| 1894 | Arthur Fiedler, Conductor of the Boston Pops.
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| 1903 | Ray Noble, He was an important bandleader in the 1930s. He was most notable as the composer of "The Very Thought of You," "I Hadn't Anyone Till You," "The Touch of Your Lips," "Goodnight Sweetheart" and "Cherokee" (as well as leader of the orchestra which backed the popular radio show of Edgar Bergen). He died on April 2, 1978.
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| 1910 | Sy Oliver, (Melvin James Oliver) was a jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who was one of the leading music arrangers of the 1930s and '40s - "Easy Does It". He died May 28, 1988, New York, N.Y.
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| 1932 | Sonny Red, Sonny Red was a good altoist who was somewhat lost in the shuffle in the 1960s and '70s. He worked in Detroit with Barry Harris (1949-1952), in 1954 temporarily switched to tenor while with Frank Rosolino, and later that year joined Art Blakey briefly. He died in 1981.
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| 1936 | Tommy Steele, He was a singer and his debut single, "Rock With The Caveman", was an immediate Top 20 hit and although the follow-up, "Doomsday Rock"/"Elevator Rock", failed to chart, the management was unfazed. Their confidence was rewarded when Steele hit number 1 in the UK charts with a cover version of Guy Mitchell's "Singing The Blues" in January 1957.
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| 1937 | Art (Poppa Funk) Neville, A singer and keyboardist and native of New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a part of one of the most famous musical families of New Orleans, the Neville Brothers, which includes his brothers aaron, Cyril and Charles. He was also a founding member of the famous New Orleans funk group The Meters, and also continues to play with the spinoff group the Funky Meters. As a session musician, he has played with Labelle (on "Lady Marmalade"), Paul McCartney, Lee Dorsey, Dr. John and Professor Longhair.
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| 1938 | Nat Stuckey, Nat Stuckey was an announcer on the Louisiana Hayride when he recorded “Sweet Thang” on Paula and saw it become a Top Five Country hit. Not long after “Sweet Thang,” Nat Stuckey signed with RCA and had several hits including “Plastic Saddle,” a Top Ten hit in 1968, and “Sweet Thank And Cisco,” a Top Ten a year later. Nat Stuckey was a successful songwriter, known best for the Buck Owens hit “Waitin’ In Your Welfare Line,” and the classic “Pop-a-Top,” a hit for Jim Ed Brown in the 60s and Alan Jackson many years later. He died in August of 1988.
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| 1939 | Eddie Kendricks, Singer with The Temptations and solo - "Keep On Truckin'". He died on October 5, 1992.
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| 1939 | James Booker, Pianist, vocalist and composer from New Orleans. Amongst the monikers Booker acquired during his career were 'The Black Chopin', 'Emporer of the Ivories' and 'The Piano Pope of New Orleans'. He toured with Joe Tex and Shirley and Lee. He recorded with such notables as Junior Parker, Bobby 'Blue' Bland, Ringo Starr and Aretha Franklin, who recorded his composition 'So Swell When You're Well'. Booker was a very colorful character and took a piece of the New Orleans piano tradition when he passed away in 1983.
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| 1942 | Paul Butterfield, Musician with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He died in May, 1987.
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| 1975 | Terrence (T-Bell) Andrews, A bass drummer and a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. He learned from such legends as Tuba Fats, the Storyville Stompers, the Treme Brass Band, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Trombone Shorty, the Lil’ Rascals Brass Band, and the Rebirth Brass Band. He has performed and recorded internationally with many of these greats and at major music festivals in the United States. (50) |
