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Todays Date

Todays Date
10-20-2025

Birthday Wishes

Year	birthday
1874	Charles Ives, American composer of orchestral, chamber, and solo vocal and piano music. A unique quality of his music is the combination of well-known hymns and popular tunes. He died in 1954. (151)
1888	Paul Beaulieu, Traditional jazz pianist and clarinetist from New Orleans, Louisiana. He performed in the 'Melrose Brass Band' with King Oliver and later joined John Robichaux. He also performed concert music during his career. Paul died in New Orleans in 1967. (137)
1890	Jelly Roll Morton, (Ferdinand Joseph le Menthe) The self proclaimed 'Originator of Jazz' was born in New Orleans of Black Creole descent (This is his baptismal certificate birth date, but has been disputed by his draft card and death certificate). He began his career as a 'Piano Professor' in the brothels of Storyville, where he gained a reputation as a hustler, who liked fancy clothes and fast women. He left New Orleans and began an astounding recording career, which included such famous compositions as 'Jelly Roll Blues', King Porter Stomp', 'The Pearls' and 'Mint Julep'. In the late 1920's he recorded with his legendary band 'The Red Hot Peppers'. In the period around 1939, the New Orleans sound was becoming popular again and Morton began recording and writing with Sidney Bechet, Red Allen and Zutty Singleton amongst others. These efforts produced such legendary hits as 'I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say' and 'Mamies Blues'. Morton died on July 10, 1941 in Los Angeles. In testiment to his place in jazz history, his pall bearers were Kid Ory, Papa Mutt Carey and Fred Washington. (135)
1907	Charles Dupont, Traditional jazz trumpeter and string bassist from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is said to have been an active dixielander and was the business agent for the musicians union in the 1950's. He also played Fairhope, Alabama with Von Gammon in the 1960's. (118)
1913	Grandpa (Louis Marshall) Jones, Singer and Country music Hall of Famer - "The All-American Boy". He died on February 19, 1998 from complications due to a stroke. (112)
1934	Eddie Harris, He a vocalist, pianist and saxophonist who is recognized as one of the greats of jazz. His list of credits is long, and includes the first gold record by a jazz performer (that will have been Exodus in 1960) as well as numerous compositions such as Listen Here and Freedom Jazz Dance, which are now considered part of the standard jazz repertoire. He died in 1996. (91)
1937	Wanda Jackson, Singer - "Right or Wrong", "Let's have a Party. She did in 1956, and in fact, became America's First Female Rock and Roll Singer. However, over the years Wanda has always remained true to her roots which has earned her another title of distinction . . . A Grand Lady of Country Music. (88)
1951	Al Greenwood, Musician and keyboardist for the rock group, Foreigner. (74)
1953	Tom Petty, Singer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and The Traveling Wilburys. (72)

Todays_Events

Year	Musical_Fact
1939	With Jack Leonard as the feature vocalist, Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra recorded "All the Things You Are" for Victor Records.
1949	(Crying) Sam Collins, an early blues singer and guitarist, born in Louisiana and raised in McComb, MS passed away on this day at the age of 62. At different times he was also known as Jim Foster, Jelly Roll Hunter, Big Boy Woods, Bunny Carter, and Salty Dog Sam. His best known recording was "The Jail House Blues". He died in Chicago.
1955	One of the most popular of the Harry Belafonte hits, "Day-O" was recorded for RCA Victor on this day.
1958	Marksville, Louisiana native and blues singer, 'Little' Walter (Marion Walter Jacobs) hit the Billboard R&B charts on this day with his hit 'Key To The Highway'.
1960	Charles Mingus and Eric Dolphy record an Avant Garde version of Mingus' "What Love".
1962	Arthur Derbigny, traditional jazz trumpeter and saxophonist from New Orleans, Louisiana died on this day. He was born in 1906 and played with the 'Young Superior Band' in the 1920's. He then switched to saxophone and played with Bebe Ridgley's 'Original Tuxedo Orchestra'. Arthur died in his hometown of New Orleans.
1962	"The Monster Mash" hit the top of the charts. The original recording was made by Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt Kickers.
1965	The Beatles received a gold record for their single "Yesterday".
1973	"Angie" by 'The Rolling Stones' hit #1 on the Billboard charts on this day.
1979	Herb Alpert found himself at #1 on the pop charts with his hit "Rise" on this day.
1980	Albert Waters, traditional jazz trumpeter from New Orleans, Louisiana passed away on this day. He was born in 1905, and began his musical career in 1929. During his career, he played with Albert Jiles, 'The Crescent City Serenaders' and the George Williams Brass Band. Albert died in New Orleans.
1980	Byers 'Buzzy' Williams, traditional jazz pianist from Birmingham, Alabama passed away on this day. He was born in 1892, and was popular in dance bands. He played with 'Stalebread' Lacoume in Charlie Fishbein's Orchestra. He also worked with New Orleans legends, Johnny Wiggs and Emmitt Hardy in his later years. 'Buzzy' died in Mobile, Alabama.
1989	Alice L. Walton Byrd, the widow of one of the best known if not the best known of all New Orleans pianists, Professor Longhair, Henry Roeland Byrd passed away on this day at the age of 68. she was instrumental in helping create Piano Night during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival as a remembrance of her husband.
1990	James Ingram reached #1 on the Billboard pop charts on this day with his hit "I Don't Have A Heart".
1992	Werner Torkanowsky, a Berlin, Germany native passed away on this day at the age of 66. He was a successful conductor in concert hall and opera house. From 1963 to 1977, he was Music Director and Chief Conductor of the New Orleans Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, with whom he made an album for Orion in December 1971. This was not his first and was not his last conducting and director's position. Werner is the father of David Torkanowsky, a well-known New Orleans jazz musician.
2011	Billy Diamond, a bassist and a native of New Orleans, Louisiana passed away on this day at 95. He was given a trumpet by Louis Armstrong as a teenager that he never learned to play. Instead he opted to come under the mentorship of Oscar "Papa" Celestin he became a Dixieland bass player. In the summer of 1947, the pianist, Antoine Domino, impressed him enough that he asked Domino to play in his combo, the Solid Senders. He nicknamed the kid "Fats" because Domino reminded him of renowned pianists Fats Waller and Fats Pichon. He became Domino's road manager in the early 1950s. In the 1950s and 60s, Diamond promoted other artists, including Shirley and Lee, Huey "Piano" Smith, James Booker and Solomon Burke.
2013	Southern Louisiana rockers Potliquor were inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame on this day.