BIRTHDAYS
1919     Vincent Joseph Abato, clarinet, alto and baritone sax, b. Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, USA. Vincent, aka 'Jimmy', worked with the Paul Whitemen, Percy Faith, Claude Thornhill, Morton Gould, and Glenn Miller bands, and was also clarinetist and saxophonist for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Vincent has taught at Juilliard , Columbia Teachers College, Hofstra University, and Brooklyn College (all in New York city). In his later years, he was the bass clarinetist and saxophonist with the New York Metropolitan Opera. His older brother, saxophonist Tony Abato, was Jimmy's first teacher. Tony has also led his own 'Tony Abato Jazz Group'.
1916     J. W. Alexander, vocals, b. Hamilton, MS, USA. Member: 'Pilgrim Travelers'
1958     Anita Baker, singer-songwriter, b.Detroit, MI, USA.
1902     Smith Ballew, vocals, leader, guitar, banjo, mandolin, b. Palestine, TX, USA. d. May 2, 1984, Ft. Worth, TX, USA. Ballew led a band in the Dallas/Ft Worth, TX area in 1920s; He went to Chicago in 1927; to New York in very late 1920s; recorded tons of records from 1929 to 1936; then was heard on radio where he replaced singer Al Jolson on the 'Shell Chateau' program.
1899     Rudi Blesh, Writer/broadcaster, b. Guthrie, OK, USA. d. August 25, 1985
1976     Emma Bunton ('Baby Spice'), vocals, b. Barnet, Hertfordshire, England, UK. Member group: 'The Spice Girls', a British vocal all-girl band. that enjoyed substantial commercial success through the mid to late 1990s. They are currently the biggest selling girl group of all time, having sold in excess of 80 million albums and singles. The original group was called "Touch", and consisted of Victoria Adams (later called "Posh" b. April 17, 1974), Melanie Janine Brown (later called "Scary" b. May 29, 1975, Leeds, Eng.), Michelle Stephenson, , Melanie Jayne Chisholm (later called "Sporty" b. Jan. 12, 1974, Kent, Eng.), and Geri Estelle Halliwell (later called "Ginger" b. Aug. 6, 1972) When Stephenson left to continue her education, she was replaced by Abigail Kis, who soon left to spend more time with her boyfriend, and she was replaced by Bunton (later called Baby). Each member of Spice Girls adopted a specific identity as shown.
1942     Clarence (and Curtis) Butler, harmonica/vocals, b. Florence, AL, USA. Member group: 'The Butler Twins', consisting of Clarence and Curtis Butler (Guitar). the Butler Twins have played several thousand performances in the Detroit area clubs
1950     Harry Wayne "K.C." Casey, songwriter, b. Hialeah, FL, USA. Member group: ''KC & the Sunshine Band', with such musicians as guitarist Jerome Smith and trumpeter Ronnie Smith (both b. Florida).
1950     Leslie Charles, vocals, b. Trinidad, WI, (Raised: Great Britain). né;: Leslie Sebastian Charles. aka: Billy Ocean.
1931     Sam Cooke, vocals, b. Clarksdale, MI, USA. Dec. 11, 1964, Los Angeles, CA, USA. (shot dead during a dispute in a Los Angeles hotel). Sam is often called "The founding father of American soul music". Among his hit releases are "Loveable" and "You Send Me." His 1961 release "Cupid" was a song of supplication to the Roman God of love. His 1982 release "Twistin' the Night Away" capitalized on the then new dance craze, 'The Twist' (popularized by 'Chubby' Checker). On June 15, 1993, he was awarded the Apollo Theater Foundation Chairman Award (Pollak).
1942     Mac Davis, singer/songwriter, b. USA.
1936     "Snooks" Eaglin, guitar, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. né: Fird Eaglin. Eaglin was left blind after a childhood illness and was given the nickname Snooks after a character in a radio series. He played guitar and sang in Baptist churches before winning a local talent contest in 1947. During the 1950s, he was a New Orleans street singer. In 1958, his first recordings, made by Harry Oster for Folkways and Folk-Lyric emphasized the 'Country Blues" style. However, his 1960 records for Imperial were mainly in the R&B style. All during the 1960s, Eaglin's guitar frequently accompanied 'Professor Longhair' in various local New Orleans venues. In 1972, Eaglin (recorded by Quint Davis) returned to a mix of Folk and Pop, while his later records showed a versatility ranging from Flamenco to Swamp-Pop. In the 1980s, Eaglin's albums for the 'Black Top' label (produced by Hammond Scott) included a backing group consisting of Anson Funderburgh (guitar), Grady Gaines (saxophones) and Sammy Myers (harmonica). Eaglin has continued recording into the 190s.
1943     Steve Gilmore, Bass, b. Trenton, NJ, USA.
1954     Nigel Glockler, drums, b. England, UK. Member group: 'Saxon', formed in 1977, Barnsley, England, by vocalist Biff Byford, guitarists Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn, bassist Steve Dawson, and drummer Pete Gill. Originally calling themselves 'Son of a Bitch', they apparently soon decided that "Saxon" was a more suitable name. Nigel had also played with the group 'Toyah' ( Toyah Ann Willcox, vocals/actress, b. May 18, 1958, King's Heath, Birmingham, England, UK)
1941     Richie Havens, pops vocalist/guitar, b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA. né;: Richard Pierce Havens, Jr.
1921     Barbara Hayes, vocals, b. Philadelphia, PA. Still active (7/00). Sang with the Clarence Fuhrman Band, ca. 1939 and up to early 1940s, on a WCAU radio show called 'Batter Up (with Barbara Hayes)' before each 'Phillies' baseball game. Earlier she sang with Joe Frescetto band on station WIT-AM, and even earlier with Sandy Geyer band on the WCAU-AM Horn & Hardart Radio Hour show.
1936     Erwin Helfer, (boogie woogie)/Jazz pianist/keyboards/synthesizer , b. Chicago, IL, USA. Mentored and greatly influenced by "Cripple" Clarence Lofton, "Speckled Red", and "Sunnyland Slim", Erwin has been playing and performing for over forty years in the Chicago area. For many years, Erwin accompanied (and later recorded one album) with "Mama" Yancey, the wife of Chicago blues piano patriarch James P. "'Papa" Yancey.
1947     Jim Ibbotson, Drums/Keyboards, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA. Member group: 'Nitty Gritty Dirt Band', a Country-based rock group.
1919     Louis Innis, C&W singer-songwriter, b. Seymour, IN, USA.
1966     Wendy James, vocals, b. Brighton, England. Member group: 'Transvision Vamp', a group originally comprised of Wendy James (the 'Vamp' in Transvision Vamp), Tex Axile (Drums/keyboards, b. July 13, 1965, Crawley Sussex, England, UK, né: Anthony Doughty), Dave Parsons (bass, b. July 2, 1966, Hillingdon, West London, England, UK), Nick Christian Sayer (songwriter/guitar/leader, b. Aug. 1, 1964, Brighton, England, UK) Pol Burton (was part of the original lineup; drums/guitar), James Piper (aka: "Jazz"; tour guitarist, b. London, England, UK), and Martin Hallett (tour drummer, b. London, England, UK)
1943     Bnois King, vocals/guitar, b. Monroe, LA, USA. Member: 'Smokin' Joe Kubek', A tight duo who have remained faithful to the tradition of contemporary Texas blues. Smokin' Joe and Bnois perform with passion and precision while putting on some killer shows.
1963     Kenneth Kinsey, bass, b. Gary, IN, USA. Member: 'Kinsey Report'
1888(9)     "Leadbelly" -Huddie Ledbetter, Blues vocals/guitar, b: Mooringsport, LA, USA. d: Dec. 6, 1949, New York, NY, USA.
1921     Bess Lomax, folklorist, b. Austin, TX, USA.
1917     Billy Maxted, Piano, arranger, leader, b. Racine, WI, USA, d. .October 11 2001, Ft Lauderdale, Florida, USA. From 1937 to 1940, Maxted was playing and arranging for the Red Nichols big band. He also worked with Ben Pollack,Teddy Powell and Will Bradley. A fine Jazz pianist, he was a 'fixture' at Nick's, in New York's Greenwich Village.neighborhood. During World War II, he served in the U. S. Navy. After his Service discharge, he returned to music writing arrangements for the Benny Goodman and Claude Thornhil orchestras. During 1947-1948, he co-led a band with Ray Eberle.
1949     Shigeharu Mukai, Trombone, b. Nagoya, Japan
1965     Robert Del Naja (aka:3-D), rap vocals, b. Bristol, England, UK. Member group: 'Massive Attack', a loose UK collective formed formed in Bristol, England by rapper '3D' (b. Robert Del Naja), Daddy G (b. Grant Marshall) and Mushroom (b. Andrew Vowles, Knowle West, Bristol, England).
1979     "Nokio", vocals, b. Baltimore, MD, USA. Member group: 'Dru Hill', a vocal group (named for their Baltimore neighborhood, Druid Hill Park.) consisting of Jazz (née: Larry Anthony Jr., also plays keyboards, bass, acoustic guitar and drums), Sisqo (née: Mark Durell Andrews, Nov. 9, 1978, Baltimore, MD, USA - also plays piano), Nokio (née: Tamir Ruffin, b. Jan. 21, 1979, also plays keyboard, trumpet and piano), and Woody (née: James Green, -the songwriter, also plays piano).
1952     Billy Ocean, please see 'Leslie Charles' above.
1914     Frank Orchard, trombone/valve trombone. b. New York, NY, USA, d. Dec 27, 1983, New York (Manhattan), NY, USA. (Some sources claim b. Aug. 21, 1914. and others claim b. Sept. 21, 1914). This fine Dixieland Jazz trombonist originally played violin, then banjo and tuba, before switching to trombone. During 1932-'33, he studied at New York's famed Juilliard School of Music (and also performed for a year with Stanley Melba's band in 1933) after which he worked as a salesman, outside of music. In the 1940s, while living in New York city, he began to work with such Dixielanders as Wingy Manone, Bobby Hackett, Jimmy McPartland, Joe Marsala and the Eddie Condon group. In the mid-1950s, he moved first to Dayton, OH and later to St. Louis, still playing trombone. In the 1960s, Orchard, returned to New York. From 1970-71, he worked regularly at Jimmy Ryan's jazz club on 54th Street, and in 1979, worked with Billy Butterfield. Orchard never led a group on record date. (Some sources claim Sept 21 as birthdate.)
1943     Steve Potts, Soprano-alto-tenor sax,flute, b. Columbus, OH, USA.
1913     James Scott Jr., guitar, b. Lexington, MS, USA.
1910     Bruce Squires, Trombone, b. Berkeley, CA, USA. d. May 8, 1981
1942     Edwin Starr, (Soul) vocals, b. Nashville, TN, USA. d. April 2, 2003, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. né;: Charles Edwin Hatcher. Edwin is the brother of soul singers Roger and Willie Hatcher. Edwin Starr was raised in Cleveland, OHm, USA. He formed the "The Future Tones' in 1957, before being drafted into the U. S. Army, where he served for 3 years. After completing his service, he toured for two years with the Bill Doggett Combo. In 1965, the 'Ric Tic' label signed him as a solo artist and his first single as Edwin Starr, "Agent Double-O-Soul", was a US Top 30 hit. He next appeared in a short promotional film with actor Sean Connery, best known for his role as James Bond, agent 007. His next release was "Stop Her On Sight (S.O.S.)", and that release brought Starr a cult following in Britain, where his strident, gutsy style proved popular in specialist soul clubs.
1906     Hank Wayland, Bass, b. Fall River, MA, USA
1931     Bob Whitlock, Bass, b. Roosevelt, UT, USA.
1938     "Wolfman Jack", disk jockey, b: Brooklyn, NY, USA, d. July 1, 1995, Belvidere, NC, USA. né;: Robert Weston Smith. Popular American Radio Disk Jockey.
1904     Robert "Juice" Wilson, Clarinet/violin, b. St. Louis, MO, USA, Best recalled for his work with the Noble Sissle's orchestra.
1948     Zora Young, vocals, b. West Point, MS, USA.

         Notable Events occuring this date include:
1951.    R.Q. Dickerson (né: Roger Quincy Dickerson), trumpet, died
1970.    Cedric Rainwater (aka: Howard Watts) bassist who played with Bill Monroe, and Flat and Scruggs, died.
1981.    Russell Procope, sax, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 72
1984.    Jackie Wilson, vocals, died in Mount Holly, NJ, USA. Age: 49
1986.    John Davis, guitar, died in East St. Louis, IL, USA.
1987.    Jim Anglin, C&W Singer-Songwriter/String Bass, died. Age: 73 Member: "Anglin Brothers"
1992.    Jack Champion Dupree, piano, died in Hanover, Germany. Age: 81
1997.    'Colonel' Tom Parker died in Las Vegas, NV, USA. Age 88.
2002.    Peggy Lee, vocals, died in Bel Air, CA, USA. (heart attack) Age: 81

         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
       1942    "One O'Clock Jump", - Count Basie Orch. Recorded for Okeh Records.
       1943    Brazil, - Cugat, Xavier
       1943    For Me And My Gal, - Garland, Judy
       1943    I've Heard That Song Before, - James, Harry
       1949    Cruising Down The River, - Barron, Blue
       1967    Kind Of A Drag, - Buckinghams
       1984    Nobody Told Me, - Lennon, John
       1984    99 Luftballons, - Nena
       1984    Wrapped Around Your Finger, - Police
       1984    Jump, - Van Halen
       1989    Living Years, The, - Mike + The Mechanics
       1989    Surrender To Me, - Wilson, Ann