BIRTHDAYS
1935     Johnny Bassett, guitar, b. Florida, USA.
1964     Gary Bennett, C&W guitar/vocals, b. Las Vegas, NV, USA. Member (co-founder with Chuck Mead in early 1993): "BR5-49", an 'Alternative Country' band.
1928     "Big Bo" (McGee), harmonica, b. Emelle, AL, USA.
1957     Andres Boiarsky, soprano-Tenor Sax, b. Buenos Aires, Argentina
1948     Jackson Browne, r&r singer/songwriter. b. Germany. ("Lawyers in Love")
1944     John Entwistle, rocker. Member: The Who - Tommy
1954     James Fearnley, accordion/Piano/Guitar/Mandolin/Clarinet, b. Worsley, West Manchester, England. Member group: The Pogues, 1987 best single "The Irish Rover".
1958     Satoko Fujii, Pianist/composer/sythesizer/conductor/vocal, b. Tokyo, Japan
1960     Kenny Garrett, Alto-soprano-tenor sax, flute, clarinet, keyboards, b. Detroit, MI, USA.
1934     Abdullah Ibrahim, Piano, b. Capetown, South Africa. aka: 'Dollar Brand'
1931     Hisao Ishikawa, Tenor-soprano Sax, flute, b. Tokyo, Japan
1920     Yusef Lateef, Tenor Sax (multi-instruments), b. Chatanooga, TN, USA.
1940     John Lennon, Rock vocals. b. Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK, d. Dec. 8, 1980, New York, NY, USA. ( Assassinated by Mark David Chapman -a crazed fan- in front of the Lennon's Dakota apartment. ) né: John Winston Lennon. Member: The Beatles His son, Julian Lennon was born on April 8, 1963; his mother was Cynthia Lennon, His son, Sean Lennon was born on October 9, 1975; his mother: Yoko Ono. (Yoko Ono was born on February 18, 1933; she married John on March 20, 1969).
1911     Norman James Mills, lyricist, b. Muswell Hill, England, UK. Often worked with composer Lal Harcourt. (Please see the entry on our "British Bands Database" for Alec Alexander and His Melody Boys".
1899     Gobel Reeves, C&W/Wester vocals/guitar, b. Sherman, TX, USA. Tag: "The Texas Drifter"
1945     Jeannie C Riley, vocals, b. Texas, (her best hit song: "Harper Valley PTA")
1948     Dave Samuels, vibraphone. marimba, b. Waukegan, IL, USA. Member groups: 'Spyro Gyra', and 'Morning Dance'.
1900     Elmer Chester "Pops" Snowden, Leader, Banjo, saxes, guitar, mandolin, b. Baltimore, MD, USA, d. May 14, 1973, His band introduced Duke Ellington to New York, - and the world.
1903     Mynie Sutton, Saxophone/Bandleader, b. Niagara Falls, Canada, d. June 17, 1982
1925     Ernest Thibodeaux, (Cajun) guitar, b. Basile, LA, USA. Played with Cajun Accordionist Nathan Abshire (b. June 23, 1913, Gueyden, LA, USA, d. May 13, 1981, Basile, LA, USA.)
1944     Peter Tosh, Jamaica, reggae musician (Mystic Man, Mama Africa)
1941     Bebo "Chucho" Valdes, Piano, b. Quivican, Cuba some sources say b. Turin, Italy
1915     Lee Wiley, Vocals, b. Ft. Gibson, OK, USA. d. Dec. 11, 1975, New York, NY, USA. (some sources say b. 1910). Here's a photograph of Lee Wiley, Her father was a missionary who married a 'Genuine American', - an Oklahoma Cherokee princess, and Lee was one of the offsprings of that marriage (her friends often called her, "Princess"). Ran away from home at age 15 and by age 17 was already a top singer in Chicago and New York, where she soon found herself singing and recording with Leo Reisman's Orchestra, as well as doing some dramatic work on radio. After finishing the 1930s, singing with Victor Young, Johnny Green and other commercial radio orchestras (such as Paul Whiteman and later Willard Robison), she worked her way into the New York Jazz clubs (started working with Eddie Condon in 1939). During the '30s, one of her original compositions "Any Time, Any Day, Anywhere" became a huge hit (due to a Joe Morris-Laurie Tate record release). Lee's sister, Pearl, was married to Jimmy Doane, who managed both "The Famous Door" and "The Onyx Club" on New York's famed 52nd Street ("Jazz Street"). And so, in 1936, Lee began visiting the clubs and meeting all the "Jazz" musicians, including such 'Dixielanders" as Joe Bushkin, Eddie Condon, Billy Butterfield, and Jess Stacy. In 1943, she married Jess Stacy, - the marriage lasting 5 years during which time she toured with his band. She appeared at some of the Eddie Condon's Town Hall concerts during the remainder of that decade. In the late 1940s, she was working as a 'Single' in night clubs, and continued to make occasional appearances on TV during the 1950s. There was an absolutely delightful husky and erotic warmth to Lee's voice that the Gershwins and Cole Porter had in mind when they wrote their songs and she soon became the first singer to devote an entire album to the music of one composer. Her warm voice with a wide vibrato, together with her ability to select superior tunes, interpreting the lyrics sensitively, made her one of the truly distintive feminine voices in the Jazz world. Her classic recordings of Rodgers and Hart, Gershwin, Porter, and Arlen are considered the highpoints of her career."
1921     Dennis "Boots" Woodall, C&W songwriter/guitar, b. Paulding County, GA, USA. Founder of group: "The Radio Wranglers"
1939     O. V. Wright, vocals, b. Leno, TN, USA.
1959     Thomas Wydler, drums, b. Wangaratta, Australia, Member group: 'Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds'. (Nicholas Edward Cave, b. Sept. 22, 1957, songwriter/poet/autor/actor, Warracknabeal, Australia.)
1939     Ed Xiques, Saxes/clarinet/bass clarinet/flute, b. New York, NY, USA.
         Notable Events on this date include:
1941.    Famed "Torch" Singer Helen Morgan died.
1943.    The Musicians Union strike (began August 1, 1942) ended. One year later, the Record companies again began recording.
1961.    Julius Jacquet, tenor sax, died in Oakland, CA, USA. Age: 54
1967.    "Chick Hurt", ,Member: "The Prarie Ramblers," died. Age: 56
1973.    "Sister" Rosetta Tharpe, gospel vocals/guitar, died in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Age: 57
1977.    Johnny Wiggs, cornet, died in New Orleans. LA, USA. Age: 78.
1982.    Jimmy Cain, tenor sax, died in Detroit, MI, USA. Age: 86
1988.    Samuel H. Clark, Label owner (ABC Paramount Records), died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 74
1990.    Song "Imagine" played on Radio stations worldwide honoring John Lennon.
1992.    Joe "Mr G" August, vocals, died in New Orleans, LA, USA. Age: 61
1993.    Greely Walton, tenor-barisax, died. Age: 89
2001.    Joe Lubin, C&W songwriter, died. Age: 84
2001.    Smoky Dacus, Member: "Texas Playboys," died. Age: 90
2003.    Carl Fontana, trombone, died in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1931 "Prisoner of Love", - recorded this date by singer Russ Columbo. (Victor records)
1961 "Big Bad John ", - Jimmy Dean voc.
1961 "Fool #1 ", - Brenda Lee voc.
1965 "Positively 4th Street ", - Bob Dylan voc.
1965 "Everybody Loves A Clown ", - Lewis, Gary & The Playboys
1965 "You're The One ", - Vogues
1971 "Peace Train ", - Cat Stevens
1976 "Muskrat Love ", - Captain and Tennille
1976 "Just To Be Close To You ", - Commodores
1976 "Do You Feel Like We Do ", - Peter Frampton
1982 "Mickey ", - Toni Basil