BIRTHDAYS
1920     Claude Abadie, clarinettist/leader, b. Paris, France
1979     Aaliyah, R&B vocals, b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA (raised in Detroit, MI) d. Aug. 25, 2001, Bahamas (plane crash). née: Aaliyah Dana Haughton.
1959     Helen Folasade Adu ("Sade"), vocals, b. Ibadan, Nigeria (raised in Colchester, Essex, England since age 4).
1917     Sandy Block, Jazz Bass, b. Cleveland, OH, USA.
1934     Bob Bogle, guitar, né: Robert Lenard Bogle. Member: The Ventures. During the day Bob Bogle and Don Wilson worked in construction around the Seattle, WA area; at night they played their guitars at clubs. Forming their own label-Blue Horizon Records - they recorded "Walk Don't Run," hiring bass player Nokie Edwards, and a drummer for the session. 300 pressings were made, which they took to every disc jockey in Seattle, WA. One DJ (Pat O'Day) used the record as a lead into his newscasts. A local entrepreneur, Bob Reisdorff, had formed Dolton Records the previous year and released a tune by his discovery, the Fleetwoods, called "Come Softly to Me". The record hit #l, and Liberty Records began distributing Reisdorff's label nationally. Reisdorff heard "Walk Don't Run" on the radio, contacted Bogle and purchased the record, and Bogle and Wilson had their first hit. "Walk" reached #3 on the charts in 1960. Released again in 1964 it reached the Top 10.
1895     Irene Bordoni, Actress/vocals, b. Ajaccio, Corsica, France. d. Mar. 19, 1953, New York, NY, USA. Later sang with Irving Aaronson's Commanders orch. Her first marriage (dates unknown) to composer E. Ray Goetz, was annulled. Her second marriage was to Edgar Becman. (Date unknown)
1939     Mac Curtis, "Rockabilly" vocs., b: Fort Worth, TX, USA
1932     Lester "Mad Dog" Davenport, R&B Harmonica/vocals/drums, b. Tchula, MS, USA.
1976     Stuart Fletcher, bass. Member group: 'The Seahorses', a group formed in 1996 when John Squire (guitar, b. Nov. 24, 1962, Manchester, England) left (bitterly) the Stone Roses and quickly announced his desire to form a new band, 'The Seahorses' were born ( in York, England) after he recruited Stuart (bass), Chris Helme,(vocals/guitar), and Andy Watts (drums).
1942     William Francis, keyboards, b. Mobile, AL, USA. Member group: 'Dr. Hook', comprised of Francis, Ray Sawyer ("Dr. Hook", Vocals/Guitar, b. Feb. 1, 1937, Chickasaw, AL, USA), Dennis Locorriere (Vocals/Guitar, June 13, 1949, Union City, NJ, USA), William Francis (Keyboards/Percussion, Jan. 16, 1942, Mobile, AL, USA), George Cummings (Pedal Steel Guitar, July 7, 28, 1938, Meridian, MS, USA), and John "Jay" David (Drums, Aug. 8, 1942, Union City, NJ, USA) Ray Sawyer wears an eye patch and thus the nickname "Dr. Hook".
1928     Pete Franklin, Blues Guitar, b. Indianapolis, IN, USA. Pete had only a handful of recordings, though he was active all during the late 1920s And 1930s, Pete's mother, Flossie Franklin, was a composer who wrote tunes for singer Leroy Carr (including the classic "Blues Before Sunrise").
1926     Phil Guilbeau, Trumpet, b. Lafayette, LA, USA.
1904     Phil Harris, Bandleader/vocals, b, Linton, IN, USA. d. August 11, 1995, Rancho Mirage, CA, USA. né: Wanga Philip Harris. In 1920 played drums with Francis Craig and Henry Halstead orchestras; own band early 1930s. Although an early bandleader, his real fame came with the Jack Benny Radio Program (1936-1952). He married actress Alice Faye in 1941, and they remained married until Phil died in 1995.
1929     G. T. Hogan, Jazz Drums, b. Galveston, TX, USA. d. Aug. 7, 2004. né: Granville Theodore Hogan Jr.
1956     Ulf Johansson, Piano/Trombone/organ/vocals, b. Uppsala, Sweden.
1965     Maxine Jones, vocals. Member group: 'En Vogue', a vocal group originally comprised of former 'Miss Black California' Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones, Dawn Robinson, and Terry Ellis.
1923     Roy Lanham, C&W Guitar, d. Feb. 14 , 1991, Camarillo, CA, USA. Member: 'The Sons of The Pioneers'
1942     Barbara Lynn, "Soul" vocals/guitar, b: Beaumont, TX, USA
1909     Ethel Merman, vocals/actress. b. New York (Astoria), NY, USA, d. Feb. 15, 1984, New York, NY, USA. n&eacut;e: Ethel Agnes Zimmerman. British critic Kenneth Tynan once described her voice as 'the most relaxed brass section on earth'! This beautiful and wonderfully talented lady starred in 14 Hit Broadway Musical shows over her 40 year career, and was known as "Miss Broadw. In 1930, she starred in her very first Broadway show, George Gershwin's "Girl Crazy" singing the show-stopper "I Got Rhythm". Among the musicians playing in the 'pit' orchestra that evening were trombonist Glenn Miller, drummer Gene Krupa, and Benny Goodman was featured on clarinet.
1884     Irving Mills, Band Agent/Music Publisher, b. New York, NY, USA. d. 1985
1946     Ronny Milsap, C&W Vocals, b: Robbinsville, NC, USA
1914     Buddy Moss, Jug band guitar/harmonica, b. Jewel, GA, USA. d: Oct. 19, 1984, Atlanta, GA, USA. . né: Eugene Moss From the late 1920's and early '30's, Moss worked both with a variety of Jug bands and in duets with such people as 'Barbecue Bob', 'Curley' Weaver and 'Blind Willie' McTell. In the mid-1930's, he killed his wife, and after serving a term in prison his career never recovered. He did continue to play until the 1970's.
1970     Brendan O'Hare, drums, b. Edinburgh, Scotland. mber group: 'Teenage Fanclub', originally comprised of guitarists, singer-songwriters Norman Blake, and Raymond McGinley, bassist Gerard Love, and drummer Brendan O'Hare.
1964     Frank O'Toole, Rock vocals. Member group: 'Frankie Goes To Hollywood'
1959     Corky Owens, C&W steel guitarist.
1942     Raymond Philips, Keyboards. Member group: 'The Nashville Teens'
1947     "Sandy" Pinkard Jr., Singer-Songwriter/Guitar, b. Abbeville, LA, USA. Member: "Pinkard & Bowden" - Sandy: James Sanford Pinkard, Jr. (Singer-Songwriter, Guitar, b. January 16, 1947 Abbeville, Louisiana, USA) and Richard: Richard Bowden (Singer-Songwriter, Guitar, b. Linden, Texas, USA)
1926     Stan Reynolds, trumpet/guitar/leader, b. Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England
1955     David Thomas Roberts, Composer-pianist/writer, b. Moss Point, MS, USA. Called America's newest Ragtime composer/pianist.
1886     John Robichaux, Jazz Violin/drums, leader, Thibodeaux, LA, USA, d. 1939
1930     "Spike" Robinson, Tenor Saxophone, b. Kenosha, WI, USA, d. Oct. 29, 2001, Writtle, England, UK. He originally played alto sax (beginning at age 12), and in 1950, after serving in the U. S. military, Robinson played and recorded with some of England's top 'bop' musicians. However, after he returned to the U.S., Robinson got a degree in engineering. For the next 30 years, he had an engineering 'day job' in Colorado, and only gigged on a part-time basis in local clubs on tenor sax. Only in 1981, did he begin playing music full time, -past the age of 50. He subsequently recorded for the Discovery, Capri, Concord, and Hep labels. He was age 71 when he passed away in fall 2001 at his home in southern England.
1941     Aldo Romano, drums, b. Belluno, Italy
1921     Lina Romay, vocals. n&eacaute;e: Rosa Maria Almirall. She was also known as Betty Carter; Candy Coster; Candice Custer; Lennie Haydon; Lulu Laverne; and Jane Morgan (no relation to the "real" Jane Morgan.) In addition to her vocalizing, this multi-talented lady was also a film writer; director; actress; film editor and producer, but she is probably best recalled as a featured singer with the Xavier Cugat Orch.
1943     Gene Rosenthal, Label owner (Adelphi), b. Kansas City, MO, USA.
1959     "Sade" -- (Please see 'Helen Folasade Adu' above.)
1944     James Wayne "Jim" Stafford, C&W guitar, b. Eloise (a suburb of Winter Haven), FL, USA.
1930     Billy Stepney, drums, b. Grenada, MS, USA.
1891     Charley Straight, composer, arranger, performer, orchestra leader, accompanist, and musical director of the Imperial Player Roll Company. b. Chicago, IL, USA, d. Sept. 21, 1940, Chicago, IL, USA.
1962     Paul Webb, bass, b. Essex, England. Member group: 'Talk Talk', was a guitar-less line up comprised of Paul Webb -bass,, Lee Harris, b. Essex,London, England -drums, SimonRoberts, David Thomas - 1955 Brenner - keyboards,b. No. London, England, and Mark Hollis, b. No. London, England, on vocals.
1946"     Spike" Wells, drums, b. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
1896     Robert Wilkins, Blues guitar, Hernando, MS, USA, d: May 26, 1987, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Age: 91. (Some claim d. May 30)
1940     George Wooten, vocals, b. La Grange, NC, USA. Member: 'The Corsairs'
         Notable Events occuring this date include:
1938.    The Benny Goodman orchestra brought Swing and Jazz to New York's famed Carnegie Hall. When asked how long an intermission he wanted, he quipped, "I don't know. How much does Toscanini get?"
1947.    Fate Marable, piano, died in St. Louis, MO, USA. Age: 56
1957.    The Cavern Club, a jazz club, opened in Liverpool, England. It later became famous as the place where the Beatles began their climb to fame. Their pay was eight pounds a show.
1963.    Ike Quebec, tenor sax, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 44
1969.    Vernon Duke, composer, died
1970.    Lem Davis, alto sax, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 55
1971.    The Grand Theatre de Quebec, a building complex devoted to the performing arts, was opened in Quebec City.
1973.    Clara Ward, vocals, (Clara Ward Singers), died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 48
1973.    Edgar Sampson, clarinet/arranger, died in Englewood, NJ, USA. Age: 66
1977.    Tom Archia, tenor sax, died
1981.    Canadian teacher and composer Gordon Delamont died in Toronto, Canada. Age: 62. He was a guiding figure in Canada's third-stream movement, which applied Classical forms to Jazz. During Expo '67, his "Ontario Suite" was performed daily at the Ontario Pavilion. During his over 30 year career as a teacher, his pupils included leading Canadian musicians such as Moe Koffman, Peter Appleyard, and Hagood Hardy.
1987.    Robert De Kers, trumpet, leader, died
1990.    Freddie Brockspieper, drums, died
1991.    Jabbo Smith, trumpet, died in New York (Manhattan), NY, USA. Age: 82
1994.    Noel Chiboust, trumpet, died
1995.    Bill Dillard trumpet (or Feb. 12) died
1997.    Charlie Galbraith, trombonist, died
1997.    Beverly Peer, bass, died
2002.    Emil Hofner, pioneer C&W steel guitarist, died from a stroke. Age: 83
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
       1938    "Sing, Sing, Sing", Benny Goodman Orch. (at Carnegie Hall. perhaps first extended drum jazz solo recording)
       1942    Everything I Love, - Miller, Glenn
       1948    I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover, - Mooney, Art
       1954    Till We Two Are One, - Shaw, Georgie
       1961    Emotions, - Lee, Brenda
       1961    My Empty Arms, - Wilson, Jackie
       1965    Shake, - Cooke, Sam
       1965    All Day And All Of The Night, - Kinks
       1971    I Hear You Knocking, - Edmunds, Dave
       1982    Key Largo, - Higgins, Bertie
       1988    I Found Someone, - Cher
       1988    Can't Stay Away From You, - Miami Sound Machine
       1988    She's Like The Wind, - Swayze, Patrick