1907 | Stanley Surgi, Traditional jazz drummer from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was an active musician from the 1930's through the 1950's, and was an active member of the New Orleans Jazz Club. He performed frequently with Tony Fougerat's band.
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1925 | William (Bill) Boskent, A native of Belle Chase, Louisiana. He was most well known for his affiliation with Lloyd Price and their production of Blues and R&B artists in Washington DC. Bill was a producer and composer and most known for his song "Georgianna". Bill died in August 2003, at the age of 77.
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1929 | Teddi King, Singer known for his only hit "Mr. Wonderful". He died in 1977.
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1933 | Jimmie Rodgers, Sometimes classified as a rock and roll singer, but his style was more typical of traditional pop music. In the summer of 1957, he recorded a song called "Honeycomb". It was his first big hit, reaching the top of the charts for four weeks. The following year, he had a number of other hits that reached the top ten on the charts: "Kisses Sweeter than Wine", "Oh-Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again", "Secretly", and "Are You Really Mine". Other hits include "Bimbombey", "Ring-a-ling-a-lario", "Tucumcari," and "Tender Love and Care (T.L.C)". In 1959 he had a televised variety show on the NBC network.
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1938 | Walter (Popee) Lastie, Native of New Orleans and jazz drummer, who once played for Fats Dominoe. He came from a musical family that included Melvin Lastie, David Lastie, and master drummer Herlin Riley. Popee died while playing "When The Saints Go Marching In", in 1980 at the age of 42.
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1939 | Steve Marcus, Tenor saxophonist who studied at the Berklee College Of Music in Boston (1959-61) before joining Stan Kenton's Orchestra in 1963. From 1967-70, he played with the Herbie Mann Group as well as for diverse bands including those of Woody Herman and the Jazz Composers Orchestra. In the early 70s, he played with Larry Coryell (1971-73) before forming his own Count's Rock Band (1973-75). He joined Buddy Rich in 1975, and played with him regularly over the next 10 years. His tenor playing blends R&B stylings with the influence of John Coltrane in much the way Sal Nistico, another Rich tenor, does: it is a style that can punch its way through the ebullient backings of the big band in full swing.
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1939 | Frankie Avalon (Francis Thomas Avallone ), Actor and teen idol in the 1950s and early 1960s. During the 1960s, he became known for his roles in the beach film genre. In 1959, his songs "Venus" and "Why?" both went to number one on Billboard magazine's Hot 100. Later, he became the U.S. national television spokesperson for Sonic Drive-In.
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1940 | Earl Solomon Burroughs (Jack Hammer), Songwriter, singer and dancer from New Orleans, Louisiana. He's probably most well-known as the co-writer of "Great Balls Of Fire". One of his earliest compositions, credited to Earl Burrows, was the spectacular "Fujiyama Mama", written at the age of only fourteen. He's been credited with 144 songs registered with BMI.
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1949 | Kerry Livgren, Guitarist and keyboardist most well known for his contributions to the progressive rock group, 'Kansas' - "Dust In The Wind".
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1952 | Dee Dee Ramone, Bassist for the punk rock group, 'The Ramones' - "Howling At The Moon". Died at the age of 49 of a suspected drug overdose on June 5, 2002
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1957 | Emily Remler, Remler began playing guitar when she was ten, attended Berklee (1976-1979), and recorded as a leader for the first time in 1980. She played with the L.A. version of the show Sophisticated Ladies (1981-1982) and in 1985 had a duo with Larry Coryell, but otherwise mostly worked as a leader with her own small groups. After recording bop-oriented dates for Concord, she had a contemporary set for Justice, and toured with David Benoit before her sudden death.
She passed away on tour in Sydney, Australia on May 4, 1990 at 32 years of age.
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1962 | Joanne Catherall, Singer in in the popular group known as 'Human League'.
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1967 | Ricky Bell, Singer in in the R&B and popular groups 'Bell Biv DeVoe' and 'New Edition'.
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