DeFord Bailey

BIRTHDAYS

1908
Morey Amsterdam
Cellist/actor/composer
b. Chicago, IL, USA
d. Oct. 27, 1996, Beverly Hills, CA, USA. (Heart Attack).

In the mid-40s, he adapted a Calypso tune and added his own lyric.
The
tune became a huge hit for the Andrews Sisters - "Rum and Coca Cola".


1899
DeFord Bailey
C&W vocals/guitar
b. Smith County, TN, USA.
d. July 2, 1982.
A pioneer member 'Grand Ole Opry'.

AAR BIO:
www.aaregistry.com/african_...Opry_Icon
Country Music Hall of Fame Bio:
www.countrymusichalloffame.com/si...spx
NR Bio & Sound Files:
www.npr.org/programs/lnf...4.bailey.html

1913
Theodore 'Ted' Guy Buckner
soprano-/Alto Sax
b. St. Louis, MO, USA.
d. April 12, 1976.
He is the brother of pianist Milt Buckner

1917
Martha Davis
Piano/vocals
b. Wichita, KS, USA
WIKI Bio:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mart...s_(singer)

1911
Charles "Chuck" Gentry
Baritone Sax
b. Belgrade, Nevada, USA

Although he started out as a clarinetist, it was on much lower-pitched
horns that Chuck Gentry made his bread and butter. Gentry is one of the
rare jazz gentry whose name shows up in credits complete with a
military ranking--he was a seargent in the unit that made up Glenn
Miller's Air Force Band from 1943 through 1944. At that time Gentry had
been a professional musician for about a decade, beginning when he was
hired for bandleader Ken Baker's Los Angeles outfit. Prior to that he
had played clarinet in the school band in Sterling, Colorado and had
kept up his musical interests throughout an initial career stab at
becoming a teacher.

By the late '30s blackboards were the
last this on his mind as he began checking out both baritone and bass
sax parts in the reed section of the Vido Musso ensemble. From here he
went to even bigger bands, Harry James for two years beginning in 1940,
Benny Goodman for about a fourth that amount of time beginning in the
summer of 1941 and then Jimmy Dorsey until Uncle Sam demanded a change
of procedure. After the war he was busy with Artie Shaw, Jan Savitt and
then another short stint with Goodman. From about 1947 Gentry began to
work more and more in the studios, eventually becoming almost a part of
the scenery in certain Los Angeles recording factories. Much of the pop
material he appeared on is high quality, including Dean Martin and
Frank Sinatra sides. He should not be confused with the guitarist of
the same name.
~ Eugene Chadbourne

1898
Frederick Douglass Hall
afro-American composer
b. Atlanta, GA, USA.
d. December 28, 1982

Frederick Hall received a B.A. from Morehouse College, a Teachers
Diploma and M.M. from Chicago Musical College, an M.A. and Ed. D. from
Columbia University. He did additional study at Julliard School of
Music, Royal College of Music (London), English School of Chuch Music,
and several others. He was presented an honorary Doctorate from Rust
College in Mississippi. Hall was the chairmand of the music departments
at Jackson College (MS), Dillard University (LA), Alabama State
Teachers College, and Clark College (Atlanta). He did research in Afro
- American music and West African music. His compositions and
arrangements include: "Deliverance," an oratorio; "Afro - American
Religious Work Songs: A Cycle;" and six volumes of arrangements for
mixed, male, and female voices.
~ Perkins Holly, Ellistine. Biographies of Black Composers and Songwriters

1910
Budd Johnson
All Reeds/piano/vocal arranger/composer
b. Dallas, TX, USA. d. Oct. 20, 1984. né: Albert J. Johnson.

Taught music by Booker T. Washington's daughter. In 1924, he was
touring as a drummer, and took up the sax about 2 years later. In 1927,
was working w/George E. Lee Combo in Chicago, IL. Then had own combo
with Teddy Wilson until they joined Louis Armstrong in 1933. From
Sept.1939 - Dec.'42, worked on and off with Earl Hines Orch. His role
in "Bop" is rather unique. In the 1940's, there were just 5 "Big Bands"
(all Black) involved with the then new "Rebop" sound.
During the
1942-'44 period, Earl Hines and Boyd Raeburn took up the sound. Then
during 1944-'45, both the Woody Herman and Billy Eckstine bands, and
sometime in late '45, Dizzy Gillespie. A common thread linked all these
5 bands - Budd Johnson. He had played sax, or written for all of them
(possibly with the exception of Boyd Raeburn). He had previously (1944)
organized the very first 'bop' recording date (for Gillespie). While he
is little known today, he was one of the seminal figures in promoting
'Rebop'. In the '50s, he played with Cab Calloway and J. C. Heard.

In 1952, he was with Snub Mosely's band touring England on a USO
sponsored unit. During 1956-7, he wrote and played for the Benny
Goodman band, then working in New York's swank Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
and even toured Asia with Benny's band.
WIKI Bio:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budd_Johnson

1911
"Spike" Jones
Drums/Leader
b. Long Beach, CA, USA
d. May 1, 1965, Beverly Hills, CA, USA. (Emphysema).
né: Lindley Armstrong Jones. Leader 'The City Slickers' band.


1932
Abbe Lane, vocalist.
b. Brooklyn, NY, USA.
née: Frances Lassman.
Best recalled as wife (#4 1952-'64, divorced) and singer
with Xavier Cugat.

WIKI BIO:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbe_Lane

1891
Lester Melrose
A&R (Bluebird label)
b. Olney, IL, USA

1903
William Owsley, guitar
b. Galesburg, IL, USA

1922
Cecil Payne
Baritone Sax/flute
b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA.

1902
Viola Gertrude Wells, Vocals
b. Newark, NJ, USA.
d. Dec. 22, 1984, Belleville, NJ, USA.

aka: 'Miss Rhapsody'. Wells' career began with her first gig at the
Minis Theater in Newark, NJ. In the 1920s, she worked in some traveling
shows, and in the 1930s, she was a member of "Banjo Bernie's Band",
subsequently touring with singer Ida Cox. In the late 1930s, Wells
moved to Kansas City, where she ran a nightclub and led her own band.


In the 1940s, she moved back to Newark and was soon working in various
New York city venues, including appearances at 'Kelly's Stables' on New
York's famed 52nd Street, and at Harlem's Apollo Theatre (occasionally
as 'Viola Underhill'). Out of the public's eye for most of the 1950s
and early 1960s, her career revived in the mid-1960s. In the 1970s, she
toured with trombonist/singer Clyde Bernhardt's band. "Miss Rhapsody"
passed away at age 82.

Notable Events occurring
on this date include:

1963.
Dinah Washington
vocals/piano
died in Detroit, MI
Age 39.

1966.
Howard Ragsdale
C&W fiddler, died. Age: 62. (b. Feb. 9, 1904).

Played with "The Fruit Jar Drinkers", a band heard on the Grand Ole
Op'ry show, and also backed "Uncle Dave" Macon while he played his
banjo and sang.

1973.
Jesse Rodgers
C&W singer
died. Age: 62.
(cousin of Jimmie Rodgers).

Songs Recorded/Released
on this date include:

1944 Trolley Song, The , - Vaughn Monroe Orch and voc.
1959 Pretty Blue Eyes , - Steve Lawrence voc.
1968 Son-Of-A Preacher Man , - Dusty Springfield

BIRTHDAYS...

1931 Sonny Fisher
(Rockabilly) vocals
b. Tyler, TX, USA.
Biography
"The
Wild Man from Texas," rockabilly cat Sonny Fisher recorded a series of
little-heard but incendiary singles for the Starday label during the
mid-1950s, finally winning acclaim from European audiences close to a
quarter century later. Born Therman Fisher on a farm outside Chandler,
Texas on November 13, 1931, he grew up in Tacoma, Washington but
eventually returned to the Houston area--first drawn to music by his
father, an amateur singer and guitarist, the adolescent Fisher also
favored Hank Williams, Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb.

Fisher
formed his own country band in 1951, assembling fiddler Paul Vaughan,
steel guitarist Red Leonie, bassist Leonard Curry and drummer Darrell
Newsome--with the addition of electric guitarist Joey Long, the group
began incorporating R&B covers into its repertoire, and after
Fisher witnessed Elvis Presley's late 1954 appearance at Houston's
Texas Korral, he steered his music fully in the direction of
rockabilly, sacking Vaughan and Leonie while dubbing the remaining trio
the Rocking Boys.

1915 Jack Guthrie, singer/songwriter
b. Olive, OK, USA. Woody Guthrie's cousin.

1928 Hampton Hawes, Piano
b. Los Angeles, CA, USA. d. 1977

1927 Dolores Hawkins, vocalist
sang with Gene Krupa. d. 1987

1919 John LaTouche, lyricist/writer
b. Richmond, VA, USA.
d. Aug. 7, 1956, Calais, VT, USA. (Heart Attack).
né: John Treville LaTouche.
Was
the lyricist who worked on the show 1943 "Cabin In The Sky" and the
1946 film "Dreams that Money Can Buy". One of his best remembered songs
is "Taking A Chance On Love".
BIO:
www.babydoe.org/latouche.htm

1900 Gerald Marks, Composer
b. Saginaw, MI, USA. d. Jan. 27, 1997.
Composed "All of Me" and "Is It True What They Say About Dixie".
Self-taught
Pianist who began writing songs in the 1920s for Broadway and later for
Hollywood. He composed "All I Want For Christmas" for Shirley Temple
(1936 film: Stowaway).
nfo.net/cal/tm1.html#GMarks

1894 Howard McFarlane, Trumpet
b. London, England
d. March 6, 1983 London, England, U.K.
In
1919, he was working in 'Pit' bands of London's film theaters. He next
joined Alex Hyde's band, which toured Germany in 1924. While in
Germany, Hyde also recorded (for example: Vox 01622 "Mama Loves Papa,
Papa Loves Mama"). While still on the Continent, Hyde disbanded, and
Howard remained in Germany, where he found work playing and recording
during 1924-'26 with the Bernard Etté Orchestra . During 1926-'27, he
made some hot jazz recordings leading his own small groups. During the
1925-'32 period, he also played with violinist Dajos Béla's orchestra,
and others. In 1933-4, he returned to England where he worked with
trumpeter Jack Jackson band, then rejoined Bela for a 1935-'37 tour to
Argentina. During 1937-'40, he wasagain touring Europe and from 1940 to
1957 (his retirement), he worked as one of the sidemen in the BBC Dance
Orchestra.

1894
Benjamin "Bennie" Moten
Piano/Leader
b. Kansas City, MO, USA. d. April 2, 1935.
This
fine pianist was already leading his own orchestra by 1920, a band that
would serve as a 'launching' platform for many future stars such as
Eddie Durham, "Count" Basie, Jimmy Rushing, Ben Webster, Walter Page,
Lester Young, and Oran "Hot lips" Page, and others. Moten's tragic
death occurred during a tonsilectomy when the surgeon's knife slipped
and severed his jugular vein. After his death, "Count" Basie became
Leader.
WIKI BIO:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennie_Moten
RHJ Bio;
www.redhotjazz.com/moten.html
Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra:
www.redhotjazz.com/bmkc.html

1932 Meg Myles, vocals
b. Seattle, WA. USA.
née: Billie Jean Jones.
In
the 1950s, Meg was a popular men's magazine model and pinup girl. As an
actress, she was seen in a TV soap opera, but is perhaps best known
today for her starring role in the cult B-movie, 'Satan in High Heels'
Her singing career consists of a couple of LPs, 'At the Living Room',
and one with Jimmie Rowles, 'Meg and Me'.
BIO:www.javasbachelorpad.com/megmyles.html

1912 Singleton Palmer, Bass/Tuba
b. St.Louis, MO, USA.

1914 Ernest James "Jim" Riley
piano/vibes/banjo/arranger
b: Fremantle, WA, USA.
Played
With: Frank Coughlan; Ron Moyle 1937-38; Ken Murdoch; Merv Rowston;
Swing Five; Except nine months in England with Nat Gonella and Charlie
Lees

1915 Clement Tervalon, bass/tuba
b: New Orleans, LA, USA.
d: Dec. 2, 1989, New Orleans, LA.
Played with Bessie Smith on the vaudeville circuit.

Notable Events
on this date include:

1937.
NBC introduced the very first
full-sized symphony orchestra
formed exclusively for radio broadcast.

1966.
"Washboard Sam", washboard
died in Chicago, IL, USA.
Age: 56. aka "Ham Gravy"
The was the illegitimate son of Frank Broonzy,
the same man who fathered bluesman Big Bill Broonzy,
who frequently worked with his half (?)-brother.

1996.
Bill Doggett
C&W star, died.
Age: 80

Songs Recorded/Released
this date include:

1924 “Some Of These Days”
Vocal refrain by C.A. Coon and J.L. Sanders
- Coon Sanders Nighthawks Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/co...tdays.ram

1924 “Boxcar Blues”
- Faye Barnes / Maggie Jones
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/ma...blues.ram

1924 “Western Union Blues”
- Faye Barnes / Maggie Jones
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/ma...blues.ram

1925 “I Never Knew’
- (Ted Forito / Gus Kahn)
- Art Landry and His Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/ka...845-B.ram

1925 “I'm Sitting On Top Of The World (Just Rolling Along - Just Rolling Along’)
- Art Landry and His Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/ka...ontop.ram

1925 “What Could Be Sweeter Than You ?’
- Art Landry and His Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/la...uldbe.ram

1925 “Don't Wait Too Long”
Vocal Chorus by Arthur Fields
- Bailey's Lucky Seven
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/lu...twait.ram

1925 “I Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight?”
- Bailey's Lucky Seven
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/lu...ybaby.ram

1927 “Police Blues”
-Lizzie Miles
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/mi...blues.ram

1927 “When You Get Tired Of Your New Sweetie”
- Lizzie Miles
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/mi...tired.ram

1929 “Mint Julep”
- Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/mo...Julep.ram

1929 “Jersey Joe”
- Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/mo...yjoe1.ram

1929 “Mississippi Mildred”
- Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/mo...dred1.ram

1935 “Moonburn"
(Hoagy Carmichael)
- Joe Sullivan Trio
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/su...nburn.ram

LYRICS:

I'm sitting on top of the world
~Lyric by Lewis and Young
~Music by Ray Henderson

I'm sitting on top of the world,
Just rolling along, just rolling along.
I'm quitting the blues of the world,
Just singing a song, just singing a song.

Glory, hallelujah, I just phoned the parson,
"Hey, Par, get ready to call!"
Just like humpty dumpty,
I'm ready to fall.

i'm sitting on top of the world,
Just rolling along, just rolling along.
I'm quitting the blues of the world,
Just singing a song, just singing a song.

Francis
Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an iconic
American jazz-oriented popular singer and Academy Award-winning actor.

Beginning
his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey,
Sinatra became a solo artist with great success in the early to
mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers".

His
professional career had stalled by the 1950s, but it was reborn in 1954
after he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He signed
with Capitol Records and released several critically lauded albums
(such as In the Wee Small Hours, Songs for Swingin' Lovers, Come Fly
with Me, Only the Lonely and Nice 'n' Easy).

Sinatra
left Capitol to found his own record label, Reprise Records (finding
success with albums such as Ring-A-Ding-Ding, Sinatra at the Sands and
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim), toured
internationally, and fraternized with the Rat Pack and President John
F. Kennedy in the early 1960s.

Sinatra
turned fifty in 1965, recorded the retrospective September of My Years,
and scored hits with "Strangers in the Night" and "My Way". Sinatra
attempted to weather the changing tastes in popular music, but with
dwindling album sales and after appearing in several poorly received
films, he retired in 1971. Coming out of retirement in 1973, he
recorded several albums, scoring a hit with "(Theme From) New York, New
York" in 1980, and toured both within the United States and
internationally until a few years before his death in 1998.

Sinatra
had three children; Nancy, Frank Jr. and Tina by his first wife Nancy
Barbato. He was married three more times, to the actresses Ava Gardner
and Mia Farrow and finally to Barbara Marx, to whom he was married at
his death.

#1 WIKI BIO:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra


#2 Rat Pack: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Pack


#3 Sinatra Doctrine:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinatra_Doctrine

#4 FBI Files on Frank Sinatra:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBI_...nk_Sinatra

BIRTHDAYS

1909
Emmanuel Edward "Eddie" Barefield
Clarinet/soprano-alto-tenor-baritone sax
b. Scandia, IA, d. Jan 4, 1991.

1915
Everette "Leonard" Edstron
bandleader/music publisher
b. Worthington, Minnesota, USA
d. March 19, 2000, Palm Desert, Riverside, California, USA.
aka: Hal Leonard

1907
Fred Elizalde
Piano/Leader
b. Manila, Philippines
d. Jan. 16, 1979.
(some sources say d. 1972)
Connections
between the Philippines and the jazz scene are slight -- but here is
one for sure, half of a pair of brothers born into one of that island
nation's wealthiest families. Both Fred Elizalde and Manuel Elizalde
led dance bands in London, England, beginning in the second half of the
'20s; they were sent there to attend posh Cambridge, naturally. The
Elizalde brothers eventually dipped into the pool of brilliant New York
City recording session players to bolster the staff of their band,
certainly one reason that an ensuing Savoy Hotel stint was such a
smash.

Fred Elizalde laid the groundwork for his later
in-depth studies with the brilliant composer Maurice Ravel by himself
scribbling out a minuet at the ripe age of four. Both brothers were
shipped around to only the best schools -- besides the aforementioned
Cambridge there was Stanford University in California where, at only
16, Elizalde assumed leadership of the Stanford University Band for a
Biltmore Hotel gig in Los Angeles. Moving from there to England only
furthered his career as a bandleader and arranger: but his parents had
meant otherwise, apparently horrified at their sons' interest in
performing popular music.

An ensemble bravely called the
Quinquaginta Ramblers was the first group Fred Elizalde took over upon
arrival in England. The noted bandleader Bert Ambrose, often credited
under just his surname, took a liking to the Filipino lad's piano
playing as well as his ideas for compositions, and was an early
employer. Near the end of the '20s, Elizalde disbanded his
British-American ensemble and moved elsewhere in Europe, studying
classical music in Spain and working privately with Ravel in France. In
the early '30s there were some further Elizalde recordings done in
England, but in later years he would return there only for classical
concerts, basically settling back in the Philippines where he ran his
own radio station.
~ Eugene Chadbourne
jabw_vintage/report no. 11 - Fred Elizalde, influential musician and band leader:
www.jabw.demon.co.uk/elizal2.htm
~John Wright


1938
Connie Frances
Pops Vocalist
b. Newark, NJ, U.S.A.
née: Concetta Franconero

1896
Jay Gorney, Composer
b. Bialystok, Russia
d. June 14, 1990.
né: Daniel Jason Gorney.
In
1932, Gorney scored musical 'Americana', the big hit from the show was
"Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" (lyric by E. Y. "Yip" Harburg). This
song, played throughout the Great Depression years, is still used as a
symbol of hard economic times.
WIKI BIO:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Gorney

1920
Dick James
label owner
(DJM Records)
b. London, England, UK
WIKI BIO:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_James

1914
Laurence "88" Keyes, piano
b. Kansas City, KS, USA

1907
Allen Massey
C&W guitar and banjo
b. Texas, USA.
d. 1983, Texas, USA.
Age: 75.
Member:
"Louise Massey & the Westerners" The Westerners consisted of Milt
Mabie, bass fiddle (1934), Larry Wellington, accordion (1934), Dott
Massey, violin and trumpet (1934), Louise Massey Mabie, singer and
pianist (1934), and Allen Massey, guitar and banjo specialist ( Louise,
Dott and Allen are sister and brothers. Milt was "adopted" by Louise
several years prior to 1934.) They grew up on a ranch near Roswell, New
Mexico but took up music instead of 'cow-punching'. Their music has
been described variously as both "...the rollicking songs of the
West..." , and also '...like the soft breeze that whispers across the
desert at sunset...' They were also quite adept at playing modern Pop.

1913
Don Stovall, Alto Sax
b. St. Louis, MO, USA, d. 1970
One
of the great alto-saxophonists of the 1940's, Don Stovall's decision to
retire completely from music while still in his prime has led to him
being quite obscure in jazz history books. Stovall started out playing
violin before switching to alto. In St. Louis early on he worked with
Dewey Jackson, Fate Marable (on riverboats) and Eddie Johnson's
Crackerjacks (1932-33).

Stovall moved to Buffalo for a few
years where he mostly led his own groups and had a short stint with Lil
Armstrong. After relocating to New York City in 1939, Stovall worked
with Sammy Price, Snub Mosely, Eddie Durham's Big Band and the Cootie
Williams Orchestra (1941). His most famous association was with Red
Allen's Sextet, a rambunctious group that mixed together Dixieland with
early R&B and jump/jazz. The altoist was featured on many records
with Allen. Don Stovall decided in 1950 to retire from music and he
spent the rest of his life working for the phone company! Unfortunately
he never led his own record date but he did record with Allen, Lil
Armstrong, Pete Johnson, Sammy Price and Snub Mosley among others. ~
Scott Yanow

1918
Joe Williams, Vocals
b. Cordele, GA, USA
d. March 29, 1999, Age 80.
né: Joseph Goreed.
Vocals first w/Benny Moten Orch (Kansas City, MO), and then with Count Basie Orch.
WIKI BIO:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_...zz_singer)

Notable Events occuring
on this date include:

1951.
Mildred Bailey, vocals
died in Poughkeepsie, NY, USA.
Age: 44

1962.
Leon "Abner" Weaver
Member: "The Weaver Brothers & Elviry" died. Age: 76,

1974.
John Lomax Jr., folklorist
died in Houston, TX, USA.
Age: 67

1988.
Jim Bulliet
label founder
(Bullet Records)
died in Nashville, TN, USA.
Age: 79

Carlos Gardel

BIRTHDAYS

1914
"Cousin Jody" (né James Clell Summey)
C&W Vocals/Dobro/Steel Guitar/Comedy
(Near) Sevierville, TN, USA, d. 1976.
né:
James Summey. C&W star Roy Acuff, in his book 'Roy Acuff's
Nashville', described 'Cousin Jody' as being "one mean Dobro Guitar
player."


1890
Carlos Gardel
vocals (Tango)
b. Toulouse, France
d. June 24, 1935, Medellin, Colombia.
(airplane accident)
nee: Charles Romuald Gardel.
Carlos
was (is) perhaps the most revered Argentine singer of Tangos and
Milongas, His fans called him "El Zorzal Criollo, the songbird of
Buenos Aires," He invented the "tango song", thus making the previously
considered vulgar Tango music and dance not only acceptable, but
desirable. He has become a legendary hero of the Tango. When he died in
a tragic airplane take-off accident, millions around the U.S.A. and
Latin America mourned his passing. (One woman in Havana, Cuba, even
committed suicide.) Today, there is a famous Argentine saying: "He
sings better every day." Sixty five years after his demise, a devoted
following keeps his legend alive by playing his music every day.

WIKI BIO:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Gardel
The story of Carlos Gardel and Tango song:
www.gardelweb.com/index-english.htm
YouTube - carlos gardel:
www.youtube.com/watch


1916
Perez Prado
Piano/Composer
b. Matanzas, Cuba
d. Sept. 14, 1989.
né: Damaso Perez Prado.
Biggest hit record: "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White".
Wiiki Bio:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dámaso_Pérez_Prado
Perez Prado and Mambomania:
www.laventure.net/tourist/prez_bio.htm
Perez Prado on Space Age Pop:
www.spaceagepop.com/prado.htm
Perez Prado on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch


1906
Jack Purvis, Trumpet
b. Kokomo, IN, USA.
d. March 30, 1962
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Purvis
Jack Purvis (December 11, 1906 – March 30, 1962) was an American jazz musician.
Purvis
was best known as a trumpet player and the composer of Dismal Dan and
Down Georgia Way. He was one of the earliest trumpeters to incorporate
the innovations pioneered by Louis Armstrong in the late 1920s. He also
played trombone and on occasion a number of other instruments
professionally (including harp).

Early years
John "Jack"
Purvis was born in Kokomo, Indiana on December 11, 1906 to Sanford B.
Purvis, a real estate agent and his wife Nettie (Jackson) Purvis. (He
has a living brother J.Richard Lowry who is 96 years old and lives in
Hendersonville, North Carolina. He has played the trumpet and the bass
fiddle in many bands. He is still playing the bass fiddle for function
around Hendersonville. The song Poor Richard was written for him. He
also had a daughter who was a disc jockey.) He learned trumpet and
trombone as a boy and by the time he attended high school he was
playing in the school band. As early as 1921 he was playing locally in
dance bands.
After high school he worked in his home state for a
time then went to Lexington, Kentucky where he played with the Original
Kentucky Night Hawks. Around this time he learned to fly planes. In
1926 he was with Bud Rice and toured New England. He then worked the
remainder of 1926 and the beginning of 1927 with Whitey Kaufman's
Original Pennsylvanians. For a short time he played trombone with Hal
Kemp and by July 1928 he traveled to France with George Carhart's band.
It is reported that he had an early brush with the law when he cheated
a tourist out of his travelers checks and was forced to leave the band
and flee France.
When returning in the United States in 1929 he
again joined Hal Kemp's band this time playing trumpet. From 1929 to
1930 Purvis recored with Kemp, Smith Ballew, Ted Wallace, Rube Bloom,
the California Ramblers, Roy Wilson's Georgia Crackers, and the
Carolina Club Orchestra. On December 17, 1929 Purvis led his own
recording groups using Hal Kemp's rhythm section to produce Copyin'
Louis, and Mental Strain at Dawn.

The 1930s
In 1930,
Purvis led a couple of racially mixed recording sessions including the
likes of J.C. Higginbotham, and Adrian Rollini. One of these sessions
was organized by Adrian Rollini and OKeh A & R man, Bob Stephens.
After leaving Hal Kemps' employ for good Purvis found work with the
California Ramblers. He also worked with the Dorsey Brothers and played
fourth trumpet with Fletcher Henderson.

From 1931 to 1932 he
played with a few radio orchestras and work with Fred Waring. In 1933
he toured the South with Charlie Barnet. He even talked his way into a
job with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra playing The Carnival of
Venice. During this time he also worked in Texas as a pilot perhaps
smuggling illegal goods out of Mexico.
He moved to California and
was successful with radio broadcasting work. In Los Angeles, Purvis
worked for the George Stall Orchestra as a writer and even worked for
Warner Bros. Records arranging. He composed Legends of Haiti for a one
hundred and ten piece orchestra. Afterwards he found work in San
Francisco as a chef. At the end of 1935 he joined Frank Froeba's Swing
Band in New York.These 1935 recordings with Froeba were the end of
Purvis' recording career. He played a couple of weeks with Joe Haymes'
orchestra and then disappears from history for a couple of years. It is
speculated that he worked as a ships cook on a freighter at the time.
He
was arrested in Texas in June 1937, while working as a cook, for his
involvement in a robbery in El Paso, Texas. He was tried and convicted
and sentenced to jail time in Huntsville Prison. While in prison he
directed the Rhythmic Swingsters, the prison band and also played piano
with them. The band regularly broadcast on radio station WBAP in 1938.

Later life
In
August of 1940, Purvis was conditionally pardoned from prison, but he
quickly broke his parole and was sent back to prison for six more
years. Some sources claim he did this deliberately because he missed
the prison band.
On September 30, 1946 Purvis was released from
prison one last time. He had a wild reputation and is said to have set
hotel rooms on fire. He seldom stuck with one band for very long and
was known to hit the streets as a busker. From this time onward he
worked at non-musical careers which included working as a chef, an
aviator in Florida, a carpenter, an radio repair-man in San Francisco.
At sometime in his checkered life he was also a mercenary in South
America.
Purvis is supposed to have killed himself in San
Francisco, California on March 30, 1962, however stories persist that a
man who looked like Jack Purvis showed up at a band date by cornetist
Jack Goodwin and the two men had a long talk about his life on two
occasions in 1968.

Notable Events occuring
on this date include:

1949.
"Fiddlin'" John Carson, fiddle
died in Atlanta, GA, USA.
Age: 81

1963.
Luis Russell, piano/leader
died in New York, NY, USA.
Age: 61

1964.
Sam Cooke, guitar/songwriter/producer
died in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 33

1984.
Charles Buchanan, manager
(NY Savoy Ballroom)
Age: 86

1992.
Andy Kirk, leader
died in New York (Harlem), NY, USA.
Age: 94

Dorothy Lamour


BIRTHDAYS

1906
Harold Adamson, lyricist
b. Greenville, NJ
d. Aug., 17, 1980, Beverly Hills, CA.
Among
his lyrics are: "Time on My Hands," "Winter Wonderland," "Everything I
Have Is Yours," and, in 1943, World War II inspired "Comin' In on a
Wing and a Prayer"
WIKI BIO:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Adamson

1893
Lew Brown, Lyricist
b. Odessa, Russia
d. Feb. 5, 1958, New York, NY, USA.
né: Louis Brownstein - Team of De Sylva, Brown and Henderson.
1937
Gary M. Carden, trumpet/fluegelhorn, b. Saginaw, MI, USA. d. July 22,
2003, Traverse, MI, USA. (Stroke) while still a child, his family moved
to Manistee, MI, where Gary attended Manistee High School and where he
was involved in the band, In 1959, he graduated from Central Michigan
University with a bachelor's degree in business, and returned to
Manistee, MI to work in his father's Chevrolet dealership. Later, he
joined the United States Army, and served in Germany.

Upon his
discharge, he made Traverse, MI, his home. During the 40 years that
Gary lived in Traverse City, he formed the Slabtown Marching Society,
the Little Big Band, the Gary Carden German Band, the Gary Carden Big
Band, and many smaller musical groups. Gary often arranged music for
these bands and even composed some of his own pieces. His Slabtown
Marching Society CDs received glowing reviews in such newspapers as
'The Mississippi Rag' and the prestigious 'The New York Times'. In
addition, The Slabtown Marching Society also appeared nationwide in
Jazz festivals in St. Louis, Davenport, Sacramento and Wisconsin.

In
addition to leading his own bands, Gary played his horn with Michigan
groups such as the 'Epsilon Jass Band', the 'New Reformation Jazz
Band', the 'Back Room Gang', the 'Cadillac Symphony' and big bands
under the direction of such musicians as Ralph Harris, Dave Sporny,
Chris Bickley, and Mike Hunter. In 1968, he also sat in with the
nationally renowned 'The World's Greatest Jazz Band'. Gary and his wife
Betty also enjoyed playing together in the NMC Concert Band and the
Benzie Symphony. Late in his life, Gary's spiritual journey brought him
to the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda. Interestingly, while still a
student at 'Central Michigan University', Gary had formed a traditional
New Orleans Jazz band called "The Beavers." They played all around the
central Michigan area during those years, and, after Gary's demise,
people at the memorial service and visitations still recalled that
band.

1914
Archie Craig, trumpets
b. Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK
d. Oct. 1988.

1912
Irving Fazola, Clarinet
b. New Orleans, LA, USA, d. 1949

1913
Morton Gould, Composer
b. Richmond Hill, NY, USA.
d. Feb. 21,1996


1914
Dorothy Lamour
Actress/vocals
d. Sept. 22, 1996
b. New Orleans, LA, USA.
née: Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton.
Matriculated Brooklyn College, NY, USA.
Mostly
an actress and a strickly "Pops" singer - no Jazz - but she looked
great in a sarong crooning "Tahaitian" music written by a composer who
sat in his room in Brooklyn, NY, and gazed wistfully out his window at
the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1931, she was named 'Miss New Orleans' Dorothy
first worked as a Chicago elevator operator, She then became the band
vocalist for bandleader Herbie Kaye, her first husband. In 1936 she
made her screen debut in Paramount's "The Jungle Princess", wearing
what was to become her "trademark" Sarong. During the 1940s, she was a
'staple' in the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road To..." pictures. Of those
films, she once said "I was the happiest and highest-paid straight
woman in the business."


1894
Vincent Lopez
Piano/Leader
b. Brooklyn, NY
d.Sept., 20, 1975, Miami, FL, USA.

1909
Stuart MacKay
woodwinds
b. Montreal, Canada

1919
Eddie Miller
C&W songwriter
b. Camargo, OK, USA.

Notable Events occurring
on this date include:

1959.
Avery Parrish, piano
died in New York, NY, USA.
Age: 42

1968.
Bill Cox, the "Dixie Songbird" died.

1976.
Willie Trice, guitar
died in Durham, NC, USA.
Age: 66

1984.
Charlie Teagarden
died in Las Vegas, NV, USA.
Age: 71.

1987.
Leroy Elliott "Slam" Stewart, bass
died in Binghampton, NY, USA.
Age: 73
Member duo: 'Slim & Slam' (Slim was "Slim" Gaillard, né: Bulee Gaillard, guitar/piano
b.
(most likely) January 4, 1916, Detroit, MI, USA. (Slim claimed b. in
Santa Clara, Cuba, instead of Detroit. His father worked as a steward
on a cruise liner), d. Feb. 26, 1991, (cancer)

Songs Recorded/Released
on this date include:

1930
Mood Indigo
- rec'd by Duke Ellington Orch.

1942
Dearly Beloved
- Glenn Miller Orch.

1942
Moonlight Becomes You
- Glenn Miller Orch.

BIRTHDAYS

1909
Blind Roosevelt Graves, guitar
b. Summerland, MS, USA.
Biography
Blind
Roosevelt Graves was a Mississippi guitarist and singer who mixed
secular and sacred material and cut some entertaining, celebratory
party tunes as well as reverential spirituals in the '20s and '30s. He
played with pianists Will Ezell and Cooney Vaughn, clarinetist Baby
Jay. Graves was also a member of the Mississippi Jook Band, along with
his brother -- singer and tambourine player Uaroy Graves -- and Vaughn.


Very few biographical details of Blind Roosevelt Graves' life
are known. He and his brother Uaroy began playing juke joints in the
Mississippi Delta in the early '20s. In 1929, the two brothers cut a
number of sides for the Paramount and American Record Companies, which
all appeared under Blind Roosevelt's name. They would continue to
record until 1936. In the mid-'30s, the pair formed the Mississippi
Jook Band with pianist Cooney Vaughn. The band recorded for the
American Record Company in the mid- and late '30s.

After
leaving behind these handful of recordings, Graves disappeared in the
early '40s. It is not known where he settled, nor is his death date
known.
~ Ron Wynn & Stephen Thomas Erlewine

1903 Matty Malneck
Fiddle/Composer/Leader
b. Newark, NJ, USA.
d. Feb 25, 1981, Los Angeles, CA. USA.
Led
an octet that included Milton DeLugg on accordion and Manny Klein on
trumpet. Among the songs he wrote are "I'll Never Be The Same" and "I'm
Through With Love".
Biography
A fine clarinetist, Matty
Matlock also gained a lot of work in the 1950s as an arranger for
Dixieland-flavored sessions. He started playing clarinet when he was 12
and performed in a variety of little-known bands, including one led by
Jimmy Joy. He was with Ben Pollack's group during 1929-1934 and when
the orchestra became Bob Crosby's, Matlock stayed on. He became busy as
an arranger, but continued playing with Crosby off and on until 1942.
At that point, he moved to Los Angeles and worked in the studios.
Matlock worked with Red Nichols and Pollack again and participated in
the music for the film and the television series Pete Kelly's Blues.
Matty Matlock led the Rampart Street Paraders in the 1950s, had many
reunions with Bob Crosby and continued playing into the mid-'70s.
Unfortunately, his recordings as a leader for the X, Columbia, Tops,
and Warner Bros. labels during 1954-1960 are all long out of print.
~ Scott Yanow

1906
Freddy Martin
Tenor sax, Leader
b. Cleveland, OH, USA
d. Oct. 1, 1983
WIKI BIO:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddy_Martin
SOLID! BIO:
www.parabrisas.com/d_martinf.php


1916 Bob Scobey
Trumpet/Leader
b. Tucumcari, NM, USA.
d. June 12, 1963, Montreal, Canada.
Classical
trained on Trumpet from age 9. Worked in various radio, theatre pit and
dance bands. In 1938, he met Lu Watters and began playing Jazz. In the
Yerba Buena Jazz Band 1940-1950 except for 3 years in Army WW2. Then
formed his own succesful band in Oakland, CA. Later moved to Chicago.
IL. Has also worked with Turk Murphy.

Notable Events
on this date include:

1926.
17
year old Benny Goodman's first issued recording session this day. He
was the clarinetist with 'Ben Pollack and His Californians' on their
recording of the tune "When I First Met Mary". Victor Records.

Songs Recorded/Released
on this date include:

1920 Pebbles
(Introducing: "Beautiful Annabelle Lee")
(Sheaarer / Meyer)
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/bi...bbles.ram

1920
“Home Again Blues”
(Berlin / Akst)
- Raderman's Jazz Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/ra...Blues.ram

1922 “Greenwich Witch”
(Zez Confrey)
- Frank Westphal and his Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/we...Witch.ram

1922 “Stop Your Kidding”
(Irving Mills / Ferde Grofe / Jimmy McHugh)
- Frank Westphal and his Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/we...dding.ram

1924
“Poorhouse Blues”
(Spencer Williams)
- Faye Barnes / Maggie Jones
LISTEN:

1925 “Lonesome Desert Blues”
(Bessie Smith) - Bessie Smith
LISTEN:www.redhotjazz.com/songs/be...blues.ram

1927
"Struttin' With Some Barbecue"
- Louis Armstrong's Hot Seven
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/Lo...uttin.ram

1927
“Give Me A Goodnight Kiss”
(Lee Morse )
- Lee Morse and her Southern Serenaders
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/mo...tkiss.ram

1927 “Keep Sweeping Cobwebs Off The Moon”
(Levant / Lewis / Young)
- Lee Morse and her Southern Serenaders
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/mo...eping.ram

1929 “In A Kitchenette”
(Dubin / Burke)
- Ray Miller's Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/mi...nette.ram

1929
“That's Where You Come In”
(Kahal / Robinson)
- Ray Miller's Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/mi...omeIn.ram

1935
"Music Goes Round and Round"
- Tommy Dorsey Orch

BIRTHDAYS

1905 Robert Peter "Pete" Beilmann, trombone
b. Lancaster, PA, USA.
3-1/2
yrs Bernie Cummins orch.; 7-1/2 yrs w/Ted Weems orch; settled in Los
Angeles, CA; working in Pit Bands, Shows w/John Scott Trotter orch.
Rec'd with Wingy Manone. W/Red Nichols in 1958


1913 "Gatemouth" Moore, vocals
b. Topeka, KS, USA.


1927 Patti Page, vocalist
b. Muskogg (nr. Tulsa), OK, USA.
née: Clara Ann Fowler.
One
of eight girls in a family of 11, Clara began her career singing
country songs on radio station KTUL in Tulsa, OK. During the weekends,
she sang with 'Art Klauser And His Oklahomans'. Clara next sang on the
Page Milk Company's 'Meet Patti Page Show' on radio KTUL. and took the
name with her when she left the show. During this time, Jack Rael,
baritone sax, and road manager for the Jimmy Joy band, heard her on the
radio and engaged her to sing with the band. He would become her
manager for over 40 years.
All through the 1950s, Patti had one
hit after another with "I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine", "All My
Love" (US number 1), "Tennessee Waltz"), "Would I Love You (Love You,
Love You)", "Mockin' Bird Hill", "Mister And Mississippi", "Detour"
(recorded for her first country music album), "I Went To Your Wedding",
"Once In A While", "You Belong To Me", "Why Don't You Believe Me",
"(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window", "Changing Partners", "Cross
Over The Bridge", "Steam Heat", "Let Me Go, Lover", "Go On With The
Wedding", "Allegheny Moon", "Old Cape Cod", "Mama From The Train" (sung
in a Pennsylvanian Dutch dialect), "Left Right Out Of Your Heart", and
many more.
In the 1970s, Page recorded mainly C&W tunes. In
the '80s, after many years with Mercury and Columbia Records, she
signed with the Nashville-based Plantation Records. In 1988, she played
the Ballroom in New York, her first appearance in that city for nearly
20 years. Some 10 or 11 years later, Page won a Grammy Award in the
'Traditional Pop Vocal Performance' category for her album "Live At
Carnegie Hall - The 50th Anniversary Concert". In 2003 -at age 76-
Patti recorded a children's album.

1909 Skyland "Scotty" Wiseman
singer-songwriter/guitar
b. Ingalls, NC, USA.
Member: "Lulu Belle & Scotty (Wiseman - her husband)".
Among
the tunes Wiseman composed are "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You"
(now a Country 'standard'), and "Remember Me" (Lulu was born Myrtle
Eleanor Cooper in Boone, NC, USA) In 1958, The couple left the
'National Barn Dance Show'. Scotty returned to college, got his
Master's degree, and in time became a teacher, a farmer, and a bank
director. Lulu Belle became active in community activities. She
eventually was elected to serve two terms in the North Carolina
legislature as the Democratic representative for three counties.

Notable Events
on this date include:

1939.
On this date, Frank Sinatra
had his last recording session
with the Harry James Band.
(recorded "Every Day of My Life" and "Ciribiribin".)

1967.
Keg Johnson, trombone
died in Chicago, IL, USA.
Age: 58.
Worked with Lucky Millinder Orch.

1967.
Gene Montgomery, tenor sax
died in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

1967.
Otto Gray, C&W bandleader/MC, died.
Age: 83 (b. March 2, 1884, Stillwater, OK, USA)

1969.
James "Kokomo" Arnold, guitar
died in Chicago, IL, USA.
Age: 68

1974.
R&B singer Ivory Joe Hunter
died in Memphis, TN, USA.
Age: 63.
In 1956, Hunter's
"Since I Met You Baby"
charted No.12 in the USA.
(Elvis Presley also 'covered' some of his songs)

1908
Thomas Hoyt "Slim" Bryant
C&W singer-songwriter
b. Atlanta, GA, USA.
BIO:
www.oldtimeherald.org/archive...ant.html

1913 "Blind" John Davis, piano
b. Hattiesburg, MI, USA
d. October 12, 1985, Chicago, IL, USA.
BIO:
www.cascadeblues.org/History...avis.htm


1909 Teddy Hill
Tenor Sax/Leader
b. Birmingham, AL, USA. d. 1978.
He is now best recalled as tbe operator of Harlem's (New York) Minton
Playhouse (The Home of 'Bop'). 1929-31 with Luis Russell band. In 1934,
his own band frequently played the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem (NY).
Personel included Dickie Wells, Bill Coleman, Roy Eldridge and Chu
Berry. Toured England and France in 1937.
Biography
Though he led a successful big band throughout the 1930s, Teddy Hill is
best-remembered for managing Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, a nightclub
where experimental jam sessions eventually led to the birth of the
lingua franca of jazz: bebop. Prior to that, his musical career began
after moving to New York in 1927, where he joined George Howe's band
(which become Luis Russell's within months), staying until 1931. He
started his own band in 1934, attracting such sidemen as Roy Eldridge,
Chu Berry, Dicky Wells, Bill Coleman, and Dizzy Gillespie (who recorded
his first solos while with Hill).

The band played at the Savoy Ballroom regularly and toured England and France in the summer of 1937, but by 1940, Hill had left the band business in order to manage
Minton's. There, such players as Gillespie, Berry, Charlie Christian,
Jimmy Blanton, Thelonious Monk, and Kenny Clarke jammed after their
regular gigs until past the wee hours, working out advanced harmonic
innovations. (Indeed, one of the jams recorded by fan Jerry Newman was
given the title "Up on Teddy's Hill.") Minton's importance waned after
World War II, though, and when it discontinued its music policy in
1969, Hill became manager of the Baron Lounge.
~ Richard S. Ginell

1902 Cecil Irwin
Tenor Sax/clarinet/arranger
b. Evanston, IL, USA, d. May 3, 1935
Biography
A
big band arranger and reed player who is mostly known for his
membership in several of the great Earl Hines bands of the '20s and
'30s, Cecil Irwin unfortunately got a spot in the section of the
musical graveyard devoted to those who perished on the road. A traffic
accident that occurred outside of Des Moines, IA, while he was on tour
claimed his life, cutting short a career that was loaded with promise.

Following
gigs with the bands of Carroll Dickerson, Erskine Tate, and Junie Cobb,
Irwin joined Hines in 1928 as a tenor saxophonist and arranger. He has
credits on more than a dozen different releases by the pianist and
bandleader in which his work in both capacities is on display. He also
did some freelancing out of the Hines band, showing up on sessions by
New Orleans clarinetist Johnny Dodds and trumpeters Jabbo Smith and
King Oliver. He can also be heard on a jazz violin anthology, featuring
Stephane Grappelli and Joe Venuti, on the EPM label.
~ Eugene Chadbourne

1906
George James
Tenor Sax
b. Beggs, OK, USA
d. Jan. 30, 1995
Age 88
Biography
Hailing
from what sounds like an Oklahoma town full of panhandlers, this artist
spent more than half a century on the jazz scene, playing on more than
60 records by the time he retired in the early '80s. George James was
just as likely to play under the orchestra on bass saxophone as he was
to soar out over the top on soprano saxophone, clarinet, or flute. He
also played all the reeds in between, seeming to be almost constantly
employed in a series of bands that began in the late '20s with Charlie
Creath's Number Two Band and Johnny Neal's Syncopaters and eventually
included collaborations with stars such as Louis Armstrong and Fats
Waller.

James really didn't stay that long out West,
attending high school in St. Louis and moving to Chicago in 1928. In
the Windy City he worked with a variety of bandleaders, such as Jimmie
Noone, Sammy Stewart, Ida Marples, and Bert Hall. He also began leading
his own group. In the early '30s he was closely associated with Noone
for several years until he began touring with Louis Armstrong near the
close of 1931. When one of the tours ended in New York, James stayed on
there and tried his luck in groups such as the Savoy Bearcats and
Charlie Turner's Arcadians. Fortune smiled on the latter musical
situation: Fats Waller took over, turned it into his own orchestra, and
kept James busy through 1937.

The reed maestro flew with the
Blackbirds Revue until the close of the '30s, then was associated with
such masters of syncopation as James P. Johnson, Benny Carter, Teddy
Wilson, and Lucky Millinder. James revived his own group in 1943,
grabbing the house band gig at a pair of popular nightclubs. He was
back with Johnson in 1944 but continued activities as a bandleader in
several different locales, including Pittsburgh and Detroit. By the
mid-'40s James had become a part of an orchestra led by the fine
pianist Claude Hopkins, followed by several years with a similar
ensemble helmed by Noble Sissle. For the last decades of his career,
James continued the combination of his own group and sideman
affiliations. In the '70s he undertook some of his most extensive
international touring as a member of Clyde Bernhardt's band.
~ Eugene Chadbourne


1911 Louis Prima
Leader/Trumpet/Vocal
b. New Orleans, LA, USA.
d. Aug., 24, 1978, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Died after being in Coma for several years.
Space Age Pop Bio:
www.spaceagepop.com/prima.htm
WIKI BIO:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Prima
MORE:
www.geocities.com/NapaValle...mlouie.htm
MORE:
www.geocities.com/NapaValle...mlouie.htm

1910 Edmundo Ros, Leader
b. Caracas, Venezuela
Web-Site:
www.edmundoros.com/
Space Age Pop Bio:
www.spaceagepop.com/ros.htm
MORE:
www.louisprima.com/

1901 Irene Scruggs
vocals, b. MS, USA
**(SOME SOURCES GIVE BIRTH DATE AS DECEMBER 31ST)
Biography
Blues singer Irene Scruggs was born somewhere in rural Mississippi, but blues
anthropologists believe that she came up the river early on her life
and was reportedly raised in St. Louis. That bustling town claims her
as one of her own, and her career was certainly marked by the type of
versatility and generous creativity that St. Louis is known for. Like
Chuck Berry would decades later, Scruggs was part of a process wherein
traditional rural musical roots blended into newly evolving urban
styles. Like two cooks working out of the same spice cabinet, both
artists wind up stirring country blues and swing jazz together.

Scruggs' earliest recordings were with pianist and bandleader Clarence Williams for Okeh in 1924. She began working with Oliver two years later, and cut a series of sides with the fine bluesman Lonnie Johnson in 1927, again for Okeh. She continued using
St. Louis as her base when she formed her own band in the late '20s, gigging regularly at blues and jazz clubs. She recorded with Blake under the name of Chocolate Brown, and also used the alternative blues name of Dixie Nolan for several contract-breaking ventures.

In the early '30s, she toured and recorded with Little Brother Montgomery,
often stealing the shows with her guest spots. Raunchy, sexy blues
became one of her specialties, and this was not a subject she needed
time getting used to, since it was one of the major concerns of every
female blues recording artist from the pre-war era. "Good Grindin'" and
"Must Get Mine in Front" were just two example of the explicit sexual
enthusiasm contained in her recordings, and it was no surprise that her
material was included in The Nasty Blues, a collection of bawdy blues
material and biographies published by Hal Leonard. By the '40s, Scruggs
had joined the population of expatriate black performers living abroad,
residing first in Paris with her daughter, the dancer Baby Leazar
Scruggs. Later she moved to Germany, where she is thought to have died.
In the '50s, she did several radio broadcasts for the British BBC.
~ Eugene Chadbourne

1903
Roosevelt Thomas Williams
(barrelhouse) pianist
b. Bastrop, TX, USA.
(aka: "Grey Ghost")
BIO:
www.austinchronicle.com/issues...st.html
MORE:
www.digitaljournalist.org/issue...0.html

Notable Events
on this date include:


1972.
W.C. Handy Jr.
died in New York City.
Age 68.

1977.
Peter Goldmark, Electronic Enginner and father of the LP record, died in New York, NY, USA. Age: 71

1981.
"Little" Willie Brown, harmonica
died in East St. Louis, IL, USA.
Age: 59.
Worked with Charley Patton; Son House, and others.

1982.
"Lovin'" Sam Theard, singer-songwriter
died in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Age: 78

Songs Recorded/Released
on this date include:

1920 “Rose”
(Arthur Sizemore / Frank Magine / Paul Biese)
- Paul Biese Trio
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/biese/rose.ram

1920 “Timbuctoo”
(Kalmar / Ruby)
- Paul Biese Trio
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/bi...uctoo.ram

1922 “St. Louis Blues”
(W.C. Handy)
- Ted Lewis and his Band
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/le...blues.ram

1923 “A Smile Will Go A Long Long Way”
(Silver / Woods)
- Bailey's Lucky Seven
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/lu...ngway.ram

1923 “You'r In Kentucky(Sure As Your' Born)”,
(Little / Shay / Gillespie) - Bailey's Lucky Seven
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/lu...ourin.ram

1925 “Whose Who Are You?”
- Nick Lucas
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/lu...reYou.ram

1927 “Memphis Blues”
(W.C. Handy)
- Ben Pollack and his Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/po...Blues.ram

1927 “Waitin' For Katie”
(Kahn / Shapiro)
- Ben Pollack and his Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/po...Katie.ram

1928 “I Can't Make Her Happy”
Vocal refrain by Clare Hanlon
(Pollack / Clare)
- Waring's Pennsylvanians
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/wa...happy.ram

1928 “Lets Do It (Lets Fall In Love)”
(from "Paris")
(Cole Porter)
- Lee Morse and her Bluegrass Boys
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/mo...sdoit.ram

1928 “Susianna”
(Spencer Williams)
- Lee Morse and her Bluegrass Boys
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/mo...ianna.ram

1928 “Me And The Man In The Moon”
Vocal refrain by Arthur Jarrett
(James Monaco / Edgar Leslie)
- Ted Weems and his Orchestra
LISTEN:www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/we...heman.ram

1928 “My Troubles Are Over”
Vocal refrain by Parker Gibbs
(James Monaco / Edgar Leslie)
- Ted Weems and his Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/we...eover.ram

1929 “Talk Of The Town
(Cohn / Kahn)
- Ted Weems and his Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/we...etown.ram

1938 “I'll Dance At Your Wedding”
(Joe Davis)
- Fats Waller and his Rhythm
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/wa...g1938.ram

LYRICS:


St. Louis Blues
~by W.C. Handy

I hate to see the ev'nin' sun go down
Hate to see the ev'nin' sun go down,
'cause my baby, he done left this town

Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
Feel tomorrow like I feel today,
I'll pack my trunk, make my getaway

St. Louis woman with her diamond rings
Pulls that man 'round by her apron strings,
't'want for powder and for store-bought hair

The man I love, would not gone nowhere,
got the St. Louis blues just as blue as I can be
That man got a heart like a rock cast in the sea,
or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me

Been to the gypsy to get my fortune told
To the gypsy, to get my fortune told,
'cause I'm most wild about my jelly roll

Gypsy done told me, "Don't you wear no black"
Yes, she done told me, "Don't you wear no black,
go to St. Louis, you can win him back"

Help me to Cairo, make St. Louis by myself
Gone to Cairo, find my old friend Jeff
Goin' to pin myself close to his side,
if I flag his train , I sure can ride

I love that man like a schoolboy loves his pie
Like a Kentucky Colonel loves his mint and rye 1
I'll love my baby till the day I die

You ought to see that stovepipe brown of mine,
like he owns the diamond Joseph line
He'd make across-eyed old man go stone blind

Blacker than midnight, teeth like flags of truce
Blackest man in the whole St. Louis
Blacker the berry, sweeter is the juice

About a crap game, he knows a powerful lot,
but when work time comes, he's on the dot
Goin' to ask him for a cold ten spot,
what it takes to get it, he's certainly got

A black-headed gal make a freight train jump the track
Said a black-headed gal make a freight train jump the track
But a redheaded woman makes a preacher ball the jack

BIRTHDAYS...


1903 Hugh Farr, Guitar
b. Llano, TX, USA, d. March 17, 1980.
nee: Thomas Hugh Farr, one of 'The Farr Brothers' and Member 'The Sons of The Pioneers' Western Music bands.
WIKI BIO:
www.mp3.com/steve-alaimo...iography.html

1924 Susanna Foster
actor/vocalist, Chicago, IL, USA.
nee: Susanna DeLee Flanders Larson.
When
she was 12, MGM brought Susanna to Hollywood where she attended school
with such other juvenile stars as Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. In
one of those Hollywood curiosities, MGM never utilized her talents, and
in 1939, Paramount signed her to a contract for their 'The Great Victor
Herbert'.
Millionaire Newspaper and Magazine publisher William
Randolph Hearst, so impressed by her performance, had her sing for him
and his (actress) wife Marion Davies.

In 1941, she signed with
Universal Pictures Corp., as their answer to Deanna Durbin. Many
critics felt that her career went downward after her best role in the
film "Phantom of the Opera" (a role that Durbin had reportedly
rejected.) Her last film for Universal was in 1945, after which they
sent her overseas for further voice training. But, they never again
utilized her talents, and she quit them in 1948. She sold some of her
jewelry and furs and used the money to move to the east coast,
eventually marrying Wilbur Evans, -- 20 years her senior.

The
Evans' found a good career on the Broadway stage, touring extensively,
doing operettas and musicals. Her first child was a miscarriage, but
subsequently the couple had two sons; Phillip and Michael. In 1965,
divorce ended their marriage. She quit performing and got other jobs to
support her children. (Phillip died at an early age.) With Michael
grown, Susanna traveled back to Hollywood, living in her car while
trying for a film comeback that never materialized - mainly due to
health problems.


1896 Ira Gershwin, Lyricist
b. New York, NY, USA.
d. Aug., 17, 1983, Beverly Hills, CA, USA.
nee: Israel Gershovitz.
Lorenz
Hart in a 1925 letter to Ira wrote ""Such delicacies as your jingles
prove that songs can be both popular and intelligent." Among other
things, Ira is also recalled as singer Micheal Fienstein's mentor. One
of the World's truly wonderful lyricists. Sometimes used pen name of
Arthur Francis. Among his lyrics are: "They Can't Take That Away From
Me," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "Nice Work if You Can Get It",
and "Love Walked In." In 1937, George Gershwin died (from an inoperable
Brain Tumor). Ira never got over his brother's demise. He couldn't
believe that his younger brother had died first. After that, he never
again believed in God, and would often dream of his brother. He had a
guilt complex because he out-lived his younger brother.
PBS BIO:
www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/s...gershwin.html
Ira gershwin Information
www.tunu.com/
Ira Gershwin
www.questia.com/
The Official Website of George & Ira Gershwin
www.gershwin.com/
WIKI Bio:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Gershwin
The George and Ira Gershwin Educational Fanpage
www.ge/


Billy Hall with wife Frances
and son Manning, London, 1926

1894 Billy Hall, trombone
b. London, England, UK
d. October 5, 1930, Hamburg, Germany.
Billy played with New Princes' Toronto Band , and others.

1910 Armand Hug, Piano
b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d. 1977
Biography
A
superior New Orleans-style pianist, Armand Hug tended to be underrated
throughout his life, but his many recordings are still quite enjoyable.
Hug spent much of his life in his native New Orleans, where he began
playing in public in 1923. He joined Harry Shields' band in 1926,
worked a bit with the New Orleans Owls in 1928, and made his recording
debut with Sharkey Bonano in 1936. Hug primarily performed as a solo
pianist, having long residencies at various clubs and also hosting his
own series on local television. Armand Hug recorded as a leader for New
Orleans Bandwagon, Capitol, Good Time Jazz, Circle, Paramount,
Southland, and Golden Crest, along with three fine albums in the 1970s
for Swaggie.
~ Scott Yanow

1876 Manuel Klein
Composer/arranger
b. London, England
d. June, 1, 1919, London, England

1877 Joseph Lamb, Piano
b. Montclair, NJ, d. 1960

1906 "Slats" Long, Clarinet
b. Wichita, KS, d.1964

1907 Fulton McGrath, Piano
b. Superior, WI, d. 1958

1921 Piero Piccioni, composer
b. Turin, Piedmont, Italy
d. July 23, 2004, Rome, Italy.
Biography
There
are few Italian film composers who can boast the prolificacy of Peiro
Piccioni. Since the early '50s Piccioni has been a truly innovative
composer of music for film and has been justly compared to the likes of
Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicola. In the 1950s he composed under the
Americanized last name of Piero Morgan, and with his dramatic score to
La Tempesta in 1958, he started to work regularly in Hollywood. With
great versatility, Piccioni incorporates jazz, lounge, easy listening,
and post-romantic period orchestral elements into his wide variety of
work which has been the sonic backdrop for everything from B horror
films to lush, romantic epics.
~ Nate Cavalieri

Songs Recorded/Released
on this date include:

1922 Don't Mess With Me
(Sam Gold)
- Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/ma...ithme.ram

1922 “I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None O' This Jelly Roll”
(Spencer Williams / Clarence Williams )
- Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/ma...agive.ram

1923 “Arcady”, (Jolson)
- Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/wh...rcady.ram

1923 “I'm Sitting Pretty in a Pretty Little City”
(Davis / Baer / Santly)
- Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/wh...nprty.ram

1924 “Sing Sing Prison Blues”
(Porter Grainger / Freddie Johnson)
- Bessie Smith
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/be...gsing.ram

1924 “Jimtown Blues”
(Charles Davis)
- The Cotton Pickers
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/co...blues.ram

1927 “Make My Cot Where The Cot-Cot-Cotton Grows”
(matrix 18033 - The California Ramblers

1927 “The St. Louis Train Kept Passing By”
- Lonnie Johnson
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/lj...train.ram

1927 “When A Man Is Treated Like A Dog”
- Lonnie Johnson
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/lj...manis.ram

1928 “Allah's Holiday”
(Rudolf Friml)
- Ted Lewis and his Band
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/le...liday.ram

1928 “Some Rainy Day”
(Benjamin Spikes)
- Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/no...nyday.ram

1929 “What If I Do ?”
(Clarence Williams / Johnson)
- The Seven Gallon Jug Band
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/wi...ifido.ram

1929 “Wipe 'Em Off”
(Clarence Williams / Johnson)
- The Seven Gallon Jug Band
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/wi...emoff.ram

1929 “Down Home In Kentucky”
- Frankie "Half Pint" Jaxon accompanied by Punches Delegates Of Pleasure
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/ja...nhome.ram

1929 “You Got To Wet It”
- Frankie "Half Pint" Jaxon accompanied by Punches Delegates Of Pleasure
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/jaxon/wetit.ram

1929 “Goin' To Getcha”, (Fess Williams)
- Fess Williams and his Royal Flush Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/ro...etcha.ram

1929 “Her Smiling Face”
- Fess Williams and his Royal Flush Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/ro...gface.ram

1929 “Slide, Mr. Jelly Slide”, (Fess Williams)”
- Fess Williams and his Royal Flush Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/ro...jelly.ram

1929 “Deep Creek”, (Jelly Roll Morton )
- Jelly Roll Morton's and his Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/mo...creek.ram

1929 “After You've Gone”
(Henry Creamer / J. Turner Layton)
- Coon Sanders Nighthawks Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/co...egone.ram

1929 “Alone In The Rain
(From Pathe picture "The Grand Parade")
Vocal refrain J.L. Sanders
(Edmund Goulding / Dan Dougherty)
- Coon Sanders Nighthawks Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/co...eRain.ram

1929 “Sweepin' The Clouds Away”
(From the Paramount picture, "Paramount on Parade")
Vocal refrain by C.A. Coon and J.L. Sanders
(Sam Coslow) - Coon Sanders Nighthawks Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/co...louds.ram

1937 Little White Lies (a Walter Donaldson tune)
1940 Down Argentine Way , - Bob Crosby
1945 White Christmas , - Bing Crosby
1945 Symphony , - Benny Goodman Orch
1945 Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief , - Betty Hutton
1945 Symphony , - Freddy Martin Orch.
1946 Old Lamplighter, The , - Hal Derwin
1946 Christmas Song, The, - Nat "King" Cole Voc.