BIRTHDAYS
1929     Johnny Ace, piano/vocals, b. USA, d. 1954, USA
1943     Kenneth "Kenny" Barron, Piano, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA
1940     Curtis Boyd, drums. Perhaps best recalled as part of Freddy Cole's quartet (Nat 'King' Cole's younger brother -12 years younger), and for his mid-1980s work in the Billy Taylor trio.
1944     Igor Bril, Piano, b. Moscow, Russia
1937     William Cox, vocals, b. Cotton Valley, LA, USA. Formed ca. 1976, The singing Cox Family is comprised of father Willard, son Sidney, and daughters Evelyn and Suzanne, with a sound combining country, bluegrass, and gospel styles.
1927     Cedell Davis, guitar, b. Helena, AR, USA
1912     Buddy Feyne, songwriter, b. New York, NY, USA, d. Dec. 10, 1998, Los Angeles, CA, USA. né: Bernard Feinstein. Buddy contributed the lyrics to such tunes as "Tuxedo Junction", "Jersey Bounce", "After Hours", and 400 others.
1911     Sanford Gold, Piano, b. Cleveland, OH, USA
1945     Mick Goodrick, Guitar, b. Sharon, PA, USA
1926     Jimmy Gourley, Guitar, b. St.Louis, MO , USA
1860     Edward Hall, Clarinet, b. Reserve, LA, USA, d. ?? CAUTION: Do not confuse with Edmond Hall: b.May 15, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, d: Feb 11, 1967 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
1952     Shelly Hirsch, Vocal, b. New York, NY, USA. Her most ambitious work, 'O Little Town Of East New York', is an award-winning radio play and a semi-autobiographical musical suite about growing up in Brooklyn, NY, in the 1950s and 1960s.
1953     Fruteland Jackson, guitar, b. Doddsville, MS, USA
1926     Calvin "Fuzzy" Jones, drums, b. Greenwood, MS, USA
1913     Carl Jones, label owner (CJ Records), b. Waxahatchie, TX, USA
1941     Jon Lord, musician, b. Great Britain.
1939     Mike Melillo, Piano, b. Newark, NJ, USA
1912     Wally Mercer, tenor sax, b. Pensacola, FL, USA
1953     Bobby Murray, guitar/producer, b. Nagoya, Japan
1916     Les Paul, guitar, b. Waukesha, WI, USA. né: Lester William Polfus. Self taught on guitar (cannot read music). Greatest fame working with, his then wife, Mary Ford (vocals).
1891     Cole Porter, b. Peru IN, USA, d. Oct. 15, 1964. Santa Monica, CA, USA. né: Cole Albert Porter, Cole, an avowed homosexual, had his first hit in 1915 (on Broadway); in the 'teens, he went to Europe (to avoid serving in the Armed Forces during WW1) and told friends back home in America that he was in the French Foreign Legion. He was "hanging out" and living lavishly in Europe during the 1920s, in 1928 he returned to the 'States' permanently. His legs were damaged due to a horse riding accident, and many operations were to no avail. He never could walk again. Cole died at age 72, in Santa Monica, CA. USA.
1926     Herb Remington, steel guitar/bass/composer, b. Mishawaka, IN, USA. Member: 'Bob Wills' Texas Playboys'
1934     "Wild" Jimmy Spruill, guitar, b. Washington, NC, USA
1938     "Eje" Thelin, trombone, b. Jönköping, Sweden, d. May 18, 1990. né: Eilert Jon Thelin.   "Eje" worked with some of the world's finest Jazzmen, including Sonny Sharrock (guitar); Albert Mangelsdorff (trombone); Bernt Rosengren (tenor sax, clarinet, oboe & flute); Karl Berger (vibes & piano); Joachim Kuhn (piano); Arild Andersen (bass) and Jacques Thollot (drums & percussion); Kjell Jannson (bass); Peter Schmidlin (drums, b. Basel, Switzerland); Ali Haurand, (bassist, b. 1943, Viersen, Germany); Harald Svensson (pianist/composer. b. Östersund (grew up in Stockholm), Sweden); Palle Danielsson (bass, b. 1946 Stockholm, Sweden --his sister Monica (Dominique) is a well-established pianist and composer.); Ulf Adaker; Rune Falk; Anders Kjellberg; Jimmy Witherspoon; and Jan Allan --- just to name a very few. Thelin started his own quintet in 1961. From 1969 to 1972 he was on the faculty of the Music Academy in Graz, Austria. One of his students was Radu Malfatti (b. Dec. 16, 1943), who - despite Thelin's own warm approach to traditional ballads - developed into one of Europe's best known "free jazz" trombonists. In the remainder of the 1970s, Thelin led his own "Eje Thelin Group" in Sweden. The 1980s found him writing commissioned works for large European orchestras, occasionally featuring himself as soloist.
1922     Gosta Theselius, Tenor Sax, b. Stockholm, Sweden. d. Jan. 24, 1976.
1964     Wayman Tisdale, guitar, b. Fort Worth, Texas, USA
1940     Richard Wallace, vocals, b. GA, USA Member: 'Mighty Clouds Of Joy'
1900     Fred Waring, musician/conductor/inventor, b. Tyrone PA, USA, Invented the Waring Blender
1934     Jackie Wilson, d. Jan. 21, 1989, USA. né: Jack Leroy Wilson member of 'Billie Ward & His Dominoes'
         Notable Events occuring this date include:
1950.    Joe Burke. composer died in Upper Darby, PA, USA. (b. March 18, 1884, . Philadelphia, PA, USA )
1979.    Tippy Armstrong, guitar, died in Tuscaloosa, AL, USA. Age: 32
1980.    Richard Perna, tenor sax, died in Denver, CO, USA. Age: 37
1987.    Wendell Phillips Whalum, (gospel) organ, died in Atlanta, GA, USA. Age: 56
1992.    "Big" Miller, vocals/trombone, died in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Age: 69
1993.    Mort Goode, producer/songwriter, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 80
1993.    Arthur Alexander, singer-songwriter, died in Nashville, TN , USA. Age: 53
2000.    Buddy Jones, bassist died in Carmel Valley, CA, USA. ( Feb. 17, 1924, Hope, Arkamsas, USA )
2004.    Thomas Raymond "Red" Kelly, bassist, club owner, leader, died in Tacoma, WA, USA., Age: 76, cancer. (Red was born Aug. 29, 1928, in Shelby, Montana. and raised in Seattle, WA, USA). He was on the road for well over 30 years playing with such stars as Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra , Billie Holiday, Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Barnet, , Jimmy Dorsey, Les Brown, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Harry James, Buddy Rich, Duke Ellington and Count Basie, among others, (He often claimed Count Basie died owing him $3 on a 1959 World Series bet., and he once described actress Betty Grable as "a good pal" who "just liked the dirtiest jokes." ) CAUTION: Not to be confused with trumpeter Joe "Red" Kelly
2004.    Bent Jaedig, tenor sax died. ( Known as "The Free Spirit of. Copenhagen", b. Sept. 28, 1935, Copenhagen, Denmark,)
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
      1909 "Ocean Breezes", - Arthur Pryor's Band
      1909 "Please Don't Tell My Wife", - Eddie Morton voc.
      1924 "San", - Paul Whiteman Orch.
      1932 "Hummin' To Myself", - Ben Selvin Orch.
      1936 "That's A Plenty", - Tommy Dorsey Orch.
      1937 "Blue Turning Gray Over You", - Fats Waller and His Rhythm
      1937 "New St. Louis Blues", - Bob Wills' Texas Playboys
      1939 "Big Wig In The Wig Wam", - Lionel Hampton Orch.
      1939 "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams", - Bing Crosby (Decca)
      1950 "Sam's Song" - Joe "Fingers" Carr
      1950 "I Wanna Be Loved", - Billy Eckstine
      1950 "Bonaparte's Retreat", - Kay Starr
      1956 "I Almost Lost My Mind", - Pat Boone
      1956 "Transfusion", - Nervous Norvus
      1958 "Yakety Yak", - Coasters
      1962 "Al Di La", - Emilio Pericoli
      1973 "Natural High", - Bloodstone
      1973 "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", - Bette Midler
      1979 "You Can't Change That", - Ray Parker Jr.
      1979 "Bad Girls", - Donna Summer
      1984 "When Doves Cry", - Prince
      1990 "When I'm Back On My Feet Again", - Michael Bolton