BIRTHDAYS
1924     Alice Babs, Vocal, b. Kalmar, Sweden. née: Hildur Alice Nilsson. She obtained fame in 1940 with her release of "Swing it Magistern" (Swing It, Teacher!), and was subsequently seen in over a dozen Swedish films. (An interesting sidelight is that at one time, a vicar called the Alice Babs cult the "foot and mouth disease of cultural life"). In 1958, she she became the first artist to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 4th place with the song "Lilla Stjärna" ("Little Star"). The same year, together with Ulrik Neumann and Svend Asmussen, she formed 'Swe-Danes' that also toured the United States before dissolving in 1961. In 1963, her long collaboration with Duke Ellington began. The Duke later told interviewers that he composed his second and third Sacred Concerts for Babs. He noted that her voice had an extreme range, and when she did not sing the parts that he wrote for her, he had to use three different singers. Alice Babs currently (2006) resides in Spain.
1958     Anita Baker, vocals, b. Toledo, OH, USA. Baker, Toledo-born and Detroit-raised, gained international acclaim in the 1980s and '90s for her three-octave range and powerful, emotional delivery.
1951     David Briggs, guitar, b. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Member group: 'Little River Band', originally comprised of ex-"Mississippi" members including In Melbourne, Australia, 1975, the ex-members of the folk-rock band 'Mississippi' re-formed themselves as the "Little River Band", which was originally comprised of Glenn Shorrock (vocalist, b. June 30, 1944, Chatham, Kent, England, -formerly with the Twilights, Axiom and Esperanto), Graham Goble (guitar, b. May 15, 1947, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; -the only native 'Aussie'), "Beeb" Birtles (guitar, b. Gerard Bertelkamp, Nov. 28, 1948, Amsterdam, Netherlands;), Derek Pellicci.(drums, b. Feb. 18, 1953), Rick Formosa (guitar), and Roger McLachlan (bassist). In 1975, they group signed with 'Capitol', and their self-titled debut scored a 'Top 30' U.S. hit with the single "It's a Long Way There"; In 1976, after recording a follow-up, "After Hours", both Formosa and McLachlan quit the group and were replaced by David Briggs (guitarist, b. Jan. 26, 1951, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), George McArdle (bassist, b. Nov. 30, 1954, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) Their 1977, release "Diamantina Cocktail" went gold in the USA, the first time an Australian act had managed this.feat. The group, with occasional lineup changes, enjoyed a number of hits culminating with their 1991 release of "Worldwide Love", and continue active into the 2000s. .
1920     Stan Butcher, Pianist/Arranger, b. London, England, UK. d. 1987
1922     Page Cavanaugh, piano/vocals, b. Cherokee, KS, USA. né: Walter Page Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh was already studying the piano at just age nine, and by 1938, was already playing professionally with the Ernie Williamson band (1938-1939). During WW2, Page served in the U. S. Military where he met guitarist Al Viola and bassist Lloyd Pratt. When hostilities ended, the three friends, inspired by the Nat King Cole trio, formed a trio of their own. All during the mid to late 1940s, their swinging rhythm, and somewhat whispered vocals, endured them to millions of fans. Among their hit releases were such songs as "All of Me", "The Three Bears", and "Walkin' My Baby Back Home". They also appeared in several movies including 'A Song Is Born' and 'Romance on the High Seas'. For five decades, Cavanaugh worked steadily in the Los Angeles, CA area. In the early '60s, he led 'The Page 7' septet, and beginning in the late '80s, was again performing regularly with his trio (which once again includes Al Viola).
1869     Will Marion Cook, violin, composer, conductor, d. July 19,1944, New York, NY, USA.
1955     Gary Crosby, Bass, b. London, England
1923     Talib Ahmad Dawud, (né: Al Barrymore), Trumpet, b. Antigua, BWI, d. July 9, 1999.
1946     Michel Delpech, vocals, b. France.
1956     Steve Dobrogosz, composer, pianist, keyboards, lyricist, b. Bellefonte, PA, USA.
1970     Kirk Franklin, (Gospel) vocals, b. Fort Worth, TX, USA.
1908     Stephane Grappelli, Violin, piano, b. Paris, France, d. Dec. 1, 1997. Stephane, a wonderful violinist, overcame many obstacles before becoming one of the greatest Jazz violinists of our time. He lost his mother when he was just 3, and later had to live in an orphanage during WW1 while he father was away fighting in the war. He had played in a number of different bands before he met Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt, and, with 3 others, formed the 'Quintette du Hot Club de France'. (please see Django's entry above on Jan.23th.) The group performed together until separated during WW2 in 1939. Subsequently, he toured the world almost continually until his death at age 89.
1932     Claude Gray, C&W Singer-Songwriter/Guitar, b. Henderson, TX, USA.
1945     Ulrich "Uli" Gumpert, Piano/leader, b. Jena, Germany.
1952     Jamey Haddad, drums
1958     Norman Lamont Hassan, Percussion/Vocals/trombone, b. Birmingham, England. Member group: 'UB40', -"The Kings of Reggae music".
1946     Lee Hildebrand, author/researcher, b. Williamsport, PA, USA
1949     Derek Holt, guitar, b. Stafford, England. Member group: 'Climax Blues Band', whose original line-up was Pete Haycock (lead guitar, b. March 4, 1951, Stafford, England), Derek Holt (piano), Colin Cooper (vocals, harmonica, saxophone), Richard Jones (Bass), and George Newsome (Drums). The band was soon augmented by pianist Arthur Wood, with Derek Holt switching to rhythm guitar.
1899     Howard "Doc" Hopkins, C&W Singer/Banjo/Guitar, b. Wallins Creek (Harlan County), KY, USA. Member: "Cumberland Ridge Runners"
1951     Andy Hummel, bass/vocals, b. Memphis, TN, USA. Member group: 'Big Star'
1945     Ashley Hutchings, vocals/acoustic upright bass/bass guitar, b. Southgate, Middlesex, England. Member group: 'Fairport Convention'
1946     Deon Jackson, vocals, b. Ann ARbor, MI, USA.
1963     "Jazzie B.", vocals, b. Finsbury Park, London, England, UK. Member: 'Soul II Soul'
1923     Ann Jeffreys, actress/vocals
1961     Tom Keifer, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA. Member group: 'Cinderella', a group originally with Tom Keifer and Eric Brittingham (both of Philadelphia), and later adding New Jersey native Jeff LaBar, and Binghamton, NY-born drummer Fred Coury. Keifer, a very prolific songsmith, wrote most of the group's material. Keyboard player Rick Criniti joined for their second album,
1928     Eartha Kitt, vocals/actress, b. North SC, USA. (on a Cotton Plantation)
1943     Jean Knight, Soul vocals, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. Her funk classic "Mr. Big Stuff," became one of the largest-selling singles ever released by the Stax label.
1956     Molly Kurvink, vocals, b. Toronto in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Member group: 'Tamarack', a trio consisting of James Gordon, Alex Sinclair, and Molly Kurvink. They have dubbed the "Peter, Paul, and Mary of Canada", for the past 20 years, they have been, deservedly, a very popular Canadian Folk music attraction.
1937     Teddy Joe Lundy, C&W Banjo/Guitar, b. Galax, VA, USA.
1893     Dennis McGee, (Cajun) fiddler, b. Bayou Marron, LA, USA. One of Cajun music's most influential fiddlers. Although he only recorded for a brief five years (1929 to 1934), McGee, through his Acadienne festival performances and his large repertoire of hundreds of old Cajun songs, has remained an inspiration for Cajun musicians. Although he learned to play accordion and played the squeezebox, the fiddle remained McGee's prime instrument. A highly rhythmic player, McGee was known for his use of seven different tunings and his mastery of many dance styles.
1900     Clayton McMichen, (Old-time Country) Fiddler, b. Allatoona, GA, USA. A key member of the 'Skillet Lickers', one of the best known old-time string bands. This superb fiddler could play the traditional tunes with ease and style. But he wasn't just an 'old-time musician', he truly enjoyed the more modern styles of Jazz, Swing and popular music, - still, he was never commercially successful with these other styles.
1914     Buddy Moss, guitar, b. Jewell, GA, USA.
1928     Dick Nash, Trombone, b. Somerville, MA, USA.
1928     James O'Gwynn, vocals, b. Winchester, MN, USA. Tag: "The Smilin' Irishman of Country Music"
1950     "Blind" Paul Pena, vocals, b. Hyannis, MA, USA. It is interesting to note that Pena came from a Cape Verdean background and, as a child, learned 'Morna' and the other Afro-Portuguese music of those islands. His father (also a musician) even sent his son to Spain and Portugal to study Flamenco. So it is somewhat surprising to see that in the 1960s, Pena became interested in American Folk/Blues. He began to play with T-bone Walker and John Lee Hooker, and in 1972 Capitol released his solo album. He next relocated to San Francisco and found work opening gigs for the 'Grateful Dead'. In 1973, he recorded a second album that was never released. However, Steve Miller heard a copy and subsequently recorded one of the tracks. "Jet Airliner" became a big hit for the Steve Miller Band and the royalties provided a small income for Pena. From this background of Afro-Portuguese, American Folk, and Rock, Pena's interest metamorphosed into Tuvan throat singing, a style little known in the USA. He discovered the genre while listening to a Soviet broadcast of Tuvan music on his shortwave radio, and he taught himself to throat sing by listening to recordings. Pena met, and sang for, Kongar-ol Ondar during Ondar's appearance in San Francisco. Ondar invited him to visit Tuva and participate in a throat singing contest. (Pena's trip to Tuva is documented in an award-winning film 'Genghis Blues'.) Pena then proceeded to win the throat singing contest in his category. The impressed Tuvans dubbed him "Earthquake", for his low, resonant kargyraa throat singing style. Pena's close friendship with Kongar-ol Ondar has continued, and they have been working together in developing a hybrid Tuvan blues style.
1916     Stan Puls, Bass, b. Appleton, WI, USA. d. April 20 1998
1963     Andrew Ridgeley, vocals/guitar, b. Surrey, England. Member group: 'Wham!'
1933     Hector Rivera, Piano/Leader, b. New York, NY, USA
1963     Beresford 'Jazzie B' Romeo, R&B/rap vocals, b. North London, England. Member group: 'Soul II Soul'
1942     Dave Rowland, C&W Singer-Songwriter/Trumpet/Piano/Drums/Guitar/Bass Guitar/Actor. b. Sanger, CA, USA. Member group: 'Dave & Sugar'
1934     Huey "Piano" Smith, piano. b: New Orleans, LA, USA. (Please also see Allen Toussaint entry on Jan. 14th above.) Among his releases are such tunes as:
"Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu - 'Huey "Piano" Smith and The Clowns'
Little Liza Jane
Everybody's Whalin'
Just A Lonely Clown
Free, Single And Disengaged
Don't You Just Know It
High Blood Pressure
We Like Birdland
Don't You Know Yockomo
Well I'll Be John Brown
Little Chickie Wah Wah
Would You Believe It (I Have A Cold)
Genevieve
Tu-Ber-Cu-Lucas And The Sinus Blues
Beatnik Blues
Pop-Eye
1937     Ronnie Stephenson, drums, b. Sunderland, County Durham, Ireland. d. Aug. 8, 2002, Dundee, Angus. Among the men with whom he worked are Benny Goodman, Ray Chester's Sextet, Paul Kuhn, Lita Roza, Danny La Rue, Ronnie Corbett, The Stan Tracey Trio, Don Smith, The Royal Signals Band, and The EmCee Five.
1948     Aki Takase, Piano/koto, b. Osaka, Japan. First piano lessons at just age 3. Studied music at Tokyo's Tohogakuen Music University. 1971 Regularly performing professionally; In 1978, she travelled to the U.S., and recorded with Dave Liebman; in 1981 she toured Europe, where she led her trio at the Berlin Jazz Festival. By 1982, she was working in the studios and recording with artists including Sheila Jordan, Cecil McBee and Bob Moses, and performed at the East-West Festival in Nuremburg. During 1988 to 1994, Takase regularly played in a duo with Maria Joao; In mid-1990s, toured with Coltrane alumni Rashed Ali and Reggie Workman; working solo performer (at times playing the koto, a traditional Chinese 17-string zither); composed for a string quartet, and formed her own septet with other Japanese musicians.
1931     Nat Tarnopol, Label ceo (Brunswick), b. Detroit, MI, USA.
1955     Edward "Eddie" Van Halen, rock guitar/vocals, b. Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Eddie is the son of a Dutch bandleader. In 1967 at age 12, his family moved from the Netherlands to Pasadena, CA. His older brother Alex was 14. In America, his dad played with local wedding bands to support the family, - giving Eddie and Alex classical piano training. In time, Eddie switched to drums and Alex to guitar. They formed a band which they called 'Mammoth' (the name was already in use and later they had to switch to their present name of 'Van Halen'). While playing (Rock) in local clubs, met vocalist David Lee Roth, - the son of a wealthy family, who would join them. A little later, Michael Anthony, a bassist, would join them in 'Mammoth'. 'Van Halen' became the most popular Rock band of the late '70s and '80s. Their style was copied by virtually every rock group of the period. Roth and Van Halen parted company in 1985, another rocker - Sammy Hagar replacing Roth. In the mid-'90s bad feelings between Hagar and Van Halen resulted in another split - this time with Roth returning to replace Hagar for apparently just 2 songs on one album and then he was replaced by Gary Cherone, - a former member of the Extreme. The group's popularity has wained in recent years, and players continue to come and go. But a loyal group of fans still supports Eddie.
1905     Maria Von Trapp, Vocals, d: March 28, 1987. Member: Trapp Family Singers. This Baroness' life also inspired the motion picture "Sound of Music".
1913     Jimmy Van Heusen, composer, b. Syracuse, NY, USA. d. Feb. 7, 1990, Rancho Mirage, CA. Now best recalled as a successful songwriter for popular singers like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. Also composed for films and stage musicals.
1960     Mark Vinci, (Jazz) alto-soprano-tenor sax, clarinet, flute
1944     Terry Waldo, piano, leader.
1908     Crawford Wethington, Clarinet/Alto-Sax, b. Chicago, IL, USA. né: Arthur Crawford Wethington. Crawford studied at the Chicago College of Music, and after matriculating, performed during the 1920s in local Chicago venues with pianist Lottie E. Hightower's Night Hawks and violinist Carroll Dickerson's band. In 1929, Dickerson's band (with Crawford on sax, and Earl Hines on piano) was in New York city when Louis Armstrong appeared with them, and Crawford often backed Louis. Wethington backed Armstrong in New York as a member of Dickerson's group, which also included pianist Earl Hines. From 1930-6, Crawford played and recorded with Mills Blue Rhythm orchestras (named for impresario Irving Mills). (Crawford can be seen in the 1934 Vitaphone/Warner Bros. short film, "Mills Blue Rhythm Band.") In 1937, after playing with pianist/bandleader Edgar Hayes, Crawford stopped performing publically, and devoted all his attention to teaching. In the 1960s, Wethington worked as supervisor at a New York City Subway power station. Others with whom Crawford worked during his active years are include singer Adelaide Hall, and bandleaders Cab Calloway, and Henry "Red" Allen, among others.
1953     Lucinda Williams, vocals, b. Lake Charles, LA, USA.

         Notable Events occuring this date include:
1934.    The Apollo Theatre opened in New York City as a "Negro vaudeville" house. It was originally known as 'The Hurtig And Seamon's Burlesque', -a 1750 seat theater.
1948.    John Lomax Sr., author/folklorist, died in Greenville, MS, USA. Age: 80
1959.    Levy, Irving, promoter, died in New York, NY
1959.    Goebel Reeves, (Country/Folk/Western) Singer-Songwriter/Guitar, died in Long Beach, CA, USA. Age: 59
1971.    Nat Perrilliat, tenor sax, died in Sacramento, California, USA.
1974.    Joe Benjamin, bass, died in New Jersey, USA.
1974.    Archie Semple, clarinet, died in London, England, UK
1993.    David C. Rockola, Owner (Rock-Ola Jukeboxes), died in Skokie, IL, USA. Age: 96
1998.    Michael James, critic, writer, died
2002.    Loonis McGlohon, piano, composer, died in Charlotte, NC, USA.

         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
       1957    Too Much, - Elvis Presley
       1963    Rhythm Of The Rain, - Cascades
       1963    Ruby Baby, - Dion
       1963    Walk Like A Man, - Four Seasons
       1963    From A Jack To A King, - Ned Miller
       1963    Wild Weekend, - Rebels
       1974    Boogie Down, - Eddie Kendricks
       1980    Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me, G, - The Spinners
       1980    On The Radio, - Donna Summer
       1985    California Girls, - David Lee Roth,
       1985    Can't Fight This Feeling, - Reo Speedwagon
       1985    Private Dancer, - Tina Turner
       1991    This House, - Tracie Spencer
       1991    Show Me The Way, - Styx