chords' and had success with their 1964 hit "Hey, Little Cobra." Melcher also performed on the seminal 'Beach Boys' album "Pet Sounds". In the mid-60's, Melcher secured an internship in Columbia's producer-trainee program in New York. As a Columbia Records producer, he returned to California, and was set to work on "Don't Make My Baby Blue" which put Frankie Laine back into the US Top Fifty for the first time since 1957. Terry also worked with such folk and rock pioneers as Gram Parsons, 'The Mamas and the Papas', and Ry Cooder. He also helped to transform the little-known folk-rock band, 'The Byrds', into stars.when he produced their versions of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn, Turn, Turn" (to Everything There is a Season), "The Bells of Rhymney", and later recordings like "Ballad of Easy Rider". In 1969, he became a peripheral figure in the notorious Charles Manson murder case, when it was determined that Terry had once rented the same house in which actress Sharon Tate and her friends were killed by Manson's followers. There was speculation at the time that Melcher, who knew Manson, was the real intended target because he had turned down Manson's request for a recording contract. However, police established that Melcher had moved and that Manson knew his whereabouts. From 1968 to 1972, Terry was the executive producer of his mother's television series, "The Doris Day Show", and later co-produced her mid-1980's program, "Doris Day's Best Friends". Also in the 1980s, he co-composed the hit "Kokomo", a song that 1) was featured in the Tom Cruise film "Cocktail", 2) helped stoke a 1980's revival for the Beach Boys, and 3) received a Golden Globe nomination in 1988 for best original song. Terry was always close to his mother, and before his demise had been running various businesses for her and supervising her charitable activities, including the Doris Day Animal Foundation.
1919     Buddy Morrow, Trombone, b. New Haven, CT, USA. d. né: Muni Zudekoff. aka: Moe Zudekoff
1961     Vince Neil, vocals, b. Hollywood, CA, USA. né: Vince Neil Wharton. Member group: 'Motley Crue'
1968     Jukka Perko, alto-soprano saxes, b. Finland. Jukka is perhaps the most decorated Finnish saxophonist of his generation. Among his other accomplishments, Jukka Perko's November 2000 album "Music of Olavi Virta" became the first ever release of Blue Note Finland. (Iconic singer/composer Olavi Virta (1915-'72), was a renowned interpreter of passionate Tangos, -a Nordic counterpart to the likes of Carlos Gardel and Frank Sinatra.)
1926     Pony Poindexter, Alto/soprano Sax, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d. 1988
1963     Don Wayne Reno, C&W vocals, b. Roanoke, VA, USA. Member: 'The Reno Brothers' vocal group
1941     Tom Rush, vocals, b. USA.
1958     Steve Scruggs, Bluegrass strings, b. Nashville, TN, USA, d. Sept. 1992, Member: "Earl Scruggs Revue". Steve (Earl's youngest son), committed suicide after murdering his wife.
1948     Dan Seals, C&W vocals, b. McCamey, TX, USA. Member group: 'England Dan & John Ford Coley' Dan, after several hits as part of the soft rock duo 'England Dan & John Ford Coley, reinvented himself as a C&W/Pop singer. During the latter half of the 1980s he enjoyed a tremendous run of success .
1938     Ray Sharpe, vocals. His biggest hit: "Linda Lu"
1916     Jimmy Skidmore, Tenor Sax, b. London, England, d. April 23, 1998, age 82. Was a Coleman Hawkins man and adopted the Hawk's full-bodied tone. One of his early stamping grounds was the West London Rhythm Club, often playing there alongside Ronnie Scott. In recent years he had been a regular at the Fairway Suite, where he celebrated his 80th birthday playing alongside son Alan, a notable contemporary British saxophonist. Very few Jazzmen's progeny follow in their father's footsteps but, happily, it has been the case with Jimmy and Alan.
1942     Joe South, C&W singer/songwriter, b. Atlanta, GA, USA. n&eadute;: Joseph Alfred Souter
1948     Ron Tyson, vocals. né: Ronald Tyson Presson. Best recalled as a member of 'The Temptations' vocal group.
1936     Larry Verne, vocals. His biggest hit was "Please Mr. Custer (I don't Want to Go)"
1949     Merle Watson, C&W vocals, b. Deep Gap, NC, USA, d. Oct. 23, 1985. né: Eddy Merle Watson.
1923     "Black Jack" Wayne, C&W guitar/vocals b. Oklahoma, USA, d. June 30, 1999. At age 14, his family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, and Jack started guitar playing as a hobby. After recovering from an injury, he joined his brother's band, the "Rattlesnake Ramblers". In mid-1956, he had three daily shows over the San Mateo, California "all-Western" radio station KVSM, in addition to his one hour television show over station KOVR, with the "Bar 10 Ranch Boys". 'Black Jack and the Bar-10 Ranch Boys' also recorded for the Cavalier label. Black Jack Wayne and his little brother, Chuck Wayne, then opened their own 'Country' club,"Garden of Allah", in Niles, California. Black Jack also had his own record label (named -naturally- 'Black Jack'). Later, TV station KOVR, Channel 13 in Stockton, CA, aired two Western music shows, one was Black Jack Wayne and his "Bar 11 Ranch Boys". (The other show had Glenn Stepp and his band.) In addition, Black Jack had also started a live radio show originating from his 'Garden of Allah' nightclub that was broadcast Saturday nights over radio station KEEN. He subsequently starred on the Channel 2, KTVU, "The Black Jack Wayne Show", a western variety show.
1946     Paul Wheatbread, drums, b. San Diego, CA, USA.
1941     John Williams, Baritone Sax, b. London, England
1932     John Williams, piano/composer, b. New York (Flushing), NY, USA.
         Notable Events occuring this date include:
1960.    Alan Freed and "American Bandstand" host, Dick Clark, among others, testify before a U.S. Congressional committee investigating the influence of payola in the radio and record industries.
1960.    Archie Brownlee, vocals, died in New Orleans, LA, USA. Age: 35. Member: "Blind Boys Of Mississippi
1990.    Vocalist Del Shannon, (né: Charles Westover) commits suicide. (Shot himself in the head with a 22 calibre rifle.)
1994.    Raymond Scott, composer/bandleader, died in North Hills, CA, USA. Age: 85
1996.    Mercer Ellington, trumpet/leader, died in Copenhagen, Denmark, Age: 76
1999.    C&W star 'Lulu Belle', member "Lulu Belle & Scotty", died. (Alzheimer's disease)
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1945    "Saturday Night(Is The Loneliest Night In", Sinatra, Frank
1952    "Blacksmith Blues", Morse, Ella Mae
1952    "Wheel Of Fortune", Starr, Kay
1960    "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)", Benton, Brook
1960    "Forever", Little Dippers
1960    "Wild One", Rydell, Bobby
1964    "Stop & Think It Over", Dale & Grace
1964    "Dawn (Go Away)", Four Seasons
1969    "Proud Mary", Creedence Clearwater Revival
1969    "Indian Giver", Nineteen-Ten Fruitgum Co.
1969    "This Girl's In Love With You", Warwick, Dionne
1975    "Express", B.T. Express
1975    "Have You Never Been Mellow", Newton-John, Olivia
1975    "Poetry Man", Snow, Phoebe
1986    "Nikita", John, Elton
1992    "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)", Mint Condition