BIRTHDAYS
1956     Ace Andres, singer-songwriter, guitarist,, b. Stockton, California, USA.
1955     Michael Anthony, Rock bassist, b. Chicago, Illinois, USA. né: Michael Anthony Sobolewski. Member: Van Halen.
1924     Chet Atkins, guitarist, b. near Luttrell, TN, USA. d. June 30, 2001, Nashville, TN, USA. né: Chester Burton Atkins. Near the end of his life, he had again battled Cancer: - he had Colon Cancer in 1970s, and had a tumor removed from his brain in 1997. Perhaps, more than any other single figure, it was Atkins who turned the "twangy" Country sound of the 1950s into the more polished pop-friendly style of today's Country music. His father was was a music teacher, piano tuner and evangelical singer. As a very young child, growing up in rural east Tennessee, Chet suffered from asthma. This left him in such poor health that he missed many months of school. At age 8, he got a guitar, and it became his solace. In his 1974 autobiography, "Country Gentleman" Chet wrote: "That guitar and the others that followed it would absorb almost every moment I could find for it for the rest of my life." Chet grew up hearing a lot of religious and gospel music because his dad was an evangelical singer, and because "country people", bought lots of gospel and "race records", (albums by African American artists). Atkins also grew up listening to legendary guitarist Merle Travis, whom he imitated, while expanding Travis' finger-picking style to thumb and three fingers. By age 16, Atkins was performing regularly on local radio stations and dances. (His first professisonal job was on Knoxville's radio station WNOX, - as a fiddler.) Dropping out of high school, he slowly made his way up the music business, by playing on Southern radio stations and with touring groups including the Carter Family Kitty Wells, and Red Foley. By the late 1940s, Atkins had signed a contract with RCA, that began an association lasting into the 1980s. Some of his early releases included such songs as "Canned Heat" and "Bug Dance" from his first sessions. But in 1949, he started to establish an audience for his style with "Main Street Breakdown", an instrumental hit "Country Gentleman" (1953) and the smash "Mr. Sandman" (1955). His career would later encompass being a producer and A&R (artists and repertoire) man, and Talent scout. In 1957 he started managing RCA's Nashville office, and in 1968 the label named him division vice president in charge of country music. As a producer, his musical vision, included introducing string sections, thus allowing the "new" country sound to fit easily into both Pop and Country music radio formats. A great many listeners that had been turned off by rock music gravitated to Atkins' vision of country music. At the time, some country purists criticized his innovations, but, in hindsight, historians have saluted his vision. Chet was an excellent talent scout. His very first RCA signing was Don Gibson, who had an immediate hit with "Oh, Lonesome Me." Atkins went on to sign not only Jerry Reed and Waylon Jennings, but he was also instrumental in signing Charley Pride, one of the first African American country singers. Atkins did formative work with such stars as Elvis Presley, Gibson, Jennings, Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. Over his career, Atkins performed on more than 75 albums that sold tens of millions of copies around the world. His playing can be heard on such legendary recordings such as Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel," Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart", and the Everlys' "Wake Up, Little Susie." In the 1970s, he quit his job as RCA executive, and began collaborating on solo albums with many diverse artists such as jazz musicians George Benson, Larry Carlton and Earl Klugh, with rock musicians, -including an entire album with Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler, and with several symphony orchestras. Over the years, other recording partners ranged from Les Paul to Ravi Shankar. The Beatles' George Harrison was just one of many rock fans of Atkins. During his lifetime, he won 14 Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 1993, and was named to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1973, its youngest inductee at age 49. Just before becoming ill, Chet had released his newest album "The Day Finger Pickers Take Over The World". Atkins' style has become so influential and pervasive that people now forget that it all started with one man.
1963     Jeff Beal, composer, trumpet, b. Hayward, California, USA
1947     Dolores "LaLa" Brooks, singer, b. USA. Member: 'The Crystals '
1938     Dennis Budimir, Guitar, b. Los Angeles, CA, USA
1962     Mark DeGliantoni, Rock vocals. Member: 'Soul Coughing'.
1927     John M. Dengler, Trumpet/Trombone/bari-bass sax, clarinet, cornet, tuba and kazoo, d. July 25, 1994
1928     Eric Allan Dolphy, bass clar./Alto Sax/Flute, b. Los Angeles, CA, d. June 29, 1964, Berlin, Germany. Studied music at Los Angeles City College. In 1948-1950, played lead alto in Roy Porter's band . Served in US Armed Forces, and returned to Los Angeles. In 1954, he met Coltrane in Los Angeles, where Dolphy was freelancing In 1958, Dolphy joined drummer Chico Hamilton's group, and moved to New York City in late 1959. Played with Charlie Mingus' group till the end of 1960, then recorded with Ornette Coleman on the seminal double quartet album "Free Jazz" Dolphy contributed solos to Coltrane's last Atlantic recording "Ole". In August 1961, he played in Europe and returned to San Francisco in September, joining a Coltrane group that then included guitarist Wes Montgomery. In March 1962, he left Coltrane, and also in 1962, briefly led his own group, and later worked with John Lewis's Orchestra U.S.A. Dolphy continued to work on and off with Coltrane, Mingus and Lewis until his death in Berlin Germany, when he suffered a coronary due to complications of diabetes. Dolphy's contributions to Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz and Coltrane's recordings at the Vanguard (club) have earned him a lasting place in music history.
1917     Jimmy Driftwood, C&W guitar/songwriter, b. Mountain View, AR
1943     Carol Ettman, Vocals/Piano, b. St. Louis, Missouri, USA
1907     Doc Evans, Cornet, leader, b. Spring Valley, MN, USA. d. 1977.
1960     Chris Gibson, vocals. Member: 'Gibson Brothers'.
1950     Lee Gibson, vocals/producer. b. England. (birthdate may be March 5, 1960) Member group: 'Lee Gibson & Her Chosen Band'. She is a nationally and internationally acclaimed jazz singer with a wonderful voice, innate sense of swing and dynamic stage presence. She has appeared at various London England clubs, including Ronnie Scott's, as well as many other famous venues.
1966     Stone Gossard, guitar. Member group: Pearl Jam.
1936     Billy Guy, vocals, b. USA. Member: 'The Coasters'. In 1958, their "Yakety Yak" reached No. 1 in the US, and in 1959, their "Charlie Brown" reached No. 2 in the USA and No. 6 in the UK.
1906     Bob Howard, Vocals/Piano, d. Dec 3, 1986. Rarely recalled today, Howard was originally signed by Decca as competition for the then extremely popular "Fats" Waller. After moving to New York, he found work in local hotels, and in that city's famed 52nd Street clubs, including 'The Famous Door', and the 'Hickory House'. He subsequently recorded for the Columbia label. During the late 1930's, he accompanied singer Billy Daniels, then working at 'Mamie's Chicken Shack' in New York (Harlem). Howard remained active well into the 1950's, at one time even hosting his own pioneering CBS television show. Among the men with whom he worked are (trumpeters) Bunny Berigan, Marty Marsala, Manny Klein, and Rex Stewart; (clarinetists) Buster Bailey, Barney Bigard, Cecil Scott and Artie Shaw, tenorsaxophonist Ben Webster, (pianists) Teddy Wilson, Frank Froeba, Zinky Cohn and Billy Kyle, guitarist Teddy Bunn, drummer Cozy Cole.
1920     Thomas Jefferson, trumpet, b. Chicago, IL, USA, d. 1986
1958     Kelly Johnson, vocals. b. UK.
1937     Jerry Keller, vocals, b. USA. Keller was the co-writer of the 1966 #16 pop hit, "Turn Down Day", for the group 'Cyrcle'. He also wrote "Here Comes Summer", - another 3 word title.
1934     "Kid Thomas", harmonica. né: Louis Thomas Watts
1933     Leslie "Lazy Lester" Johnson, (swamp blues) harmonica, b. Torras, LA
1953     Cyndi Lauper, vocals, b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA. (some sources suggest June 22 as birthday.) née: Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton. A Grammy Award winning singer.
1953     Alan Longmuir, vocals. Member Group: 'Bay City Rollers'
1945     Ann Murray, vocals, b. Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada.
1960     Jeremy Monteiro, piano, vocals, composer and music educator, b. Singapore. In early 2007, he became a Fellow of the London College of Music which is part of the Thames Valley University in the UK
1973     Chino Moreno, singer and back-up guitarist, b. Sacramento, CA, USA. Member: Deftones
1936     Mickie Most, record producer. b. Aldershot, Hampshire, England, UK, . d. May 30, 2003. Age: 64. RAK was his own label and had hits during the 1970s with Suzi Quatro, Mud, and Hot Chocolate. 1950s was Memberof 'The Most Brothers'. Wrote hits for Herman's Hermits, The Animals, as well as Lulu and Jeff Beck.
1946     Anne Murray, vocals, b. Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada. née: Morna Anne Murray
1922     Marshall Pack, (Hillbilly) vocals.
1981     Alisan Porter, actress, singer, b. Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
1940     Bob Porter, producer
1934     Enrique Regoli, Drums, percussion, composer, b. Alcoy, Spain
1995     Brianna Marie Rieffel, (Currently - 2007) , a pre-teen singer-songwriter, dancer, entertainer and former beauty pageant contestant, b, Mandeville, Louisiana, USA. She is best known for performing as a member of the cast of the award-winning show 'Country Tonite', and for writing and recording the critically-acclaimed 'Hurricane Katrina' victim anthem "The Promise".
1949     Lionel Richie, piano/singer-singwriter, b. Tuskegee, AL, USA. Member: The Commodores
1906     George Stevenson, Trombone, b. Baltimore, MD. USA. d. 1970.
1960     Nigel John Taylor, guitar-bass, b. Birmingham, England, UK. . Member: Duran Duran.
1916     T. Texas Tyler, Country & Western vocal/guitar, d. Jan. 28, 1972 né: David Luke Myrick
1967     Dan Tyminski -- Alison Krause & Union Station
1929     Joe Venuto, Vibes, b. New York, NY, USA
1971     Jeordie White, bassist, b. ,New Jersey, USA. aka: Twiggy Ramirez (derived from Twiggy, a fashion icon, and Richard Ramirez, a convicted serial killer). As a bassist, he has worked with 'Nine Inch Nails', 'A Perfect Circle', Marilyn Manson, and .multi-instrumentalist and vocalist for 'Goon Moon'.
1942     Brian Wilson, lead songwriter, bassist, and lead vocals. b. Hawthorne, CA, USA. best known as part of 'The Beach Boys' vocal group. Wilson was also the band's main producer, composer, and arranger.
1907     Lamar Wright Sr., Trumpet, b. Texarkana, TX, USA. d. 1973, USA.
         Notable Events occuring this date include:
1910.    Famed singer Fanny Brice debuted in the Ziegfeld Follies to rave revues.
1981.    Pee Wee Erwin trumpeter died in Teaneck New Jersey, USA. (b. May 30, 1913, Falls City Nebraska, USA ),
1983.    Sadik Hakim, piano, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 60. (some sources say d. June 22)
1983.    Louise Massey, Country singer-songwriter, died. Age: 80 Member: "Louise Massey & the Westerners". Perhaps her best recalled composition was "My Adobe Hacienda" (w.m. Louise Massey & Lee Penny)
1986.    Benjamin "Whitey Ford", "The Duke Of Paducah," one of country music's first hillbilly comedians, died in Nashville, TN, USA. Age: 85. (b. May 1, 1901, DeSoto, Missouri, USA)
1991.    "Little" Willie Anderson, harmonica, died in Chicago, IL, USA. Age: 71
2001.    Harold McKinney, piano died in Detroit, Michigan, USA. (b. July 4, 1928, Detroit, Michigan, USA.)
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
      1941 "Goodbye Now", - Herman, Woody
      1941 "Maria Elena", - Pastor, Tony
      1946 "Prisoner Of Love", - Ink Spots
      1946 "They Say It's Wonderful", - Sinatra, Frank
      1947 "Peg O' My Heart", - Lund, Art
      1947 "Temptation (Tim-Tayshun)", - Ingle, Red & The Natural Seven
      1947 "I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder", - Lombardo, Guy
      1947 "Peg O' My Heart", - Three Suns
      1952 "Sugarbush", - Day, Doris
      1952 "Bacci-A-Me", - Clooney, Rosemary
      1953 "You You You", - Ames Brothers
      1953 "P.S. I Love You", - Hilltoppers
      1960 "That's All You Gotta Do", - Lee, Brenda
      1960 "Only The Lonely (Know How I Feel)", - Orbison, Roy
      1964 "Can't You See That She's Mine", - Clark Five, Dave
      1964 "Girl From Ipanema", - Getz, Stan
      1970 "O-o-h Child", - Five Stairsteps
      1981 "Queen Of Hearts", - Newton, Juice
      1987 "I Want Your Sex", - Michael, George
      1987 "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", - U2
      1992 "Too Funky", - Michael, George