BIRTHDAYS
1955     Carol Akerson, (Jazz) vocalist/voice-over artist, b. Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, USA
1938     Hoyt Axton, C&W singer-songwriter/guitar/actor. b. Duncan, OK, USA.
1897     "Sweet" Emma Barrett, Piano, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d. 1983.
1906     Eric Bernay, label founder (Keynote), b. Odessa, Russia
1975     Melanie Blatt, vocals, b. London, England. Member group: 'All Saints'
1923     "Bonnie Guitar" --née: Bonnie Buckingham, C&W vocals/guitar, b. Seattle, WA, USA.
1955     Dan Bowden, guitar, b. Flint, MI, USA.
1920     Vivian Bracken, label co-owner ("Vee Jay") b. Tunica, MS, USA.
1923     Percy Brice, Drums, b. New York, NY, USA.
1940     Anita Bryant, vocals, b. Barnsdale, OK, USA. At age nine, she was on Arthur Godfrey's TV talent show. In 1958, she was crowned Miss Oklahoma, and followed that with a 'third place' in the Miss America pageant. Called Oklahoma's "Red Feather Girl", Anita made her recording debut in 1956 with the single "Sinful to Flirt". Her biggest hits (on both the British and American charts) include "'Till There Was You," "Paper Roses" and "In My Little Corner of the World". In the 1970s, she recorded several albums for "Wood", a religious label. In the '80s and '90s, she became an advocate against homosexuality and began working as a motivational speaker. In 2005, Anita continues to sing in numerous performances at both 'The Anita Bryant Theater' in Branson, MO, as well as at her own theater in Pigeon Fork, TN, USA.
1902     Albert Burbank, Clarinet, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d. August 15, 1976, New Orleans, LA, USA. Burbank began playing clarinet at the age of 17 and worked alongside such legendary players as Buddy Petit, Punch Miller and Kid Ory.
1934     Johnny Burnette, (Rockabilly) singer-songwriter/guitar, b. Memphis, TN, USA. d. 1964
1903     Frankie Carle, Leader/piano, b: Providence, RI, USA. d: March 7, 2001, Mesa, AZ, USA. (age 97). né: Francis Nunzio Carlone
1961     Matt Catingub, Reeds/woodwinds/pianist/arranger/composer/vocalist, b: Apia, Somoa. Matt refers to himself as "The Pacific Islands Mutt", and to his Jazz singer mother, Mavis Rivers (1929-1992), as "Polynesia's First Lady of Song". Please see our MAY Calendar (May 19) for information on his famous mother, Mavis Rivers.
1969     Cathy Dennis, vocals, b. Norwich, England. At the age of 13, Dennis started publicly performing with her father's Big Band playing various resorts and hotels.
1925     Elmer Leonard "Len" Dresslar Jr., singer/actor, b. Saint Francis, Kansas, USA, d. OCt. 16, 2005, Palm Springs, California. (cancer). Age: 80 Len will always be remembered as the "voice" of such advertising icons as 'The Jolly Green Giant' ("Ho, ho ho!"), 'Snap' (Rice Krispies "spokestoon") & 'Dig'em' (the Sugar Smacks "spokesfrog")
1933     Clarence Edwards, ("Swamp Blues") guitar, b. Lindsay, LA, USA.
1942     Aretha Franklin vocals, piano, b. Memphis, TN, USA.
1963     Robbie Fulks, singer/guitarist, b. York, PA, USA.
1936     Larry Gales, Bass, b. New York, NY, USA. d. Sept. 12, 1995. USA.
1915     Linton Garner, Piano, b. Greensboro, NC, USA. d: March 6, 2003, Vancouver, Canada
1906     Duke Groner, bass, b. Oklahoma, USA, d. Nov. 7, 1982, Chicago, IL, USA.
1947     Jack Hall, banjo/bass guitar/vocals. Member group: 'Charlie Daniels Band'
1932     Shirley Harmer, vocals, b: Oshawa, Ontaria, Canada. Very early (age 15) she was singing with the Boyd Valleau orchestra. After leaving the band, Shirley hosted her own CBC television show. Here's a Canadian Broadcasting System Publicity photo of Harmer and Robert Goulet, taken while they performed on the CBC TV production Showtime, which ran from 1952-'59, but which was hosted by Harmer and Robert Goulet only from 1956. (Harmer was then replace by Joyce Sullivan. Howard Cable led the show's orchestra throughout the entire series. (Photo courtesy CBC Photo Collection) From 1957-'58, she was a 'regular' on George Gobel's TV Show (American TV). Following this, Harmer then moved to the United States, joining the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, and appeared in 1959 movie The Hangman. In 1962, she was the host of the TV Series 'A Summer Night'. She also recorded a number of sides for MGM records. Still active, Shirley has, since 1998, spent the past several years entertaining passengers on board ships of the Holland America's Royal Carribean Line line.)
1967     April Harris, vocals. Member group: 'Seduction', comprised of April Harris, Idalis Leon, Sinoa Loren, and Michelle Visage. Their best known hits include "Could This Be Love," "Two to Make It Right," and "Heartbeat."
1915     Henry Harris, guitar, b. Warren, VA, USA.
1966     Jeff Healey, Vocals and Guitar, b: Toronto, Ont. Canada. d. March 2, 2008 Toronto, ON, Canada. Age: 41 member: Jeff Healey Band. (with: Joe Rockman, Bass, b: Jan. 1, 1957, Toronto, Can.; Tom Stephen b: Feb. 2, 1955 drums. b: Saint John N. B. Canada.)

Mr. Enrico Borsetti has kindly supplied the following information:
"Robbed of his sight as a baby due to a rare form of cancer, retinoblastoma, and he started to play guitar when he was three, holding the instrument unconventionally across his lap. He formed his first band at 17, but soon formed a trio which was named the Jeff Healey Band. After his appearance in the movie Road House, he was signed to Arista records, and in 1988 released the Grammy-nominated album See the Light, which included a major hit single, Angel Eyes. He earned a Juno Award in 1990 as Entertainer of the Year. Two more albums emerged on Arista, with lessening success as the '90s passed. Various "best-of" and live packages were released, and he recorded two more rock albums, before turning to his real love, classic American jazz from the 1920s, '30s and '40s. By then, however, Healey was an internationally-known star who had played with dozens of musicians, including B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and recorded with George Harrison. Mark Knopfler and the late blues legend, Jimmy Rogers. A family man with a three-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter he preferred to stay close to home. "I've traveled widely before - been there and done that," he told friends, determined to avoid the lengthy, exhausting tours that marked his life in his twenties and early thirties. A long-running CBC Radio series saw him in the role of disc jockey - My Kinda Jazz was a staple for a while, but in recent years he had hosted a programme with a similar name on Jazz-FM in Toronto. A highlight of his broadcasts was always the use of rare - and rarely heard - music from his 30,000-plus collection of 78-rpm records. As his rock career wound down as the millennium came, he recorded a series of three album of early jazz, playing trumpet as well as acoustic guitar in a band he called Jeff Healey's Jazz Wizards. The most recent was It's Tight Like That, recorded live at Hugh's Room in Toronto in 2005, with British jazz legend Chris Barber as guest star. At the time of his death he was about to see the release of his first rock/blues album in eight years, Mess of Blues, which is being released in Europe on March 20, and in Canada and the U.S. on April 22. The album was the result of a joint agreement between the German label, Ruf Records, and Stony Plain, the independent Edmonton-based label that has released his three jazz CDs. Mess of Blues was recorded in studios in Toronto, with two cuts recorded at the Jeff Healey's Roadhouse in Toronto and two at a concert in London England. The backup group on the upcoming CD - the Healey's House Band - played with him regularly at the downtown Roadhouse, and at a previous club bearing his name in the Queen-Bathurst area. Early last year, Healey underwent surgery to remove cancerous tissue from his legs, and later from both lungs; aggressive radiation treatments and chemotherapy, however, failed to halt the spread of the disease. Despite his battle with cancer, he undertook frequent tours across Canada with both his blues-based band and his jazz group; he was set for a major tour in Germany and the U.K. and was to be a guest on the BBC's famed Jools Holland Show in April. Remembered by his musicians - and his audiences - for his wry sense of humour as well as his musical playfulness, Healey was a unique musician who bridged different genres with ease and assurance. "
1940     Lonnie Hillyer, Trumpet, b. Monroe, GA, USA. d. 1985.
1947     Elton John, vocals, Pinner, Middlesex, England. né: Reginald Kenneth Dwight
1917     Armand "Jump" Jackson, drums, b. New Orleans, LA, USA
1904     Pete Johnson, Piano, b. Kansas City, MO, USA. d. 1967.
1949     Neil Jones, bass/guitar. Member group: 'Amen Corner'
1909     Jerry Livingston, composer, d. 1987. Among his best known songs are "Under a Blanket of Blue", and "It's The Talk Of The Town".
1949     Nick Lowe, guitar/songwriter, b. UK
1955     John McDermott, vocals, b: Glasgow, Scotland, UK. The 9th of 12 children. Family emigrated to Toronta, Canada where McDermott has built his career.
1971     Michael McKeegan, bass/vocals, b. Belfast, Ireland. Member group: 'Therapy?', comprised of Andy Cairns, Fyfe Ewing and Michael McKeegan.
1950     Bobby Militello, (Jazz) saxophonist/flutist, b. Buffalo, New York, USA
1931     Paul Motian, Drums, leader, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA.
1960     Steve 'Spiny' Norman, guitar/percussion/sax/vocal, b. Islington, London, England. Member group: 'Spandau Ballet'
1961     Makoto Ozone, Piano, b. Kobe, Japan
1935     Johnny Pacheco, percusssion/saxophone/flute
1974     Finley Quaye, vocals, b. Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
1969     Tye Robison, drums/producer/engineer, b. Oklahoma City, OK, USA
1947     John Rowles, vocals, b. New Zealond. Best recalled release: "If I Only Had Time"
1906     Jean Sablon, Actor/singer, b. France. Very well known on the Continent, and to a lesser extent in Britain and America.
1915     Dorothy Squires, b: Poutyberern, Carmarthen, South Wales, UK. d: April 14,1998.
Note: This entry on Dorothy Squires is reprinted from the 'Yorkshire Post' edition of April 15, 1998. However, the paragraph order has been changed to clarify the main content.
"She was one of the brightest stars Britain ever produced, but her life was a "rags to riches to rags" story. During the "riches" part of it the world was her oyster, and when penury came she lived in a modest cottage near Pontefract.
The torch singer, the daughter of a steelworker, was born Edna May Squires on March 25, 1915, in a travelling van parked in a field at, Poutyberern, Carmarthen, South Wales. She grew up in Dafan, worked in a local tlnplate factory, and made her first public appearance at the Ritz Ball-room, Llanelli, as a crooner with the local dance band. Her stunning career was launched in the 1930s after she moved to London and was to take her to the millionaire peaks of showbusiness. She was discovered by American pianist Charlie Kunz and joined his band at the Casani Club, later joining bandleader Billy Reid in 1938, as his singer and lover in a partnership which lasted until 1951.
During the war they were one of the most successful double acts on the variety circuit, making frequent broadcasts which helped to sell her records in profuse numbers. She had a big UK chart hit with "I'm Walking Bebind You" in 1953, the year she was married (in New Jersey) to Roger Moore, an unknown actor 14 years her junior. They had met at a party at her Bexley home and she said many times over the years: "...it started with a squabble, then he carried me off to bed." She took him to Hollywood and introduced him to all the right people, and they partied with Cary Cooper, Grace Kelly Doris Day and Rock Hudson. As his career took off, hers started to slide, and the first signs of her obsessive, erratic behaviour began to show. In her 1977 autobiography, Rain Rain Go Away, she told how she realised she must fight her jealousy and decided she would do anything to keep Moore. But the actor and the Singer, whose other hits included "Say it With Flowers and "For Once in My Life", parted acrimoniously 1961. Dorothy Squires obsession with Moore never waned, and as she lay dying, Moore telephoned the hospital. On the phone he told the legend's daughter Emily-Jane Squires: "Take hold of her hand, give it a little squeeze, and tell her Rog is thinking of her." When she was given Moore's message, Dorothy Squires smiled and spoke just one word. "Magic," she said.
At the peak of her career in the 1940's and '50's, she packed theatres all over Britain and America, and her reords sold in the millions. She was a dynamic, dramatic highly emiotional singer who retained an army of fans throughout a career spanning half a century.
In 1953, the first signs if her obsessive, erratic behaviour began to show. Her life was to disintegrate into a series of calamities and misfortunes. As recently as March 1997, she was driven by penury to auction her jewellery. She tried to sue so many times in the High Court, losing more often than not, that in 1982, she was named a 'vexatious litigant' and banned from trying again without Judicial leave. By then she had launched 20 bizarre legal actions, in 10 years, claming libel, assault piracy of her autobiography, and misrepresentation in the biography of Roger Moore, her husband for 16 years until their divorce in 1968.
She lived big -in big houses. Her last mansion was at Bray, Berkshire, a 17 room pile that was once home to king Edward VII's mistress Lillie Langtry.
In l988 she was evicted in bankruptcy proceedings, and it was then that she went to live in a modest cottage in Ackworth, near Pontefract. South Wales. She lived there as a recluse, refusing, to answer the door, and left in l995, just hours before bailiffs were to act on a County Court repossession order. It was to a home in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales, that she went - placed at her disposal by a munificent fan."She died in the local hospital, -destitute.
1954     Helen Terry, Vocals, b. UK. Though she did have a solo career, she is probably best known for her backing vocals with 'Culture Club', a pop-soul group that racked up seven straight Top Ten hits in the U.K. and six Top Ten singles in the U.S. "Boy George", the group's charismatic, cross-dressing lead singer, may have been their principal attraction. (b. George O'Dowd, June 14, 1961),
1906     "Curley" Weaver, C&W guitar, b. Covington, GA, USA.
1951     Maisie Williams, vocals, b. Montserrat, West Indies. Member group: 'Boney M'

          Notable Events occuring this date include:
1931     Hal Kemp orchestra recorded "Whistles", with Skinnay Ennis vocal. (Brunswick)
1949     Jack Kapp, label co-founder (Decca), died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 47
1951     "Big" Sid Catlett, drums, died in Chicago, IL, USA. Age: 41
1953     Les Harris, vocals, died in Newark, NJ, USA. Age: 33. Member: 'Ray-O-Vacs'
1958     Tom Brown, bass, died in New Orleans, LA, USA. Age: 69
1973     Songwriter, playwright, director, actor, filmmaker and novelist, Noel Coward died in Jamaica, West Indies. He was 73.
1976     Maurice John Rocco, piano, died in Bangkok, Thailand. Age: 61
1991     Rusty Bryant, Tenor sax, died in Columbus, OH, USA. Age: 61
1991     Marc Thomas Connors, vocals, died in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Age: 43. Member: 'The Nylons'
1991     Sandy Williams, Trombone, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 84
1996     Alonzo King, promotor/manager (Motown), died in Chicago, IL, USA. Age: 71

          Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
     1949   "I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore", Gordon Jenkins Orch.
     1949   "A You're Adorable", Jo Stafford
     1967   "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", Monkees
     1967   "Somethin' Stupid", Frank Sinatra
     1972   "Day Dreaming", Aretha Franklin
     1972   "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, The", Roberta Flack
     1978   "Imaginary Lover", Atlanta Rhythm Section
     1978   "Count On Me", Jefferson Starship