BIRTHDAYS
1896     Amede Ardoin, Vocals/Accordion, b. L'Anse des Rougeau, Louisiana, USA, d. Nov. 9, 1941
1929     Ian Armitt, piano/keyboards, b. Fife, Scotland, UK, d. Feb. 18, 1992. In 1957, Armitt joined the 'Sandy Brown Band', a group comprised of Sandy Brown (clarinet), Diz Dizley (guitar), Tim Hahn (bass), Ian Armitt (piano), Al Fairweather (trumpet), Gerry French (trombone), and Graham Burbidge (drums). During 1958 and 1959, he was part of 'Humphrey Lyttelton And His Band', -a group comprised of Humphrey Lyttelton (trumpet), Brian Brocklehurst (bass), Ian Armitt (piano), Tony Coe (sax), Jimmy Skidmore (sax), Joe Temperley (sax), John Picard (trombone), and Eddie Taylor (drums). Then in October 1964, Armitt became a member of Long John Baldry's band, 'Hoochie Coochie Men', and continued with Baldry through many changes and variations of Baldry's groups.
1943     Lattelle Barton, harmonica, b. Marksville, LA, USA. "Little Walter's" cousin
1929     Dusty Brown, harmonica, b. Tralake, MS, USA.
1920     Norman Burns, Drums, b. London, England, UK, d. June 1994 Also led his own 'Norman Burns Quintet', one 1953 version had himself on drums, Harry Smith (piano), Johnny Scott (Vibes), Lennie Williams (Guitar), Dave Willis (Bass), and Ann Harding, and Johnny Green.(vocals).
1920     Ike Carpenter, Piano/Leader, b. Durham, NC, USA.
1945     Charles Clark, Bass, b. Chicago, IL, USA. d. 1969
1969     Pete Droge, Singer-songwriter.
1919     Mercer Ellington, leader/Composer/Trumpet, b. Washington, D.C., d. Feb. 8, 1996. Age 76. Among the songs that Mercer composed are "Blue Serge", "Things Ain't What They Used to Be". Duke Ellington's only son, he led Duke's band upon his father's demise. Also led band for the musical "Sophisticated Ladies". He owned his own Mercer record label.
1955     Jimmy Fortune, vocals/guitar, b. Williamsburg, VA, USA. né: Lester James Fortune. Member Group: 'The Statler Brothers', at one time comprised of Jimmy plus Harold Reid, Don Reid, Philip Balsley, and Lew DeWitt.
1931     Allen Ganley, Drums, arranger, b. Tolworth, England In the early 1950s Ganley, a self-taught, drummer, played in Bert Ambrose orchestra. In 1953, he worked with Johnny Dankworth's band, after which he worked with clarinettist Vic Ash, pianist Derek Smith, Dizzy Reece, Ronnie Scott and several visiting American musicians. Towards the end of the decade he was co-leader with Ronnie Ross of a small group known as the Jazzmakers. In the 1960s, Ganley led his own small groups, and occasionally led a big band for some special gigs. He also became the "house" drummer at Ronnie Scott's club whre he played with numerous leading American jazzmen, including Stan Getz, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Jim Hall, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. In the early 1970s, he studied music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, after which then returned to the UK and formed a big band, which he maintained sporadically for the next 10 years. Ganley remained very active all through the 1970s-'80s-'90s, touring Britain and occasional overseas trips. It is little known, but Ganley also provided charts for many British jazzmen, as well as for the BBC Radio Big Band.
1894     Wilhelm Grosz - aka: Hugh Williams, composer, b. Vienna, Austria, Dec. 10, 1939, New York, NY, USA.
1959     Nina Hagen, singer/songwriter. b. Berlin, Germany. Member: 'The Nina Hagen Band'.
1970     Terence Higgins, vocals, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. Member: 'The Dirty Dozen'
1940     Mike Hugg, drums, b. Andover, Hampshire, England. Member group: 'Manfred Mann'
1981     LaToya Jackson, vocals. She is a member of the Jackson clan.
1969     Rami Jaffe, keyboards. Member group: 'The Wallflowers'.
1932     Leroy Jenkins, Violin, b. Chicago, IL, USA, d. Feb. 23, 2007, New York, NY, USA. Member of groups: 'Creative Construction Company', and 'The Revolutionary Ensemble'. He composed: "Mother of Three Sons", "Fresh Faust", and "The Negro Burial Ground". At age 8, Jenkins was already performing violin at his local Ebenezeer Baptist Church. After studying music in high school, he then attended Florida A&M University where he studied with Bruce Hayden and completed his B.S. in music. For the next ten years Jenkins remained in the South teaching music. In 1965, Jenkins returned to Chicago where he joined the Association for the Advancement of Creative Music (AACM). He later recalled that this was the first time that as a violin player he was truly welcomed into creative music performances. During this time he played and recorded with Muhal Richard Abrams, Leo Smith and Anthony Braxton. In 1969, Jenkins, Leo Smith, Anthony Braxton and drummer Steve McCall formed the 'Creative Construction Company' that toured to Paris, France. In 1970, they were back playing in New York city, joined by Richard Davis on bass and Muhal Abrams on piano. However, his prominence as a significant violinist was perhaps due to the work of the Revolutionary Ensemble (a Socialist music collective, co-founded with bassist Sirone and drummer Jerome Cooper)
1939     Flaco Jimenez, accordion, b. San Antonio, TX, USA. Member group: 'Texas Tornadoes'. Flaco is the best known of the talented Jimenez family of Tex-Mex accordionists. He had been popular in the Texas/Mexico border area, but achieved national (and now international) fame because of Ry Cooder's interest in him.
1951     Katie Kissoon, vocals, b. Trinidad. Member group: Mac and Katie. (Mac is her brother.) In the 1970s, the duo were quite popular releasing such hit songs as "Sing Along", "Freedom" and "We Are Family". During the 1980s, she worked as a member of Eric Clapton's band. In 1984, she toured with Roger Waters. Katie has also added vocals for such stars as Van Morrison, Stevie Wonder, Pete Townshend, Annie Lennox, Jimmy Nail and George Michael among others.
1962     Paul Matthew Keller, double bass, b. Grand Rapids, MI, USA. At age 12, Paul began studying the bass, and then continued his classical music education at the University of Michigan, In 1986, Paul moved to Ann Arbor, MI, where he worked with pianist Eddie Russ, and this led Russ to join alto saxophonist Larry Nozero, with whom he recorded three albums featuring Keller's original compositions and arrangements. Currently (2004), Paul is not only one of the busiest bassists in the Detroit, MI area, but he also leads the 16-piece 'Bird of Paradise Orchestra' which is noted for playing original, obscure and classic big band material from all the periods of Jazz history. The band has won the 1995 'Ann Arbor Annie' arts award, as well as the 1995 'Detroit Music Award for Best Traditional act'.
1909     George Kooymans, guitarist, b. The Hague, Netherlands. co-founder of 'Golden Earrings' (named after a Peggy Lee hit release), the longest-lived and most successful Rock and Roll group the Netherlands ever produced. Later, Kooymans and his lead singer Barry Hay co-composed many songs including "Seasons", "Please Go" (co-written in 1961 by Kooymans and his boyhood friend, bassist Rinus Gerritsen, -for group 'Earth and Fire'), "Radar Love", and "Twilight Zone". In 1997, Kooymans and Hays composed material for 'Anouk', - a female Rock singer that they had 'discovered'. Her debut album 'Together Alone' made her a star in the Netherlands.
1914     Carlo Krahmer, Drums'label owner (Esquire), b. London, England, d. April 20, 1976.
1900     Charley Lincoln, (Blues) vocals, guitar, b. Lithonia, GA, USA, d. Sept. 28, 1963, Cairo, GA, USA. né: Charlie Hicks. AKA: Charlie Lincoln. Lincoln often teamed with either his brother, Robert Hicks (AKA: "Barbecue Bob" b. Sept. 11, 1902, Walnut Grove, GA, USA, d. Oct. 21, 1931, Lithonia, GA, USA -pneumonia. Age: 29), or with 'Peg-Leg' Howell. Savannah Weaver (mother of singer/guitarist Curley Weaver "the Georgia Guitar Wizard" -b. March 26, 1906, Covington, GA, USA, d. Sept. 20, 1962, Almon, GA, USA), taught the teenage Charley Lincoln to play the guitar. From 1927-1930, Lincoln recorded with his brother for Columbia, and afterwards continued to play with him on and off. In 1955, a murder conviction ended Charley's career; he was in prison until his death in 1963.
1968     Lisa Loeb, vocals. b. Dallas, TX, USA. In 1994, her single, "Stay, I Missed You", was No. 1 in the US, making her the first unsigned artist to top the American charts. As a child, Lisa studied piano and later switched to guitar. She studied music theory at Brown University, and played as a duo with her roommate, Elizibeth Mitchell (who also went on to form the band "Ida"). Lisa then attended Boston's Berklee School of Music but left in 1990 after one semester, to form a the band 'Nine Stories', (in tribute to J.D. Salinger). The group was comprised of Lisa, Tim Bright on guitar, Jonathan Feinberg on drums, and Joe Quigley on bass.
1957     Cheryl Lynn, vocals, b. Los Angeles, CA, USA.
1979     Joel Madden, vocals. Member: Good Charlotte.
1979     Benji Madden, vocals. Member: Good Charlotte.
1945     Harvey Mandel, Rock guitar, b. Detroit, MI, USA. Harvey is a sessions man, and solo artist. Played on albums by 'Canned Heat', 'John Mayall', 'The Rolling Stones' ("Black And Blue")
1907     Jessie Matthews, British actress/singer b: Great Britain
1950     Bobby McFerrin, piano/composer/vocals. b. New York, NY, USA. In 1988, his single, "Don't Worry, Be Happy", was No. 1 in the USA and No. 2 in the UK.
1915     Charlie Miller, Trombone, b. New Orleans, LA, USA.
1922     Jackie Mills, Drums, b. New York, NY, USA.
1926     Billy Mitchell, tenor sax, b. Kansas City, MO, USA, d. April 18, 2001. (some sources say b. Nov. 3.)
1898     "Miff" Mole, Trombone, b. Roosevelt, NY, USA. d. April 29, 1961.
1902     Chauncey Morehouse, Drums, b. Niagara Falls, NY, USA. d. 1980.
1954     Judy Niemack, vocals
1890     "Pappy" O'Daniel, founder of the "Light Crust Doughboys (and later governor of Texas)," b. Malta, OH, USA.
1961     Vinny Paul, vocals. Member: 'Pantera'
1961     Mike Percy, multi-instrumentalist. Member: 'Dead Or Alive.'
1890    W. "Pappy" Lee O'Daniel, announcer/producer, d. May 11, 1969. He owned the mill that sponsored "The Light Crust Doughboys" (Western Swing Orch.) And, he acted as their radio annoucer as well as the show's producer. Later was governor of Texas.
1910     Ramona, vocals, piano, b. Lockland, Ohio, USA, d. Dec. 14, 1972, Sacramento, California, USA. Age: 63. (ovarian cancer). née: Ramona Davies. Her first fame was as vocalist and Pianist with the Paul Whiteman Orch.
1921    Astor Piazzolla, Composer, b. Mar del Plata, Argentina, d. July 4, 1992, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Perhaps the greatest Argentine composer, Astor Pantaleon was the only child of Vicente Piazzolla and Asunta Manetti. While he did write much "Classical" music including music in the Fugue form, he is nevertheless best known for his compositions in the Tango and Milonga style.
1897     Joseph Rena, Drums, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d. Dec. 26, 1973.
1911     "Cowboy Slim" Rinehart, singing cowboy, b. (rural) Gustine, TX, USA. ("King of the Border Radio" Western singers. About this same time Patsy Montana was "America's number one singing cowgirl")
1947     Janne Rosenqvist, music researcher (and true 'Roots Music' enthusias), b. Stockholm, Sweden
1944     Eric "Rik" Rothwell, drums. b. Stockport, Cheshire, England. Member group: 'Mindbenders'.
1920     Calo Scott, cello, d. Aug. 9 1998
1962     Darden Smith, (C&W) vocals , Brenham, TX, USA.
1947     Mark Stein, organ/vocals, b. Bayonne, NJ, USA. Member group: Vanilla Fudge.
1943     "Little" Johnny Taylor, vocals.
1920     Art Todd, vocals, b. USA. Member group: Art and Dotty Todd.
1947     'Blue' (Derek) Weaver, keyboards. Member of group: Amen Corner: Featured on songs "Gin House Blues", "Bend Me Shape Me", "(If Paradise Is) Half As Nice"
1961     Bruce Watson, guitar, b. Timmins, Ontario, Canada. Member of group: Big Country, -heard on songs "Harvest Home", "Fields of Fire", "In a Big Country", "Chance", "Wonderland", "East of Eden", "Where the Rose is Sown"
1903     Lawrence Welk, Leader/Accordion, b. Strasberg, ND, USA. d. May 17, 1992, Santa Monica, CA, USA. (Pneumonia)
1944     David Wiffen, vocal/songwriter. B: England. Emigrated to Canada where he has enjoyed a fine career.
         Notable Events occuring this date include:
1927.    On this date, during the 'golden age of the movie palaces', Samuel Roxy Rothafel opened the Roxy Theatre in New York City. It cost $10,000,000 (in 1927!) to build and held 6,200 theatre-goers.
1942.    Vaughn Monroe orchestra recorded "Sleepy Lagoon" (Bluebird), with Ray Conniff playing trombone.
1967.    Ira Stripling, C&W Vocals/Guitar/Fiddle, died. Age: 68 Member of the Stripling Brothers, Charlie and Ira. (né: Ira Lee Stripling, b. Pickens County, Alabama, USA. Charles Nevins Stripling, Vocals/Fiddle/Guitar, b. August 8, 1896, b. Pickens County, Alabama, USA. )
1986.    Sonny Terry (né: Saunders Terrell), harmonica player, died in Mineola, NY, USA. Age: 74.
1993.    Jim Boyd, bass, died. (Born on a ranch near Ladonia, TX, USA) He played with his brother Bill Boyd, leader of "The Cowboy Ramblers"
1995.    Pete Pyle, guitar, died. Member: 'Blue Grass Boys'
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
     1942 "Sleepy Lagoon" Vaughn Monroe orch. (Monroe's last for Bluebird Records. Ray Conniff played trombone.
     1942 "Skylark", Bunny Berigan Orch.
     1942 "My Little Cousin", Bunny Berigan
     1942 "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place", Bunny Berigan Orch.
     1943 "That Old Black Magic", Freddie Slack Orch
     1949 "Forever And Ever", Perry Como
     1949 "Forever And Ever", Russ Morgan Orch
     1949 "Careless Hands", Mel Torme
     1967 "Strawberry Fields Forever", Beatles
     1967 "I Think We're Alone Now", Tommy James, Tommy
     1972 "Cowboys Work Is Never Done, A", Sonny & Cher
     1972 "Betcha By Golly, Wow", Stylistics
     1978" We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again", England Dan & John Ford Coley
     1989 "Room To Move", Animotion
     1989 "Heaven Help Me", Deon Estus
     1989 "Second Chance", Thirty-Eight Special