BIRTHDAYS
1913     John McClanian "Johnny" Best, trumpet, b. Shelby, North Carolina, USA, d. Sept. 19, 2003, La Jolla, CA, USA.
1957     Anouar Brahem, oud
1945     John Carter, songwriter/vocals, b. Small Heath (near. Birmingham), England. né: John Shakespeare. 'The Carter Lewis Southerners' was Carter's first band. In the early 1960s, they released a string of 45s scoring a minor hit in 1963 with "Your Mama's Out of Town". Carter, Perry Ford, and Ken Lewis then formed 'The Ivy League'. Carter left in 1966 to concentrate on his songwriting career. In the 1970s, Carter started composing songs with his wife Gill. During the 1960's and '70's, he was a veritable one man recording industry with such hits as "Winchester Cathedral" (New Vaudville Band), and "Sunshine Girl" (Hermans Hermits), -both worldwide hits. Later Carter wrote and recorded advertisements for such British firms as British Airways and Jelly Tots! (CAUTION: Not be to confused with John Carter, Clarinetist, born Sept, 24, 1929.)
1934     Bill Chase, trumpet/leader, b. Boston, MA, USA, d. August 9, 1974, Jackson, MN, USA. (Chartered aeroplane crash- with 3 members of his band). né: William Chiaiese.
1925     'Carolina Cotton', vocals/bass, b. (on family farm near) Cash, AR, USA. d. June 10, 1997, Bakersfield, CA, USA. (Ovarian Cancer). née: Helen Hagstrom. Carolina worked with many 'Western Swing' bands including Spade Cooley, Tex Williams, Hank Penny, The Plainsmen, Cottonseed Clark, Jimmy Wakely, Eddie Dean, Hoosier Hot Shots, Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Bob Wills, Sons of the Pioneers etc. (Seems they all worked with each other at some point.) She may have first started playing the Bass Fiddle while in San Francisco, playing in Dude Martin's band, -around 1942.
1925     Tom Dowd, engineer/producer, b. New York, NY, UDA. (some sources claim b. Jan. 1) d. October 27, 2002, Aventura, FL, USA. During a career spanning more than 50 years, Dowd worked with countless musicians from many different genres, including such Jazz stars as Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, the Modern Jazz Quartet and Ray Charles. He also worked with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Chicago, MeatLoaf, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and the James Gang. Born into a musical family, he was the son of a singer and a theatre producer, and grew up in Manhattan. As a child he studied the violin, piano and tuba, but initially was not interested in music. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School at the age of 16, he got a night job at the Columbia University Physics department, while he took classes at the City College of New York. At Columbia university, he helped run the Cyclotron, and subsequently (1942 to 1946) was involved in the "Manhattan Project", the U.S.A's project that built the world's first atomic bomb. He also worked at the atomic research facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico. In 1947, he found that he was unable to get a job as a physicist (his work on the atomic bomb was considered too sensitive to be included on his curriculum vitae), and he turned his techncal ability to the field of music. He first worked briefly at a music publishing company before joining Atlantic Records, where he soon began working with such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. In the 1950s, his technical abilities helped to put Atlantic records at the forefront of popular music. In 1952, he made one of the first stereo albums for the Wilbur de Paris Dixieland Band, (playing it required custom equipment, including two stylii, to play it). In 1958, Dowd became one of the first engineers to build and record with an eight track console. This enabled musicians to record instruments separately and then blend them together in a later mix. It also meant that artists could produce their own backing vocals and record over mistakes. In the late 1960s, Dowd left the Atlantic label to become an independent producer. He was age 77 when he died, after battling respiratory illness for two years.
1925     Dick Gibson, Promoter, b. Mobile, AL, USA.
1951     Al Greenwood, Keyboards. Member: 'Foreigner'
1971     Russell Gunn, trumpet, b. Chicago, IL, USA.
1904     Adelaide Hall, Vocalist/Dancer, b. New York, NY, USA. d. Nov. 7, 1993, Age: 92. Now best recalled as a vocalist, but Adelaide always considered herself to be a Dancer. (She was one of the "Hot Sepia Chorines" at New York's famed Cotton Club, when Duke Ellington worked there. The Duke later used her voice as an Obligato on his hit recording of "Creole Love Song" - which in retrospect was her "Big Break".
1893     Mal Hallett, Leader, d. 1952
1908     Stuart Hamblen, C&W singer/songwriter/actor, b. Kellyville, TX, USA.
1934     Eddie Harris, Tenor Sax, b. Chicago, IL, USA. d. Nov. 5, 1996, Los Angeles, LA, USA.
1917     Jerry Irby, C&W singer/songwriter, b. New Braunfels, TX, USA.
1959     Vasti Jackson, guitar/drums/arranger, b. McComb, MS, USA. 'Katie Webster'
1937     Wanda Jackson, (Rockabilly) Singer/songwriter, b. Maud, OK, USA. Tag: "The First Lady of Rockabilly".
1913     Louis Marshall "Grandpa" Jones, C&W vocals, Country Music Hall of Famer, Best recalled for his years on the 'Grand Ole Opry'.
1929     William "Willie" Jones, drums, b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA.
1958     Mark King, Bass/vocals, b. Isle Of Wight, England. Member: 'Level 42'
1907     Carl Kress, Guitar, b. Newark, NJ, USA. d. June 10, 1965, Reno, NV, USA.
1945     Ric Lee, Drums, b.Cannock, Staffordshire, England. Member: 'Ten Years After '
1920     Raymond Sayre "Ray" Linn, Trumpet, b. Chicago, IL, USA, d. Nov. 8,1996, Columbus, OH, USA.
1958     Jon Lloyd, Soprano/alto Sax, b. Stratford-upon-Avon, England
1906     Johnny Moore, guitar, b. Austin, TX, USA. Member: 'Three Blazers'
1962     "DaDo" Moroni, piano/bass, b. Genoa, Italy. né: Edgardo Moroni.
1884     "Jelly Roll" Morton", pianist, composer, leader. Please see his entry on our Sept. 13 Calendar.
1914     Fayard Nicholas, dancer, b. Mobile, AL, USA. d. January 24, 2006, Los Angeles, CA, USA (pneumonia). Age: 91. né: Fayard Antonio Nicholas. Fayard was the older brother of the dance team of 'The Nicholas Brothers', - Harold and Fayard. They began their fabulous career dancing at Harlem's famed 'Cotton Club', where they developed a new kind of tap dance featuring flips and jumps and full body movement. The men were born to a musical family who took the boys on the road when touring in the early vaudeville shows. Both youngsters were self trained. Fayard first taught himself, and then taught his younger brother, Harold.
1935     Jerry Orbach, Vocals/actor, b. New York (Bronx), NY, USA, d. Dec. 28, 2004, New York, NY, USA.(prostate cancer). né: Jerome Bernard Orbach. The son of a vaudeville actor and a radio singer, Orbach attended the University of Illinois and Northwestern University and then returned to New York to begin his acting career. Today, few recall his wonderful work in the musical theater (both singing and dancing) For more than four decades, Orbach had been a notable New York city actor. He was a star of the city's theatrical world, having originated the roles of El Gallo in the off-Broadway show "The Fantasticks," Billy Flynn in the original mid-1970s Broadway run of "Chicago" and Julian Marsh in the revival of "42nd Street." In 1968, he won a Tony for his performance in "Promises, Promises," a Neil Simon/Burt Bacharach/Hal David musical version of the 1960 movie "The Apartment."
1950     Tom Petty, vocals, b. Gainesville, FL, USA. Member: 'The Traveling Wilburys'
1904     Edward O. "Poggy" Pogson, reeds/violin/Vocals, b: London (Action), England, UK. d. Jan. 31, 1980. Played with: Geraldo; Jack Hylton; Jack Payne; and Billy Ternent among others.
1956     Craig Blakefield Scott, bass, b: Sydney-Nsw, Australia. Played with Steve Brien; John Bostock Quintet; Don Burrows 1981; Steve Giordano; Joe Henderson 1981; Lee Konitz; Joachim Kuhn; 1985 Julian Lee; Dave Levy; James Morrison's quartet/Big Bad Band 1984; Mike Nock 1980; Bobby Shew; Lorraine Silk; Keith Stirling; Sydney Jazz Quintet 1982; to US to study
1939     Jay Siegel, vocals. Member: The Tokens
1960     Daniel Stokart, alto & soprano saxes/flute
1956     Martin Taylor, Guitar, b. Harlow, England
1960     Bryan Thym, Trumpet/Vocals/Bandleader, b. Fremont, CA, USA. Member: 'Bryan Thym and The Time Machine', and 'The Groove Machine Featuring Bryan Thym' in Austin, TX. Active in the wedding and corporate music markets in the State of Texas. Recorded in 1989 with Todd Rundgren on his album "Nearly Human." Graduate 1983 San Jose State University with degree in Music Education and Performance.
         Notable Events on this date include:
1913.    Pork Miller, banjo, died in Richmond, VA, USA. Age: 69. Member: 'Old South Quartette'
1939.    Tommy Dorsey Orch records ~All the Things You Are". (Victor). Jack Leonard vocal.
1943.    Ben Bernie, vocal, leader, died in Hollywood, California, USA (né: Benjamin Anselvitz . b. May 30, 1891, Bayonne, New Jersey, USA)
1949.    "Cryin'" Sam Collins, guitar, died in Chicago, IL, USA. Age: 62
1953.    Fred E. Ahlert, composer, died in New York, New York, USA.
1983.    Merle Robert Travis, guitar/songwriter, died in Park Hill, OK, USA. Age: 65
1984.    Budd Johnson, tenor sax, died in Kansas City, MO, USA. Age: 73 (b. Midland, TX 1910)
1968.    Elder Solomon Lightfoot Michaux, (gospel) vocals, died in Washington, DC, USA. Age: 84 (well recalled for his singing with Mrs Michaux and the "Happy Am I Radio Choir'.)
1991.    Curtis Massey, Sax, died. Age: 81 Member: "Louise Massey & the Westerners"
1995.    Raymond Rasberry, piano, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 65. Member: 'Rasberry Singers'
2003.    Maxine Daniels, vocals, died in Romford, Essex, England, UK.
2006.    Frank Vicari, tenor sax, clarinet, flute, died in New York, NY, USA
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1930   "I Thought About You", Benny Goodman Orch.
1950   "Nevertheless ", - Paul Weston Orch.
1954   "Mr. Sandman ", - Chordettes
1954   "Count Your Blessings ", - Eddie Fisher
1955   "Day-O", recorded this date by singer Harry Belafonte.
1956   "Cindy, Oh Cin dy ", - Eddie Fisher
1956   "Love Me Tender ", - Elvis Presley
1958   "Lover's Question, A ", - Clyde McPhatter
1958   "I Got A Feeling ", - Ricky Nelson
1958   "Lonesome Town ", - Ricky Nelson
1962   "Next Door To An Angel ", - Neil Sedaka
1971   "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves ", - Cher
1973   "Just You 'N' Me ", - Chicago
1973   "Top Of The World ", - Carpenters
1973   "Love I Lost, The ", - Melvin, Harold & The Blue Notes
1973   "Photograph ", - Ringo Starr
1979   "Ships ", - Barry Manilow
1979   "You're Only Lonely ", - J. D. Souther
1979   "Babe ", - Styx
1982   "Up Where We Belong ", - Joe Cocker
1984   "No More Lonely Nights ", - Paul McCartney
1990   "Groove Is In The Heart ", - Deee-Lite
1990   "From A Distance ", - Bette Midler
1990   "Something To Believe In ", - Poison