BIRTHDAYS
1930    Muhal Richard Abrams, Piano, synthesizer, vocal, percussion, Clarinet, arranger, b. Chicago, IL, USA. Has played with Miles Davis, Max Roach and Sonny Rollins among others.
1892    Fred Ahlert, composer, b. New York, NY, USA. d. Oct. 20, 1953, New York, NY, USA. This composer worked with such lyricists as Roy Turk, Stanley Adams, Grant Clarke, Benny Davis, Edgar Leslie, Sam M. Lewis, Harry Richman, Roy Turk, Jack Yellen and Joe Young and his tunes were immensely popular all through the 1920s and '30s.
1957    Tatsu Aoki, bass, b. Tokyo, Japan
1943    Mike Arnone, vocals, b. Jersey City, NJ, USA. Member: 'The Duprees'
1887    Lovie Austin, Piano/vocals/composer, b. Chattanooga, TN, USA. d. July 10, 1972, Chicago, IL, USA. né: Cora Calhoun, During her career, she played with Ida Cox, Johnny Dodds, Tommy Ladnier, Jimmy O'Brian, Ma Rainey and Ethel Waters.
1959    Sally Barker, guitar, b. Barrow-On-Soar, England, UK
1939    Bruce Bastin, Label owner (Interstate/Flyright), b. Chelmsford, England, UK
1967    Ricky Bell, vocals, b. Boston, MA, USA. Member group: Bell Biv Devoe, 1992 single "The Best Things In Life Are Free" charted UK No.2.
1931    Brook Benton, Vocals. b. Camden, SC, USA. d. April 9, 1988. né: Brook Benjamin Franklin Peay
1945    David Bromberg, (folk) guitar/violin/arranger, b. Philadelphia, PA, USA (Demon in Disguise). Often called "a musician's musician", he has an equal passion for blues, folk, country and western, bluegrass and rock & roll. In the mid 1960s, his Session credits for albums by Tom Paxton and Jerry Jeff Walker got him noticed. He then spent some time as a sideman for people like Bob Dylan and Jerry Jeff Walker before finally fronting his own band.
1965    Winston Clifford, Drums, percussion, vocals, b. London, England
1963    Jarvis Branson Cocker, vocals, b. Sheffield, England. Member group: 'Pulp', 1995 UK No.2 single "Common People".
1946    John Coghlan, Drums with Status Quo <
1959    Bruce Cox, drums, b. Philadelphia, PA. USA.
1947    Lol Creme, Guitar/vocals. Member group: 10cc
1932    Lol Coxhill, Soprano/alto Saxes, b. Portsmouth, England
1935    Billy Deaton, Talent Agency owner, b. Slaughter, MS, USA. (One of the oldest and most pretigious booking agencies in Nashville, TN.)
1924    Danny Dill, C&W Songwriter/Storyteller, b. Carroll County, TN, USA.
1936    Gene Dinwiddie, tenor sax, b.Louisville, KY With: Paul Butterfield
1941    Lee Dorman, bass, b. St. Louis, MO, USA. Member group: Iron Butterfly, 1968 single "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" charted US No.1.
1969    Candy Dulfer, Alto Sax, b. Amsterdam, Netherlands
1977    Ryan Michael Dusick, drums, b. Los Angeles, CA, USA.
1957    Rusty Egan, rock drums, b. England. Member group: The Rich Kids After the Sex Pistols fired him in 1977, bassist Glen Matlock founded the 'Rich Kids', a pop/rock combo with guitarist Steve New, drummer Rusty Egan and vocalist Midge Ure (formerly of the group 'Silk'). The Rich Kids recorded only one LP, 1978's Ghosts of Princes in Towers. Tension between Matlock and Ure resulted in the group's dissolution within a year of their formation.
1943    "Mama" Cass Elliott, vocals, b. Baltimore, MD, USA, d. July 29, 1974, London, England, UK. (heart attack. age 32). née: Ellen Naomi Cohen. member: The Mamas and The Papas
1934    Brian Epstein, Famous for being the manager of the Beatles, b. Liverpool, England, UK
1939    Melvin Anthony Fair, guitar, b. New York, NY, USA. Worked with Wilson Pickett
1958    Lita Ford, (heavy metal) vocals, b. London, England. Member group: 'The Runaways'. While she was still very young, her family emigrated to the United States. At just age 16, she joined 'The Runaways', and after the group folded in 1979, she began a solo career. Lita's peak popularity came during the 1980s. Among her releases are "Out for Blood" (1983), "Dancin' on the Edge" (1984), "Lita" (1988), "Stiletto" (1990), "Dangerous Curves" (1991), "The Best of Lita Ford" (1992), "Greatest Hits" (1993), "Black" (1994), and "Greatest Hits Live" (2003). Her first husband was Chris Holmes.
1941    James Haskins, author, b. Demopolis, AL, USA, d. 2005. This university professor wrote over 100 books for adults and young people. His works on music include 'Black Music in America', 'The Story of Stevie Wonder' (won the Coretta Scott King Award in 1976), "The Cotton Club" (the inspiration for the motion picture of the same title in 1984), and his "Mr. Bojangles", written with N.R. Mitgang, was the subject of a Showtime movie starring Gregory Hines. His awards included winning the 1979 ASCAP 'Deems Taylor Award' (for excellence in writing in the field of music) for his book "Scott Joplin: The Man Who Made Ragtime"; and the English-Speaking Union’s selection of his "Bricktop" (written with 'Bricktop'), as a Book-Across-the-Sea in 1983.
1947    Jack Herrick, guitar/bouzouki/trumpet/string bass/french horn/tin whistle/vocals, b. Teaneck, NJ, USA. Member: "Red Clay Ramblers", a group originally comprised of Jack Herrick, Clay Buckner (fiddle/vocals), Chris Frank (accordion/guitar/vocals), and Bland Simpson (piano/keyboards/vocals). Herrick has composed for a number of musical plays. Besides composing the music for the soundtrack of Sam Shepard's film 'Silent Tongue', he has also earned a Tony award for the Broadway hit 'Fool Moon'. He collaborated with Tommy Thompson on the music and lyrics for an off-Broadway play by Shepard, 'A Lie of the Mind'. He collaborated with Don Baker on the musical adaptation of Lee Smith’s Oral History. Collaborating with Tommy Thompson, and John Haber, they created "Lone Star Love, or the Merry Wives of Windsor, Texas". Herrick, Bland Simpson, and Doug Marlette also created the musical of the comic strip "Kudzu".
1956    Paul Hession, drums, b. Leeds, Yorkshire, England, UK. Percussionist Paul Hession was a member of a trio that also included Pianist Borah Bergman, and saxophonist Lol Coxhill (also born this date)
1952     Henry Kaiser, Guitar, b. Oakland, CA, USA .
1942    Danny Kalb, (Folk and Blues) guitar, b. Mount Vernon, NY, USA. Danny was a part of "The Blues Project", an Elektra folk blues CD compilation, which featured Kalb on two tracks ("I'm Troubled," "Hello Baby Blues") He subsequently formed the Danny Kalb Quartette, which became a fixture on the Village nightclub and coffeehouse circuit.
1956    Wolfgang Lackershmid, vibes, percussion, composer, b. Tegernsee, Germany
1951    Daniel Lanois, singer/songwriter/producer, b. Hull, Quebec, Canada. Produced recordings for Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, U2, and Brian Eno.
1935    Nick Massi, vocals, Newark, NJ, USA. d. Dec. 24, 2000, Neward, NJ, USA. (cancer). né: Nicholas Macioci. Member group: The Four Seasons. Nicholas sang bass vocals for falsetto singer Frankie Valli's popular quartet. He worked with the group between 1961 and 1965, during which time they recorded such popular hits as "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," and "Rag Doll." Valli has said that Massi, responsible for much of the musical arrangements.
1940    Loren Dallas McMurray, sax, leader, b. McPherson, Kansas, USA, d. ctober 29, 1922, New York, NY, USA. (a month after his 25th birthday. Dr. Edward Funk, MD (Loren's cousin) later reported that "Loren died young in New York City from an infection in his nostril. He apparently was a nose picker and died from secondary complications via carotid arterial stenosis up to the brain." Loren's father, Leon Dallas McMurray (1873-1915) was married to Mary, ( née: DeGroot 1875-1968 ), and the family had one other child, a girl, Bonnie Dee McMurray. The elder Leon McMurray was not only the Postmaster of McPherson, Kansas, but also led his own saxophone band, of which young Loren was also a member
1940    Bill Medley, vocals, member: 'Righteous Brothers'
1915    Clyde Moody, (Bluegrass) vocals, b. Cherokee, NC, USA. d. April 7, 1989. né: Clyde Leonard Moody.
1916    Bill Neely, Singer-Songwriter, b. McKinney, TX, USA.
1945    Freda Payne, vocals, b. Detroit, MI, USA. Perhaps best recalled for her work with Duke Ellington.
1942    Ray Reed, saxes, flute, b. Los Angeles, CA, USA. In the 1960s Ray began playing professionally, and subsequently played with everyone from Stan Kenton, to Supersax, to Frank Zappa. He is also the author of a book on making single reeds for saxophones and clarinets.
1945    Jeannie C. Riley, C&W vocals, b. Anson, TX, USA. Perhaps best recalled for her rendition of "Harper Valley PTA"
1952    Nile Rogers, vocals/prpducer, b. New York, NY, USA. Member group: 'Honeydrippers'. As a producer, he worked with such stars as Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, and David Bowie.
1926    Nino Rosso, cello, composer, b. Milan, Italy..
1908    Alberto Socarras, all reeds, flute, b. Manzanillo, Cuba
1946    Dewayne Smith, C&W comedy/vocals, b. Bertram, TX, USA. Member: "The Geezinslaws", a duo of Sam Norris Allred (b. May 5, 1938, Austin, TX, USA, Comedy/Singer/Mandolin), and Raymond Dewayne Smith (b. Sept. 17, 1946, Bertram, TX, USA, Comedy/Singer/guitar). The two young men met, and began playing together, while still in high school. In 1961, they got their big break when Arthur Godfrey, who was visiting Houston, saw them and was so impressed, that he invited them to New York to appear on his show. For the next ten years, they stayed in the "Big Apple", leaving in the 1970’s. During that time, this Country music team appeared on CBS-TV, and at such plush, sophisticated big city clubs as the Latin Quarter, Basin Street East and the Bitter End. In their more than 35 years together, they never did figure out if they were Country music singers who did comedy, or a comedy team that sang Country music.
1932    Don "DT" Thompson, Tenor Sax, b. Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, d. March 21, 2004, Vancouver, Canada (Cancer). Thompson's brother, Lloyd, was a Jazz bassist. "DT", while still in his teens, was playing in dance bands at Sylvan Lake, a resort area near Edmonton, Canada. By age 17, he was already playing Jazz in Edmonton's "Jammin' The Blues" concerts. In the early 1950s, the two brothers were playing in Montreal venues, after which they became resident in Toronto. About this time, "DT" relocated to the USA, where he led his own group featuring singer Anne Marie Moss. From 1959 into 1963, he was playing at the after hours "First Floor Club" in Toronto. During 1960 - '64, "DT" led a big band backing singer Tommy Ambrose (and later also traveled with singer Anne Murray). In 1961, "DT" was recorded during a session with Tommy Ambrose, and again as a member of the Pat Riccio big band in Ottawa. During 1965-'66, he was a member of Lionel Hampton's big band. In 1963, the Dash label released a Thompson's single, "Early Autumn" and "If I Had My Way", with a group that included pianist Wray Downes and valve trombonist Rob McConnell. (Abby Smollan, an Emanon Jazz Society member, was in charge of the recording.) Thompson was on a 1979 recording session with singer Doug Mallory, that also featured Dour Riley on piano. In 1983, an LP recording of his own "Blueprint", featured U.S. organist Jimmy McGriff, -playing as "Jimmy McOrgan". For every New Year's Eve week, from 1980 to 1990, "DT" played at "George's Spaghetti House" in Toronto. Thompson also appeared several times on film. In 1963, his quintet (with trombonist Butch Watanabe), was seen in the 27 minute NFB film "Toronto Jazz". In 1967, he was heard in "Citerama", a 6 minute film which was shown daily at Montreal's Expo 67 (World's Fair). (A recording of the music, with "DT" and a quintet led by trumpeter Fred Stone, was released aa well). In 1990, Thompson moved to Vancouver, Canada, where he later died of Cancer.
CAUTION: There were two Don Thomsons', - both Canadian and, at one time, both were living in Toronto. This Thompson now deceased, played tenor sax. The other Don Thompson (b. Jan. 18, 1940, Powell River, B.C., Canada).and far more famous, is a multi-instrumentalist who plays Bass, Piano, Vibes and Drums. (There is also a female singer named Dawn Thompson.)
1924    Ernest Tomlinson, composer/piano/organ/clarinet, b. Rawtenstall, Lancashire, England,
1949    "Twiggy", Acrtress/model/vocals, b. Neasden (nr. London), England, UK. née: Lesley Hornby. Her 1976 single "Here I Go Again" charted UK No.17. In 1983, Twiggy was nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actress (Musical) for "My One and Only." In the show, she and "Tommy Tune" were starred, and the pair also starred in the earlier musical, "The Boy Friend". Did you know Twiggy also had a role in "The Blues Brothers" ('Chic Lady'). Twiggy has also used the name 'Twiggy Lawson'.
1940    Sylvia Fricker Tyson, vocals/mondo-cello/accordion/guitar, b. Chatham, ONT, Canada. Member team: Ian and Sylvia. (Both went solo in 1975)
1929    Glynn Walton, banjo, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Now retired from regular playing, Glynn has played with The Black Eagles, Bill Munro, Frank Turville, Captain Sturt's Old Colonial Jazz Band, University Jazz Four (1950-53), and, in 1968-'69, the Vencatachellum Jazz Peppers.
1921    Billie Ward, Doo Wop Vocals, "Billie Ward and His Dominoes"
1916    Helen Ward, vocals/piano, b. New York, NY, USA. d. April 21, 1998, USA. Studied Piano as a child, and was singing by her Teen-age years. In 1933, she was singing on New York Station WOR, then moved over to an NBC Station, where in 1934, she was hired by Benny Goodman for his "Let's Dance" show, and remained with Goodman for the next two years (during which time BG invented "Swing" and became the world's best known and most successful leader). Some of her hit recordings with Goodman include "You Turned The Tables On Me", "All My Life", "These Foolish Things", "It's Been So Long," "Too Good To Be True," and perhaps her biggest hit "Goody Goody". In late 1936, she married Albert Marx and retired (at age 20) from public performing, but often recorded with the Bob Crosby, Gene Krupa, Teddy Wilson and Joe Sullivan bands. Helen went back to performing in the early 1940s with the Red Norvo and Hal McIntyre bands. And later, also worked with such men as Ruby Braff, Vic Dickenson and Pee Wee Erwin. In 1952, she worked with Wild Bill Davison, was with Benny Goodman on his ill-fated 1953 tour. During 1956-7, she worked with Peanuts Hucko, and others. She was mostly inactive after that, though, in 1979, she recorded an album for Lyricon called "The Helen Ward Song Book, Vol. 1", where she is also listed as the bandleader. (Lyricon never issued a Vol. 2).While best recalled for her work with Benny Goodman, she is still known as one of the Swing Age's finest vocalists.
1940    Paul Williams, singer/songwriter. Among his hit tunes are "We've Only Just Begun", "Old Fashioned Love Song", "Evergreen" and many others).
1971    Paul Winterhart,drums, b. Glastonbury, England. Member group: 'Kula Shaker', 1996 single "Hey Dude" charted UK No.2.
1964    Trisha Yearwood, C&W vocals. b. Monticello, GA, USA. She sang the backing vocals for Garth Brooks' first album.
         Notable Events on this date include:
1960.    Former chicken plucker Chubby Checkers' single "The Twist" charted No.1 on the US charts. It was the start of a new dance craze,
1963.    Sam Allen, piano, died
1968.    Red Foley, C&W singer, died while on tour in Fort Wayne, IN, USA. (shortly after closing the show singing "Peace In The Valley")
1972.    Andrew Morgan, clarinet, tenor sax, died. He was a member of the old New Orleans musical dynasty family of brothers Sam Morgan (who led his own bands and played trumpet). Isaiah Morgan (also a trumpeter and bandleader), while fourth brother Al Morgan, bassist.
1973.    Gram Parsons, called 'the First Country Rock star', died in Joshua Tree, CA, USA. He was born Ingram Cecil Connor III, November 5, 1946, Winter Haven FL, USA. His natural father died when he was still a child, and his mother remarried Bob Parsons, legally changing his name to Gram (short for Ingram) Parsons. His influence was one of the keys in the development of many early 1970's bands such as The Byrds, The Eagles and The Rolling Stones, Pure Prairie League, The New Riders Of The Purple Sage and The Desert Rose Band, as well as newer 1990's bands as Son Volt, The Jayhawks, The Lemonheads, Wilco and Dash Rip Rock. Once, at a funeral ceremony for Gram's close friend Clarence White, Gram was overheard to say that when he died, he would like to be taken out to 'The Joshua Tree' desert of southern California and burned. (Joshua Tree is a part of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.) Upon his death (in The Joshua Tree Inn -drug overdose), his body was taken to the Los Angeles International Airport to be flown to Louisiana for burial. Phil Kaufman, Gram's road manager, and a friend, Michael Martin, both very intoxicated, borrowed an old hearse and drove to Los Angeles to retrieve the body. At the airport, the two men flashed some bogus paperwork, and falsely signed for the body telling the airline agent that Gram's remains were to be transferred to different airport. With Gram's body in the hearse, the two men took off (and were almost arrested after crashing into a wall). Stopping only long enough to buy some more beer and gasoline, the pair took the body back to the Joshua Tree Desert, where they poured gasoline inside the coffin and set Gram ablaze. Several days later the two were arrested, tried for stealing and burning the coffin, found guilty, and fined $700.00 (at the time, it was is not against the law to steal a dead body). Gram's partially burned remains finally found rest in a cemetery near New Orleans, LA.
1974.    Eric Clapton's song "I Shot the Sheriff" reached #1 on the pop charts on September 14th, earning him a gold record.
1979.    John Simmons, bass, died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 61. Worked with the 'Nat King Cole Trio'
1979.    Lou Busch, piano, leader, arranger, died in auto accident. (aka: Joe "Fingers" Carr) Among his many wives was famed singer Margaret Whiting.
1981.    Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunited for a free concert (their first concert in years) to benefit New York City parks. The concert attracted a crowd of 1/2 Million people and wasbroadcast to a TV audience, - also in the millions.
1985.    Charles W. Holmes, alto sax, died in Stoughton, MA, USA. Age: 75
1992.    Hal Russell, soprano and tenor sax, vibes, trumpet, cornet, zither, drums, conga, died in Chicago, IL, USA (heart) (b. 1926, Detroit, Michigan, USA)
1995.    "Mr. Bo" (né Louis Bo Collins), guitar, died in Detroit, MI, USA. Age: 63
2003.    "Slim Dusty" (né David Gordon Kirkpatrick"), Australia's "King of Country", died in Sydney Australia, Age: 76.
2003.    Johnny Best, trumpet, died in La Jolla, CA. USA. (b. Oct. 20, 1913, Shelby, NC, USA),
CAUTION: Do not confuse with:
--- John Best percussionist associated with such groups such as the University of Kentucky Jazz Ensemble and the University of Arizona Electronic Percussion Ensemble, and others.
--- Sessions vocalist John Best, who was also a member the late-1990s band 'Divine Comedy',
--- Tenor saxophonist John Best, who has only been recorded on one record, "African Sanctus", produced by ethno-musicologist David Fanshawe.
         Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
1908    Ivanhoe Two Step, -Arthur Pryor's Band. tune: van Alstyne-Butler
1908    Chimes of Normandy Medley, - Arthur Pryor's Band. tune: (Planquette-Bryan)-wells
1911    In The Shadows, -Victor Orch., tune: Finck
1913    Ishga Bibble, -Eddie morton voc.
1923    Back O' Town Blues, -Cotton Pickers. tune: Bowen; Berbedeaux
1923    Rampart Street Blues, -Cotton Pickers. tune: Robinson
1923    I Love you, -Carl Fenton and his orch. tune: Thompson; Archer
1924    Have a Little Fun, -Waring's Pennsylvanians.
1925    Nobody But Fanny, -Johnny Hamp's Serenaders.
1925    Oh Say Can I See You Tonight, - Johnny Hamp's Serenaders.
1936    "Indian Love Call", recorded by Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald (Victor Records).
1938    Two Sleepy People, -Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye.
1938    Carolina Moon, -Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye.
1932    Mad Dogs and Englishmen, -Noel Coward voc.
1932    Why Can't I Find Somebody to Love, -Casa Loma orchestra.
1932    One Little Word Led to Another, -Casa Loma orchestra.
1933    Sweet Madness, -Casa Loma orchestra.
1930    The Wedding of the Birds, -Earl Burtnett and his orch.
1930    Say "Oui" Cherie, -Earl Burtnett and his orch.
1939    The Love Nest, -Will Bradley and his orch.
1941    Miss You, -Eddy Howard Orch.
1941    Two in Love, -Eddy Howard Orch.
1941    A Weekend in Havana, -Enric Madriguera and his orch.
1941    The Cuban Yodeler, -Enric Madriguera and his orch.
1941    I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire, - Heidt, Horace
1945    Give Me The Simple Life, - Benny Goodman and his Orch.
1946    Romance in the Dark, - Woody Herman and his Herd
1946    Triskaidekaphobia, - Les Brown's Band of Reknown
1952    Takes Two To Tango, - Bailey, Pearl
1952    Lady Of Spain, - Fisher, Eddie
1952    Glow Worm, - Mills Brothers
1960    Save The Last Dance For Me, - Drifters
1960    I Want To Be Wanted, - Lee, Brenda
1964    Summer Song, A, - Chad and Jeremy
1964    Let It Be Me, - Butler, Jerry
1964    When I Grow Up (To Be A Man), - Beach Boys
1970    I'll Be There, - Jacksons
1970    Indiana Wants Me, - Taylor, R. Dean
1970    Green-Eyed Lady, - Sugarloaf
1981    Hard To Say, - Fogelberg, Dan
1987    Causing A Commotion, - Madonna
1987    Bad, - Jackson, Michael
1992    Rhythm Is A Dancer, - Snap