| 1879 | John 'Bud' Loyacano, Traditional jazz bassist from New Orleans, Louisiana. 'Bud' was the member of one of New Orleans musical families that included his brothers 'Hook' and 'Deacon' Loyacano. He was a prominent dixieland rhythm player for Dan Hughes, Reliance Brass Band and Dance Orchestra and Sal Magiotta. He played left-handed bass. Bud died in New Orleans on February 25, 1960.
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| 1904 | Art Hodes, A traditional jazz pianist who was also a writer (which included many articles and liner notes) and worked on radio and educational television. He died in 1999.
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| 1915 | Billy Bauer, Guitarist who was a force behind jazz's evolution from swing to bebop. He was pogressive in hos playing preceding the emergence of cool jazz and even the avant-garde. He passed away in June 2005 at the age of 89.
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| 1915 | Martha Tilton, Singer who performed with Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Jimmy Dorsey - "And The Angels Sing". She passed away in 2006 at the age of 91
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| 1920 | Johnny Desmond, Singer who's ultra-smooth vocals earned him the nickname of "The Creamer." - "The Yellow Rose of Texas". He died in 1985.
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| 1924 | Arthur (Guitar) Kelly, He was a Louisiana swamp blues guitarist and a native of Clinton, Louisiana. The year of his birth has been disputed, but the date does not seem to be. He performed with Lightnin' Slim through the 1950's and 1960's, then with Silas Hogan in the Baton, Rouge area from through the 1970's. He passed away on September 17, 2001.
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| 1934 | Ellis Marsalis, Pianist and composer from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the famous father of Wynton, Branford, Delfayo and Jason Marsalis, all jazz players. He made his name as a jazz educator, serving for years as Dean of music at the University of New Orleans.
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| 1936 | Joseph (Smokey) Johnson, He was a legendary drummer and native of New Orleans, Louisiana. He was a member of Fats Domino's band for 23 years, and did session work included backing up Professor Longhair's "Big Chief" and Earl King's "Trick Bag"; He had a regional hit in 1964 with his N.O. classic, "It ain't my fault".
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| 1940 | Freddie Garrity, Singer for the popular group "Freddie and the Dreamers".
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| 1942 | Rockie Charles (Alfred Charles Merrick), He was a guitarist and singer and a native of Bootheville, Louisiana. He was known as New Orleans’ “President of Soul,” and cut a handful of singles in the 1960s and 1970s. it wasn't until 1997, that he recorded his first CD, the acclaimed Born for You. In 2009, he recorded an album in Denmark, I Want First Class. He died in 2010 at the age of 67. (84) |
| 1944 | George Cables, He helped to define modern mainstream jazz piano of the 1980s and '90s. He is equally skilled as a leader or as a sideman.
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| 1947 | Buckwheat Zydeco (Stanley Dural Jr.), He's an accordionist and zydeco musician, and a native of Lafayette, Louisiana. By the late 1950s he was backing Joe Tex, Clarence Gatemouth Brown and many others. He is one of the few zydeco artists to achieve mainstream success. His music group is formally billed as Buckwheat Zydeco and Ils Son Partis Band, but often they perform as merely Buckwheat Zydeco. The band has appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman, CNN, The Today Show, MTV, NBC News, CBS Morning News, National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition.
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| 1949 | Humphrey Stewart Davis Jr., He was a jazz musician and saxophonist and a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. He performed with Dr. John, Fats Domino, Aaron and Cyril Neville, Irma Thomas, B. B. King, David Ruffin, Charmaine Neville, and Thomas Jefferson. In addition, he was bandleader and musical director for King Floyd, Irma Thomas, Johnny Adams, and Jean Knight and co-starred with James Brown, Jerry Butler, Clarence Carter, and Ronnie Dyson. He passed away on May 12 2007 at the age of 57.
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| 1951 | Stephen Bishop, Singer and guitarist who had a small amount of success in the 70's - "It Might Be You".
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| 1965 | Jeanette Jurado, Singer for the popular group "Expose".
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| 1982 | Lil Boosie (Torrence Hatch), He's a rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He worked with rapper C-Loc and his group Concentration Camp and made his debut on C-Loc's fifth album. In 2006 Boosie's major label debut album Bad Azz, was released. In 2009 Lil Boosie released his second major album Superbad: The Return of Boosie Bad Azz. He is currently serving a four-year prison sentence in Louisiana State Penitentiary for drug and gun possession.
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