BIRTHDAYS
1953     Pat Benatar, R&R vocals., b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA. née: Pat Andrzejewski. As a child, Pat trained as an opera singer but gave up her opera training when it became clear that college would be too much of a financial hardship on her family. At age 19, she married Dennis Benatar and the couple moved to Virginia. But music beckoned, and after a stint as a bank teller and singing waitress, Pat returned to New York city to persue her musical career. Singing in the "Villiage" clubs, she would soon become one of the early "Rock" icons. In 1978, Chrysalis Records signed Benatar. Shortly thereafter Benetar was paired with musical director/guitarist Neil "Spyder" Giraldo, who soon become her writing partner, guitarist, producer, and later, husband.
1904     Ray Bolger, dancer/actor/vocals, d. Jan. 15, 1987
1918     Aaron Bridgers, piano, b. Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, d. 2003 Little recalled now, but Bridgers was also Ellington bassist Billy Taylor's long time homosexual lover. Ellington's son, Mercer and daughter Ruth originally introduced the two men to each other.
1897     Sam Chatmon, Blues vocals/guitar, b. Boltman, MS, USA. d. 1983, USA. A product of the prodigious Chatmon family that featured several other blues-playing brothers, including Lonnie (of the famous 'Mississippi Sheiks'), and also the prolific Bo Carter. While still a child, Sam was playing music with his family's string band, and occasionally with the Mississippi Sheiks. Throughout the 1930s, Sam was performing as a solo act, and still recording with the Mississippi Sheiks and with his brother Lonnie. He toured throughout the south, playing with a variety of minstrel and medicine shows. In the '40s, he went into 'musical' retirement, settling in Hollandale, Mississippi, where he worked on plantations. With the late '50s Blues revival, he was able to again find musical work, and in 1960, he recorded a number of songs for the Arhoolie label. He continued playing throughout the '60s and '70s, recording for a variety of labels, playing club dates, as well as blues and folk festivals across America. Chatmon remained active right up to his demise in 1983.
1947     George Chisholm II, Trombonist, b. Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK.
1935     Eddie Clearwater, C&W vocals/guitar, b: Macon, GA, USA. né: Eddy Harrington
1929     Gwen Cleveland, vocals, d. June 21, 2002
1923     'Curly' Ray Cline, C&W Fiddle, d. August 19, 1997, Rockhouse, KY. Curly, -fiddle player with Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, and for the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, died after a long illness, at age 74.
1958     Shawn Colvin, Contemporary Folk Singer/Songwriter/guitar, b. Vermillion, SD, USA.
1943     Jim Croce, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA, d. Sept. 20, 1973. In 1966, he and Ingrid Jacobsen were married and this resulted in the birth of their son Adrian on September 28, 1971. His career closed after just three albums. Jim (and his friend, lead guitar player, Maury Muehleisen and 4 others) were killed after a concert at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA, USA, when their Beechcraft D-18 charter plane crashed. (It snagged the top of a Pecan tree just past the end of the runway ). In the Summer of 1973, "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was the #1 song in the country. His son, A.J. Croce currently has one album, "Fit to Serve" released.
The Hit Songs of Jim Croce include:
1972    You Don't Mess Around With Jim
1972    Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
1973    One Less Set of Footsteps
1973    Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
1973    I Got A Name
1973    Time In A Bottle
1974    I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song
1974    Workin' At The Car Wash Blues
1928     Willie Dennis, Trombone, d. July 8, 1965, né: DeBerardinis
1946     Aynsley Dunbar, Drums/Producer. b. Liverpool, England. Member groups: 'Journey', and 'Whitesnake'
1927     Allen Eager, tenor sax, b. New York, NY, USA. d. April 13, 2003, Daytona Beach, FL, USA (liver cancer). Eager's parents owned and operated the "Eager Rose Garden" hotel for many years in what was then the town of Bushville (now called 'Harris' - near the town of Callicoon, New York), on which property now stands the 'Catskill Regional Medical Center', and attended the local Harris grade school. He began on the clarinet at 13, studying with Dave Webber of the NY Philharmonic, and by the time he was 16, was working professionally, on the road with Bobby Sherwood's big band. During World War II (while still a teenager) he played with the Sonny Dunham, Shorty Sherock, Hal McIntyre, Woody Herman (1943-44), Tommy Dorsey and Johnny Bothwell Bands. By 1945 he was appearing regularly on New York City's famed 52nd Street ("Swing Street"), playing alongside such stars as Fats Navarro, Coleman Hawkins, Todd Dameron, Charlie Parker, Gerry Mulligan and Buddy Rich. During 1946-48 he recorded as a leader. In 1948, he was with Tadd Dameron's band. In 1951, he recorded with Gerry Mulligan; 1952 with Terry Gibbs; During 1953-'55 he played with Buddy Rich and again fronted his own band. By 1956-'57, Mr. Eager was living in Paris (becomming engaged to a young lady there) and recorded with Gerry Mulligan. Interestingly, in the early 1950s, all five "Tenors" -- Zoot Sims, Brew Moore, Al Cohn, Stan Getz, and Allen Eager recorded together. While in Europe, he skied and raced cars, and in 1961, he and his racing partner, Denise McCluggage, placed 2nd at the Sebring, Florida, races. In the late 1960s, he settled in Florida. In 1982, he recorded a comeback album, "Renaissance" for the Uptown label, and toured with Dizzy Gillespie. Eager, after hearing Charlie Parker play, had become a consumate fan of "BeBop" music. He was among the first to introduce the melodic vision of Lester Young into the bebop sound of the late 1940s and '50s. Still, he was present at the birth of much of what would later be called "Cool Jazz", and enjoyed playing with such "Cool Jazz" stars as Stan Getz and Zoot Sims. He then gradually dropped out of Jazz, making only fitful returns during the following decades. In between times, he took copious quantities of drugs - heroin at first and, later, psychedelics. During his career, he consorted with movie stars and race car drivers in glamorous spots around the world. He once told the Orlando Sentinel: "After Charlie Parker died [in 1955], Jazz just went down the tubes as far as being a vital force."
1929     Leon "Mr. Blues" Estelle, guitar, b. Kansas City, KS, USA.
1948     Donald Fagan, vocals, b. USA Member group: 'Steely Dan'.
1905     Garley Foster, C&W Guitar/vocals, b. Wilkes County, NC, USA, d. Sept. 5, 1998. member: 'Carolina Tar Heels'.
1930     Byron "Slick" Gipson, vocals, b. Burlington, IA, USA. Member: 'The Sliders'
1935     Ronnie Hawkins, Rockabilly singer/guitarist., b: Huntsville, AL, USA
1913     Haywood Henry, Baritone-soprano sax, clarinet, b. Birmingham, AL, USA. d. . Sept. 15, 1994 (some sources show Jan. 7, as his date of birth.)
1915     Buddy Johnson, Piano/Leader/songwriter, b. Darlington, SC, USA. d. Feb. 9, 1977, New York, NY, USA. All during the 1940s and '50s, Johnson's jump blues band enjoyed tremendous success. While his primary vocalist was his sister Ella (catch her seductive version of "Since I Fell for You"), such other singers as Arthur Prysock (b. Jan 2, 1929 in Spartanburg, SC, USA. d. June 21, 1997, Hamilton, Bermuda) also appeared with the band.
CAUTION: Two other singers, Nolan Lewis and Floyd Ryland, are very often mentioned as singing with Johnson's band. However, there is no record extant of their ever having sung with any other group - anywhere. If any visitor to our site has any information on these two men, it would be appreciated if they could let us know.
DO NOT CONFUSE with contemporary (2005) guitarist Nolan Lewis, with the goupp 'Kryptos', a rare 'heavy metal' band from India!
1959     Curt Kirkwood, guitar, b. Phoenix, AZ, USA. Member group: 'Meat Puppets', comprised of two brothers, - Curt and Cris Kirkwood (banjo b.October 22, 1960), and Derrick Bostrom (drums b. June 23, 1960).
1946     Bob Lang, rock bass, b. Manchester, England. Member group: 'Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders', comprised of Bob Lang, Wayne Fontana - vocals (né: Glyn Ellis, b. Oct. 28n 1945, Manchester, England), Eric Stewart - guitar (b. Jan. 20, 1945, Manchester, England), and Ric Rothwell - drums (b. March 11, 1944, Manchester, England)
1979     "Daddy Mack", rapper, b. Atlanta, GA, USA. né: Chris Smith Member group: 'Kris Kross'
1955     Luci Martin, vocals. Member group: 'Chic', a group founded by Nile Rodgers (guitar, b. Sept. 19, 1952, New York, NY, USA), Bernard Edwards (Producer/Bass, b. Oct. 31, 1952, Greenville, NC, USA, d. April 18, 1996, Tokyo, Japan (pneumonia. Age: 43).
1927     Giselle McKenzie, vocalist, b: Winipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
1939     Scott McKenzie, vocals, b.Jacksonville, FL, USA. ( Note: Scott was not born Oct. 1, as is often reported. )
1939     Sal Mineo, vocals, b: New York (Bronx), NY, USA, d: Feb. 12, 1976, Hollywood, CA, USA
1965     Nathan Moore, vocals, b. (Stamford Hill in) London, England. né: Nathan Marcellus Moore. Member: 'Brother Beyond', a group that two albums, "Get even" (1988) and "Trust" (1989) before they broke up in 1990. Nathan then joined the group 'Worlds Apart'.who released four albums, "Worlds Apart", "Together" (1994), "Everybody" and "Here and now", before they too broke up.. Currently, 2003, Nathan occasionally works Cal Cooper and Steve Hart, also ex-members of 'Worlds Apart'.
1948     Cyril Neville, vocals/percussion, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. Member group: 'The Neville Brothers', comprised of Cyril (youngest), Art and Aaron Neville.
1952     William Parker, bass, b. New York (Bronx), NY, USA.
1926     Neal Pattman, harmonica, b. Madison City, GA, USA.
1927     John Raitt, vocals/actor, b. Santa Ana, CA, USA. d. Feb. 20, 2005, Pacific Palisades, CA, USA. (complications of pneumonia) Raitt did have some local fame in California, but then, in 1944, Rodgers and Hammerstein chose Raitt for the role of Curly in the road company of "Oklahoma!". While working on their second collaboration, "Carousel", they again chose Raitt for the role of the doomed hero Billy Bigelow. In 1945, Raitt astounded the opening-night audience with his dynamic soliloquy, which he called "practically a one-act opera which took six and a half minutes to sing." Raitt later said that Oscal Hammerstein had been inspired to write it upon hearing the newcomer sing Figaro at the audition. Raitt's star status on Broadway was assured, and After the long run in the hit show "Carousel", he appeared in "Magdalena," "Three Wishes for Jamie" and "Carnival in Flanders." Then, in 1954, he appeared in the film "The Pajama Game", with co-star Doris Day. It was a highly successful movie with such wonderful songs as "Hey, There," "Steam Heat" and "Once a Year Day". Bob Fosse's choreography helped make the film a delight. Curiously, despite his good notices, it was Raitt's only starring movie. In his later years, Raitt was overshadowed by the fame of his blues-singing daughter. He once said "She used to be known as John Raitt's daughter; now I'm known as Bonnie Raitt's father". Still, he delighted in her success and approved of her campaigning for civil rights, peace and other causes. Bonnie and two brothers, Steven and David, were born to Raitt's first marriage to Marjorie Haydock. They divorced in 1971. A second marriage to Kathleen Smith Landry ended in divorce in 1981. That same year, Raitt and Rosemary Kraemer, an old high school friend rececently widowed, were married in 1981. His daughter Bonnie sang "Safe in Your Arms" at the wedding. Raitt sang "My Heart's Darling" at Bonnie's 1991 wedding to actor Michael O'Keefe.
1927     Johnnie Ray, vocals, b: The Dalles, OR, USA, d: Feb. 24, 1990, Los Angeles, CA, USA. (Liver related). Partially deaf, he was stongly influenced by such singers as Kay Starr, Billie Holiday, and a southern R&B vocalist named 'Miss Cornshucks'. One of the transition singers between the crooners and the rockers, he spelled his name as Johnnie, not Johnny, and it's said that he became enraged if anyone mis-spelled it. His early songs, such as "Cry" and "The Little White Cloud That Cried", were major hits, but his open bisexuality and brushes with the law caused his star to wane in the USA. He remained popular in the UK and Australia until his death, which came after a lifelong intake of pills and liquor. He died quietly and with no fanfare, in a hospital room from complications of liver failure.
1940     Waymon Reed, Trumpet/flugelhorn, b. Fayetteville, NC, USA. d. Nov. 25, 1983
1930     Lyle Ritz, Bass, b. Cleveland, OH, USA.
1924     Max Roach, Drums/leader/composer, b. New Land, NC, USA. Co-led Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet. One of the most recorded of modern Jazz percussionists. Recently (Nov 1998) played at Blue Note Club (New York City)
1964     Brad Roberts, guitar/piano/vocals, with band: Crash Test Dummies
1934     Fred Sample, piano, b. St. Louis, MO, USA. Worked with Ike Turner
1898     John T. Samples, guitar/harmonica, b. Kilgore, TX, USA.
1965     Joey Santiago, guitar, b. Manila, Philippines. Member group: 'Pixies'
1955     Michael Schenker, guitar, b. Savstedt, West Germany. - 'Scorpions', Schenker at age 16, his brother, Rudolf, formed the Scorpions. He split with the Scorpions and joined UFO. After a couple of hit albums with them, Schenker became one of the most sought-after rock and roll guitarist of the late 1970's and early '80's. Bands such as the Rolling Stones, and Whitesnake asked him to join. . Over his career, he has alternated playing between his own group, the Michael Schenker Group (or MSG), and UFO, and even on occasion plays with the Scorpions.
1944     Frank Sinatra, Jr., vocals, b. Jersey City, NJ, USA.
1953     Mike Stern, Guitar, b. Boston, MA, USA.
1945     Rod Stewart, R&B/Rock/Disco Vocals. b. London, England, UK. né: Roderick David Stewart, III
1973     Aerlee Taree, rapper, Member group: 'Arrested Development'
1944     Gianluigi Trovesi, clarinet, saxophone, piccolo, bass clarinet, flute, b. Nembro (near Bergamo), Italy.
1931     Gene Washington, drums, b. Pine Bluff, AR, USA. Worked with Ike Turner
1960     Jimmy Weinstein, drums
1917     Jerry Wexler, producer, b. New York (Manhattan), NY, USA. (With Atlantic Records)
         Notable Events occuring this date include:
1949.    The Radio Corporation of America (RCA), announced a new 7-inch, 45 rpm phonograph record.
1950.    Hank Williams Sr. recorded his first record as "Luke The Drifter"
1958.    "Great Balls of Fire," by Jerry Lee Lewis, reached #1
1974.    Eddie Safranski, bass, died in Los Angeles, California, USA
1976.    "Howlin' Wolf", guitar/harmonica, died in Hines, IL, USA. Age: 65. (complications arising from kidney disease )
1978.    Zeb Turner, (honky tonk) guitarist of "Zeb and Zeke Turner" died. Age: 62 né: William Grishaw. (b. June 23, 1915, Lynchburg, VA, USA)
1981.    Sinclair Traill, author, died in Brighton, UK. Age: 76. (Founded Britain's "Jazz Journal", and authored books on music.)
1984.    Thore Jederby, bass, died in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden.
1986.    Joe Farrell, tenor and soprano sax, flute, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA
1990.    "Little" Walter Mitchell, harmonica, died in Toledo, OH, USA. Age: 70
2004.    Max D. Barnes, C&W singer-songwriter, died. Age: 67
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
       1941    I Hear A Rhapsody, - Jimmy Dorsey Orch.
       1941    Along The Sante Fe Trail, - Glenn Miller Orch.
       1941    Stardust, - Artie Shaw Orch.
       1945    Tippin' In - Erskine Hawkins Orch. (rec'd this date - VIctor)
       1947    Gal In Calico, A, - Crosby, Bing
       1947    For Sentimental Reasons, (I Love You), - Eddy Howard
       1947    For Sentimental Reasons, (I Love You), - Charlie Spivak
       1947    For Sentimental Reasons, (I Love You), - Dinah Shore
       1970    Hey There Lonely Girl, - Eddie Holman
       1970    Arizona, - Mark Lindsay
       1970    Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), - Sly & The Family Stone
       1976    Golden Years, - David Bowie
       1976    Theme From S.W.A.T., - Rhythm Heritage