BIRTHDAYS
1930     Park "Pepper" Adams, Baritone Sax, b. Highland Park, IL, USA. d. Sept. 10, 1986, New York, NY, USA.
1919     Flavio Ambrosetti, Alto Sax, b. Lugano, Switzerland
1941     Dave Arbus, violin, b. Brighton, England. Member group: East Of Eden, 1971 single "Jig A Jig" charted UK No.7. 'East of Eden' was formed in 1968 by violinist and multi-instrumentalist Dave Arbus. Other members included Geoff Nicholson on lead guitar, Ron Caines on sax, Andy Sneddon on bass, and Geoff Britton on drums.
1963     Jon Ballantyne, Piano, b. Saskatoon, Canada
1950     Russ Barenberg, Bluegrass Guitar/Mandolin
1950     Robert "Kool" Bell, r&r bass/vocals, b. Youngstown, OH, USA. Member: 'Kool & the Gang' -"Joanna"
1941     George Bellamy, Guitar. Member: 'The Tornados'
1961     Steven Michael Bernstein, trumpet, b. Berkeley, CA, USA. From being music director of John Lurie's Lounge Lizards, then co-leader of the trio Spanish Fly, and arranger and leader of the Kansas City Band (from the Robert Altman film and Verve All Stars Tour). Bernstein finally began leading and recording with his own group. 'Sex Mob', in which Bernstein plays slide trumpet. (Other members of the group are: drummer Kenny Wollesen, saxophonist Briggan Krauss, and bassist Tony Scherr.) Bernstein also leads the 'Millennial Territory Orchestra', and 'Diaspora Soul', a group that plays traditional Jewish melodies in Afro-Cuban arrangements. He has recorded and played with such stars as 'Tricky', 'Foetus', Aretha Franklin, Mel Torme, 'They Might Be Giants', Bootsy Collins, Don Byron, and others. Berstein was also the arranger of the Academy Award-nominated score for the film Get Shorty.
1945     John Betsch, drums, b. Jacksonville, FL, USA.
1949     "Sir" Harry Bowens, vocals/leader/dancer, b. Detroit MI, USA. Member group: 'Was, Not Was'. Members: David Was (born: Don Weiss -flute and writes lyrics,), Don Was (born Don Fagenson - bass and writes music), Harry Bowens -vocals, and "Sweet Pea" Atkinson - vocals. Harry and Sweet Pea fronted the band. The band was formed in Detroit, MI, 1980, and disbanded 1993. Sir Harry has worked with such famous singers as Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Taj Mahal, BB King, O'Jays, Jackson Brown, Jon Bon Jovi, Gladys Knight, Bob Seger, Micheal McDonald, and Lyle Lovett. For the films, he done vocal work with The Temptations, Airen Nevelle, and Bruce Willis
1940     Fred Cash, vocals, b. Chattanooga, TN, USA. Member: 'The Impressions'
1942     Reese "Buzz" Clifford, vocals, b. Berwyn, IL, USA. né: Reese Francis Clifford III..
1951     John Cummings, guitar, b. New York (Queens), NY, USA, Member group: The Ramones. aka: Johnny Ramone -SEE Johnny Ramone below.
1885     Sam Davis, piano, b. New Orleans, LA, USA
1932     Pete Drake, C&W Steel Guitar/producer/publisher, b. Atlanta, GA, USA. né: Roddis Franklin Drake
1927     Al Duncan, drums/songwriter, b. McKinney, TX, USA.
1927     Gigi Durston, vocals, b. Baltimore, Md, USA. (Best recalled for her work on the Sonny Kendis Show.
1950     Jackie Frantz, C&W vocals, b. Sidney, OH, USA. She was a member of: "Dave & Sugar"
1959     Gavin Friday, singer/songwriter, b. Dublin, Ireland. né: Fion n Hanvey. Member group: Virgin Prunes.
1945     Anatole Gerasimov, Tenor Sax, b. Moscow, Russia
1934     "Doc" Green, vocals, b. New York, NY, USA, d. March 10, 1989, New York (Queens), NY, USA. Member group: The Drifters, 1960 single "Save The Last Dance For Me" charted US No.1 and UK No.2.
1904     W. C. Handy Jr., Songwriter/promoter, d: Dec. 7, 1972, New York, NY, USA. Age: 68. He was the son of the late W.C. Handy (b. Nov. 16, 1873, Florence, Alabama, USA, d. March 28, 1958, acute bronchial pneumonia, Age: 84.)
1917     James Charles "J.C." Heard, Drums, b. Dayton, OH, USA. d. Sept. 27, 1988, Royal Oak, MI, USA. In 1939-'40, J.C.'s saw his first fame when he played with Teddy Wilson's big band, In 1942, he played with Benny Carter; in 1943-45 with Cab Calloway; in '46-7 led own sextet; then toured Europe and Japan with the JATP - settling in Japan in 1953, where he led his own group that often included Toshiko on piano and Miyoshi Umeki doing the vocals. While in Japan he also appeared in 4 films. In Nov '57, he returned to the U.S.A. He subsequently toured China, Australia and the Phillipines. In 1958 he played at the Cannes Festival and, in '58, the Brussels World Fair with the JATP. Back in NYC, he worked with Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge at the Metropole, then worked with Lester Lanin.
1923     Owen Joseph "Sonny" Igoe, Drums, b. Jersey City, NJ, USA.
1959     James Johnstone, saxophone/guitar, Member group: Pigbag, Formed in 1980, the group consisted of Chris Lee (trumpet), James Johnstone (saxophone, guitar), Chris Hamlyn (clarinet, percussion), and Roger Freeman (percussion, trombone). Later additions included drummer, Chip Carpenter, bassist, Mark Smith, bassist Simon Underwood and sax player Ollie Moore.
1953     Anthony Kenney, C&W guitar, b. Glasgow, KY, USA Member: "Kentucky Headhunters"
1961     Ted Kooshian, keyboards, b. San Jose, CA, USA. In 1987, Ted moved from San Francisco, CA to New York city, where he has worked with two Ed Palermo ensembles, with Blood, Sweat and Tears, Aretha Franklin, and Chuck Berry, and is featured in the orchestra for the Broadway version of Disney's The Lion King (at the famed 'New Amsterdam Theater' - where Florenz Ziegfeld produced his "Follies").
1908     Johnie Lewis, Southern Blues Guitar/Harmonica. d. ????. Lewis just vanished into the mists of time, and no one knows what happened to him. The last word his record company had from him was a letter requesting they not send any more royalties because it was interfering with his Social Security eligibilty. CAUTION: Do not confuse with John Lewis (né: John Aaron Lewis, b. May 3, 1920 in La Grange, IL, USA, d. March 29, 2001) who was a Jazz piano/composer/leader musician. The band he led was the " Modern Jazz Quartet". (Enough said.)
1891     C. E. Moody, C&W guitar/mandolin, b. Calhoun County, GA, USA. d. 1977. Age: 87. né: Charles E. Moody. Member: "The Georgia Yellow Hammers", Bill Chitwood, Bud Landress, and Charles Moody. (Interestingly, Bud Landress was the "The Georgia Yellow Hammers" fiddler, but a Black fiddler called Andrew Baxter, did sit in for a recording session with this southern White band.) CAUTION: Do Not Confuse with Clyde Moody, né: Clyde Leonard Moody, b. Sept. 19, 1915, Cherokee, North Carolina, USA, who was also a Bluegrass/Old-Time Country (String Band) Singer, Songwriter, Guitar, and Mandolin musician.
1903     Gerry Moore, Piano, b. London, England, d. Jan 30, 1993 Twickenham, England, UK.
1948     Lynn Morris, (Bluegrass) singer/multi-instrumentalist/band leader, b. Lamesa, TX, USA.
1939     Aladar Pege, Bass, b. Budapest, Hungary, d. Sept. 24, 2006, Budapest, Hungary. Upon his demise, just two weeks before his 67th birthday, MTI (the Hungarian Press agency) reported: " Pege was a composer, and a virtuoso bass and cello player, and winner of every music prize Hungary had to offer including the Kossuth and Liszt Prizes. He was born into a family of musicians and graduated from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest in 1969. He became a teacher there shortly afterwards, holding tenure since 1978. Pege was well known in concert halls from New York's Carnegie Hall to Bombay, and was a sweeping success at the Montreux jazz festival, where he was named Europe's best soloist in 1970. He received the Liszt Prize in 1977 and the Kossuth Prize in 2002. He spent over 50 years of his life performing as a soloist and as leader of his own jazz group."
1979     (Gregory) Chad Petree, rock guitar/vocals, b. Shawnee, Oklahoma, Member groups: PC Quest: Can You See.. Other members included John Drew Nichols, b. Jan. 5, 1974, Oklahoma; (PC Quest-Can You See); Kim Dawn Whipany, b. Feb. 16,1974, Oklahoma, (PC Quest); Kimberly Dawn Whipany, b. Feb. 16, 1974, Oklahoma, (PC Quest-Can You See), and Steve Christopher Petree, b. Oklahoma, (PC Quest-Can You See).
1955     Lonnie Pitchford, (Delta Blues) guitar/piano (occasionally), b. Lexington, MS, USA, d. Nov 8, 1998, Lexington, MS, USA. (AIDS, with complications from pneumonia) Age: 43.
1965     C. J. Ramone vocals/guitar, né: Christopher Ward. Member: The Ramones.
1948     Johnny Ramone, rock guitar, b. New York (Queens), NY, USA, d. Sept. 15, 2004, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Prostate Cancer, age: 55. (né: John Cummings.) In 1974, Johnny Ramone founded the seminal 'Punk rock' band 'The Ramones' together with Joey Ramone, DeeDee Ramone, and Tommy Ramone (the only surviving member of the original band). Joey Ramone (né: Jeffrey Hyman), the band's singer, was b. May 19, 1951, New York (Forest Hills), NY, USA, and died April 15, 2001, New York, NY, USA. of Lymphatic Cancer. Bassist DeeDee Ramone(né: Douglas Glen Colvin), b. Sept. 18, 1952, Fort Lee, VA, USA, and died June 5, 2002 Los Angeles, CA, USA. (drug overdose). C. J. Ramon, né: Christopher Ward, b. Oct. 8, 1965, Tommy Ramone (né: Thomas Erdelyi, aka: Thomas Erdely), the band's drummer was born on January 29, 1952, in Budapest, Hungary. Among the hit releases of the early band were "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "I Wanna Be Sedated". They later appeared in approximately a dozen films.
1944     Susan Raye, vocals, b. Eugene, OR, USA.
1967     Teddy Riley, drums/guitar/trumpet/piano/vocals, b. New York (Harlem), NY, USA. né: Edward Theodore Riley. Member group: Blackstreet. Greatly responsible for "New Jack Swing" or "Swingbeat", a music pumped up with elements of Rap, Hip Hop, R&B, dance, and soul. CAUTION: Do not confuse with New Orleans Jazz trumpeter Teddy Riley (né: Theodore Riley) b. May 1924, New Orleans, LA, USA. d. Nov. 14, 1992. On occasion, he also sang and played Flugelhorn. His father, Amos Riley (1879 - 1925), was a New Orleans bandleader and trumpet player. He had played with the Olympia, Williams, and Royal Brass Bands. He also played with Dookie Chase orchestra, Champion Jack Dupree, and Roy Brown's orchestra.
1945     "Butch" Rillera, drums/vocals, b. Fresno, CA, USA. Member group: Redbone, 1971 single "The Witch Queen Of New Orleans" UK No.2. Redbone consisted of Tony Bellamy - guitar, vocals; Pete DePoe - drums, until 1973; Lolly Vegas - guitar, vocals; Pat Vegas - bass, vocals; Butch Rillera - drums, vocals, 1973. Founded in the late 1960s, by brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas (born Pat and Lolly Vasquez) it was a funky band whose music was a mixture of r&b, Cajun, Latin and tribal elements. The 'Redbone' name was a derogatory Indian slang term meaning half-breed. While the heritage of the band members was a mixture of Chicano and Native American, they emphasized the latter with their name and image, even dressing in full Indian regalia; buckskins, moccasins, and headdress.
1905     Raul Roulien, Singer/actor/composer, b: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, d: Sept. 8, 2000, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil. (pneumonia). né: Ral Pepe Acolti Gil. No one will ever forget his beautiful singing of the tango "Orchids In The Moonlight", in the film 'Flying Down To Rio', which co-starred Lupe Velez and Gene Raymond. This was also the very first film in which the team of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were seen. In addition to his acting and singing, Raul also composed some songs including music for the films 'Te Quiero Con Locura (1935 songs. aka in USA: 'I'm Crazy About You'; 'Music Is Magic' (1935); and 'Granaderos del Amor (1934. aka: Grenadiers of Love'.
1945     Ray Royer, guitar, b. The Pinewoods, Essex, England. Member group: Procol Harum, 1967 single "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" charted UK No.1.
1919     Hal "Cornbread" Singer, Tenor Sax/Leader, b. Tulsa, OK, USA. Over his career, he not only led his own group, but worked with such orchestras as Jay McShann, Earl Bostic, "Hot Lips" Page, Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge, Lucky Millinder, and Duke Ellington.
1916     William John "Bill" Stegmeyer, Clarinet, b. Detroit, MI, USA. d. Aug. 19, 1968
1949     Hamish Stuart, Guitar/vocals. b. Glasgow, Scotland. Member: Average White Band (Later member of Paul McCartney's band during the 1980's, then with Gordon Haskell.)
1920     Ernie Trotman, piano, b. Boston, MA, USA
1911     Karel Vlach, Leader, b. Prague, Czechoslovakia (now called: Czech Republic), d. Feb, 26, 1986
1885     Will H. Vodery, (Ragtime) piano/composer, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA. This Black songwriter also co-composed with Henry Creamer, and some of their songs were performed by the famous Black vaudevillian Bert Williams. In 1922, though already ill, Bert Williams began working in the musical "Under the Bamboo Tree",- it was to be his last show. While on tour with the show in Detroit, Williams collapsed onstage and was rushed back to New York. Upon his arrival, he received a blood transfusion from Will Vodery, which enabled him to live long enough to finish his last will and testament before he finally expiring on March 4, 1922.
1917     George Webb, Piano/Leader, b. Camberwell, London, England
1914     Meyer Weinberg, clarinet/alto sax, b. New Orleans, LA, USA, d. Sept. 28, 1970, Dallas, TX, USA. Though not well recalled today, Meyer was an exuberant clarinetist who worked with trumpeter Louis Prima during the 1937-'39 years
1893     Clarence Williams, Pianist/Leader/Composer/Vocals. b. Plaquemine (suburb of Baton Rouge), LA, USA, d. Nov. 6, 1965, New York, NY, USA. His brother, equally talented Spencer Williams, was born on October 14.
1947     Tony Wilson, Bass/vocals. Member: 'Hot Chocolate' (25 or 30 Top 40 UK Hits)
         Notable Events on this date include:
1954.    Iry Lejeune, (cajun) accordion, died in Eunice, LA, USA. Age: 26 (killed in a traffic accident on his way home from a gig)
1962.    Max Freedman, songwriter, died in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Age: 69
1971.    John Lennon megahit "Imagine" released.
1974.    Harry Carney, bari-sax, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 64
1979.    Bob Newman, Member: 'The Georgia Crackers', died. Age: 63
1981.    Oscar Moore, guitar, died in Las Vegas, NV, USA. Age: 64. (Nat "King" Cole Trio)
1984.    Anne Murray became the first woman to win the Country Music Association's Album of the Year Award for her "A Little Good News"
1988.    H. Gordon Freeman, label co-owner (Capitol Records), died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 86
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1939    "Once In A While", Martha Raye voc, w/David Rose Orch. (recording date)
1939    "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater", vocal - Martha Raye vocal. (recording date)
1941    "Buckle Down Winsocki", -Benny Goodman Orch. Rec'd this date. Tom Dix vocal.
1942    "Praise The Lord & Pass The Ammunition ", - Kay Kyser Orch.
1966    "If I Were A Carpenter ", - Bobby Darin
1966    "Have You Seen Your Mother Baby ", - Rolling Stones
1966    "Poor Side Of Town ", - Johnny Rivers
1977    "How Deep Is Your Love ", - Bee Gees
1977    "Blue Bayou ", - Linda Ronstadt vocal hit.
1983    "Uptown Girl ", - Billy Joel
1983    "Heart & Soul ", - Lewis, Huey & The News
1988    "Desire ", - U2