BIRTHDAYS
1905     Clyde E. B. Bernhardt, Trombone, vocals, leader, arranger, b. Gold Hill, NC, USA. d. May 20, 1986, Newark, New Jersey, USA. His career began in the 1920s, Raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Bernhardt started on the trombone when he was 17 years old. During 1923-31 he had gigs with Bill Eady's Ellwood Syncopators, Tillie Vennie, Odie Cromwell's Wolverine Syncopators, Charlie C. Grear's Original Midnite Ramblers, the Richard Cheatham Orchestra, the Whitman Sisters, Honey Brown's Orchestra and Ray Parker. In 1931 Clyde Bernhardt spent some time with King Oliver. In the 1930s, he played with the Alabamians, Billy Fowler, Ira Coffeys' Walkathonians and Vernon Andrade. During his career, he made American and European tours with such prominent entertainers as Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and others. On some of his recordings, he was listed as the Blues singer with the name of Ed Barron. Today, he is best recalled for his leadership of the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band during 1972-79,
1951     Liona Boyd, guitarist, b. London, England, UK. A fine guitarist, her autobiography Liona Boyd, In My Own Key - My Life in Love and Music, is filled with salacious tales of her love life with such famous people as Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Salvadorian composer Carlos Payet, and many more.
1953     Peter Brown, piano/producer, b. Blue Island, IL, USA
19??     "Bumble B", vocals, b. Ada, OK, USA. Member: 'The Stingers'
1946     Patrice Caratini, bass, composer, leader, arranger. b. Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.
1963     Ray Cardwell, vocals/guitar, b. Springfield, MO, USA. Member: "New Tradition", a 'Bluegrass' group founded in the early 1980s by Danny Roberts and Richie Dotson Others who have worked with the band include Danny Roberts (bass vocals- mandolin), Jamie Clifton (tenor vocals -guitar, b. Sand Springs, OK, USA), Daryl Mosely (bass and lead singer), and Aaron McDaris (banjo - formerly with the band 'Second Exit') Due to damaged vocal chords, Mosely took a 2 year leave of absence, during which time he both pastored a Southern Baptist Congregation (near Nashville, Tennessee) and continued writing for Ronnie Milsap's publishing company. Cardwell has performed in 47 states and 7 countries, and is currently the music director at Helias High School, in Jefferson City, MO.
1953     Peter Cincotti, piano, vocals, b. New York, NY, USA. At just age 4, he began taking piano lessons. At age 7, he appeared with Harry Connick Jr. for a show at Bally's Grand in Atlantic City, NJ. Subsequently, Concotti studied classical piano at the Manhattan School of Music and studied jazz piano privately with Ellis Marsalis. At just age 12, he turned professional and began playing in New York city clubs. In 1999, he began singing to his own accompaniment, and that same summer, toured with Connick Jr.. In 2000, he won a piano competition prize when he appeared at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In 2001, he performed in the off-Broadway production of 'Our Sinatra'. It is hard to imagine but that same year, he only graduated from Horace Mann High School and, in the fall, enrolled as a freshman at Columbia University. In February 2002, at age 18, he became the youngest performer to headline at New York's prestigious Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel. In March 2003, Concord Records signed him, and his self-titled debut album, produced by Phil Ramone, was released. In late 2004, his second album, "On The Moon" debuted at #2 on Billboard's Jazz Charts (and earned Cincotti his first gold record in France).
1944     "Commander Cody", R&R vocals/guitar, b. Boise, ID, USA. né: Gordon Frayne
1937     Billy Davis, arranger/producer, b. Detroit, MI, USA. né: Tyran Carlo
1915     Percy Gabriel, Bass, b. New Orleans, LA, USA.
1938     Terry Garthwaite, guitarist/vocals, b. USA
1947     Jeff Hanna, guitar/vocals, b.Detroit, MI, USA. member: 'Nitty Gritty Dirt Band'
1931     Thurston Harris, vocals, b. Indianapolis, IN, USA
1932     Alex Hassilev, vocalist. Member group: 'The Limeliters'
1801     John Hill Hewitt, composer, b. New York, NY, d. Oct. 7, 1890, Baltimore, OH, USA.
1931     Tab Hunter, vocals. né: Arthur Gelien
1935     Andres Ingolfsson, accordion/clarinet/alto sax/tenor sax, At age 12, he began to play the accordion, at age 13, he took up clarinet, at age 14, the alto sax, and finally, in the late 1950s. the tenor sax. Ingolfsson has been a member of several Icelandic bands including 'The Orion Quintet' and 'The K.K. Sextet'. In the late '50s, playing tenor sax, he led his own group. In 1959, Andres Ingolfsson received a scholarship to study at Boston's famed 'Berklee School of Music.'
1932     Rev.Charlie Jackson guitar/gospel b. Summit-McComb, MS, USA.
1897     Blind Lemon Jefferson, Folksinger/guitar. b. Couchman, TX, USA. d. December 1929
1879   Edward Harry Kelly, Composer/Leader. b. Kansas City, MO, USA, d. April 17, 1955. Became a nationally recognized ragtime composer just as ragtime was becoming the most popular music in the country. He wrote "Peaceful Henry" in 1905 when he was 26 years old. Published in Kansas City, the rag became a hit and was recorded by several orchestras. He would go on to write many popular rags, many named after locations in Kansas City, such as "The Muehlebach Rag," "The Baltimore Rag" and "The Country Club Rag."
1941     Henry Lowther, Trumpet, b. Leicester, England.
1927     Willie Morganfield, vocals, b. MS, USA. Member: 'Kings Of Harmony'
1957     Peter Murphy, vocals. Member group: 'Bauhaus'
1951     Bonnie Pointer, vocals, b. East Oakland, CA, USA. Member group: 'The Pointer Sisters'
1950     Patty Pointer, vocals. member group: 'The Pointer Sisters'
1947     Francine Reed, vocals, b. Kankakee, IL, USA.
1944     Bobby Rice, vocals
1959     Richie Sambora, Guitar
1942     Tomasz Stanko, Trumpet, b. Rzeszow, Poland.
1914     Anibal Troilo, Tango composer/bandleader, b. Buenos Aires, Argentina, d: May 18, 1975, Argentina
1958     Kirk Whalum, soprano, alto, tenor sax, keyboards, b. Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Whalum received a scholarship to Texas Southern University, where he formed a band in 1979 and began playing on the local club circuit. In 1984, he opened for Bob James in Houston, TX, and the pianist, impressed with Whalum's style, invited him to play on his album "12". In 1985, Whalum signed with Columbia and released his first solo album, "Floppy Disk". In the 1990s, Whalum frequently toured and worked with such diverse artists as Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Babyface, Quincy Jones, Bebe & Cece, Yolanda Adams, Kevin Mahogany, Edwin Hawkins, Take 6, and Al Green. He also worked on a number of film scores, including Boyz in the Hood, The Prince of Tides, Grand Canyon, and Cousins. His sax solo was featured on Whitney Houston's hit song "I Will Always Love You," on the soundtrack for The Bodyguard. In 1997, Whalum signed with Warner Brothers. His 1998 release, "For You", spent nearly two years at the top of the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart and yielded four Top Ten NAC hits.
1936     Smokey Wilson, guitar, b. Glen Allen, MS, USA. né: Robert Lee Wilson.
         Notable Events on this date include:
1937.    Composer George Gershwin died in Beverly Hills, CA, USA. Age: 38 (Inoperable Brain Tumor.)
1949.    Danny Polo clarinet and saxophone died.in Chicago, IL, USA. (b. Dec. 22, 1901, Toluca, IL, USA)
1950.    Buddy DeSylva, songwriter/film producer, died in Hollywood, CA, USA. Age: 55. (b. Jan. 27, 1895, New York, NY, USA (raised in Los Angeles, CA, USA)
1959.    Rossiere "Shadow" Wilson, drummer, died in New York, NY, USA. (b. September 25, 1919, Yonkers, NY, USA. )
1962.    Frances White, DJ/gospel, d. Rixeyville, VA, USA. Age: 52
1967.    Just one day after he, Mike Settle, Thelma Camacho, and Terry Williams left The New Christy Minstrels, Kenny Rogers formed 'The First Edition'.
1981.    Hubert Johnson, vocals, d. Detroit, MI, USA. Member: 'The Contours'
1983.    Roosevelt "The Honeydripper" Sykes, piano, d. New Orleans, LA, USA. Age: 77
1984.    Ezra Cline, of the "Lonesome Pine Fiddlers" died.
1985.    George Duvivier, bassist, composer and arranger, d. New York, NY, USA. Age: 64
1992.    Herb Kenny, vocals, d. Columbia, MD, USA. Age: 78. Worked with groups: 'The Ink Spots', and 'The Rockets'
1993.    Mario Bauza, (Afro-Cuban) alto sax/trumpet, d. New York (Manhattan), NY, USA. Age: 82
1993.    "Boston Blackie" (né: Bennie Joe Houston) guitarist, d. Chicago, IL, USA. Age: 49
1999.    Helen Forrest, vocal, died in Woodland Hills, CA. (Congestive Heart Failure). (Aged 82, b. April 12, 1917, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.)
2005.    Warren Luckey, tenor sax, died in Uniondale, NY, USA. (kidney failure). (b. March 5, 1920 in Dallas, TX, USA)
2006.    Bill Miller,died in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (cardiac arrest). Age: 91. (b. Feb. 3, 1915, New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA. ) For 5 decades, Miller served as Frank Sinatra's pianist.
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1911   "Pearl of The Harem", - Fred van Epps Orch.
1912   "Waiting For The Robert E. Lee", - Heidelberg Quartet
1924   "Somebody Loves Me", - Paul Whiteman Orch. Gershwin tune.
1925   "Fooling", - Meyer Davis's Le Paradise Band.
1928   "Put It There (Shag Nasty)", McKinney's Cotton Pickers
1929   "Waiting At The End Of The Road", - Ethel Waters (voc) and Her Ebony 4
1932   "Let's Try Again", - Graham Prince Palais D'Or Orch.
1933   "Heart Of Stone", - Leo Reisman Orch. (with Fred Astaire vocal.)
1938   "Could You Pass In Love", - Benny Goodman Orch.
1938   "I've Got A Date With A Dream", - Benny Goodman Orch.
1938   "Lightly and Politely", - Tommy Dorsey Orch.
1938   "I'll See You In My Dreams", - Tommy Dorsey Orch.
1939   "Ain'tcha Coming Out", - Eddy Duchin Orch.
1939   "What Is This Thing Called Love", - Eddy Duchin Orch.
1941   "Call It Anything But It's Love", - Art Jarrett Orch.
1941   "I Can't Change My Heart", - Art Jarrett Orch.
1946   "To Each His Own", - Eddy Howard
1952   "Wish You Were Here", - Eddie Fisher
1953   "Crying In The Chapel", - Darrell Glenn
1953   "C'est Si Bon", - Eartha Kitt
1960   "Mission Bell", - Donnie Brooks
1960   "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot", - Bryan Hyland
1960   "Image Of A Girl", - The Safaris
1964   "Under The Boardwalk", - The Drifters
1964   "Everybody Loves Somebody", - Dean Martin
1964   "Wishin' And Hopin'", - Dusty Springfield
1970   "Spill The Wine", - Eric Burdon
1970   "Make It With You", - Bread
1970   "I Just Can't Help Believing", - B. J. Thomas
1981   "Lady (You Bring Me Up)", - The Commodores
1981   "Urgent", - Foreigner
1981   "No Gettin' Over Me, (There's)", - Ronnie Milsap
1987   "Don't Mean Nothing", - Richard Marx
1987   "Rock Steady", - Whispers
1992   "One, The", - Elton John