BIRTHDAYS
1893    Milton Ager, composer, b. Chicago, IL, USA, d. May 6, 1979, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
1929    Dieter Antritter, Saxophone, b. Pforzheim, Germany (some sources say b. Oct.5)
1911    Jack Buck, trombone, b: Keokuk, IA, USA, d. Dec. 7, 1997
1961    Tim Burgess, drums, b. Salford, Manchester, England. Member group: T'Pau, 1987 single "China In Your Hand" charted UK No.1.
1926    Alan Copeland, vocals
1951    Kevin Cronin, vocals. member: REO Speedwagon
1912    Anthony Cuthbert Baines, writer/curator, b., d. Feb. 3, 1997
1896   Joe Davis, producer/label owner (Davis Records/Beacon/JayDee), b. New York, NY, USA. d. Early 1980s.
1903    Demas Dean, Trumpet, b. Sag Harbor, NY, USA.
1949    Bobby Farrell, vocals. Member group: Boney M, 1978 single "Rivers of Babylon" charted UK No.1.
1947    Gail Farrell, vocals, b. Durant, OK, USA. At a young age, she learned the piano and her vocal talents earned her gigs at rodeos, talent shows and church. A former winner of the Miss Oklahoma pageant in the talent & swimsuit competitions. After graduating from the University of Tulsa, she joined the Welk show in 1969. Since Welk, she has done numerous TV shows, and has sung with Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and Amy Grant. She and hubby Ron (Ron Anderson - also on the Welk show) currently (2004) live in northern California. They are the parents twin daughters, Erin and Lauren.
1935   Kendall Hayes, songwriter, b. Perryville, KY, USA. Best recalled composition: "Walk on By"
1934   Jessie Mae Hemphill, Blues Vocals/guitar, b. (near the Tate and Panola County lines) Mississippi, USA. She began playing guitar at age seven or eight, and later played bass drum and snare in her grandfather’s fife and drum band. Jessie came from a very musical background. Her great-grandfather was a renowned fiddle player in Choctaw County, Mississippi and her grandfather, Sid Hemphill, was a blind fiddle player and bandleader, who also played panpipes, drums, guitar, piano, banjo, and fife. (All the Hemphill’s were multi-instrumentalists.) Jessie Mae's aunt Rosa Lee was also a well-known performer with several albums to her credit. Rosa Lee, and her sisters Sidney Lee and Virgie Lee Hemphill (Jessie Mae’s mother) all played stringed instruments, as well as drums. Sadly, a stroke left Jessie Mae partially paralyzed, rendering her unable to play guitar, and effectively ending a successful career that was on the rise.
1951    David Hidalgo, vocals/accordion/guitar, b. Los Angeles, CA, USA. Member: 'Los Lobos', 1987 single "La Bamba" charted US and UK No.1.
1960    Richard Jobson, vocals/guitar, b. Dunfermline, Scotland. Member group: The Skids
1829    Jenny Lind, Singer, b: Stockholm, Sweden, d: Nov. 2, 1887 (England). Called "The Swedish Nightingale", she played the piano at four, starred in her first important opera at 17, and was enticed by P. T. Barnum to tour America in 1850. In less than one year, Barnum had grossed $535,000 and Jenny well over $176,000, When Jenny's orchestra leader, Julius Benedict, accepted a position in London, she wrote to Otto Goldschmidt, a gifted German pianist whom she had known, asking him to join her group. He did, and the couple were subsequently married Feb. 5, 1852 in Boston, MA. Jenny's last performance was in 1883. She is buried in England.
1906   Willie Love, piano, b. Duncan, MS, USA. d. Aug 19, 1953, Jackson, MS, USA.
1913   Carmen Mastren, guitar, b. Cohoes, NY, USA, d. March 31, 1981, Valley Stream, NY, USA. né: Carmen Mastandrea.
1950    Thomas McClary, Guitar. Member: The Commodores 1978 single "Three Times A Lady" charted US and UK No.1.
1958    Tim Mooney, drums. b. Canada. Member group: American Music Club. Tims's brother, Terry Mooney, plays Guitar. The pair have also worked with a local St. Petersburg, FL. trio "Gweedo", with Gweedo Picard on Vocals. Original members of the 'American Music Club' included Mark Eitzel (vocals/guitar), Dan Pearson (bass), Tim Mooney (drums), and Vudi (guitar). After they disbanded, Eitzel had some solo releases, Pearson played with 'Clodhopper' and some solo releases, Mooney became a producer at his own San Francisco, CA recording studio, and Vudi fronted his own 'Clovis de Foret' band.
1913    Carmen Nicholas Mastren, Guitar/banjo, b. Cohoes, NY, d. March 31, 1981
1917    Bob Neal, drums, d. 1983
1950   William "Piano Willie" Owshianna, piano, b. Milwaukee, WS, USA.
1908    Samuel Blythe "Sammy" Price, Piano/Vocal/leader, b. Honey Grove, TX, USA. d. April 14, 1992, USA. A good Blues and Boogie Woogie pianist, he studied music with Booker T. Washington's daughter, making a professional debut in 1923 in Dallas, TX.He was also a feaatured Charleston dance with Alphonso Trent's orch. In 1925 he worked with Lee Collins Orch. From 1927-'30 he toured the TOBA vaudeville circuit. In 1938, he settled in New York and was a house pianist for Decca Records where he backed such vocalists as Rosetta Tharpe, Evelyn Knight, Trixie Smith, and Peter Lind Hayes. In early '40s he led his own "Texas Blusicians" band (Lester Young was in group) for Decca and also enjoyed solo appearances at such clubs as The Famous Door, Cafe Society, and some Eddie Condon concerts. He also worked in the "Pit" band for the play 'Clash By Night ' - starring Tallulah Bankhead. In 11948 was seen at the Nice (France) Festival with MezzMezzrow.In 1951 he returned to Texas remaining for 3 years and then back to NYC in '54 wher he recorded with Jimmy Rushing. From Dec. 55 to May 56, he toured Europe for Jeunesses Musicales De France. Then returned to NYC and worked in Metropole club
1966   Tim Rushlow, Country singer-songwriter/guitar, b. Midwest City, Oklahoma (at Tinkers Air Force base, where his father Tom was serving in the U. S. Air Force, not in Arlington, TX, USA). Member band: "Little Texas".
1941    Masahiko Sato, Piano/keyboards/organ/conductor/Composer, b. Tokyo, Japan
1927   Frank "Little Sonny" Scott Jr., Blues Harmonica/Jews Harp/singer-songwriter/(self-taught) artist, b. (on a plantation) Montgomery, Texas, USA.
1945    Robin Shaw, vocals, b. White Plains, England. Member group: 'The Flowerpot Men'.
1929    Norman Simmons, Piano/Arranger/organ/conductor, b. Chicago, IL, USA.
1946    Millie Small (né: Smith), vocals. In her native Jamaica, she was called 'The Blue Beat Girl'.
1966    Tommy Stinson, bass, b. San Diego, CA, USA. Member group: The Replacements.
1951    Gavin Sutherland, bass/vocals, b. Peterhead, England. His brother Ian Sutherland plays guitar/vocals. Member group: Sutherland Brothers. Gavin is the writer of the million seller "Sailing", - a No.1 for Rod Stewart in 1975.
1947    Bob Weir, guitar, b. Atherton, CA, USA. né: Robert hall Weir.
1966    Mark Whitfield, guitar
1914    "Pinky" Williams, alto-tenor-bari sax, b. Tuskaloosa, AL, USA, d. Aug. 17, 1996. His brother "Skippy", played tenor sax.
         Notable Events on this date include:
1924.    Jimmy Jones, piano, piano, died in Chicago, IL, USA. Age: 29. Worked with singer Bessie Smith
1927.    The "Jazz Singer," 1st Full Length movie with a sound track, premieres in New York City.
1967.    Frank "Cicero" Weaver of "The Weaver Brothers & Elviry" died.
1973.    Bill Williams, guitar, piano, died in Greenup, KY, USA. Age: 75
1975.    Claude Grant, age 69, of the "Tenneva Ramblers" died.
1980.    Randy Wood, label exec, piano, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 50. (vp: Vee Jay Records.)
1981.    Solomon Grant, vocals, piano, died in Trenton, NJ, USA. Age: 51 Member: 'Blind Boys Of Alabama'
1982.    James "Lucky" Carmichael, piano, died in Cincinnati, OH, USA. Age: 61
1984.    Richard Martin, guitar, piano, died in St. Louis, MO, USA. Age: 36
1989.    Earl Grubbs, soprano sax, piano, died in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Age: 47
1995.    "Crash" Morgan, drums, piano, died in Waterloo, IA, USA. Age: 35
1996.    Theron Eugene "Ted" Daffen, age 84, songwriter, bandleader, died.
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1939    "Wolverine Blues", Jack Teagarden Orch. (recording date)
1950    "Thinking Of You ", - voc: Eddie Fisher
1950    "Harbor Lights ", - Guy Lombardo Orch.
1956    "True Love ", - voc: Bing Crosby
1958    "Tom Dooley ", - Kingston Trio
1962    "He's A Rebel ", - Crystals
1962    "All Alone Am I ", - Brenda Lee voc.
1973    "All I Know ", - Art Garfunkel voc.
1973    "Paper Roses ", - Marie Osmond voc.
1984    "Out Of Touch ", - Hall & Oates
1984    "Purple Rain ", - Prince
1984    "Better Be Good To Me ", - Tina Turner voc.
1984    "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go ", - Wham
1990    "Pray ", - Hammer, M.C.