BIRTHDAYS
1957    Clifton Anderson, trombone, b. New York, NY, USA
1915    Bob Astor, leader/trumpet/drums, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. - né: Robert E. Dade.   After working w/local groups in New Orleans and East Texas Oil Fields, he formed his first band in Los Angeles, CA, USA.- where he also worked as a DJ, night club manager and MC. In the early 1940s, he led an important band in New York City which though it never recorded, employed sidemen who would subsequently achieve fame. Among these men were trumpeters Neil Hefti; and Les Elgart; Tenor saxmen Illinois Jacquet, Zoot Sims and Corky Corcoran; on drums were Irv Kluger, Teddy Charles, Shelly Manne; Pianists Marty Napoleon, George Williams, and Lee DeLyon. After disbanding, he became a booking agent for a New York agency.
1942    Donald Ayler, Trumpet, b. Cleveland, OH, USA.
1955    Leo Barnes, r&r vocals. (Hothouse Flowers-Don't Go)
1918    Jimmy Blanton, Bass, b. Chattanooga, TN, USA. d. July 30, 1942, Los Angeles, CA, USA (age 21, tuberculosis). Perhaps best recalled for his work with the 'Duke Ellington Orchestra'. As a child, Blanton first studied the violin, but switched to the Double Bass while attending Tennessee State Co. Early on, Blanton had played with the Jeter-Pillars and the Fate Marable bands in St. Louis When the Duke was in St. Louis, he heard Blanton, and immediately hired him (1939). Speaking of Blanton, famed critic Leonard Feather has said: "From the fall of 1939 until two years later (1941), when he contracted Tuberculosis and left to spend the rest of his brief life in California, Blanton exercised an incalculable influence in transforming the use of the string bass in jazz. Before his day, it had rarely been used for anything but quarter-notes in ensemble or solos. Blanton improvised as if the bass were a horn, phrasing fluently with frequent eithth- and sixteenth-note runs, using harmonic and melodic ideas that were unheard of on the instrument. The clarity of his tone, the definition and timing of his notes, made earlier exponents seem like amateurs." At times, Blanton recorded as the other half of the "Blanton-Webster band." Ben Webster, one of the finest swing tenor sax players ever, and Jimmy Blanton, bassist extraordinaire. Some musicologists have pointed out the curious and tragic symmetry between the lives of Bassist Jimmy Blanton and Guitarist Charlie Christian (b. Dallas, TX, and grew up in Oklahoma City, OK, USA). In the fall of 1939, both "string" players became members of a major Big Band (Christian joined Benny Goodman's band). Both men completely re-wrote the vocabularies of their instruments, both never led recording sessions of their own, both played at birth-of-Bop jam sessions at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, and both died in their twenties (Christian was 25) from the same illness (tuberculosis) in the same year.
1941    Roy Bookbinder, guitar, b. New York, NY, USA.
1946    James "Tim" Brymn, bandleader/songwriter, b: Oct. 5, 1881, Kinston, NC, USA, d: Oct. 3, 1946, New York, NY, USA.
1949    Thomas Clausen, Piano, b. Copenhagen, Denmark
1950    "Fast" Eddie Clarke, Guitar.b. Stoke-on-Trent, Statfordshire, England. Member: Motorhead
1945    Brian Connolly, b. Hamilton, England, UK ( NOT born. 1949) , d. Feb. 9, 1997. Member group: 'The Sweet'. (He was adopted into the McManus family, and thus half-brother to actor Mark McManus.). Among those with whom Connolly worked are Mick Tucker, b. July 17, 1947, England, UK, and Steve Priest, b. Hayes, England, UK, on February 23, 1950.
1936    Frank Craig, Blues guitarist, b. Greenville, MS, USA. d. Jan. 14, 2003, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age 56. aka: "Left Hand Frank"
1946    Alicia Cunningham, vocals. Part of the husband-wife singing duo of Don and Alicia Cunningham. Don Cunningham is able to double on alto sax, vibes, percussion instruments and arrangements, while Alicia also doubles as arranger.
1931    Joe Cusatis, Drums, b. ? New York, NY, USA.
1925    Bill Dixon, Trumpet, b. Nantucket, MA, USA.
1966    Richie Dotson, banjo. b. Dickson, TN, USA. Member group: "New Tradition"
1938    Johnny Duncan, C&W vocals. b. Dublin, TX, USA. While still a child, Duncan's mother taught him to play the guitar. Duncan also had other future music stars in his family including cousins Dan, and Jimmy Seals (of 'England Dan & John Ford Coley', and of 'Seals & Crofts', respectively). The four family members, plus Duncan's uncle, fiddler Ben Moroney, played together in a local dance band. Among Johnny's hit releases are "She Can Put Her Shoes Under My Bed (Anytime)", "Slow Dancing", "He's Out of My Life", and the plaintive "Hello Mexico (And Adios Baby to You)." (CAUTION: This Duncan is not to be confused with the American expatriate of the same name from the 1970s, who was a British skiffle star. That Duncan was born in the town of Oliver Springs (near Knoxville), Tennessee in September 1932)
1908    Kalle Engstrom, Clarinet/Saxophone/Arranger, b. Oslo, Norway, d. July 17, 1955. --some say died Jan. 17, 1955
1949    Rick Estrin, harmonica, b. San Francisco, CA, USA. Best recalled as member of 'Little Charlie and the Nightcats' (Alligator Records), a Sacramento-based blues, swing and jump quartet.
1952    Harold Faltermeyer, composer/synthesizer/arranger/producer, b. Munich, Germany. (Played synthesizer on Donna Summers' 1979 hit "Bad Girls", and also did the Instrumental hit "Axel F" for the movie Beverly Hills Cop.)
1960    John Geggie, bass/composer/teacher.
1954    "Sir" Bob Geldof, Singer/songwriter. Member: 'Boomtown Rats'. Geldorf also organized fund-raising group: Band Aid né: Robert Frederick Xenon Geldof
1893    Frank Guarente, Trumpet, b. Montemiletto, Italy, d. July 21, 1942, USA.
1912    Ernst Hollerhagen, Clarinet/Saxophone, b. Wuppertal, Germany, d. July 11, 1956
1936    George Jones Jr., lead vocals, b. Youngstown, OH, USA. Member: 'The Edsels'
1936    "Left Hand Frank". Please see Frank Craig above.
1941    Wally Lester, vocals, b. Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Member: 'The Skyliners'
1941    Roger Lewis, vocals, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. Member: 'The Dirty Dozen'
1905    Lebert Lombardo trumpet, b: London-Ontario, Canada, d. June 16, 1993, Ft. Myers, FL, USA. One of the Lombardo brothers.
1977    Kele Le Roc, vocals, b. London, England. Her 1998 single "Little Bit Of Lovin" charted UK No.8.
1955    Russell Craig Mael, guitar, Member group: Sparks, 1974 single "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us" charted UK No.2.
1938    Carlo Mastrangelo, vocals, b. New York (Bronx), NY, USA. Member: 'Dion and The Belmonts'
1928    Andy McGann, Irish trad. Violin, b. New York (Harlem), NY, USA. d. July 14, 2004, New York, NY, USA (Cancer). The son of Irish immigrants from County Sligo, he was born in the Harlem district of New York, and grew up in a south Bronx area of New York. Though born in New York city, his fiddle playing was so virtuosic that, in time, he was honored in Ireland. As a youth, McGann not only played the violin, but was also an accomplished, competitive traditional Irish dancer. Every year he would compete at the 'United Irish Counties Feis'. His parents were not musical, however a family friend, Michael Coleman, was a "Sligo" master fiddler of wide acclaim, and McGann learned to play the fiddle at the feet of that master. In 1977, he released an album entitled "Andy McGann and Paul Brady". In his own liner notes, Andy spoke of his "...excitement dancing against Joey Flynn and Vinnie O'Connor, Prof. J. T. McKenna's pupils, and later on in the day facing the same two pupils of James Morrison's, in the fiddle competitions." Andy had several other albums; "Andy McGann and Padddy Reynolds", "The Funny Reel" (both on the Shanachie Records label), and he appeared on Brian Conway's "First through The Gate" album. However, his modest recording output belied his influence on contemporary Irish musicians. The 1986 "All-Ireland Fiddle Champion", Brian Conway, has told reporters that McGann " .....was the last, and possibly the greatest, link to the true Sligo style, exemplified by the playing of Michael Coleman." Conway continued "... (McGann's) rhythm was unshakable. You couldn't speed him up." McGann held a day job as a bookkeeper but played widely in the New York area at such events as weddings, pubs, and at ceilidhs (traditional Irish gatherings). In 1990, McGann was made Honorary President of the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann festival of Irish music in his ancestral County Sligo, Ireland.
1890    Rev. F.W. McGee, (Country gospel) vocals, b. Winchester, TN, USA. né Ford Washington McGee. Initially, McGee and His Jubilee Chorus, preached and sang in the "revival" tents. In 1925, he built a congregation in Oklahoma City, -with the assistance of the noted sanctified (born blind) singer/pianist Arizona Dranes. ("Juanita" Arizona Dranes b. Dallas, TX, USA, ca 1905. She is believed to have been of Mexican and African-American heritage). Fort Worth-based minister, Samuel Crouch, suggested to an Okeh Records talent scout Richard M. Jones that Dranes be given a recording test. Blues singer Sara Martin agreed to travel to Fort Worth and help the blind Dranes make it to Chicago for her test on June 17, 1926. It was very successful, and Dranes subsequently 'cut' a half dozen more records for Okeh before returning home. On November 15, 1926, Dranes returned to Chicago, and this time partnered with "Rev. Ford Washington McGee and His Jubilee Choir". The four numbers recorded that day were the first of thirteen recording sessions for McGee. As the 'Rev. F.W. McGee', he would become a popular recording artist for Victor. In the 1940s, McGee may have recorded with the Library of Congress, an honor he owed to Dranes, who originally set up the date with Okeh.
1936    Shep Meyers, piano
1915    Ala Mae Miller, piano, b. GA, USA.
1943    Steve Miller, Singer/songwriter/guitar/leader. b. Milwaukee, WI, USA. Member group: The Steve Miller Band
1962    Ken Noda, pianist, b. New York, NY, USA. (Rivalry)
1910    Fred Norman, Trombone/Arranger/composer, b. Leesburg, FL, USA. d. Feb. 19, 1993
1959    Kelly Joe Phelps, acoustic-slide guitar/singer-songwriter, Sumner, WA, USA. Kelly Joe is currently (2005) home based in Portland, Oregon, USA
1939    Abraham Reichstadt, vocals. b. Zafed, Israel. Member group: Esther and Abi Ofarim (the Abi was Reichstadt). The 1968 single "Cinderella Rockefella" charted UK No.1. ( Esther Ofarim was born Esther Zaled, June 13, 1941, in Nazareth, Israel) . The 'Esther and Abi Ofarim' team began in Israel, where they had made appearances for 4 years before launching their career in Europe, appearing in Rome, Poland, Germany and Switzerland. They next toured the USA performing at some 70 concerts. In Europe, the team made over 500 television broadcasts, including a weekly show for the BBC.
1933    Billy Lee Riley, harmonica/guitar, b. Pocahontas, AR, USA. Born to a sharecropper family (during the great 1930s economic depression), Billy's carear has spanned 5 decades. In the 1950s, he was working at Sun Studios in Memphis, TN. with a trio of himself, Roland James and J.M. Van Eaton. They called themselves 'The Little Green Men', -the name of Riley's first hit. In the 1960s, Billy Lee was working in Las Angeles, CA as a session man in the studios. There he worked with such stars as Herb Alpert, Sammy Davis Jr., The Beach Boys, Pearl Bailey, and many more. The 1970s found him touring Europe to various Rock and Roll festivals. In the 1980s, he did continue to tour Europe, and also worked at Newport, RI festivals. During this time he found a new career playing the music he grew up with, -'Gut Bucket' Blues, or Delta Blues In the 1990s, the Smithsonian interviewed him for their archives. In 1992, Billy also released his first all Blues CD "Blue Collar Blues". He remains active (2000).
1985    Nicola Roberts, vocals, b. Stanford, England. Member group: Girls Aloud, 2002 single "Sound Of The Underground" charted UK No.1. 'Girls Aloud' consists of Nadine Elizabeth Louise Coyle (born June 15, 1985, in Derry, Northern Ireland); Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born June 30, 1983, in Newcastle, England); Sarah Nicole Harding (born November 17, 1981, in Ascot,Enggland); Nicola Roberts; and Kimberley Jane Walsh (born November 20, 1981,Bradford, England).
1948    Lucius Ross, guitar, b. Wagram, NC, USA. Member: 'Funkadelic'
1935    Margie Singleton, C&W singer-songwriter/guitar, b. Coushatta, LA, USA. Best recalled for her work on TV show 'Louisiana Hayride'
1941    Arlene Smith, vocals, b. New York (Bronx), NY, USA. Member: 'The Chantels'
1933    Bennie Smith, R&B guitar/Band Leader/composer/vocals, b. St. Louis, MO, USA. During his Five decade career, Bennie has performed with many influential R&B performers including Little Milton, Oliver Sain, Johnnie Johnson, Gatemouth Brown, The Drifters, Hubert Sumlin, Matt Murphy, Amos Milburn, Aretha Franklin, Larry Davis Jr, Earl Hooker, Ike & Tina Turner, Jimmy Reed, Albert King, Fontella Bass, Henry Townsend, Rufus Thomas, Billy Galyes. In the early 1990s, Bennie was a featured artist with blues men like "Big Bad Smitty", even toured Europe with an all-star Band that included "Big Bad Smitty", Rayburn Hayes, and Durious Montgomery. Finally, in 1993 Bennie went into the recording studio releasing "The Urban Soul of Bennie Smith". In 1995, he and Sharon Foehner founded “Bennie Smith & the Urban Blues Express”. In 2001, Bennie and “The Urban Blues Express” recorded "Shook Up" (Fedora Label).
1949    B. W. Stevenson, Singer/songwriter. b. Dallas, TX, USA. Best remembered for his 1973 smash "My Maria." (Reportedly, the "B.W." stood for "Buckwheat" -- his real first name was Louis.)
1942    Richard Street, vocals, b. Detroit MI, USA. Member group: 'The Temptations', 1971 single "Just My Imagination" charted US No.1 and UK No.8.
1957    Lee Thompson, sax/vocals, b. London, England. d. May 1973 Member group: Madness, 1982 single "House Of Fun" charted UK No.1. (20 other UK top 40 hits.)
1914    Dick Todd, vocalist, b: Montreal, Canada. d. May 1973. Often called the "King of the Jukebox", and the "Canadian Crosby", he was heard regularly on Canadian radio before relocating to the U.S. in 1938. Worked in the Larry Clinton band, then went "solo", and was heard on a great many different radio programs, as well as recording for Victor and their Bluebird label. Had his own radio series in the 1940s. In 1945, he was featured with singer Dinah Shore on the popular Lucky Strike sponsored "Your Hit Parade" show. Apparently, Todd (a red-haired Irishman) told a lot of tales about his background. He claimed to be born in Alberta, but he was born in Montreal. He claimed to attend McGill University in Montreal, but no record exists that he was ever there. He was married, but essentially abandoned his family when he became popular in the US. However, he was popular, but went into obscurity after WWII. According to his biographer, he ended up as a side-show barker, a circus roustabout, and a stage-hand for the early Ed Sullivan Show, but then disappeared. He did hang around lower Manhattan for awhile, but no one could remember what happened to him. Details of his life after the mid-1970s are not known. Sadly, Todd, who drank heavily and suffered from severe arthritis, is thought to have become a derelict.
1905    Irvine "Pinky" Vidacovich, clarinet, b: New Orleans, LA, USA. Played with "The New Orleans Owls", "The Princeton Revelers" and "The WWL Dawn Busters".
1905    Arthur Whetsol, Trumpet, b: Punta Gorda, FL, USA. d: 1940. Good Friend of Duke Ellington and member of band from inception till 1937 (illness forced him to leave). Featured 1920s records incl: Dicty Glide; Stevedore Stomp; Black Beauty; Big House Blues; Rocky Mountain Blues; Misty Morning.
1928    Leslie George "Les" Wigfield, tenor sax/clarinet, b: Nottingham, UK. Played with: Johnnie Gray; Vic Lewis; Arthur Rowberry; Dave Shand.
1948    Delroy Wilson, vocals, b. Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies.
         Notable Events on this date include:
1930.    Billy Hall, trombone, died in Hamburg, Germany.
1943.    Leon Roppolo, clarinet died in New Orleans, LA, USA. Age: 41
1961.    Booker Little, trumpet, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 21 (uremic poisoning)
1971.    Ben Thigpen, drums died
1971.    Tommy Magness, fiddler for Roy Acuff, and Bill Monroe, died. Age: 54
1981.    Al Cooper, tenor sax, died in NY. USA. Age: 70. (and The Savoy Sultans)
1984.    Jerry Spivak, owner of Electric Factory, died in Fairmount, PA. USA. Age: 55
1986.    Manny Sayles, guitar/banjo, died in New Orleans, LA. USA. Age: 79
1988.    Monia Liter piano,accordion, arranger, composer, died in London, England, UK. (b. Jan. 27, 1906, Odessa, Ukraine, Russia )
1988.    Jean-Francois Jenny-Clark, bass. died in Paris, France. (b. July 12, 1944 in Toulouse, France)
1989.    Skeets Marsh, drums, died in Philadelphia, PA. USA. Age: 62. Worked with Sammy Price, and Count Basie
1989.    "Big" Malcom Wilson, DJ/piano, died in Selma, NC. USA. Age: 65
1992.    Paul Acket, originator of North Sea Jazz Festival, died in Amsterdam, Holland. Age: 69
1992.    Eddie Kendricks, lead vocals, died in Birmingham, AL. USA. Age: 52 Member: 'The Temptations'
1993.    Kanika Kress, guitar, died in Chicago, IL. USA. Age: 39
2000.    Singer, actor and composer "Cuco" Sánchez died in Mexico City, México D.F., Mexico. Age 79. (pneumonia and liver failure.) né: José del Refugio S&aacaute;nchez Saldana. In 1940, he was signed by Mexico's largest media company, who used his acting talents in movies and TV programs. Sanchez composed some 200 songs over his 6 decades long career, which were translated into 27 languages.. (He wrote his first one at age 13.) Included among his hits were "Anoche estuve llorando", "Buenas noches mi amor", "Con la misma moneda", "Fallaste corazon", "Mi chata", "No soy monedita de oro", "Oigame compadre", and "Que manera de perder". He also wrote for the movies.
2006.    "Chuck" Logan. drums died
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1939    "Can I Help It", Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights (recording date) on Columbia
1944    "Together ", - Dick Haymes voc.
1944    "Dance With A Dolly (With A Hole In Her Stocking)", - voc: Evelyn Knight
1959    "Seven Little Girls Sitting In The Back Seat)", - voc: Paul Evans
1959    "Don't You Know ", - voc: Della Reese
1963    "Deep Purple ", - Nino Tempo
1963    "Washington Square ", - Village Stompers
1968    "Hold Me Tight ", - voc: Johnny Nashy
1974    "Do It ('Til You're Satisfied) ", - B.T. Express
1974    "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet ", - Bachman-Turner Overdrive
1974    "Back Home Again ", - voc: John Denver
1974    "Carefree Highway ", - Gordon Lightfoot
1974    "Whatever Gets You Through The Night ", - John Lennon
1985    "Never ", - Heart
1985    "Lay Your Hands On Me ", - Thompson Twins
1991    "Set The Night To Music ", - voc: Roberta Flack
1991    "Don't Cry ", - Guns N' Roses
1991    "Cream ", - Prince
1991    "I Wonder Why ", - Curtis Stigers