| 1903 | Joe Capraro, Traditional jazz guitarist and bandleader from New Orleans, Louisiana. Joe worked under Sharkey Bonano and the New Orleans Rhythm Masters that included greats Sidney Arodin, Chink Martin and Leo Adde. He led the WSMB house band in the 1920's and led the house band at the New Orleans Cotton Club in the 1930's.
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| 1905 | Teddy Grace, Female jazz singer and native of Arcadia, Louisiana. From 1937 to 1940 she recorded for Decca Records, and her sidemen on these recordings included Bobby Hackett, Jack Teagarden, Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Pee Wee Russell, and Bud Freeman. She lost her voice as a result of war bond rallies. She was unable to speak for years and was never again able to sing. Twenty two of the thirty sides she recorded for Decca were reissued on CD by Timeless Records in 1996. She passed away in La Mirada, California in 1992 at the age of 86.
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| 1914 | Richard Maltby, Bandleader who began recording for subsidiary labels of RCA Victor, he scored a Top 40 hit on RCA's X Records with "St. Louis Blues Mambo" in the fall of 1954. He began leading his own dance band in May 1955 and had a Top 20 hit, "(Themes From) The Man With the Golden Arm," on RCA's Vik imprint in the spring of 1956.
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| 1934 | Dave Grusin, He has been a highly successful performer, producer, composer, record label executive, arranger, and bandleader. He's primarily an accomplished film and television soundtrack composer - "On Golden Pond".
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| 1937 | Reggie Workman, He has long been one of the most technically gifted of all bassists, a brilliant player who's played both hard bop and avant-garde. He played piano, tuba, and euphonium early on but settled on bass in the mid-'50s.
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| 1940 | Billy Davis, Singer with the popular group of the 1970's called 'The 5th Dimension' - "Aquarius".
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| 1941 | Brenton Wood (Alfred Jesse Smith), A singer and songwriter and a native of Shreveport, Louisiana. He is best known for his two 1967 hit singles: "The Oogum Boogum Song" and "Gimme Little Sign". He was inspired by Jesse Belvin and Sam Cooke, and he began cultivating his songwriting skills, also becoming a competent pianist. In late 1967, Brenton charted a third single, "Baby You Got It", reaching #34 on the Hot 100. Wood continued to perform, even recording a duet with Shirley Goodman. He reached the charts again in 1977, with "Come Softly to Me". (85) |
| 1941 | Eldridge Holmes, A soul and funk singer and a native of Violet, Louisiana. He was first recorded by Allen Toussaint in a traditional New Orleans R&B style. He progressed to soul and funk, occasionally achieving release on national labels, but never cracking the R&B charts. He did record 20 singles including "Pop Popcorn Pop" and "Pop Popcorn Children". He was 56 when he passed away in 1998. (85) |
| 1943 | Georgie Fame, Singer of a blend of jazz and American R&B that earned him a substantial following in his native U.K., where he scored three number one singles during the '60s - "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde".
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| 1961 | Terri Nunn, Singer with the popular group called 'Berlin' - "Take My Breath Away".
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