BIRTHDAYS
1957     Eddie Allen, trumpet, flugelhorn
1912     Will Bradley, Leader/trombone, b. Newton, NJ, d. 1989
1947     Jeff Brillinger, drums, has played with Chet Baker, Horace Silver, Woody Herman, Stan Getz, and is currently (2005) with Chriss Conner.
1899     Roy Grant Butler, Tenor sax/clarinet and oboe, b.Richmond, IN, USA. d. March 28, 1997, Chicago, IL, USA. (age: 97)
1950     Eric Carr, rock drumer, d. Nov. 24, 1991. Member group: Kiss, 1974 single "On And On" hit No. 5 in the USA. 1987single "Crazy Crazy Nights" was No.4 in the UK.
1927     Conte Candoli, trumpet, b: Mishawaka, IN, USA., d: Dec. 14, 2001, (Cancer), Palm Desert, CA, USA. né: Conte Secundo Candoli. Conte and his younger brother Pete grew up in Mishawaka, IN, sons of a brass playing amateur musician. Curiously, it was the younger brother, Pete, who first found work in the Tomy Dorsey, Les Brown, and Woody Herman bands. When Pete had to be away for a few days, Neal Hefti (then just a sideman in Herman's band) urged Herman to hire Conte as Pete's stand-in. Herman did, and Conte stayed with the band through the Summer Season, even though Pete had returned. Conte had to return to finish his High School training, but Woody told him he had a job upon his graduation. He did rejoin Woody (even though he was unable to read Charts at the time). After his Army service in WW2, Conte and his trumpet joined the Chubby Jackson Fifth Dimensional Jazz Group, - playing mostly "Head" arrangements. (Others in the band were Denzil Best on drums, Chubby Jackson, bass; Lou Levy, piano; Terry Gibbs, vibes and Frank Socolow on tenor sax. ) In 1948, Conte joined Stan Kenton's band, remaining for a year. In 1949, he joined Charlie Ventura's "Bop For The People" band. In the 1950s, he relocated to Los Angeles, CA, and found work with bassist Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars.In 1951, he rejoined Kenton's band, whose other sidemen then included Lee Konitz. Zoot Sims, Frank Rosolino, Stan Levey and Bob Burgess. It became one of Conte's happiest times. Bill Russo wrote "Portrait Of A Count" for him (his nickname), while Shorty Rogers composed "Round Robin" (for Kenton's Innovations Orch.), Later, it was renamed "Conte Candoli", becoming a feature for him. About this same time, he was also recording with such men as Stan Getz, Bill Perkins, Bill Holman, Stan Levey, Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray and Frank Morgan. He next joined the Terry Gibbs Dream Band. In 1960, Conti left the All-Stars and began working extensively with drummer Shelly Manne. During 1960 - `61, he toured Europe in Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band, (together with Bob Brookmeyer and Bill Holman). Conte worked regularly with Shelly Manne's own group in his club the Manne-Hole. He next worked with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars in Hermosa Beach, CA, and went on to work with Supersax -a group playing ensemble scorings of Charlie Parker solos. (Conte played the Dizzy Gillespie parts.) From time to time, Conte and his brother Pete would form the Candoli Brothers Band, mostly for 'one, Canadian music critic -off' tours and gigs overseas. In 1968, Conte began playing in trumpeter Doc Severinsen's band on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show , when the show made any west coast appearances. In 1972, the job became permanent when the Carson re-located the show's home base to Burbank, CA. Conte left the band in 1992 upon Carson's retirement. Conti once told jazz writer Zan Stewart
       "'The Tonight Show' enhanced my career. It made me comfortable, so when I go out and play
       Jazz, I'm in a good frame of mind. It gives me a sense of security, and that feels good.
       It certainly never dampened my desire to play. Usually you'd never think you'd do a steady
       gig for 20 years. . . . I was able to raise a family and stay in one place."
Conte passed away, from Cancer, at the Monterey Palms Convalescent Home in Palm Desert, CA. He was surived by his brother Pete.
1939     Charles Carter, Drums, b. St.Louis, MO, USA.
1946     Jeff Christie, vocals, b. Leeds, UK. While still in his teens, Jeff formed a band called 'Outer Limits', which included Stan Drogie, Gerry Layton and Gerry Smith. The group began life as a 'skiffle' band, but eventually emulated the Beatles' sound.. However, it was Jeff's later self-named group "Christie" that has gone on to world-wide fame. He first invited drummer Mike Blakley to appear with him, and Mike pulled in guitarist Vic Elmes, with whom he played in another band, 'The Epics'. (Interestingly, the drummer who preceded Mike in the The Epics - Bill 'Legend' Fyfield - later achieved fame playing in Mark Bolan's band, 'T Rex'.) "Christie" signed with CBS Records in England, and their debut single (Spring of 1870) "Yellow River" (essentially Jeff's and Vic's vocals over a Tremeloes backing track) quickly reached No 1 in countries across the world, staying on the pop charts for 22 weeks. In the US, where the single was released on CBS' Epic label it charted No 23. Curiously, their follow-up release "San Bernadino", in October 1970, reached No 7 in the English charts, charted No. 1 in Germany, but only reached No. 92 in the USA. It should be noted that the group was playing original music with both the words and music composed by Jeff. Sadly, after much success, the situation between Jeff and Vic worsened, and the group soon broke up. Jeff went on to release some singles, - and for the first time began tu use material from other composers. Vic released some singles under his own name, and also with a band called 'China'. For a while, he joined the Tremeloes and these days tours Europe with his own band, 'Christie Again' playing the old hits and also some new songs released under the Christie name. Vic also does the occasional film and TV scores, -the most notable being the music for 'Space: 1999'. An interesting sidelight is that the American Right-wing zealot and radio personality, Rush Limbaugh, used the stage name of "Jeff Christie" during his days as a Disk Jockey on Pittsburgh, PA, radio station KQV. Of course, Rush did no singing, and has no musical talent whatever.
1938     Bill Cosby, comedic actor/vocals, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA.
1945     Charles Daellenbach, Tuba, b. Rhinelander, Wisconsin, USA. member group: Canadian Brass
1918     Rusty Dedrick, Trumpet/composer/arranger/leader/educator, b. Delavan, NY, USA.
1963     Alan Duval, vocals. Member group: UB40. Had No.1 hits in the USA and UK, and over 30 other UK top 40 hits.
1948     Walter Egan, rock vocals/guitar.
1972     Brandon Evans, woodwinds
1920     Paul Foster, vocals, b. Shreveport, LA, USA Member: 'The Soul Stirrers'
1964     Tim Gane, guitar/keyboards. Member group: Stereolab. 1994's single "Ping Pong" hit 45 in UK Top hits chart.
1920     Paul Gonsalves, Tenor Sax, b. Boston, MA, USA. d. May 14, 1974, London, Eng., U.K. He joined Count Basie in 1946 (his first big job) upon his release from the U. S. Army following WWII, In 1950, he joined the Duke Ellington Orch., remaining with the Duke for 24 years.
1895     Oscar Hammerstein II, Lyricist. b: New York, NY, USA, d. Aug. 23, 1960, Doyleston, PA, USA. né: Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein. II Part of the Rodgers and Hammerstein team. He joined Richard Rodgers when Lorenz Hart's drinking became a problem.
1945     Butch Hancock, singer/songwriter.
1927     Joe Houston, Tenor sax, b. Austin, TX, USA. During his career, Houston worked with such stars as vocalists Wynonie Harris and Big Joe Turner, the King Kolax Band, and Amos Milburn,.
1944     Jean-Francois Jenny-Clark, Bass, b. Toulouse, France. d. Oct. 5, 1998 This bassist has often worked with European "Folk" accordionist Richard Galliano, who did for music - specifically, the early-20th-century French ballroom-dance form known as musette - what Galliano's mentor, Astor Piazzolla, did for the Argentinian tango.
1910     Ed "Jack Raggs" Johnson, trombone/arranger, b. Baltimore, MD, USA
1947     Wilko Johnson, guitar, Member groups: Dr Feelgood, and Solid Senders.
1895     Alfred Laine, Cornet/drums, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d. 1957.
1935     Sammy Lawhorn, guitar, b. Little Rock, AR, USA. worked with Muddy Waters
1943     Johnny Laws, (Blues) guitarist, b. Chicago, IL, USA.
1940     William Littler, Canadian music critic, b. Vancouver, Canada.
1955     Chuck Loeb, guitar, b. Nyack, NY, USA.
1937     Michel Louvain, vocals, b. Thetford Mines, QC, Canada. Known as Quebec's first pop idol, his 1957 recording of "Buenas noches mi amor" was the first of a long string of hits.
1943     Christine McVie, vocals//keyboards. née: Christine Anne Perfect. Member groups: Fleetwood Mac and Chicken Shack.
1959     Steve Melling, piano, keyboards, b. Preston, England, UK.
1952     Liz Mitchell, vocals
1956     Sandi Patti, Gospel Vocals
1935     "Big" John Patton, Organ/piano, b. Kansas City, MO, USA. d: March 19, 2002, Montclair, NJ, USA. Self-taught on play piano. In the early 1950s, he followed his brother to Washington, and began playing professionally, - initially as a pianist. While working with rhythm and blues singer Lloyd Price, he became interested in the Hammond organ, and, in 1959, set up his own (Hammond-led) trio. Relocating to New York, he began to work in alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson's group (guitarist Grant Green was the other member). In 1962, he made his recording debut (for the Blue Note, label) while with the trio. He remained with Donaldson until 1964. He also led his own groups from 1963 until 1969, and recorded (for Blue Note) many albums in a "Soul Jazz" vein. Durnign this time, he often worked with such traditionalist as Grant Green, Johnny Griffin, Harold Vick and Clifford Jordan, among others, and more experimentalists as trombonist Grachan Moncur III, guitarist James 'Blood' Ulmer, saxophonists John Gilmore and Marshall Allen, (All well known for their long associations with Sun Ra). Patton only recorded one album as a leader in the two decades from 1970, when the arrival of electronic keyboards and the rise of 'jazz-rock fusion' eclipsed both his Hammond and soul jazz. In 1986, with renewed interest in his work, he recorded with saxophonist John Zorn, on 'The Big Gundown' album, -a tribute Ennio Morricone's music. In the 1990s, Patton recorded (again with Zorn), the album 'Minor Swing'. In 1995, Patton's last album was issued: "This One's For Ja". Patton died from complications arising from diabetes.
1943     Christine Perfect, piano, b. Birmingham, England. UK. Member: 'Chicken Shack'
1912     Sydney Robin, songwriter, New York, NY USA. Worked with: LOUIS Jordan
1953     Mark Soskin, piano
1976     Tracie Spencer, vocals.
1942     "Swamp Dogg", psychedelic soul singer/songwriter, b. Portsmouth, VA, USA. Among his albums, "Total Destruction to Your Mind", and "Gag a Maggot" have become cult favorites (for a strange 'cult').
1948     Matt Taylor, vocals, b. Australia Member: 'Chain'
1916     Sam "The Man" Taylor, Tenor Sax, b. Lexington, TN, USA.
1946     Steve Tintweiss, bass
1919     Paul Villepigue, tenor sax, clarinet, arranger, composer, b. Ottawa, Kansas,USA, d. June 19, 1953 (suicide. Age: 33). According to his daughter, Desne: " At age 10, he took up the clarinet, and at age 13, he wrote his first arrangement. In 1937, Chanute High School ( Kansas) graduated its senior class to the accompaniment of a variety revue, whose printed program states: "All musical numbers were especially arranged by Paul Villepigue, Jr." Villepigue went on to play with, and especially contribute arrangements to, many orchestras including such "Territory Bands" as the 'Jerry Pettit Orchestra', 'Allyn Cassel and His Orchestra' (ca. 1938-'39), and 'Ike Ragon and His Orchestra' (during 1941). While living in pre-WWII Chicago, Villepigue contributed arrangements to both the Boyd Raeburn and Chico Marx orchestras, among others. In late 1943, was inducted into the U. S. Army, where he worked in various Army Bands (in the U. S.) entertaining the troops who hadn't yet shipped out overseas, or for those troops coming home. After his Service discharge at the end of WWII, he resumed his musical career, working in New York city.
1938     Donald Walden, tenor sax
1949     John Wetton, Bass/singer. Member groups: 'Asia' and 'King Crimson'
1965     Robin Wilson, rock vocals.
         Notable Events on this date include:
1947.    Jimmie Lunceford died in Seaside, OR, USA. Age: 45.
1962.    Roger Wolfe Kahn, leader, alto and tenor sax, composer, died in New York, NY, USA. (b. Oct. 19, 1907 in Morristown, NJ, USA)
1976.    Ted Mack, host of the Major Bowes Amateur Hour show, died in North Tarrytown, NY, USA. Age: 72
1976.    Leon Calvert, trumpet, died. b. Westcliff-On-Sea, Essex, England, UK.)
1976Buddy Featherstonhaugh, tenor sax, clarinet, died in London England, UK. (b. Oct. 4, 1909 in Paris, France. né: Rupert Edward Lee Featherstonhaugh )
1979.    Minnie Riperton, vocals, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 31
1986.    Kurt Henkels, violin, leader, died in Hamburg, Germany (b. Dec. 17, 1910, Solingen, Germany)
1990.    Les Miserables opened at National Theatre, Washington, D.C. USA.
1993.    Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Sunset Promenade opened in London, England.
1994.    David Graves, drummer, died in Waterloo, IA, USA. Age: 61
2003.    Benny Carter alto sax, trumpet, composer, arranger died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. (b. Aug. 8, 1907, New York, NY, USA)
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1911   "The Oceanic Roll", - Eddie Morton voc.
1917   "Some Sweet Day", - Marion Harris voc.
1927   "What Do We Do and A Dew Dew Dewy Day", - Ben Selvin Orch.
1927   "Oh Doris Where Do You Live", - Ben Selvin Orch.
1927   "Can't You Hear Me Saying I Love You", - Regent Club Orch. (Bob Haring Orch.)
1929   "Georgie Porgie", - Arnold Johnson and His Orch.
1934   "How About Tomorrow Night", - Ina Ray Hutton and her Melodears
1935   "The Simple Things In Life", - Don Bestor Orch.
1935   "Animal Crackers In My Soup", - Don Bestor Orch.
1938   "There's A Far Away Look In Your Eyes", - Dick Todd Orch.
1958   "Yakety Yak", - The Coasters, was number one song in America and first stereo record to reach the top of the chart.
1969   "Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed", - Neil Diamond
1975   "At Seventeen", - Janis Ian
1975   "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", - Elton John
1975   "Fight The Power (Part 1)", - Isley Brothers
1980   "Xanadu", - Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra; No.1 single in the UK.
1986   "Sweet Freedom", - Michael McDonald
1986   "Rumours", - Timex Social Club