BIRTHDAYS
1943     Roy Acuff Jr., C&W singer-songwriter, b. Nashville, TN, USA.
1905     Fletcher Allen, Saxophone, clarinet, b. La Crosse, WI, USA.
1970     Brian Blade, drums
1965     Marty Brown, C&W vocals/guitar, b. Maceo, KY, USA.
1894     Walter Brennan, actor/vocals, b. Swampscott, MA, USA. d. Sept. 21, 1974, Oxnard, CA, USA. Brennan was basically a character actor, but we list him here because he did briefly try his hand at vocalizing. During the "The Real McCoys" TV series, he often recorded, and in 1960, first charted with "Dutchman's Gold", -a duet with Billy Vaughn. 1962, saw his release of "Old Rivers" hit No. 5 on the USA Pop charts. That same year, both "Houdini" and "Mama Sang Me a Song" also charted, but they were his last hits.
1908     Henry Brown, piano, b. Troy, TN, USA
1903     Albert "Happy" Caldwell, Tenor Sax, b. Chicago, IL, USA. d. 1978.
1941     Manuel Charlton, guitar/vocals. Member group: Nazareth.
1950     Mike Clarke, drums
1885     Charles Christian, Trombone, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d. 1964.
1934     Don Ellis, Trumpet, leader, composer, b. Los Angeles, CA, USA d. Dec. 17, 1978, Los Angeles, CA, USA. (heart attack). Age: 44
1921     Al Epstein (aka Al Young), tenor sax, clarinet
1944     Bobbie Gentry, vocals. b. Chickasaw County, MS, USA. Best recalled release: "Ode to Billie Joe".
1926     Jef Gilson, Piano, b. Quievreux, France.
1948     Steve Goodman, Folk singer/songwriter, b. Chicago, IL, USA, d. Sept. 21, 1984, Seattle, WA, USA. (Age: 36, after a 16 year fight with leukemia). Among his hit compositions are "City Of New Orleans" (huge 1972 hit for another Folk Singer, Arlo Guthrie, and for Willie Nelson, in 1984), "Somebody Elses Trouble", and "You Never Even Call Me By My Name" (huge hit for singer David Allan Coe), Another of his hits songs was "City Of New Orleans". Goodman had a lifelong passion for his hometown, Chicago, and for the Cubs (Chicago's National League baseball team), but never lived to see his team play in the World Series. (In 1969, the 'miracle' New York Mets beat them out of that honor.) In 1981, while undergoing treatment in Seatle, WA, for his cancer, he composed "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request". He had previously composed the "Go Cubs Go" team theme song.
1903     Jack Grant, C&W mandolin/banjo, b. Bristol, TN, USA. Member: 'The Tenneva Ramblers'
1907     "Guitar Slim" Green, guitar, b. Bryant, TX, USA.
1907     Norman Green, trombone, d. Sept. 28, 1975
1916     James S. Hill, vocals, b. Bessemer, AL, USA. Member: 'The Fairfield Four'
1907     Johnny Hodges, Alto-soprano Sax, b. Cambridge, MA, USA. d. May, 11, 1970. né: Cornelius Hodge. Member of Duke Ellington's orchestra from 1928 on. Esquire Mag. 1944-45, Gold Award for Alto sax. In 1946 he received the Silver Award.
1895     Darnell Howard, Violin/Clarinet/Saxophone, b. Chicago, IL, USA. d. 1966. d. Sept. 2, 1966. (brain tumor). In 1917, he played on W.C. Handy's first New York recordings, after which he returned to Chicago where, in 1921, he worked with (his former teacher) Charlie Elgar's band at the Dreamland Ballroom. During the '20s, he worked with the King Oliver, Carroll Dickerson and Erskine Tate orchestras. In 1931, he joined the Earl Hines band, where he remained until 1937. In the early '40s, he became a shopkeeper briefly, but soon returned to music, playing (mostly clarinet) with "Kid" Ory, Muggsy Spanier, and Bob Scobey. In 1955, he rejoined Earl Hines in San Francisco, and remained there (although he only played with Hines, playing with the band until 1962. 4 years later, he died.
1938     Gunter Lenz, Bass, b. Franfurt am Main, Germany.
1962     Robert Lucas, harmonica, b. Long Beach, CA, USA.
1943     Jim McCarty, Drums/ songwriter, b. Liverpool, England, UK. Member: 'Yardbirds'
1958     Thurston Moore, guitar/vocals. b. UK. Member group: 'Sonic Youth'
1961     Dave Penny, writer (Blues & Rhythm Magazine), b. London, UK
1915     Gene Phillips, guitar, b. St. Louis, MO, USA.
1930     Annie Ross, Jazz Vocals, b. Mitcham (nr London), England. née: Annabelle Short. Member group: 'Lambert, Hendricks & Ross'. Annie has also had an extensive solo career, both singing and acting in films. Annie comes from a long line of theatrical talent. Her parents (vaudevillians) were appearing in a London show when Annie was born shortly after a matinee ended. At the age of four and a half, Annie traveled to New York city for a visit with her famous singer aunt, Ella Logan, who created the title role in "Finlan?s Rainbow."
1953     Gary Shaugnessy, guitarist, b, Manchester, England, UK. Member band: 'Sweet Sensations', comprised of vocalist Junior Daye (b. 26 June 1950, Kingston, Jamaica), drummer Roy Flowers (b. 4 August 1951, Kingston, Jamaica) , vocalist Vincent James (b. 12 February 1951, St. Mary's, Jamaica), bassist Barry Johnson (b. 20 August 1954, Kingston, Jamaica), vocalist Marcel King (né: Marcel Neville King, b. 4 January 1958, Manchester, d. 5 October 1995- Stroke), vocalist St. Clair L. Palmer (b. 4 March 1954, St. Kitts), guitarist Gary Shaugnessy (b. 25 July 1953, Manchester), and keyboardist Leroy Smith (b. 3 September 1952, Kingston, Jamaica). In September 1974, their (2nd) single "Sad Sweet Dreamer" was UK No.1, and the following spring reached No. 14 on the 'Billboard Hot 100'. In January 1975, their follow up "Purely by Coincidence" reached No.11 in the UK Singles Chart. In 1977 the band participated in 'Song For Europe' in an attempt to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Their song "You're My Sweet Sensation" ended in eighth place. In 1940, King's son, Zeus, 19, was shot dead in an outbreak of gang warfare in South Manchester. CAUTION: Do not confuse with the American R&B vocal group of the same name of :"Sweet Sensations", consisting of 4 ladies, Mari Fernandez, Margie Fernandez, Sheila Bega, and Betty Lebron. (One of the most popular female groups in Latin freestyle (namely salsa and merengue) and hip-hop.)
1926     Bill Skeat, alto and tenor sax, clarinet, flute, b. London, England, UK, d. July 4, 1999, London, England, UK.
1951     Gregg Smith, vocals, b. TX, USA.
1945     Donna Theodore, vocals. Best recalled as the singer on Art Linkletter's Hollywood Talent Scouts
1941     Hugh Watts, trombone, b. Watford, England, UK
1897     Sylvester Weaver, guitar, b. Louisville, KY, USA.
1932     Rudy West, lead vocals, b. Newport News, VA, USA. Member: 'The Five Keys'
1951     Verdine White, R&R bass/vocals, b. Chicago, IL, USA. Member group: 'Earth, Wind and Fire'
1899     Johnny Wiggs, Cornet, trumpet, vocal, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d. Oct. 9, 1977. né: John Wigginton Hyman. Became a musician after hearing 'King' Oliver; studied music at Loyola University, and began playing around 1920 with Earl Crumb, then with Norman Brownlee (1924-5) and 'Happy' Schilling (1926). In 1927 he toured with a vaudeville troupe and recorded, as 'John Hyman with his Bayou Stompers' (Ain't love grand/Alligator Blues, Victor 20593); the following year he performed and recorded with Tony Parenti. During the 1930s and 1940s Wiggs worked as a teacher, but then re-commenced playing and, between 1948 and 1973, made several recordings with his own band (none are in print). He continued to play until 1974. Johnny Wiggs is fondly recalled by many as the man who recorded guitar wizzard "Snoozer" Quinn.
( NOTES on 'Snoozer' Quinn: He was - even in his own time -virtually unknown to the general public. Homebased in New Orleans, he is a neglected and now-obscure guitarist of the 1920s and '30s. Wiggs was a favorite of Bix Beiderbecke and Frank Trumbauer and worked for a year with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra but eventually returned to New Orleans, working club jobs and at one point backing up hillbilly singer (later governor) Jimmie Davis. In retrospect, his style was an important evolutionary step in jazz guitar history, being somewhere between the older Country Blues and the newer Jazz guitarists. Quinn favored the steady bass roll (alternating thumb bass note and chord) of "ragtime", partial chords on middle strings and melody line on top, in much the way that later guitarists like George Van Eps and Lenny Breau play.)
1942     Bruce Woodley, vocals, The Seekers, 1965 single "I'll Never Find Another You". hit No.5 in the USA, and No. 1 in the UK.
         Notable Events on this date include:
1939.    Experimental TV station W2XBS TV, in New York City, presented " Topsy and Eva", the first musical comedy seen on TV. It was also the first station to operate with a 50,000 watt transmitter.
1965.    Bob Dylan, with an electric guitar, appeared on stage at the Newport Folk Festival. The audience booed him right off the stage for using an electric guitar, instead of the traditional acoustic guitar.
1967.    Tommy Duncan, front man for 'Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys', died in San Diego, CA, USA. Age: 56. (Heart Attack after a show).
1978.    Hank Newman, of "The Georgia Crackers" died. Age: 73
1984.    "Big Mama" Thornton, drums/harmonica, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 57
1985.    "Red Piano" (aka: Dr. Feelgood), piano, Atlanta, GA, USA. Age: 73
1994.    John M. Dengler, trumpet, cornet, tuba, clarinet, baritone and bassax, kazoo, died Age: 67 (b. June 20, 1927)
1995.    Charlie Rich, piano/songwriter, died in Hammond, LA, USA. Age: 62
2002.    Idrees Dawud ibn Sulieman, bebop trumpeter died in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. Age 78. (prostate cancer) (some sources erroneously say he died July 23. né: Leonard Graham, b. Aug. 7, 1923, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA).
2002.    Dick Kress, sax, woodwinds, died in Quincy, Ill., U.S. A. ( b. Sept. 11, 1928, Chicago, Ill., U.S.A.)
2005.    Albert Mangelsdorf, trombone, died in Frankfurt., Germany. Age: 76.
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1917   "Never Forget To Write Home", - Irving Kaufman vocal.
1917   "Sailing Away On The Henry Clay", - International Quartet.
1923   "I Love Me", - International Novelty Orch.
1924   "My Papa Doesn't Two Time No Time", - George Olsen and His Music.
1925   "Sioux City Sue", - The Original Memphis Five.
1925   "You Forgot To Remember", - Ross Gorman's Earl Carroll Orch.
1925   "Who Wouldn't Love You", - Mark Strand Orch.
1925   "Don't Wait Too Long", - Eddie Elkins Orch.
1925   "Tessie Stop Teasing Me", - Ray Miller Orch.
1925   "Hawaiian Ripples", - Castlewood Marimba Band.
1925   "We're Back Together Again", - Ted Lewis Orch.
1925   "Every Thing's Hotsy Totsy Now", - Coon-Sanders Nighthawks.
1930   "I Still Get A Thrill", - Lee Morse and her Bluegrass Boys.
1930   "Somewhere in Old Wyoming", - Ben Selvin Orch.
1933   "My Last Year's Girl", - Charley Agnew Orch.
1933   "Close Your Eyes", - Freddy Martin Orch.
1935   "The Gentlemen Obviously Doesn't Believe", - Hal Kemp Orch.
1938   "Copenhagen", - Tommy Dorsey Orch.
1938   "School Days", - Frank Novak and his Boys.
1940   "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", - Al Goodman Orch.
1940   "All The Things You Are", - Al Goodman Orch.
1940   "They Didn't Believe Me", - Al Goodman Orch.
1941   "It's Only A Paper Moon", - John Kirby Orch.
1941   "Fifi's Rhapsody", - John Kirby Orch.
1941   "Blue Champagne", - Jimmy Dorsey
1941   "Just A Little Bit South Of North Carolin", - Gene Krupa
1941   "Booglie Wooglie Piggy, The", - Glenn Miller
1941   "Intermezzo", - Charlie Spivak
1942   "There's A Small Hotel", - Claude Thornhill Orch.
1942   "Cow Cow Boogie", - Freddie Slack Orch., with Ella Mae Morse voc. (First No.1 hit for new Capitol Records label.)
1946   "South America, Take It Away", - Bing Crosby
1946   "Hawaiian War Chant", - Spike Jones
1953   "Crying In The Chapel", - June Valli
1960   "It's Now Or Never", - Elvis Presley
1960   "Walk Don't Run", - The Ventures
1964   "A Hard Days Night", The Beatles. (Stayed No. 1 on UK charts for 21 weeks.)
1964   "C'mon & Swim", - Bobby Freeman
1970   "Why Can't I Touch You, (If You Let Me Ma", - Dyson, Ronnie
1970   "In The Summertime", - Jerry Mungo
1970   "War", - Edwin Starr
1987   "Can't We Try", - Dan Hill
1992   "End Of The Road", - Boyz II Men
1992   "Jump Around", - House Of Pain
1992   "Stay", - Shakespeare's Sister