BIRTHDAYS
1887     Euday L. Bowman, pianist, composer, b. Fort Worth, TX, USA. d. May 26, 1949, New York, NY, USA.
1951     Gerry Brown, drums, b. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Among the many stars with whom Gerry has either worked, recorded or toured with include Stevie Wonder (he has been with Stevie for 14 years), Sonny Fortune, Stanley Clarke, Lionel Ritchie, Diana Ross, Jeffrey Osborne, Alfonso Johnson George Benson, Marcus Miller, John Lee, Sonny Fortune, and Phillip Bailey. He also has worked with the NDR Big Band (Germany) , Brothers Johnson, Roberta Flack, Joe Sample, Slide Hampton, Tom Harrell, Larry Coryell, Dave Samuels, Chuck Loeb and Chick Corea, to mention only a few.
1906     "Pete" Brown, Alto-Tenor Sax, b. Baltimore, MD, USA. d. Sept. 20, 1963, New York, NY, USA. né: James Ostend Brown. As a child, he originally studied piano and then switched to the trumpet. In 1927, he was playing alto sax in Bernie Robinson's band when they came to New York city. After Robinson, Pete played in various local venues with generally obscure groups. In the mid-1930s, he was playing, and recording, with trumpeter Frankie Newton, and in 1937, both men played in John Kirby's wonderful small group. Kirby's tight arrangements, and well disciplined playing makes those recordings sound as though the tracks were just laid down today. During the remainder of the '30s, and well into the '40s, Brown worked in local venues, often on New York's famed "Swing Street" - the 52nd Street clubs- occasionally as a leader. In the 1950s, ill health, and the rise of new musical styles found him only semi-active. He did appear at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival. A fine musician, he should be better recalled.
1948     Joe Bouchard, bassist. Member: 'Blue Oyster Cult', Bouchard was the group's original bassist, staying with them until 1986. He has subsequently appeared with various artists including Helen Wheels, Spencer Davis Group, Deadringer, and his own X-Brothers.
1922     Dorothy Dandridge, actress/vocals. née: Dorothy Jean Dandridge d. Sept. 8, 1965, West Hollywood, CA, USA. (Possibly from a poisoned Bone fragment due to a fractured ankle, but usually stated as from Barbituate Poisoning. )
1965     Jesse Davis, alto sax
1969     Sandra Denton (Pepa), vocals, Member: 'Salt-N-Pepa'
1906     Tommy Douglas, reeds, arranger, b. Eskridge, Kansas, USA, d. March 9, 1965. (some sources say b. 1911). Born into a musical family, -which included his brother Roy Douglas who played the tenor sax. Early on, Tommy studied at Topeka, KS, and later at the Boston Conservatory, with friends Otto Hardwicke, Johnny Hodges and Harry Carney, after which Tommy Douglas toured with 'Captain Woolmack's Band'. In the late 1920s, he was playing in Kansas City with men such as Paul Banks and George E. Lee, as well as leading his own band. Tommy toured with pianist Jelly Roll Morton's band, then in a Jap Allen led group, and in between times, he led his own 'Tommy Douglas Orchestra'. In 1932, he joined Clarence Love's Orchestra and for a short period. played with Bennie Moten's great band. By 1935, his own 'Tommy Douglas Orchestra' was one of the more active territorial bands, playing in the many Kansas City clubs as well as touring the state and surrounding area. In the late 1930s, he rejoined George Lee's band, but this time as musical director, very often recording with the band's vocalist, Julia Lee. Through the 1940s, '50's and '60s, Douglas toured Missouri almost exclusively with his own orchestra. One notable exception was a two week gig with Duke Ellington's orchestra.
1905     Roger Edens, Singer/composer, b. Hillsboro, TX, USA. d. 1970
1941     Tom Fogerty, b.Berkeley, CA, USA. Member group: Creedence Clearwater Revivial. In the late 1950s, John Fogerty, and his brother Tom, formed the band as 'The Blue Velvets', and by the mid-1960s, the band signed a recording contract. The record label changed their name to 'The Golliwogs'. Tom's younger brother, John Fogerty (born May 28, 1945 in Berkeley, CA, USA) soon took control of the group, writing all of their material and singing lead vocals. In 1968, the band's first album under the name of 'Creedence Clearwater Revival' was released.
1910     Curly Fox, C&W Vocals/Fiddle/Guitar, b. Graysville, TN, USA. né: Arnim LeRoy Fox. Member: "Curly Fox & Texas Ruby," "Texas Ruby", née: Ruby Agnes Owens, was b. June 4, 1909, Decatur, Wise County, Texas, USA, d. March 29, 1963. For over 4 decades, Curly was one of the best Hillbilly fiddlers around, and his wife Ruby was one of the earliest women in Country music. All during the the 1940’s and 1950’s, they were one of Country music’s great husband-wife teams
1929     Jerry Fuller, singer-songwriter/publisher, b. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. Jerry is the product of a musical family. His parents were both singers; his father, Clarence, once performed with the legendary Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys when they were still known as the 'Light Crust Doughboys', and his mother taught both him and his brother, Bill, the rudiments of singing.
CAUTION: Do not confuse with
--- rock artist Jerry Fuller, b. April 5, 1939, Calgary, Alberta Canada. d. July 13, 2002, Age: 63
--- clarinetist Jerry Fuller, b. Nov 19, 1938, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
1948     Alan Gratzer, drums, b. Syracuse, NY, USA. Member (and co-founder): 'REO Speedwagon', originally formed in 1968, by a pair of University of Illinois students, keyboardist Neal Doughty and drummer Alan Gratzer. After graduation, they signed with then-unknown manager Irving Azoff (who later guided the careers of the 'Eagles' and 'Steely Dan'). With non-stop touring, they built a following in the Midwest USA. In the early 1970s, they were joined by guitarist Gary Richrath, bassist Gregg Philbin and singer Terry Luttrell. This was the lineup featured on the quintet's 1971 self-titled debut recording for Epic Records.
1942     Richard Greene, session musician/fiddler, b. Los Angeles, CA, USA.
1895     George D. Hay, founder of Nashville’s 'Grand Ole Opry'/radio announcer/publicist/historian/newspaper writer-editor, b. Attica, Indiana, USA, d. May 8, 1968
1911     Dick Jurgens, bandleader, b. Sacramento, CA, d. Oct. 5, 1995, Sacramento, CA, USA. Dick's band was a staple in the Chicago Ballrooms of the 1930s and '40s. One of his discoveries was "Elmer's Tune" which Glenn Miller made into a hit.
1973     Nick Lachey, vocals, b. Harlan, KY, USA. né: Nicholas Scott Lachey. Member: '98 Degrees'
1934     Brian Leake, Piano, b. South Wales, U.K., d. 1992
1944     Phil May, vocals, b. Dartford, Kent, U.K. Member: 'The Pretty Things'
1937     Roger McGough, poet/author/lyricist, b. Liverpool, England, UK. He was a member of the pop music/poetry group 'The Scaffold' between 1963 and 1973.
1899     "Mezz" Mezzrow, Clarinet, alto and c melody sax, arranger, b. Chicago, IL, USA. d. August 5, 1972, Paris, France. né: Milton Mesirow. Studied Sax while in Jail in 1917; was one of leading figures in 1920's Chicago Jazz scene. Opium addict and 'pusher'.
1926     Malcolm Mitchell, guitar/leader, b. UK. d. March 8, 1998, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, UK. In the late 1940s, and '50, Mitchell led his own big band. Notably, in July 1948, Malcolm Mitchell was the guitarist in the trio (led by bassist Jack Fallon -who died in London on May 22, 2006. age: 90) that accompanied Duke Ellington, Ray Nance and Kay Davis on their European tour. Malcolm died in 1998, Tony Crombie (the drummer) died in London on October 8, 1999, leaving Kay Davis as the only surviver (2006) of the original trio.
CAUTION: Do not confuse with
--- Malcolm Mitchell Young (born January 6, 1953 in Glasgow, Scotland), a founding member of, rhythm guitarist and co-songwriter for, the Australian hard rock band AC/DC.
1968     Ike Owensby, R&B vocals. Member: 'Twice' - Twin Brothers
1968     Mike Owensby, R&B vocals. Member: - 'Twice' - Twin Brothers
1960     Dee Plakas, drums. Member: 'L7', an all-female punk band originally from Los Angeles, CA. (the name was taken from a 1950s slang term that meant someone who was a "square"). The group was started in 1985, when a pair of guitarists/singers, Suzi Gardner and Donita Sparks, decided to start a band. Subsequently, the group expanded to include bassist Jennifer Finch and drummer Dee Plakas.
1938     Alfredo Remus, Bass, b. Buenos Aires, Argentina
1978     Sisqó, vocals. Originally a member of the very successful 1990s R&B group "Dru Hill". In 2000, though, Sisqó finally achieved fame with his debut solo album, "Unleash the Dragon". "Thong Song" and its scandalous video on MTV propelled the album to the top of the charts, followed by another huge hit, "Incomplete."
1906     Francis Joseph "Muggsy" Spanier, Cornet, trumpet, b. Chicago, IL, USA. d. Feb. 12, 1967
1954     Dennis Stratton, guitar. Member: 'Iron Maiden'
1943     James Talley, C&W singer-songwriter/guitar, b. Tulsa, OK, USA. Capitol recording artist.
1970     Susan Tedeschi, Guitar/Vocals. In 2005, 'The Susan Tedeschi Band' was comprised of Susan, William Green (Hammond B3 & Piano), Ron Perry (Bass), and Aaron Turner (Drums).
1908     Kay Thompson, vocalist, b. St. Louis, MO, d. July 2, 1998, New York, NY, USA. . née: Katherine Fink. She is the GodMother of Lisa Minnelli. The entertainer Danny Kaye would often make guest appearances on her show dressed up to look like Kay.
1961     "Pepa", vocals. née: Sandra Denton. Member: 'Salt-n-Pepa'
          Notable Events on this date include:
1951.    Sigmund Romberg, composer, died in New York, NY, USA. (b. July 29, 1887, Nagykanizsa, Austria-Hungary)
1968.    Jan Johansson, piano, organ, vibes, guitar, celeste, percussion, accordion, composer, arranger, died in Jönköping, Jönköpings län, Sweden. (road accident)
1990.    Alma Parks Brown, gospel singer, died in Washington, DC, USA. Age: 82
1992.    Troyce Key, guitar, died in Oakland, CA, USA. Age: 55
1997.    Joe Roccisano, saxophone, bandleader, died.
2003.    James "Spider" Rich, C&W songwriter, died in Tennessee, USA. Age: 80
2003.    Buddy Arnold, tenor sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Bronx, New York
2003.    Bernard Brightman, producer, label owner, died in New York, NY, USA. 1921
          Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
     1939 "Johnson Rag", Glenn Miller Orch.
     1951 "Charmaine", Mantovani and His Orchestra
     1951 "Shrimp Boats", Stafford, Jo
     1959 "Be My Guest", Domino, Fats
     1968 "For Once In My Life", Wonder, Stevie
     1974 "Kung Fu Fighting", Douglas, Carl
     1985 "Party All The Time", Murphy, Eddie
     1985 "Say You, Say Me", Richie, Lionel
     1991 "Finally", Ce Ce Peniston
     1991 "All 4 Love", Color Me Badd