| 1895 | Oscar Hammerstein, Lyricist and songwriter with Richard Rodgers - "Oklahoma!". He died in 1960. (130) |
| 1895 | Alfred 'Baby' Laine, Traditional jazz cornetist and drummer from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the son of the first dixieland leader, 'Papa' Laine. He began playing in his father's 'Reliance Brass Band' in 1908. His musical career lasted into the thirties, and he was mainly a member of the Reliance groups or led his own band during that time. Alfred died in New Orleans on March 1, 1957.
(130) |
| 1905 | William A. 'Von' Gammon, Jazz drummer and vibraphonist from New Orleans, Louisiana. He performed in bands led by Johnny Wiggs, Sharkey Bonano, Santo Pecora and Hal Jordy. Later performed with a combo at the Grand Hotel in Fairhope, Alabama, where he died in March, 1974.
(120) |
| 1912 | Will Bradley, He was a reluctant celebrity. His name became closely associated with boogie-woogie due to the commercial success of "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar," but he much preferred to play ballads. He died in 1989.
(113) |
| 1920 | Paul Gonsalves, Saxophonist who's best known for his performance at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival when, to bridge the gap between "Diminuendo in Blue" and "Crescendo in Blue," Duke Ellington urged him to take a long solo, egging him on through 27 exciting choruses that almost caused a riot. He died in 1974.
(105) |
| 1920 | Paul Foster, A gosepl vocalist and a native of Grand Cane, Louisiana. He sang in the legandary gospel group the Soul Stirrers from 1950 to 1963 with Rebert Harris and Sam Cooke. He also sang for other groups such as the Rising Stars and the Golden Echoes. In 1965 he would become Reverend Foster, where he became the pastor of the Union Baptist Church in Vallejo where he stayed until he retired in the early 1980's. He passed away in 1995 at the age of 75. (105) |
| 1926 | Bris Jones, Traditional jazz clarinetist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Most notable as a regular performer with the 'Last Straws', a New Orleans Dixieland band.
(99) |
| 1927 | Conte Candoli, Trumpeter and bandleader - toured with Stan Kenton. He was a fine all-around jazz stylist most at home in the worlds of bop and West Coast cool jazz. He died in 2001.
(98) |
| 1934 | Van Cliburn, Piano virtuoso and a native of Shreveport, LA. He came to prominence and worldwide recognition in 1958 at the age of twenty-three, when he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War. He was arguably the most celebrated classical performer of the modern era, renowned for his flawless technical prowess and unparalleled romantic sensibility. He passed away at the age of 78 in February 2013. (91) |
| 1939 | Chris Clifton, Traditional jazz trumpeter from Detroit, Michigan. Clifton was the pupil of both Louis and Lil' Armstong before settling in New Orleans in 1966. He is known for playing and singing in the Armstrong style. He was a plumber by trade, but played regularly.
(86) |
| 1943 | Christine McVie, Keyboardist and singer with 'Fleetwood Mac' - Got A Hold On Me". She was once married to the founder of the group John McVie.
(82) |
| 1949 | John Wetton, Bassist and singer with the prog rock super groups 'UK' and 'Asia' - "Heat Of The Moment".
(76) |
