BIRTHDAYS
1943     Eric Andersen, (folk) singer-songwriter, b. Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
1939     "Razzy" Bailey, (Country) Singer-Songwriter/Guitar, b. Five Points, Lafayette, AL, USA. né: Rasie Michael Bailey
1949     Phillippe Baudoin, piano, b. Algiers.
1893     Perry "Mule" Bradford, Piano/Composer/vocals/leader, b. Montgomery, AL, USA, d. April 20, 1970, New York, NY, USA. When he was just age 6, his family moved to Atlanta, GA, and that's where Perry grew up. In 1906 he started touring with minstrel shows. As early as 1909, he played in Chicago, IL as a solo pianist and was playing in New York city the following year. For the next 10 years, Bradford worked in theatre circuits as a pianist, singer and composer. He then settled in New York, and became Mamie Smith's musical director. It was Bradford who was responsible for her being the first blues singer on record (in 1920 she sang his composition "Crazy Blues"). Bradford toured and recorded with Smith, and her 'Jazz Hounds", nominally led by Jimmy. Bradford also worked with Alberta Hunter. During 1923-'27, Bradford recorded seven times leading his own group, with sidemen Johnny Dunn, Bubber Miley, Garvin Bushell, Louis Armstrong (on two numbers in 1925), Buster Bailey and James P. Johnson. Bradford finally slipped into obscurity during the great worldwide 1929 economic depression. In 1965 Perry Bradford's autobiography Alone With the Blues was published. His best-known songs were "Crazy Blues," "That Thing Called Love" and "You Can't Keep A Good Man Down." A very talented performer, pianist and composer, he deserves to be better remembered.
1945     Vic Briggs, guitar/arranger, b. Twickenham, London, England. Member groups: 'Steampacket', 'The Animals'
1947     Tim Buckley, Guitar/singer/songwriter, b. Amsterdam, NY, USA, d. June 29, 1975, Santa Monica, CA, USA. (heroin overdose). né: Timothy Charles Buckley III. In 1966, Herb Cohen, Frank Zappa's manager, took Buckley on as a client after seeing him perform in Los Angeles. Cohen then got him a deal with Elektra Records, the result being the album "Tim Buckley". It was a collection of 12 original songs, seven of which the 19-year-old had penned with his 'Loara High School' friend, lyricist Larry Beckett, -with whom Buckley would continue to work through the remainder of his career. (However, near the end of Buckley's life, Larry Beckett has told interviewers that he was politely informed that the singer would pen the lyrics alone. "But it was my feeling too that Tim felt his success was due to my lyrics rather than his music, so he wanted to see how well he'd do alone. ...") Tim's first marriage to a talented Panamanian teenager Mary Guibert, a classical pianist, was a disaster. The marriage did produce one son, Jeff Buckley. Mary's pregnancy turned the marriage sour. Not willing to take the chance on his career, her attitude was "settle down and raise a baby or we're through" . Tim left his wife before their son, Jeff, was born. Father and son met only once, spending a week together just two months before Tim Buckleys death. Jeff died at age 30, while his father Tim, died of a heroin overdose, at age 28. (Jeffrey Scott Buckley. b. Nov 17, 1966, Orange County, CA, USA, d. June 4, 1997, Memphis, TN, USA. also had a tragic end. His death was due to an accident. He was found floating in the Wolf River, a week after he was apparently dragged under by the wake of a passing speedboat.) Soon after the estrangment, Mary remarried, and Jeff got the name Scott Moorehead. This second marriage lasted a couple of years, and, after the divorce was settled, Scott took the name on his birth certificate, Jeffrey Scott Buckley. Circa 1970, Tim re-married, bought a house in upscale Laguna Beach, CA (subsequently painted black to outrage the neighbors), and effectively went to ground. Buckley's explanation was "I'd been going strong since 1966 and really needed a rest". He also inherited his wife Judy's seven-year-old son Taylor. The unreleased 1971 cult film Why? starring O.J. Simpson was shot during this period. Co-star Linda Gillen has recalled that "It was their first film, but both Tim and OJ were incredible actors. The camera loved them". Tim's songs were also heard in the 1971 film The Christian Licorice Store, although he was uncredited, either as an actor or composer. His songs were also heard in the 1969 film Changes. His song "Song to the Siren", was heard in the 2002 film Moonlight Mile. (Note: "Song to the Siren" was covered by 'Marillion' frontman 'Steve Hogarth and the H Band' on the album "Live Spirit: Live Body" -released 2002.) It is interesting to note that while Buckley's records were rarely played on radio, and fell out of print for a disturbingly long stretch, (though all were reissued on CD in the early '90s), his songs have since become familiar to two generations of Pop fans.
CAUTION: Do not confuse with lead guitarist Tim P. Buckley, b. Aug. 22, 1955, St. Louis. MO, USA. d. Jan. 6, 2002, Arlington TX, USA (Coronary Arrest).
1957     Tommy Campbell, drums/instructor, b. Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA. Tommy is from a musical family. His father was an organist and singer, and his uncle is Jimmy Smith, the renowned Hammond B-3 oranist.
1931     Alan Cooper, clarinet/bass, b. Leeds, England.
1969     Stefano DiBattista, soprano-alto sax, b. Rome, Italy.
1951     Michael Doucet, Cajun fiddler/songwriter, b. Scott, LA, USA. Member group: 'Beausoleil'
1963     "D'Wayne", soul/funk vocals, b. Oakland, CA, USA. Member group: 'Tony Toni Tone', comprised of Brothers Dwayne and Raphael Wiggins, and cousin Timothy Christian,
1950     Roger Fisher, guitar. Member group: 'Heart'
1900     Lys Gauty, singer, b. Levallois-Perret (Paris area), France, d. January 2, 1994, Monegasque, France. née: Alice Gauthier. She initially sang in local cinemas before her first engagement with the cabaret "At Fyscher", with George van Parys accompanying her at the piano. With the end of the 1920s, Lys became one of the reigning singers of popular love song and of French chanson.
1915     Irving Gordon, songwriter, b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA, d. Dec. 1, 1996, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
1908     Lonnie Glosson, C&W singer-songwriter/guitar/harmonica, b. Judsonia, AR, USA. d. March 2, 2001, Searcy (White County), AR, USA. Age: 93
1955     Otis Grand, (Blues) guitar, b. CA, USA Tag: "The Gentle Giant of the Blues".
1934     Florence Henderson, vocals. b. Dale, IN, USA.
1896     Werner Richard Heymann, composer, b. Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia), d. May 30, 1961, Munich, Germany.
1946     Gregory Hines, dancer, singer, b. New York, NY, USA, d. Aug. 9, 2003, Los Angeles, California, USA. (liver cancer). né: Gregory Oliver Hines. As a child, he first studied with choreographer Henry LeTang. His father, Maurice Hines Sr. was a vaudevillian, and worked with his two young children, Maurice Jr, and Gregory, touring the vaudeville circuits with a Tap dancing act. Gregory had his professional debut when only 5 years old, and by age six, he, together with his brother Maurice Hines and their father, performed, as "The Hines Kids", at the Apollo Theatre in New York (Harlem). They later performed as "The Hines Brothers", and then in 1963 changed to "Hines, Hines and Dad". In 1954, he and brother Maurice were cast in the Broadway musical "The Girl in the Pink Tights". Hines had a falling out with his older brother in the late 1960s because the younger boy was becoming influenced by counterculture and wanted to perform to rock music and write his songs. In 1973, the family act disbanded and Hines moved to Venice Beach. But by 1978, the two brothers had reconciled. In 1978, the two brothers were hired for the Broadway musical "Eubie!". In 1984, the two brothers were cast as brothers in Francis Ford Coppola's film "The Cotton Club", which was set in the Harlem club where their grandmother had been one of the elite black entertainers performing for a 'Whites-only' audience in the 1920s and 1930s. In the late 1960s, tried his hand at performing rock 'n' roll music, and writing his own songs. He also starred in films with dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov ('White Nights'), and with Billy Crystal in 'Running Scared'. He appeared with Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett in 1995's "Waiting to Exhale," among other movies. He won a 1992 Tony Award for the musical "Jelly's Last Jam." Upon his demise, he was buried in the family plot of Carmela and Michael Truszyk in St. Volodymyr's Ukrainian Catholic cemetery in Oakville, Ontario (west of Toronto), Canada.
1951     Kenny Hyslop, Percussion/Drums, b. Helensburgh, Scotland. Member group: 'Slik', 'Skids', 'Simple Minds'
1923     Wally Koster, Vocals, b: Winipeg, Manitoba, Canada. d: 1975. heard on many TV shows including the Trans-Canada Hit Parade and later the Cross-Canada Hit Parade, where he sang with Joyce Hahn and Phyllis Marshall, et al.
1925     Elliot Lawrence, Piano/composer, b. Philadelphia, PA, né: Elliot Lawrence Broza
1920     Jack Lesberg, Bass/violin, b. Boston, MA, USA, d. Sept. 17, 2005, Englewood, NJ, USA. (complications of Alzheimer’s disease). In the late 1930s, he switched to playing bass after having spent his early career as a violinist. In 1942, he survived a fire at the famed Cocoanut Grove club in Los Angeles (492 patrons perished). In 1943, he relocated to New York city and found work as bassist with the New York Symphony Orchestra (then led by conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein). In the mid to late 1940s, played in the New York Symphony Orchestra under conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein. In 1944, Jack first recorded with guitarist Eddie Condon's group, and his last recording came in March 2003 at “Mat Domber’s March of Jazz” in Clearwater, Florida. In the early 1970s, he he traveled to Australia, where he appeared with the Sydney Symphony.
1937     'Magic Sam', Blues guitar/vocals, b. Grenada, Mississippi, USA, d. December 1, 1969, USA, Chicago, IL, USA. . (heart attack) . né: Sam Maghett In 1950, he moved to Chicago, IL, USA. and found work at local Blues club venues in Chicago's West Side. Fom 1957 to 1959, h,e recorded for the Cobra label. At this time, he was drafted into the U. S. Army. Unhappy with the Army, he deserted, was later captured, and spent six months in jail. In early 1969, his performance at the Ann Arbor Blues Festival won him many coveted bookings in the United States and Europe, however, it all ended for "Magic Sam" when he suddenly died of a heart attack in December of the same year. His work has since influenced many Blues musicians In the film 'The Blues Brothers' , Jake Blues dedicated the band's performance of "Sweet Home Chicago" to the "late, great Magic Sam".
1911     Don Macaffer, Trombone, b. Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK, d. 1979
1935     Rob McConnell, valve Trombone/arranger/Leader, b. London, Ontario, Canada. Recently nominated for a Grammy, and made an "Officer of the Order of Canada".
1931     Phyllis McGuire, vocals. member: 'The McGuire Sisters'
1957     Loreena McKennitt, vocals, b: Morden, Manitoba, Canada. A fine interpreter of Celtic music.
1930     Dwike Mitchell, Piano, b. Dunedin, FL, USA.
1945     Bill Nowlin, label co-founder (Rounder Records), b. Boston, MA, USA.
1943     Maceo Parker, alto sax, b. Kinston, NC, USA.
1939     Chris Pyne, Trombone, b. Bridlington, England, d. 1995
1934     Merl Saunders, organ, b. San Mateo, CA, USA. Saunders began playing organ at seven and never stopped.
1856     William J. Scanlan, composer, b. Springfield, MA, USA. d. Feb. 19, 1898, New York, NY, USA.
1947     Glenn Spearman, tenor sax, b. New York, NY, USA. d. Oct. 8, 1998
1972     Rob Thomas, guitar. Member group: 'matchbox twenty'
1909     "Skeets" Tolbert, leader/reeds, b. Calhoun Falls, SC, USA, d. Nov. 30, 2000, Houston, TX, USA. né: Campbell Arelus Tolbert. One of five children. this noted Black musician had a long career in music, - both playing and teaching.. In the early 1940's he led his own band " The Gentlemen of Swing " where he picked up the nickname "Skeets". In 1963, he opened his business 'Pied Piper Music Company'. He later became an instructor at Texas Southern University, where he was a music professor specializing in woodwind instruction. He taught arranging , music theory, and also conducted the stage band.
1933     Bertram Jay Turetzky, bass/composer.
1896     Anson Weeks, b. Oakland, CA, USA, d. Feb. 7, 1969, Sacramento, CA, USA.
1966     Ricky Wolking, bass vocals. b. North Carolina, USA. Member group: 'Nixons', consisting of Ricky, Zac Maloy (b. Oklahoma, USA), Jesse Davis (b. Oklahoma, USA), and John Humphrey (b. Oklahoma, USA).
         Notable Events occuring this date include:
1957.    "King David", a four-part symphony jazz suite, and Lionel Hamptons only major musical work, debuted at New York's Town Hall. the conducter was Dimitri Mitropoulos.
1959.    Baby Dodds, drums, died in Chicago, IL, USA. Age: 60
1981.    Michael Bloomfield, guitar, died in San Francisco, CA, USA. Age: 37
1984.    Barbara Gordon, vocals, died.
1987.    Wendy Lou Holmcombe, virtuoso Bluegrass/Old-Time Country banjo player, died Alabaster, AL, USA. (enlarged heart) Age: 23. She was born in "Alabaster, Alabama, USA. ("somewhere between Dogwood and Fungo Holler") Wendy was a multi-instrumentalist who, besides singing and songwriting, could play Banjo, Fiddle, Guitar, Mandolin, Dobro, Bass, Trumpet, Ukulele, and Drums. She was also an actress.
1988.    Frederick Loewe, songwriter, died in Palm Springs, CA, USA. Age: 83
1994.    Gary "B. B."Coleman, producer (Ichiban Records), died in Atlanta, GA, USA. Age: 47
1999.    Buddy Knox, (rockabilly) singer-songwriter, died of cancer. Age: 65. In the 1950s, his "Party Doll", a tune he composed, topped the charts.
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1941    "High On a Windy Hill", Dorsey, Jimmy
1941    "It All Comes Back To Me Now", Krupa, Gene
1941    "Song Of The Volga Boatman", Miller, Glenn
1946    "You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break", Brown, Les
1946    "Oh! What It Seemed To Be", Sinatra, Frank
1947    "Anniversary Song", Lombardo, Guy
1947    "Managua, Nicaragua", Lombardo, Guy
1947    "Open The Door, Richard", McVea, Jack
1947    "Open The Door, Richard", Three Flames
1949    "A Little Bird Told Me", - Evelyn Knight
1949    "Powder Your Face with Sunshine", - Evelyn Knight
1949    "Far Away Places", - Margaret Whiting
1949    "I Love You So Much It Hurts", - Jimmy Wakely
1953    "Your Cheatin' Heart", James, Joni
1953    "I Believe", Laine, Frankie
1957    "Young Love", - Tab Hunter
1970    "Rapper, The", Jaggerz
1970    "Bridge Over Troubled Water", Simon & Garfunkel
1976    "Dream On", Aerosmith
1976    "Money Honey", Bay City Rollers
1976    "Sweet Love", Commodores
1976    "Sweet Thing", Rufus
1981    "Rapture", Blondie
1981    "Kiss On My List", Hall & Oates
1981    "What Kind Of Fool", Barbra Streisand
1987    "Come Go With Me", Expose
1987    "Let's Go!", Wang Chung
1987    "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", Starship