a Phil Brodie Band Info Page

"Births & Deaths"
These birthdates and death dates are unique to this site,
I have been working on them for 10 years now.
PLEASE give credit or link if copied
PAGES UPDATED DAILY
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FEB: Charts ~ FEB: On This Day ~ FEB: Quiz
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FEBRUARY
SADLY DEPARTED + TRIBUTES
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RESPECT - OBITUARIES
.. 2013 .. 2012 .. 2011 .. 2010 .. 2009 .. 2008 .. 2007 .. 2006 .. 2005 .. 2004 .. REQUESTS
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MORE BIRTHDATES & PASSINGS & TRIBUTES
January . February . March . April . May . June . July
August . September . October . November . December
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FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS

Born ~ February ????
1952: Michael Marra (Scottish musician and songwriter)*23.Oct.2012.

February 1st.
1990: Laura Marling (UK singer-songwriter).
1983: Andrew VanWyngarden (US vocalist, guitar, keyboards, bass, drums; MGMT).
1979: Valentin Elizalde (popular Mexican singer)*25.Nov.2006..
1978: Tim Harding (Australian singer; Hi-5)
1975: Big Boi/Antwan André Patton (US rap artist;Outkast)
1973: Yuri Landman (Dutch musical instrument inventor, musicologist)
1972: Kami/Ukyo Kamimura (Japanese drummer; Malice Mizer)*21.June.1999..
1971: Ron Welty (US drums; Offspring)
1969: Patrick Wilson (US drums; Weezer)
1969: Joshua Redman (US jazz saxophonist, composer).
1968: Lisa Marie Presley (US singer, daughter of Elvis Presley, former wife of Michael Jackson)
1964: Mario Pelchat (Canadian singer)
1964: Jani Lane/John Kennedy Oswald (US lead vocalist, lyricist, songwriter; Warrant)*11.Aug.2011..
1964: Dwayne Goettel (Canadian keyboardist; Skinny Puppy/Psyche/Doubting Thomas)*23.Aug.1995...
1962: Tomoyasu Hotei (Japanese guitarist)
1957: Dennis Brown (Jamaican reggae singer)*01.July.1999 ..
1956: Exene Cervenka/Christine Cervenková (US singer, writer, guitarist; punk rock band X).
1954: Chuck Dukowski/Gary McDaniel (US bassist; Black Flag).
1954: Bill Mumy (US actor, multi-musician; Rick Springfield/Seduction of the Innocent/solo).
1952: Jeno Jandó (Hungarian classical pianist)
1951: Sonny Landreth (US guitarist, slide guitar, songwriter).
1951: Fran Christina (US drummer; The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
1951: Rich Williams (guitarist, Kansas/freelance)
1950: Mike Campbell (US singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer;Tom Petty's Heartbreakers/many projects)
1948: Rick James/James Ambrose Johnson Jr (US singer)*06.Aug.2004..
1947: Mike Brant/Moshe Brand (Israeli pop singer)*25.April.1975..
1947: Normie Rowe (Australian singer; The Playboys/solo)
1946: Chris Clark (US Motown soul singer)
1943: John Fisher/Edward John Fisher (UK lead guitarist; The Firebirds/The Konchords/The IQ's).
1939: Claude Francois (French pop singer)*11.March.1978..
1939: Joe Sample (US keyboards; Modern Jazz Sextet/Jazz Crusaders)
1938: Jimmy Carl Black/James Inkanish (US drums; Zappa/Farrell&Black Band/Muffin Men)*01.Nov.2008..
1937: Don Everly (guitar/vocals, Everly Brothers)
1937: Ray Sawyer (vocals; Dr. Hook &the Medicine Show)
1934: Bob Shane/Robert Castle Schoen (singer; Kingston Trio)
1933: Sadao Watanabe (Japanese jazz musician and saxophonist).
1931: "Uncle" Lionel Batiste (US jazz-blues singer, bass drum, kazoo; Treme Brass Band)*08.July.2012.
1930: María Elena Walsh (Argentine pianist, poet, composer, writer)*10.Jan.2011..
1928: Debbie Dean/Reba Jeanette Smith (US singer; 1st Motown white solo artist)*17.Feb.2001..
1922: Renata Tebaldi (Italian international soprano singer)*19.Dec.2004..
1909: George Beverly Shea (Canadian award-winning centenarian, bass-baritone singer).
1907: Camargo Guarnieri (Brazilian composer)*13.Jan.1993..
1906: Hildegarde Loretta Sell (US cabaret, vaudeville singer, actress)*29.July.2005..
1894: James "Jimmy" Johnson (American jazz pianist, pioneer, composer)*17.Nov.1955..
1877: Thomas Frederick Dunhill (Composer)*13.March.1946..

February 2nd. (Groundhog Day!)
1992: Danielle White (US singer)
1983: Alex Westaway (UK guitarist, vocalist; Fightstar).
1983: Will South (US vocalist, piano, guitar; Thirteen Senses)
1980: Nina Zilli/Maria Chiara Fraschetta (Italian singer-songwriter).
1980: Gucci Mane/Radric Davis (US rapper)
1978: Eden Espinosa (American singer and stage actress).
1977: Heather Martin (American gospel singer; Virtue).
1977: Shakira/Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (Colombian singer, songwriter)
1975: Billy Mohler (US bassist; Jay Hodgson Group,/Jimmy Chamberlin Complex)
1972: Dana International/Yaron 'Sharon' Cohen (Israeli singer).
1972: Tego Calderón (Puerto Rican reggaeton artist)
1971: Ben Mize (US drummer; Counting Crows)
1968: Simon Wickham-Smith (UK vocalist, experimental computer music)
1966: Robert DeLeo (US bass; Stone Temple Pilots/Talkshow/Army of Anyone).
1965: Jonny King (US jazz pianist; Christian McBride/Art Blakey/Kenny Garrett/others).
1965: Ken White (US guitarist, vocals; New Tradition/Big Twang)
1964: Charlie Heather (UK drummer; Levellers)
1963: Eva Cassidy (US singer, guitar, producer)*02.Nov.1996..
1959: David Parmley (US guitarist, vocals; Bluegrass Cardinals).
1957: Phil Barney/Philippe Baranés (French singer)
1954: Hansi Hinterseer (Austrian singer, actor, entertainer).
1953: Louis Sclavis (French tenor & soprano sax/clarinet player)
1952: William King (US R&B trumpet player, keyboardist; The Commodores)
1949: Michael 'Mick' McCann (UK bassist; The Swinging Blue Jeans).
1949: Ross Valory (US bassist; Steve Miller Band, Journey)
1948: Alan McKay (US trumpeter; Earth Wind and Fire)
1947: Peter Lucia (US drummer; Tommy James and Shondells)*02.Jan.1987..
1946: Whistling Jack Smith/Billy Moeller (UK singer, younger brother of Tommy' Moeller).
1946: Howard Bellamy (US vocals; Bellamy Brothers)
1945: Ronnie Goodson (US trumpet player; Playboy Band)
1944: Andrew Davis CBE (UK conductor)
1942: Graham Nash (US guitar/vocals, The Hollies, Crosby Stills Nash & Young)
1942: Bob Day/Bernard Colin Day (UK singer; Allisons)
1942: Margo Quantrell (UK lead vocalist; The Breakaways).
1941: Peter Macbeth/Peter McGrath (UK bassist; The Foundations/Bubastis).
1941: Dave Williams (UK guitarist, vocalist; Firecrests/The Del Rio/Jaywalker/others)
1940: Alan Caddy (UK guitarist; Tornados/Billy Fury's Band)*16.Aug.2000..
1938: Gene MacLellan (Canadian composer, singer)*19.Jan.1995..
1937: Tom Smothers 3rd (US comedian, composer, musician; Smothers Brothers)
1933: Orlando "Cachaito" López (Cuban bassist; Buena Vista Social Club/others)*09.Feb.2009..
1933: Jodie Christian (American jazz pianist)*13.Feb.2012.
1932: Arthur Lyman (US jazz vibraphone, marimba player; Own Combo)*24.Feb.2002..
1927: Stan Getz/Stanley Gayetzky (US jazz saxophone player)*06.June.1991..
1926: Mimi Perrin (French jazz singer, pianist; Les Double Six)*16.Nov.2010..
1926: David Whitfield (UK singer)*15.Jan.1980..
1924: Edward "Sonny" Stitt (American international jazz saxophonist)*22.July.1982..
1924: Elfriede von Dassanowsky (Austrian-American singer, pianist, film producer)*02.Oct.2007..
1920: Bill Brunskill (UK trumpet player)*18.Nov.2002..
1919: Lisa Della Casa (Swiss soprano)*10.Dec.2012.
1915: Akiko Futaba/Yoshie Kato (Japanese popular music singer)*16.Aug.2011..
1912: Burton Lane (American composer and lyricist)*05.Jan.1997..
1901: Jascha Heifetz (World renown Russian violin virtuoso)*10.Dec.1987..
1875: Fritz Kreisler (Austrian-born violin virtuoso, composer)*29.Jan.1962..

February 3rd.
1993: Mishon (US R&B singer)
1990: Sean Kingston/Kisean Anderson (US Reggae, hip-hop artist).first artist born within the '90s to top the Hot 100
1988: Kyuhyun/Cho Kyu-hyun (Korean singer; Super Junior)
1982: Jessica Harp (US singer; The Wreckers)
1981: Alisa Reyes (US actress, singer)
1980: Kim E-Z/Kim Eiji (US Korean singer; Baby V.O.X.)
1978: Eliza Schneider (US actress, singer)
1977: Daddy Yankee/Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (Puerto Rican reggaeton singer, rapper)
1972: Jesper Kyd (Danish film and video game music composer)
1970: Richie Kotzen (US guitarist, singer, songwriter; Poison/Mr Big/others/solo)
1969: Matt Johnson (UK keyboardist; Jamiroquai).
1969: John Spence (R&B singer; No Doubt)*21.Dec.1987
1965: Nick Hawkins (guitar, Big Audio Dynamite/Bad)*10.Oct.2005.
1961: Linda Eder (American singer)
1959: Laurence "Lol" Tolhurst (UK keyboardist, drums; The Cure)
1959: Yasuharu Konishi (Japanese musician,composer, DJ; Pizzicato Five)
1957: Tony Butler (UK rock bassist; Big Country).
1957: Steven Stapleton (UK singer; Nurse With Wound)
1956: Lee Renaldo (US guitar; Sonic Youth/Ciccone Youth)
1954: Scot Halpin (US drummer; temporary drummer for The Who)*09.Feb.2008.
1949: Terry Black (Canadian pop singer)*28.June.2009.
1949: Linda Hargrove (US country singer-songwriter, multi-musician)*24.Oct.2010.
1949: Arthur Kane (US bass; New York Dolls)*13.July.2004.
1947: Dave Davies (UK vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitarist; The Kinks)
1947: Melanie/Melanie Safka (US singer, songwriter)
1946: Stanley Frederick "Stan" Webb (UK guitar, vocals; Chicken Shack/solo)
1945: Johnny Cymbal (US singer, songwriter)*16.March.1993
1944: Trisha Noble (Australian singer, actress)
1943: Shawn Phillips (US singer, guitarist, songwriter)
1943: Barry Beckett (US record producer, session musician, keyboardist)*10.June.2009.
1943: Neil Bogart/Neil E. Bogatz (US record executive; Cameo-Parkways/Buddah Records)*08.May.1982.
1943: Eric Haydock (UK bassist, The Hollies/own band)
1943: Dennis Edwards (US singer; The Temptations)
1940: Angelo D'Aleo (US vocals first tenor; Dion And The Belmonts)
1939: Johnny Bristol (US singer/songwriter)*21.March.2004
1937: Bobby Durham (American jazz drummer; many of the greats)*06.July.2008.
1935: Johnny 'guitar' Watson (US virtuoso blues guitarist, singer)*17.May.1996.
1933: John Richard Handy III (American jazz alto saxophonist).
1930: Abdullah Totong Mahmud (Indonesian composer, TV host)*06.July.2010.
1928: Frankie Vaughan/Frank Abelson (UK singer, actor)*17.Sep.1999
1927: Val Doonican (Irish singer, entertainer)
1923: Alys Robi/Alice Robitaille (French Canadian singer)*28.May.2011.
1920: Russell Arms (American singer)*13.Feb.2012.
1919: Eugene "Snooky" Young (US jazz trumpeter, master of the plunger mute)*11.May.2011.
1915: Bill Miller (US pianist, conductor, producter; 46 yrs with Frank Sinatra)*11.July.2006.
1912: Mary Carlisle (US actress, singer)
1911: Jehan Alain (French organist and composer)*20.June.1940
1904: Luigi Dallapiccola (Italian composer)*19.Feb.1975.
1525: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (Italian Renaissance composer)*02.Feb.1594.

February 4th.
1993: Tim McGrath (US rock singer, guitarist).
1982: Kimberly Wyatt (US singer, dancer; Pussycat Dolls).
1977: Gavin DeGraw (US singer, piano, guitar).
1976: Cam'ron/Cameron Giles (rap artist)
1975: Natalie Imbruglia (Australian actress, singer)
1975: Rick Burch (US bassist; Jimmy Eat World)
1974: Eric Townsend (US musician, record producer)
1969: Duncan Coutts (Canadian bassist; Our Lady Peace).
1968: Steve Queralt (UK bassist; Ride).
1965: Petr Muk (Czech pop singer, composer; Ocean/Shalom/solo)*24.May.2010.
1963: Noodles/Kevin Samuel Wasserman (US lead guitarist, backing vocalist; The Offspring).
1962: Clint Black (US country singer, harmonica, guitar)
1960: Jonathan Larson (US composer, playwrite)*25.Jan.1996.
1960: Tim Booth (UK vocals, James)
1960: Mark Dawson (British-born US entertainment manager; Iron Maidens)
1957: Don Davis (US composer)
1953: Kitaro/Masanori Takahashi (Japanese composer, keyboards, multi-musician)
1952: Jerry Shirley (UK drums, Humble Pie/Fastway)
1951: Phil Ehart (US drummer; White Clover/Kansas)
1951: Dariush Eghbali (Iranian singer, musician)
1950: James Dunn (US vocals; Stylistics)
1948: Alice Cooper/Vincent Furnier (US goth rock singer, The King Of Goth)
1947: Mary Ann Ganser (US vocals; Shangri-Las)*14.May.1970.
1947: Marguerite "Marge" Ganser (US vocals; Shangri-Las)*28.July.1996.
1944: Grant Serpell (UK drummer, percussion; Affinity/Sailor/others)
1944: Florence LaRue (vocals; Fifth Dimension/Jazz a' LaRue)
1943: Neil Christian/Christopher Tidmarsh (UK vocalist; Neil Christian & the Crusaders)*04.Jan.2010.
1942: Faruq Z. Bey/Jesse Davis (US jazz saxophonist, composer; Griot Galaxy/others)*01.June.2012.
1941: Gabrielle Roth (US singer, author, dancer, dramatist; 5Rhythms/Mirrors)*22.Oct.2012.
1941: Mike Wayne/ Mike Long (UK singer; Johnny Mike and the Shades)
1941: Alan Sanderson (UK bassist, vocalist; The Gamblers).
1941: John Steel (UK drummer; The Animals/sessionist/freelance)
1937: Ann Southam (Canadian composer)*25.Nov.2010.
1935: Martti Talvela (Finnish bass)*22.July.1989.
1934: Wade Legge (US jazz pianist, bassist)*15.Aug.1963.
1931: Gil Bernal (US saxophonist, singer; Lionel Hampton/Spike Jones/own band)*17.July.2011.
1931: Clarence Tate (US fiddler, bassist; Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys/freelance)*17.Oct.2007.
1931: Marion Ryan (English singer)*15.Jan.1999.
1922: Bhimsen Joshi (Indian classical singer)*24.Jan.2011.
1915: Ray Evans (US songwriter with Jay Livingston)*15.Feb.2007.
1912: Erich Leinsdorf (Austrian conductor)*11.Sept.1993.
1900: Jacques Prévert (French poet, lyricist)*11.April.1977.

February 5th.
1994: Saki Nakajima (Japanese singer).
1988: Kevin J Maclean (Scottish singer-songwriter)
1987: Darren Criss (US actor, singer)
1985: Lindsey Cardinale (US singer)
1982: Dionysis Makris (Greek singer)
1982: Wheesung/Choi Hwee-Sung (Korean R&B singer; A4/solo)
1975: Adam Carson (US drummer; AFI)
1973: Trijntje Oosterhuis (Dutch singer)
1971: Sara Evans (US singer)
1969: Bobby Brown (US singer; New Edition/solo)
1968: Chris Barron (US vocalist; Spin Doctors)
1968: Nir Kabaretti (Israeli conductor)
1965: Keith Moseley (US bassist; The String Cheese Incident/Grateful Grass)
1964: Duff McKagan (US bass; Guns N' Roses/Velvet Revolver)
1964: Sally Still (UK bass; Furniture)
1964: Alexia Vassiliou (Cypriot singer)
1960: Paul Jones (Welsh bassist; Catatonia)
1957: Flora Martirosyan (Legendary Armenian singer)*20.Nov.2012.
1954: Cliff Martinez (US composer, drummer; Captain Beefheart/Weirdos/Red Hot Chili Peppers/others)
1952: Daniel Balavoine (French singer, songwriter)*14.Jan.1986.
1949: Nigel Olsson (UK drummer; Elton John/others).
1948: David Denny (US guitar; Abracadabra/Steve Miller Band)
1948: Nigel Tufnell (UK lead guitar; Spinal Tap)
1945: Reg King (UK lead vocalist; Eddie Stewart+Movers/The Boys/Action/B B Blunder)*08.Oct.2010.
1944: Georgeanna Marie Tillman Gordon (US R&B/Pop singer; The Marvelettes)*06.Jan.1980.
1944: J.R. Cobb (US guitar; sessionist/Atlanta Rhythm Section)
1944: Al Kooper/Alan Peter Kuperschmidt (US vocals, keyboards, guitar; Blues Project/Blood Sweat Tears)
1943: Chuck Winfield (US trumpet; Blood Sweat & Tears)
1942: Cory Wells (US singer; Three Dog Night)
1941: Barrett Strong (US singer, songwriter; Motown artist)
1941: Rick Laird (Irish bass player; The Mahavishnu Orchestra/others)
1941: Henson Cargill (US country singer).
1938: Ronald ''Ronnie'' Mills (Scottish pianist; Colin Hicks and the Cabin Boys)
1935: Alex Harvey (Scottish vocals, guitar; Stone The Crows/Tear Gas/Alex Harvey Band)*04.Feb.1982.
1930: Don Goldie (US trumpet player; Jack Teagarden's band/others)*25.Nov.1995.
1929: Luc Ferrari (French composer)*22.Aug.2005
1927: Robert Allen (US pianist, songwriter)*01.Oct.2000.
1923: Samie "Sticks" Evans (US jazz / rhythm & blues drummer)*11.April.1994.
1923: Claude King (US country music singer, songwriter)*07.March.2013.
1921: John Pritchard (British conductor)*05.Dec.1989
1913: Rozelle Claxton (US jazz pianist)*30.March.1995.
1911: Johan 'Jussi' Björling (Swedish tenor)*09.Sept.1960
1909: Grazyna Bacewicz (Polish composer, violinist)*17.Jan.1969

February 6th.
1986: U-Know/Jung Yunho (Korean singer, actor; TVXQ).
1984: Piret Järvis (Estonian singer)
1982: Tank Lu (Mandopop singer)
1981: Jens Lekman (Swedish vocalist, guitar, ukulele)
1981: Shim Eun Jin (Korean singer; Baby V.O.X / solo)
1979: Dan Balan (Moldovan singer; O-Zone)
1979: James Bradford/Easter Bradford/James Martin Blackford (US singer-songwriter, actor).
1975: Tomoko Kawase (Japanese singer)
1969: Masaharu Fukuyama (Japanese singer)
1968: Akira Yamaoka (Japanese composer)
1967: Anita Cochran/Anita Renee Cockerham (US country music singer)
1967: Izumi Sakai/Sachiko Kamachi (Japanese singer-songwriter; Zard)*27.May.2007.
1966: Rick Astley (UK singer)
1964: Gordon Downie (Canadian singer, guitarist; The Tragically Hip)
1963: Dave Rotheray (UK guitar, Beautiful South)
1962: Axl Rose/William Bruce Rose (US vocals; Guns N' Roses)
1962: Richie McDonald (US guitar, vocals, songwriter; Lonestar)
1957: Simon Phillips (UK drummer, sessionist; Toto/Who/Mick Jagger/Nik Kershaw/many others)
1951: Margo O'Donnell (Irish singer)
1951: Huw Lloyd-Langton/Richard Hugh Lloyd-Langton (UK guitarist; Hawkwind/others)*06.Dec.2012.
1950: Punky Meadows/Edwin Lionel Meadows (US guitarist; Cherry People/Bux/Angel).
1950: Natalie Cole (US singer)
1949: Roye Albrighton (UK lead guitarist, lead vocalist; Outsiders/The Peeps/The Rainbows/Nektar).
1949: Mike Batt (UK songwriter, musician, producer, Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry)
1948: William "Bunny Rugs Scott" Clarke (Jamaican vocalist; Charlie Hackett/Inner Circle/others).
1947: Alan Jones (UK saxophone player; Amen Corner).
1947: Bill Staines (US singer, songwriter).
1946: Richie Hayward (US drummer; Little Feat/others/sessions)*12.Aug.2010.
1946: Kate McGarrigle (Canadian folk singer)*18.Jan.2010.
1945: Lenny Williams (US singer, trumpet player; Tower Of Power)
1945: Bob Marley (Jamacain singer/songwriter/guitarist; Wailers/ solo)*11 May 1981
1944: Willie Tee/Wilson Turbinton (American singer, songwriter;The Wild Magnolias)*11.Sept.2007.
1943: Fabian/Fabiano Anthony Forte (US singer, actor, entertainer)
1942: John London/John Carl Kuehne (US session bass player; Monkees)*12.Feb.2000.
1942: Terry Teene/Terence Knutson (US musician,singer-songwriter,actor,clown)*09.March.2012.
1941: Dave Berry/David Holgate Grundy (UK singer; The Cruisers/solo)
1936: Donnie Brooks/John Dee Abohosh (US singer)*23.Feb.2007.
1934: Eddie Hazell (American jazz singer-guitarist)*02.Nov.2010.
1932: Heinz-Klaus Metzger (German music critic, theorist)*25.Oct.2009
1926: Nancy Overton (US singer; The Chordettes)*05.April.2009.
1917: Arthur Gold (US pianist; Gold & Fizdale)*03.Jan.1990.
1914: Thurl Ravenscroft (US voice actor, singer; Tony the Tiger/Walt Disney/The Mellomen)*22.May.2005.
1903: Claudio Arrau (Chilean born pianist)*02.June.1991
1902: George Brunies (American jazz trombonist; New Orleans Rhythm Kings)*19.Nov.1974

February 7th.
1996: Mai Hagiwara (Japanese singer)
1992: Maimi Yajima (Japanese singer)
1990: Anna Abreu (Finnish singer)
1988: Ai Kago (Japanese singer)
1987: Kerli Kõiv (Estonian singer)
1977: Eddie Martin/Martinš Freimanis (Latvian singer; Darkness/F.L.Y)*27.Jan.2011.
1975: Wes Borland (US guitarist; Limp Bizkit/Black Light Burns/From First to Last).
1974: Danny Goffey (UK drummer; Supergrass)
1974: Nujabes/Jun Seba (Japanese hip hop producer and DJ)*26.Feb.2010.
1974: J Dilla/James Dewitt Yancey (US record producer, DJ)*10.Feb.2006.
1972: Amon Tobin (Brazilian electronic musician, DJ)
1971: Anita Tsoy (Russian singer of Korean descent)
1968: Sully Erna (US singer; Godsmack)
1962: Garth Brooks (US country singer)
1962: David Bryan (US keyboards, Bon Jovi)
1960: Steve Bronski (UK keyboards; Bronski Beat)
1959: Brian Travers (UK saxophone; UB40)
1957: Richard Cook (British jazz writer, critic)*25.Aug.2007.
1956: Mark St. John/Mark Leslie Norton (US guitarist; Kiss)*05.April.2007
1954: Dieter Bohlen (German composer)
1952: Vasco Rossi (Italian singer)
1949: Joe English (US drummer; Wings/Sea Level/many others)
1949: Alan Lancaster (UK bassist; Status Quo/Party Boys and the Bombers)
1949: Stoney Browder (piano; Kid Creole And The Coconuts)
1948: Jimmy Greenspoon (US organ, keyboards; Three Dog Night)
1947: John 'Pugwash' Weathers (Welsh drummer; Gentle Giant/Eyes Of Blue).
1947: Terry Gibson/Terence Frederick Clemson (UK guitarist; The Hoods/The Downliners Sect).
1947: Flemming Jørgensen (Danish singer, actor; Bamses Venner/Teddy Bear's Friends)*01.Jan.2011.
1946: Sammy Johns (American country singer-songwriter)*04.Jan.2013.
1946: Charles E. Givings (American drummer, singer, record producer)*15.April.2012.
1942: Bob Herbert (English talent manager; Spice Girls/others)*09.Aug.1999.
1940: Bob Burnett (US folk guitarist, vocalist; The Highwaymen)*07.Dec.2011.
1936: Bobby Hendricks (Sth African sax player; own band. NOT the Drifter's Bobby)
1934: Earl King/Earl Silas Johnson (New Orleans blues guitar virtuoso, songwriter)*17.Apr.2003
1934: King Curtis/Curtis Ousley (US saxophonist; sessionist/The Kingpins)*14.Aug.1971
1927: Juliette Gréco (French singer, actor)
1921: Wilma Lee Cooper nee Leary (US country music singer, guitarist; Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper & the Clinch Mountain Clan/solo)*13.Sept.2011.
1921: Tito Burns/Nathan Bernstein (British accordionist, impresario)*23.Aug.2010.
1920: Oscar Brand (Canadian folk musicologist)
1898: Dock Boggs (US singer, songwriter, banjo player)*07.Feb.1971.
1887: Eubie Blake (US composer, lyricist, pianist; Musicals)*12.Feb.1983.

February 8th.
1983: Jim Verraros (US singer)
1981: Myriam Montemayor Cruz (Mexican singer)
1980: Cameron Muncey (Australian guitarist; Jet)
1979: Josh Keaton (US actor, singer)
1977: Dave "Phoenix" Ferrel (US bassist, Linkin Park)
1976: Capone/Kiam Akasi Holley (US rapper; Capone-N-Noreaga).
1974: Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (member of the French house music duo Daft Punk)
1971: Will Turpin (US bassist, percussion; Collective Soul)
1971: Mika Karppinen (Finnish drummer; HIM)
1969: Pauly Fuemana (New Zealand singer; Otara Millionaires Club aka OMC)*31.Jan.2010.
1968: Tjinder Singh (UK guitar; Cornershop)
1968: Claudette Pace (Maltese singer)
1965: Dicky Cheung (Hong Kong actor, singer)
1964: Robert Nebrenský (Czech actor, musician, comedian, songwriter, composer).
1962: Ken McCluskey (UK vocals, harmonica; Bluebells)
1961: Sam Llanas (US vocals, acoustic guitar; the BoDeans)
1961: Vince Neil (US vocals, harmonica; Mötley Crüe/solo/freelance)
1956: Dave Meros (US bassist; Spock's Beard)
1948: Dan Seals (US singer, guitarist; England Dan & John Ford Coley)*25.March.2009.
1948: Ron Tyson (US singer; The Temptations)
1946: Louis Cordet (UK singer).
1946: Adolfo 'Fito' De La Parra (Mexican drums, Canned Heat)
1946: Paul Wheatbread (US drummer; Gary Puckett and the Union Gap)
1942: Terry Melcher/Terry Day (US singer/songwriter/producer; Rip Chords/Doris Day)*19.Nov.2004
1943: Creed Bratton (US lead guitar, songwriter; Grass Roots)
1943: Almeida Prado (Brazilian composer and pianist)*21.Nov.2010.
1941: Jagjit Singh (Indian ghazal singer, composer, music director, pianist)*10.Oct.2011.
1941: Doukissa Fotara (Greek singer, actress)*30.Sept.2010.
1941: Tom Rush (US guitar/singer)
1937: Ben Palmer/Robin Palmer (UK pianist; Thunder Odin+Big Secret/The Roosters/Cream's roadie).
1937: Joe Raposo (US composer)*05.Feb.1989.
1933: Elly Ameling (Dutch soprano)
1932: John Williams (US composer, conductor)
1919: Jack Hayes (US composer, orchestrator)*24.Aug.2011.
1929: Floyd Dixon (American R&B pianist)*26.July.2006.
1903: Greta Keller (Austrian international cabaret singer and actress)*11.Nov.1977

February 9th.
1989: Gia Farrell (American singer)
1984: Han Kyung (Korean singer Super Junior)
1984: Han Geng (Chinese pop artist)
1982: Ami Suzuki (Japanese singer)
1981: Reverend Tholomew Plague/James Sullivan (US drummer; Avenged Sevenfold)*28.Dec.2009.
(some sources give The Rev's birthdate as 10th February)
1970: Chris Lancelot/Krister Linder (Swedish singer; Dive/solo)
1968: Alejandra Guzmán (Latin Grammy Award–winning Mexican rock singer and actress).
1966: Rachel Bolan (US bassist, Skid Row/Prunella Scales)
1963: Travis Tritt (US guitar, singer)
1961: Jussi Lampi (Finnish drummer, actor; Pink Flamingos/others)
1960: Holly Johnson (UK vocalist, Frankie Goes To Hollywood/own record label Pleasuredome)
1955: Jimmy Pursey (singer, lyricist; Sham 69)
1951: Dennis Thomas (saxophone; Kool & The Gang)
1947: Joe Ely (US country singer, guitarist/Linda Ronstadt's band)
1947: Major Harris (US singer, guitar; Delfonics/solo)*09.Nov.2012.
1945: Gérard Lenorman (French singer)
1943: Nicholas 'Nick" Crouch (UK guitarist, vocals; Hi-Cats/Ravens/Faron's Flamingos/The Mojos)
1943: Barbara Lewis (US singer, songwriter)
1942: Carole King (US singer, songwriter, pianist)
1940: Brian Bennett OBE (UK drummer, composer, pianist; Wildcats, Shadows, Cliff Richard, own orchestra)
1939: Barry Mann/Barry Imberman (US singer, songwriter)
1937: Hildegard Behrens (German operatic soprano)*18.Aug.2009.
1936: Stompin' Tom Connors (Canadian country-folk singer, guitarist, songwriter)*06.March.2013.
1927: Joe Maneri (US jazz composer, musician, inventor)*24.Aug.2009.
1925: Billy Williamson (US steel guitarist; Bill Haley and His Saddlemen/His Comets)*22.March.1996.
1922: Kathryn Grayson/Zelma Kathryn Hedrick (US film/stage actress, soprano singer)*17.Feb.2010
1914: Ernest Dale Tubb/Texas Troubadour (US singer and songwriter)*06.Sept.1984.
1910: Herbert LeRoy "Peanuts" Holland (US trumpeter, singer, band leader)*07.Feb.1979.
1909: Harald Genzmer (German composer)*17.Dec.2007.
1909: Carmen Miranda GCIH (Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, actress)*05.Aug.1955.

February 10th.
1990: Sooyoung (Korean singer)
1987: Choi Si Won (Korean singer; Super Junior)
1983: Bless/Ben Rinehart (Canadian rapper)
1981: Natasha St-Pier (Canadian singer)
1979: Daryl Palumbo (US lead singer; Glassjaw/Head Automatica)
1978: Don Omar (Puerto Rican singer)
1977: Rosanna Tavarez (singer, reporter, TV prestenter; Eden's Crush)
1975: Kool Savas/Savas Yurderi (German rapper)
1974: Ivri Lider (Israeli singer)
1963: Smiley Culture/David Victor Emmanuel (British reggae singer)*15.March.2011.
1962: Piero Pelù (Italian singer, song-writer; Litfiba)
1962: Cliff Burton (US bassist; Metallica)*27.Sept.1986.
1960: Steve Bailey (US bassist; many sessions)
1960: Robbie Nevil (singer/songwriter/guitarist; solo/sessionist/freelance)
1958: Michael Weiss (US pianist, composer; Johnny Griffin/Pepper Adams/Bill Hardman/many others)
1950: Ron Kelly (UK drummer; Smokie/The Yen/Elizabethans/Kindness/others).
1946: Clifford Thomas Ward (singer, songwriter)*18.Dec.2001.
1946: Kenny Edwards (US singer, songwriter, guitarist; Stone Poneys/sessionist/solo)*18.Aug.2010.
1949: Nigel Olsson (drummer; Elton John band, sessionist, freelance).
1949: Jim Corcoran (Quebec singer, songwriter).
1949: Maxime Le Forestier (French singer).
1947: Lawrence D "Butch" Morris (US jazz cornetist, composer; Orchestra Slang/others)*29.Jan.2013.
1947: Chris Ethridge (US bassist, ISB/ Flying Burrito Brothers/many sessions)*23.April.2012.
1944: Nathaniel Mayer (American rhythm & blues singer)*01.Nov.2008.
1944: Peter Allen/Peter Richard Woolnough (Australian singer-songwriter, actor)*18.June.1992
1944: Rufus Reid (US bassist; top studio musician)
1943: Ral Donner (US singer; successful Elvis sound-alike)*06.Apr.1984.
1940: Kenny Rankin (American singer-songwriter)*07.June.2009.
1940: Jimmy Merchant (tenor singer; Frankie Lymon And Teenagers)
1937: Ed Polcer (US Cornet, Dixieland & Chicago jazzman)
1937: Roberta Flack (US rhythm & blues singer, songwriter)
1935: Theodore Antoniou (Greek composer)
1933: Faramarz Payvar (Iranian composer, santur player)*09.Dec.2009.
1933: Don Wilson (US rhythm guitar, Ventures)
1932: Sir Roland Hanna (US jazz pianist)*13.Nov.2002
1929: Jerry Goldsmith (US pianist, musical creator/director, composer;films & TV)*21.July.2004
1927: Leontyne Price (US soprano)
1927: Brian Priestman (British conductor)
1923: Cesare Siepi (Italian opera singer)*05.July.2010.
1914: Larry Adler (US harmonica virtuoso)*07.Aug.2001.
1909: William Henry "Chick" Webb (drummer, Chick Webb Band)*16.June.1939
1910: Joyce Grenfell, OBE (English actress, comedienne, singer-songwriter)*30.Nov.1979.
1900: Lou Breese/Luigi G. Calabrese (US jazz trumpeter, banjo; clubs/theatre/radio/film)*??.Jan.1969
1841: Sir Walter Parratt KCVO (English organist, composer)*27.March.1924.

February 11th.
1991: Never Shout Never/Christofer Ingle (US multi-musician, singer)
1985: William Beckett (US singer)
1984: Matt Good (US singer, guitarist)
1984: Aubrey O'Day (US singer)
1981: Kelly Rowland (US singer, songwriter, dancer, actress; Destiny's Child)
1980: Ektor/Héctor Rivera (Puerto Rican singer, actor, painter)
1979: Brandy Norwood (US rhythm & blues singer)
1977: Michael Kenji "Mike" Shinoda (US guitar, vocals, Linkin Park/Fort Minor)
1974: D'Angelo/Michael Eugene Archer (US soul singer, pianist, songwriter)
1973: Ethan Iverson (US pianist; The Bad Plus)
1973: Varg Vikernes (Norwegian guitarist, drums; Burzum/Mayhem)
1972: Pinhead/Spiky-Man/Craig Jones (US keyboardist; Slipknot)
1970: Fredrik Thordendal (Swedish lead guitarist; Meshuggah).
1969: Andrew "Shovell" Lovell (UK vocalist, percussion; M People)
1963: Brian Damage/Brian Keats (US punk and rock drummer; Sessionist/freelance)*12.Jan.2010.
1962: Sheryl Crow (US singer, songwriter)
1960: Momus/Nick Currie (Scottish songwriter/blogger/journalist)
1960: Russ Freeman (US guitarist, multi-musician; The Rippingtons)
1956: Didier Lockwood (French violinist)
1956: H.R/Paul D. Hudson (US singer; Bad Brains)
1956: Didier Lockwood (French violinist)
1954: Noriyuki Asakura (Japanese composer)
1953: Alan Rubin/Mr Fabulous (US trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo; Blues Brothers/Saturday Night Band)
1953: Neil Henderson (bassist, vocals; Middle Of The Road)
1950: Rochelle Fleming (lead singer; First Choice)
1949: Guy Cloutier (French-Canadian music executive)
1947: Joselito/José Jiménez Fernández (Spanish singer)
1947: Derek Shulman (Scottish multi-instrument; Gentle Giant/president O.M.A. Records)
1947: Roy Carrier (US Zydeco singer, accordionist)*03.May.2010.
1946: Ray Lake (UK falsetto vocalist, bass player; The Real Thing)*??.??.??.
1943: Alan Rubin aka Mr. Fabulous (US trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo player)*08.June.2011.
1943: Serge Lama (French singer)
1942: Tony Colton/Anthony Chalk (UK vocalist;Crawdaddies/Heads,Hands & Feet/others).
1941: Sergio Mendes (Brazilian composer/piano/singer)
1940: Bobby "Boris" Pickett (US singer, songwriter, writer; the Crypt-Kickers)*25.April.2007
1939: Gerry Goffin (US lyricist, songwriter with Carol King)
1937: Phillip Walker (US blues guitarist)*22.July.2010.
1935: Gene Vincent/Vincent Eugene Craddock (US rock n roll singer)*12.Oct.1971
1935: Bent Lorentzen (Danish composer)
1932: Jerome Lowenthal (American pianist)
1929: Leonard Kastle (US opera composer, filmmaker)*18.May.2011.
1926: Sir Alexander Gibson (British conductor)*14.Jan.1995.
1926: John Wallowitch (US composer, songwriter, cabaret performer)*15.Aug.2007.
1914: Matt Dennis (US singer, songwriter;Tommy Dorsey)*21.June.2002
1889: John Mills Sr. (US vocalists; Miller Brothers)*08.Dec.1967.
1874: Fritz Hart (English-born Australian composer)*09.July.1949.

February 12th.
1981: Lisa Hannigan (Irish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist; Damien Rice/solo)
1974: Fonzworth Bentley/Derrick Watkins (US hip-hop artist, singer, TV presenter, fashion designer)
1973: Jack Lukeman/Seán Loughman (Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist)
1972: Sophie Zelmani (Swedish singer, songwriter)
1970: Armando Gallop (US house-music producer and DJ)*17.Dec.1996.
1970: Jim Creeggan (Cansdian bassist; Barenaked Ladies)
1969: Meja/Anna Pernilla Beckman (Swedish singer; Legacy of Sound/solo)
1968: Chynna Phillips (US singer; Wilson Phillips)
1968: Grégory Charles (French Canadian singer, dancer, pianist, radio, television host)
1968: Kyle Vincent (US singer/songwriter)
1967: Chitravina N. Ravikiran (Indian composer, chitravina player)
1966: Gary "Gaz" Whelan (UK drums, Happy Mondays)
1965: Cutty Ranks/Philip Thomas (Jamaican reggae artist).
1959: Omar Hakim (US drummer; Weather Report/world session drummer).
1959: Neil Conti (UK drummer; Prefab Sprout/sessionist)
1958: Les "Fruitbat" Carter (UK guitarist; Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine)
1958: Grant McLennan (Australian bass, vocals, songwriter, Go-Betweens/solo)*06.May.2006
1956: Brian Robertson (Scottish guitarist; Thin Lizzy/Motörhead/others).
1955: Bill Laswell (US bassist, producer, record label owner; Greenpoint Studios, Axiom Records)
1954: Tzimis Panousis (Greek singer, stand-up comedian).
1952: Michael McDonald (US R&B/soul singer; Steely Dan/Doobie Brothers/solo).
1951: Vincent James (Jamaican singer; Sweet Sensation)
1950: Steve Hackett (UK guitar, songwriter; Genesis/GTR/freelance/solo)
1950: Dodo Hug (Swiss singer-songwriter, musician, actress; Mad Dodo).
1949: Stanley "Goober" Knight (US guitar; Black Oak Arkansas)
1949: Joaquín Sabina (Spanish singer, songwriter)
1946: Joe Schermie (US bassist; Three Dog Night/S.S.Fools)*26.March.2002
1946: Cliff DeYoung (US actor, singer; Clear Light).
1946: Ajda Pekkan (Turkish singer)
1945: Katarzyna Sobczyk (Polish singer; Czerwono-Czarni/Wiatraki)*28.July.2010.
1945: Trevor Brice (UK vocalist; Vanity Fare).
1944: Moe Bandy/Marion Franklin Bandy Jr (US country music singer)
1939: Ray Manzarek (US keyboards, The Doors)
1935: Gene McDaniels (US singer-songwriter)*29.July.2011.
1934: Antonín Švorc (Czech operatic bass-baritone)*21.Feb.2011.
1942: Rick Frank (US drummer; J.L's Plastic Ono Elephants Memory Band) NOT the jazz drummer born in 1958
1923: Franco Zeffirelli (Italian film, opera director, designer)
1915: Lorne Greene/Lyon Himan Green (Canadian singer, actor)*11.Sept.1987
1914: Gordon Lee "Tex" Beneke (US saxophonist, singer, bandleader; Glenn Miller Orch)*30.May.2000.
1912: Nikita Magaloff (Russian pianist, composer)*26.Dec.1992.
1911: Stephen Henry Sholes (US recording executive)*12.April.1968

February 13th.
1993: Sophie Evans, Welsh musician
1988: Aston Merrygold (UK singer, actor)
1978: Hamish Glencross (Scottish guitarist; My Dying Bride)
1978: Philippe Jaroussky (French sopranist countertenor, violinist)
1976: Dave Padden (Canadian vocalist, bass guitar; Annihilator/Terror Syndrome)
1976: Leslie Feist/Feist (Canadian singer-songwriter; solo/Broken Social Scene).
1976: Saint Thomas/Thomas Hansen (Norwegian alt-country singer, guitarist)*05.Sept.2007
1975: Iván González (Puerto Rican DJ, singer; Sangresabia).
1974: Robbie Williams (UK vocalist; Take That/solo)
1971: Sonia/Sonia Rutstein (UK vocalist; Disappear Fear/solo)
1970: Karoline Krüger (Norwegian singer)
1969: Ahlam Ali Al Shamsi (Bahraini singer)
1968: Niamh Kavanagh (Irish singer)
1968: Chynna Phillips (US singer; Wilson Phillip Group/solo)
1966: Freedom Williams/Frederick Brandon Williams (US rap artist; C&C Music Factory)
1966: Jeff Waters (Canadian guitarist; Annihilator)
1964: Yamantaka Eye/Tetsuro Yamatsuka (Japanese singer; Boredoms
1962: May Sweet/Swe Aye Myint (Burmese singer)
1962: Rob Ellis (UK drummer, multi musician with PJ Harvey)
1961: Les Warner (UK drummer; The Cult/freelance/sessionist)
1961: Henry Rollins/Henry Garfield (US singer, actor; Black Flag/Rollins Band)
1958: Mark Fox (UK percussionist, Haircut 100)
1957: Tony Butler (UK bassist; Big Country)
1956: Peter Hook (UK bass, vocals, producer; Joy Division/New Order)
1955: Scott Smith (Canadian bassist; Loverboy)*30.Nov.2000.
1953: Rico J. Puno (Filipino pop singer)
1952: Ed Gagliardi (US bassist; Foreigner/Spy/others)
1951: David Naughton (US actor, singer)
1950: Roger Christian (UK multi-musician, vocals; The Christians).
1950: Peter Gabriel (UK vocals, songwriter; Genesis & solo)
1949: Judy Dyble (UK singer-songwriter; Fairport Convention)
1948: Rod Dees (UK bass; Showaddywaddy)
1946: Colin Matthews (British composer)
1945: Roy Dyke (UK drummer; Ashton Gardner & Dyke/Badger)
1945: King Floyd (American singer)*06.March.2006
1944: Rebop Kwaku Baah (Nigerian-Swedish percussion; Traffic/Ginger Baker/Wings/freelance)*12.Jan.1983.
1942: Peter Tork (US vocals, bassist, guitar, banjo; Monkees/Peter Tork Project/Shoe Suede Blues)
1938: Oliver Reed (UK actor and sometime singer)*02.May.1999.
1928: Dorothy McGuire (US singer; The McGuire Sisters)*13.Feb.1928.
1927: Buck Hill (US saxophone, jazz musian; guest/SteepleChase/Muse)
1923: Gene Ames (US singer; Ames Brothers)*04.April.1997.
1923: Yfrah Neaman (Lebanese violinist)*04.Jan.2003
1921: Jeanne Demessieux (French organist, pianist, composer)*11.Nov.1968
1920: Eileen Farrell (American opera soprano)*23.March.2002
1920: Boudleaux Bryant (US international pop & country songwriter)*25.June.1987
1919: Tennessee Ernie Ford (US baritone singer, TV presenter)*17.Oct.1991
1919: Chickie Williams/Jessie Wanda Crupe (US singer; solo/Border Riders)*18.Nov.2007.
1916: John Reed (UK actor, singer of Gilbert & Sullivan)*13.Feb.2010.
1907: Katy de la Cruz (Leading Filipino singer)*10.Nov.2004.

February 14th. (St.Valentines Day)
1988: Quentin Mosimann (Swiss singer; winner of Star Academy France 7)
1987: Julia Savicheva (Russian singer)
1985: Miki Yeung (Hong Kong singer, actress)
1985: Heart Evangelista/Love Marie Payawal Ongpauco (Filipina singer, TV and movie actress)
1983: Rhydian Roberts (Welsh singer; second place in UK X Factor 2007).
1981: Erin Torpey (US actress, singer)
1978: Dwele/Andwele Gardner (US R&B, soul singer, record producer)
1977: Donna Cruz (Filipina actress, singer)
1976: Liv Kristine (Norwegian singer; Leaves' Eyes)
1975: Scott Owen (Australian double bassist; The Living End)
1974: Filippa Giordano (Italian singer)
1972: Robert Kelly "Rob" Thomas (US lead vocals; Matchbox 20/solo)
1971: Noriko Sakai (Japanese singer)
1962: Mike Milliner (US vocals; The Pasadenas).
1962: David Milliner (US vocals; The Pasadenas).
1961: Latifa Bint Alayah Al Arfaoui (Tunisian singer)
1960: Jocelyn Pook (UK composer, pianist, viola player)
1959: Renée Fleming (US soprano)
1957: Soile Isokoski (Finnish soprano)
1951: Kenny Hyslop (Scottish drummer, tutor; Slik/Simple Mind)
1950: Roger Fisher (US bass, electric guitar; Heart/Alias/Clever Bastard/solo)
1948: Wally Tax (Dutch vocalist, songwriter, composer; Outsiders/Tax Free/solo)*10.Apr.2005
1947: Tim Buckley (US singer, songwriter)*29.June.1975.
1946: Doug Simril (American multi-musician; Steve Miller/Boz Scraggs/sessionist/freelance)
1945: Vic Briggs (UK multi-musician, arranger; Animals/Dusty Springfield/The Echoes/many others)
1943: Maceo Parker (US saxophonist; The J.B.'s/Parliament/Funkadelic/Bootsy's Rubber Band)
1943: Eric Andersen (US singer-songwriter)
1942: Marcia Pendlebury/Marcia MacConnell (UK singer; Climax Jazz Band/Keith Pendlebury Jazz Quartet).
1941: Big Jim Sullivan/James Tomkins (UK guitarist; Wildcats/Tom Jones/top sessionist)*02.Oct.2012.
1937: Magic Sam/Samuel Gene Maghett (US blues guitarist, singer)*01.Dec.1969
1935: Rob McConnell (Canadian jazz valve trombonist, composer; The Boss Brass)*01.May.2010.
1934: Michel Corboz (Swiss conductor)
1934: Merl Saunders (American multi-genre musician, piano and keyboards)*24.Oct.2008.
1931: Phyllis McGuire (US singer; The McGuire Sisters)
1928: Enzo Toppano (Australian accordionist)*05.Apr.2013
1927: Wyn Morris (Welsh conductor)*23.Feb.2010.
1923: Carmélia Alves (Brazilian singer, the "Queen of Baião)*03.Nov.2012.
1922: Murray “the K” Kaufman (New York disc jockey)*21.Feb.1982.
1899: Lovro von Matacic (Croatian conductor and composer)*04.Jan.1985.

February 15th.
1988: Hironori Kusano (Japanese singer)
1984: Dorota Rabczewska (Polish singer; Virgin)
1983: Ashley Tesoro (US actress, singer)
1981: Matt Hoopes (US lead guitarist, vocals; Relient K)
1981: Olivia Longott (US singer)
1980: Conor Oberst (US singer, songwriter; Bright Eyes)
1978: Kimberly Goss (US singer, keyboards; Sinergy)
1977: Brooks Wackerman (US drummer; Frank Zappa Band/Bad Religion/others)
1974: Tomi Putaansuu (Finnish singer; Lordi)
1976: Brandon Boyd (US vocalist; Incubus).
1976: Ronnie Vannucci (US drummer; The Killers).
1969: Bryan Williams (US record executive, rapper)
1968: Axelle Red (Belgian singer, songwriter)
1967: Jane Child (Canadian dance-pop singer, producer, musician)
1967: Lance Hahn (Hawaii-US guitarist, frontman; Cringer/J Church)*21.Oct.2007.
1960: Mikey Craig (UK bass; Culture Club).
1960: Roman Kostrzewski (Polish heavy metal vocalist, lyricist; Kat/Kat & Roman Kostrzewski)
1959: Ali Campbell (UK vocals, guitar; UB40).
1958: Matthew Ward (US singer, songwriter, author; Second Chapter of Acts)
1957: Jake E. Lee/Jakey Lou Williams (US guitarist, Ozzy Osbourne/Badlands/Wicked Alliance).
1951: Glen Taylor (UK drummer; Marmalade/The Fortunes
1951: Norman Watt-Roy (Indian-British bassist; Blockheads/Wilko Johnson Band).
1951: Melissa Manchester (US singer, songwriter, keyboards; freelance).
1949: Hans Graf (Austrian conductor)
1948: Keith Gemmell (UK nylon-strung electric acoustic guitar, vocalist; Lloyd Alexander/Audience).
1948: Dill Dennink (Dutch guitarist, flute, banjo; The Tee Set)
1947: David Brown (US bass player, song writer; Santana/Boz Scraggs)*09.April.2000.
1947: John Coolidge Adams (US composer)
1947: Glyn Havard (Welsh vocalist, bassist; Unit Four Plus Two/Jade Warrior).
1945: John Helliwell (UK sax player, keyboards; Supertramp).
1944: Mick Avory (UK drums; The Kinks).
1943: Denny Zager (US singer; Zager and Evans).
1941: Brian Holland (US producer, songwriter; Holland-Dozier-Holland/Motown).
1942: Glyn Johns (UK recording engineer, record producer, guitar; The Presidents, IBC Studio).
1939: Dean Rogers (UK lead vocalist; Dean Rogers and the Rebels)
1937: Nathan Davis (US hard bop jazz saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist).
1918: Hank Locklin (US country music singer, member of Grand Ole Opry)*08.March.2009.
1907: Jean Langlais (French composer, organist, improviser)*08.May.1991.
1905: Harold Arlen (US composer of popular music; Over The Rainbow and others)*23.April.1986.
1899: Georges Auric (French film music composer)*23.July.1983.
1893: Walter Donaldson (US popular songwriter)*15.July.1947.
1847: Robert Fuchs (Austrian composer, music teacher)*19.Feb.1927.

February 16th.
1982: Lupe Fiasco (US hip hop artist)
1980: Longineu W. Parsons (drummer; Yellowcard)
1979: Eric Mun (Korean rapper; Shinhwa)
1977: Brad Walst (US bassist; Three Days Grace)
1976: Kyo/Tantric/Tooru Nishimura (Japanese singer; Dir en grey)
1975: Nanase Aikawa (Japanese singer)
1971: Dr. Ragtime/Jack Rose (US guitarist, composer; Pelt/solo)*05.Dec.2009.
1970: Serdar Ortac (Turkish pop-folk singer)
1970: Armand Van Helden (US record producer, DJ, remixer)
1967: Gerald Simpson (UK record producer, keyboards, DJ; A Guy Called Gerald/808 State).
1967: Damon Reece (UK drums; Spiritualized/Lupine Howl)
1965: Dave Lombardo (Cuban-American drummer; Slayer/freelance).
1962: John Balance (UK vocals, lyrics, chants, synthetics; Coil)*13.Nov.2004.
1961: Andy Taylor (UK guitar, Duran Duran/Power Station).
1961: LaGaylia Frazier (American-Swedish singer)
1960: Pete Willis (UK guitarist; Def Leppard)
1958: Ice-T/Tracy Morrow (US rapper)
1956: James Ingram (US singer, keyboards; Revelation Funk/solo)
1955: Ritchie Pickett (New Zealand country singer-songwriter;Think/many bands)*13.March.2011.
1953: Acklee King (US conga player, vocals; Jr. Walker's Allstars)
1950: Kazuki Tomokawa (Japanese acid-folk singer)
1950: Lo Man/Roman Tam (Hong Kong singer)*18.Oct.2002.
1949: Lynn Paul/Lynda Susan Belcher (UK singer; New Seekers)
1946: Marvin Sease (US gospel, then blues singer; Five Gospel Crowns/Gospel Crowns/solo)*08.Feb.2011.
1945: Pete Christlieb (US jazz bebop, West Coast jazz, hard bop tenor saxophonist).
1942: Clive Lea (UK singer; Clive Lea and the Phantoms/Rockin' Berries).
1939: Czeslaw Niemen/Czeslaw Wydrzycki (Polish rock singer, songwriter, multi-musician)*17.Jan.2004.
1938: John Corigliano (US composer)
1935: Salvatore ''Sonny'' Bono (US singer-songwriter, actor, politician; Sonny & Cher/solo)*05.Jan.1998
1934: Harold Kalin (US singer; Kalin Twins)*24.Aug.2005
1934: Herbert Kalin (US singer; Kalin Twins)*21.July.2006
1931: Otis Blackwell (American songwriter, singer, pianist)*06.May.2002.
1925: Carlos Paredes (Portuguese guitarist)*23.July.2004.
1929: Porfi Jiménez (Dominican-Venezuelan trumpet player, arranger, composer, bandleader)*08.June.2010.
1918: Patty Andrews (American singer; youngest of the Andrew Sisters)*30.Jan.2013.
1916: Charlie Fowlkes (American baritone saxophonist; Count Basie/others)*09.Feb.1980.
1916: Bill Doggett (US pianist; own band)*13.Nov.1996
1901: Wayne King (US musician and orchestra leader)*16.July.1985.
1866: Johann Strauss III (Austrian conductor, violinist; Strauss Orchestra)*09.Jan.1939.

February 17th.
1992: Meaghan Jette Martin (US actress, singer)
1991: Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran (UK singer-songwriter).
1983: Kevin Rudolf (US singer-songwriter)
1976: Meyhna'ch/William Roussel (French singer, songwriter, guitar; Mütiilation)
1975: Wish Bone/Charles Scruggs (American rapper; Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)
1975: Harisu/Lee Kyung-eun (South Korean singer, model, actress)
1974: Bryan White (US country singer)
1974: Kaoru (Japanese guitarist; Dir en grey/La:Sadie's/Charm)
1972: Taylor Hawkins (US drummer, Foo Fighters)
1972: Billie Joe Armstrong (US guitarist, vocalist; Green Day)
1972: Yuki Isoya (Japanese singer; Judy and Mary)
1972: Lars Göran 'LG' Petrov (Swedish singer; Entombed)
1971: Martyn Bennett (Scottish musician; bagpipes, fiddle, whistle, piano)*30.Jan.2005.
1970: Timothy Mahoney (guitar; 311)
1967: Chanté Moore (US rhythm & blues singer)
1966: Quorthon/Ace Börje Forsberg (Swedish bassist, songwriter; Bathory)*03.June.2004
1966: Melissa Brooke-Bellard (US singer; Voice Of The Beehive)
1966: Michael Lepond (US bass guitarist; Symphony X)
1962: David McComb (Australian singer, guitarist, songwriter; The Triffids)*02.Feb.1999
1957: Loreena McKennitt (Canadian folk singer, harpist, pianist)
1952: Bruce Ruffin/Bernardo Constantine Valderama(singer, Dragonaires/Techniques/solo)
1949: Fred Frith (UK multi-instrumentalist, composer, improvisor; Henry Cow/others).
1949: Doyle Bramhall (US drummer, singer-s.writer;Chessmen/Nightcrawlers/Texas Storm/solo)*12.Nov.2011.
1949: Fred Frith (UK keyboardist, violin, guitar, bass; freelance)
1948: José José/José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz (Mexican singer, actor)
1946: Dodie Stevens (US singer)
1944: Karl Jenkins (Welsh composer)
1940: Gene Pitney (US singer)*05.Apr.2006
1939: John Leyton (UK singer, actor; solo/Solid Gold Rock 'n' Roll Show)
1933: Bobby Lewis (US rock 'n' roll - R&B singer)
1933: Spike Heatley (UK jazz bassist; John Dankworth/Ronnie Scott/Rod Stewart/many others)
1928: Marta Romero (Puerto Rican actress, singer)
1926: Lee Hoiby (US composer)*28.March.2011.
1925: Ron Goodwin (UK composer, conductor; film scores)*08.Jan.2003.
1922: Tommy Edwards (US vocalist, pianist, composer)*22.Oct.1969
1911: Orrin Tucker (US bandleader, composer)*09.April.2011.
1905: Orwill "Hoppy" Jones (US bass singer, cello player; Ink Spots)*18.Oct.1944
1887: Leevi Antti Madetoja (Finnish composer)*06.Oct.1947.

February 18th.
1991: Malese Jow (US actress, singer)
1988: Max/Shim Changmin (South Korean singer; TVXQ)
1986: Sam Applebaum (US drummer; Veil of Maya)
1982: Juelz Santana (US rapper)
1981: Buddy Nielsen (US singer; Senses Fail)
1980: Regina Spektor (Russian born singer, songwriter)
1977: Sean Watkins (US guitarist, songwriter)
1975: Simon Kvamm (Danish singer, comedian)
1971: Merritt Gant (US thrash metal guitarist; Overkill)
1970: Raine Maida (Canadian singer, guitar; Our Lady Peace)
1970: Jez Williams (UK guitarist; Doves).
1970: Andy Williams (UK drummer, vocals; Dove).
1969: Jason Sutter (US drummer; Smash Mouth, American Hi-Fi)
1968: Tommy Scott (UK guitarist, vocals, songwriter; Space)
1965: Dr. Dre/Andre Young (US rap artist; NWA)
1964: Paul Hanley (UK drummer; The Fall/Tom Hingley and the Lovers)
1961: Hironobu Kageyama (Japanese singer).
1961: Jasper Stainthorpe (UK bassist; Then Jerico, sessionist)
1958: Gary C. "Gar" Samuelson (US drummer; Megadeth/Fatal Opera)*22.July.1999
1956: Ted Gärdestad (Swedish singer, songwriter)*22.June.1997
1955: Brian James/Brian Robertson (UK guitar; The Damned/others)
1954: John Travolta (US actor, singer, director)
1953: Robin Bachman (Canadian drummer, Bachman Turner Overdrive)
1953: Derek Pellicci (drummer; Little River Band)
1952: Randy Crawford (US female singer; Crusaders/solo)
1952: Juice Newton/Judy Kay Newton (country singer, guitar)
1951: Pance Pondaag (Indonesian pop singer and songwriter)*03.June.2010.
1948: Keith Knudsen (US drummer; Doobie Brothers)*08.Feb.2005.
1947: Dennis DeYoung (keyboards - STYX/solo)
1944: Gerry Levene/Michael Gibbs (UK vocalist, guitarist; Virtures/Avengers/M & B Five)*20.Dec.2011.
1945: Jimmy Jewel (UK tenor saxophone; Gallagher & Lyle, solo, top sessionist)
1943: Denny Zager (US singer, guitarist; Zager and Evans).
1941: David Blue (US folk singer)*02.Dec.1982.
1941: Irma Thomas (US singer)
1941: Herman Santiago (Puerto Rico singer, songwriter; Premiers/Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers)
1940: Fabrizio de André (Italian singer-songwriter, guitarist)*11.Jan.1999.
1939: Marek Janowski (Polish-born conductor)
1935: Boško Petrovic (Croatian vibraphonist, music producer; Zagreb Jazz Quartet)*10.Jan.2011.
1934: Clyde "Skip" Battin (US bassist; Skip & Flip/Flying Burrito Brothers/Byrds)*06.July.2003
1933: Yoko Ono (Japenese singer, poet, composer, John Lennon's wife)
1929: André Mathieu (Canadian pianist, composer)*02 June 1968.
1928: Harold Land (US tenor bop saxophonist)*27.July.2001.
1926: Rita Gorr/Marguerite Geirnaert (Belgian opera singer)*22.Jan.2012.
1921: Oscar Feltsman (Russian composer)*03.Feb.2013.
1914: Pee Wee King/Julius Frank Kuczynski (US country singer-songwriter)*16.Aug.1999.
1907: Marjorie Lawrence (Australian international soprano)*13.Jan.1979.

February 19th.
1986: Maria Mena (Norwegian singer)
1986: Judith Bingham (US singer, songwriter)
1985: Haylie Duff (American singer, actress)
1983: Mika Nakashima (Japanese singer, actress)
1981: Beth Ditto/Mary Beth Patterson (US singer; The Gossip)
1981: Vitas/Vitalii Vladasovich Grachyov (Russian singer)
1979: Mariska/Anna Maria Rahikainen (Finnish rapper)
1979: Mariana Ochoa (Mexican singer, actress)
1978: Immortal Technique/Felipe Coronel (American rapper)
1977: Ola Salo (Swedish singer; The Ark)
1975: Daniel Adair (Canadian drummer; Nickelback)
1975: Katja Schuurman (Dutch actress, singer)
1971: Gil Shaham (Israeli-born American violinist)
1971: Keith Baxter (British drummer; Skyclad/3 Colours Red/Elevation)*04.Jan.2008.
1969: Burton C. Bell (US vocalist)
1968: Stochelo Rosenberg (Dutch Sinti-Gypsy jazz guitarist; The Rosenburg Trio)
1965: Leroy Miller (US guitarist, singer; Smash Mouth)
1965: Jon Fishman (US drummer; Phish)
1965: Kate Radley (UK keyboardist; Spiritualized)
1964: Doug Aldrich (US rock guitarist; Whitesnake/solo/many bands)
1963: Seal/Sealhenry Samuel (UK solo singer)
1962: Franky Gee/Francisco Alejandro Gutierrez (Cuban-US singer; Captain Jack)*22.Oct.2005.
1958: William Galison (US jazz guitarist, harmonica player)
1957: Falco/Johann Hölzl (Austrian pop-rock singer, rapper, bassist)*06.Feb.1998.
1956: Dave Wakeling (UK vocals, guitar; The Beat, General Public)
1950: Andy Powell (UK guitar, vocals; Wishbone Ash)
1950: Juhani "Juice" Leskinen (Finnish singer-songwriter)*24.Nov.2006.
1949: Eddie Hardin (US keyboards; Spencer Davis Group/others)
1948: Tony Iommi (UK guitar; Black Sabbath)
1948: Mark Andes (US bassist; Canned Heat/ Spirit/Firefall/Heart)
1946: Pierre van der Linden (Dutch drums; Focus)
1946: Paul Dean (Canadian guitarist; Loverboy)
1943: Lou Christie (US singer)
1940: Smokey Robinson/William Robinson (US singer, songwriter, producer; Miracles)
1940: Bobby Rogers (American singer, songriter; Miracles)*03.March.2013.
1939: Bobby Hart (US songwriter best known for The Monkees songs; Boyce & Hart)
1938: Bubi Chen (Indonesian jazz pianist)*16.Feb.2012.
1937: Robert "Bilbo" Walker Jr (US blues guitarist)
1936: Sam Myers (US vocals, drums, harmonica, songwriter)*17.July.2006
1924: Lee Marvin (US actor, singer)*29.Aug.1987.
1912: Saul Chaplin (American composer and musical director)*15.Nov.1997.
1843: Adelina Patti (Spanish operatic soprano)*27.Sept.1919.

February 20th.
1988: Rihanna/Robyn Rihanna Fenty (Barbadian musician)
1985: Yulia Volkova (Russian singer; t.A.T.u.)
1981: Chris Thile (American mandolinist)
1977: Amal Hijazi (Lebanese singer, model)
1976: Ed Graham (UK drums; Darkness)
1975: Brian Littrell (US singer; Backstreet Boys)
1972: K-OS/Kheaven Brereton (Canadian singer, piano, guitar; rapper)
1972: Neil Primrose (Scottish drummer; Travis)
1967: Kurt Cobain (US singer, songwriter, guitarist; Nirvana)*05.Apr.1994
1964: Jonny Dollar/Jonny Sharp (British music producer and helped in inventing trip-hop)*29.May.2009.
1963: Ian Brown (UK vocals, Stone Roses)
1960: Kee Marcello/Kjell Hilding Lövbom (Swedish guitarist; Easy Action/Europe/K2/solo).
1960: Robert Boustead (UK bassist; King Kurt)
1960: Mark Reilly (UK vocalist; Matt Bianco)
1959: Elfa Secioria (Indonesian jazz pianist, composer, arranger, teacher)*08.Jan.2011.
1954: Bryan Gregory (US founding member, guitarist; The Cramps)*10.Jan.2001.
1954: Jon Brant (US bassist, 12-string bassist; Cheap Trick/freelance)
1953: Riccardo Chailly (Italian conductor)
1953: Poison Ivy/Kristy Wallace (US singer, guitarist; The Cramps)
1951: Randy California/Randy Craig Wolfe (guitar, singer, writer; Spirit)*03.Jan.1997
1950: Tony Howard Wilson (UK owner of Factory Records, radio & TV presenter)*10.Aug.2007.
1950: Walter Becker (US bass, guitar, vocals; Steely Dan)
1946: Richard Cocciante (French-Italian singer, songwriter)
1946: Sandy Duncan (US singer and actress)
1946: Jerome Geils (US guitar; The J. Geils Band)
1945: Alan Hull (UK guitarist, keyboards, singer, songwriter; Lindisfarne)*17.Nov.1995
1944: Lew Soloff (US trumpet; Blood, Sweat & Tears/freelance)
1943: Carlos/Jean Chrysostome Dolto (French chart hitting singer)*17.Jan.2008.
1943: Moshe Cotel (US composer, pianist)*24.Oct.2008.
1942: Charlie Gillett (British radio DJ)*17.March.2010.
1941: Buffy Sainte-Marie/Beverly Sainte-Marie (Canadian folk singer, songwriter)
1940: Barbara Ellis (singer; Fleetwoods)
1937: Nancy Wilson (US jazz and vocal singer)
1937: Joop Stokkermans (Dutch composer)*25.Oct.2012.
1927: Ibrahim Ferrer (Cuban singer)*06.Aug.2005
1923: Bill Grundy (UK TV presenter & host)*09.Feb.1993
1898: Jimmy Yancey (US pianist)*17.Sept.1951.
1898: Levko Revutsky (Ukrainian composer, teacher, activist)*30.March.1977.
1874: Mary Garden (Scottish soprano operatic singer)*03.Jan.1967.

February 21st.
1989: Corbin Bleu/Corbin Bleu Reivers (US actor, singer)
1986: Charlotte Church (Welsh singer-songwriter, actress, TV presenter)
1982: Chantal Claret (US lead singer, songwriter; Morningwood).
1980: Tiziano Ferro (Italian singer).
1973: Justin Sane (US punk singer, guitarist; Anti-Flag)
1973: Heri Joensen (Faroese singer, guitarist; Týr)
1973: Bowie Tsang (Taiwanese singer, TV host)
1973: Tad Kinchla (US bassist, Blues Traveler).
1972: Seo Taiji/Jeong Hyeon-cheol (Korean singer; Sinawe/Seo Tai-ji & Boys)
1971: Randell "Randy" Blythe (US singer; Lamb of God/Halo of Locusts).
1969: Corey Harris (US blues and reggae singer-songwriter, guitarist)
1969: Eric Wilson (US bassist; Sublime/Long Beach Dub Allstars)
1969: James Dean Bradfield (Welsh guitarist, vocalist; Manic Street Preachers)
1967: Michael Ward (US guitar; Wallflowers)
1962: Mark Arm/Mark McLaughlin (US vocals, guitar, organ; Green River/Mudhoney)
1961: Ranking Roger/Roger Charlery (UK vocals; General Public/The English Beat)
1960: Steve Wynn (US singer)
1959: José María Cano (Spanish singer, songwriter; Mecano)
1958: Mary Chapin-Carpenter (US country singer)
1958: Jake Burns (Irish singer)
1956: Lester Hunt (US guitar, bass, keyboards; Climax Blues Band).
1954: Mike Pickering (English disc jockey, saxophonist, singer)
1952: Jean-Jacques Burnel (UK bassist, vocals; Stranglers)
1951: Vince Welnick (US keyboardist; Tubes/Grateful Dead/Missing Man Formation)*02.June.2006
1949: Jerry Harrison (US keyboards, guitar; Talking Heads)
1947: Johnny Echols (US singer/songwriter, guitarist; top sessionist)
1945: D'Anna Fortunato (American mezzo-soprano)
1945: Paul Newton (UK bassist; Uriah Heep)
1943: David Geffen (US record label boss /Asylum Records)
1940: James Wong Jim/Uncle Jim/Wong Jum-sum (Hong Kong lyricist, writer, TV host)*24.Nov.2004.
1938: Bobby Charles/Robert Charles Guidry (US singer, songwriter)*14.Jan.2010.
1937: Graham Collier (English jazz bassist, bandleader, composer)*10.Sept.2011.
1934: Gerre Hancock (US organist, improviser, composer)*21.Jan.2012.
1933: Nina Simone/Eunice Kathleen Waymon (US singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger)*21.April.2003.
1927: Pierre Mercure (French-Canadian musician, composer)*29.Jan.1966.
1926: Ronnie Verrell (UK jazz drummer; Ted Heath Orch/Syd Lawrence Orch)*22.Feb.2002.
1924: Jantje Koopmans/Johannes Petrus van Eersel (Dutch singer)*17.March.2013.
1922: Zvi Zeitlin (Belorussian-born American classical violinist)*02.May.2012.
1917: Tadley Ewing "Tadd" Dameron (US jazz composer, arranger, pianist)*08.March.1965.
1893: Andres Segovia (Spanish classical guitarist)*02.June.1987.
1881: James Reese Europe (US ragtime, early jazz bandleader, arranger, composer)*09.May.1919.

February 22nd.
1989: Anna Sundstrand (Swedish singer; Play)
1981: Jeanette Biedermann (German pop singer)
1980: Kang Sung Hoon (South Korean singer; Sechs Kies)
1978: Jenny Frost (UK singer, presenter, model, DJ; Atomic Kitten)
1974: Chris Moyles (UK DJ, comedy singer)
1974: James Blunt/James Hillier Blount (UK singer, guitarist, songwriter)
1973: Scott "Flip" Phillips (US drummer, multi-musician;Alter Bridge, Creed).
1971: Lea Salonga (Filipina actress, singer)
1968: Bradley Nowell (US lead singer, guitarist; Sublime)*25.May.1996.
1968: Nasrat Parsa (Afghani singer)*08.May.2005.
1966: Scott Lerner (US bassist; freelace).
1963: Rob Lambert (UK saxophone; Roman Holliday/others)
1961: Akira Takasaki (Japanese guitarist; Lazy/Loudness).
1955: Gordon Banks (US guitarist, writer, musical director; Marvin Gaye/Stevie Wonder/others).
1953: Nigel Planer (UK actor, singer)
1953: Graham Lewis (UK bassist; Cupol/Wire)
1953: John B. "Sparko" Sparks (UK bassist; Dr Feelgood)
1950: Lenny Kuhr (Dutch singer)
1950: Genesis P-Orridge/Neil Andrew Megson (UK singer-songwriter, performer)
1947: Harvey Mason (US jazz drummer; freelance/sessions)
1947: Maurizio De Angelis (Italian singer. musician; The De Angelis Brothers)
1945: Oliver/William Oliver Swofford (US pop singer)*12.Feb.2000.
1943: Louise Lopez (Virgin Island singer, songwriter; Odyssey)
1943: Mick Green (UK guitarist; Shanghai/The Dakotas/The Pirates)*11.Jan.2010.
1938: Bobby Hendricks (US tenor vocalist; The Drifters)
1936: Ernie K-Doe/Ernest Kador Jr (New Orlean's R&B singer, drummer)*05.July.2001
1932: Gordon "Whitey" Mitchell (American jazz musician and comedy writer)*16.Jan.2009.
1930: Marni Nixon (US singer).
1923: Norman "Hurricane" Smith (UK singer, record engineer, record producer)*03.March.2008.
1913: Buddy Tate/George Holmes Tate (US jazz saxophone player)*10.Feb.2001.
1903: Robert Weede/Robert Wiedefeld (US operatic baritone)*09.July.1972.
1896: Nacio Herb Brown (US songwriter, movie scores, Broadway theatre)*28.Sept.1964.
1881: James Reese Europe (US arranger, bandleader, composer)*10.May.1919.

February 23th.
1986: Ola Svensson (Swedish pop singer)
1986: Holly Brook (US multi-instrumental singer-songwriter)
1986: Kazuya Kamenashi (Japanese singer–songwriter, actor, TV personality; KAT-TUN)
1979: D-Roc/Deongelo Holmes (US crunk hip-hop artist; Ying Yang Twins).
1978: Residente/René Pérez (Puerto Rican lead singer, writer; Calle 13).
1975: Robert Lopez (US award winning composer, lyricist)
1974: Leko/?? (American DJ, remixer, record producer)
1974: Jaime Villarreal (Mexican guitarist, bassist, singer)
1973: Lars-Olof Johansson (Swedish keyboardist; The Cardigans)
1972: Steve Holy (American country singer).
1971: Jeff Beres (US bassist; Sister Hazel)
1967: Chris Vrenna (US multi-musician, producer, engineer; Nine Inch Nails/Tweaker/ Marilyn Manson).
1966: Mark Abrahamian (US lead guitarist; Starship)*02.Sept.2012.
1964: John Norum (Norwegian guitarist; Europe)
1963: Robert Collins (UK keyboardist; Charlatans UK)*22.July.1996.
1962: Michael Wilton (US guitar; Queensrÿche)
1961: Kelly Hansen (US drummer; Summer Lights)
1958: David Sylvian/David Alan Batt (UK vocalist; solo/Japan)
1957: Maria "Ria" Brieffies (Dutch singer; Dolly Dots)*20.July.2009.
1955: Zeke Manyika (Zimbabwean drummer; Orange Juice)
1955: Howard Jones (UK singer, songwriter, keyboards, synthesizer, piano)
1953: Kenny Bee (Hong Kong actor, musician, singer)
1953: Nils Stevenson (UK manager of Siouxsie & the Banshees/Sex Pistols tour manager)*20.Sept.2002.
1952: Brad Whitford (US guitarist; Aerosmith)
1949: Terry "Tex" Comer (UK bassist; Ace).
1948: Stephen Norman ''Steve'' Priest (UK bassist, keyboards, vocals; The Sweetshop/Sweet).
1948: Sugar Lee Hooper/Marja van der Toorn (Dutch party singer)*04.April.2010.
1946: Rusty Young (US pedal steel, slide guitarist, guitarist; The Ides of March/Poco)
1945: John Halsey aka The Admiral (UK drummer, vocalist; Patto/The Rutles/others).
1945: Tommy Moeller (UK lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist; Unit Four/Unit Four Plus Two/Bill & Buster).
1944: Johnny Winter (US guitarist, slide guitar, vocals)
1944: Mike Maxfield (UK lead guitarist; Dakotas)
1941: Barry Martyn/Barry Godfrey (UK drummer, band leader; Legends of Jazz/Camelia Jazz Orch)
1939: Esteban “Steve” Jordan (US conjunto accordionist legend, pioneer)*13.Aug.2010.
1934: Augusto Algueró (Spanish composer, conductor)*16.Jan.2011.
1927: Régine Crespin (French operatic soprano)*05.July.2007
1649: John Blow (US composer and organist of Westminster Abbey)*01.Oct.1708.

February 26th.
1986: Crystal Kay Williams (Japanese singer)
1986: Juliet Simms (US guitarist, singer; Automatic Loveletter)
1985: Miki Fujimoto (Japanese singer; Morning Musume/solo)
1984: Natalia Lafourcade Silva (Mexican singer)
1980: Alex Fong Lik-sun (Hong Kong singer)
1979: Shalim Ortiz Goyco (Puerto Rican singer/actor)
1979: Corinne Bailey Rae (English singer-songwriter and guitarist).
1976: Chad Urmston (US guitarist, multi-musician; Hermit Thrush/Dispatch/State Radio)
1972: Jonathan "Jonny" Quinn (Northern Irish drummer; Snow Patrol).
1971: Erykah Badu/Erica Wright (US female R&B singer)
1971: Max Martin (Swedish composer, producer)
1971: Hélène Ségara (French singer)
1969: Hitoshi Sakimoto (Japanese composer)
1969: Timothy Brown (UK bassist; Boo Radleys)
1968: Tim Commerford (US bass player, vocalist; Rage Against the Machine)
1966: Najwa Karam (Lebanese singer)
1962: Gota Yashiki (Japanese drummer; Mute Beat/Simply Red/Vitamin-Q/others/sessions).
1961: John Jon/John Foster (UK vocals; Bronski Beat)
1960: Jeremy "Jaz" Coleman (UK singer, keyboards; Anne Dudley-Jaz Coleman, Killing Joke)
1960: Steve Grant (UK drummmer; Tight Fit)
1956: Keisuke Kuwata (Japanese singer)
1953: Michael Bolton (US singer)
1950: Jonathan Cain (US keyboards, vocals; Journey/the Babys/Bad English/solo)
1949: Emma Kirkby (UK singer)
1947: Sandie Shaw (UK singer)
1945: Bob "The Bear" Hite (US lead vocals, harmonica; Canned Heat)*05.Apr.1981
1945: Mitch Ryder/William Levise Jr (UK singer; The Detroit Wheels)
1944: Nigel Ian Norman Snook (UK banjo player; Unit 4+2's single "The Green Fields")*05.Nov.2007.
1943: Paul Cotton (US guitarist; Poco)
1939: Trevor Watts (UK sax, flute, composer; Spontaneous Music Ensemble/many others).
1937: Hagood Hardy (Canadian composer, pianist, vibraphonist)*01.Jan.1997.
1932: Johnny Cash (US singer, guitar)*12.Sept.2003
1930: Lazar Berman (Russian pianist)*06.Feb.2005
1928: Antoine "Fats" Domino (US singer, pianist, bandleader, songwriter)
1928: Monique Leyrac (French Canadian singer, actress)
1921: Betty Hutton (US actress, singer)*12.March.2007.
1916: Jackie Gleason (US singer, actor, TV host)*24.June.1987.
1879: Frank Bridge (UK composer, viola player; English String Quartet)*10.Jan.1941.

February 27th.
1984: Antti Tuisku (Finnish singer)
1981: Evi Goffin (Belgian singer)
1981: Josh Groban (US singer)
1980: Bobby Wilson aka Bobby V (US singer) not to be confused with Bobby Vee
1973: Ali Tabatabaee (Iranian rapper: Zebrahead)
1973: Peter Andre/Peter James Andrea (Anglo-Greece Cypriot singer)
1972: Jeremy Dean (US keyboard; Nine Days)
1971: Chilli/Rozonda Thomas (US R&B singer; TLC).
1970: Patricia Petibon (French opera singer)
1969: Brad Vander Ark (US bass player; The Verve Pipe)
1965: Frank Peter Zimmermann (German violinist)
1965: David Boulter (UK keyboards, percussion; Tindersticks).
1964: Derek McKenzie (Scottish musician; Shamen)
1964: Ewan Vernal (Scottish bassist; Deacon Blue)
1963: Nasty Suicide/Jan Stenfors (Finnish rhythm guitar; Hanoi Rocks)
1960: Paul David Humphreys (UK synthesisers; Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)
1959: Johnny Van Zant (US singer; Lynyrd Skynyrd)
1959: Akira Jimbo (Japanese drummer; Casiopea/solo/guest).
1958: Takayoshi Matsunaga (Japanese bassist; Mute Beat/sessionist/other bands)*12.July.2012.
1958: Nancy Spungen (American girlfriend of Sex Pistol's Sid Vicious)*12.Oct.1978.
1957: Adrian Smith (UK guitarist; Iron Maiden)
1955: Sleazy/Peter Christopherson (UK musician, video director; Throbbing Gristle/others)*25.Nov.2010.
1955: Garry Christian (UK lead vocalist; The Christians)
1954: Neal Schon (US guitarist; Journey/Santana/Bad English/freelance)
1951: Steve Harley (UK singer, synthesizer; Cockney Rebel)
1950: Robert Balderrama (US guitarist; Question Mark & The Mysterians)
1948: Eddie Gray (US guitarist; Tommy James & Shondells)
1947: Gidon Kremer (Latvian violinist)
1945: Lee Harper (US jazz trumpeter)*10.Nov.2010.
1945: Carl Anderson (US singer, actor)*23.Feb.2004
1943: Morten Lauridsen (US composer)
1940: John Bertram ''Jackie'' Lynton (UK singer)
1938: Jake Thackray (UK singer-songwriter, guitarist, poet, journalist)*24.Dec.2002
1937: David Ackles (American singer songwriter)*02.March.1999.
1935: Mirella Freni (Italian soprano)
1927: Guy Mitchell/Albert George Cernik (US pop singer)*01.July.1999.
1925: Marin Constantin (Romanian musician, conductor, composer)*01.Jan.2011.
1923: Dexter "Long Tall Dexter" Gordon (US saxophone virtuoso)*25.April.1990
1923: Chuck Wayne (US jazz guitarist; many bands/sessions)*29.July.1997.
1916: Braxton Schuffert (US guitarist, radio DJ; Hank Williams' Driftin' Cowboys)*26.April.2013.
1909: Harrison Verrett (US banjo, guitar, piano; New Orleans Jazzman/Fats Domino)*??.Oct.1965.
1907: Mildred Bailey/Mildred Rinker (US jazz singer)*12.Dec.1951.
1890: Freddie Keppard (US jazz cornetist)*15.July.1933.
1888: Lotte Lehmann (German soprano opera & actress singer)*26.Aug.1976

February 28th.
1988: Markéta Irglová (Czech songwriter and actress)
1985: Fefe Dobson (Canadian singer)
1984: Ben Fagan (US musician, reality show contestant)
1978: Jeanne Cherhal (French singer-songwriter)
1977: Jason Aldean (US country music singer)
1972: Danny McCormack (UK bassist, singer: The Yo-Yos/Wildhearts/solo)
1971: Junya Nakano (Japanese composer)
1969: Patrick "Pat" Monahan (US singer, percussion, saxophone; Train)
1967: Marcus Lillington (UK guitarist, keyboards; Breathe)
1964: Fernando del Valle (American tenor)
1961: René Simard (French Canadian singer, TV host)
1958: Jeanne Mas (French singer, actress)
1957: Early B/Earlando Arrington Neil (Jamaican reggae deejay).
1957: Paul Delph (US singer, songwriter, producer, engineer, studio musician)*21.May.1996.
1957: Cindy Wilson (US singer; The B-52's)
1957: Ian Stanley (UK keyboards, writer, producer; Tears For Fears)
1957: Phil Gould (UK drummer; Level 42)
1952: William Finn (US composer)
1952: Eddie Manion (US baritone sax; Sthside Johnny-Asbury Jukes/freelance/Seeger Sessions Band)
1951: Clifford L Moore (US 1st tenor lead vocals; Eric & the Vikings aka The Vikings aka Motown Vikings)
1950: Azam Khan (Bangladeshi pop singer; Uchcharon)*05.June.2011.
1949: Arthur 'T-Boy' Ross (US songwriter with Motown; brother of Diana Ross)*30.May.1996.
1948: Bernadette Peters/Bernadette Lazzara (US actress, singer, author)
1946: Ludwig Hirsch (Austrian singer/songwriter and actor)*24.Nov.2011.
1945: Ronnie Rosman (US keyboardist; Shondells)
1943: Barbara Acklin (US soul singer)*27.Nov.1998.
1943: Charles Bernstein (US composer)
1942: Brian Jones (UK guitar, multi-musician; founder/leader of the Rolling Stones)*03.July.1969
1941: Marty Sanders (US singer; Jay and the Americans/solo)
1940: Joe South/Joseph Souter (US singer, songwriter, guitar; freelance/solo)*05.Sept.2012.
1940: Johnny Rocco/Graham Hodgson (UK drums, vocals; Johnny Rocco+Jets/Frank Knight+Barrons)
1939: Tommy Tune (International director, choreographer, dancer)
1939: Trinh Cong Son (Vietnamese composer, musician, painter, songwriter)*01.April.2001.
1934: Giorgio Gomelsky (Georgian born manager, producer; The Rolling Stones/The Yardbirds/others).
1929: Joseph Rouleau (French Canadian bass opera singer)
1927: Don Helms (American steel guitarist; Hank Williams' Drifting Cowboys group)*11.Aug.2008.
1923: Donal Henahan (US music critic, journalist)*19.Aug.2012.
1923: Rudolf Pellar (Czech actor, singer, teacher, translator)*04.Sept.2010.
1920: Ben Kynard (US jazz saxophone player, songwriter; Lionel Hampton)*05.July.2012.
1916: Svend Asmussen (Danish jazz violinist)
1882: Geraldine Farrar (US soprano)*11.March.1967.
1878: Artur Kapp (Estonian composer)*14.Jan.1952.

February 29th.
(A person born on February 29th is called a "leapling")
1980: Chris Conley (US singer-songwriter, guitarist; Two Tongues/Saves The Day)
1980: Justin Meacham (US bassist; Avenged Sevenfold)
1976: Ja Rule/Jeffrey Atkins (US rapper)
1972: Saul Williams (US rapper, poet, actor)
1972: Dave Williams (US singer; Drowning Pool)*14.Aug.2002.
1968: Rust Epique/Charles Lopez (US guitarist, painter; Crazy Town and pre-Thing)*09.March.2004.
1964: Martin France (UK jazz drummer; Loose Tubes/sessionist)
1964: Mervyn Warren (US film & TV composer, pianist, singer))
1960: Ian McKenzie Anderson (UK DJ, producer, composer)
1960: Khaled Hadj Brahim (Algerian raï singer, multi-musician)
1948: Richie Cole (US alto saxophonist; The Alto Madness Orchestra)
1940: Gretchen Christopher (US singer; The Fleetwoods)
1940: Paul Rutherford (UK avante-garde jazz trombonist; Iskra 1912/freelance)*05.Aug.2007.
1932: Reri Grist (African-American coloratura soprano)
1928: Tempest Storm/Annie Blanche Banks (US burlesque performer)
1920: Ivan Petrov/Ivan Krauze (Russian operatic bass)*26.Dec.2003.
1916: Dinah Shore/Frances Rose Shore (US singer, actress)*24.Feb.1994.
1904: Jimmy Dorsey (US jazz reed player; band co-leader/big band leader)*12.June.1957

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LOST THIS MONTH

February 1st.
1968: John R. Shell (20) Anglo-American guitarist and bass guitarist born in Arkansas; his mum, Mary, was a GI bride who returned to Liverpool with John when he was just two years old. In October of 1963, John together with his friends guitarist-singer Ozzie Yue and drummer John Donaldson formed the pop group The Hideaways. Frankie Connor joined three months later, followed by Judd Lander on harmonica. The band flourished in the mid-1960s as part of the Merseybeat era, and played at The Cavern Club over 250 times, more frequently than The Beatles. Still holding American citizenship, John’s conscience was stirred by the US conflict in Vietnam and volunteered. (tragically John was killed in action just one month after taking up his post as a private with the American Ist Infantry Division) b. April 9th 1947.
1971: Harry Roy/Harry Lipman (71) British singer, swing clarinetist, bandleader; best remembered for having led a popular swing band in England and throughout portions of the British Empire during the 1930s. He and his brother Syd formed a band which they called The Darnswells. When the Original Dixieland Jazz Band left the Hammersmith Palais, they were replaced by the Roy Brothers Original Lyrical Five. They again changed name, becoming the Original Crichton Lyricals. At times, the band recorded as "The Lyricals", "Sid Roy's Crichton Lyricals", and "The Crichton Lyricals". Harry's band was very popular in London where they played all the better spots including the Alhambra; the London Coliseum; Rector's Club; Oddenino's; and the Cavour Restaurant. Harry and his band appeared in the film Everything Is Rhythm and again in the 1936 film Rhythm Racketeer, they also toured South America, the Middle East and other parts of the world. (?) b. January 12nd 1900
1981: Geirr Tveitt (72) One of Norway's most prolific composers and talented pianist, born in Bergen. He won acclaim in continental Europe and elsewhere performing his own compositions. Through the summers in Nordheimsund he got in touch with the rich folk music tradition of the region, and this was to inspire most of his later music. Among his most famous works is the ballet "Baldurs Draumar" /Balder's dreams from 1938. The theme is from the saga about the god Balder. The score of this ballet was unfortunately lost during the bombing of London during WW II. Other famous music by Tveitt are the songs "Vi skal ikkje sova burt sumanatta" and "So rodde dei fjorden" and the first piece of Opus 151 "Vekomne med ære" (?) b. October 19th 1908
1986: Dick James/Reginald Leon Isaac Vapnick (65) English singer, music publisher and founder of the DJM record label and recording studios. He joined the Henry Hall band, and made first radio broadcast in 1940. After World War II he continued to sing with top post-war bands, including Geraldo's, and was a part time member of The Stargazers, a popular early 1950s vocal group. He was the singer of the Robin Hood and The Buccaneers theme songs, "Robin Hood" and "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" from 1950s British TV, and was a friend and associate of renowned record producer George Martin. Dick entered the music publishing business in early 1963, he was contacted by Brian Epstein who was looking for a publisher for the second Beatles single Please Please Me. He originally established Northern Songs Ltd., with John Lennon and Paul McCartney, to publish Lennon and McCartney's original songs. Dick sold Northern Songs in 1969, without offering the band an opportunity to buy control of the publishing company. He profited handsomely from the sale of Northern Songs, but the Beatles never again had the rights to their own songs. During the 1960s he also handled Billy J. Kramer, Gerry and the Pacemakers and signed Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin as untried unknowns in 1967. In 1969 he formed DJM Records, all of John's early releases up to 1976, were issued on the DJM record label. The label also carried Jasper Carrott, RAH Band and John Inman (sadly died of a heart attack) b. December 12th 1920.
1989: Paul Robi/Paul Irvin Roby (57) American vocalist, born in New Orleans; he went on to become the lead tenor of the L.A group, The Platters in 1954. One of the most successful and romantic vocal groups of the 1950s, Robi stayed with the Platters for the next eleven years, and can be heard on all their many hits, including "Only You", "The Great Pretender", "Twilight Time", "Smoke Gets In Your Eye's" and "Harbour Lights". Along with the Platters, Robi was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. (sadly he died of pancreatic cancer) b. August 20th 1931.
2002: Hildegard Knef (76) German actress, singer, writer, born in the city of Ulm; she enjoyed much success as a singer of German chansons, which she often co-wrote. In America she appeared on Broadway as “Ninotchka” in the Cole Porter musical, Silk Stockings. Hildergard is fondly remembered for the song "Für mich soll's rote Rosen regnen"/"It shall rain red roses for me", she is also well known for her version of the song "Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin" /"I've got a suitcase left in Berlin"), of which she sold more than three million records in total. (breast cancer) b. December 28th 1925.
2003: Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría () Afro-Cuban Latin jazz percussionist born in Havana, Cuba. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard "Afro Blue," recorded by John Coltrane among others. In 1950 he moved to New York where he played with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All Stars, and others. He was an integral figure in the fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms with R&B and soul, paving the way for the boogaloo era of the late 1960s. His 1963 hit rendition of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 () b. April 7th 1917.
2003: Nancy Whiskey/Anne Alexandra Young Wilson (67) Scottish folk singer born in Bridgeton, Glasgow, and best known for her 1957 hit song, "Freight Train". While attending art school in Glasgow, she performed on the local folk club circuit where she met fellow singer and guitarist Jimmie MacGregor who introduced her to blues and hillbilly music. She took her stage name from a Scottish folk song, "Nancy Whisky". She was signed to Topic Records and moved to London in 1955. Although reluctant to surrender her reputation as a solo performer, she was persuaded to join the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group to record Elizabeth Cotten's song "Freight Train". The record made the top five in the UK Singles Chart in 1957, and she also toured the United States with McDevitt’s group. "Freight Train" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. After a second, smaller hit, "Greenback Dollar", Nancy left the group to resume a solo career and marry musician Bob Kelly, who became a member of her backing group, the Teetotallers (?) b. 4 March 4th 1935.
2005: Franco Mannino (80) Italian film composer, pianist, opera director, playwright and novelist, born in Palermo and made his debut as pianist at 16. He conducted the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada between 1982-86, among others. In all he wrote more than 440 compositions including opera, symphonies, ballet, oratorios, chamber music and music for the theatre. In addition wrote music for more than a 100 films by some of the best-known directors of his day, including Luchino Visconti with whom he collaborated many times, including such films as Death in Venice. His 1963 opera Il diavolo in giardino, from a libretto by Visconti based on a Thomas Mann short story, was presented at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo in February. Another of his works, which Visconti directed, was the ballet Mario e il Mago in 1956 (?) b. April 25th 1924.
2007: Gian Carlo Menotti (95) Italian-American composer and librettist; he often referred to himself as an American composer, but kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera Amahl and the Night Visitors among about two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular taste. He won the Pulitzer Prize for two of them, The Consul in 1950 and The Saint of Bleecker Street in 1955 . He founded the noted Festival dei Due Mondi / Festival of the Two Worlds in 1958 and its American counterpart, Spoleto Festival USA, in 1977. In 1986 Gian commenced a Melbourne Spoleto Festival in Australia, which has now become the Melbourne International Arts Festival. In 1984 he was awarded the Kennedy Center Honor for achievement in the arts, and in 1991 he was chosen Musical America's "Musician of the Year" (He died in a hospital in Monte Carlo, where he had a home) b. July 7th 1911
2007: Whitney Lyon Balliett (80) American jazz critic and book reviewer for the New Yorker and was with the journal from 1954 until 2001. Born in Manhattan and raised in Glen Cove, Long Island, he attended Phillips Exeter Academy, where he learned to played drums in a band he summed up as “Baggy Dixieland”; he played summer gigs at a Center Island yacht club. He was drafted into the Army in 1946, interrupting his freshman year at Cornell University, to which he returned to finish his degree in 1951 and where he was a member of The Delta Phi Fraternity, before his job at The New Yorker (sadly died of cancer) b. April 17th 1926.
2009: Lukas Foss (86) German-born American composer, conductor, pianist, and professor born in Berlin. He was a special student of composition with Paul Hindemith at Yale University from 1939-40 and became an American citizen in 1942. Lukas was appointed professor of music at UCLA in 1953, replacing Arnold Schoenberg. While there he founded the Improvisation Chamber Ensemble, which made its Boston debut in 1962 for the Peabody Mason Concert series. He founded the Center for Creative and Performing Arts in 1963 while at the State University of New York at Buffalo. From 1963-70 he was Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1971-88 he was Music Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, from 1981-86, he was conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and was a Professor of Music, Theory, and Composition at Boston University beginning in 1991 (sadly Lucas died of a heart attack) b. August 15th 1922
2011: Sidney Cipriano (46) Brazilian singer with the Sorocaba vocal band Fat Family, as the name suggests, all members are overweight people and are members of the same family. They have released three albums "Fat Family", "Fat Festa" and "Pra Onde For, Me Leve" (sadly died from a cardiac arrest) b. 1955
2012: Anil Mohile (71) Bollywood Music Director and Background Score artist for movies from Devdas, Sarkar to Singham. He arranged music for over 85 films over his long career and composed music for several popular Marathi films such as Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi and Jiwalaga. He also conducted music for Lata Mangeshkar’s live concerts. (sadly died after suffering a massive heart attack) b. 1941
2012: David Peaston (54) American award winning R&B and gospel singer; born in St Louis, Missouri, into a musical family, his mother Martha Bass was one of the Clara Ward Singers and a great gospel performer, while his elder sister Fontella Bass has equally distinguished gospel and soul credits. As a child, David attended and sang at the Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church along with his mother, and his sister. After graduating he worked as a school teacher but, when he was laid off in 1981, he moved to New York City and started working as a background singer on recording sessions including Lester Bowie's 1982...>>>READ MORE<<< (sadly David died after a long and brave battle with diabetes) b. March 13th 1957.
2013: Rudolf Dašek (80) Czech guitarist, he studied at the Prague Conservatory from 1962–1966. While there he formed a trio and became well known as a guest soloist with Karel Velebný’s group SHQ. In 1964 he established a trio which included George Mraz, and from 1967–1968 he played with Ladislav Déczi’s quintet Jazz Cellula. He also joined Gustav Brom’s orchestra and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra. From 1968 to 1970 Dašek was a member of the house band at the Blue Note club in Berlin and played with Lou Bennett’s trio. During this period he accompanied Benny Bailey, Carmell Jones, Tony Scott, Leo Wright, and many others. With Jirí Stivín he worked in the duo Systém Tandem from1971–1975, re-formed 1985, which performed successfully at European festivals. He toured repeatedly with Toto Blanke in an acoustic-guitar duo and he also recorded with Blanke in 1999 (?) b. August 27th 1933.
2013: Cecil Womack aka Zekuumba Zekkariyas (65) American musician and singer-songwriter, born in Cleveland, Ohio. He and his brothers Bobby, Harry, Friendly and Curtis, began as a gospel group appearing on the gospel circuit in the mid 50s where they were seen by Sam Cooke of the Soul Stirrers. As Cooke's protégés they changed their name to The Valentinos and in 1961 began to sing and record for secular audiences, producing hits such as "It's All Over Now" and "Lookin' for a Love". Later in the 60s, Cecil concerntrated more on song writing and production. He provided his then wife, Mary Wells, with several chart successes including "The Doctor" released on Jubille Records. His later songwriting credits include "Love TKO" a major hit for Teddy Pendergrass, "I Just Want To Satisfy You" for The O'Jays, "Love Symphony" for Patti LaBelle, and "New Day" for George Benson. After Cecil divorced Mary Wells in 1977, he went on to marry Sam Cooke's daughter Linda and they formed Womack and Womack. >>> READ MORE <<< (?) b. September 25th 1947.

February 2.
1594: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (67) Italian composer, organist; the most famous sixteenth-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition. He had a vast influence on the development of Roman Catholic church music, and his work can be seen as a summation of Renaissance polyphony. (sadly died in Rome of pleurisy) b. February 3rd 1525.
1979: Sid Vicious/John Simon Ritchie (21) English bassist with the legendary, influencial UK punk band the Sex Pistols. In 2006 he was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Sex Pistols. Born in London his musical career started in 1976 as a member of The Flowers of Romance along with former co-founding member of The Clash, Keith Levene, Palmolive and Viv Albertine. He appeared with Siouxsie and the Banshees, playing drums at their notorious first gig at the 100 Club Punk Festival in London's Oxford Street. According to members of The Damned, Vicious, along with Dave Vanian, was considered for the position of lead singer for The Damned but failed to show up for the audition. The song "Belsen Was a Gas" originates from this band, and was later performed live by the Sex Pistols, as well as Sid Vicious' solo act. He played his first gig with the Pistols on 3 April 1977 at the The Screen On The Green in London. His debut was filmed by Don Letts and appears in Punk Rock Movie. In Nov 1977, Sid met American groupie Nancy Spungen. Both the group and Sid visibly deteriorated during their 1978 American tour. The Pistols broke up in San Francisco after their concert at the Winterland Ballroom on 14 January 1978. With Nancy acting as his "manager", Sid embarked on a solo career during which he performed with musicians including Mick Jones of The Clash, original Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock, Rat Scabies of The Damned and the New York Dolls' Arthur Kane, Jerry Nolan, and Johnny Thunders. He performed the majority of his performances at Max's Kansas City and drew large crowds. His final performances as a solo musician took place at Max's. October 12th 1978, Sid claimed to have awoken from a drugged stupor to find Nancy dead on the bathroom floor of their room in the Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan, New York. She had suffered a single stab wound to her abdomen and appeared to have bled to death. On October 22 1978, ten days after Nancy's death, he attempted suicide by slicing his wrist and subsequently became a patient at Bellevue Hospital. (Sid died of a heroin overdose, most possibly suicide. He had been partying in a New York flat to celebrate his release on $50,000 (£29,412) bail pending his trial for the murder of his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, the previous October. A few days after his cremation, his mother found a suicide note in the pocket of his jacket: "We had a death pact, and I have to keep my half of the bargain. Please bury me next to my baby in my leather jacket, jeans and motorcycle boots. Goodbye") b. May 10th 1957.
1983: Sam Chatmon (86) American Delta blues guitarist, multi-musician and singer; born in Bolton, Mississippi. He started out as a member of his family's string band when he was young. The Chatmon band played rags, ballads, and popular dance tunes. Sam on his own played the banjo, mandolin, and harmonica in addition to the guitar, performing at parties and on street corners throughout Mississippi for small pay and tips. In the 1930s he recorded both with the Mississippi Sheiks, as well as with his brother Lonnie as the Chatman Brothers. Sam moved to Hollandale, Mississippi in the early 1940s and worked on plantations. He was re-discovered in 1960 and started a new chapter of his career as folk-blues artist. In the same year he recorded for the Arhoolie record label. He toured extensively during the 1960s and 1970s. He played many of the largest and best-known folk festivals, including the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife in Washington, D.C. in 1972, the Mariposa Fest in Toronto in 1974, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1976. Sam stayed an active performer and recording artist until his death (?) b. January 10th 1897.
1995: Thomas Hayward/Thomas Albert Tibbett (77) US operatic tenor born in Kansas City, Thomas made his debut with the New York City Opera in 1945, as Edmondo in Manon Lescaut, opposite Dorothy Kirsten in the title role. In 1945 and 1946, he was also seen there as Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana and in The Gypsy Baron. Soon after Thomas made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, as Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette. His more notable roles at the Met included the Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier, Alfred in Die Fledermaus, the name part in Faust, and the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto. His final opera at that theatre was Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca, in 1957. In 1959, he returned to the City Opera, for Die Fledermaus, conducted by Julius Rudel. Through the first half of the 1960s Thomas appeared with companies throughout the United States, and was often heard on the radio and seen on television. He re-located to Dallas, where he began a successful second career as a pedagogue at Southern Methodist University. Among his students were Fernando del Valle, Clifton Forbis, Timothy Jenkins and Gary Lakes.(died in Las Vegas) b. December 1st 1917.
1999: David McComb (36) Australian rock musician born in Perth, he was the singer-songwriter of a prominent Australian post-punk band, The Triffids. He formed the band while still at high school in 1976, first called Dalsy, later known as Blök Music then evolved into The Triffids. Their best known songs are "Wide Open Road"-1986, and "Bury Me Deep in Love"-1987; while their 1986 album, Born Sandy Devotional was featured by SBS television in 2007 on the Great Australian Albums series. and in 2010 it ranked 5th in the book 'The 100 Best Australian Albums'. The Australian Recording Industry Association/ARIA recognised The Triffids' importance on 1 July 2008 when they were inducted into their Hall of Fame. In 1996, he underwent a successful heart transplant, but continued his drinking and drug use (In January 1999 David was driving a car which was involved in a collision. He was hospitalised overnight and released with bruising. A few days later he suddenly died at home, his death was due to heroin toxicity and mild acute rejection of his 1996 heart transplant) b. February 17th 1962.
2002: Remo Paul Palmieri (78) American jazz guitarist born in New York City; in the early 1940s he teamed up with Coleman Hawkins and in 1944 he recorded 'Blues In Nat's Flat', 'These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)', 'A Hundred Years From Today', and 'If I Had You' with The Nat Jaffe Trio. Next in 1945 he recorded with Dizzie Gillespie and Charlie Parker and Red Norvo. His talents as a jazz guitarist and musician were in great demand and during this same period he recorded with Teddy Wilson. Then for health reasons, he took up a staff position at CBS and for more than 27 years he pursued a very successful career as a studio musician working with 100s of musicians and singers including Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Ken Burns, Buddie Rich, Freddy Slack, Pearl Bailey and so many others. In 1977 Remo was invited to perform at the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California. At that festival he and Herb Ellis teamed up for some duet playing and later that year they made the recording Windflower (?) b. March 29th 1923.
2002: Paul Baloff (41) American singer most noted as frontman and founder member of the thrash metal band Exodus fromed in 1981. After leaving Exodus in 1986, he sang in several other such as Heathen, Hirax and Piranha. In 1997, when Exodus decided to reunite, Paul once again sang with the band (sadly Paul suffered a stroke which left him in a coma and he was taken off life support by doctors) b. April 25th 1960.
2003: Lou Harrison (85) American composer born in Portland, Oregon, but moved with his family to a number of locations around the San Francisco Bay Area as a child. He is particularly noted for incorporating elements of the music of non-Western cultures into his work, with a number of pieces written for Javanese style gamelan instruments, including ensembles constructed and tuned by himself and his partner William Colvig. The majority of his works are written in just intonation rather than the more widespread equal temperament. Harrison is one of the most prominent composers to have worked with microtones (He sadly died in Lafayette, Indiana, from a heart attack while on his way to a festival of his music at The Ohio State University) b. May 14th 1917.
2007: Joe Hunter (79) African-American 3 time Grammy winning pianist, born in Jackson, Tennessee known for his recording session work as a pianist in Motown Records' in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers. He served as band director for the band from 1959 until 1964, when he left Motown , ...READ MORE... (sadly died at his Detroit apartment, cause of death is thought to be related to longtime diabetes) b. November 19th 1927.
2007: Billy Henderson (67) American singer and an original member and founder of The Spinners, a soul vocal group. The Spinners were formed in 1954 by five friends in High School while growing up in Royal Oak Township Mi. They had several hits, such as "I'll Be Around" in 1972 and "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love", "Then Came You" with Dionne Warwick and "The Rubberband Man". The Spinners were nominated for six Grammy Awards and they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the second star for a musical group consisting of African-Americans (complications from diabetes) b. August 9th 1939.
2007: Eric von Schmidt (75) American folk/blues singer-songwriter; he was associated with the folk/blues revival of the 1960s and a key part of the East Coast folk music scene that included Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. He was known mostly for his associations with Bob Dylan during the latter's early career. When Dylan travelled to Cambridge, where he met Joan Baez, he crashed with Eric, learned songs from him, and played his first game of croquet stoned. Dylan repaid the hospitality on his first album by crediting "Rick von Schmidt" in the spoken introduction to Baby Let Me Follow You Down, although, in fact, Eric's own version was adapted from Blind Boy Fuller's original. In 1997, he won a Grammy Award for his work on a compilation album entitled Anthology of American Folk Music, Vol. 1-3, and in 2000 he received a lifetime achievement award from the society of music publishers, ASCAP, and was serenaded with his and Tom Rush's What a Mighty Storm (Eric suffered a stroke in 2006, and sadly died seven months later) b. May 28th 1931.
2009: Sunny Skylar/Selig Shaftel (95) American composer, singer, lyricist, and music publisher; as a singer, he appeared with a number of big bands, including those led by Ben Bernie, Paul Whiteman, Abe Lyman, and Vincent Lopez. After the end of the big band era, he continued to sing in nightclubs and theaters until 1952. As a composer and lyricist, Sunny was the last of the great Tin Pan Alley authors, with over 300 songs to his credit, songs he wrote the lyrics and/or music to include 'Amor', 'Besame Mucho', 'And So to Sleep Again', 'Gotta Be This or That', 'Hair of Gold', 'Eyes of Blue', 'There's Fire', 'Love Me with All Your Heart', 'Where There's Smoke', and 'You're Breaking My Heart' just to mention a few (?) b. October 11th 1913.
2010: Nelli Shkolnikova (82) Ukrainian-born Australian violinist and teacher; born in the Ukrainian village of Zolotonosha, at the age of three, she moved with her family to Moscow, at five she entered the Moscow Conservatory, where she studied with Lillia Kossodo and Yuri Yankelevich. Nelli played her first concerto at age eight and won the 1953 Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition in Paris when she was 25. She then embarked on an international performing career, as well as teaching. She appeared in concert in the then Soviet Union, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and USA and became a faculty member at the Gnessin Institute of Music in Moscow. Between 1970 to 1982, she was barred from leaving the Soviet Union. Nelli finally defected to the West in Berlin on 26 November 1982, before settling in Melbourne, Australia, where she continurd to play, record and taught at the Victorian College of the Arts (cancer) b. 1927.
2011: Armando Chin Yong (53) Malaysian opera singer; he received much of his singing education in Rome, Italy and Vienna, Austria., After a performance of Puccini's one-act opera Gianni Schicchi in Teatro la nuova Fenice in Osimo, Italy in 1987, he was hailed by the newspaper Il Messaggero as Italy's most outstanding young tenor. From 1990 to 1992, he was engaged by the Dresden Staatsoper in Germany. Armando was invited to sing in the 1995 Taipei Charity Concert by Mirella Freni and Nicolai Ghiaurov and sang the encore Libiamo ne' lieti calici/Drinking Song from Verdi's opera La traviata with Mirella Freni. In 1996, he was the solo tenor in the Suntory-sponsored grand production of Beethoven's 9th Symphony with a choir of 10,000 voices performed in Osaka, Japan and was the Steersman in the 1997 production of Wagner's Der fliegender Hollaender/The Flying Dutchman in Taipei, Taiwan. He was also Rodolfo in Puccini's La Boheme in a 1997 Taipei production, a role he reprised in 1999. In January 2005, Armando sang in a Chinese-language opera Lei Yu staged in Singapore's Esplanade Concert Hall. He was also the Vice-President of the Yin Qi Christian Choir in Kuala Lumpur (Tragically he died unexpectedly, of a heart attack after collapsing while jogging in Kuala Lumpur) b. 1958

February 3.
1959: Buddy Holly/Charles Hardin Holley (22) American singer, guitarist, songwriter; born in Lubbock, Texas, into a musical family, he learned to play piano, guitar and fiddle as a young boy. During the fall of 1949 he met Bob Montgomery at Hutchinson Junior High School, they teamed up as "Buddy and Bob". Initially influenced by bluegrass music, they sang harmony duets at local clubs and high school talent shows. Buddy turned to rock music after seeing Elvis Presley sing live in Lubbock in early 1955. Later that year, Buddy opened on the same bill with Presley... read more (Along with The Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, he died in a plane crash shortly after take-off from Clear Lake, Iowa. The plane a single-engined Beechcraft Bonanza was hired after his tour bus developed heating problems while travelling to Fargo, North Dakota, for the next show on their Winter Dance Party Tour which Holly had set - covering 24 cities in three weeks, to make money after the break-up of his band, The Crickets, and waiting for money due him from ex-manager Norman Petty) b. September 7th 1936
1959: The Big Bopper/Jiles Perry (28) American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star. Born in Sabine Pass, Texas, he worked part time at Beaumont, Texas radio station KTRM now KZZB. He was hired by the station full-time in '49, so he quit college. Big Bopper, who played guitar, began his musical career as a song writer, George Jones later recorded his "White Lightning", in 1959 and he also wrote "Running Bear" for his friend Johnny Preston, Big Bopper also sang background on "Running Bear", but the recording wasn't released until September 1959, after his death. Within several months it became No.1. He is maybe best known for his solo recording and self penned "Chantilly Lace" (As above... he died in a plane crash while on tour with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens) b. October 24th 1930.
1959: Ritchie Valens/Ricardo Esteban Valenzuela Reyes (17) American singer, songwriter and guitarist, born in Pacoima, California. Of Mexican decent he was brought up hearing traditional Mexican mariachi music, as well as flamenco guitar, R&B and jump blues, he expressed an interest in making music of his own by the age of 5. Ritchiebecame a rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement. Sadly his recording career lasted only eight months, but during this time, he scored several hits, most notably his 1958 "La Bamba", which was originally a Mexican folk song that he transformed with a rock rhythm and beat, making him a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement. He influenced the likes of Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys and Carlos Santana among countless others at a time when there were very few Latinos in American rock and pop music. He is considered the first Latino to ever successfully cross over into Rock mainstream (As above... he died in a plane crash while on tour with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper) b. May 13th 1941.
1959: Curt Sachs (77) German-born, American-domiciled musicologist, one of the founders of modern organology, the study of musical instruments. Born in Berlin, he studied piano, music theory and composition as at Berlin University, where he became professor of musicology. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, he was dismissed from his posts in Germany by the Nazi Party because he was a Jew. As a result, he moved to Paris, and later to America, where he settled in New York City. From 1937 to 1953 he taught at New York University, and also worked at the New York Public Library. His numerous books include works on musical instruments, rhythm, and dance with his ''The History of Musical Instruments'' in 1940, a comprehensive survey of musical instruments worldwide throughout history, seen as one of the most important. After his death The American Musical Instrument Society has a "Curt Sachs Award", which it gives each year to individuals for their contributions to organology (?) b. June 29th 1881.
1960: Ferdinando "Fred" Buscaglione (39) Italian singer and actor who became very popular in the late 1950s. When he was 11, his parents enrolled him at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Turin. During his teen years, he performed at night clubs in Turin singing jazz and playing double bass and violin.After the war, he resumed working as a musician for various bands. He then formed his own group, the Asternovas. He was gradually creating his public character, inspired by Clark Gable and Mickey Spillane's gangsters. He and his friend Leo Chiosso, wrote the hits that brought nation-wide fame to Fred: Che bambola /Whatta babe!, Teresa non sparare /Theresa, don't shoot!, Eri piccola così /You were this, this little, Guarda che luna /Look, What A beautiful Moon, Love in Portofino, Porfirio Villarosa, Whisky facile/Easy Whiskey. After perfectioning his routine in night clubs and theatres he started recording his songs in 1955; the first single 'Che bambola' and 'Giacomino' sold 1,000,000 copies. By the end of 1950s, Fred was one of Italy's most wanted entertainers. He appeared on advertising campaigns, television and in movies (tragically died in a car crash) b. 23 November 1921
1967: Joe Meek (37) English record producer born in Newent, Gloucestershire; a pioneering record producer and songwriter acknowledged as one of the world's first and most imaginative independent producers. He also became infamous for his eccentric behaviour and experimentation with instruments. His most famous work was The Tornados' hit "Telstar" in 1962, which became the first record by a British group to hit No.1 in the US Hot 100. It also spent five weeks at the top the UK singles chart, with Joe receiving an Ivor Novello Award for this production as the "Best-Selling A-Side" of 1962. His other notable hit productions include "Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O" and "Cumberland Gap" by Lonnie Donegan, "Johnny Remember Me" by John Leyton, "Just Like Eddie" by Heinz, "Angela Jones" by Michael Cox, "Have I the Right?" by The Honeycombs, and "Tribute to Buddy Holly" by Mike Berry. Joe's concept album I Hear a New World is regarded as a watershed in modern music for its innovative use of electronic sounds. He was also producing music for films, most notably Live It Up! (US title Sing and Swing), a 1963 pop music film starring Heinz Burt, David Hemmings and Steve Marriott, also featuring Gene Vincent, Jenny Moss, The Outlaws, Kim Roberts, Kenny Ball, Patsy Ann Noble and others. Joe wrote most of the songs and incidental music, much of which was recorded by The Saints and produced by himself. "Have I the Right?" would be Joe's last big hit. Joe had gained a reputation as being difficult to work with, he was very controlling and would often become angry and violent if musicians didn't do as he told them to. Joe's fascination with the unknown took a darker turn when he would experiment with the occult. He would engage in séances and leave recording equipment in graveyards to try and contact his hero Buddy Holly (he shot his landlady Violet Shenton and then shot himself at his flat in London) b. April 5th 1929.
1973: Andy Razaf/Andriamanantena Paul Razafinkarefo (77) African American composer, poet, and lyricist born in Washington, D.C.. Some of his 800 songs include "Baltimo"', composed at the age of 17, was sung by members of The Passing Show of 1913 at Winter Garden, New York."Ain't Misbehavin'", "Black and Blue", "Garvey! Hats Off to Garvey", "Honeysuckle Rose", "In the Mood", "The Joint Is Jumpin"', "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now", "Louisiana", "Stompin' at the Savoy", "That's what I like about the South", and "U.N.I.A.". Some of the many artists who recorded Razaf's songs include: Jerry Lee Lewis, Glenn Miller, Moon Mullican, Fats Waller and Fats Domino. At seventy-six years of age, Andy Razaf, the most prolific black lyricist of twentieth century popular music, was finally recognized by his Tin Pan Alley peers in the songwriters Hall of Fame (sadly heart problems) b. December 16th 1905.
1975: Umm Kulthum (70) Egyptian singer, born in Tamay ez-Zahayra village in the Nile Delta, she is known as the Star of the East. More than 3 decades after her death, she is still recognized as one of Egypt's most famous and distinguished singers of the 20th century. Bob Dylan, Maria Callas, Jean-Paul Sartre, Marie Laforêt, Salvador Dalí, Nico, Bono, Farin Urlaub, and Led Zeppelin are known to be admirers of her music. One of her best known songs, “Enta Omri,” has been the basis of many reinterpretations, including one 2005 collaborative project involving Israeli and Egyptian artists. (Her funeral was attended by over 4 million mourners, one of the largest gatherings in history and descended into pandemonium when the crowd seized control of her coffin and carried it to a mosque that they considered her favorite, before later releasing it for burial) b. December 31st 1904.
1989: Lionel Newman (73) American conductor, pianist, and film and television composer; he started formal training in New York, beforemoving to Hollywood, where at the age of 16, he began conducting for impresario Earl Carroll. He continued his studies in LA with Joseph Achron and Mario Castelnuevo-Tedesco. In the 1930s, Lionel conducted national tours and worked as the piano accompanist for Mae West. After serving an apprenticeship conducting and orchestrating live shows, Newman joined 20th Century Fox as a rehearsal pianist under the guidance of his brother, Alfred Newman, and by 1959, he had been promoted to Musical Director for Television there. This opened the doors to feature films. He was soon made vice president in charge of music for both television and features. This soon resulted in a promotion to senior vice president of all music for Twentieth Century Fox Films. He wrote several classic TV themes for Fox, including The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Adventures in Paradise, and Daniel Boone. He joined 20th Century Fox as a rehearsal pianist under the guidance of his brother, Alfred Newman, and by 1959, he had been promoted to Musical Director for Television there. This opened the doors to feature films. He was soon made vice president in charge of music for television and features. This resulted in a promotion to senior vice president of all music for Twentieth Century Fox Films. He wrote several TV themes for Fox, including The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Adventures in Paradise, and Daniel Boone. Lionel received 11 Academy Award nominations, and won an Oscar for Hello Dolly! in 1969. He conducted the scores for Cleopatra, The Sand Pebbles, The Agony and the Ecstasy, The Long Hot Summer, The Young Lions, Alien, and The Omen. He was the musical supervisor for Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Monsignor, and The Fury. Also as a songwriter, he received a certificate of merit from Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) for over one million network performances of his 1948 hit, "Again", a pop standard that lived on long after its introduction in the film Road House (cardiac arrest) b. January 4th 1916.
1990: Felice Chiusano (67) Italian singer, self-taught guitarist and one of the singers of Quartetto Cetra, a popular Italian vocal quartet. Born in Fondi, southern Lazio, his native village before his twentieth birthday and moved to Rome. After work, he performed in local clubs as singer and guitarist. He successfully auditioned for EIAR, the Italian national radio broadcasting company, and worked as a singer for the various radio orchestras. In 1941 he replaced Enrico Gentile in the line-up of Quartetto Ritmo, a vocal quartet that immediately renamed to Quartetto Cetra. Felice was widely recognized as the "bald head" of Quartetto Cetra, famous for his humour and funny jokes. During 70s and 80s, as Quartetto Cetra gradually scaled back their public appearances, he also worked in the organization of shows and cultural events (?) b. March 28th 1922.
1992: Junior Cook/Herman Cook (57) American tenor saxophonist, born in Pensacola, Florida. After playing with Dizzy Gillespie in '58, he gained some fame for his longtime membership in the Horace Silver Quintet '58-'64; when he played in Blue Mitchell's quintet 1964-'69. Later associations included Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, George Coleman, Louis Hayes, Bill Hardman, and the McCoy Tyner big band. In addition to many appearances as a sideman, Junior recorded as a leader for Jazzland in 1961, Catalyst in 1977, Muse, and SteepleChase. He also taught at Berklee School of Music for a year during the 1970s and in the early 1990s Junior was playing with Clifford Jordan as well as leading his own group. (died in his apartment in New York City) b. July 22nd 1934.
1998: Fat Pat/Patrick Lamont Hawkins (27) American rapper from Houston, Texas and an original member of DJ Screw's Screwed Up Click. He was most prolific in the mid-1990s alongside his late brother Big Hawk and longtime friend Lil' Keke. Fat Pat was signed to Wreckshop Records and had hits with the singles "Wanna Be a Baller" and "Tops Drop" (Tragically Fat Pat was shot dead after collecting an appearance fee from a promoter's apartment) b. December 4th 1970.
1999: Ian Hunter-Randell (61) English jazz trumpet player; early in his career he worked with Ken Barton, Monty Sunshine, Alexander's Jazzmen and Aker Bilk. He came to national attention after joining Terry Lightfoot in the early 70s, he stayed with Terry for around 20 years. After leaving he joined Pete Allen's band and after years of freelancing with the likes of The Preston Scott Jazz Band, The Clyde Valley Stompers, and The London City Stompers, he became a member of Laurie Chescoe's Goodtime Jazz in 1996 until his death. Ian was one of Britain's most inpired Dixieland trumpet players (died unexpectedly of a heart attack) b. January 3rd 1938.
1999: Gwen Guthrie (48) American singer-songwriter born in Okemah, Oklahoma and raised in Newark, New Jersey. She became backing vocalist for Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Madonna among others. Gwen also wrote songs made famous by Ben E. King - "Supernatural Thing", and "This Time I'll Be Sweeter", and Roberta Flack's "God Don't Like Ugly". She co-wrote seven tracks on the Sister Sledge's 1975 album Circle of Love: "Cross My Heart", "Protect Our Love", "Love Don't You Go Through No Changes on Me", "Don't You Miss Him Now", "Pain Reliever", "You're Much Better Off Loving Me", and "Fireman" (sadly died fighting cancer) b. July 9th 1950.
2002: James Blackwood (82) American gospel singer, born in Choctaw County, Mississippi; in 1926, he and his brother Doyle developed an interest in gospel music, singing at church gatherings, camp meetings, schools and any place they saw the opportunity, and sang on WTJS in Jackson, Tennessee. He formed The Blackwood Brothers, a singing group, with his nephew R. W. and his brothers Roy and Doyle. They first broadcast was on radio station WHEF, AM 1500, in Kosciusko, Mississippi in 1934. The quartet soon began broadcasting on the larger WJDX in Jackson, later moving to Shreveport, Louisiana in 1939, and Shenandoah, Iowa in 1940. After WWII the quartet moved to Memphis and radio station WMPS in 1950. On June 12th 1954, they won first place on the CBS radio and TV program Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts Show. James, Cecil Blackwood and J. D. Sumner founded the National Quartet Convention in 1957, originally a 3-day event held at Ellis Auditorium in Memphis, Tennessee. As well as many group awards, James was honored with the GMA Dove Award Top Male Vocalist for 7 consecutive years (sadly died from a stroke) b. August 4th 1919.
2009: Joven Deala (21) Philippino musician and the half-brother of Black Eyed Peas star Allan Pineda, aka, apl.de.ap. He was born and grew up in Barangay Sapang Bato. He migrated to America where he became a member of the Black Eyed Peas quartet. He returned several times to Sapang Bato where he gave financial help to local poor families (Joven was tragically gunned down inside his sports utility vehicle outside of his girlfriend's apartment in the Philippines) b. 1987
2009: Tom Brumley (73) American steel guitarist who contributed to the "Bakersfield sound" of Buck Owens and the Buckaroos in the 60s before joining Rick Nelson. While with Buck, from '63-69, he traveled the world and played on recordings such as “Together Again,” "I've Got a Tiger by the Tail" and “Act Naturally”. Tom left The Buckaroos in 1969, when Ricky Nelson invited him to play steel guitar with his band for his "Live at the Troubadour" album, staying with Rick for 10 years. He also performed or recorded with artists including Glen Campbell, Merle Haggard, Chris Isaak, Waylon Jennings, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Ray Price and Rod Stewart and he spent three years recording and touring with Chris Hillman and the Desert Rose Band. From 1989 to 2003, he performed with his sons, Todd and Tommy, in the Brumley Family Music Show. He has been inducted into both the Texas Steel Guitar Hall of Fame and the International Steel Guitar Hall of Fame (died at Northeast Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, eight days after suffering a heart attack) b. December 11th 1935.
2011: Tatyana Shmyga (83) Russian operetta singer and film actress (?) b. December 31st 1928.
2011: Tony Levin (71) British jazz drummer, born in Much Wenlock, Shropshire. His first major position came when he joined Tubby Hayes' Quartet 1965-9. As well as being a frequent guest at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club in the 1960s with artists including Joe Harriott, Al Cohn, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Zoot Sims, and Toots Thielemanns, through his long career he has worked with numerous groups and artists, including the Alan Skidmore quintet-1969, Humphrey Lyttelton band-1969, John Taylor-1970s, Ian Carr's Nucleus-1970s, Stan Sulzmann quartet, Gordon Beck's Gyroscope, duo with John Surman-1976, European Jazz Ensemble, Third Eye-1979, Rob van den Broeck-1982, Philip Catherine's trio and quartet-1990s, Sophia Domancich Trio-with Paul Rogers-double bassist from 1991-2000, Philippe Aerts trio/quartet and often performed duets with Paul Dunmall and guest musicians in the 2000s. He recently undertook a British tour to celebrate his 70th birthday with a trio featuring pianist Aki Takase and bassist John Edwards and with his old friends from the seminal quartet Muijcian, Paul Dunmall, Keith Tippett and Paul Rogers (?) b. January 30th 1940.
2011: Don Butler (80) American gospel singer and founder of the Gospel Music Association, in 1964, where he served as the GMA’s board executive director from 1976 to 1991. He began his singing career in the 1950s, performing with groups including The Marksmen, The Revelaires, The Ambassadors, The Statesmen and The Sons of Song with whom he was inducted into Gospel Music Hall Of Fame in 1995 and he was voted “Mr. Gospel Singer of America” in 1958. He produced albums, GMA awards shows and television series, and he presided over the Sumar Talent Agency for five years in the 1970s. He also worked to spread gospel music’s overseas reach, traveling extensively to expand awareness about the music (sadly died after a long illness) b. 1931.
2013: Oscar Feltsman (91) Russian composer, born in Odessa. He had musical training from the age of five, learning the violin and the piano and produced his first musical composition for the piano "Autumn" at six years old. He graduated from the Pyotr Stolyarsky Music School in Odessa in 1939, where he studied composition, after which, he was admitted to the Moscow Conservatory. Aged 20, he evacuated to Novosibirsk, where he became the executive secretary of Siberian Union of Composers, and he wrote music for the Jewish theatre of Belarus & Leningrad Alexandrinsky Theatre and also wrote an operetta based on Valentin Kataev's play "Blue Scarf". Oscar returned to Moscow in 1945. He went on to write many well loved songs such as "Manzherok", "Lily of the Valley", and the famous "I Believe, My Friends", in the spring of 1961, when Yuri Gagarin flew into space. His songs and music were included in the repertoire of such renowned artists as Leonid Utesov, Vladimir Troshin, Valentina Tolkunova, Mark Bernes, Edita Pyekha, Joseph Kobzon, Muslim Magomayev, Eduard Khil, Yuri Gulyaev, Lev Leshchenko, and Oleg Anofriev. He has been honored 3 times with the Order of Merit for the Fatherland: 4th class in 2001, 3rd class in 2006 and 2nd class in 2011 (?) b. February 18th 1921.

February 4.
1894: Adolphe Sax (79) Belgium inventor of the saxhorn, saxtrombas and the saxophone; the saxophones made his reputation, and secured him a job teaching at the Paris Conservatoire (?) b. November 6th 1814.
1944: Yvette Guilbert (79)French music-hall singer and actress, and was a favorite subject of artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who made many portraits and caricatures of Yvette and dedicated his second album of sketches to her. She made successful tours of England and Germany, and America and performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Even in her fifties, her name still had drawing power and she appeared in several silent films, including a star turn in Murnau's Faust. She also appeared in talkies, including a role with friend, Sacha Guitry. Her recordings for Le Voix de Son Maitre include the famous "Le Fiacre" as well as some of her own compositions such as "Madame Arthur." She accompanied herself on piano for some numbers. She once gave a performance for King Edward VII, the Prince of Wales at a private party on the French Riviera. Hostesses vied to have her at their parties. In 1932 she was awarded the Legion of Honor as the Ambassadress of French Song. Yvette also wrote books, some about the Belle Époque and in 1902 two of her novels were published. In the 1920's her instructional book L'art de chanter une chanson (How to Sing a Song) was published. Yvette also conducted schools for young girls in both New York and Paris (?) b. January 20th 1865.
1975: Louis Jordan (66) American pioneering jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician, songwriter and leader of his own band his Tympany Five, he enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. In this period he scored eighteen No.1 singles and fifty-four Top Ten placings and he duetted with some of the biggest solo singing stars of his day, including Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Known as "The King of the Jukebox", Louis was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the later years of the swing era. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him No.59 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time (?) b. July 8th 1908.
1982: Alex Harvey (46) Scottish rock and roll singer, born in Glasgow. In 1959, he formed Alex Harvey's Soul Band, and recorded blues and rock and roll material. In 1966, he a member of the pit band in the London stage production of the musical Hair recording the live LP 'Hair Rave Up'. In 1972, Alex formed the Sensational Alex Harvey Band with guitarist Zal Cleminson, bassist Chris Glen, and cousins Ted and Hugh McKenna on drums and keyboards respectively, all previous members of progressive rock act "Tear Gas". He built a strong reputation as a live performer during the 1970s glam rock era. The band was renowned for its eclecticism and energetic live performance, Alex for his charismatic persona and daredevil stage antics. The band had hits with "Delilah" in 1975, and "The Boston Tea Party" in 1976, Alex left the band later that year. (Died of a heart attack while waiting for a ferry in Zeebrugen, Belgium, the day before his 47th birthday) b. February 5th 1935.
1983: Karen Carpenter (32) American singer and drummer; born in New Haven, Connecticut, Karen started on the drums in the school band while attending Downey High School. From 1965 to 1968, Karen, her brother Richard and his college friend Wes Jacobs, a bassist and tuba player, formed The Richard Carpenter Trio. The band played jazz at numerous nightclubs, and also appeared on a TV talent show called Your All American College Show. In April 1969 A&M Records signed Karen and Richard as the duo The Carpenters to a recording contract, with Karen as both the group's drummer and lead singer. She was later persuaded to stand at the microphone to sing the band's hits while another musician played the drums, although she still did some drumming. They released their debut album "Offering", later retitled Ticket to Ride, on October 9th 1969. Their 2nd album, 1970's Close to You, featured two massive hit singles: "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun". This has been followed by 14 more Carpenter albums and one Karen Carpenter solo album. Other of their many hit songs include "For All We Know (Theme from Lovers and Other Strangers), "Rainy Days and Mondays", "Superstar", "Hurting Each Other", "It's Going to Take Some Time", "Goodbye to Love", "Sing", "Yesterday Once More", "Top of the World", "Please Mr. Postman" and "Only Yesterday". Playboy's 1975 annual opinion poll, readers voted Karen Carpenter the Best Rock Drummer of the year, on October 12th 1983, the Carpenters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in 1999 VH1 ranked Karen Carpenter at No.29 on their list of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll and in 2008 Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Karen Carpenter No.94 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. The Carpenter's also won 3 awards and acheived 15 nominations (cardiac arrest due to the effects of anorexia nervosa) b. March 2nd 1950.
1984: Paul Gardiner (35) English bassist born in Hayes, Middlesex; in early 1976 he was playing in a band called The Lasers when Gary Numan, then Gary Webb, auditioned as lead guitarist. The pair formed Tubeway Army, releasing the singles "That's Too Bad" and "Bombers" in 1978, "Down in the Park" and "Are 'Friends' Electric?" in 1979 and 3 albums. Paul also played on 6 Gary Newman solo albums, as well as recording with both Marc Anthony Thompson and Robert Palmer (died from a tragic heroin overdose) b. May 1st 1958.
1987: Liberace/Wladziu Valentino Liberace (67) American pianist, singer, TV presenter; he appeared as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 16. He began giving concerts in flamboyant costumes with ornate pianos and candelabra, and though he occasionally performed with symphony orchestras, he built his career playing primarily popular music. The TV 'The Liberace Show', began on July 1st 1952, it was so popular he drew over thirty million viewers at any one time. His show was also one of the first to be shown on British commercial television in the 1950s, this exposure gave Liberace a dedicated following in the UK. Liberace also made significant appearances on other shows like The Ed Sullivan Show, The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford, Edward R. Murrow's Person to Person and on the shows of Jack Benny and Red Skelton, on which he often parodied his own persona. (sadly died from complications related to AIDS) b. May 16th 1919.
1989: Trevor Lucas (45) Australian guitarist, born in Melburne, he originally learned to play the guitar in order to help with his dyslexia and released his first two recordings in Australia before moving to England in 1965. In 1967 Trevor joined the band Eclection as the bass player and continued playing with them until their eventual breakup in 1969. At this time he was dating the lead singer of Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, and appeared on Fairport's album Unhalfbricking. Trevor and Sandy then formed the band Fotheringay with Trevor playing acoustic guitar, Fotheringay released only one album and the band broke up the following year. He joined Fairport Convention in 1973 when he was helping with their album Rosie, but in April 1978, tragically Sandy had a fatal fall down a flight of stairs, leaving Trevor to raise their newborn daughter, Georgia, by himself. Shortly after Sandy's death he moved back to Australia with Georgia. In the 1980s, he was producing more albums and later started working on scores from the film industry. In 1985 he returned to England to work on a tribute album to Sandy Denny. (died of a heart attack in his sleep) b. December 25th 1943.
1995: David Alexander (56) Welsh singer and entertainer, born in Blackwood, Monmouthshire; whilst working at Pontins holiday camp, he was spotted by manager Byron Godfrey and in 1971 released his first single 'If I Could See The Rhondda One More Time'. It sold thousands of copies. 'Come Home Rhondda Boy' was the follow-up record that gave him an international presence in song festivals in Czechoslovakia, Malta and Germany, amongst other countries. In 1989, he also toured Australia (sadly taken by a heart attack) b. 1939
2000: Doris Coley (58) American singer, born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, Doris was a founder member and occasional lead singer of the Shirelles. She initially left the group in 1968, but returned in 1975. The girl group formed in New Jersey in 1958, and went on to release a string of hits including "Baby It's You" , "Mama Said", "Foolish Little Girl", "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", "Soldier Boy" and "Sha La La". Doris sang lead on "Dedicated to the One I Love", "Welcome Home Baby", "Blue Holiday" and a number of 'b' sides and album cuts. She was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame along with The Shirelles in 1996 (breast cancer) b. August 2nd 1941.
2000: Joachim-Ernst Berendt (77) German journalist, music critic, music producer. After World War II he helped founding the Südwestfunk (SWF) radio network in the then French occupation zone of Germany. From 1950 till his retirement in 1987 he was in charge of the Jazz department of the SWF. In 1952 the first German edition of his "Jazz Book" was published. It became a definitive book on Jazz translated into many languages and is still being updated and reprinted. For almost 40 years he produced the Jazz program of the Baden-Baden station of the German public radio and TV network ARD. His weekly TV show Jazztime Baden-Baden and his daily radio shows were pioneer work in advancing and popularizing Jazz in post-war Germany. He later focused on world music and was one of its early promoters. Joachim initiated and organized many Jazz festivals including American Folk Blues Festival, Berliner Jazztage, and World Expo Osaka. He was producer of many records, mainly for MPS Records, and supported the Jazz & Lyrik project, combining Jazz performances with readings of poetry (he tragically died after a traffic accident which he was involved in as a pedestrian) b. July 20th 1922.
2001: Iannis Xenakis (78) Greek, naturalised French, composer, music theorist and architect, born in Braila, Romania. By 1979, he had devised a computer system called UPIC, which could translate graphical images into musical results. He is commonly recognized as one of the most important post-war avant-garde composers. Iannis pioneered the use of mathematical models such as applications of set theory, varied use of stochastic processes, game theory, etc., in music, and was also an important influence on the development of electronic music. Among his most important works are Metastaseis, 1953–4 for orchestra, which introduced independent parts for every musician of the orchestra; percussion works such as Psappha, 1975 and Pléïades 1979; compositions that introduced spatialization by dispersing musicians among the audience, such as Terretektorh, 1966; electronic works created using Xenakis's UPIC system; and the massive multimedia performances Xenakis called polytopes (?) b. May 29th 1922.
2001: J. J. Johnson/James Louis Johnson (77) American trombonist, composer and arranger born in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jay Jay was maybe the finest jazz trombonist of all time, there is not a trombonist alive who has not been influenced by the J. J. Johnson sound, he did for the trombone what Charlie Parker did for the saxophone. In the 1940s he played and toured with Clarence Love, Snookum Russell, Benny Carter's big band, Count Basie's Orchestra, Charlie Parker, the Dizzy Gillespie big band, Illinois Jacquet (1947-1949), and the Miles Davis Birth of the Cool Nonet. His own recordings from the era included such sidemen as Bud Powell and a young Sonny Rollins. Johnson, Oscar Pettiford (1951) and Miles Davis (1952), .In August 1954, he formed a two-trombone quintet with Kai Winding that became known as Jay and Kai. In the early 70s J.J. moved from New York to California to compose for cinema and television, where he scored movies such as Across 110th Street, Cleopatra Jones, Top of the Heap and Willie Dynamite, as well as TV series such as Starsky & Hutch, Mike Hammer and The Six Million Dollar Man. This amazing legendary musician remained at the top of his field for nearly 6 decades playing, touring and recording with the best until 2000 when so sadly he fell ill with prostate cancer (tragically JJ took his own life by shooting himself) b. January 22nd 1924
2003: Charlie Biddle (76) Canadian jazz bassist and promoter, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but lived most of his life in Montreal, Quebec. After completing military duties in the US Armed Forces during World War II, serving in China, India and Burma, he went on to study music at Temple University in Philadelphia, where he started playing bass. In 1948, he arrived in Montreal while touring with Vernon Isaac's Three Jacks and a Jill. Charlie was fascinated by the fact that in Canada, you would see black jazz musicians playing alongside white jazz musicians as the best of friends, so he relocated to Montreal, Canada. As a promoter, he booked musicians Johnny Hodges, John Coltrane, Pepper Adams, Bill Evans, Art Farmer, Tommy Flanagan and Thad Jones to perform in Montreal. He performed off and on with guitarist Nelson Symonds between '59-78. He frequently organized outdoor festivals of local jazz musicians, particularly Jazz Chez Nous, a 3-day Jazz Festival in 1979 and another in 1983 which laid the foundation for the Montreal International Jazz Festival, now the world's largest jazz festival. Charlie received the Oscar Peterson Prize in 2000, was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2003, and was honored with the Prix Calixa-Lavallée in 2003. The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society stated that: "Without him, Québecers might not have developed their love for jazz that has made Montreal a host of one of the greatest jazz festivals in the world." (?) b. July 28th 1926.
2007: Barbara McNair (72) African-American singer and actress; winning on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, led to bookings at The Purple Onion and the Cocoanut Grove and she soon became one of the country's most popular headliners and a guest on such television variety shows as The Steve Allen Show, Hullabaloo, The Bell Telephone Hour, and The Hollywood Palace, while recording for the Coral, Signature, and Motown labels. Among her hits were You're Gonna Love My Baby and Bobby. As well as appearing in many films, her Broadway credits include The Body Beautiful in 1958, No Strings in 1962, and a revival of The Pajama Game in 1973 (sadly died after his fight with throat cancer) b. March 4th 1934
2009: Steve Dullaghan (45) British singer-songwriter, bassist and co-founder of the indie rock band The Primitives in 1985. They recorded 4 albums ''Lovely'', ''Lazy'', ''Pure'', and ''Galore'' and 10 singles, having hits in UK and the US including "Crash", which he co-wrote, "Way Behind Me", "Sick Of It", and "Secrets". After leaving the Primitives he continued to write, perform and record music, both solo and in collaboration with other local musicians, as well as rejoining the Nocturnal Babies the band he played with before The Primatives (tragically died of heart failure due to smoking too much cannibis which caused a toxic reaction) b. December 18th 1966.
2009: Lux Interior/Erick Purkhiser (62) American singer, songwriter and musician; a founding member and lead singer of the legendary garage punk band The Cramps from 1973 until his death. He took his name from an old car advert and he is described as one of rock ‘n’ roll’s wildest and most charismatic frontmen. The band moved from California to Ohio in 1973 and then to New York in 1975 where they became part of the flourishing punk scene. Their best known single was "Bikini Girls With Machine Guns"/"Jackyard Backoff" charted in both US and UK, and they recorded 15 studio albums, many appearing in the British charts (a pre-existing heart condition) b. October 21st 1946.
2011: Dame Olga Lopes-Seale (92) Guyanese-born broadcaster and singer; she worked as a broadcaster for Radio Demerara, where she acquired the nickname "Auntie Olga" before migrating to Barbados with her Barbadian husband, Dick Seale. In Barbados, Olga worked for the Barbados Rediffusion Services Ltd, now Starcom Network and was active in community work. In the 1940s and 1950s she was known as "the Vera Lynn of the Caribbean". In 2005, Olga was honored and made a 2005 Dame of St. Andrew. Sadly on December 9th 2010, she fell at her home and broke her hip, suffering multiple fractures, leaving her unable to continue her charity work for the Needy Children's Fund (died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados) b. December 26th 1918.
2012: János Sebestyén (80) Hungarian highly honored organist, harpsichordist and pianist, born in Budapest. His concert tours took him to Russia, India, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, the United States and nearly every country in Europe, and honoured with awards in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Brazil and Hungary. In 1970 he established the first harpsichord class at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. He was invited to serve on juries for organ and harpsichord competitions in France, the Czech Republic, Poland, Switzerland and Italy. Between 1969 and 1994 he was senior music producer and from 1962 until 2007 he hosted a regular series of broadcasts documenting Hungarian musical life and history (?) b. March 2nd 1931.
2013: Reg Presley/Reginald Maurice Ball (71) British singer and songwriter born and educated in Andover, Hampshire. He first learned the guitar, inspired by skiffle, popularised in the UK by artists like Lonnie Donegan. He was also influenced by the blues bands from America, including Louisiana Red and Lightnin' Hopkins. In the early 60s while working as a bricky, he along with Chris Britton, Ronnie Bond, and Dave Wright formed a band called the Troglodytes, which soon became the proto-punk band, The Troggs and were signed by Larry Page, manager of the Kinks. Their debut single "Lost Girl" was a flop, but this was followed by their most famous hit the single "Wild Thing" >>> READ MORE <<< (died bravely fighting lung cancer) b. June 12th 1941.
2013: Pat Halcox (82) British jazz trumpeter born in Chelsea, London, he became the trumpet player in the Chris Barber Jazz Band, when the band took that name on 31 May 1954. Pat announced his retirement from the Chris Barber Band 54 years later at the age of 78, in July of 2008. Although primarily the trumpet player, Pat also had a fine singing voice, and led the band's various renditions of "Ice Cream", one of their most popular standards. He also played piano on the Lonnie Donegan recording of "Digging My Potatoes". Pat had his own jazz band The Pat Halcox Allstars and they recorded "Plant Life" album in 1980 (?) b. March 18th 1930.
2013: Donald Byrd (80) American jazz and R&B trumpeter, born in Detroit, Michigan and performed with Lionel Hampton before finishing high school. After playing in a military band during his term in the US Air Force, he obtained a bachelor's degree in music from Wayne State University and a master's degree from Manhattan School of Music. While still at the Manhattan School, he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In 1955, he recorded with Jackie McLean and Mal Waldron. After leaving the Jazz Messengers in 1956, he soon became one of the most in-demand trumpeters on the New York scene, Donald performed with dozens of leading jazz musicians, including John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Cannonball Adderley, Gene Harris, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock >>> READ MORE <<< (?) b. December 9th 1932.

February 5.
1968: Luckeyeth Roberts (80) American jazz, ragtime, blues pianist and composer born in Philadelphia; he started out playing piano and acting professionally with traveling African American minstrel shows in his childhood. He settled in New York City about 1910 and became one of the leading pianists in Harlem, and started publishing some of his original rags. Luckey toured France and the UK with James Reese Europe during World War I, then returned to New York where he wrote music for various shows and recorded piano rolls. With James P. Johnson, he developed the stride piano style of playing about 1919. Luckey's noted compositions include Junk Man Rag, Moonlight Cocktail, Pork and Beans, and Railroad Blues (?) b. August 7th 1887.
1967: Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval (49) Chilean folklorist and visual artist, born in San Carlos, province of Ñuble. She was involved in the progressive movement and the Socialist Party of Chile and revived the Peña, now known as La Peña de Los Parra, a community centre for the arts and for political activism. Violeta set the basis for "New Song," La Nueva Canción chilena, a renewal and a reinvention of Chilean folk music which would absorb and extend its influence far beyond Chile. Her most renowned song, Gracias a la Vida/Thanks to Life, was popularized throughout Latin America by Mercedes Sosa and later in the US by Joan Baez. It remains one of the most covered Latin American songs in history. (so sadly Violeta committed suicide with a gunshot to her head, Allegedly, because of her depression over the breakup of her relationship with Swiss-Bolivian flautist Gilbert Favre) b. October 4th 1917.
1976: Rudy Pompilli (51) American saxophone, clarenet player with Bill Haley & His Comets; born in Chester, Pennsylvania, he worked with the Ralph Marterie Orchestra prior to joining the Comets, scoring a hit with their version of "Crazy Man, Crazy". Soon after a 1974 tour of Europe, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He bravely continued to tour with Haley throughout 1975, including a tour of Brazil in October '75, and that year also recorded his first and only solo album, ''Rudy's Rock: The Sax That Changed the World'', which was recorded with session musicians and members of The Comets. He also continued to perform at the Nite Cap, a club in Chester; at one of his very last performances he performed with his former Comets bandmate Franny Beecher as well as then-current Comets guitarist Bill Turner (sadly lost to lung cancer) b. April 16th 1924
1980: Donald "Chubby" Anthony (43) American fiddler; raised in Shelby, N.C., he began playing music at the age of seven, winning the North Carolina fiddling championship at 12, and got his biggest break in the early 1950s, when he became the fiddler for the legendary Stanley Brothers. He played fiddle for the Stanleys until 1961. In the early 1970s, Donald played, with Robert McDougal and Kiel Brown, in the popular Tall Timber Bluegrass. Later, the band's name was changed to Big Timber, and along with guitarist, Bill Pruett and Banjo picker, Jimmy Fee, it was the band with which he performed until illness intervened (sadly taken by acute renal failure) b. December 20th 1936.
1989: Joseph Raposo Jr, OIH (51) Portuguese-American composer, songwriter, pianist, television writer and lyricist, best known for his work on the children's television series Sesame Street, for which he wrote the theme song, as well as classic songs such as "Bein' Green" and "C is for Cookie". He also wrote music for television shows such as The Electric Company, Shining Time Station and the sitcoms Three's Company and The Ropers, including their theme songs. In addition to these works, Joe also composed extensively for the Dr. Seuss productions Halloween Is Grinch Night, Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You? and The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat (sadly Joe died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) b. February 8th 1937.
1998: Tim Kelly (35) American guitarist born in Trenton, New Jersey; he played in a few bands during his career which included Hellion, and Allegiance. After which he teamed up with Mark Slaughter to form a new group with their own original music, thus, the group Slaughter was formed in Fall of 1988. In their first album 'Stick It to Ya', he wrote and performed an instrumental piece called "Thinking of June" which he dedicated to his sister who died in 1982. In all, Tim released four studio albums with the band, and two live albums; the last ''Eternal Live'', was released posthumously and includes a pictorial and video tribute to Tim which was quickly put together by Blas Elias and Pat Lucero. (Tim died tragically in a fatal car accident while traveling on Highway 96 in Arizona, his vehicle was hit head on when an 18 wheeler crossed the middle line) b. January 13th 1963.
2011: Mary Cleere Haran (58) American cabaret singer; born in San Francisco, she began singing as a teenager and moved to New York in the late '70s, where she made her Broadway debut playing a band singer in The 1940s Radio Hour in 1979, made her official cabaret debut at the Ballroom in New York in 1988, and her recording debut in 1992 on Columbia with “There’s a Small Hotel: Live at the Algonquin.” Later albums included “This Funny World: Mary Cleere Haran Sings Lyrics by Hart” in 1995, “This Heart of Mine: Classic Movie Songs of the Forties”-1994, “Pennies From Heaven: Movie Songs From the Depression Era”-1998, “The Memory of All That: Gershwin Broadway and in Hollywood”-1999, and “Crazy Rhythm: Manhattan in the ’20s” -2002. Her singing idol was Doris Day, whom she interviewed in a PBS documentary, “Doris Day: Sentimental Journey”, which Mary also wrote and co-produced. She also contributed to the PBS documentaries “Remembering Bing”, “Irving Berlin’s America”, “When We Were Young: The Lives of Child Movie Stars” and “Satchmo” (Mary sadly died after a biking accident, when struck from the side by a car coming out of a driveway, she was taken to a hospital in Deerfield Beach, Fla, but tragically never regained consciousness) b. May 13th 1953.
2013: Egil Hovland (88) Norwegian composer, and one of the most noted church composers of Norway.Born in Råde, he studied in Oslo, Copenhagen, Tanglewood and in Florence. He composed two symphonies, a concerto for trumpet and strings, a Music for ten instruments, a set of Variations for two pianos, a Lament for orchestra. His sacred works include a Norwegian Te Deum, a Gloria, a Magnificat, and numerous works for organ. In 1992 Egil received the Fritt Ord Honorary Award. He had also been the organist and choir leader in Fredrikstad since 1949 until his death (?) b. October 18th 1924.
2013: Jindra Štáhlavský (67) Czech country singer, after performing with The Strangers and then Bluegrass Hoppers, he became a member of the legendary Czech country group Fešáci with which sang many hits, such as Spring, Go, Destiny, Girl from Rocky Moutain, Come, Ohio, and Jane Fawn. Unfortunately Jindra had to retire in 2008 when he became too ill to perform (sadly died after a long illness) b. February 24th 1945
2013: Paul Tanner (95) American trombonist, last surviving member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, with whom he gained fame with from 1938 until 1942, notable recordings include "In the Mood", "Moonlight Serenade", "Pennsylvania 6-5000", "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "A String of Pearls", "At Last", "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo", "American Patrol", "Tuxedo Junction", and "Little Brown Jug". After the war he worked as a studio musician in Hollywood and was professor at UCLA. He also wrote and/or co-wrote several academic and popular histories related to jazz. Paul developed and played the electrotheremin, on which he is featured playing in several songs by The Beach Boys, most notably "Good Vibrations", "Wild Honey", and "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" (sadly died of complications from pneumonia) b. October 15th 1917.

February 6.
1960: Jesse Lorenzo Belvin (27) American R&B singer, pianist and songwriter born in Texarkana, Texas, and moved with his family to Los Angeles at the age of five. In 1950 he joined saxophonist Big Jay McNeely's backing vocal quartet, Three Dots and a Dash, and featured prominently on their record releases. Popular in the 1950s, as asolo artist, his biggest hit "Goodnight My Love", which he co-wrote reached No.7 on the R&B chart. The piano on the session was reportedly played by the 11 year old Barry White. Other hits included "Blues in the Night", "In the Still of the Night", and "Makin' Whoopee" (shortly after finishing a performance in Little Rock on a bill with Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, and Marv Johnson; tragically Jesse and his wife were killed in a head-on collision at Hope, Arkansas. The concert was the first concert played before an integrated audience in the history of Little Rock) b. December 15th 1932.
1973: Nick Stabulas (43) American jazz drummer born near Great Neck, New York; he first worked in commercial music, then joined Phil Woods from 1954 to 1957. He did extensive work as a sideman in the 1950s, with Jon Eardley 1955-56, Jimmy Raney 1955-57, Eddie Costa 1956, Friedrich Gulda 1956, George Wallington 1956-57, Al Cohn 1956-57, 1960, Gil Evans 1957, Zoot Sims 1957, Mose Allison 1957-58, Carmen McRae 1958, and Don Elliott 1958. In the 1960s he worked with Chet Baker, Kenny Drew, Bill Evans, and Lennie Tristano. He was active into the 1970s (tragically killed in a car crash) b. December 18th 1925.
1976: Vince Guaraldi (47) American jazz pianist, composer, songwriter, bandleader, born in San Francisco, California. He graduated from Lincoln High School, attended San Francisco State University, and served as an Army cook in the Korean War. His first recording was made in Nov 1953 with Cal Tjader released in 1954, the early 10 inch LP was called The Cal Tjader Trio, included "Chopsticks Mambo", "Vibra-Tharpe", and "Lullaby of the Leaves." By 1955, Vince had his own trio with Eddie Duran and Dean Reilly. His 1962 album, Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus, which produced the single "Samba de Orpheus", but it was the flip side, his "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" which won him the grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition. Vince went on to compose scores for sixteen Peanuts television specials, plus the feature film A Boy Named Charlie Brown as well as the unaired television program of the same name (sadly died of a heart attack in his room at the Red Cottage Inn, where he had been relaxing between sets at Butterfield's Nightclub in Menlo Park, CA, he had just finished recording the soundtrack for "It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown" earlier that afternoon) b. July 17th 1968.
1981: Hugo Montenegro (55) American orchestra leader and composer of film soundtracks. His best known work is derived from interpretations of the music from Spaghetti Westerns, especially his 1968 rendition of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly which reached No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100, No.3 in the Canadian charts, and topping the UK Singles Chart for four weeks. Born in New York and after serving in the navy, he studied composition at Manhattan College while leading his own band for school dances. By the middle 1950s, he was directing, conducting, and arranging the orchestra for Eliot Glen and Irving Spice on their Dragon and Caprice labels. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s where he began working for RCA records, producing a series of albums and soundtracks for motion pictures and television themes, such as two volumes of Music From The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Following the success of his albums, he was contracted by Columbia Pictures where he did such films as Hurry Sundown and two Matt Helm pictures. Hugo was also contracted to Columbia's television production company Screen Gems where he is most famous for his theme from the second season of the television series I Dream of Jeannie, his theme song "Seattle" and music from Here Come the Brides and The Outcasts (sadly died of emphysema) b. September 2nd 1925.
1989: King Tubby/Osbourne Ruddock (48) Jamaican Reggae producer, electronics and sound engineer, known for his influence on the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s. His innovative studio work, which saw him elevate the role of record producer to a creative height previously only reserved for composers and musicians (shot and killed by unknown persons outside his home in Duhaney Park, upon returning from a session at his Waterhouse studio) b. January 28th 1941.
1998: Carl Wilson (51) American singer and guitarist with the Beach Boys; he took over as lead singer in 1965 and part running the band in 1966, and then fully in 1970. He is widely regarded to have had one of the finest voices in rock and his voice appears as a backing vocal on many recordings by groups and solo singers including Chicago's hit "Baby, What a Big Surprise", Chicago's Wishing You Were Here (with Al Jardine and his brother Dennis Wilson), Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (with Bruce Johnston), David Lee Roth's hit cover of "California Girls," Warren Zevon's "Desperados Under the Eaves" and the Carnie & Wendy Wilson holiday track "Hey Santa!". He released a solo album, Carl Wilson, followed by Youngblood, in 1983. (died after a brave fight with lung cancer) b. December 21st 1946.
1998: Falco/ Johann (Hans) Hölzel (40) Austrian rock singer and bass guitarist, born in Vienna; he had several international hits: "Der Kommissar", "Rock Me Amadeus", "Vienna Calling"", Jeanny", "The Sound Of Musik", "Coming Home (Jeanny Part 2)" and (after his death) "Out Of The Dark". With "Rock Me Amadeus" he is the first and only artist to date whose principal language was German to score a number-one hit in the U.S. His estate claims he has sold 40 million albums and 20 million singles to date, which makes him one of the best selling Austrian singers ever (Falco died of severe head injuries received following a collision with a bus in his Mitsubishi Pajero near the resort of Puerto Plata, in the Dominican Republic) b. February 19th 1957.
2005: Sonny Day (80) American accordion player; an original member of Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain, and was featured on original recordings of Acuff's signature hit, "Wabash Cannonball," and starred with Acuff in the film "Night Train to Memphis". He was frequent performer on the Grand Ole Opry, and also performed & recorded with Minnie Pearl, Patsy Cline, Tanya Tucker and Vince Gill. (sadly taken by bone cancer) b. 1925
2005: Lazar Berman (74) Russian pianist, one of the last of the Romantic tradition of Russian pianism; born in Leningrad, he entered his first competition at the age of 3, and recorded a Mozart fantasia and a mazurka that he had composed himself at the age of 7, before he could even read music. In the '50s he began to make his mark both behind the Iron Curtain and in the West. By the middle of the decade he was already much admired, pianist Emil Gilels described him as “the phenomenon of the musical world”. He toured Europe many times, eventually settling in Italy. His memoirs "The Years of Peregrination: Reveries of a Pianist." have been published in German and in Russian (?) b. February 26th 1930
2005: Karl Haas (91) German-American classical music radio host, whose distinctively sonorous voice and humanistic approach to making music appreciation contagious made him well-received by many. He began his radio program Adventures in Good Music on WJR in Detroit, Michigan in 1959. Syndicated broadcasts of the show across the United States began in 1970 on WCLV, a Cleveland, Ohio radio station. Eventually syndicated to commercial and public radio stations around the world, the show became the world's most widely listened-to classical music radio program. He also published a book, Inside Music. In addition to being a musicologist, he was also an accomplished pianist and conductor. Karl received the Charles Frankel Award of the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1991. President George H. W. Bush personally presented the award to Haas at the White House. Haas also twice won the George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting. In 1997 he became the first classical music broadcaster to be named to the Radio Hall of Fame (?) b. December 6th 1913.
2007: Frankie Laine/Francesco Paolo LoVecchio (93) Frankie Laine Americam singer born in Francesco Paolo LoVecchio in Chicago's "Little Italy" district, where his Sicilian father worked at one time as the personal barber for gangster Al Capone. Frankie was a member of the choir in the church of the Immaculate Conception's elementary school. He realized he wanted to be a singer when he wagged high school to see Al Jolson's talkie picture, "The Singing Fool." His early influences included Enrico Caruso, Carlo Buti ...READ MORE...(sadly died of heart failure after hip replacemnt surgery, at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego) b. March 30th 1913.
2010: Sir John Dankworth (82) British jazz icon, composer, saxophonist, clarinetist and musical arranger, born in Woodford, Essex, was better known as Johnny Dankworth before he was knighted in 2006. He started his own jazz orchestra in the 1950s and went on to work with the likes of Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald. He was also a prolific composer, writing the theme tune for TV shows The Avengers and Tomorrow's World, and films including Modesty Blaise, The Servant and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. After winning a place at the Royal Academy of Music aged 17, and following a short stint in the Army, he was voted British Musician of the Year in 1949 ... READ MORE ... (sadly died in King Edward VII Hospital, London after being ill for several months) b. September 20th 1927
2011: Per Grundén (88) Swedish actor and opera singer born in Eskilstuna; he made his debut in 1945 as Sporting Life in Porgy and Bess at Stora Teatern in Gothenburg. He was engaged at Storan in Gothenburg in 1949, followed by roles in the Oscar Theatre, Stockholm and the Royal Theatre. Per got her breakthrough in Tiggarstudenten at the Stockholm Opera . Between 1953-1963, he was successful tenor at the Volksoper in Vienna . 1958 he received the title Kammersänger and in Vienna he still counts as one of the greatest operetta, the tenors ever. He has also devoted himself to lighter genres such as vaudeville , floor show and musicals . In the summer of 1967 he played for the first time the role of the happy wanderer Lustig-Per Rune Lindström's local play Skinnar game in Malung . He came to participate in skins game almost every summer until the mid- 1990s , the last few years, he portrayed the role of leather,. He also had engagement at the Royal Dramatic Theatre and National Theatre .A few years later had the popular role as the late Swiss villain Volksvagner in Hasse and Tage comedy Apple War . He is perhaps best known to many from the TV series Hede villagers and that Wall-Enberg in the films on Jönssonligan (?) b. May 23rd 1922.
2011: Gary Moore (58) Irish blues rock guitar virtuoso, composer and singer-songwriter from Belfast, Northern Ireland; he collaborated with a broad range of artists including George Harrison, Trilok Gurtu, Dr. Strangely Strange, Colosseum II, Jimmy Nail, Albert Collins, Mo Foster, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Jim Capaldi, Vicki Brown, Cozy Powell, the Beach Boys, Ozzy Osbourne and Andrew Lloyd Webber. He experimented with many musical genres, including rock, jazz, blues, country, electric blues, hard rock and heavy metal. Gary started playing guitar on an old battered acoustic guitar at the age of eight. At the age of 14, he got a better guitar and taught himself to play the right-handed instrument in the standard way despite being left-handed. After seeing Jimi Hendrix and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in his home town of Belfast, his own style was developing into a blues-rock sound that would come to dominate his career. But his greatest influence in the early days came from guitarist Peter Green, of Fleetwood Mac fame, who was a mentor to Gary when performing in Dublin. Later he paid a tribute to Pete on his '95 album Blues for Greeny, an album consisting entirely of Green compositions. On this tribute album he played Green's 1959 Les Paul Standard guitar which Green had lent him after leaving Fleetwood Mac, which he ultimately purchased at Green's request. Now 16, Gary's first professional band was a Dublin based blues-rock band 'Skid Row' in 1969, founded by bassist Brendan "Brush" Shiels, with Phil Lynott on vocals. Soon the band became a power trio, with Gary, Brendan now on vocals and bass, and drummer Noel Bridgeman. They recored 4 albums, Skid-1970; 34 Hours-1971; Skid Row-1971, released 1990; and Live And On Song – BBC Live in Concert-69/71. Gary released his first solo album in 1973, 'Grinding Stone', also in the 70s he did 3 short stints with the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, in 1974, 1977 and 1979...READ MORE... (sadly died in his sleep in the early hours of the morning while on holiday in Spain) b. April 4th 1952.
2012: Noel Kelehan (76) Irish musician born in Dublin and studied at the Municipal School of Music in Dublin, in both piano, and, music theory and harmony, and played in jazz and dance bands. He made his debut on radio, aged just 19 in 1955. As well as being an accomplished jazz pianist, he weny on to become conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and musical director of Radio Telefís Éireann. He was conductor of many Irish entries to the Eurovision Song Contest, beginning in 1966 and ending in 1998. He conducted five winning Irish entries, in 1980, '87, '92, '93, and '96. He also has several records to his credit, notably, he wrote the string arrangements for U2's '84 album The Unforgettable Fire (?) b. December 26th 1935.
2012: Jiang Ying (92) Chinese opera singer and music teacher. In 1936 she went to Europe with her father and studied music in Berlin and graduated from Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin in 1941. When WWII broke out, she moved to neutral Switzerland to study opera, graduating from Musikhochschule Luzern in 1944. Jiang went on to become a professor of music and opera, and head of the department of Western Vocal Music at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing (?) b. August 11th 1919.
2013: Mo-Do/Fabio Frittelli (46) Italian techno musician born in Monfalcone, Italy; despite being Italian, Mo-Do's songs are in German. He is probably best known from the single "Eins, Zwei, Polizei" which reached #1 in the German, Austrian and Italian music charts (sadly, apparent suicide) b. 24 July 1966
2013: Jan Sochor (65) Czech rock musician (sadly died while fighting cancer) b.

February 7.
1944: Lina Cavalieri (69) Italian soprano; orphaned at 15 she ran away with a touring theatrical group and made her way to Paris, France, where her stunning good looks opened doors and she obtained work as a singer at one of the city's café-concerts. From there she performed at a variety of music halls and other such venues around Europe while still working to develop her voice for the opera. She made her opera debut in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1900, the same year she married her first of 4 husbands, the Russian Prince Bariatinsky. In 1904 she sang at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo then in 1905, at the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre in Paris, Lina starred opposite Enrico Caruso in the Umberto Giordano opera, Fedora. From there, she and Caruso took the show to New York City, debuting with it at the Metropolitan Opera on 5 December 1906. The 1909–1910 season she sang with Oscar Hammerstein's Manhattan Opera Company. As well as her busy operatic career, she starred in 7 silent movies between 1914 and 1919. In 1955, Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida portrayed Lina in the film "The World's Most Beautiful Woman" and in 2004, a book was published authored by Paul Fryer and Olga Usova titled "Lina Cavalieri -The Life of Opera’s Greatest Beauty, 1874–1944". (Tragically she was killed in 1944 during an Allied bombing raid that destroyed her home in the outskirts of Florence) b. December 25th 1874.
1959: Guitar Slim/Eddie Jones (32) American New Orleans blues guitarist, from the 1940s and 1950s, best known for the million-selling song, "The Things That I Used to Do", which is listed in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. He spent his free time at the local juke joints and started sitting in as a singer or dancer; he was good enough to be nicknamed "Limber Leg". After returning from World War II military service, he started playing clubs around New Orleans, Louisiana, bandleader Willie D. Warren introduced him to the guitar, and he was particularly influenced by T-Bone Walker and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. About 1950 he adopted the stage name 'Guitar Slim' and started becoming known for his wild stage act. He wore bright-colored suits and dyed his hair to match them, his sound was just as unusual, he was playing with distorted guitar more than a decade before rock guitarists did the same, and his gospel-influenced vocals were easily identifiable (He sadly became an alcoholic, and died of pneumonia) b. December 10th 1926.
1971: Dock Boggs (73) American singer, songwriter, banjo player, born in Norton, Virginia; his style of banjo playing, as well as his singing, is considered a unique combination of Appalachian folk music and African-American blues. Contemporary folk musicians and performers consider him a seminal figure, at least in part because of the appearance of two of his recordings from the 1920s, "Sugar Baby" and "Country Blues", on Harry Smith's 1951 Anthology of American Folk Music collection. Dock's was initially recorded in 1927 and again in 1929, although he worked primarily as a coal miner for most of his life. He was "rediscovered" during the folk music revival of the 1960s, and spent much of his later life playing at various folk music festivals and recording for Folkways Records. In 1968, a musician and protege of Dock named Jack Wright started the Dock Boggs Festival, which is still held annually in Dock's hometown of Norton (?) b. February 7th 1898.
1979: Herbert LeRoy "Peanuts" Holland (68) American jazz trumpeter best known for his contributions in swing jazz. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia and learned to play trumpet at the Jenkins Orphanage. He played and recorded with Alphonse Trent's band between 1928 and 1933, and played with Al Sears in 1932, the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra, Willie Bryant, Jimmie Lunceford, and Lil Armstrong's band from 1935-36. He also occasionally led his own band. In 1939, he moved to New York City, playing in big bands led by Coleman Hawkins and Fletcher Henderson. From 1941 to 1946, he played with Charlie Barnet. He and Don Redman toured Europe in 1946, and during this tour Holland elected to remain there, living in Paris and Sweden. He recorded there until 1960, releasing some 46 records for European labels (died in Stockholm, Sweden) b. February 9th 1910.
1985: Matt Monro/Terence Parsons (55) English ballad singer born in Shoreditch, London and attended Duncombe School in Islington. He got a break in 1956 when he became a featured vocalist in the BBC Show Band. In 1959 he recorded a country pastiche song, "Bound for Texas", for The Chaplin Revue, a feature-length compilation of Charlie Chaplin shorts. It would be the first of many Monro soundtrack themes. His second single, in 1960, "Portrait of My Love," reached No.3 in the UK Singles Chart. Matt achieved fame in the United States when "My Kind of Girl" 1961 and "Walk Away" in 1964 hit the Top 40 and in 1961 he was named Top International Act by Billboard magazine. At the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest, singing "I Love the Little Things," Matt finished second behind Italy's 16-year-old Gigliola Cinquetti, despite an "excellent performance of the only English language song of the night". Other hits included "Softly as I Leave You"; and the song from the James Bond film "From Russia with Love" (liver cancer) b. December 1st 1930.
1990: Jimmy Van Heusen/Edward Chester Babcock (77) American composer born in Syracuse, New York; he wrote songs mainly for films and television , and won four Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and an Emmy. Collaborating with lyricist Eddie DeLange, on songs such as "Heaven Can Wait", "So Help Me", and "Darn That Dream", his work became more prolific, writing over 60 songs in 1940 alone. It was in 1940 that he teamed up with the lyricist Johnny Burke. Burke and Jimmy moved to Hollywood writing for stage musicals and films throughout the '40s and early '50s, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Swinging on a Star" in 1944. Jimmy then teamed up with lyricist Sammy Cahn. Their three Academy Awards for Best Song were won for "All the Way" in 1957 from The Joker Is Wild, "High Hopes" in 1959 from A Hole in the Head, and "Call Me Irresponsible" in 1963 from Papa's Delicate Condition. Their songs were also featured in Rear Window, Ocean's Eleven and Robin and the 7 Hoods. He also co-wrote "Love and Marriage", "To Love and Be Loved", "Come Fly with Me", "Only the Lonely", and "Come Dance with Me". Jimmy wrote the music for at least three Broadway musicals: Carnival in Flanders, Skyscraper, and Walking Happy. He composed over 800 plus songs of which 50 songs became standards and his songs are featured in over one hundred eighty films. He became an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971 (He was close friends throughout life with Frank Sinatra and is buried in the Sinatra family burial plot in Desert Memorial Park, in Cathedral City, California) b. January 26th 1913.
1992: Denny Wright (67) British jazz and skiffle guitarist who performed with Stephane Grappelli, Billy Eckstine, Lonnie Donegan, Johnny Duncan, Digby Fairweather, Ella Fitzgerald, Fapy Lafertin and many other musicians, including young rising stars such as Bireli Lagrene and Nigel Kennedy. He was a session musician for many years and frequently acted as arranger and fixer for recording sessions. Denny was a prolific composer for jazz and orchestra. He led many bands in his career, ranging from small jazz ensembles through night club bands to full size orchestras. In addition to jazz and skiffle, Denny worked with Latin American and Jamaican bands, including Kenny Graham's Afro-Cubists. He greatly enjoyed contributing to some of the best swing bands and orchestras of the period, playing frequently with the Carl Barriteau orchestra, with Decca Records' own house-band under Phil Green, and even the Glenn Miller band on occasions. Although he was best known as a guitarist, Denny's favourite instrument was actually the piano (died after 9 year battle with bladder cancer) b. May 6th 1924.
1994: Witold Lutoslawski (81) Polish composer and pianist, he was one of the major European composers of the 20th century, and one of the pre-eminent Polish musicians during his last three decades. During his lifetime, he earned many international awards and prizes, including the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest honour. During his youth, he studied piano and composition in Warsaw. His early works were influenced by Polish folk music. He began to develop his own characteristic composition techniques in the 1950s. Although he was ill Witold continued his busy schedule, travelling to the United States, England, Finland, Germany, Canada and Japan till a few weeks before his death (sadly died after fighting cancer) b. January 25th 1913.
1999: Robert "Bobby" Troup (70) American jazz, swing blues pianist, singer, composer and actor born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He is best known for writing the popular standard "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66", and for his role as Dr. Joe Early, in the 1970s US TV series Emergency!, which starred his wife Julie London. He made some excellent recordings for Liberty Records and Capitol Records, many with musicians that included the best of the West Coast school of jazz. His songwritings include "The Girl Can't Help It", "Daddy", "Snootie Little Cutie", "The Meaning of the Blues", "Girl Talk", "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66", "Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring", "I'd Like You For Christmas", "Please Belong To Me", "The Feeling of Jazz"and "Let's Keep Dancing", to mention a few (sadly died at UCLA Medical Center of a massive heart attack) b. October 18th 1918.
2000: Big Punisher/Christopher Rios (28) Puerto Rican rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s. He first appeared on albums from The Beatnuts, on the track "Off the Books" in 1997, and on Fat Joe's second album Jealous One's Envy in 1995, on the track "Watch Out", prior to signing to Loud Records as a solo artist. His full-length debut Capital Punishment in 1998, became the first album by a solo Latino rapper to go platinum, peaking at No.5 on the Billboard 200. Capital Punishment was also nominated for a Grammy. Big Punwas a huge man, his weight reportedly varying between 450 and 690 pounds. He was at his highest weight at the time of his death, being 698 pounds (heart attack) b. November 10th 1971.
2000: Robin Scott (79) British BBC controller; he read modern languages at Cambridge University before joining the intelligence corps. He was discharged through illness in '42, and joined the BBC. As well as all his other work in radio and television, Robin was appointed the Controller of the Light Programme in March 1967, and devised a format for their new popular music programme. His vision deliberately echoed the pirate radio broadcasters that would be outlawed in August 1967. This pop station, BBC Radio 1, launched on 30 September 1967, with a signature tune commissioned by Robin, Theme One, recorded by George Martin. He was also Controller of BBC Radio 2, the successor to the Light Programme. He was appointed CBE in 1976 (?) b. October 24th 1920.
2000: Dave Peverett (56) English guitarist and singer born in Dulwich, South East London. After a brief tour with Swiss blues band, Les Questions, he joined Savoy Brown as a rhythm guitarist, eventually also taking over as lead singer. After five albums with Savoy Brown, he decided to pursue his own vision, taking drummer Roger Earl and bassist Tony Stevens with him. He decided to call his new band Foghat, a word he had made up as a child while playing Scrabble with his brother. With the success of an early single, a cover version of Willie Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love to You", their debut release soon went gold. In 1974, Foghat released two gold albums, Energized and Rock & Roll Outlaws. Their first platinum album, Fool for the City, was released in 1975, producing three hit singles: the title track, "My Babe", and "Slow Ride". Followed by another gold album, Night Shift, before their 1977 Foghat Live album which reached multi-platinum. 1978's Stone Blue was yet another gold. Dave was the talented songwriter behind Foghats hits and tracks (pneumonia and complications from kidney cancer) b. April 16th 1943.
2001: Dale Evans/Frances Octavia Smith (88) American singer, songwriter, actress and wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers. Born in Uvalde, Texas, she had a productive career as a jazz, swing, and big band singer that led to a screen test and contract with 20th Century Fox studios.She gained exposure on radio as the featured singer for a time on the Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy show. She also got the part as a cowgirl co-star to Roy Rogers at Republic Studios in the Roy Roger films. Dale married Roy Rogers at the Flying L Ranch in Davis, Oklahoma, on New Year's Eve 1947, a marraige which lasted 51 years. They were a team on- and off-screen from 1946 until Roy's' death in 1998. From 1951 to 1957, Dale and Roy starred in the highly successful television series The Roy Rogers Show, in which they continued their cowboy and cowgirl roles, with her riding her trusty buckskin horse, Buttermilk. Autunm 1962, the couple co-hosted a comedy-western-variety program, The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show, which aired on ABC. Dale has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6638 Hollywood Blvd. She received a second star at 1737 Vine St. for her contribution to the television industry. In 1976, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. She ranked No. 34 on CMT's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music in 2002. (died of congestive heart failure) b. October 31st 1912.
2003: Malcolm Roberts (58) English actor and singer born in Manchester; he received his big break while appearing as Tony in West Side Story, composer Lionel Bart spotted his potential and cast him in his West End production of Maggie May at the Adelphi Theatre, in 1964. He released his first single, "Time Alone Will Tell" re in May 1967, followed by his biggest hit, "May I Have the Next Dream With You" in November 1968, his final hit, in November 1969, was "Love is All". He appeared and sung on The Morecambe and Wise Show and The Kenneth Williams Show on the UK's BBC Television and the American The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1970. In 1985, he joined a six-member group to represent Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song, "Children, Kinder, Enfants" They got 37 points and finished in 13th place (heart attack) b. March 31st 1944.
2009: Molly Bee/Molly Munchy/Mollie Gene Beachboard (69) American country singer; she became a popular teenage star on the 1950s TV show Hometown Jamboree. At only 13 she had her first major recording success with "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". This was followed by at least three more hit singles, and a brief film acting career. In the '50s and early '60s she was a TV staple on variety programs hosted by Tennessee Ernie Ford and Steve Allen nationally, as well as making local station appearances (complications from a stroke) b. August 18th 1939.
2009: Blossom Margrete Dearie (84) American jazz singer and pianist;classically trained, switched to jazz after joining a high school band. Moving to New York City in the mid-1940s, she sang with the Blue Flames, a vocal group attached to the Woody Herman band, and with Alvino Rey’s band before embarking on a solo career. 1952 sees her in Paris where she joined the Blue Stars, a vocal octet that recorded a hit version of “Lullaby of Birdland”. In '56 Verve Records signed her to a 6-album contract “Blossom Dearie”, “Give Him the Ooh-La-La”, “Once Upon a Summertime”, “Sings Comden and Green”, “My Gentleman Friend” and “Soubrette Sings Broadway Hit Songs”, all are today regarded as cult classics. From 1966 she traveled regularly to London to play Ronnie Scott’s, a popular nightclub, and while in England recorded four albums for the Fontana label. Back in the United States she established her own label, Daffodil Records, in 1974. Her first album, “Blossom Dearie Sings,” included “Hey John,” a tribute to John Lennon. Her last recording was a single, “It’s All Right to Be Afraid,” dedicated to the victims and survivors of 9/11.(died in her sleep of natural causes) b.April 28th 1924

February 8.
1972: Markos Vamvakaris (66) Greek rebetiko musician-songwriter; while working in the Athens he learned bouzouki, becoming an innovative virtuoso player. He also began to compose music and write songs. At first he played in hashish establishments known as Tekes, later he and his band, which included Giorgos Batis, Anestis Delias and Stratos Pagioumtzis played in more legitimate clubs. They became extremely popular, and Markos recorded his first rebetiko disc, Na 'Rchosouna Re Magka Mou in 1932. Among other songs in that period, he wrote the classic love song "Frangkosyriani" He later suffered badly with arthritis in his hands, but in the early 1960s, many of his old songs were revived, sung by modern singers including Grigoris Bithikotsis, and Stratos Dionysiou. (?) b. May 10th 1905.
1973: Max Yasgur (53) American music lover, the owner of a dairy farm in Bethel, New York on which the Woodstock Festival was held between August 15th and August 18th 1969. By the late 1960s, he was the largest milk producer in Sullivan County, New York. His farm had 650 cows, mostly Guernseys. Many of his neighbors turned against him after the festival, and he was no longer welcome at the town general store, but he never regretted his decision to allow the concert on his farm. On January 7th 1970, he was sued by his neighbors for area property damage caused by the attendance of the "flower children". However, the damage to his own property was far more extensive and, over a year later, he received a $50,000 settlement to pay for the near-destruction of his dairy farm and in 1971, Max sold the 600-acre farm (died in Florida of a heart attack) b. December 15th 1919.
1977: Eivind Groven (75) Norwegian microtonal composer fuddle player and music-theorist, born in Lårdal. He studied musical theory and composition for a year, mostly Berlioz and Beethoven. Unlike many other young Norwegian composers of the era, he refused to go abroad, but stayed at home, composing, and developing his own distinct musical forms, based on a merging of the sonata form with the special metamorphic principles unique to the dance music from Telemark, closely related to the forms of late baroque. In in 1931, Groven was appointed by the Norwegian Broadcasting Company, NRK, to be responsible for half an hour of folk music every week. Thus, he got a lot of gifted rural musicians to the radio, thereby preserving the folk music for posterity. After WWII, Eivind participated in editing and publishing seven volumes of written and collected tunes for hardanger fiddle, along with two fellow folk musicians in Norway (He got Parkinson's disease in 1964, and had to put away the fiddle, medications available at the time caused undue stress to his heart) b. October 8th 1901.
1980: Nikos Xylouris (43) Greek composer and singer born in Anogeia, Crete and was part of the movement that brought down the Greek military Junta of 1967. His songs and music captured and described the Greek psyche and demeanor, gaining himself the title the archangel of Crete. He first performed outside Greece in 1966 and won the 1st prize in the San Remo folk music festival. In 1967 he established the first Cretan Music Hall, Erotokritos, in Heraklion. The recording of Anyfantou in 1969 was a big success. He soon started performances in Athens, which became his new permanent residence, at the Konaki folk music hall. In 1971, Nikos was awarded by the Academy Charles Cross of France for his performance in the Cretan Rizitika songs album with G. Markopoulos (sadly died of a brain tumor) b. July 7th 1936.
1990: Del Shannon/Charles Weedon Westover (55) American singer and guitarist, one of the early greats in rock 'n' Roll and born in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he learned ukulele and guitar. In 1954, he was drafted into the Army, while in Germany he played guitar in a band called the Cool Flames. In 1958, he took over a band as leader and singer, with the name Charlie Johnson, and renaming his band the Big Little Show Band. He soon renamed himself Del Shannon and on January 21st 1961, recorded "Runaway", which reached No.1 in the Billboard chart in April. This was followed with "Hats Off to Larry", which peaked at No.5 on the Billboard and No.1 on Cashbox in 1961. Other hits included "So Long, Baby," and "Little Town Flirt",. He continued his success in England, where he had always been more popular. In 1963, he became the first American to record a cover version of a Beatles song, "From Me to You" which charted in the US before the Beatles. In 1988, Del sang on "The World We Know" with The Smithereens on their album Green Thoughts. Shortly after, in 1990, he recorded with Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra and there were rumors he would join The Traveling Wilburys after Roy Orbison's death. Previously, in 1975, he had recorded tracks with Lynne, along with In My Arms Again, a self-penned country song (while working on a comeback album with Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra, Shannon fatally shot himself in the head with a .22 calibre rifle. His wife thought his death might have been related to his recent use of the prescription drug, Prozac) b. December 30th 1934.
1992: Denys "Denny" Justin Wright (67) English jazz and skiffle guitarist, pianist, club owner, who performed with Stephane Grappelli, Lonnie Donegan, the bluegrass musician Johnny Duncan, Digby Fairweather, Humphrey Lyttelton, Marie Bryant and many other musicians. Throughout his career and many projects from 1940 until the 1980s, Denny was a regular in the recording studios as one of Britain's best session musicians and frequently acted as arranger and fixer for recording sessions. Denny was also a prolific composer for jazz and orchestra. Denny led many bands in his career, ranging from small jazz ensembles through night club bands to full size orchestras. In addition to jazz and skiffle, Denny worked with Latin American and Jamaican bands. Although he was best known as a guitarist, his favourite instrument was actually the piano. After the war, in 1945, he set up London's first bebop club, the Fullado in New Compton Street, where he played both piano and guitar. In the late 1940s he toured Italy and the Middle East with the Francisco Cavez orchestra before ending up playing in King Farouk's palace. He was part of Lonnie Donegan's group who first took skiffle to the Soviet Union in 1957. In 1978, he formed Velvet with Ike Isaacs, Len Skeat and Digby Fairweather and in 1981, Denny was voted BBC Jazz Society Musician of the Year. Denny occasionally taught young guitarists and guest lectured at the Royal College of Music on the life of a session musician. His last gig, was at The Grapes in Shepherd Market, Mayfair in late 1991 (Sadly died after a brave nine year battle with bladder cancer) b. May 6th 1924.
1994: Raymond Scott/Harry Warnow (85) American composer, band leader, pianist, engineer, recording studio maverick, and electronic instrument inventor. He was born in Brooklyn, NY, assembled his first audio laboratory at 12, got his first professional job as pianist and composed his first song "Portrait of a Cow" at 15, and was a 1931 graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, where he studied piano, theory and composition. He worked as a pianist for the CBS Radio house band, before forming his own band, calling it the "Raymond Scott Quintette". His first hit single came in 1934, "Christmas Night in Harlem", which was later recorded by Louis Armstrong. In 1936 he signed a recording contract with Irving Mills, Columbia Records and in 1937-38 he appeared and performed in several Hollywood films with his Quintette. Ray believed strongly in composing and playing by ear, his music is familiar to millions because of its adaptation by Carl Stalling in over 120 classic Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and other Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated features. Ray's melodies have also been heard in twelve Ren & Stimpy episodes (which used the original of Raymond's recordings), while making cameos in The Simpsons, Duckman, Animaniacs, The Oblongs, and Batfink. The only music Raymond actually composed purposely to accompany animation were three 20-second electronic commercial jingles for County Fair Bread in 1962. He was also a pioneer and inventor of electronic music. In 1954 he met and began to collaborate with synthesizer inventor Bob Moog an association which lasted 15 years. In 1956 he patented 'The Clavivox' (Keyboard Operated Electrical Musical Instrument) In 1959 he build his 1st version 'The Electronium' a keyboard-less, automatic composition and performance machine. A more perfected version of this invention caught the eye of Berry Gordy, who in 1970, bought an Electronim and hired Raymond as Motown's Director of Electronic Research and Development in his L.A. studios, where he based himself for 9 years. Other of his many electronic music inventions include 'The Fascination', 'The Participator', 'Pitch Sequencer', 'Rhythm Synthesizer', 'Bassline Generator', 'Synthesized Gong', 'Juxtaposition Matrix', 'Melody Maker', 'Rhythm Guitar Simulator', and the drum machine 'Bandito the Bongo Artist' just to mention a few. Still composing, recording and inventing at the age of 81, in 1988 Raymond suffered from series of heart attacks & strokes leaving him, so very sadly, unable to work, speak, or communicate. (?) b. September 10th 1908.
2002: Bob Wooler (76) English DJ and booker at Liverpool's Cavern Club and was most notable for being instrumental in introducing The Beatles to their manager, Brian Epstein, and as the DJ at The Cavern Club. He became involved in managing a skiffle group called The Kingstrums before becoming compère/disc jockey for promoters such as Wally Hill of Peak Promotions. His voice was captured on a live EP by the Big Three at the Cavern, saying "We've got the hi-fi high & the lights down low, so here we go, with the Big Three Show!" Wooler became one of the major figures on the Mersey Scene and did much to help the various groups, remaining at the Cavern until 1967 (?) b. January 19th 1926.
2002: Nick Brignola (65) American jazz saxophonist; at the age of 11 he began playing the clarinet before he picked up the alto and tenor saxophones as well as the flute. At the age of 20 he dropped his alto saxophone off to get repaired and the only horn the shop had to lone him was the baritone sax. After that instance, the baritone sax became his main instrument. Though Nick was mostly known as a bandleader he performed and released albums with many of the worlds most famous and well-established musicians. He was able to record the album Baritone Madness with one of his idols, bebop heavyweight Pepper Adams. The album was recorded with Roy Haynes, Dave Holland, Pepper Adams, and Derek Smith. Other musicians he played with through out his career include: Elvin Jones, Cecil Payne, Bobby Shew, Kenny Barron, Jack DeJohnette, Thelonious Monk, Wes Montgomery, Phil Woods, Chet Baker, and Clark Terry (sadly taken after a fight with cancer) b. July 17th 1936.
2005: Jimmy Smith (79) American jazz organist; he ruled the Hammond organ in the '50s and '60s, revolutionizing the instrument, showing it could be creatively used in a jazz context and popularized in the process. As well as his solo recordings, during the 1950s and 1960s, he recorded with some of the great jazz musicians of the day such as Kenny Burrell, George Benson, Grant Green, Stanley Turrentine, Lee Morgan, Lou Donaldson, Tina Brooks, Jackie McLean, Grady Tate and Donald Bailey. In the 1970s, Jimmy opened his own supper club in Los Angeles, and played there regularly with guitarist Paul C. Saenz, Larry Paxton on drums and Freddy Garcia on saxophone. He had a career revival in the 1980s and 1990s, again recording for Blue Note and Verve, and for Milestone and Elektra. He also recorded with other artists including Quincy Jones/Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Joey DeFrancesco. His last major album, Dot Com Blues on Blue Thumb in 2000, featured many special guests such as Dr. John, B. B. King and Etta James. In 2005, he was awarded the NEA Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest honor that the United States bestows upon jazz musicians (?) b. December 8th 1925.
2005: Keith Knudsen (56) American drummer, vocalist, and songwriter, born in Le Mars, Iowa. He began drumming while in high school. After short stints playing in a club band and the Blind Joe Mendlebaum Blues Band, he became the drummer for the organist-vocalist Lee Michaels. In 1974 he was invited to join The Doobie Brothers, joining the band during the recording of the 1974 platinum album, 'What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits', on which he made his debut. After the Doobies disbanded in '82, he and fellow Doobie John McFee, who he had also formed a writing partnership with, founded the country rock band Southern Pacific. They disbanded in the early 1990s. Keith organized a one-off Doobies reunion in 1987 to raise funds for the National Veterans Foundation. and rejoined the Doobie Brothers on a full-time basis in 1993. In 2005 he also played drums on Emmylou Harris 'Shores Of White Sand off the All I Intend To Be' record. (pneumonia) b. February 18th 1948.
2006: Elton Dean (60) UK saxophone player with Long John Baldry's band Bluesology; the bands pianist Reg Dwight, took Dean and Baldrey's first names for his stage name, Elton John. Elton Dean next established his reputation as a member of the Keith Tippett Sextet from 1968 to 1970, and in the band Soft Machine from 1969 to 1972. Shortly before leaving Soft Machine he started his own group, Just Us. From 1975 to 1978 he led a nine-piece band called Ninesense. In 2002, Elton and three other former Soft Machine members; Hugh Hopper, drummer John Marshall, and guitarist Allan Holdsworth toured and recorded under the name Soft Works. His last musical collaborations also included those with Soft Bounds, a quartet comprised of himself, Hugh Hopper, Sophia Domancich and Simon Goubert; Alex Maguire's project Psychic Warrior; and Belgian rock-jazz band The Wrong Object (heart and liver disease) b. Oct 28th 1945.
2006: Akira Ifukube (91) Japanese composer of classical music and film scores, born in Kushiro on the island of Hokkaido, the third son of a Shinto priest. From 1946 to 1953, he taught at the Nihon University College of Art, during which period he composed his first film score for The End of the Silver Mountains, released in 1947. Over the next fifty years, he would compose more than 250 film scores, the high point of which was his 1954 music for Ishiro Honda's Toho movie, Godzilla. He also created Godzilla's trademark roar – produced by rubbing a resin-covered leather glove along the loosened strings of a double bass – and its footsteps, created by striking an amplifier box (sadly died of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome) b. May 31st 1914.
2011: Roza Baglanova (89) Soviet - Kazakh soprano opera and pop music singer; in 1949, she became a singer with the Kazakh State Academic Opera and Ballet, then the Kazakh State Philharmonic Society in 1960 and was a leading master of the Kazakh state concert association "Kazakhconcert". During her career, she performed in Poland, the German Democratic Republic, Belgium, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia, the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, India, Burma, Canada, and other countries. One of her passions was singing in the language of the country she was performing in, and so performed traditional folk songs in Russian, Kazakh, Uzbek, Tatar, Mongolian, Korean, and others. Roza was honored with many awards throughout her career, including the People’s Artist of the USSR in 1967, the Order of Lenin and was also deemed a National Hero of Kazakhstan (sadly passed away due to a heart attack) b. January 1st 1922.
2011: Marvin Sease (64) American blues singer, born in Blackville, South Carolina; as a ternager he sang with the Five Gospel Crowns located in Charleston, before heading to New York City at aged 20, where he joined the gospel group called the Gospel Crowns. Marvin left the gospel circuit to form his own R&B group, accompanied by his own three brothers as his backing band. Going solo, in 1986 he recorded a self titled LP. featuring one of his more popular songs, "Ghetto Man". While promoting the album in the South's circuit of bars, blues festivals, and juke joints, he entered a record contract with Polygram Records, who launched his music nationally with the re-release of his self titled L.P. on Mercury Records in '87. It included the new ten minute track "Candy Licker," which became an instant success. Over the next decade Marvin released several more records for Mercury and Jive Records, which ranked on the Billboard R&B chart and pop charts (?) b. February 16th 1946.
2012: Giangiacomo Guelfi (87) Italian opera singer, particularly associated with Verdi and Puccini. Born in Rome, he made his stage debut in Spoleto, as Rigoletto in 1950. He made his debut in 1952 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, also appearing in Venice, Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples, Palermo, Catania, and becoming a regular guest at the Arena di Verona. Outside Italy he appeared in Berlin, Lisbon, London, Cairo. He made his American debut in 1954 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and at the Metropolitan Opera of New York in 1970, he also appeared in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro (?) b. December 21st 1924.
2012: Jimmy Sabater Sr (75) American Latin singer and timbales player born in Harlem, New York City. In the mid 50s he joined the Joe Panama Sextet, soon after called The Joe Cuba Sextet, one of Spanish Harlem’s most popular music groups. Their 1962 album “Steppin’ Out” became a monster hit, and Jimmy became part of history, as on the album he sang "To Be With You", which thrust him into almost immediate international recognition.
In 1977, he left the Joe Cuba Sextet and from 1977 to 1981, he was the lead vocalist for Al Levy. In 1980 he recorded Gusto and 1982, he co-led “El Combo Gigante” with Charlie Palmieri until the latter's death in 1988. On November 12th 1997, Jimmy became the recipient of an award from the City of New York for his contributions to the quality of life in the city, and in appreciation of his work since 1956. He was also awarded “Outstanding Musician of the Year” from the Comptroller of the City of New York, Alan G. Hevesi. In 1998, he became the lead vocalist of the Latin Septet “Son Boricua”, led by Maestro José Mangual Jr. Their first album, called Son Boricua, was the winner of the ACE Award as best new Latin release of that year. A second, and recently, a third ACE Award was awarded for the albums Homenaje a Cortijo y Rivera, and Mo! (?) b. April 11th 1936.
2012: Luis Alberto Spinetta (62) Argentine pioneer rock guitarist and multi-musician born in Buenos Aires; nicknamed El Flaco or Skinny, he was hailed one of the greatest poets of Argentine music. In 1967, he formed a band called Almendra with his own school mates. In 1969, Almendra, recorded their first album. They started recording and playing intensevely and became successful almost overnight. He later played with the bands Pescado Rabioso recording 3 albums and Invisible from 1974-76 recording 6 albums. Luis then embarked on the projects Spinetta Jade followed by Spinetta Y Los Socios Del Desierto. Since the early 70s he had also had a very successful solo career releasing 23 albums, he recorded his last album Spinetta y las Bandas Eternas in 2010 (sadly died while fightling lung cancer) b. January 23rd 1950.
2012: Wando/Wanderley Alves dos Reis (66) Brazilian singer, born in Cajuri and moved to Juiz de Fora, where he majored in classical guitar and performed in music ensembles and played at localdances. His career as singer began in 1969 and he also composed for other singers such as Jair Rodrigues, who in 1974 recorded “O Importante é Ser Fevereiro”. "A Menina e o Poeta" was recorded by Roberto Carlos in his 1976 and in 1985 "Chora Coração" was part of the soundtrack of the brazilian soap opera Roque Santeiro, and noteably the song "Fogo e Paixão", released on the album "O Mundo Romântico de Wando" in 1988, was another of his greatest hits. (sadly Wando died from a heart attack) b. October 2nd 1945
2013: James DePreist (76) American conductor born in Philadelphia; he was one of the first African-American conductors on the world stage. He was the Director Emeritus of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at The Juilliard School and Laureate Music Director of the Oregon Symphony at the time of his death. He was awarded 15 honorary doctorates, elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music; named the Laureate Music Director for the Oregon Symphony; a recipient of the Insignia of Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland; the Medal of the City of Québec and an Officer of the Order of Cultural Merit of Monaco; received the Ditson Conductor's Award in 2000 for his commitment to the performance of American music and in 2005, President George W. Bush presented him with the National Medal of Arts, the nation's highest honor for artistic excellence (sadly died from a heart attack) b. November 21st 1936.

February 9.
1951: Eddy Duchin (41) American pianist born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he first became a pharmacist before turning full-time to music and beginning his new career with Leo Reisman's orchestra at the Central Park Casino in New York, an elegant nightclub where he became hugely popular in his own right and eventually became the Reisman orchestra's leader by 1932. He became widely popular thanks to regular radio broadcasts that boosted his record sales, and he was one of the earliest pianists to lead a commercially successful large band (sadly died after a brave battle against leukemia) b. April 10th 1910. (some sourses give April 1st 1909)
1960: Erno Dohnányi (82) Hungarian pianist, conductor and composer, he made his debut in Berlin, 1897, and was at once recognized as an artist of high attainments. Similar success in Vienna followed, and thereafter he made the tour of Europe with the greatest success. He made his London debut at a Richter concert in the Queen's Hall, where he gave a memorable performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. Using his position as a conductor, Erno pioneered Bartók's more accessible music to boost its popularity. During the following season, he visited the United States. There, he established his reputation playing, again, the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 for his American debut with the St. Louis Symphony. He relocated to America after WW2, His last public performance, on January 30th 1960, was at Florida State University, conducting the university orchestra in a performance of the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 with his doctoral student, Edward R. Thaden, as soloist (sadly died of pneumonia) b. July 27th 1877.
1964: Ary Barroso (60)Brazilian composer, pianist, and talent-show host on radio and TV. He was one of Brazil's most successful songwriters in the first half of the 20th century with composions such as "Aquarela do Brasil" ("Brazil"), written in 1939, and "Na Baixa do Sapateiro" ("Bahia"), from 1938. "Brazil" was featured in the film Saludos Amigos-1942 and "Na Bahia" in The Three Caballeros-1944, both Disney films. In 1945, "Rio de Janeiro", featured in the 1944 film Brazil, and was one of the 5 finalists for the Academy Award for Best Original Song (liver cirrhosis) b. November 7th 1903.
1966: Sophie Tucker/Sonia Kalish (82) Czarist Russian singer, pianist, comedian; one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first third of the 20th century. Her comic style is credited with influencing later female entertainers, including Mae West, Joan Rivers, Roseanne Barr, and most notably Bette Midler who has included "Soph" as one of her many stage characters. She made several popular recordings including "Some of These Days" and "My Yiddish Momme", had her own radio program, Sophie Tucker and Her Show, in 1938-39, broadcasting for 15 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and she made numerous film appearances, including Broadway Melody of 1938 as the mother of Judy Garland's character (sadly died after her fight with lung cancer) b. January 13th 1884.
1976: Percy Faith (67) Canadian band-leader and conductor born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. He was one of the most popular easy listening recording artists of the '50s and '60s. He is often credited with creating the "easy listening" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and continued well into the 1960s. His most famous and remembered recordings are "Delicado" in 1952, "The Song from Moulin Rouge" in 1953 and "Theme from A Summer Place" in 1960, which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1961. Percy remains the only artist to have the best selling single of the year during both the pop singer era ("Song from Moulin Rouge") and the rock era ("Theme from a Summer Place"). The B-side of "Song from the Moulin Rouge" was "Swedish Rhapsody" by Hugo Alfvén. In the 70's he continued to release albums as diverse and contemporary as Jesus Christ Superstar and "Black Magic Woman." He released one album of country music and two albums of disco-oriented arrangements toward the end of his forty year career. (Percy sadly died after battling cancer) b. April 7th 1918.
1978: Julio Jaramillo (42) Ecuadorian singer; notable Ecuadorian "Pasillo" performer, he performed throughout Latin America where he achieved fame performing and recording boleros, valses, pasillos, tangos and rancheras. He recorded more than 4,000 songs in total. He recorded his most famous song Nuestro juramento in 1956. He recorded with Daniel Santos, Olimpo Cárdenas, and Alci Acosta, among others. His level of popularity in Ecuador could be compared to Frank Sinatra's in the United States (?) b. October 1st 1935.
1980: Charlie Fowlkes (63) American baritone saxophonist, best known for his time with Count Basie, which lasted for more than twenty-five years. born in New York, and studied alto and tenor saxophone, clarinet, and violin before settling on the baritone sax (he also played occasional flute). He spent most of his early career in New York, playing with Tiny Bradshaw: 1938-1944, Lionel Hampton: 1944-1948, and Arnett Cobb: 1948-1951, before joining Count Basie, who he stayed with until his death (?) b. February 16th 1916.
1981: Bill Haley (55) American singer, Bill Haley and his Comets; he was there before Presley, Holly and Berry, playing rock & roll before it even had a name, and is credited by many for being the first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and their hit song "Rock Around the Clock". He was born Highland Park, Michigan, because of the Great Depression on the Detroit area, his father moved the family to Boothwyn, Pennsylvania. For six years Bill was a musical director of Radio Station WPWA in Chester, Pennsylvania, leading his own band The Saddlemen all through this period and in 1951 they made their first recordings. They renamed themselves Bill Haley with Haley's Comets on Labour Day 1952. After his massive world hits of the 50s he continued recording and touring. He performed for Queen Elizabeth II at a command performance in 1979, and Bill made his final performances in South Africa in May and June 1980. Prior to the South African tour, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and a planned tour of Germany in the fall of 1980 was canceled. Bill was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (sadly died from a heart attack) b. July 6th 1925.
1991: James Cleveland (59) American gospel singer, arranger, composer and most significantly, the driving force behind the creation of the modern gospel sound, bringing the stylistic daring of hard gospel and jazz and pop music influences to arrangements for mass choirs. He became known as the King of Gospel music. In 1950, Cleveland joined the Gospelaires and in 1960, he formed the Cleveland Singers, featuring organist and accompanist Billy Preston. In 1968, he formed the Gospel Music Workshop of America. Today GMWA has nearly 30,000 members in 150 chapters across America. Rev James was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6742 Hollywood Boulevard (died of a heart attack)b. December 5th 1931.
1993: Bill Grundy (69) English TV broadcaster, he presented the famous Sex Pistols 'filth & fury' interview on live UK TV. He became notorious in a matter of two minutes owing to an incident that occurred when the punk band Sex Pistols and their entourage appeared at short notice on the Today show of December 1st 1976. They were a last minute stand-in for Queen, who were forced to cancel. The Today show was broadcast live and uncensored during daytime hours at a time when obscenities were forbidden (heart attack) b. May 18th 1923.
1997: Jack Owens/L.F. Nelson (92) Delta blues singer and guitarist from Bentonia, Mississippi, he was never a professional recording artist, but he farmed, bootlegged and ran a weekend juke joint in Bentonia for most of his life. He was not recorded until the blues revival of the 1960s, when he was rediscovered by David Evans in 1966. David recorded Jack's first album Goin' Up the Country that same year and It Must Have Been the Devil, with Bud Spires in 1970. He made other recordings, some by Alan Lomax, in the 1960s and 1970s, and performed at several music festivals in the United States and Europe until his death (?) b. November 17th 1904.
1997: Brian Connolly (51) Scottish singer, frontman; Sweet, New Sweet, solo. Born in Govanhill, Glasgow, The face of glam rock, Brian was one of rock’s great performers and despite numerous health problems, including fourteen heart attacks in one day, he continued to play right up to his death. At the age of twelve Brian's family moved to Harefield, Middlesex, where he played in a number of local bands before eventually replacing singer Ian Gillan in a band called Wainwright's Gentlemen, which included drummer Mick Tucker. In 1968 Brian and Mick formed a band called Sweetshop, soon Andy Scott and Steve Priest had joined them and Sweet was born. They had a string of hits "Block Buster" topping the chart, followed by three consecutive number two hits in "Hell Raiser", "The Ballroom Blitz" and "Teenage Rampage". Their first self-written and produced single "Fox on the Run" also reached No.2 on the UK charts. But after 10 successful years, in late 1978, due to his drinking problems he left the band. Over the next three years he released a few solo singles "Take Away The Music", "Don't You Know A Lady", and “Hypnotized” before forming In 1981, Brian was admitted to hospital with illness and bloating. Whilst in hospital, he had multiple heart attacks. He survived but his health was permanently affected with paralysis on his left side. With his Polydor contract now expired, he had more freedom and from early 1984 onwards, despite much reoccurring ill health, Brian would tour the UK, Europe and Australia with his band, now under the name of The New Sweet till his death. He also had a few reunions with original Sweet, in the UK and the USA, but they never reunited (Sadly Brian died from kidney-liver failure and repeated heart attacks) b. October 5th 1945.
2000: Thomas M. Sheridan (82) American boogie-woogie pianist born on in Clinton, Iowa, and started piano studies at Catholic elementary school at age 10. Later, he studied classical music and as a high school 2nd year, he formed his own orchestra. He was soon playing nearly every night of the week, in combos at nightclubs in Clinton. In the 30s, he was invited to join Lawrence Welk's traveling big band that specialized in dance and "sweet" music, at that time the band traveled around the country by car. After about 3 1/2 years on the road with Welk, he decided, for family reasons quit the road. He formed his own band playing boogie woogie hot jazz and during the 1950s and '60s appeared five or six times a week on WTMJ-TV. He became a household name in the Milwaukee area and continued playing the music of contemporary composers from motion pictures, jazz, television, Broadway shows, standards and personal compositions until his death (?) b. July 13th 1917.
2002: Vicente Sardinero (65) Spanish operatic baritone born in Barcelona, he made his debut at the Gran Theatre del Liceu in his native city in the 1964-65 season, as Escamillo in Carmen. He first appearance at the Teatro alla Scala was in 1967, as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor. He also sang at London's Covent Garden as Marcello in La bohème in 1976 and was often heard in zarzuela. Vicente appeared in many others around the world including in 1968, at the New York City Opera, in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Pagliacci and in 1977, at the Metropolitan Opera, as Marcello in La bohème (?) b. January 12th 1937.
2003: Reuben "Ruby" Braff (75) American jazz trumpeter and cornetist born in Boston. He was renowned for working in an idiom derived from the playing of Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke. He began playing in local clubs in the 1940s. In 1949, he was hired to play with the Edmond Hall Orchestra at the Savoy Cafe of Boston. He relocated to New York in 1953 where he was much in demand for band dates and studio sessions. Reuben recorded with the likes of Pee Wee Russell, Ralph Sutton, Dick Hyman, George Wein, Ellis Larkins, Scott Hamilton and Dave McKenna as well as recording around a dozen albums as a leader (?) b. March 16th 1927.
2005: Tyrone Davis (66) American soul singer born near Greenville, Mississippi; while he was working as a valet and chaffeur for blues singer Freddie King, Tyrone started singing in local clubs where he was discovered by record executive/musician Harold Burrage. He went to be one of the great fathers of "Chicago Soul", with a career spanning more than four decades, selling over 25 million records. His major hits included "Give It Up", "This I Swear", "In The Mood" "Are You Serious" and "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" (Tyrone suffered a stroke in Sept 2004, which left him in a coma from which tragically he did not recover) b. May 4th 1928.
2008: Scot Halpin (54) American musician, noted for sitting in for The Who's Keith Moon during a rock concert at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, when Keith passed out over his drum kit three quarters of the way through the show. In 1973 Scot was awarded Rolling Stone magazine's "Pick-Up Player of the Year Award" for his historic performance during this show (?) b. February 3rd 1954.
2009: Orlando "Cachaito" López (76) Cuban bassist; legend has it that there are over 30 bassists in the Lopez lineage, so Orlando learnt double bass at first on a cello and by the age of eleven he was involved with an orchestra with his aunt. By the time he was 17 he replaced his uncle as the bassist with Arcana y sus Maravillas. In the 1950s, he helped create the descarga style of music, a mix between jazz-styled improvisation with Afro-Cuban rhythms, and by '57 he was playing with the hugely popular Havana dance band, Orquesta Riverside. In the 1960s, he became a bassist with the National Symphony, and was also a key member of Irakere, an experimental band that combined pop, classical, Cuban folk, African and jazz influences. He was also a member of the Buena Vista Social Club and was the only member to appear in all of the band's recordings (complications from prostate surgery) b. February 2nd 1933.
2009: Vic Lewis (89) British jazz guitarist and bandleader; as a teenager he played in George Shearing's band, and first toured America in 1938, where he did recording sessions with a band that had Bobby Hackett, Eddie Condon, and Pee Wee Russell among its members. Between 1941-44 he served in the Royal Air Force at this time he recorded with Buddy Featherstonhaugh. He worked with Stephane Grappelli during 1944-45 and with Ted Heath. Highly influenced by Stan Kenton and other West Coast jazz artists he formed one of Britain's most admired American-sounding jazz orchestras from 1946 and through 1950s. They recorded extensively for Parlophone, Esquire, Decca, and Philips. By 1960 Vic was semi-retired, he occasionally recorded, but he continued to write about jazz and went into artist management, and oversaw the careers of photographer Robert Whitaker and the UK singer Cilla Black among many others (?) b. July 29th 1919.
2010: Pena Branca (70) Brazilian folk singer; Pena and his brother Xavantinho were one of the most artistic and original duos of the contemporary "caipira". They were also innovative by including in their repertory pieces by urban composers like Djavan, Caetano Veloso, and Milton Nascimento. The two brothers started to sing together in 1961 on Rádio Educadora (Uberlândia, Minas Gerais). Six years later, they moved to São Paulo. In 1980, they were heard by Renato Teixeira, who arranged for them to record their first LP, Velha Morada, that same year. Still in 1980, they qualified Xavantinho's "Que Terreiro É Esse?" on TV Globo's MPB Shell Festival. Their original interpretation of Milton Nascimento/ Chico Buarque's "O Cio da Terra" made national success in 1981 on Rolando Boldrin's TV show Som Brasil. In 1987, their LP O Cio da Terra had the participation of Nascimento, Tavinho Moura, and Marcus Viana, selling 300,000 copies. In 1991, they were awarded with three Prêmios Sharp - Best Duo - Best Song for "Casa de Barro" by Xavantinho/Moniz - Best Album for Cantadô de Mundo Afora. The next year, Renato Teixeira & Pena Branca e Xavantinho were awarded with a Prêmio Sharp and by the Association of Art Critics of São Paulo (APCA) in 1999 reaching the cipher of 100,000 copies sold. . In 1993, their success took them to international performances in the U.S. In 1999 Pena pursued a solo career after his brother retired. (heart attack) b. 1939

February 10.
1961: Andy Gibson (47) American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer, born in Zanesville, Ohio. His associations in the 1930s include Lew Redman, Zack Whyte, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, Blanche Calloway, Willie Bryant, and Lucky Millinder. He quit playing in 1937 to arrange and compose full-time, working with Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Charlie Barnet and Harry James. He led a big band while serving in the Army from 1942-45. Following his discharge he continued working with Charlie Barnet, but focused primarily on R&B music. He was musical director for King Records from 1955–60 and recorded four songs as a leader in 1959, which were released on a multi-artist LP on Camden Records. As a composer, he composed "I Left My Baby", popularized by Count Basie, "The Great Lie", and "The Hucklebuck" based on the Charlie Parker tune "Now's the Time". (sadly died from a heart attack) b. November 6th 1913.
1961: Velma Middleton (43) American jazz vocalist born in Holdenville, Oklahoma, best-known for having sung with Louis Armstrong big bands and small groups. She was with Louis Armstrong for most of her career, from 1942-1961. Prior to Louis she sang with Connie McLean's Orchestra, touring Sth. Africa in 1938 and worked solo (Velma had a stroke in Africa while on tour with Louis Armstrong and died one month later in the Hill Station Hospital in Sierra Leone) b. September 1st 1917.
1966: Billy Rose/William Samuel Rosenberg (66) American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist, born in New York City. He is credited with many famous songs, notably "Me and My Shadow"-1927, "It Happened in Monterey"-1930 and "It's Only a Paper Moon"-1933. Billy was a major force in entertainment, with shows, such as Jumbo in 1935, Billy Rose's Aquacade, and Carmen Jones in 1943, his Diamond Horseshoe nightclub, and the Ziegfeld Theatre from 1949 until 1955 influencing the careers of many stars. From 1959 until his death in 1966, he was also the owner-operator of the Billy Rose Theater. During that time the theatre housed four plays, one musical, one revue, three ballets, and twenty-nine concert performances. Billy was inducted as a member of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame (?) b. September 6th 1899.
1975: Dave Alexander (27) American bass player, a founder member of Iggy Pop & The Stooges. Although he was a total novice on his instrument, he was a quick learner and also had a hand in arranging, composing and performing all of the songs that appeared on the band's first two albums, The Stooges and Fun House. He is often credited by vocalist Iggy Pop and guitarist Ron Asheton in interviews with being the primary composer of the music for the Stooges songs "We Will Fall", "Little Doll", both on The Stooges, "1970" and "Dirt" on Fun House (died of pulmonary edema after being admitted to a hospital for pancreatitis) b. June 3rd 1947.
1986: Arthur Edward "Uncle Art" Satherley (96) English-American A&R legend, producer and talent scout born in Bristol, UK. He was a pioneer of Country music record production, "Uncle" Art was one of the most important people in the history of Country music, he is listed in the Country Music Hall of Fame Nashville, inducted in 1972 as "Country Music's Founding Father". Art had emigrated to the America at the age of 24. His first real job in the record industry was promoting 78 rpm records of Ma Rainey and Blind Lemon Jefferson on the Paramount label. By 1930, he began working for Columbia Records and soon became one of the leading A&R men in country music. Between 1938 to 1952, Art recorded numerous artists, including Gene Autry, Bob Wills, Hank Penny, Lefty Frizzell, Carl Smith, Marty Robbins, and Roy Acuff (died of natural causes) b. October 17th 1889.
1988: Don Patterson (51) American jazz organist, born in Columbus, Ohio; he played piano from childhood, heavily influenced by Erroll Garner in his youth. In 1956, he switched to organ after hearing Jimmy Smith. In the early 1960s, he began playing regularly with Sonny Stitt, and he began releasing material as a leader on Prestige Records, and from 1964 with Pat Martino and Billy James as sidemen. His most commercially successful album was 1964's Holiday Soul in 1967 (sadly died of liver failure) b. July 22nd 1936.
1992: Jim Pepper (50) American jazz saxophonist, composer, singer of Native American ancestry and is well remembered for his popular recording of "Witchi-Tai-To," a peyote chant put to music. He grew up in Oklahoma and moved to New York in the mid-'60s. He was a major part of one of the first fusion groups, The Free Spirits, which recorded one album Out of Sight and Sound in 1966. He played in the "Everything Is Everything" band in the late '60s, and was encouraged by Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry to put more of his heritage into his music. Jim worked with Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra. He recorded with Paul Motian and Bob Moses, and led a session apiece for Europa-1984 and Enja-1987. In his own projects, Jim recorded with Cherry, Naná Vasconcelos, Collin Walcott, Kenny Werner, John Scofield, Hamid Drake, Ed Schuller, many others and his own band. His CD Comin' and Goin' in '83 is the definitive statement of his unique "American Indian jazz" with 9 songs played by four different line-ups. He also worked with the Liberation Music Orchestra, Paul Motian' s quintet, Bob Moses, Marty Cook, Mal Waldron, David Friesen, and Amina Claudine Myers, and toured Europe intensively throughout his career (sadly passed away from lymphoma) b. June 18th 1941.
1995: Kendall Hayes (59) American singer-song writer composer from Danville, Kentucky, who wrote "Walk On By" made famous by Leeroy Van Dyke. Another big hit was "Don't Give Up the Ship," recorded by Johnny Wright, and performed in Grand Ole Opry roadshows in the 1960's. He also recorded some of his own songs in the early 60s including ''Come On Son'', ''Roaming Through The Countryside'', ''Jungle Of Love'' and ''Thisaway Or Thataway'' (sadly lost to liver cancer) b. 1936.
2001: George Holmes "Buddy" Tate (87) US jazz saxophonist; player with Terence "T" Holder, Andy Kirk, and Nat Towles, before joining Count Basie Orchestra in 1939, after which played with Lucky Millinder; Milt Buckner Hot Lips Page; ex-Basie singer Jimmy Rushing; led a group with Bobby Rosengarden at the Rainbow Room; co-led a band with saxophonist Paul Quinichette at New York’s West End Cafe; was house bandleader at Celebrity Club, New York City, as well as having his own quintet (cancer) b. Feb 22nd 1913.
2002: Dave Van Ronk (65) American folk singer nicknamed the "Mayor of MacDougal Street", best known as an important figure in New York City during the acoustic folk revival of the 1960s, but his work ranged from old English ballads to Bertolt Brecht, rock, New Orleans jazz, and swing. He is often associated with blues but he pointed out at concerts that he actually had only a limited number in his repertoire. He became known for performing instrumental ragtime guitar music, and he was an early friend and supporter of Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Phil Ochs and Joni Mitchell, among many others. Sadly Dave died before completing work on his memoirs, which were finished by Elijah Wald, his collaborator, and published in 2005 as The Mayor Of MacDougal Street. In 2004 a section of Sheridan Square, where Barrow Street meets Washington Place, was renamed Dave Van Ronk Street in his memory (died of cardio-pulmonary failure while undergoing post-operative treatment for colon cancer) b. June 30th 1936
2006: J Dilla/James Dewitt Yancey (32) American Grammy Nominated record producer who emerged from the mid 1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. His career began slowly, but he has now become highly regarded, most notably for the production of critically acclaimed albums by Common, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Pharcyde. He was a member of Slum Village for their acclaimed debut album Fantastic, Vol. 2. In the early 2000s, his career as a solo artist began to improve; A solo album Welcome 2 Detroit was followed by a collaborative album with California producer Madlib, Champion Sound, which catalyzed the careers of both artists. (sadly died of the blood disease TTP) b. February 7th 1974
2011: Blanche Honegger Moyse (101) American violinist and conductor, born in Geneva, Switzerland, where she began the study of violin at 8 years and made her debut at the age of 16, when she played the Beethoven violin concerto with l'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. She married the pianist-flutist Louis Moyse and with his father, flutist Marcel Moyse, formed the award-winning Moyse Trio. In 1949, she moved to Marlboro, Vermont and helped found the Marlboro Music Festival. She also chaired the music department at Marlboro College for the next 25 years, and founded the Brattleboro Music Center in 1952. Her violin career ended in 1966 with an injury to her bow arm, but she went on to become a much admired conductor of the choral works of Bach. She made her Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 78, conducting the Blanche Moyse Chorale and the Orchestra of St. Luke's in a production of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, and she continued to conduct Bach's major choral works at annual concerts of the New England Bach Festival well into her 90's. In 2000 Blanche was awarded the Alfred Nash Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award by Choral Arts New England (?) b. September 23rd 1909.

February 11.
1939: Franz Schmidt (64) Austrian composer, cellist and pianist of Hungarian descent and origin. He beat 13 other applicants and obtained a post as cellist with the Vienna Court Opera Orchestra, where he played until 1914. That same year he took up a professorship in piano at the Vienna Conservatory, which had been recently renamed Imperial Academy of Music and the Performing Arts. In 1925 he became Director of the Academy, and from 1927 to 1931 its Rector. Franz worked mainly in large forms, including four symphonies in 1899, 1913, 1928 and 1933 and two operas: Notre Dame and Fredigundis. A CD recording of Notre Dame has been available for many years, starring Dame Gwyneth Jones and James King(died after a long illness) b. December 22nd 1874.
1945: Al Dubin (53) Jewish-American-Swiss lyricist born in Zurich, Switzerland he was responsible for lyrics to several Broadway shows, perhaps most famous for the 1933 musical film 42nd Street to the music of Harry Warren. Other famous movies included Footlight Parade and all five Gold Diggers films. Together, Al and Warren wrote 60 hit songs for Warner Brothers. In 1980 producer David Merrick and director Gower Champion adapted 42nd Street into a Broadway musical that won The Tony Award for Best Musical for 1981. In 1970 Al was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (?) b. June 10th 1891.
1962: Leo Parker (36) American jazz saxophonist, born in Washington, D.C; he studied alto saxophone in high school, and played on a recording with Coleman Hawkins in 1944. He switched to baritone sax later that year when he joined Billy Eckstine's bebop band, playing there until 1946. In 1945 he was a member of the "Unholy Four" of saxophonists, with Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons. He played on 52nd Street in New York with Dizzy Gillespie in 1946 and Illinois Jacquet in 1947-48, and later recorded with Fats Navarro, Teddy Edwards, J.J. Johnson, Wardell Gray and Sir Charles Thompson. He and Thompson had a hit with "Mad Lad". In the 1950s Leo had problems with drug abuse, which interfered with his recording career. He made 2 comeback records for Blue Note in 1961 (Leo sadly died of a heart attack) b. April 18th 1925.
1985: Heinz Eric Roemheld (83) American composer, a child prodigy who began playing the piano at the age of 4. He graduated from the Milwaukee College of Music at 19, and performed in theatres to earn money to study piano in Europe. In 1920, he went to Berlin, to study and appeared in concert with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Back in America, Heinz became a prominent film composer. He scored some scenes in Gone with the Wind, including the burning of Atlanta, although he was not credited on-screen. In 1942 he won the Academy Award for Best Original Music Score for Yankee Doodle Dandy. Among the more than 400 other films for which he composed music were Gentleman Jim, The Lady From Shanghai, The Invisible Man, and Shine On, Harvest Moon. He continued writing for film for several of the major studios until the late 1950s. After briefly working in television, he retired in 1964 to concentrate on his classical composition(?) b. May 1st 1901.
2005: Peter Esmond Bernard Sayers (62) English country music 5-string banjoist, 6 & 12-string guitarist, dobro, autoharp, mandolin & ukeleke player, vocalist, born in Bath. He played with the likes of Johnny Duncan and the Blue Grass Boys, The British Blue Grass Band and for his last 30 years, he was a member of the bluegrass group the Radio Cowboys, based in the Cambridge. Peter was one of the first British solo artists to play the Grand Ole Opray in Nashville, USA. He also hosted a US breakfast TV programme and worked on tour with Kitty Wells and the bluegrass duo Flatt and Scruggs. On his return to the UK in 1972, Peter began Grand Ole Opry (England), which staged country shows in the Kingsway Cinema in Newmarket. It became very popular and was on the touring schedule for visiting Americans including Bill Monroe and Marvin Rainwater He made several albums, of which the best known are Watermelon Summer-1976 and Bogalusa Gumbo-1979, which was produced by the Nashville songwriter John D. Loudermilk (?) b. November 6th 1942.
2006: Jockey Shabalala (62) Sth African singer born in the town of Ladysmith/eMnambithi; after moving to Durban in 1957 to find work, Jockey's brother Joseph, founded the first incarnation of Ladysmith Black Mambazo in 1960 with his brothers Headman and Enoch and various other relatives. In 1974, after the success of Mambazo's first album, Joseph managed to persuade Jockey to join the group, where he became a full-time member by the late 1970s. In October 2004, Jockey decided to retire from international touring to spend more time with his family, though still continued recording and performing with the group in South Africa. It was in mid-2005 when Jockey became so ill, when he fully retired from the group (?) b. November 04th 1943.
2009: Estelle Bennett (67) US singer and member of the girl group The Ronettes, along with her sister Ronnie Spector and cousin Nedra Talley. The Ronettes first began performing as the Darling Sisters and later worked as dancers at New York's Peppermint Lounge, the epicentre of the 60s dance craze, the Twist. They first signed with Colpix, before being signed by Phil Spector. Their recording of "Be My Baby" reached hit No. 2 on Billboard in 1963 and was followed by a string of hits including "Walkin' in the Rain" and "Baby I Love You". Their rendition of "Sleigh Ride" that appeared on Spector's "A Christmas Gift for You" album. Their last Philles single was "I Can Hear Music" in 1966. After the Ronettes break-up, she recorded a single for Laurie Records, "The Year 2000/The Naked Boy". She then quit the music business and has rarely been seen since. In 2007, when the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she refused to perform with them, and spoke only a brief two sentences during her acceptance speech, "I would just like to say, thank you very much for giving us this award. I'm Estelle of the Ronettes, thank you." (She died in New Jersey) b. July 22nd 1941.
2010: Irina Arkhipova (85) Russian mezzo-soprano, and later contralto, opera singer. She sang leading roles first in Russia at the Sverdlovsk Opera and the Bolshoi Theater, and then throughout Europe and in the United States. At the height of her career in the 1960s and 1970s, during which time she was an international star, interpreting both Russian and Italian repertoire. Her technique was irreproachable, and she had great expressive power. She has been compared with Christa Ludwig. One of her most celebrated roles is as Marfa in Khovanshchina by Modest Mussorgsky, as recorded with Boris Khaikin in 1972 (?) b. January 2nd 1925.
2011: Bad News Brown/Paul Frappier (33) Canadian Montreal-based entertainer, musician, and hip hop MC born in Haiti. He was well-known for pairing the sound of his harmonica, with hip-hop beats and rhymes. He started busking in Montreal taking his signature sound as a teenager to the streets and subway station. He later toured and opened for many well-known hip hop acts or as background musician. BNB also appeared as an impromptu host in Music for a Blue Train, the 2003 documentary about busker musicians in the Montreal Metro subway train system. In 2009, he established his own record label Trilateral Entertainment Inc and released his debut studio album Born 2 Sin. The long feature film BurnRush featuring him in a leading role is premiering on 1 April 2011 (BNB was murdered, horrifically, he was beaten and shot to death in Montreal) b. May 8th 1977.
2012: Whitney Houston (48) American singer, actress and model born in Newark, New Jersey. Inspired by prominent gospel and soul singers in her family, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick and her godmother Aretha Franklin, she began singing with New Jersey church's junior gospel choir at age 11. She spent some of her teenage years touring nightclubs with her mother Ciss, and she would occasionally get on stage and perform with Cissy. In 1977, aged 14, she became a backup singer on the Michael Zager Band's single "Life's a Party". Then in 1978, at age 15, she sang background vocals on Chaka Khan's hit single "I'm Every Woman", a song she would later turn into a larger hit for herself on The Bodyguard soundtrack album. She also sang back-up on albums by Lou Rawls and >>> READ MORE <<< (Whitney was found dead in her bath at the Beverly Hills Hilton in LA. Paramedics were called, but found her unresponsive and performed CPR for about 20 minutes before declaring her dead, cause is as yet unknown) b. August 9th 1963.
2013: Lim Yoon Taek (32) South Korean singer and leader of the K-pop boy band Ulala Session that gained notoriety after they won the 2011 talent show competition Superstar K3 (sadly died after a brave battle with gastric cancer) b. 1980.
2013: Kevin Gray (54) American musical theatre actor, he was a graduate of Duke University, and later a professor at Rollins College until 2011 where he taught Meisner Technique Acting for Musical Theatre. He was the youngest actor to play the title role in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and in the U.S. national tour. Kevin also played the King of Siam, Broadway revival of The King and I, and in the UK touring production. He played Pontius Pilate in the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar and Gaylord Ravenal in Show Boat. His TV roles include the daytime dramas Ryan's Hope and Guiding Light and the prime-time series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Miami Vice and The Equalizer. He also co-starred in the film White Hot (sadly Kevin died of a heart attack) b. February 25th 1958.
2013: Trevor Grills (54) British singer and member of 10-strong male singing group, Fisherman's Friends. The group was formed in Port Isaac, Cornwall, and sings sea shanties. Three are fishermen, and the others are linked to the sea through service as coastguards or lifeboatmen. They have been performing locally since 1995, and signed a record deal with Universal Music in March 2010. At the 2011 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Fisherman's Friends received The Good Tradition Award for keeping folk music alive and bringing it to new audiences (On February 9th 2013 a heavy steel door fell while the G Live venue in Guildford was being set up for a Fisherman's Friends show, tragically killing their tour manager Paul McMullen. Trevor suffered serious head injuries and died in hospital two days later) b. 1958.
2013: Irina Maslennikova (94) Russian opera soprano and she was also the 5th wife of Lemeshev the tenor; she studied 1938-41 in Kiev Conservatoire in the class of Palyaev and Donets-Tesseir. From 1941 she performed at the Kiev opera making her debut as Susanna in 'Figaro', and also sang Zerlina in 'Fra Diavolo' from 1943-60 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow making her debut as Gilda. Among her 22 roles at the Bolshoi are - Marfa, Gilda, Ludmila, Lakme, Volkova, Snegourochka, Antonida, Violetta, Musetta, Susanna, Juliette, Mimi. She was honored in 1957 when she was made a People's Artist of Russia (?) b. 1918
2013: Rick Huxley (72) English bassist, born in Dartford; he joined the Dave Clark Five in 1958 and played on all of the band's hits including "Glad All Over" and "Bits and Pieces". After the group disbanded in 1970, he had a career in property as well as continuing to be involved in the music business. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2008 as part of the Dave Clark Five, also in attendance were Lenny Davidson and Dave Clark (sadly Rick died after suffering some time from emphysema) b. August 5th 1940.

February 12.
1970: Ishman Bracey (69) American blues singer and guitarist from Mississippi, considered one of the most important early delta blues performers. With Tommy Johnson, he was the center of a small Jackson, Mississippi group of blues musicians in the 1920s. His name is incorrectly spelled "Ishmon" in some sources and on some records. He was an associate of Tommy Johnson, and the pair performed together in medicine shows in the 1930s. By the time he was "rediscovered" in the late 1950s, he had become a preacher and a performer of religious songs (?) b. January 9th 1901.
1976: Sal Mineo (37) American actor and singer born in the Bronx, New York; he first became a teenage idol as a film star, best known for his performance opposite James Dean in the film Rebel Without a Cause. Among his many film rolls he also played a Mexican boy in Giant in 1956. In 1957, Sal made a brief break into music recording a few songs including "Start Movin' (In My Direction)", "Lasting Love." "You Shouldn't Do That," "Little Pigeon," "Love Affair," and "Party Time." He also starred as drummer Gene Krupa in the movie The Gene Krupa Story, co-starring Susan Kohner. After which he continued with his film and TV acting career. (Tragically he was brutally stabbed to death on the streets of West Hollywood) b. January 10th 1939.
1983: Eubie Blake (96) American composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, he and long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote the Broadway musical Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals to be written and directed by African Americans. His compositions included such hits as, "Love Will Find A Way", "Bandana Days", "Charleston Rag", "Memories of You", and "I'm Just Wild About Harry". He was a frequent guest of Johnny Carson Show and Merv Griffin and continued to play and record into late life, until his death. The musical Eubie! featured his works and opened on Broadway in 1978 (?) b. February 7th 1887.
1991: Roger Patterson (22) American death metal bass player, well known for his work in the Florida death metal band Atheist. His playing style is characterized by its speed and complexity. Alex Webster, bassist with Cannibal Corpse, has acknowledged Patterson as "a big influence", describing his playing on the album Piece of Time as "phenomenal". He joined Atheist, then known as R.A.V.A.G.E., in 1985. The band recorded their first full-length album, Piece of Time, in 1988, which was released in 1989 in Europe, but not in the United States until 1990. As a result, Atheist began preparing for their next album, to which Roger contributed greatly (the band was in a tragic car crash, sadly Roger was killed) b. 1968
1992: Andy Blakeney (94) American jazz trumpeter, born in Quitman, Mississippi and was a fixture of the Dixieland jazz scene for decades. He played briefly for King Oliver and Doc Cook in Chicago in 1925, before moving to California in 1926, where he played with Sonny Clay and Reb Spikes, including on record. He worked in Los Angeles in the 1930s with Les Hite and Lionel Hampton, then played in Monk McFay's band in Hawaii in 1935-39 and led his own band for a time thereafter. In 1941 he returned to the US, playing with Ceele Burke in 1942-46, Horace Henderson in1946 and Kid Ory in 1947. Andy led his own Dixieland outfits in California through the 1950s, but didn't record with any of them. In the 1960s he played with the Young Men of New Orleans, in the 1970s with the Legends of Jazz, and in the 1980s with the Eagle Brass Band. He was still active almost up until the time of his death (?) b. June 10th 1898.
1995: Philip Taylor Kramer (42) American bass guitarist for Iron Butterfly during the 70s. After which he got a night school degree in aerospace engineering, he worked on the MX missile guidance system for a contractor of the US Department of Defense and later in the computer industry on fractal compression, facial recognition systems, and advanced communications. In 1990 he co-founded Total Multimedia Inc. with Randy Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson, to develop data compression techniques for CD-ROMs. His disappearance caused a mystery lasting four years. On February 12th 1995 he drove to LA International Airport to pick up an investor. He spent forty-five minutes at the airport but failed to meet the investor. Phil did make a flurry of cell phone calls, including one to the police during which Phil said, "I’m going to kill myself. And I want everyone to know O.J. Simpson is innocent. They did it." He was never heard from again. (On May 29th 1999, Phil's Ford Aerostar minivan and skeletal remains were found by photographers looking for old car wrecks at the bottom of Decker Canyon near Malibu, California. Based on forensic evidence and his emergency call to the police his death was ruled as a probable suicide committed on the day on which he was last heard) b. July 12th 1952
2000: Andy Lewis (33) Australian bassist with the Sydney based rock band The Whitlams. He left The Whitlams in the late 1995, and went to Melbourne, Australia to form another band, The Gadflys. (Andy was battling a gambling addiction, when he sadly committed suicide) b. June 16th 1966.
2000: John London/John Carl Kuehne (58) American bass player and sessionist; childhood friend of Michael Nesmith's from Texas, who had played with him in several working bands, he accompanied Nesmith and then-wife Phyllis Barbour to California, to try their luck in the Los Angeles-area music scene. When Nesmith was cast in The Monkees, John was his stand-in on the set, and in the studios when the originally-fictitious band began playing on their own recordings, it is John's bass lines we hear. In late 1969, he and Nesmith, left the Monkees, to form a new group with pedal steel guitar ace Red Rhodes and drummer John Ware. Calling themselves the First National Band, the group signed with RCA Records. Years after the Monkees and the First National Band, John served as key grip on several different productions, including 48 Hrs., Who Will Love My Children?, The Karate Kid, Long Time Gone, and Hudson Hawk. (He died in Rockport, Texas) b. February 6th 1942
2000: Screamin Jay Hawkins (70) American rock-blues singer, boxing champion at 16, married nine times, spent 2 years in jail, was temporary blinded by one of his flaming props on stage in 1976, and he fathered over 75 children. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Jay is famed chiefly for his powerful, operatic vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of songs such as "I Put a Spell on You", "Feast of the Mau Mau" and "Constipation Blues". He sometimes used macabre props onstage, making him the one of the original shock rockers. He opened for Fats Domino, Tiny Grimes and the Rolling Stones. This exposure in turn influenced rock groups such as Screaming Lord Sutch, Black Sabbath, Arthur Brown, Dread Zeppelin, The Horrors, Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper.(He died following surgery to treat an aneurysm while in Paris, France) b. July 18th 1929.
2000: Oliver/William Oliver Swofford (54) American singer; his soaring baritone was the perfect vehicle for his hit "Good Morning Starshine", from the pop-rock musical Hair and his No.2 hit "Jean", the theme from the Oscar-winning film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (sadly died after battling cancer) b. Feb 22nd 1945
2005: Jewel "Sammi" Smith (61) American country music singer and songwriter, born in Orange County, California. She is best known for her 1971 country/pop crossover hit, "Help Me Make It Through the Night", which was written by Kris Kristofferson. In 1972, she won a Grammy Award for the song. She also won the title Best Female Country Vocal Performance that year. Sammi became one of the few women in the outlaw country movement during the 1970s. (died at home in Oklahoma City after a long illness) b. August 5th 1943.
2007: Jimmy Campbell (63) English singer and songwriter; born in Liverpool he started in a school band he named The Panthers supporting The Beatles in January 1962 and performed at The Cavern on numerous occasions, and one show, broadcast on Radio Luxembourg, saw them introduced as The Kirkbys, the presenter confused their name with their home town. The name stuck, and the group released a single, "It's A Crime", in 1966. He next formed the psychedelic band The 23rd Turnoff, before forming the band 'With Rockin' Horse' and launching a solo career, recording 3 albums between 1969 to 1971. Jimmy also wrote a number of songs recorded by other artists. Cliff Richard, Billy Fury, The Swinging Blue Jeans and Rolf Harris all covered songs of Campbell's (?) b. January 5th 1944.
2007: Peggy Gilbert/Margaret F. Knechtges (102) American jazz saxophonist and bandleader born in Sioux City, Iowa; when she was only 7 years old, she played piano and violin with her father's music band, she later discovered jazz music, and started to play the saxophone. In 1933 she founded her own all-female jazz band (whose name changed often: from "Peggy Gilbert and Her Metro Goldwyn Orchestra" to "Peggy Gilbert and her Symphonics", etc.), in which she also performed on saxophone, vibes, piano, and vocals. In the 1930s and 1940s Peggy and her band performed in the most famous nightclubs in Hollywood, from the "Cotton Club" to the "Cocoanut Grove". During this period, she also appeared in films, toured Alaska with a USO troupe, and began to be an advocate for women musicians. After a difficult period following World War II, in the 1950s she had success on radio and television programs. In 1974, at 69 years old, she created her last great all-girl band, "The Dixie Belles," with other accomplished musicians from vaudeville and the Big Band era. The group performed with great acclaim on TV and at jazz festivals, appearing on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" and in the 1980 Rose Bowl Parade, among many other engagements. In 1985 the band recorded the album "Peggy Gilbert & The Dixie Belles", which is available on CD from Cambria Master Recordings (?) b. January 17th 1905.
2009: Coleman Mellett (34) American jazz guitarist with Chuck Mangione's Grammy award winning jazz band, he joined the band in 1999. In 2007 he released his first solo album "Natural High" (He had been scheduled to play with Mangione and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra on February 13th but was killed the night before in the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 with fellow band member, Gerry Niewood) b. May 27th 1974
2009: Gerry Niewood (65) American jazz saxophonist; he first joined Chuck Mangione's band in 1968. He was with Chuck through to 1976 and appeared on most of his famous records, adding a strong jazz flavor to the music. He had a post-bop quartet with Dave Samuels from 1976-77, led the Sunday Morning Jazz Band in the early '80s and played with Joe Beck a few years later. He also played with Simon and Garfunkel in their 1981 Concert in Central Park. But he mostly worked in the studios and freelanced until rejoining Chuck in the mid-1990s (He had been scheduled to play with Mangione and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra on February, Friday 13th but was killed the night before in the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 together with fellow band member, Coleman Mellet) b. April 6th 1943.
2009: Mat Mathews/Mathieu Schwartz (84) Dutch jazz accordionist; learned to play music during the Nazi occupation, he was inspired to play jazz when he heard a radio broadcast of Joe Mooney and played with The Millers in Holland from 1947 before moving to New York City in 1952 where formed a quartet which included Herbie Mann. He also played with Art Farmer, Julius Watkins, Joe Puma, Oscar Pettiford, Gigi Gryce, Dick Katz, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke. He also played with Carmen McRae in 1954-55. In 1956 he played in the group The 4 Most with Al Cohn, Gene Quill, Hank Jones and Mundell Lowe as well as making appearances on television variety shows such as Garry Moore's, Jack Paar's, and Arthur Godfrey's. In the very late 50s and into the 1960s he worked mainly as a studio musician, until 1964 when he moved back to the Netherlands. There he continued his work in studios as an arranger and producer, and recorded less as a player (?) b. June 18th 1924.
2012: Adrian Foley, 8th Baron Foley (88) British peer, composer and pianist. He succeeded to his title at the age of three. He composed music for the films Piccadilly Incident-1946 and Bond Street-1947. He also appeared on an episode of the American game show, To Tell the Truth in 1957 (?) b. August 9th 1923.
2013: Kurt Redel (94) German flutest and conductor, born in Breslau, Silesia, later moved to Wroclaw, Poland. He studied flute, violin, conducting, and composition, also music history and piano at the Breslau Conservatory. He worked as a solo flutist for the Meininger Landeskapelle 1938-39, Salzburg Mozarteum 1939-41, where he was also awarded a professorship, and Bavarian State Orchestra/Opera 1941-45. Between 1946 and 1953-56 he taught at the Northwest German Music Academy in Detmold. In 1953 he founded the (Munich) Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra with which he made numerous recordings of works of Baroque, Classical and later periods. He founded also the Lourdes Festival and was its director for 20 years (?) b. 8 October 1918.

February 13.
1974: Ustad Amir Khan (61) Indian classical singer born in Indore, he is considered one of the most influential figures in Hindustani classical music, and the founder of the Indore Gharana. His unique style, known as the Indore Gharana, blends the spiritual flavor and grandeur of dhrupad with the ornate vividness of khayal. He also helped popularize the tarana. Besides singing in concerts, Amir Khan also sang film songs in ragas, most notably for the films Baiju Bawra, Kshudhita Pashan, Shabaab, and Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje. He also sang a ghazal Rahiye Ab Aisi Jagah for a documentary on Ghalib. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1967 and the Padma Bhushan in 1971 (tragically Ustad died in a car accident in Calcutta) b. August 16th 1912.
1976: Lily Pons (77) French-born soprano born in Draguignan near Cannes, later moving to America. She was a principal soprano at the Met for 30 years, appearing 300 times in ten roles from 1931-1960. Her most frequent performances were as Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville-33 performances, Lucia-93 performances, Lakmé-50 performances, Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto-49 performances, and. In 1944 during WW II, she canceled her work in New York and instead toured with the USO, entertaining troops with her singing. Her husband Andre Kostelanetz directed a band composed of American soldiers as accompaniment to her voice. The pair performed at military bases in North Africa, Italy, the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, India and Burma in 1944. In 1945, the tour continued through China, Belgium, France and Germany—a performance near the front lines. Returning home, she toured the U.S., breaking attendance records in cities such as Milwaukee at which 30,000 attended her performance on July 20, 1945. (sadly died of pancreatic cancer) b. April 12th 1898.
1993: Patrick Waite (23) British bassist, singer and a founder member of Musical Youth. During the autumn of 1982, the group issued one of the fastest-selling singles of the year in "Pass the Dutchie". The record went to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in October 1982. It went on to sell over four million copies, and was nominated for a Grammy Award. A U.S. Top 10 placing also followed in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The accompanying video made them the first black artists to be played on MTV. Other hits include "Youth Of Today", "Never Gonna Give You Up", "Heartbreaker" and "Tell Me Why". They received another Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards of 1984 (sadly Patrick died of a hereditary heart condition) b. May 16th 1968.
1997: Michael Menson (30) Ghanaian MC; he had five hit singles during the 1980s including "Street Tuff", and "Just Keep Rockin'", with his group Double Trouble (died horrifically from complications and two heart attacks caused by 30% burns sustained in a racist attack, when three men set him on fire) b. 1967.
1998: Thomas Chapin (40) American composer and saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist; born in 1957 in Manchester, Connecticut, he studied with Jackie McLean and Paul Jeffrey at Rutgers University. Thomas was primarily an alto saxophonist, but he also played sopranino saxophone and various flutes. From 1981 to 1986 he toured with the jazz great Lionel Hampton as lead saxophonist and musical director of the band. He also performed with Chico Hamilton’s band from 1988 to 1989. Most of his recordings as a leader, featured his trio with drummer Michael Sarin and bassist Mario Pavone, and sometimes featuring guests, recording 15 albums in all, including Sky Piece and Night Bird Song, the last releases with his trio. He also played and recorded with the likes of Michael Blake, Anthony Braxton, Mario Pavone, Tom Varner, Misako Kano, John McCracken, Medeski Martin, Ned Rothenberg, and Machine Gun (Thomas sadly died of leukemia) b. March 9th 1957.
2002: Waylon Jennings (64) American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. He rose to prominence as a bassist for Buddy Holly following the break-up of The Crickets. He escaped death in the February 3, 1959, plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, when he gave up his seat to Richardson who had been sick with the flu. By the 1970s, he had become associated with so-called "outlaws," an informal group of musicians who worked outside of the Nashville corporate scene. A series of duet albums with Willie Nelson in the late '70s culminated in the 1978 crossover hit, "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys." In 1979, he recorded the theme song for the hit television show The Dukes of Hazzard, and also served as the narrator, "The Balladeer", for all seven seasons of the show. He continued to be active in the recording industry, forming the group The Highwaymen with Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson. Waylon released his last solo studio album in 1998. In 2001, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (sadly died in his sleep from diabetic complications) b. June 15th 1937.
2008: Roger Voisin (89) French born trumpet player; he moved to America as a child when his father, René Voisin was brought to the Boston Symphony as 4th trumpet in 1928. Roger studied with the Boston Symphony's second trumpet Marcel LaFosse and principal trumpet Georges Mager. He also studied solfege with Boston Symphony contrabassist Gaston Dufresne. He is credited with premiere performances of many major works for trumpet including Paul Hindemith's Sonata for Trumpet and Piano, and Alan Hovhannes' Prayer of St. Gregory. He is also credited with the US premiere of Alexander Arutiunian's Trumpet Concerto, performing with the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1966. Leroy Anderson's A Trumpeter's Lullaby was written especially for Roger in 1949, and first recorded with Arthur Fiedler conducting Roger and the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1950. He has also been involved with many early recordings and performances of both solo and orchestral works including J. S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.2, Béla Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, Aaron Copland's Quiet City, Joseph Haydn's Concerto for Trumpet in Eb, Alexander Scriabin's The Poem of Ecstasy, Georg Philipp Telemann's Concerto for Trumpet in D, and Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Trumpets in C. He became chair of the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) brass and percussion department in 1950 and was the primary trumpet teacher at NEC for nearly 30 years. In 1975 he became a full professor at Boston University, teaching trumpet and chairing the wind, percussion and harp department until his retirement in 1999(?) b. June 26th 1918.
2008: Henri Salvador (90) French singer andguitar player, born in Cayenne, French Guiana. He taught himself the guitar by imitating Django Reinhardt's recordings, and was to work alongside him in the 1940s. He recorded several songs written by Boris Vian with Quincy Jones as arranger. He played many years with Ray Ventura et Ses Collégiens where he used to sing, dance and even play comedy on stage. He also appearances in movies such as "Nous irons à Monte-Carlo", "Nous irons à Paris" and "Mademoiselle s'amuse". In 2005, Henri was awarded the Brazilian Order of Cultural Merit. was also a commander of the French Légion d'honneur and of the National Order of Merit. In 2007 he released "Reverence" on V2 Records which features Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso. He then went on to perform the track La Vie C'est La Vie from the album Reverence on the BBC program Later … With Jools Holland, which aired on May 4th 2007 (?) b. July 18th 1917.
2010: John Lamb Reed OBE (94) English actor, dancer and singer, known for his nimble performances in the principal comic roles of the Savoy Operas, and has been called "the last great exponent" of the Gilbert and Sullivan comedy roles. John performed as a baritone with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company between 1951 and 1979. His featured roles with the company were: Cox in "Cox And Box" The Associate in "Trial by Jury" The Judge in "Trial by Jury" Mr Wells in "The Sorcerer" Sir Joseph in "H.M.S. Pinafore" Major-General in "The Pirates of Penzance" Major Murgatroyd in "Patience" Bunthorne in "Patience" Lord Chancellor in "Iolanthe" Gama in "Princess Ida" Ko-Ko in "The Mikado" Robin Oakapple in "Ruddigore" 2nd Citizen in "The Yeomen of the Guard" Jack Point in "The Yeomen of the Guard" Antonio and Annibale in "The Gondoliers" The Duke of Plaza Toro in "The Gondoliers" Scaphio in "Utopia, Ltd." Rudolph in "The Grand Duke". John also recorded for Decca the following of his roles: Judge; Wells; Sir Joseph (twice); Major-General; Bunthorne; Lord Chancellor (twice); Gama; Ko-Ko; Robin; Jack Point; Duke; Scaphio; Rudolph. John toured the UK, America, Australia and New Zealand with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, and was awarded the O.B.E. in 1977. He returned to the D'Oyly Carte in 1981/2 as a guest artiste (sadly died from a stroke) b. 13 February 1916.
2011: Manuel Esperón González (99) Mexican composer and songwriter born in Mexico City. He wrote many songs for Mexican films, including "Cocula" and "Ay Jalisco No Te Rajes" for the film 'De tal palo tal astilla', and "Amor con Amor Se Paga" for 'Hay un niño en su futuro'. Other of his songs have become Latin standards such as ''Yo Soy Mexicano'', ''Noche Plateada'' and ''No Volveré'' which was used in the first episode of the 2001 soap opera El juego de la vida. Among other performers, Chavela Vargas, Pedro Infante, Los Panchos, and Jorge Negrete have made his songs well-known. Manual's fame in the USA derives from when his song The Three Caballeros was used in the Disney film The Three Caballeros in 1944. In 1989 he was awarded the Premier National Prize of Mexico for Art and Traditional Culture and in 2001, he was given a tribute at the Palace of Fine Arts in the historical center of Mexico City. He was the honorary president for life of the Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico (sadly Manuel died from respiratory arrest) b. August 3rd 1911.
2012: Russell Arms (92) American singer, born in Berkeley, CA; he began his career on radio, moving up to minor screen roles during World War II as a contract player with Warner Brothers and later he appeared in supporting roles in both feature films and television. From 1952-57, he was a vocalist on Your Hit Parade, an NBC TV series that reviewed the popular songs of the day and a regular cast of vocalists performed the top 7 songs of the week. He was well-known for his 1957 hit single, "Cinco Robles (Five Oaks)", which stayed in the charts for 15 weeks, peaking at No.22 and released an album, "Where Can A Wanderer Go", in 1957. Russell authored an autobiography in 2005, My Hit Parade ... and a Few Misses (?) b. February 3rd 1920.
2012: Jodie Christian (80) American jazz pianist, noted for bebop and free jazz, born in Chicago, Illinois. He was one of the co-founders of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) along with pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran. He and Abrams were also part of the Experimental Band. He worked at Chicago's Jazz Showcase club, and performed with Eddie Harris, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons, Roscoe Mitchell, and Buddy Montgomery. Jodie recorded both as a sideman from 1958-95 and leader 1991-2000 (?) b. February 2nd 1932.

February 14.
1943: Dora Gerson (43) Jewish German cabaret singer and motion picture actress of the silent film era. Born in Berlin she began her career as a touring singer and actress in the Holtorf Tournee Truppe alongside actor Mathias Wieman in Germany. In 1920, Dora was cast to appear in the successful film adaptation of the Karl May penned novel Auf den Trümmern des Paradieses/On the Brink of Paradise and later followed that same year in another May adaptation entitled Die Todeskarawane/Caravan of Death. In 1933 when the Nazi Party came to power in Germany, she was stripped of rights and blacklisted from performing in "Aryan" films. Dora began recording music for a small Jewish record company and also began recording in the Yiddish language during this time, and the 1936 song "Der Rebe Hot Geheysn Freylekh Zayn" became highly regarded by the Jews of Europe in the 1930s. Her best remembered recordings from this era were the songs "Backbord und Steuerbord" and "Vorbei" /Beyond Recall, which was an emotional ballad, subtlely memorializing a Germany before the rise of the Nazi Party. In 1936, Dora relocated with relatives to the Netherlands, fleeing Nazi persecution. Germany invaded the Netherlands, Dora and her family were seized trying to flee to Switzerland, a neutral nation in World War II Europe (Cruelly killed with her family at Auschwitz concentration camp, Poland) b. March 23rd 1899
1959: Baby Dodds/Warren Dodds (60) American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana gained his reputation as a top young drummer in New Orleans, then worked on Mississippi River steamship bands with a young Louis Armstrong. True or not, it is said that Baby Dodds revolutionized the drum kit by inventing the floor bass or "kick drum". He moved to California in 1921 to work with Joe "King" Oliver there, and followed Oliver to Chicago, which became his base of operations. He recorded with Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Art Hodes, and his brother Johnny Dodds. In the late 1940s he worked at Jimmy Ryan's in New York City. On some of his trips back to New Orleans, he recorded with Bunk Johnson (?) b. December 24th 1898.
1986: Edmund Rubbra (85) English Composer born in Northampton, he composed both instrumental and vocal works for soloists, chamber groups and full choruses and orchestras. It is a measure of the high esteem in which he was held in the 1940s, that his Sinfonia Concertante and his song Morning Watch were played alongside such works as Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, Kodály's Missa Brevis and Vaughan Williams's Job, at the 1948 Three Choirs Festival (?) b. May 23rd 1901.
1988: Frederick Loewe (86) Austrian-American composer, born in Berlin; an early age he learned to play piano by ear and and he began composing songs at age seven. He eventually attended a music conservatory in Berlin. He began to visit the Lambs Club, a hangout for theater performers, producers, managers, and directors. There, he met Alan J. Lerner in 1942. Their first collaboration of many, was a musical adaptation of Barry Connor's farce The Patsy, called Life of the Party, for a Detroit stock company. It enjoyed a nine-week run and encouraged the duo to join forces with Arthur Pierson for What's Up?, which opened on Broadway in 1943. It ran for 63 performances and was followed two years later by The Day Before Spring. Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady first appeared in 1956. The partnership won the Tony Award for Best Musical. MGM took notice and commissioned them to write the film musical Gigi in 1958, which won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Freerick was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972 (?) b. June 10th 1901
1989: Vincent Crane/Vincent Rodney Cheesman (45) English keyboardist born in Reading, Berkshire, influenced by Graham Bond, in 1967 he teamed up with Arthur Brown in The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown. Their self-titled album in 1968 contained the song "Fire", a chart-topping hit single in the UK, Canada, and the US, with Vincent's organ on the leads. The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown practically dissolved on tour in the U.S.A., when Crane and drummer Carl Palmer left to form Atomic Rooster in late 1969. They enjoyed success in 1971 with two hit singles, "Tomorrow Night", and "Devil's Answer". He collaborated with other musicians on a number of albums, including Rory Gallagher in 1971, Arthur Brown's Faster Than The Speed Of Lightin in 1979, Peter Green, Richard Wahnfried and Dexys Midnight Runners in 1985. In 1983 he was part of the one-off blues outfit, Katmandu, with Ray Dorset and Green, who recorded the album A Case For The Blues (died of an overdose of painkillers after a brave fight against manic-depression) b. May 21st 1943.
1990: Tony Holiday/Rolf Peter Knigge (39) German singer-songwriter born in Hamburg, he had his first chart hit in '77 with "Tanze Samba mit Mir"/"Dance the Samba With Me", which became a hit in Germany and Austria, peaking at No.4 in the German charts. In 1979 he participated with the title "Zuviel Tequila, zuviel schöne Mädchen"/"Too Much Tequila, Too Many Beautiful Girls"/ in the German finals for the Eurovision Song Contest and the song finished in 9th place. Between 1975 and 1984, he performed 11 times on the popular German music TV program ZDF-Hitparade. In 2000, his single "Tanze Samba mit Mir" was prominently featured in the Teddy Award-winning François Ozon directed film Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes (AIDS) b. February 24th 1951.
1996: Taiguara/Taiguara Chalar da Silva (50) Brazilian singer, guitarist and pianist, born in Montevideo, Uruguay when his father toured the country as a musician. In 1964, he joined the Sambalanço Trio and later in 1965, he recorded his first of several albums, and in the following years won many awards. Due to his political views in the 70s, he left Brazil settling in London UK, then Tanzania and other countries in Africa before returning to his home country in the 80s. Taiguara was one of the most censored Brazilian artists to date, having close to 100 songs vetoed throughout his career. Some of his biggest hits were "Universo No Teu Corpo", "Teu Sonho Não Acabou", "Viagem", "Berço de Marcela", "Que as Crianças Cantem Livres", "Hoje", "Amanda", "Carne e Osso", "Geração 70" and "Mudou" (bladder cancer) b. February 14th 1945
1999: Buddy Knox (65) American singer, guitarist; the first artist of the rock & roll era to write and record his own number one hit, 1957's million-selling classic "Party Doll", a pioneer of the Lone Star State rockabilly sound that would later earn the name "Tex-Mex". "Gypsy Man" hit the Nashville charts in 1968, it proved his final chart hit. Buddy ultimately relocalated to Vancouver, opening a nightclub called the Purple Steer and toured extensively throughout the 1970s and 1980s (lung cancer) b. July 20th 1933.
2002: Mick Tucker (54) English drummer, born in Harlseden, London; In 1965, Mick and vocalist Ian Gillan formed a soul band Wainwright's Gentlemen; Brian Connolly replaced Ian. Mick and Brian left Wainwright's Gentlemen in 1968 to form another band, calling themselves The Sweetshop before changing the name to Sweet, which became one of the main glam rock acts in the 1970s. During the early years of 1971 and 1972, Sweet's musical style followed a marked progression from the bubblegum style of the first hit, "Funny Funny", to a Who influenced heavy rock style supplemented by a striking use of high-pitched backing vocals. The band achieved notable success in the UK charts, with thirteen Top 20 hits during the 1970s alone, with "Block Buster" in 1973 topping the chart, followed by three consecutive number two hits in "Hell Raiser" and "The Ballroom Blitz" both in 1973 and "Teenage Rampage" in 1974. Their first self-written and produced single "Fox on the Run" in 1975 also reached number two on the UK charts. Sweet extensively toured the US and had a strong following in America (passed away after a long and brave battle with leukaemia) b. July 17th 1947.
2002: Günter Wand (90) German orchestra conductor and composer born in Elberfeld and studied in Wuppertal, Allenstein and Detmold. At the Cologne conservatory, he was a composition student with Philipp Jarnach and a piano student with Paul Baumgartner. He was a conducting pupil of Franz von Hoesslin in Munich, but was otherwise largely self-taught as a conductor. During his 65 years long career as a conductor, he was honoured with many significant awards, including the German Record Award and the internationally important Diapason d'Or. also composed music, mostly songs with orchestral accompaniment and music for ballet. One composition was his concertino "Odi et amo", for soprano and chamber orchestra, which Wand wrote for his wife, the soprano Anita Westhoff (?) b. January 7th 1912.
2006: Shoshana Damari (87) Israeli singer and actress; in 1945, she joined Li-La-Lo, a revue theatre founded by impresario Moshe Wallin. She became known for her distinctive husky voice and Yemenite pronunciation. Her first record was released in 1948 and her best known song was Kalaniyot (Anemones). Shoshana was especially popular among Israeli soldiers, for whom she frequently performed. In the mid-1980s, she teamed up with Boaz Sharabi for a duet that brought her back into the limelight. She was awarded the Israel Prize in 1988 for Hebrew song and a Life Achievement Award by the Israeli Composers and Publishers Association in 1995. In 2005, aged 82, she recorded two tracks for the Mimaamakim album by Idan Raichel's Project and participated in some of their live performances (sadly died after a brief bout of pneumonia) b. 1923
2006: Lynden David Hall (31) British singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer; in 1999, he was the first UK performer ever voted "Best Male Artist" by the readers of Britain's Blues & Soul magazine. His debut album, Medicine 4 My Pain, as well as the singles "Do I Qualify" and "Sexy Cinderella", had an instant appeal to soul fans in the UK and elsewhere, but it was not until his work got the remix treatment that he got his big breakthrough. Lynden appeared in the film Love Actually in 2003, where he sang at the wedding of the characters played by Keira Knightley and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Two years later, he released his third studio album In Between Jobs (sadly died of Hodgkin's lymphoma) b. May 7th 1974.
2007: Gareth Morris (86) British flautist born in Clevedon, Somerset, began to play the flute when he was 12, and studied privately with Robert Murchie. At 18 he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. During World War II he joined the Royal Air Force and was principal flute in the RAF Symphony Orchestra. Gareth was the principal flautist of a number of London orchestras including the Boyd Neel Orchestra before joining the Philharmonia Orchestra, where he was the principal flautist for 24 years and Professor of the Flute at the Royal Academy of Music from 1945 to 1985. He was known for using wooden flutes, at a time when most other players had switched to using metal flutes (?) b. May 13th 1920.
2009: Louie Bellson/Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni (84) Italian-American jazz drummer; at the age of 15, he pioneered the double-bass drum set-up, at 17, he triumphed over 40,000 drummers to win the Slingerland National Gene Krupa contest. He performed and/or recorded around 200 albums as a leader, co-leader or sideman with such renowned musicians and leaders such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Woody Herman, Norman Granz' J.A.T.P., Benny Carter, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz, Hank Jones, Zoot Sims, Sonny Stitt, Milt Jackson, Clark Terry, Louie Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Shelly Manne, Billy Cobham, James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, Pearl Bailey, Mel Tormé, Joe Williams, Wayne Newton, and film composer John Williams. In 1952 he married actress-singer Pearl Bailey, a marriage of 40 years, he was also Pearl's musical director. Louie has performed in virtually every capital city around the world, and among his numerous accolades, he had been voted into the Halls of Fame for both Modern Drummer magazine and the Percussive Arts Society, Yale University named him a Duke Ellington Fellow in 1977, he received an honorary Doctorate from Northern Illinois University in 1985 and in January 1994, he received the prestigious American Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, a U.S. federal agency. (died unexpectedly while convalescing after breaking a hip) b. July 6th 1924.
2010: Doug Fieger (57) American singer-songwriter and guitarist Doug Fieger were born and raised in Oak Park, Michigan, a northern suburb of Detroit, and attended Oak Park High School. While still at school he sang lead and played bass in the group Sky, eventually recording two albums in 1970 and 1971. Doug also played bass guitar in the German progressive rock band Triumvirat for a short period in 1974. After which he founded the New Wave rock quartet The Knack based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", an international No.1 hit. "My Sharona" spent six consecutive weeks at No.1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1979 and was the biggest hit of the year. The follow-up hit was "Good Girls Don't" which stopped one notch short of the Top 10 – peaking at No.11, and Get The Knack spent five straight weeks at No.1 and eventually sold 3 million copies in the United States - 6 million globally. In addition to performing, Doug also produced the Rubber City Rebels debut album for Capitol Records and another album for the Los Angeles-based band, Mystery Pop (Doug sadly died after a fight with cancer) b. August 20th 1952.
2011: Sir George Shearing (91) British-American jazz pianist, born in Battersea, London, UK, influenced by Teddy Wilson and Fats Waller he started out performing at a local pub, the Mason's Arms in Lambeth, playing piano and accordion and also joined an all-blind band during that time. He made his first BBC radio appearance during this time after befriending Leonard Feather, with whom he started recording in 1937. In 1940, he joined Harry Parry's popular band and contributed to the comeback of Stéphane Grappelli. George won 7 consecutive Melody Maker polls during this time. In 1947 he emigrated to America and for many years led a popular jazz Quintet which recorded for MGM Records and Capitol Records. The composer of over 300 titles, George has had multiple albums on the Billboard charts during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s including Souvenirs, Touch of Genius, Black Satin, Beauty and the Beat!, On the Sunny Side of the Strip, Jazz Moments, The Many Facets of George Shearing, A Vintage Year-Concord Jazz, Breakin' Out, Two for the Road and so many more. He has collaborated with singers including Carman McRae, Billy Eckstine, Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, John Pizzarelli, Ernestine Anderson, Dakota Staton, Michael Feinstein and most notably Mel Tormé. He became known for a piano technique known as Shearing's voicing, a type of double melody block chord, with an additional fifth part that doubles the melody an octave lower. He credited the Glenn Miller Orchestra's reed section of the late 1930s and early 1940s as an important influence. His interest in classical music resulted in some performances with concert orchestras in the '50s and '60s, and his solos often drew upon music of Debussy and, particularly, Erik Satie and Frederick Delius for inspiration. George has performed at the Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and for U.S. Presidents: Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. In 1978, he received the Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans and honoured with 2 Grammys: An Evening with George Shearing & Mel Tormé-1983 and Top Drawer-1984. In 1993, received the Ivor Novello Awards for Lifetime Achievement; in 1996, was included in the Queens Birthday Honours List and was invested by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his "service to music and Anglo-US relations"; in 1998, received the first American Music Award by the National Arts Club, New York City; in 2003, he received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from BBC Jazz Awards and in 2007, was knighted for services to music (sadly George died of heart failure) b. August 13th 1919.
2012: Tonmi Lillman aka Otus (38) Finnish multi-musician, born in Helsinki, best known as the drummer of the band Lordi. He started playing the drums aged nine and started performing live at age 14. Apart from drums and bass guitar, his primary instruments, he also played the keyboards and guitar. Prior to his death, he was also involved in the bands Kylähullut, Vanguard and 3rror. Tonmi has appeared on several albums, as a studio musician for bands such as Reflexion, Twilight Ophera, and provided the drum work for the Guitar Heroes -album. Recently Tonmi has distinguished himself as a studio engineer, mixing and recording such bands as Beherit, Bloodride, Chainhill, D-Creation, Exsecratus, Fierce, Fear Of Domination, Heorot, In Silentio Noctis, Laava, Lie in Ruins, MyGRAIN, Rage My Bitch, Raivopäät, Roo, Rujo, Rytmihäiriö, Saattue, Serene Decay, Trauma, Vapaat Kädet and V-For Violence (cause of death is still unknown) b. June 3rd 1973.
2012: Dory Previn/Dorothy Veronica Langan (86) American singer-songwriter and lyricist born in Rahway, New Jersey. She worked as an actress and a dancer until she began writing songs and landed a job at film studio MGM, where she was assigned to work with Andre Previn. She married Andre in 1959 and they were nominated for their first Oscar two years later, for the song Faraway Part of Town. The pair were nominated again two years later, this time for Second Chance from the Robert Mitchum film Two for the Seesaw and they worked together on the theme to 1967's Valley of the Dolls. The pair also wrote independently for the likes of Doris Day and Jack Jones, while Sammy Davis Junior and Frank Sinatra recorded some of their soundtrack work. Following her divorce, in 1970, Dory recorded such albums as “Mythical Kings and Iguanas” and “Reflections in a Mud Puddle/Taps Tremors and Time Steps” in 1971, and “Mary C. Brown and the Hollywood Sign” in 1972 and she received a third Oscar nomination for Come Saturday Morning, a song she co-wrote for Alan J Pakula's debut feature Pookie. Award success came at last in 1983, when she received an Emmy for co-writing the theme song to TV show Two Of A Kind. Dory continued to write music for films, including the theme song to “Last Tango in Paris”. Pulp frontman, Jarvis Cocker, mentioned her in his 2011 book Mother, Brother, Lover and chose her song Lady With the Braid as one of his Desert Island Discs in 2005 (?) b. October 22nd 1925.
2013: Kevin Peek (66) Australian guitarist, born in Adelade. He initially played classical percussion in the Adelaide Conservatorium of Music, before teaching himself the guitar. In 1967 he formed a psychedelic pop, progressive rock group, James Taylor Move, before moving to London. There, he played in various jazz groups around Soho and did session work for Lulu, Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey, amongst others, before becoming part of Cliff Richard's backing band in the 1970s. He wrote the theme music for the internationally-broadcast "Singapore Girl" television advertisements for Singapore Airlines. In 1979, he joined Sky and played on seven studio albums with the band, before departing in 1985 (sadly died of cancer) b. December 21st 1946.
2013: Goldie Harvey/Susan Oluwabimpe Filani (29) Nigerian R&B, pop singer and TV personality. In 2012 she appeared on Big Brother Africa and has won several African music awards including the Top Naija Award. (After returning to Nigeria from the 2013 Grammy Awards in L.A., California, she complained of a headache and was rushed to hospital where tragically, she was later pronounced dead) b. October 23rd 1983.
2013: Mark Kamins (57) American record producer and disc jockey famous for his role on the New York club scene. He is best known for helping launch the career of one-time girlfriend Madonna by presenting a demo to Seymour Stein of Sire Records. When Stein heard the demo of "Everybody", he had Madonna brought to the hospital where he was admitted to sign her. Mark produced Madonna's first single Everybody in 1982. (sadly Mark died from heart failure) b. April 13th 1955.
2013: Shadow Morton/George Francis Morton (72) American record producer and songwriter born in Richmond, Virginia, best known for his influential work in the 1960s. In particular, he was noted for writing and producing "Remember (Walking in the Sand)", "Leader of the Pack", and other hits for girl group The Shangri-Las. In 1970 he produced the psychedelic heavy rock band, Haystacks Balboa, later in the 70s he worked with Iron Butterfly. He also produced Vanilla Fudge, Janis Ian, all-girl group Isis, and worked with The New York Dolls, producing their second album Too Much Too Soon. Shadow was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15th 2006 and in 2009, he appeared in the documentary, Rockin' the Wall, about music's part in bringing down the Iron Curtain (sadly died fighting cancer) b. September 3rd 1940.
2013: Tim Dog/Timothy Blair (46) American rapper from the Bronx, New York, who rose to prominence during the early 1990s with his debut LP 'Penicillin on Wax' and the celebrated diss record "Fuck Compton". Tim had already appeared on songs with the Ultramagnetic MCs and went on to form a duo, Ultra, with member Kool Keith. "Fuck Compton" appeared in XXL Magazine's "Top 25 Diss Tracks of All Time" and earned him critical acclaim from progressive hip-hop producer Blockhead. Tim Dog moved to the UK in 1995 and worked with U.K. artist Apache Indian, producing the hit single "Make Way for the Indian". He then toured with Kool Keith and recorded several other tracks, including his August 2005 collaboration with Percee P, "NY to the UK". He had been the head of "Rap Legends Recordings" and previously co-founded Our Turn Records in LA with Eddie Pugh and was the CEO President of Big Xity Entertainment based in New York and BMC Management based in Atlanta (Tim Dog died from complications of diabetes) b. January 1st 1967.

February 15.
1946: Louis "Putney" Dandridge (44) American bandleader, jazz pianist, vocalist born in Richmond, Virginia. He began his career in 1918 performing as a pianist in the revue The Drake and Walker Show. From 1935 to 1936, he recorded numerous tracks under his own name, many of which highlighted some major jazz talents of the period, including Roy Eldridge, Teddy Wilson, Henry "Red" Allen, Buster Bailey, John Kirby, Chu Berry, Cozy Cole and more. He seemed to vanish from the music scene in the late thirties, it is speculated that he may have retired due to ill health (?) b. January 13th 1902.
1965: Nat King Cole (45) American singer born in Montgomery, Alabama; his rich, husky voice, careful enunciation and the warmth, intimacy, and good humor of his approach to singing, allowed him to succeed with both ballads and novelties such that he scored over 100 pop chart singles and more than two dozen chart albums over a period of 20 years, enough to rank him behind only Sinatra as the most successful pop singer of his generation. His hits included "Nature Boy", "Mona Lisa", "Too Young", "Some Enchanted Evening", "Ramblin' Rose" and his signature tune "Unforgettable". He first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres. He was one of the first black Americans to host a television variety show, and has maintained worldwide popularity since his death; he is widely considered one of the most important musical personalities in United States history. An official United States postage stamp featuring Nat's likeness was issued in 1994 and in 2000 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the major influences for early Rock and Roll (sadly lost his battle with lung cancer) b. March 17th 1919.
1968: Little Walter/ Marion Walter Jacobs (37) US blues singer & harmonica player; said to be the first harmonica player to amplify his harp giving it a distorted echoing sound. His revolutionary harmonica technique has earned comparisons to Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix in its impact, his virtuosity and musical innovations reached heights of expression never previously imagined on blues harmonica. He was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10th 2008, making him the only artist ever to be inducted specifically for his work as a harmonica player. In 1952 his debut session "Juke", spent eight weeks at No.1 on the Billboard magazine R&B charts, it was the only harmonica instrumental ever to become a No.1 hit on the R&B charts. He had three more harmonica instrumentals which reached the Billboard R&B top 10: "Off the Wall", "Roller Coaster", and "Sad Hours" (died from injuries incurred in a street fight) b. May 1st 1930.
1969: Pee Wee Russell/Charles Ellsworth Russell (62) American jazz clarinet and saxophones born in Maplewood, Missouri and grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma. As a young boy he first studied violin, then piano, and for a while settled on drums, including all the associated special effects. When he saw New Orleans jazz clarinetist Alcide "Yellow" Nunez. Russell was so amazed he took up () b. March 27th 1906.
1974: Kurt Atterberg (86) Swedish composer born in Gothenburg; he is best known for his symphonies, operas and ballets. Brahms and Reger were his ideals and his music combines their influences with Swedish folk tunes. For the Schubert centenary in 1928, the Columbia Gramophone Company sponsored a competition for a symphony completing or inspired by Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony, and Kurt won the first prize of $10,000 with his Symphony No. 6. The symphony was recorded by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1928 and Arturo Toscanini on November 21, 1943 and he himself also conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in a recording of the symphony, which was released on 78-rpm discs (?) b. December 12th 1887.
1981: Mike Bloomfield (37) American guitarist and composer, born in Chicago, he joined the Paul Butterfield's band in 1964, Paul and Michael inspired and challenged each other as they alteratively traded exciting riffs. Their exuberant, electric Chicago blues inspired a generation of white bluesmen, with Bloomfield's work on the the band's self-titled debut, and the subsequent record East-West, bringing wide acclaim to him. Mike was also a session musician, gaining wide recognition for his work with Bob Dylan during his first explorations into electric music, and his sound was a major part of Dylan's change of style, especially on Highway 61 Revisited. He relocated to San Francisco and formed The Electric Flag band which debuted at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and issued an album, A Long Time Comin'. After which Mike worked with Al Kooper before going solo. He continued with solo, session and back-up work from 1969 to 1980, releasing his first solo work "It's Not Killing Me" in 1969. He was ranked at number 22 on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" in 2003. (Mike was found dead in a car, he had died of an accidental drug overdose; allegidly he taken the drugs at a San Francisco party, from where he was driven to another location in the city and left, by two men who were present at the party) b. July 28th 1943.
1981: Karl Richter (55) German conductor, organist, and harpsichordist, born in Plauen and studied first in Dresden, and later in Leipzig, where he received his degree in 1949. In the same year, he became organist at St. Thomas Church, Leipzig. In 1951, he moved to Munich, where he taught at the conservatory and was cantor and organist at St. Mark's Church. He also conducted the Münchener Bach-Chor starting in 1954 and the Münchener Bach-Orchester. In the 1960s and 1970s, he did a great deal of recording and undertook tours to Japan, America, Canada, Latin-America, and Eastern Europe including the Soviet Union (sadly died from a heart attack while staying in a hotel in Munich) b. October 15th 1926.
1984: Ethel Merman/Ethel Agnes Zimmermann (76) American actress and singer; born in Queens, New York City, she was known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage". Among the many standards introduced by Ethel in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's Coming Up Roses", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "It's De-Lovely", "Friendship", "You're the Top", "Anything Goes", and "There's No Business Like Show Business", which later became her theme song. She stared as Annie Oakley in the musical Annie Get Your Gun, which opened on May 16, 1946 at the Imperial Theatre, where it ran for nearly three years and 1,147 performances. During that time, Ethel took only two vacations and missed only two performances due to illness. She and Irvin Berlin reunited for Call Me Madam in 1950, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, and she went on to star in the 1953 screen adaptation as well, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her performance. The following year she appeared as the matriarch of the singing and dancing Donahue family in There's No Business Like Show Business, a film with a Berlin score (On April 7th 1983, she was preparing to leave for LA to appear on the 55th Academy Awards telecast when she collapsed. She was diagnosed with glioblastoma and underwent brain surgery to have the malignant tumor removed. Sadly she died 10 months later in her sleep) b. January 16th 1908.
1988: Al Cohn (62) American jazz tenor sax player; In the '40s he worked with Joe Marsala, Georgie Auld, Boyd Raeburn, Alvino Rey, and Buddy Rich before becoming one of the "Four Brothers" in Woody Herman's Second Herd where he gained his a reputation as a lyrical flowing soloist. Al went on to play with many other musicians but his best-known association was his partnership with tenor player Zoot Sims, beginning in 1956. They continued to play together sporadically until the death of Zoot in March of 1985. In addition to his work as a jazz saxophonist he was a noted arranger, his work included the Broadway productions of "Raisin" and "Sophisticated Ladies" (?) b. November 24th 1925.
1992:William Schuman (81) American composer and administrator, born in New York, NY. He wrote songs in high school with his friend Frank Loesser. In 1930 he began studying composition with Roy Harris. He achieved success with his American Festival Overture (1939), and his Secular Cantata No. 2: A Free Song won the first Pulitzer Prize for music (1943). His other works include ballets for Martha Graham, the popular New England Triptych (1956), and 10 symphonies. As president of the Juilliard School (1945 – 62), he modernized its curriculum. As the first president of Lincoln Center (1962 – 68), he brought together several music organizations and established its Chamber Music Society and Mostly Mozart program (?) b. August 4th 1910.
1995: Bob Stinson (36) American lead guitarist; he formed The Replacements, formerly Dog's Breath, in Minneapolis, in 1979 with his younger 12 year old half-brother Tommy and drummer Chris Mars; a year later, Bob brought in Paul Westerberg on second guitar and vocals. Bob was forced out of the band in late 1986. After which he formed the band Model Prisoner, before founding Static Taxi in 1988 recording two albums Stinson Boulevard not released until 2000 and Closer 2 Normal released in 2003, before folding in the summer of 1991. His last band was The Bleeding Hearts, which he formed with his roommate Mike Leonard. One of their most high-profile performances was opening for his brother Tommy's band Bash & Pop in 1993. His last public performance was playing with Minneapolis Countryswing band Trailer Trash at Lee's Liquor Bar in late 1994 (he did not die of a drug overdose, as is frequently reported, but rather his body simply wore out after years of alcohol and drug abuse) b. December 17th 1959.
1996: Lucio Agostini (82) Italian-born composer and conductor who established his career in Canada. At 16, he was playing with the Montreal Philharmonic Orchestra as a cellist and was a part-time band player in a nightclub band playing saxophone and clarinet. It is at 18 years of age that he began his professional music career working first with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio and later with television. Lucio began a long career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Toronto from 1943, beginning with radio work, and subsequently the broadcaster's US-based television programs through the 1950s. He took part in the production of Front Page Challenge, The Tommy Ambrose Show and World of Music. He won the John Drainie Award from ACTRA in 1983 in recognition of his contributions to broadcasting in Canada (?) b. December 30th 1913.
1999: Big L/Lamont Coleman (24) American rapper who made significant contributions to the New York City music scene in the 1990s as a member of the hip hop collective D.I.T.C. In 1993 Big L was signed to Columbia Records and released his first single "Devil's Son". His debut solo album, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, was released in March 1995. The album featured guest appearances from a number of artists, notably Kid Capri, Lord Finesse, and then-unknown Cam'ron and Jay-Z. Two singles, "M.V.P" and "Put It On", were released from the album, both of which reached the top twenty-five of Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks. (sadly possibility in retaliation for something his brother did, Big L was tragically shot and killed just before releasing his second album The Big Picture) b. May 30th 1974.
2002: Keith D. Pendlebury (68) English born, Welsh based jazz pianist and singer, regarded as a brilliant jazz pianist whose two-handed style covered the entire spectrum of piano jazz. Born in Manchester he was best known as one half of Keith and Marcia. He met his future wife, Marcia Macconnell in the early 60s, although in the fashion industry, she had a remarkable jazz singing voice and they musically teamed up and soon married in 1964. They worked together till the night he died. Keith had played in many line-ups including:- Eric Batty's Jazz Aces, Alan Pendlebury's All Stars, Keith Pendlebury's Jazzmen, The Zenith Six, Keith Pendlebury's Jazz Band, Keith Pendlebury's Jazz Trio, and Keith Pendlebury's Jazz Quartet (tragically Keith died from heart failure, after being taken ill as he played "Please don't talk about me when I've gone", while on a working holiday in Madeira to celebrate Marcia's birthday) b. January 22nd 1934.
2005: Pierre Bachelet (60) French singer-songwriter; he spent part of his childhood in Calais, which inspired his signature tune "Les corons" in 1982, it is also used as the supporter's anthem for the Lens football club. His other hit songs include "Elle est d'ailleurs", "Écris-moi" and "Marionnettiste" in 1985. He also composed music for movies, including Emmanuelle, Les Bronzés font du ski and the British-made Sex with the Stars. His songs from the film Emmanuelle called Emmanuelle In The Mirror and Theme From Emmanuelle, which sold over 4,000,000 copies, have been sampled in the Lily Allen single Littlest Things, released in December of 2006 (sadly died of lung cancer) b. 25 May 1944.
2007: Peggy Gilbert/Margaret F. Knechtges (102) American jazz saxophonist and bandleader, born in Sioux City, Iowa; with a career that lasted more than 80 years, she was only 7 years old, when she played piano and violin with her father's band; she later discovered jazz music, and started to play the saxophone. In 1928 she moved to Hollywood, where she appeared in early movies and toured with Fanchon and Marco vaudeville shows. In 1933 she founded her own all-female jazz band, whose name changed often: from "Peggy Gilbert and Her Metro Goldwyn Orchestra" to "Peggy Gilbert and her Symphonics", among other names, in which she performed on saxophone, vibes, piano, and vocals. In the 1930s and 1940s Peggy and her band performed in the most famous nightclubs in Hollywood, from the "Cotton Club" to the "Cocoanut Grove". In the 1950s and 60s Peggy had success on radio and television. In 1974, at 69 years old, she created her last great all-girl band, "The Dixie Belles," with other accomplished musicians from vaudeville and the Big Band era. The group performed with great acclaim on TV and at jazz festivals, appearing on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" and in the 1980 Rose Bowl Parade, among many other engagements. In 1985 the band recorded the album "Peggy Gilbert & The Dixie Belles" (?) b. January 17th 1905.
2007: Raymond Bernard Evans (92) American songwriter and an inductee in the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. He was a partner in a composing and songwriting duo with Jay Livingston, known for the songs they composed for films. Ray wrote the lyrics and Livingston the music for the songs. The duo, both members of ASCAP, won three Academy Awards, in 1948 for the song "Buttons and Bows", written for the movie The Paleface; in 1950 for the song "Mona Lisa", written for the movie Captain Carey, U.S.A.; and in 1956 for the song "Que Sera Sera", featured in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Man Who Knew Too Much and sung by Doris Day. Another popular song that he and Livingston wrote for a film was the song "Tammy", written for the 1957 movie Tammy and the Bachelor. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. They also wrote popular TV themes for shows including Bonanza and Mr. Ed. Their Christmas song Silver Bells intended for the 1951 Bob Hope film The Lemon Drop Kid, has become a Christmas standard. In 1958, the songwriting team was nominated for a Tony Award for the musical Oh, Captain!. He also collaborated separately with Henry Mancini, Max Steiner, and Victor Young. The song "Dear Heart" from the 1964 film of the same name was written by Livingston and Evans with Henry Mancini; it was nominated for an Oscar and for the Song of the Year Grammy Award, and was recorded multiple times, charting for Andy Williams, Jack Jones, and Henry Mancini (?) b. February 4th 1915.
2009: Joe Cuba (78) Puerto Rican musician who was considered to be the "Father of Latin Boogaloo"; learnt to play conga as a child. He formed his own band. In 1954, he change the band's name from the Jose Calderon Sextet to the Joe Cuba Sextet, making their debut at the Stardust Ballroom. The band became popular in the New York Latin community. The lyrics to his music used a mixture of Spanish and English, becoming an important part of the Nuyorican Movement. In 1965, the Sextet got their first crossover hit with the Latin and soul fusion of "El Pito (I Never Go Back To Georgia)". April 1999, Joe Cuba was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame, 2004, he was named Grand Marshall of the Puerto Rican Day Parade celebrated in Yonkers, New Yor and he was also the director of the Museum of La Salsa, located in Spanish Harlem, Manhattan, (died in New York, after being removed from life support. He had been hospitalized for a bacterial infection) b. 1931.
2010: Art Van Damme (89) American jazz singer and accordionist, in Norway, Michigan he bagan playing the accordion at age nine and started classical study when his family moved to Chicago in 1934. In 1941 he joined Ben Bernie's band as an accordionist. He adapted Benny Goodman's music to the accordion. From 1945 to 1960 he worked for NBC, performing on The Dinah Shore Show, Tonight, The Dave Garroway Show and other radio and TV shows with Garroway. He recorded 130 episodes of the 15-minute The Art Van Damme Show for NBC Radio. Art toured Europe and was also popular with jazz listeners in Japan and regularly won the domestic Downbeat reader's poll for his instrument in the same period.(sadly died from pneumonia) b. April 9th 1920.
2011: Sidney Harth (85) American violinist and conductor, born in Cleveland, Ohio. He became the first American to receive the Laureate Prize in the Wieniawski Violin Competition held in Poland. He had made his European debut previously, touring France with pianist Theodore Lettvin in 1951-1952 in a series of concerts. He performed with major orchestras across the world, and made numerous recordings with Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Krakow Radio and TV Orchestra. He was Concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Principal Concertmaster and Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and Concertmaster and Assistant Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra. He was also Principal Conductor of the Natal Symphony Orchestra in South Africa, and Musical Director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Northwest Chamber Orchestra of Seattle and the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra. (sadly died from respiratory complications) b. October 5th 1925.
2011: Yiannis Karabesinis (80) Greek singer-songwriter and bouzouki player (?) b. November 29th 1931
2011: Karin Stanek (67) Polish singer, born in Bytom; in the 60s she was one of the most popular singers in Poland, releasing her debut song "Jimmy Joe" in March of 1962. That same year Karen became lead singer with the rhythm and blues band, Red-Black. Karin, with the band, received honors in 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1966 at Oppeln Festival, also at The Sopot Festival 1962 and 1964. After retiring from the Red-Black she continued her solo career as well as performing in several other bands including The Samuels, Aryston, Inni and Schemat (Karin sadly died of pneumonia) b. August 18th 1943.
2011: Ken Winters (81) Canadian music critic and broadcaster; most recently as a critic with the Globe and Mail in Toronto, he had written more than 400 reviews for the national newspaper since 1999. His final review, of a performance of the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra ran in Tuesday's edition. He also was co-editor of the The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada, a meticulously researched source of information about music in Canada. Along with Helmut Kallmann and Gilles Potvin, Ken served as one of the editors of the original edition of the encyclopedia, which was started in the 1970s and first published in 1981. He worked with CBC Radio for more than 40 years and was a contributor and occasional host for the CBC radio show Mostly Music from 1981 to 1989. He officially stepped into the host's chair from 1989 to 1996. During the 1980s, he also hosted programs such as Personalities in Music, Ken Winters on Music and Celebration of Genius, and served as a contributor to Arts National and The Arts Tonight. Additionally, he created specials about the music of J.S. Bach and George Frideric Handel for CBC. Ken closely followed Canada's development as an innovator in classical music during the 20th century and both his radio documentaries and his criticism reflected his knowledge of the field. (sadly died from a heart attack) b. 1930
2012: Charles Anthony/Calogero Antonio Caruso (82) American-Sicilian tenor, born in New Orleans, LA; he studied music at Loyola University New Orleans and sang the role of the Messenger in Il trovatore, at the New Orleans Opera Association, in 1947. At the age of twenty-two, he successfully auditioned for New York City Metropolitan Opera's Auditions of the Air and made his debut there on March 6th 1954, playing the role of the Simpleton in Boris Godunov. He went on to have the distinction of appearing in more performances at the Met than any other performer. He celebrated his fiftieth anniversary with the company in 2004, and gave his farewell in the role of the aged Emperor Altoum in Turandot, on January 28, 2010. Charles was included in many of the Met's telecasts between 1979 and 2010 and became noted for his portrayal of comprimario characters in opera (sadly Charles died from kidney failure) b. July 15th 1929.
2012: Clive Richard Shakespeare (62) English-born Australian guitarist and producer, born in Southampton, Hampshire before his family emmigrated to Australia. As lead guitarist, he joined various bands including The Road Agents in 1968 in Sydney with Terry Hyland on vocals, then he formed a covers band Down Town Roll along with Adrian Cuff on the organ, vocalists Frank Ma and Pam Slater, bass guitarist Doug Rea, and Danny Taylor on drums. Clive, Shakespeare and Taylor went on to found pop/rock band, Sherbet later that year with vocalist Dennis Laughlin and Sammy See on organ, guitar, and vocals. They had two No.1 singles, "Summer Love" in '75, co-written by Clive with Garth Porter and "Howzat" in '76. He also worked in production, including Paul Kelly's debut solo album, Post (sadly Clive died fighting prostate cancer) b. June 3rd 1949.
2013: Dennis Palmer (55) American synthesizer player and visual artist and co-founded Shaking Ray Levis in 1986. They had hits with "Angels In The Grass" and "Misery And Torment" and were the first US band to record an album for the legendary British label Incus Records. Dennis has performed internationally with collaborators including Derek Bailey, Steve Beresford, Reverend Howard Finster, David Greenberger, Col Bruce Hampton, John Zorn, Shelley Hirsch, Frank Pahl, Eugene Chadbourne, Roger Turner, David Greenberger, Borbetomagus, Fred Frith and Davey Williams. As a visual artist, Dennis has exhibited his paintings, silk-screened prints, and other unconventional artwork both locally and internationally in cities including London and Los Angeles, and he has designed many CD and record covers (?) b. October 13th 1957
2013: Francisco Fellove (89) Cuban soul singer and songwriter, born in the Barrio Colón, Havana is dubbed the founder of the filin Cuban jazz genre. A longtime resident of Mexico City, he is famous for his tropical music songs like El Jamaiquino and Mango Mangue, which he composed when he was 16 and was recorded by Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco, among others (?) b. October 7th 1923.

February 16.
1928: Eddie Foy Sr/Edwin Fitzgerald (71) American vaudevillian, actor, comedian and dancer, born in Greenwich Village, New York City. Between 1910 and 1913, he formed a family vaudeville act, and "Eddie Foy and The Seven Little Foys" quickly turned into a national institution. While Eddie was a stern disciplinarian backstage he portrayed an indulgent papa onstage, and the Foys toured successfully for over a decade and appeared in one motion picture. The family’s story was filmed in 1955 as The Seven Little Foys, with Bob Hope as Eddie Sr (died of a heart attack while headlining on the Orpheum circuit in Kansas City) b. March 9th 1856.
1957: Josef Hofmann (81) Polish-American virtuoso pianist, composer, born in Podgórze, near Cracow, Austria-Hungary, now Poland; he was especially popular in Russia where he gave 21 consecutive concerts in St. Petersburg, not repeating a single piece. In all, he played 255 different works during that marathon. He made some of the earliest recordings in history of classical music for Thomas Edison. These have been lost, but some cylinders he made in Russia a few years later have recently been discovered. Off the subject but his invention of pneumatic shock absorbers for cars and planes earned him a fortune in the early twentieth century (sadly died of died of pneumonia) b. January 20th 1876.
1967: Smiley Burnette/Lester Alvin Burnett (55) American country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films, playing sidekick to Gene Autry and other B-movie cowboys, and on radio and TV. He was also a prolific singer-songwriter who could play as many as 100 musical instruments, some simultaneously. His career beginning in 1934 spanned four decades, including a regular role on CBS-TV's Petticoat Junction in the 1960s. Smiley wrote more than 400 songs and sang a significant number of them on screen. His Western classic, "Ridin’ Down the Canyon (To Watch the Sun Go Down)", was later recorded by Willie Nelson, Riders in the Sky and Johnnie Lee Wills. Others included "On the Strings of My Lonesome Guitar" (Jimmy Wakely's theme song in the 1940s), "Fetch Me Down My Trusty .45", "Ridin' All Day", "It's Indian Summer", as well as "The Wind Sings a Cowboy Song", "The Old Covered Wagon" and "Western Lullaby". He also composed musical scores for such films as The Painted Stallion and Waterfront Lady. His songs were recorded by a diverse range of singers, including Bing Crosby, Ferlin Husky and Leon Russell. His performance of "Steamboat Bill" appeared on Billboard's country chart in 1939. (sadly passed away from leukemia) b. March 18th 1911
1975: Norman Treigle/Adanelle Wilfred Treigle (47) American bass-baritone born in New Orleans, between 1949 and 1951, he attended Loyola University of the South's College of Music, while performing various roles with the local opera company. In 1953, Treigle made his New York City Opera debut, as Colline in La bohème. Three years later, the bass-baritone scored his first significant success, as the tormented Reverend Olin Blitch, in the New York premiere of Floyd's Susannah. He made his European debut in this same opera, at the Brussels World's Fair, in 1958. He became one of the top bass-baritones in North America, and was acclaimed as one of the world's foremost singing-actors, specializing in roles that evoked villainy and terror. He sang in many experimental productions and participated in several important premieres, in operas by Einem, Copland, Moore, Floyd, Orff, Dallapiccola and Ward (The Crucible). Perhaps his greatest roles were in Faust (as Méphistophélès), Carmen (as Escamillo), Susannah, Il prigioniero, Les contes d'Hoffmann (the four Villains), Boris Godunov and, especially, Mefistofele (?) b. March 6th 1927.
1988: Jean Carignan (71) French Canadian fiddler born in Lévis; he was a well-known fiddler from Quebec. Joseph Allard, Michael Coleman, and J. Scott Skinner are all brilliant traditional fiddlers whose music Jean studied. He was a friend of famous violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin. In 1974, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada as "the greatest fiddler in North America" (He died in Montreal) b. December 7th 1916
1996: Walter "Brownie" McGhee (80) American blues singer and guitarist born in Knoxville, Tennessee and grew up in Kingsport, Tennessee, he is maybe best known for his collaborations with the harmonica player Sonny Terry. As a young boy he had polio, in his teens he had an operation which enabled him to walk again. After singing with local harmony group the Golden Voices Gospel Quartet and teaching himself to play guitar, at 22, Brownie became a traveling musician, working in the Rabbit Foot Minstrels and recorded with Blind Boy Fuller, whose guitar playing influenced him greatly. In 1942, when he teamed up with Sonny Terry, they was an overnight success; as well as recording, they toured together until the 1980s. As a duo, they did most of their work from 1958 until 1980, spending eleven months of each year touring, and recording dozens of albums. During the blues revival of the 1960s, Terry and McGhee were very popular on the concert and music festival circuits. In 1987, he gave a small but memorable performance as ill-fated blues singer Toots Sweet in the supernatural thriller movie, Angel Heart. Brownies' final concert appearances was at the 1995 Chicago Blues Festival. One of Brownie's final concert appearances was at the 1995 Chicago Blues Festival (sadly lost to stomach cancer) b. November 30th 1915.
1999: Björn Svante Afzelius (52) Swedish singer, song writer and guitar player born in Huskvarna, Jönköping County; in 1970, he formed the progg group Hoola Bandoola Band together with Mikael Wiehe. He released his first solo album in 1974, his last one in 1999. He wrote about 150 songs and sold over two and a half million albums. Some of his most popular songs are "Tusen bitar"/Thousand pieces, "Ikaros", "Sång till friheten"/Song for Freedom, "Kungens man"/The king's man, "Tankar i Havanna"/Thoughts in Havanna and "Till min kära"/For my dear(sadly lost his battle with lung cancer) b. January 27th 1947.
2003: Benjamin Rush "Rusty" Magee (47) American composer and lyricist for theatre, television, and film and commercials, born in Washington, D.C. He received his bachelor's degree in music at Brown University in 1978 and was awarded an honorary Masters of Fine Arts. from the Yale School of Drama after working there for three years as Musical Consultant for the Yale Repertory Theatre and the Yale School of Drama. Among his many projects, he arranged and performed the music for the Tony Award-winning production of The House of Blue Leaves at Lincoln Center and on Broadway and PBS. He co-produced and wrote music for hundreds of one-act plays as Musical Director and co-founder with Lewis Black and Rand Foerster of Steve Olsen's West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar in New York City. He wrote the music for Moonwork's production of What You Will, an adaptation of Twelfth Night, and for Moonwork's acclaimed version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He wrote the theme music for the CBS-Television pilot "Family Brood". His song, "Road To Victory" (co-written with longtime collaborator Bob Golden), was featured in the documentary film New School Order. He was a huge Detroit Tigers fan, which inspired his musical '1919: A Baseball Opera'. His last musical 19th Street Shuffle was co- written with Billy Aronson (Sadly lost his battle with colon cancer) b. August 6th 1955
2004: Doris Troy/ Doris Higginsen (67) US soul, R&B singer, solo, backup, songwriter, musicals; born in The Bronx, she was working as an usherette at the Apollo where she was discovered by James Brown the 'Godfather of Soul'. She worked with Solomon Burke, The Drifters, Cissy Houston, and Dionne Warwick before she co-wrote and recorded "Just One Look", which hit No.10 in 1963. Doris worked in the UK throughout the 1970s, appearing frequently at Ronnie Scott's Club. "Mama, I Want To Sing" is a stage musical based on her life, co-written with her sister, Vy. It ran for 1,500 performances at the Heckscher Theatre in Harlem, Troy played her own mother. As well as her solo career she also sang back up for many bands over the years including the Rolling Stones, Humble Pie, Kevin Ayers, Pink Floyd (on their seminal album The Dark Side of the Moon), George Harrison, Dusty Springfield, Nick Drake, Junior Campbell and Carly Simon (emphysema) b. January 6th 1937.
2012: Bubi Chen (74) Indonesian jazz pianist born in Surabaya, East Java; by the age of 17, Bubi was teaching music while taking a two-year correspondence course with the Wesco School of Music in New York, one of his instructors was Teddy Wilson, a student of jazz legend Benny Goodman. Bubi founded the Chen Trio in the 1950s with his brothers Jopie and Teddy. He also joined the Jack Lesmana Quartet which then became the Jack Lesmana Quintet. By the 1960s, Bubi was already widely known in Australia, Europe and the United States. Bubi and Jack were credited with adding an Indonesian flavor to jazz music especially at a time when then president Sukarno despised western music. Also the pair, together with the Indonesian All Stars, recorded the phenomenal album Djanger Bali, which mixed jazz with Indonesian traditional music, after attending the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1967. Bubi, nicknamed “the Pearl of the East’”, was named as one of the top 10 jazz pianists at the 1997 Berlin Jazz Festival when he played a kecapi, a traditional Indonesian instrument, along with the piano. (sadly Bubi died from a cardiac arrest) b. February 19th 1938.
2012: Jon McIntire (70) American manager, who managed the Grateful Dead in the 1970s, he is credited with sparking the band's community of "Deadhead" fans, when in 1971, he slipped a notice into copies of the "Grateful Dead" (Skull and Roses) album that became what historians have called "the liner note heard 'round the world". It said, "Dead Freaks Unite! Who are you? Where are you? How are you? Send us your name and address and we'll keep you informed" and later referring to "Dead Heads". With that, he inspired the ''Deadhead'' phenomenon, believed to be the most intense bond between a band and its fan base in rock history. He managed the Dead from 1970-1974, during which time the band released some of its most significant albums, including Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. After handling Bob Weir's solo career for a decade, he returned to manage the Dead again, from 1984-1990. Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter wrote the song "Uncle John's Band" for Jon. (He sadly died from complications of lung cancer) b. 1942.
2013: Tony Sheridan/Anthony Esmond Sheridan McGinnity (72) English rock and roll singer-songwriter and guitarist, born in Norwich. He was best known as an early collaborator of The Beatles, though the record was labelled as being with "The Beat Brothers", one of two non-Beatles, to receive label performance credit on a record with the group (the other being Billy Preston) and the only non-Beatle to appear as lead singer on a Beatles recording which charted as a single. In 1956, he formed his first band, and was soon playing in London's "Two I's" club for six months straight. In 1958, at 18, he began appearing on ITV's Oh Boy, playing guitar on such early Rock classics as "Blue Suede Shoes", "Glad All Over", "Mighty Mighty Man" and "Oh Boy!". His band was offered a job in the "Kaiserkeller" club in Hamburg, Tony decided to stay in Germany. This is where he met and recorded with The Beatles, including "My Bonnie" and "Ain't She Sweet". In the early 1970s, he managed a West German radio programme of blues music, which was well received. In 1978, the Star Club was reopened, and he performed there along with Elvis Presley's TCB Band (?) b. May 21st 1940.
2013: Lanier Greig (64) American rock keyboardist, bass player and one of the original members of legendary rock band ZZ Top and can be heard on ZZ Top’s first-ever single, “Salt Lick,” and on its B-side song, “Miller’s Farm”. After ZZ Top, Lanier left Houston and went on to become a very wanted Los Angeles session keyboardist and also worked with jazz groups (Lanier died in his sleep) b. August 8th 1948
2013: Marifé de Triana/Maria Felisa Martinez Lopez (76) Spanish copla singer and actress, born in the village of Seville Burguillos and later studied voice in Madrid. She began her career at age 11, touring for the first time as a professional in the northwestern province of Galicia at age 12. Her debut album in 1956 contained the hit tune "Torre de arena"/Tower of Sand, which remains to this day a classic of the copla genre. A series of hits followed, including "Vendo la sombra", "La loba", and "Maria de la O". Her concert tours took her to Latin America, where she returned in the final years of her career and was one of the best-known Spanish singers. She also appeared in two films: "Canto para ti", which was shot in 1958 and tells of the rise to fame of a young copla singer; and "Bajo el cielo Andaluz" (?) b. September 13th 1936.
2013: Eric Ericson (94) Swedish choral conductor and teacher renowned for his innovative teaching methods and the wide-ranging nature of his repertoire. He was the principal conductor of the Orphei Drängar choir at Uppsala University from 1951 until 1991, and choirmaster until 1982 of the Swedish Radio Choir which was established on his initiative in 1951. Also in 1951, he began his teaching career at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, where he became a legendary and inspirational figure, and he was appointed to the chair of choral conducting there in 1968. He won the Nordic Council Music Prize in 1995, and in 1997 he shared the Polar Music Prize with Bruce Springsteen for "pioneering achievements as a conductor, teacher, artistic originator and inspirer in Swedish and international choral music". He founded the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, and worked as a guest conductor for many ensembles and choirs including Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble, Netherlands Chamber Choir, Chœur de chambre Accentus (?) b. October 26th 1918.

February 17.
1939: Willy Hess (79) German violinist, viola and was also known to play a Guadagnini. Born in Mannheim, from 1904 to 1910 he was the concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and taught violin at Harvard University. He also spent time as the leader of the Hallé Orchestra, and as concertmaster in Frankfurt and Rotterdam. He then relocated to Berlin in 1910 to take the position of premier violin instructor at the Royal Academy of Music in Berlin, Germany. Composer Max Bruch, a friend of Hess, helped arrange Hess’ appointment as professor. During the time of the Weimar Republic the Hochschule was the hub of the international music scene, and he was associated with many of the musical luminaries of his day and taught students who came to Berlin from all over the world. He had no difficulty alternating between the violin and viola and performed the viola part of the first performance of Max Bruch’s Double Concerto for clarinet, viola and orchestra, op. 88. It was also in 1910 that Bruch composed the Concert Piece for violin and orchestra, op. 84, for Willy. Among works by other composers written for him was Arthur W. Foote’s Op. 69, Ballade. He also played in a piano trio with cellist Hugo Becker and pianist Daniel Quast (?) b. July 14th 1859.
1943: Armand J. Piron (54) American jazz violinist, composer and bandleader. In 1915, Armand and friend Mr Williams together started the Piron and Williams Publishing Company, and in their first year of business published Piron's composition, “I Wish That I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate”, which became his biggest hit. After touring briefly with W.C. Handy in 1917, he started an orchestra under his own name, which soon included such notables as Lorenzo Tio and Steve Lewis. His New Orleans Orchestra quickly became one of the best paid African American band in New Orleans, for Armand landed regular jobs at both the Spanish Fort amusement park and the exclusive white New Orleans Country Club (?) b. August 16th 1888.
1962: Bruno Walter/Bruno Schlesinger (85) German conductor, he made his debut at La Scala in 1926. In London, he was chief conductor of the German seasons at Covent Garden from 1924 to 1931 and emigrated to America in 1939, were he worked with many famous American orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the NBC Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, where he was musical adviser from '47 to '49, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. From 1946 onwards, he made numerous trips back to Europe, becoming an important musical figure in the early years of the Edinburgh Festival and in Salzburg, Vienna and Munich. His late life was marked by stereo recordings with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. He made his last live concert appearance on December 4th 1960 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and pianist Van Cliburn. His last recording was a series of Mozart overtures with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra at the end of March in 1961 (heart attack) b. September 15th 1876.
1970: Alfred Newman (68) American film composer born in New Haven, Connecticut, a musical prodigy, he began studying piano at the age of five with Sigismund Stojowski, and walked a 10 mile round trip every day to practice on a neighbour's piano. By the age of twenty he was in New York, beginning a ten-year career on Broadway as the conductor of musicals by composers such as George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, and Jerome Kern. Then, in 1930, he accompanied Irving Berlin to Hollywood. Between 1930 and 1970, Alfred wrote music for over 200 films of every imaginable type, including a score for the newsreel made from the World War II footage of the Battle of Midway. All About Eve, Panic in the Streets, The Big Lift, The Prisoner of Zenda, The Robe, The Seven Year Itch, Anastasia, Carousel (adaptation), The King and I (adaptation), April Love, - How the West Was Won, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Camelot (adaptation), Firecreek, and many others. His final score was for the 1970 film Airport, produced by Universal Pictures. Alfred was nominated for a total of 45 Academy Awards, making him the most nominated composer in Oscar history. This record stood for thirty six years, until 2006 when John Williams matched the record (complications of emphysema) b. March 17th 1901.
1982: Thelonious Monk (64) American jazz pianist born in Rocky Mount, Nth Carolina; he is considered one of the most important & eccentric jazz composers of the century. One of the giants of American music and an early practitioners of bebop during the '40s and '50s, his complex compositions featured irregular rhythms, dissonant sounds and a quirky sense of humor. He also made many contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Well, You Needn't" and "Straight, No Chaser". Thelonious is the second most recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington, which is remarkable as Ellington composed over 1,000 songs while Monk wrote about 70. He is one of only five jazz musicians ever to be featured on the cover of Time, the other four being Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis, and Dave Brubeck. (sadly died from a stroke) b. October 10th 1917.
1998: Bob Merrill (77) American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter. Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and following a stint with the Army during WW II, he moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a dialogue director for Columbia Pictures. He began his songwriting career writing tunes for Dorothy Shay. One of his first major hits was the 1950 novelty song "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake". He also wrote/co-wrote the 1950 Moon Mullican country song "You don't have to be baby to cry", "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?"-Patti Page, "Mambo Italiano"- Rosemary Clooney, and "The Kid's Last Fight"-Frankie Laine. He made his Broadway debut in 1957 with 'New Girl in Town', and his greatest theatrical success was the Barbra Streisand vehicle 'Funny Girl'. Other Broadway credits include Take Me Along; Carnival!; Breakfast at Tiffany's; Henry, Sweet Henry;The Red Shoes; and Sugar (reworked as Some Like It Hot for a 1992 production in London's West End starring Tommy Steele and a 2002-03 United States national tour starring Tony Curtis as Osgood Fielding, Jr. He was nominated for the Tony Award eight times, but never won. His screenwriting credits include Mahogany, W.C. Fields and Me, and the television movies Portrait of a Showgirl and The Animated Adventures of Tom Sawyer (tragically Bob became progressively ill in the mid-1990s and took his own life) b. May 17th 1921.
2001: Debbie Dean/Reba Jeanette Smith (73) American singer; born in Corbin, Kentucky she recorded as Penny Smith and Debbie Stevens at various labels before arriving at Motown in the early 1960s, and was Motown's first white female solo recording artist, signed by Berry Gordy. Unlike most of the early Motown recording artists, she was neither an R&B or blues singer. Her first single at Motown was "Don't Let Him Shop Around," in 1961, an answer record to the Miracles No.1 R&B and No.2 pop hit, "Shop Around". At the age of 34, she was dropped from the label. A few years later, after a meeting with Motown producer/writer Deke Richards, Debbie rejoined the Motown roster as a writer/singer, and collaorated with Richards aka Lussier on songs for the Supremes, Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Martha and the Vandellas, Edwin Starr, and other Motown artists. She later co-wrote and recorded "Why Am I Lovin' You" on Motown's V.I.P. label (?) b. February 1st 1928.
2006: William "Bill" Cowsill Jr. (58) American singer best known as lead singer and guitarist of The Cowsills who had three top 10 singles, "The Rain, the Park and Other Things", "Indian Lake" and "Hair". Born in Rhode Island, Bill began singing at a young age with his brother, Bob, and they formed The Cowsills in 1965 with their brothers: Barry on bass; Bob on guitar and organ; and John on drums. Another brother, Paul, their sister Susan and mother Barbara joined the band later. The band made regular television appearances, which led to Columbia Pictures considering a television program based on their story and starring most of the members of the band. This would later become The Partridge Family, with David Cassidy playing the lead singer. Bill's involvement with The Cowsills came to an abrupt end in 1969 when his father, caught him smoking marijuana. Bill moved to Vancouver, British Columbia where he fronted The Blue Shadows, who were known for their Everly Brothers-like harmonies. In 1990 Bill produced the second album for rockabilly act, The Rattled Roosters. In 1993, The Blue Shadows landed a deal with Sony and released its debut album, “On the Floor of Heaven”. In 1998, now in Calgary, Billy formed a new band The Co-Dependents, a country-rock quartet and went on to produce and arrange the vocals for Optimal Impact's debut album "Sun Sittin'" in 2000(emphysema) b. January 9th 1948.
2006: Ray Barretto (76) US percussion & conga session player and member of the Fania All-Stars. Born in New York City of Puerto Rican descent in 1960, he was a house musician for the Prestige, Blue Note, and Riverside labels. He recorded his first hit, "El Watusi", the first Latin song to enter the Billboard charts in April 1963. He has played with a host of musicians including the Rolling Stones and the Bee Gees. In 1990 he was honored with a Grammy for the album "Ritmo en el Corazon" and 1999, he was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame (heart failure and multiple health complications) b. April 29th 1929.
2007: Dermot O'Reilly (64) Irish-born Canadian musician, producer and songwriter born in Dublin, Ireland. In March 1968, he emigrated to Toronto where he met future bandmates Fergus O'Byrne and Denis Ryan. He was one of the founding members of The Sons of Erin and helped form the band Sullivan's Gypsies in 1970. In 1971, he, O'Byrne and Ryan moved to St. John's and began performing as Ryan's Fancy. Ryan's Fancy became a popular Irish group that released 12 albums and hosted a successful television program for several seasons. Dermot wrote and produced many Irish songs as a member of Ryan's Fancy, as a solo artist and later as a member of the group Brishney. In 2004, Ryan's Fancy was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the East Cost Music Association. After Ryan's Fancy disbanded, He founded Piperstock Productions, a video production and marketing company based in Torbay, Newfoundland and Labrador (heart attack) b. 1942.
2010: Kathryn Grayson (88) American actress and operatic soprano singer born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, she trained as an opera singer from the age of 12. By the early '40s she was under contract to MGM , soon establishing a career principally through her work in musicals. After several supporting roles, she was a lead performer in such films as Anchors Aweigh with Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, Show Boat in 1951, Kiss Me Kate in 1953 with Howard Keel, and appeared in 2 films with Mario Lanza, That Midnight Kiss in '49 and The Toast of New Orleans in '50. When film musical production declined, she worked in theatre, appearing in Camelot from 1962-1964. Later, she performed in several operas, including La bohème, Orpheus in the Underworld, Madama Butterfly, and La Traviata (Kathryn died in her sleep at her home in L.A) b. February 9th 1922.
2010: Ruby Hunter (55) Australian folk-blues-roots singer, songwriter and guitarist, Ruby was of the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal nationality. She often performed with her partner, Archie Roach, whom she met at the age of 16, while both were homeless teenagers. She recieved two ARIA Award nominations for Best Indigenous Release for 'Thoughts Within' in 1995 and Best Blues & Roots Album for 'Feeling Good' in 2000. Ruby also won Deadlys in 2000 for Female Artist of the Year, 2003 for Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music and in 2004 for Excellence in Film & Theatrical Score. She made her acting debut in One Night the Moon. With Archie Roach and Paul Grabowsky she wrote and performed the concert Ruby's Story which tells the story of her life through song and spoken word. (heart attack) b. 1955
2011: Sergio Embrioni (50) Argentine guitarist and singer with bands Alcohol etílico and in 1984, joined up with the successful rock trio Enanitos Verdes / Little Green Men, which formed in 1979 in the city of Mendoza. From 1984 they released 17 albums and toured extensively. They were part of the Watcha Tour 2000, which included 17 shows along with Molotov, Aterciopelados, Café Tacuba and A.N.I.M.A.L. Throughout their career they gained important positions on Latin American charts. (suicide;tragically by hanging) b. 1960.
2012: Enrique Sierra (54) Spanish rock guitarist born in Madrid; in 1977 he co-founder of the punk band Kaka de Luxe producing an album Damn Sounds released in 1983, after the band split. In 1978, after dissolving Kaka de Luxe, Enrique founded Sierra Radio Futura along with brothers James and Luis Auserón, Herminio Molero and Javier Perez. Radio Futura became one of the most popular and influential bands in Spain from the eighties and early nineties. Enrique brought the aesthetics punk characteristic of his early group, throughout its development until 1992, when they merged their sound with the Latin rock. In 1989 they were voted the best Spanish act of the 80s. After the bands demise, Enrique recorded his first solo album in 1995, Lies , recorded in London with British musicians like Danny Cummings, percussionist of Dire Straits. Along with Roman Pilar and Luis Auserón, he then founded in 1997 Klub, mixing rock and electronic music. He won two Latin Grammy Awards as a sound engineer, both for work on albums by Rosario Flores : the first in 2002, the album Many flowers, and the second in 2004 by Mil Colores (sadly Enrique died from kidney disease) b. July 29th 1957.
2012: Michael Davis (68) American bassist; he became the bassist for Detroit's radical proto-punk band the MC5 in 1964. Their first album “Kick Out the Jams” was released in 1969. After leaving the MC5 in 1972, he worked with Destroy All Monsters for several years before moving to Arizona, where he played in Blood Orange. Later he co-founded the group DKT-MC5 with former MC5 members Wayne Kramer on guitar and Dennis Thompson on drums, hence their band name. In the mid 2000s he co-founded the non-profit Music Is Revolution Foundation, dedicated to supporting music education programs in public schools. Also since the mid 70s Michael spent more time with his love of painting. In 2011, one of his paintings titled “Black To Comm Sk8r Boys” appeared as the cover art for the Easy Action Records multi-media audio/DVD release from the 2009 sold- out performance by British rock superstars Primal Scream and the reunited surviving members of the MC5 at the Royal Festival Hall. (sadly Michael died from liver failure) b. June 5th 1943.
2013: Mindy McCready/Malinda Gayle McCready (37) American country music singer, born in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Active from 1995 till her death she recorded five studio albums; her debut album, Ten Thousand Angels was certified 2× Platinum. Four of her studio albums produced 12 singles on the Billboard country singles charts including "You'll Never Know", "Ten Thousand Angels", "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now", "A Girl's Gotta Do (What a Girl's Gotta Do)" and the No.1 hit "Guys Do It All the Time". Her last album, I'm Still Here, was released in 2010. Sadly the last eight years of her life were marred with drugs, drink and violence (suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was found dead on her front porch, the same place where her former boyfriend, the father of her younger son, had killed himself one month earlier) b. November 30th 1975
2013: Mike Westhues (64) American-born Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist born in Moberly, Missouri. In 1971, he traveled to Finland, where he was extremely active in the Finnish music scene, working with such groups as the Finnish progressive rock band Wigwam, its lead vocalist Jim Pembroke and Finnish blues artist Dave Lindholm. He also released his first L.P., "New Morning Train", playing solo shows and band shows all over Finland. A couple of years later, he moved to Sweden, then on to London and then back to Finland. At the end of the 70s, he moved back to the USA, to Indianapolis, with his Finnish wife and son. In 2004, they decided to move back to Finland, where he lived until his death. Over the years, Mike has worked with or opened for such artists as J.J.Cale, Michael Chapman, Kevin Coyne, Wigwam, Dave Lindholm, Mickey Baker, Jessie Curtis, Eddie Boyd, Jim Pembroke, Hank Jr., Rod Stewart, Lynard Skynard, Guy Clark, Fairport Convention, and others. He has released around 13 albums the last being 'Alder Hill', in 2013 (?) b. January 22nd 1949.
2013: Shmulik Kraus (77) Israeli actor and pop rock singer born in Jerusalem; he began to sing in the late 50s after serving in the Israeli Navy and as a merchant seaman. He married singer Josie Katz, who he managed and at times performed with. Shmulik appeared in several films, including Rocking Horse and Hole in the Moon and he composed songs for other performers, such as Shalom Hanoch. He was also known for his music for children based on the lyrics of Miriam Yalan-Shteklis (sadly he died swine influenza) b. July 1st 1935.

February 18.
1956: Gustave Charpentier (95) French composer, born in Dieuze, best known for his opera Louise. He studied violin at the conservatoire in Lille before entering the Paris Conservatoire in 1881. In 1902, Gustave founded the Conservatoire Populaire Mimi Pinson, intended to provide a free artistic education to Paris's working girls. But, he became unproductive as a composer and worked on a sequel to Louise, ''Julien, ou la vie d'un poète'', but it was not as great a success as Louise on its 1913 premiere. During World War I, he started the Œuvre de Mimi Pinson and Cocarde de Mimi Pinson to aid wounded soldiers. He was awarded the Légion d'honneur in 1900, became a Commandeur in 1930, and a Grand Officier in 1950. In 1934, he conducted a recording of his Impressions d'Italie with a Paris symphony orchestra (?) b. June 25th 1860.
1993: Patrick Waite (24) Jamaican-English reggae artist, bassist and singer in Musical Youth. The group originally formed in 1979 at Duddeston Manor School in Birmingham, England. They are best remembered for their successful 1982 Grammy-nominated single, "Pass the Dutchie". The group featured two sets of brothers, Kelvin and Michael Grant, plus Junior and Patrick Waite, who's father, Frederick Waite, was a former member of Jamaican group The Techniques, and sang lead with Junior at the start of the group's career. They received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards of 1984. Their follow-up to "Pass the Dutchie", "Youth Of Today", reached number 13 in the UK Singles Chart, and early in 1983, "Never Gonna Give You Up", climbed to UK number 6. Minor successes with "Heartbreaker" and "Tell Me Why", were succeeded by a collaboration with Donna Summer on the UK Top 20 hit, "Unconditional Love". Eventually in 1985 the band split. In 1993 the band had planned a reunion but due to Patrick's untimely death this didn't happen. (sadly died of a hereditary heart condition) b. June 16th 1968.
1987: Dmitri Borisovich Kabalevsky (82) Russian Soviet composer, born in Saint Petersburg, he is regarded as one of the great modern composers of children's music. He helped to set up the Union of Soviet Composers in Moscow and remained one of its leading figures. He was also a prolific composer of piano music and chamber music, many of his piano works have been performed by the likes of Vladimir Horowitz, and are regarded as highly innovative, suffusing influences from jazz structure like that of the latter Nikolai Kapustin and symbolic minimalism along the lines of Alemdar Karamanov's concerto n.3 per pianoforte e orchestra. Kabalevsky's Piano Sonata n°1 op.6 is a prime example of his style. He was awarded a number of state honors for his musical works, including at least two Stalin Prizes. He was elected the head of the Commission of Musical Esthetic Education of Children in 1962 as well as being elected president of the Scientific Council of Educational Esthetics in the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the USSR in 1969 (?) b. December 30th 1904.
1995: Bob Stinson (35) American lead guitarist, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he formed The Replacements, formerly Dog's Breath in 1979 with drummer Chris Mars and Bob's younger half-brother Tommy, then just 12 years old; a year later, he brought in Paul Westerberg on second guitar and vocals. Bob recorded the first 4 albums the band ''Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash'', ''Hootenanny'', ''Let It Be'', and ''Tim'', after which he left in 1985. His first band after leaving The Replacements was Model Prisoner, which broke up in 1988, later the same year he formed Static Taxi. They recorded two albums Stinson Boulevard and Closer 2 Normal. Bob put a few other projects together and his last band was The Bleeding Hearts, which he formed with his roommate Mike Leonard (Bob's body just gave out after years of drink and drugs) b. December 17th 1959.
1995: Eddie Williams (79) American bass player for for the ground breaking group Johnny Moore's Three Blazers during the mid and late forties. He was part of the trio when vocalist Charles Brown recorded "Drifting Blues". He left in 1949 and formed his own group which he called Eddie Williams & His Brown Buddies. He had many hits such as "Blues In Cuba" , "Houston Jump", "Cuba", "Red Head 'n Cadillac", "Broken Hearted", "Mississippi", "Saturday Night Fish Fry", "Prairie Dog Hole", "You Need Me Now", "I Saw Stars", "Worries", "The Umbrella Song" and "Johnny Katherine". In 1951, Eddie broke up his small group and joined Floyd Dixon as part of Dixon's combo. Eddie was an important artist of the post war years inventing and formulating the music we now call rock & roll (?) b. June 12th 1915.
2009: Snooks Eaglin/Fird Eaglin Jr (73) US blind blues guitarist and singer; at aged 11, he won a talent contest organized by radio station WNOE by playing "Twelfth Street Rag". Three years later, he dropped out of school to become a professional musician. In 1952, he joined a local 7-piece band the Flamingoes. The Flamingoes didn't have a bass player, and according to Snooks, he played both the guitar and the bass parts at the same time on his guitar. He stayed with The Flamingoes until their dissolution in the mid-50s. As a solo artist, his recording and touring were inconsistent, his first recording was in 1953, playing guitar at a recording session for James "Sugar Boy" Crawford. Snooks claimed in interviews that his musical repertoire included some 2,500 songs, at live shows he did not usually prepare set lists, he played songs that came to his head, and he also took requests from the audience. He joined Black Top Records in the 1980s, these years had been the most consistent years of his recording career. Between 1987 and 1999, he recorded 4 studio albums and a live album, and appeared as a guest on a number of recordings by other Black Top artists, including Henry Butler, Earl King, and Tommy Ridgley. (In 2008 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he died of a heart attack in Ochsner Medical Centre, New Orleans while undergoing treatment) b. January 21st 1936.
2010: Ines Paulke (51) German rock 'n' roll singer and songwriter, born in Gräfenthal. Ines took classical vocal studies at the music school in Gera and in 1983 was awarded a grant from the Committee for Entertainment Arts. Until 1986, she played in the band Datzu, but left to start her solo career. She received awards at Workers' Festivals and other competitions. Along with Anke Schenker and Angelika Weiz, she performed as the Swing Sisters, and founded the United Voices Gospel Project. In 2003 she wrote and sang with US artist Brady Swenson the song for the City of Leipzig's Olympic bid (Sadly Ines commited suicide) b. September 20th 1958
2010: Richard Proulx (72) American choral conductor, composer and editor of church music born in St. Paul, Minnesota and began piano studies at 6 years. He was a widely published composer of more than 300 works, including anthems, service music, hymn concertatos, organ music and music for a handbell choir, currently based in Chicago. He served as a consultant on several important hymnals, including The Hymnal 1982 and the United Methodist Hymnal. He had a long association with Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, and has made several recordings with The Cathedral Singers, a professional chorus which he founded in 1991 (?) b. April ?th 1937.
2010: Ariel Ramírez (88) Argentine composer and pianist, born in Santa Fe, Argentina, Ariel is considered "a chief exponent of Argentine folk music" and noted for his iconic musical compositions. He initially followed tango before switching to Argentine folklore. He began his piano studies and soon became fascinated with the music of the gauchos and creoles. Misa Criolla in 1964, marked the beginning of his international career, it allowed him to travel around Europe and Latin America to build his reputation. He had more than 300 compositions during his career and sold millions of albums and his work was globally renowned. His works included Navidad Nuestra; La Peregrinación; Los caudillos; Mujeres Argentinas; and Alfonsina y el Mar. Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Mercedes Sosa are some of the artists to have recorded his work. He was also associated with Miguel Brascó and Felix Luna (pneumonia) b. September 4th 1921.
2011: Lucas Maree (58) South African songwriter and musician, born in Johannesburg. His famaous songs included ''Ek sou kon doen met ‘n miljoen''/ "I Can Do With a Million" the song used for the TV series 'Make a Million", ''Droomvrou'' and ''Victoriabaai''. In the early 2000s he regularly toured England, Holland, New Zealand, Canada and Australia. He is also one of the few African artists to stage a show at the Royal Albert Hall in London (sadly died after a two year battle with prostate cancer) b. July 22nd 1958.
2012: Elizabeth Connell (65) South African born, but London based for most of her career, soprano singer and a leading soprano at the Royal Opera House, Covent Gardens, from the mid 70s onwards. Following her debut at Wexford Opera Festival in 1972, she sang at the opening of the Sydney Opera House in Prokofiev’s War and Peace in 1973, and continued to have a special relationship with Opera Australia. Elizabeth has appeared at the opera houses of London, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, New York, San Francisco, Milan, Naples and Geneva in a wide repertoire and at the Bayreuth, Salzburg, Orange, Verona and Glyndebourne Festivals. She has had successful collaborations with conductors such as Abbado, Muti, Sir Colin Davis, Sinopoli, Giulini, Sawallisch, Levine, Downes, Mackerras, Maazel, Ozawa and Elder. She gave her last performance less than 3 months ago, a recital on Nov 27th 2011 in Hastings, UK (sadly died of cancer) b. October 22nd 1946.
2013: Damon Harris/Otis Robert Harris Jr (62) American soul/R&B singer born in Baltimore. As a teenager he formed a Temptations tribute band The Young Tempts aka The Young Vandals. In 1971 at 20 years old he became a member of The Temptations, he was the youngest member of The Temptations during his tenure and he also changed his name to Damon Harris, because in his own words, "the group already had an Otis". He can be heard on hits such as "Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are)", "Take a Look Around", the No.1 hit and 3-time Grammy Award winner "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", "Masterpiece", "Plastic Man"; also he leads on "Love Woke Me Up This Morning" on the All Directions album. After leaving the group, in 1975 he reformed The Young Vandals renaming the group Impact, and recorded soul and disco hits, including "Happy Man" and the No.5 disco hit "Give a Broken Heart a Break". Damon later founded The Damon Harris Cancer Foundation dedicated to promoting diagnosis, awareness and treatment of prostate cancer (Damon's cause of death has not yet been revealed, but he had been suffering from prostate cancer) b. July 17th 1950.
2013: Kathleen McCormack (83) Australian singer and actress born in Taree, New South Wales, and has been a resident of London since the 1970s. She has a recording career spanning over four decades across genres including country music, Scottish and Irish ballads, and 1920s waltz. She also appeared on television and entertained troops during the Vietnam war. She released 29 LPs and sold more than a million albums between the 1950s and 1970s. Kathleen was forced to stop performing as she battled a rare neurodegenerative condition. (?) b.1929.
2013: Kevin Ayers (68) English psychedelic rock songwriter, guitarist and bassist, born in Herne Bay, Kent but spent much of his early childhood in Malaysia. In his college years he took up with the musicians' scene in the Canterbury area and was quickly drafted into the Wilde Flowers, a band that featured Robert Wyatt and Hugh Hopper. The Wilde Flowers morphed into Soft Machine with the addition of keyboardist Mike Ratledge & guitarist Daevid Allen; Kevin switched to bass.The band often shared stages with Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd. They released their debut single 'Love Makes Sweet Music' / 'Feelin' Reelin', Squeelin' in February 1967, making it one of the first recordings from the new British psychedelic movement... >>> READ MORE <<< (Kevin died peacefully in his sleep at his home in the village of Montolieu, France) b. August 16th 1944.