BIRTHDAYS
1916     Herman "Trigger" Alpert, bass, b. Indianapolis, IN, USA.
1967     Peter Bernstein, guitar, b. New York, NY, USA. Perhaps best known as member group: Jimmy Cobb's Mob (also includes: Richard Wyands (piano, b. July 2, 1928, Oakland, CA, USA, and John Webber, bassist, b. August 5, 1965, St. Louis, MO, USA.). He first taught himself to play the guitar by ear. Later, Peter matriculated at Rutgers University and William Paterson College, studying with Ted Dunbar and Kenny Barron. He concluded his formal studies by earning a B.A. in Music from the New School in New York City (Manhattan), where he studied under Jim Hall, Attila Zoller, and Gene Bertoncini.
1938     Roy Brooks, Drums, b. Detroit, MI, USA, d. Nov. 15, 2005, Detroit, MI, USA. One of the hard bop drummers of his generation. He made his name with pianist Horace Silver's Quintet from 1959-'64 and later worked or recorded with Sonny Stitt, Yusef Lateef, Dexter Gordon, Charles Mingus, James Moody and countless others. In the 1970s, he returned to Detroit and became a "godfather" on the local scene, working with groups such as his 'Aboriginal Percussion Choir', playing the blues on the musical saw and mentoring future stars like pianist Geri Allen.
1945     George Biondo, Member group: 'Steppenwolf'
1925     Charley Booker, guitar, b. Quiver River, MS, USA.
1948     Donald Brewer, Drums/songwriter. Member group: 'Silver Bullet Band'; 'Flint; Grand Funk Railroad'
1910     Kitty Carlisle (Hart), vocals, b. New Orleans, LA, USA, d. April 17, 2007, New York, NY, USA. Age: 96. (Coronary Arrest) née: Catharine Conn. Born of German Jewish heritage. Carlisle's father, Joseph Conn, was a gynecologist who died when she was 10. Her mother, Hortense Holtzman, was a daughter of the first Jewish mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana. On August 10, 1946, Carlisle married playwright Moss Hart (b. 1904,, New York, NY, USA, d. Dec. 21, 1961. they had two children - boy and girl) , they had met as actors at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Though she performed in many Broadway Musicals and films, Carlisle (curiously) only became a household name through the TV show 'To Tell the Truth', where she was a regular panelist for some 20 years, appearing on each version from 1956 to 2002. Carlisle also appeared as a frequent panelist on the 1968 TV show revival of 'What's My Line?'.
1940     Jo Ann(e) Castle, piano/accordion, b. Bakersfield, CA, USA. Castle was singing at age 3. By age 13, she had already appeared on both Tex Williams' and Spade Cooley's radio and television shows, playing piano and singing 'Country' songs. Later, she joined the Lawrence Welk's variety show, where she achieved National fame. In 1969, she left Welk to raise her children. In the early 1980s, the jazz label Rainwood signed her, and she recorded several albums of Ragtime favorites. Currently (2001), Castle puts on a show at the Welk Champagne Theater in Branson, MO.
1897     Frank Joseph Christian, Cornet/tuba/violin/clarinet/Leader, b. New Orleans, LA, USA, d. Nov. 27, 1973. Brother of trombonist Emile Christian. Famed Dixieland Trombonist Edwin "Daddy" Edwards once told an interviewer that when the group that later become known as the Original Dixieland Jazz Band was forming, it was, Frank Christian had been the first choice for cornetist. Frank Christian turned down the offer due to the pressure of other work in New Orleans, and so cornetist Nick LaRocca took the ODJB first to Chicago, then to New York, and finally to England. (However, Christian can be heard on the 1919 Original New Orleans Jazz Band sides.) Some writers have reported that when Christian finally did reach New York City, LaRocca (fearing some Jazz cornet competition) offered Christian $200.00 and a railway ticket to New Orleans. It is said that Christian refused.
1951     Todd Cochran, Piano, b. San Francisco, CA, USA. aka: "Bayeté".
1930     Aaron Collins, vocals, b. Kress City, AR, USA. Member: 'The Jacks' and 'The Cadets'.
1891     Charles L. "Doc" Cook, Piano, arranger, leader, b. Louisville, KY, USA. d. Dec 25, 1958.
1952     Tony Corbiscello, Leader/drums, b. Jersey City, NJ, USA, d. Jan. 15, 2006, Harrington Park, NJ, USA. (New York city surburb). Age: 53. (Cancer). Over his career, Tony's groups backed such stars as Joni James, Bob Hope, Jerry Vale and Clark Terry. His orchestra had been heard in New York's famed Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. In 1992, his band opened for singer Frank Sinatra's final World Tour.
1975     Davell Crawford, Blues piano/organ, b. New Orleans, LA, USA.
1940     James Dapogny, Piano, b. Berwyn, IL, USA.
1947     Paul Degville, guitar, b. Walsall (West Midlands), England, UK. Paul started his career at the age of 11 playing rhythm guitar. From age 12 to 17, he played guitar in his father's trio at the Wheatsheaf pub in Walsall. His father, (Fred Degville) then took over the 'Crown Inn' Brownhills which became a famous jazz haunt. He also taught Noddy Holder the guitar when Noddy was 15). Through the years, Paul has played alongside Bud Freeman, Ruby Braff, and the venerable Stephane Grappelli. In 1980, 'The Paul Degville Trio' (Degville (gtr), Roscoe Birchmore (bs) Nick Ward (dm)) was formed, and has since been featured on BBC Radio 2, and played all over the world, playing a varied repertoire of 1930's and '40's standards.
1965     Ilhan Ersahin, tenor sax, b. Stockholm, Sweden. The offspring of a Swedish mother and a Turkish father, Ilhan Ersahin spent his winters in Stockholm, and his summers in Turkey. At age 16, he began playing the saxophone. In 1987, he moved to the USA, where he matriculated at the prestigious 'Berklee School of Music'. In 1989, he moved to New York city, and has since played in bands led by Lawrence "Butch" Morris, drummer Victor Lewis, and trumpeter Wallace Roney, among many others. He recently (2002) opened 'Nublu' (a bar/cafe/performance space) in New York's East Village area. He then set up his own production house/label also called 'Nublu'.
1950     Lawrence Feldman, soprano, alto, tenor sax, clarinet, flute, b. New York, NY, USA.
1957     Suzanne Freitag, Vocals. (Sisters Claudia and Suzanne Freitag were born in England). Member group: 'Propaganda', 1985 UK No.21 single Duel.
1933     Tompall Glaser, C&W vocals, b. Spalding, NE, USA. né: Thomas Paul Glaser. Member group: 'The Glaser Brothers'
1914     Tom Glazer, vocals, member: The Do-Re-Mi Children's Chorus
1949     Onaje Allan Gumbs, Piano, b. New York, NY, USA.
1910     Kitty Carlysle (Hart), vocals/actress, b. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, d. April 17 , 2007, New York (Manhattan) , NY, USA. (heart failure). Kitty was the wife of Broadway show producer Moss Hart.
1926     Ernie Henry, alto sax, b. Brooklyn, NY, d. Dec.29, 1957, New York, (Brooklyn), NY, USA.
1916     Clyde L. Hurley, Jr., trumpet, b. Fort Worth, TX, USA. d. 1963
1942     Al Jardine, singer/songwriter/bassist/guitar,b. Lima, OH, USA. né: Alan Charles Jardine. Member group: 'The Beach Boys'
1930     Myrtle V. Jones, Vocals/piano, d. Aug. 7, 2002, (Cardiac Arrest.) This daughter of (singer) Avery Jones and (mandolin player) Birdie,worked with her husband Al Harrell, Sammy Davis Jr., Grachan Moncor and Chico Hernandez.
1955     Steve Jones, guitar/vocals. b. London, England. Member group: Sex Pistols. When they broke up, he played with 'Iggy Pop'. Steve is currently (2003) a radio personality in Los Angeles, California.
1921     Cab Kaye, piano, guitar, vocals, b. London, England, UK, d. March 13, 2000, Amsterdam, Netherlands. né: Augustus Kwamlah Quaye. Cab was born into a musical family. His father, Caleb Quaye, was a pianist and percussionist from Ghana (then still known as the Gold Coast), and his mother, Doris, was an English music hall artist. (Even Cab's African grandfather and great-grandfather had also been musicians). In the early 1920s, Cab's father performed under the name Mope Desmond, and worked with American saxophonist Sidney Bechet in London. In 1922, Caleb died, in Blisworth, Northamptonshire, in a railway accident when Cab was only four months old. In 1939, he married Theresa Austin, the first of his three wives, who also sang in his 1950s band. Pre-WWII, Cab had been singing with a number of well-known bandleaders on the London scene, including Doug Swallow, Hal Swain, Ivor Kirchin and Ken ‘Snakehips’ Johnson (who died in London during an air-raid). Then, in 1941, Cab joined the UK's Merchant Navy. When his vessel was torpedoed, he was shipwrecked and subsequently sustained serious injuries in an air crash. In 1942, Cab was invalided out of the navy in New York city, -where he was able to sit in on some jazz sessions, including one with famed trumpet star, Roy Eldridge - before returning to London that year. Early in 1943, Cab worked briefly with Harry Parry, and then with the 'Princes of Rhythm'. All during WWII, he occasionally led his own groups, and also worked with Leslie ‘Jiver’ Hutchinson, another former member of Ken "Snake Hips" Johnson’s band who had survived the fatal air raid. In 1946 he was singing with Jiver Hutchinson's band that toured to India. He again led his own band that at one time included saxophonist Ronnie Scott and pianist Dennis Rose. In the late 1940s, Kaye also sang with Tito Burns and the Ted Heath Orchestra. In 1950, he moved to Holland, where he met Charlie Parker. For the next several years, he worked extensively in Europe, returning occasionally to lead his own bands in Britain, including a 1953 tour of Scotland with the show "Memories of Jolson". He also dropped the Anglicised version of his surname. In 1957, he returned to Britain and worked with Eric Delaney. During 1959-60 he worked with Humphrey Lyttelton. In 1958, he moved to Ghana, where he worked briefly as "Government Entertainments Officer". Much of the following decade was spent in Africa and the USA, before returning to London in 1970. Cab subsequently settled in Amsterdam, where he opened a piano bar, and continued to perform throughout the 1990s.
1918     Donna King, vocals. b. Sanford, CO, USA., d. June 20, 2007, Plano, Texas, USA. Age: 88 (asthma and Canceer). née: Donna Olivia Driggs (one of the Kings Sisters vocal group). In the 1930s and '40s, the Kings Sisters gained fame working in the bands of Horace Heidt and Alvino Rey. Their father, William King Driggs, was a music teacher. While still in junior high school, three of Donna's sisters — Maxine, Luise and Alyce — formed a vocal group, and the girls made their radio debut on Oakland, CA station KLX in 1931. During the great 1930s Economic Depression, they moved to Salt Lake City, where a radio station manager suggested they change their name. The girls settled on King, which was part of their father's name. In 1934, L.A.-based bandleader Horace Heidt, who had heard the sisters on a KLX broadcast, hired them, eventually adding sisters Yvonne and Donna, along with a family friend, to create "The Six King Sisters." But, when touring, Heidt cut the group down to four for economic reasons. Working as a quartet, the King Sisters were made up of Yvonne, Donna, Alyce and Luise. They sang in tight, four-part harmony, with Yvonne or Alyce taking the occasional solo. By 1938, the sisters were working with Artie Shaw's orchestra, together with a young guitarist named Alvino Rey, who by that time had married sister Luise, When Rey was offered a contract by L. A. radio station KHJ, he left Heidt, and took the King Sisters with him for his new band. The sisters sang with his band until 1943. One of their Bluebird label recordings, "Nighty Night," recorded in 1941, with vocals by Yvonne King, became the Alvino Rey band's theme song. In the 1940s, the sisters also found work in films, mainly "B" pictures, including "Sing Your Worries Away" starring Buddy Ebsen, "Meet the People" starring Lucille Ball and Dick Powell, and "Cuban Pete" starring Desi Arnaz. In 1943, Donna, married James B. Conkling, and left the group near the end of the decade. Conkling, was a recording industry executive who had played a key role in the formation of Warner Bros. Records, and later served as first chairman of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The marriage produced five children, In the mid- and late 1960s, Donna returned to appear with her siblings and other family members on the King Family television show, which led to a renewed interest in the group.
1934     Freddie King vocals, b. Gilmer, Texas, USA. d. Dec. 28, 1976. (Coronary Arrest). né: Freddie Christian
1944     Gary Leeds aka: Gary Walker, Drums. Member: The Walker Brothers (BUT, they weren't brothers, Scott Walker - bass guitar/vocals, was born Scott Noel Engel, Jan. 9, 1944, Hamilton, Ohio, USA; John Walker - guitar/vocals was born John Maus, Nov. 12, 1943, New York, NY, USA; and Gary Walker - drums was born Gary Leeds, Sept. 3, 1944, Glendale, CA, USA.)
1895     Noah Lewis, vocals/harmonica, b. Henning, TN, USA, d. eb. 7, 1961 (gangrene following frostbite). Between 1927 and late 1930, Noah recorded as part of 'Cannon's Jug Stompers' (Paramount label). He did record several times in 1929 under his own name, (twice on Oct 2, 1929, and twice again on Nov 26, 1930), and during Nov 1930, he recorded 4 sides as the "Noah Lewis Jug Band". The Noah Lewis Jug Band included "Sleepy" John Estes on guitar and Yank Rachel on Mandolin. However, as the 1929 World economic depression deepened, his music fell out of favor, and Lewis slipped into obscurity, and into a life of extreme poverty. He was age 66 when he died.
1980     Jay 'Cone' McCaslin, bassist. b. Ajax, Ontario, Canada. Member group: Sum 41, 2001 single "In Too Deep" charted UK No 13. (Other members of the group include: Deryck 'Bizzy Dee' Whibley (Vocals/Guitar, March 21, 1980), Dave 'Brown Sound' Bakash (Guitar, July 26, 1980), and Steve 'Stevo32' Jocz (Drums, July 23, 1981)
1915     "Memphis Slim", (Blues) piano, b. Memphis, TN, USA. d. 1988, Paris, France. né: John 'Peter' Chatman.
1944     George Shadow Morton, vocals, b. Richmond, VA, USA. Perhaps best known for his hits with 'The Shangri-Las' vocal group.
1962     Lester Noel, vocals, b. England. Member group: Beats International, 1990 single "Dub Be Good To Me" charted UK No.1.
1973     Jennifer Paige, vocals, b. Atlanta, GA, USA. 1998 UK No.4 single Crush. (At age eight, she was already performing in local coffeehouses, in a duo with her older brother, Chance Scoggins. )
1918     Jimmy Riddle, C&W chromatic harmonica, b. Dyersburg, TN, USA. Played with Roy Acuff's band.
1937     Larry Ridley, Bass, b. Indianapolis, IN, USA.
1940     Joe Rigby, soprano/alto/tenor sax, b. New York (Harlem), NY, USA. Quoting Rigby during an interview: "My mom's name was Catherine Fedder Harding, and her father, my grandfather, was the illegitimate son of President Warren Harding. My mom was born in New Bern, North Carolina. My father, Joseph Benjamin Rigby, was born in Haiti. His father was Haitian and his mother was Dominican. The word is that my father came to the U.S. with his mother, where they met an Englishman named Rigby and adopted the name. I have two sisters from my father's first marriage, but to my knowledge they aren't musical." As a youngster, Rigby enjoyed lessons at the 'New York Schools of Music', with a Mrs. Fuchs for 35 cents a lesson. His father loved jazz, playing "boogie woogie" piano by ear. At the time, the family was living in the Harlem neighborhood where a lot of R&B acts started, like the Moonglows, the Chantels, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, the Valentines, the Charts, the Paragons, the Harptones and singer Leslie Uggams. Joe played piano for the Chantels, during which time, they won three Apollo Theatre amateur nights. The "Sugar Hill" neighbourhood of Harlem where he lived was also home to Duke Ellington (and most of his band), Count Basie and Billie Holiday. Billie Strayhorn lived for a while in Rigby's aunt's house". During this time, Joe's father worked as a waiter on the Pennsylvania Railroad. In his interview, Rigby continued: "I went to Power Memorial high school at the same time as Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul Jabbar and soon to become a New York legend). When I went there, I would often hear Thelonious Monk practising the piano because he lived near the school". It was there that Rigby picked up the flute, playing with the marching band and orchestra. "Piano was out! I was drawn to the saxophone because I had started playing flute and then I heard such great saxophonists as Johnny Griffin, Charlie Parker and Johnny Hodges, and decided I'd be better on saxophone. My best friend Paul Kappes also played tenor sax. (This was after high school, but he didn't play professionally. Around 1965 he moved to Mexico where I heard he became a millionaire drug dealer.) There was a music store on 48th. St. in Manhattan called Jimmy's. I was able to try five Selmer tenor saxes and make my choice. "Other musicians I was listening to at that time included Sonny Stitt, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Lee Morgan, Art Blakey, Lennie Tristano, Paul Chambers, Horace Silver, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans and Miles Davis". But, there was one musician above all others who inspired Joe. "I knew I wanted to be an improvising musician when I heard John Coltrane with the Miles Davis Sextet at the Apollo Theater. He was playing harmonics, and the crowd actually booed him. I thought he was fantastic, and wanted to play like him". It was the start of a long journey. "Improvising is very hard work, and I don't think I got it naturally. It's a part of your life's experiences, and I've had a long and interesting life. I've lived in New York all my life, been married three times, and have four sons and two grandchildren." (Fortunately for Joe, his wives have all been very supportive of his musical career.) "It was the womanizing that they didn't like.. Old age, or better yet maturity, has changed that !" Joe gigged all through the 1980s, and eventually went back to college, -slipping off the jazz radar screen almost completely, and graduated in 1989. Over the years, to support his family, Rigby has worked as a postal letter carrier, bus driver, United Parcels carrier, liquor salesman, taxi driver, garment buyer, and nursery school teacher. He eventually became a music teacher for the New York Board of Education for 14 years until he retired in 2004.
1932     Mickey Roker, Drums, b. Miami, FL, USA.
1968     David Sanchez, Tenor Sax, b. Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
1965     Terrance Simien, accordion, b. Eunice, LA, USA. Member: 'Mallet Playboys'
1978     Johnny Shentall, Pop vocals, b. Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Member group: 'Hear'Say'.
1915     Memphis Slim", piano/vocals/composer, b. Memphis, TN, USA. d. Feb. 24, 1988, Paris, France. né: John Peter Chatman.
1952     Leroy Smith, Member group: "Sweet Sensation", 1974 single "Sad Sweet Dreamer" charted UK No.1. CAUTION: Do not confuse with the American R&B vocal group of the same name of :"Sweet Sensations", consisting of 4 ladies, Mari Fernandez, Margie Fernandez, Sheila Bega, and Betty Lebron. (One of the most popular female groups in Latin freestyle (namely salsa and merengue) and hip-hop.)
1909     Leith Stevens, composer, leader, piano, b. Mt. Moriah, MO, USA, d. July 23, 1970, Los Angeles (Hollywood), CA, USA. (Please see our Sept 13 calendar entry for Leith Stevens.)
1925     Hank Thompson, C&W guitar/vocals, b. Waco, TX, USA. n&eaccute;: Henry William Thompson. Member: 'Hank Thompson & His Brazos Valley Boys'. Hank has recorded in each of the seven decades since he recorded "Whoa, Sailor" in 1946. He has sold over 60 million recordings and has toured extensively around the globe.
1932     Paul Togawa, drums
1940     Artie Venosa, vocals, b. New York (Staten Island), NY, USA. Member: 'The Elegants'
1944     Gary Walker, né: Gary Leeds. Please see Gary Leeds above on our Sept. 3 calendar.
1956     Douglas Williams, vocals, b. Smithdale, MS, USA. Member: 'Williams Brothers'
1925     "Hank" Williams, C&W vocals, b.Georgiana, AL, USA. d. Jan. 1, 1953. né: Hiram Williams. Perhaps, best recalled for his work with 'The Brazos Valley Boys'. Hank, both as a singer and as a composer, was one of the most influential C&W musicians of all time. Today (2004), his son Hank Williams, Jr., daughter Jett Williams, and grandson Hank Williams III are all Country musicians.
         Notable Events on this date include:
1942.    Frank Sinatra bid adieu to the Tommy Dorsey Band as he started his solo singing career.
1948.    Harold "Doc" Bagby, organ, died in New York, NY, USA-
1948.    Thomas "Mutt" Carey, cornet, died in Elsinore, CA, USA. Age: 57
1960.    Joseph Francis Lamb, piano, died in New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA. Age: 82
1970.    Alan Wilson, harmonica/guitar, died in Torrance, CA, USA. Age: 27 Age: 27. (died mysteriously - probably drug related). Member: Canned Heat
1973.    Albert Nicholas, clarinet, died in BaseL, Switzerland, Age: 73
1981.    Mary Jane Dezurik, vocals, died. Age: 63. (Member: "Cackle Sisters," and the 'Grand Ole Opry').
1984.    Arthur Schwartz, composer, died in Kintnersville, PA, USA. (b. Nov 25, 1900, New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA)
1985.    Jo Jones died in New York City. Age: 74. (some sources say died Sept. 4)
1986.    "Knocky" Parker, piano, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 68
1994.    Major Lance, vocals, died in Decatur, GA, USA. Age: 55
1991.    After serving 18 months of a four year prison term, Ike Turner was released from prison. In an interview with Variety, Ike said that he had spent over $11 million on cocaine, and had been arrested 10 other times.
1992.    Jacques Tricot, critic (Le Point Du Jazz), died in France. Age: 63
1992.    Bonnie Lake, vocal, died in New York, NY. USA
1993.    Floyd Campbell, drums, vocal, arranger, died. (b. Sept. 17, 1901)
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1912    The Wedding Glide, - Ada Jones and Billy Murray vocs, tune: Hirsch
1912    Amina Serenade, -Arthur Pryor's Band, (Lincke composition)
1913    On The Honeymoon Express, - Arthur Collins-Byron Harlan vocs. tune: Stillwell
1913    International Rag, - Arthur Collins-Byron Harlan vocs.tune: Berlin
1925    The Parlor is The Pleasant Place of Home, - Frank Crumit voc. release
1925    My Yiddishe Momme, - Willie Howard voc.
1926    I'd Love to Meet That Old Sweetheart of Mine, - Ben Bernie and his Orch.
1926    Why Do Ya Roll Those Eyes, - Ben Bernie and his Orch., tune:Ryskind; Charig
1927    Are You Happy (voc. f.b.), - Vincent Lopez and his Orch.
1929    If I Had My Way, - Merle Johnston's Orch., ex: 'Flying Fool'
1930    I Still Get A Thrill, - Guy Lombardo Royal Canadians
1930    Just A Little Dance, Mam'selle, - Guy Lombardo Royal Canadians
1930    Sing Something Simple, - Fred Rich and his Orch.
1937    Ebb Tide, - Bunny Berigan and his Orch., tune:Leo Robin-Ralph Rainger
1937    Sweet Varsity Sue , - Bunny Berigan and his Orch. tune: C.Tobias-Al Lewis-M.Mencher
1940    Summit Ridge Drive, -Artie Shaw's Gramercy 5, tune: Artie Shaw
1940    Special Delivery Stomp, - Artie Shaw Gramercy 5, tune: Artie Shaw
1940    You've Got Me This Way, - Kay Kyser and his Orch.
1941    Carioca, - Meyer Eavis and his Orch.
1941    I Know That You Know, - Meyer Davis and his Orch.
1941    Is It Taboo?, - Artie Shaw and his Orch. tune: edgar leslie-albert debru
1941    Beyond The Blue Horizon, - Artie Shaw and his Orch. tune: robin-whiting-harling
1948    Until, - Dorsey, Tommy
1955    Moments To Remember, - Four Lads
1966    Cherish, - Association
1966    Beauty Is Only Skin Deep, - Temptations
1977    I Feel Love, - Summer, Donna
1983    Burning Down The House, - Talking Heads
1988    Red Red Wine, - UB40