BIRTHDAYS
1930     Bill Anthony, Bass, b. New York, NY, USA.
1969     Rodney Atkins, (C&W) vocals, b. Knoxville, TN, USA.
1932     Germaine Bazzle, vocals, b. New Orleans, LA, USA.
1917     Randy Brooks, Leader, trumpet, b. Sandford, ME, USA, d. March 21, 1967, Maine, USA.
1954     Donald Brown, Piano, b. Hernando, MS, USA.
1949     Sally Carr, vocals, b. Great Britain.
1941     Meredith D'Ambrosio, vocals/piano, b. Boston, Massachusetts, USA (Wife of Eddie Higgins.) Her father sang with big bands, while her mother played piano in nightclubs.
1930     Eric "Big Daddy" Dixon, Tenor Sax/flute, b. New York, NY, USA. d. 1989.
1924     Arlie Duff, C&W singer-songwriter, b. Jack's Branch, TX, USA.
1948     John Evans, keyboards, b. USA. Played with Jethro Tull. ("Aqualung")
1932     Jack Free, Trombone, b. London, England
1977     Angelo Garcia, vocals, b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA. Member group: 'Menudo'
1907     Herb Hall, Clarinet, b. Reserve, LA, USA, d. March 5, 1996. Age 88. Younger brother of Ed. Hall. First studied guitar, then left home with brother Ed's clarinet and joined bands in Baton Rouge and later with Sidney Desvignes band in New Orleans, LA. From 1919 to 1945, he worked with the Don Albert orch in Texas, then came to New York City. During 1955-'56 he worked with the Sammy Price band touring Europe and No. Africa (for Les Jeunesses Musicales de France). In 1957, he joined Eddie Condon's group.
1948     Gerry House, DJ/C&W songwriter, b. Covington, KY, USA.
1930     Bill Hughes, trombone, b. Dallas, Texas, USA. Bill is a 1952 product of Howard University School of Pharmacy, and a self-taught trombonist. He played, and toured, with the Count Basie Orchestra, and has since appeared at every major jazz festival in the world including The Newport Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreaux and Berne festivals of Switzerland, Jazz and Heritage Festival of New Orleans, Montreal and Toronto Jazz Festivals and many other festivals, concert halls, jazz clubs and the like in Germany, Australia, the Far East, South America, the Caribbean and the United States. In addition to his many recordings with Count Basie and The Count Basie Orchestra (including 15 of the 18 grammy winning recordings), Bill has performed in concert, and recorded, with such vocalists as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McRae, Tony Bennett, Billy Eckstein, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Lena Horne, Nat "King" Cole, Rosemary Clooney. He and his wife Dolores have been very happily married for 51 years and they currently (2005) reside in Staten Island, NY. They have three children; David, Stephen and Gwendolyn, six grand children and one great grandchild.
1923     Charles Edward "Ike" Isaacs, Bass, b. Akron, OH, USA. d. 1981. Vocalist Maxine Sullivan (The "Loch Lomond" Lassie) was his first cousin. And, 'Ike' went on to marry singer Carmen McRae. Trumpeter Richard Lett was his son. In 1941, while in the U.S. Army, he met Wendell Marshall who taught Ike to play Bass in return for Ike teaching Wendell to play the Tuba. In 1949, Ike played with Tiny Grimes. '51-3 with Earl Bostic. '53 with Paul Quinichette and Mat Mathews. In 1955, returned to Ohio and formed own combo named 'Four Maestros'. In 1956, married Carmen McRae, formed her Accomp. trio and went on a two year tour of the British West Indies. In 1958-'9, his trio backed 'Lambert, Hendricks and Ross'
CAUTION: Do not confuse with another Ike Issacs (aka: Isaacs), British Jazz guitarist, b. Dec. 2, 1919, Rangoon, Burma. d. Jan. 10. 1996.
1947     Paul Jackson, bass. Member group: (Co-founder with) Herbie Hancock's Jazz ensemble, 'Headhunters'. CAUTION: Do Not confuse with Paul Jackson Jr., sessions guitarist/violin/percussion/producer/narrator, b. Dec. 30, 1959, Los Angeles, CA, USA. (Sometimes credited as M. Paul Jackson, Jr., or Paul Jackson III).
1969     Cheryl James, vocals, b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA. Cheryl is the "Salt" in the team of 'Salt-N-Pepa'. Sandi Denton, from Kingston, Jamaica, is the "Pepa"
1923     Thad Jones, Cornet/trumpet/composer/arranger/leader, b. Pontiac, MI, USA, d. Aug. 20, 1986. né: Thaddeus Joseph Jones Early on in the Count Basie Orch., later on co-leader Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orch.
1915     Jay Livingston, composer, b. MacDonald, PA, USA. d. Oct. 17, 2001, Los Angeles CA, USA.. Among this composer's tunes are: "Buttons & Bows", "Mona Lisa" (a huge hit for Nat "King" Cole), and "Tammy"
1887     "Cripple" Clarence Lofton, piano/vocals/dancer, b. Kingsport, TN, USA, d. Jan. 9, 1957, Chicago, IL, USA. (stroke). This very early practitioner of Boogie Woogie piano was a contemporary of such other well known Chicago area Boogie pianists as Meade Lux Lewis, "Pine Top" Smith, and "Cow Cow" Davenport. His 'tag' of "Cripple" did not accurately describe his disability. While a birth defect in his leg did give him a pronounced limp, it didn't stop him from starting his professional career as a tap dancer. He next developed a vaudeville act that had him playing the piano while standing up and singing, dancing, and whistling. By the early 1930s, he had his own nightclub in Chicago (interestingly named "Big Apple"), and was a mainstay of the Windy City's nightlife. His work was recorded on many labels including Vocalion, Solo Art, Gennett, Riverside, and Session. (His first recordings were for Vocalion in 1935, accompanying guitarist "Big Bill" Broonzy.) In the late 1940s, the 'Boogie Woogie' craze had subsided, and "Cripple Clarence" went into semi-retirement, remaining quite active locally in the Chicago area until his sudden demise in 1957. Lofton's poor piano technique was completely offset by his high-energy performances, and he was beloved by audiences everywhere, including those who only heard him on records. Though his style was fairly unsophisticated, his playing was lyrical and infectious.
1941     Charlie McCoy, C&W Harmonica/composer, b. Oak Hill, West VA, USA. This award winning studio musician was/is one of Nashville's busiest session musicians. Between 1960 and 1975, Charlie played on over 5000 sessions. During those same years, he was also the musical director for the show "Hee Haw." One of his songs, "Funky Duck" was recorded by Blues harmonica player Don Baker.
1955     Reba Nell McEntire, C&W vocals, b. Chockie, OK, USA.
1947     Barry Miles, Keyboards/drums, b. Newark, NJ, USA.
1941     Charlie McCoy, harmonica, b. Oak Hill WV, USA. Mostly remembered for his work on the "Hee Haw" Show.
1933     "Tete" Montoliu, Piano, b. Barcelona, Spain, d. Aug. 24, 1997, Barcelona, Spain. né: Vicenç Montoliu i Massana. "Tete", born blind, was the only son of Vicenç Montoliu, a profesional musician, and Àngela Massana, a Jazz enthusiast, who encouraged her son to study piano. During his career, 'Tete' worked with Don Byas, George Coleman, Chick Correa, Lionel Hampton, and others.
1911     Myfanwy Piper, librettist, d. Jan. 18, 1997
1945     Chuck Portz, bass, b. Santa Monica, CA. USA. Member group: 'The Turtles' .
1920     Marion Sumner, C&W fiddler, b. Vicco, KY, USA. Tag: "Fiddle King of the South"
1917     Rufus Thomas, R&B/Soul/Funk vocals, b. Cayce, MI, USA.
1944     Townes Van Zandt, (Country-Folk) Singer-Songwriter/Guitar, b. Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
1937     Dean Webb, C&W Mandolin/Vocals, b. Independence MO, USA. Member: "The Dillards," a group formed in 1962, with original Members: Doug Dillard (Banjo, Guitar, Vocals. b. March 6, 1937, East St. Louis, Illinois, USA. né: Douglas Flint ), Rodney Dillard (Guitar, Dobro, Vocals. b. May 18, 1942, East St. Louis, Illinois, USA. né: Rodney Adean Dillard), Mitch Jayne (Bass, Vocals. b. July 5, 1930, Hammond, Indiana, USA. né: Mitchell Jayne Dean), and Dean Webb ( Mandolin, Vocals. b. March 28, 1937, Independence, Missouri, USA. né: Roy Dean Webb)
1890     Paul Whiteman, Bandleader/violin, b. Denver, CO, USA, d. Dec. 29, 1967, Doylestown, PA, USA. (Cardiac Arrest). Married Margaret Livingston in 1930. Never divorced.
1948     Milan Williams, R&B Keyboards. Member group: 'The Commodores'.
1957     Gary Willis, bassist, electric bass, keyboards, producer, b. Longview, Texas, USA
1902     Maurice Winnick, Leader, b. Manchester, UK, d. mid-1960s
   Notable Events occuring this date include:
1938.    Hal Kemp orchestra recorded "Three Little Fishies" (Victor).
1958.    The "Father of the Blues," W. C. Handy, Sr., composer/cornet, died of pneumonia in New York city at age 84.
1963.    Jack Anglin, Member: C&W duo "Johnnie & Jack", was killed in a traffic accident while en route to singer Patsy Cline's memorial service. Age: 46. Anglin thus became the fourth Grand Ole Opry cast member to die in the previous 48 hours.
1966.    Avery "Kid" Howard, trumpet, died in New Orleans, LA, USA. (b. 1908, New Orleans, LA, USA )
1969.    Frank Loesser, composer, died in New York , NY, USA. Age: 58
1974.    Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, guitar, died in Nassawadox, VA, USA. Age: 68. Shortly after, The Crudup Brothers, Arthur's sons, retired the band.
1977.    Effie Smith, vocals, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 61
1978.    Money Johnson, trumpet, died in New York (Long Island), NY, USA. Age: 60
1979.    Joe Willie Wilkins, guitar, died in Memphis, TN, USA. Age: 56. Best recalled for his work with the 'King Biscuit Boys'
1990.    Thomas Burt, guitar/banjo/piano, died in Raleigh, NC, USA. Age: 89
1991.    Allen Jackson, bass/guitar, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 51
1994.    Edward M. Smith, (gospel) vocals, died in Farmington, MI, USA. Age: 59
1994.    Albert Goldman,author ("Elvis"), died in Miami, FL, USA. Age: 66
2000.    Pee Wee King "Julius Frank Kuczynski," , died. Age: 86. (heart attack).
2003.    Rusty Draper, singer-Songwriter/guitarist, died in a Seattle, WA, USA hospital (complications of heart disease and cancer of the throat.) Age: 80
   Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
     1941 "There'll Be Some Changes Made", Benny Goodman Orch
     1941 "Blue Flame", Woody Herman Orch
     1947 "Linda", Charlie Spivak Orch.
     1953 "April In Portugal", Lex Baxter Orch
     1953 "Song From Moulin Rogue", Percy Faith Orch
     1960 "Let The Little Girl Dance", Billy Bland
     1960 "Old Lamplighter, The", Browns
     1960 "Footsteps", Steve Lawrence voc
     1964 "Can't Buy Me Love", Beatles
     1964 "Dead Man's Curve", Jan & Dean
     1970 "American Woman", Guess Who
     1980 "Cars", Numan, Gary
     1981 "Take It On The Run", Reo Speedwagon
     1981 "Too Much Time On My Hands", Styx
     1987 "La Isla Bonita", Madonna
     1992 "Live And Learn", Joe Public
     1992 "One", U2