BIRTHDAYS
1969     Bryan Abrams, R&B Vocals, b. Oklahoma City, OK, USA, Member group: Color Me Bad, a male R&B group featuring Bryan Abrams (b. Nov 16, 1969), Mark Calderon (b. Sept. 27, 1970), Kevin Thornton (b. June 17, 1969), and Sam Watters (b. July 23, 1970).
1920     Herb Abramson, producer/engineer, b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA, d. Nov. 9, 1999. Herb was the first president of the pioneering Jazz/R&B/pop label Atlantic Records.
1941     Richard Andrews, arranger/composer/teacher/all reeds/flute, b. Melbourne, Australia.
1919     Tom Archia, tenor sax, d. Jan. 16, 1977
1916     Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin, (zydeco) accordion, b. Duralde, LA. USA.
1963     Steve Arguelles, Drums, b. Crowborough, England
1930     James Barnard "Jim" Bates, Bass/educator, b. Boise, ID, USA. Jim is the brother of bassists Bob and Norman Bates, both of whom helped Jim to play the Bass, and both of whom - at one time or another - played with a Dave Brubeck combo. All three brothers were born in Boise, ID, to a mother who was a skilled organist, --(ahem) so it does make sense that she would teach them to play the Bass. Jim plays Bass and Guitar, while brother Bob also plays tuba, trumpet, and trombone. In 1995, a state cultural exchange program selected Jim to be America's musical ambassador to Russia. Jim also teaches both guitar and bass at the University of Tulsa and Oral Roberts University. He also plays regularly with the Tulsa Philharmonic and the Oklahoma Sinfonia, as well as with local Jazz groups.
1933     Shirley Bergeron, guitar/songwriter, b. Church Point, LA, USA.
1919     Earl Bolick, C&W vocals/guitar. d. April 19, 1998. Member 'The Blue Sky Boys'
1938     Toni Brown, guitarist/singer/keyboardist, b. Madison, WI, USA. Member group: 'The Joy of Cooking', consisting of Toni Brown (keyboards/guitar/vocals) Fritz Kasten (drums), Ron Wilson ( percussion), David Garthwaite (bass ), and Terry Garthwaite (guitar/vocals, b. Berkeley, CA, USA. July 11, 1938) Toni and Terry were the two ladies in the band.
1939     W. C. Clark, (Blues) vocals/guitar, b. Austin, Texas, USA. Clark has told interviewers "My mother was a singer with her sisters, and my grandmother sang, while she cooked, worked, washed." "Music was kinda like a habit getting raised up in a gospel neighborhood." "I had no lessons other than the lessons I taught myself from whatever I was listening to, whatever I liked. I don't read music, but I can sight read music cards that I taught myself." Clark formed his own group, W.C. Clark Blues Revue, and has made several albums, including "Lover's Plea" and "Texas Soul" (a W.C. Handy Award in 1997).
1923     Francis Clay, drums, b. Rock Island, IL, USA. Worked with "Muddy Waters'
1927     Dolo Coker, Piano, b. Hartford, CT, USA. d. April 13, 1983
1905     Albert Edwin "Eddie" Condon, Guitar/Banjo/leader, b. Goodland, IN, USa, d. August 4, 1973
1949     Larry Cordle, C&W vocals/guitar, b. Cordell, KY, USA.
1939     Otto Donner, Composer/Trumpet, b. Tampere, Finland
1914     Elmer Lewis "Sonny" Dunham, Trumpet/leader, b. Brockton, MA, USA. July 18 (or June 9,) 1990. Feat. 1930s Soloist with Glen Gray; '40s led own band; '51 with T.Dorsey
1963     William James "Will" Goleman, C&W bassist, b. Shreveport, LA, USA. Member: "Cactus Brothers"
1873     William Christopher "W.C." Handy Sr., Composer/Cornet/leader, b. Florence, AL, USA. d. March 28, 1958, New York, NY, USA. Studied Kentucky Music College, Wrote St. Louis Blues, Memphis Blues, Beale St. Blues, Yellow Dog Blues, Aunt Hagar's Blues, (Loveless) Careless Blues. Blind from 1940's on.
1956     Rick Hollander, drums, b. Detroit, Michigan, USA
1906     Wallace Jones, Trumpet, b. Baltimore, MD, USA. d. March 23, 1983
1923     Joe Kennedy, Jr., violin, composer, arranger, b. Pittsburgh, PA, USA, d. April 17, 2004, Richmond, VA, USA. Among his childhood friends was future pianist Ahmad Jamal, however, as a child, Kennedy was most influenced by the playing of the classical English violinist Yehudi Menhuin. During World War II, Kennedy served in the U. S. Army playing in the Camp Lee Symphony Orchestra in Petersburg, Virginia. After his service discharge, he returned to Pittsburgh, joining Jamal, guitarist Ray Crawford and bassist Edgar Willis in the jazz combo 'The Four Strings'. He also returned to school studying Applied Music at Carnegie Mellon university, after which Kennedy moved on to Virginia State College. During that time, he earned a staff teaching position with the Richmond Public Schools system. For the next 32 years, Kennedy would remain a Richmond educator, first in the capacity of Instrumental Music Specialist, then Supervisor of Music and eventually Supervisor of Secondary Arts and Humanities. (An interesting sidenote is that among his students was the future tennis great Arthur Ashe.) In 1963, he became the first African-American musician admitted to the Richmond Symphony, where for the next 18 years he was the resident violinist. During that time he composed some songs (including "Opticas" ,"Be Sure", and "Tempo"). In 1995, Kennedy retired as Professor Emeritus of Music from Virginia Technical Institute. While Joe Kennedy Jr. is perhaps best recalled for performing alongside his cousin, famed saxophonist Benny Carter, as well as pianists Hank Jones and George Shearing, but he also played with such Jazz stars as bassist Major Holley and drummer Oliver Jackson, pianist Ahmad Jamal, guitarist Ray Crawford and bassist Edgar Willis Toots Thielemans, Billy Taylor, Hank Jones, guitarist Kenny Burrell and bassist Milt Hinton. and the Modern Jazz Quartet.
1964     Diana Krall, piano, vocals/leader. b. Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. At age 4, she began studying the piano, and by age 15 was performing in local venues. In her teens, Krall was awarded a scholarship to Berklee College. In 1993, her debut album "Stepping Out" was released. However, the album that put her over the top was "When I Look In Your Eyes" which spent 52 weeks in the #1 position on Billboards Jazz charts and winning two Grammy's along the way.
1943     Winfred "Blue" Lovett, vocals. Member group: 'The Manhattans', members were George "Smitty" Smith (b. Dec. 18, 1939, Florida, d. Dec. 16, 1970, -Stroke), Winfred "Blue" Lovett (b. Nov. 16, 1943), Kenneth Kelley (b. Jan. 9, 1943), Edward "Sonny" Bivins (b. Jan. 15, 1942), and Richard Alanzo Taylor (b. 1940 - d. Dec. 7, 1987 Kansas City, KS, USA. (After attempting a solo career, Taylor converted to Islam taking the name Abdul Rashid Talhah).
CAUTION: There is another Richard Taylor, who was the guitarist in the group "Gin Blossoms", formed 1987 in Tempe, AZ, USA. Originally the group was comprised of Bill Leen (bass), Doug Hopkins (guitar/songwriter), Jesse Valenzuela (vocals), Richard Taylor (guitar), and Chris McCann (drums). The following year Dan Henzerling replaced McCann, and then Henzerlin was replaced by Phillip Rhodes. When Taylor was fired, his replacement was guitarist Robin Wilson. Wilson and Valenzuela subsequently switched roles.
1916     Al Lucas, Bass, b. Windsor, ONT, Canada, d. June (or July 19), 1983
1962     Gary 'Mani' Mounfield, rock bassist, b. Crumpsall, Manchester, England. Member groups: The Stone Roses, and Primal Scream
1953     Steve Neil, bassist, b. Dayton, OH, USA
1914     Roberto Nicolosi, Bass/Arranger, b. Genoa, Italy
1949     Mark Orr, C&W vocals, b. Charlotte, MI, USA. Member: "Kentucky Headhunters"
1945     Leon Pendarvis, (né: Leroy Leon Pendarvis, aka: L. Leon Pendarvis), keyboards, Has worked in the Hollywood studios both as an actor, and also as a conductor and musical arranger.. As an actor, he appeared in the film 'The Blues Brothers 2000', as a member of the Stripster Band. He also composed music for the 1986 USA-Satire film, 'America'. This veteran-leader of NBC's Saturday Night Live show, has been a star session player on hit platinum albums with Eric Clapton, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones and Diana Ross.
1941     Dan Penn, songwriter/guitarist/producer, b. Vernon, Alabama, USA. Curiously, Penn has never really been considered a performer, but he has been a quiet force behind Southern soul music for over thirty years. Penn has produced and written hits for the Box Tops, Solomon Burke, Aretha Franklin and Ronnie Milsap, among others. Starting his career as a performer, he led several white R&B bands around the Muscle Shoals area. He found an early success when he sold the hit song "Is a Bluebird Blue?" to C&W singer Conway Twitty. Eventually Penn moved to Memphis, TN, joining producer Chips Moman at his American Studios. Throughout the late 1960s, Penn, Moman, and Penn's writing partner, organist Spooner Oldham (né: Linden Oldham), wrote and/or produced several hits for 'The Box Tops', such as "The Letter" and "Cry Like a Baby". Eventually, Penn returned to Muscle Shoals. At the time, Atlantic Records vice president Jerry Wexler was bringing acts like Aretha Franklin and Solomon Burke down from New York to record there. Franklin's version of the Penn/Oldham composition "Do Right Woman" was a hit, and for the next several years, Penn compositions such as "Dark End of the Street," "Woman Left Lonely" and "I'm Your Puppet" became soul classics and were recorded by such greats as James Carr, Janis Joplin and Dionne Warwick, respectively. Penn has three albums to his credit, the 1973 solo album 'Nobody's Fool', the 1994 album 'Do Right Man', and in 1999, 'Moments from This Theater'.
1924     Brewer Phillips, guitar, b. Coita, MS, USA. Worked with 'Hound Dog' Taylor
1885     Ralph Robinson, tuba, b. Franklin, TN, USA. Worked with 'Blind John' Campbell
1940     John Ryanes, vocals, b. Newark, NJ, USA. Member group: 'The Monotones'
1938     Troy Seals, C&W Vocals/Guitar, b. Big Hill, KT, USA, In the 1970s, Troy recorded two albums as a solo artist, and played guitar on many famous sessions. Howeveer, he is best known as a Country songwriter. Among his hit compositions are "Pieces of My Life" (Elvis Presley), "Two Old Cats Like Us" (Hank Williams Jr.), "Rattle the Windows" (for group: Shenandoah), "I Won't Need You Anymore (Always & Forever)" (a Randy Travis hit), "Don't Take It Away" (Conway Twitty hit), "From Seven Till Ten" (Conway Twitty, and Loretta Lynn hits), and "Boogie Woogie Country Man" (Jerry Lee Lewis.
1913     "Smiling" Jack Smith, singer, b. Bainbridge Island (near Seattle), WA, USA. In 1931, a high school friend told him that the Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel was looking for a trio to replace the Rhythm Boys, Bing Crosby's popular trio. In an interview with Classic Images magazine, Smith said "We went over and tried out, and they gave us the job! We started the following Monday. I'd never made more than maybe $5 for mowing the lawn a couple of times a week for my dad. Then, all of a sudden, they were going to give us $100 apiece a week! — and that was big money then." The young trio, with Jack as soloist, became known as the 'Three Ambassadors'. The group enjoyed a long stint at the Cocoanut Grove with Gus Arnheim'a Orchestra, then with Jimmie Grier's band, after which they sang at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. In 1933, after some uncredited chorus work in films, the group returned to the Grove, where they appeared, and toured with the Phil Harris band. Beside films, they also sang on the radio as part of the 'Swing 14' on "The Philip Morris Show", as part of the 'Hit Paraders' on "Your Hit Parade", and as part of the chorus on "The Kate Smith Hour". In 1939, Smith, a baritone with a tenor lilt, went solo and later recorded songs such as "I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time," "Jack, Jack, Jack" and "Civilization." During World War II, Smith worked for the government, teaching aircraft instrumentation and in the early '40s was a regular on the radio show "Glamor Manor," starring comedian Cliff Arquette. He picked up the "Smiling" Jack Smith moniker while working as a solo performer on "The Prudential Hour," a popular musical show on CBS. The show's host, Deems Taylor called him "The Man With the Smile in His Voice." To avoid confusion with an earlier 1920s singer named "Whispering" Jack Smith, Smith soon became known as "Smiling" Jack Smith. In 1945, Smith landed his own 15-minute, five-nights-a-week radio show on CBS. Regulars on "The Jack Smith Show". The show continued into the early 1950s, and at times included Margaret Whiting, Dinah Shore, and Ginny Simms. In the 1949 comedy-musical "Make Believe Ballroom,"Smith appeared as himself singing. He had a supporting role in the 1951 comedy-musical "On Moonlight Bay," starring Doris Day and Gordon MacRae. Smith's wife of 67 years, Victoria, died in 2003. He had no immediate survivors.
1918     "Whispering" Jack Smith, vocals, d. 1940
1901     Jesse Stone, piano/composer/producer, b. Atchison, KS, USA, d. April 1, 1999, Altamonte Springs, FL, USA. Age: 97. aka: Charles or Chuck Calhoun. Jesse will always be recalled as the man who wrote "Shake, Rattle and Roll", and helped develop many of the Atlantic Records label's biggest rock-and-roll hits. But, he wrote many more tunes than just that one. One of his earlier hits was the Swing tune "Idaho", a big hit for Guy Lombardo, selling three million copies in the mid-1940's. Benny Goodman and Jimmy Dorsey also had hit recordings of the tune. Jesse was the grandson of Tennessee slaves. At just age 5, he was already performing, touring with his family's minstrel show. In the 1920's he led a jazz group that included the future saxophone legend Coleman Hawkins. He enjoyed a facscinating career that encompassed minstrel music, folk songs, dance tunes, rhythm-and-blues, rock-and-roll and Jazz. One of his accomplishments was helping to build Atlantic Records into a top rhythm-and-blues label in the late 1940's and early '50's, signing stars like Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, the Drifters and the Clovers. When he died, he was survived by his wife, the singer Evelyn McGee. In 1974, the head of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun, said, "Jesse Stone did more to develop the basic rock-and-roll sound than anybody else."
1931     Hubert Sumlin, Blues vocals/guitar, b. (on farm near) Greenwood, MI, USA. At age 17, Sumlin left home tour clubs and taverns throughout the South with his childhood friend James Cotton. From 1950 to 1953, the Jimmy Cotton band played, and recorded for the Sun label in Memphis. In 1954, Sumlin moved to Chicago and joined the Howlin' Wolf band, remaining with Wolf for 25 years.
1908     Ben Thigpen, Drums, b. Laurel, MS, USA. d. Oct. 5, 1971
1925     Nick Travis, Trumpet, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA. d. Oct. 7, 1964
1917     Richard ("Little Boy Fuller") Trice, guitar, b. Hillsborough, NC, USA.
1934     Bill Trussel, trombone, b. Canada, d. Aug. 20, 2005. Trussel also taught music at Douglas College in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
1934     Johnny Turner, guitar, b. Altheimer, AR, USA.
1916     Virginia Verrill, vocals, b. Santa Monica, CA, USA. d. Jan. 18, 1999, Raleigh, NC. USA (Alzheimer's). Verrill voice was dubbed into many films during the 1930s. Her voice was heard singing the song "Did I Remember" to words mouthed by Jean Harlow singing (in a North African Cafe to French Foreign Legionaire Cary Grant) in the 1935 film "Suzy". She also dubbed for Harlow the previous year in Harlow's film 'Reckless'. Verrill was last heared in the 1938 film 'The Goldwyn Follies' where her singing was dubbed for Andrea Leeds.
         Notable Events on this date include:
1932.    America's most famous Vaudeville theatre, The Palace', in New York City, closed its doors. It was the most famous vaudeville theatre in America. It metamorphosed into a movie house with a stage show preceding the film.
1937.    Bob Crosby orchestra recorded "South Rampart Street Parade" for the Decca label.
1953.    Sol Hoopii, guitar, died in Seattle, WA, USA. Age: 51. (né: Solomon Kaaiai Hoopii)
1967.    Jimmy Archey, trombone, died in New Jersey. USA.
1974.    Gladys Johnson, piano, died in San Juan Puerto Rico. Age: 49
1974.    Mike Leadbitter, founder (Blues Unlimited), died in London, UK, Age: 32
1978.    Jimmy Nottingham, trumpet, died. Age: 52
1980.    Frank Luther, Pop vocalist, died. Age: 91 (CAUTION: Do not confuse with C&W musician Frank Luther Crowe.)
1980.    O. V. Wright, vocals, died in Mobile, AL, USA. Age: 41
1982.    Al Haig, piano, died in New York, NY, USA.
1984.    Vic Dickenson, Jazz trombonist, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 78
1989.    Rose "Chee Chee" Murphy, vocals, died in New York (Queens), NY, USA. Age: 76
1990.    Lee Castle, trumpet, died in Hollywood, FL, USA. né: Aniello Castaldo.
1993.    Joe Medford, banjo player, died.
1994.    Rev. Dan Smith, harmomica, died in New York (Bronx), NY, USA. Age: 83
1994.    Harvey Watkins, vocals, died in Jackson, MS, USA. Age: 64. Member: 'Canton Spirituals'
2000.    Russ Conway, a British pianist known as the "Prince Charming of Pop" died at age 75. During the 1950s and '60s, he sold more than 30 million records.
2001.    Jazz pianist Tommy Flanagan died of an arterial aneurysm. He was 71. He worked with many artists including famed songstress Ella Fitzgerald,
2003.    "Speedy" West, C&W steel guitarist, died.
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
     1944 "Don't Fence Me In", Crosby, Bing
     1944 "I'm Making Believe", Fitzgerald, Ella
     1951 "Little White Cloud That Cried, The", Ray, Johnnie
     1951 "Cry", Ray, Johnnie
     1959 "You Got What It Takes", Johnson, Marv
     1963 "Dominique", Singing Nun
     1968 "Witchita Lineman", Campbell, Glen
     1968 "Stormy", Classics IV
     1968 "I Love How You Love Me", Vinton, Bobby
     1974 "Laughter In The Rain", Sedaka, Neil
     1974 "You're The First, The Last, My Everythin", White, Barry
     1985 "Tonight She Comes", Cars
     1985 "Small Town", Cougar, John
     1985 "Walk Of Life", Dire Straits