Crooners & Songbirds' blog on imeem

ON THIS DAY IN JAZZ AGE MUSIC!

Confetta Percocetta — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:36:57 -0000

if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('ea7327da-97a7-490e-9153-fc5ff28f2ceb');Get the ON THIS DAY IN JAZZ AGE MUSIC! widget Widgetbox!

ON THIS DAY IN JAZZ AGE MUSIC!

Confetta Percocetta — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:32:44 -0000

Get the ON THIS DAY IN JAZZ AGE MUSIC! widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox!

ON THIS DAY IN JAZZ AGE MUSIC!

Confetta Percocetta — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:46:51 -0000

Get the ON THIS DAY IN JAZZ AGE MUSIC! widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox!

SPOTLIGHT for FEBRUARY 23RD...

Confetta Percocetta — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:49:39 -0000

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=67071029615

SPOTLIGHT for FEBRUARY 22ND...

Confetta Percocetta — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 22:55:38 -0000

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=66824289615&1&index=0

SPOTLIGHT for FEBRUARY 21ST...

Confetta Percocetta — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 04:57:21 -0000

http://www.imeem.com/croonersandsongbirds/blogs/2009/02/21/Y3Jp9g5n/spotlight_for_february_21st

SPOTLIGHT for FEBRUARY 20TH...

Confetta Percocetta — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:53:25 -0000

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=66554424615

SPOTLIGHT for FEBRUARY 19TH...

Confetta Percocetta — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:41:19 -0000

http://www.new.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=66363279615

SPOTLIGHT for FEBRUARY 18TH...

Confetta Percocetta — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:50:14 -0000

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=65979569615

SPOTLIGHT for FEBRUARY 17TH...

Confetta Percocetta — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 21:52:24 -0000

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=65477504615

SPOTLIGHT for FEBRUARY 16TH...

Confetta Percocetta — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 06:06:51 -0000

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=65299254615

SPOTLIGHT for FEBRUARY 15TH...

Confetta Percocetta — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 02:23:40 -0000

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAROLD ARLEN

** BIRTHDAYS:

1905
HAROLD ARLEN, Composer
b. Feb. 15, 1905, Buffalo, NY, USA.
d. April 23, 1986, New York, NY, UDA.
né: Hyman Arluck.
~Biography by Ron Wynn
An American songwriting legend and son of a cantor, Harold Arlen was fascinated early in his life with the sound of ragtime. While singing in his father's synagogue he also played ragtime piano in local Buffalo bands and accompanied silent films. After arranging for the Buffalodians, Arlen moved to New York. His jobs included arranging for Fletcher Henderson, and serving as a rehearsal pianist for radio and theatre. A vamp he devised while practicing was later turned into the song "Get Happy," with lyrics from Ted Koehler. Arlen and Koehler wrote eight revues for the Cotton Club, one of which included the anthem "Stormy Weather," first performed by Ethel Waters.

Though he moved to Hollywood in the '30s, Arlen kept penning songs for Broadway, working with other lyricists like Dorothy Fields, Les Robin, Johnny Mercer, Yip Harburg and Ira Gershwin as well as Koehler. His list of hits and accomplishments is amazing; they include songs for the films Take a Chance, Star-Spangled Rhythm, The Sky's the Limit, and his most famous, The Wizard of Oz. Arlen also composed tunes for the plays Earl Carroll Vanities, Rhythm Mania, and St. Louis Woman. The incredible array of unforgettable compositions include "I've Got the World on a String," "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues," "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," "Come Rain or Come Shine," "It's Only a Paper Moon" and "Over The Rainbow." Numerous jazz artists have recorded his songs, as well as pop performers across the spectrum. Arlen made a few albums as a performer, among them sessions with Duke Ellington and Barbra Streisand. At present only one Arlen album, Harold Sings Arlen, with Streisand is available and it's not on CD.

***LINKS:
www.haroldarlen.com/
www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/arlen_h.html
www.haroldarlen2005.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Arlen
www.parabrisas.com/d_arlenh.php
www.imdb.com/name/nm0002182/
www.imdb.com/title/tt0218617/
www.schirmer.com/composers/arlen_wizard.html
www.songtrellis.com/composers/...changeslist

1901
James "Kokomo" Arnold, Blues vocals/(left handed) bottleneck guitarist
b. Lovejoys Station, GA, USA
d. Nov. 8 1968, Chicago, IL, USA. (Coronary) Age: 67.
His cousin, John Wiggs, taught him to play the guitar, but music was just his hobby. As a young man, Arnold earned his living working at various jobs including Farmhand (in Buffalo, NY) and Steelworker (in Pittsburgh, PA). In 1929, after the U. S. Congress had prohibited the sale and consumption of Alcoholic beverages, Arnold relocated to Chicago, IL, and became a "bootlegger", an activity he continued until 1933, when the 21st Amendment to the U. S. Constitution ended Prohibition.

After that, he was "forced" to make his living as a musician. On Sept. 10, 1934, Arnold made his first recording, and received his nickname from his Decca release of "Old Original Kokomo Blues", a "cover" of the 'Scrapper' Blackwell blues song about the "Kokomo" brand of coffee. (One of his contemporaries, Delta bluesman Robert Johnson, turned "Old Original Kokomo Blues" into "Sweet Home Chicago".) During his releatively short career, Arnold would make 88 sides (7 of which are lost).

A left-handed slide-guitarist, his intense playing and vocals combined to make him a major influence upon many of his contemporaries, including Peetie Wheatstraw and Amos Eaton. Later, even Elvis Pressley released one of Arnold's tunes "Milkcow Calf's Blues". In 1938 "Kokomo" Arnold found a steady "Day" job working in a Chicago factory, and left the music business. In 1962, he was "rediscovered" by researchers, but showed little interest in returning to the music business.

www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll
www.aaregistry.com/african_..._bluesman

1893
Walter Donaldson, Composer
b. Brooklyn, NY
d.July 15, 1947, Santa Monica, CA, USA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Donaldson

1917
John Wallace "Wally" Fowler, (gospel) vocals.
b. Adairsville, GA, USA.
He was the founder of the group that became "The Oak Ridge Boys", originally known, and recorded, as "Wally Fowler and the Georgia Clodhoppers". Then Wally Fowler decided to focus on gospel music, and in 1945 he formed "The Oak Ridge Quartet" with himself, Lon "Deacon" Freeman, Curly Kinsey, and Johnny New. Eventually, Fowler disbanded and, in 1957, sold the rights to the name "Oak Ridge Quartet' to Larry Gatlin. In 1961, Gatlin changed the name of his group to "The Oak Ridge Boys". In 1966, Gatlin left the group to become a minister.

1910
Walter 'Rosetta' Fuller, Trumpet/vocals
b. Dyersburg, TN, USA.
d. April 27, 2003
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=13008

1915
Taft Jordan, Trumpet/vocals
b. Florence, SC, USA.
d. 1981, New York, NY, USA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taft_Jordan
http://www.harlem.org/people/jordan.html

1918
"Hank" Locklin, C&W vocals, McClellan, FL, USA.
né: Lawrence Hankins Locklin. One of his big hit recordings was "Help Me, I'm Falling, Falling For You"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Locklin
http://www.hanklocklin.com/

** Notable Events occuring this date include:

1941.
Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded "Take the "A" Train" (RCA VIctor) : )

1946.
Putney Dandridge, piano
died in NJ, USA.
Age: 44 : (

1965.
Nat "King Cole, vocals/piano
died in Santa Monica, CA, USA.
Age: 48 : (

1968.
"Little Walter", harmonica/songwriter
died in Chicago, IL, USA.
Age: 37 : (

1969.
Pee Wee Russell, clarinet
died in Alexandria, VA, USA.
Age: 62 : (

1975.
Joel Hopkins, guitar
died in Galveston, TX, USA.
Age: 71 : (

** Songs Recorded/Released this date include:

1941
"Take the A Train", Duke Ellington ; )

1950
"Dear Hearts and Gentle People", - Bing Crosby

posted by: ~confetta

SPOTLIGHT for FEBRUARY 14TH...

Confetta Percocetta — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 19:20:45 -0000

DON'T CARE BLUES by PERRY BRADFORD

BIRTHDAYS

1893
Perry "Mule" Bradford, Piano/Composer/vocals
b. Montgomery, AL, USA
d. April 20, 1970, New York, NY, USA.
When he was just age 6, his family moved to Atlanta, GA, and that's where Perry grew up. In 1906 he started touring with minstrel shows. As early as 1909, he played in Chicago, IL as a solo pianist and was playing in New York city the following year.
For the next 10 years, Bradford worked in theatre circuits as a pianist, singer and composer. He then settled in New York, and became Mamie Smith's musical director. It was Bradford who was responsible for her being the first blues singer on record (in 1920 she sang his composition "Crazy Blues").

Bradford toured and recorded with Smith, and her 'Jazz Hounds", nominally led by Jimmy. Bradford also worked with Alberta Hunter. During 1923-'27, Bradford recorded seven times leading his own group, with sidemen Johnny Dunn, Bubber Miley, Garvin Bushell, Louis Armstrong (on two numbers in 1925), Buster Bailey and James P. Johnson. Bradford finally slipped into obscurity during the great worldwide 1929 economic depression. In 1965 Perry Bradford's autobiography Alone With the Blues was published. His best-known songs were "Crazy Blues," "That Thing Called Love" and "You Can't Keep A Good Man Down." A very talented performer, pianist and composer, he deserves to be better remembered.

1915
Irving Gordon, songwriter
b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA
d. Dec. 1, 1996, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Gordon

1908
Lonnie Glosson, C&W singer-songwriter/guitar/harmonica
b. Judsonia, AR, USA. d. March 2, 2001, Searcy (White County), AR, USA.
Age: 93 .
http://arnet.pair.com/LonnieGlosson/index.htm

1896
Werner Richard Heymann, composer
b. Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia)
d. May 30, 1961, Munich, Germany.

1920
Jack Lesberg, Bass/violin
b. Boston, MA, USA
d. Sept. 17, 2005, Englewood, NJ, USA. (complications of Alzheimerâ€™s disease). In the late 1930s, he switched to playing bass after having spent his early career as a violinist. In 1942, he survived a fire at the famed Cocoanut Grove club in Los Angeles (492 patrons perished). In 1943, he relocated to New York city and found work as bassist with the New York Symphony Orchestra (then led by conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein). In the mid to late 1940s, played in the New York Symphony Orchestra under conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein. In 1944, Jack first recorded with guitarist Eddie Condon's group, and his last recording came in March 2003 at â€œMat Domberâ€™s March of Jazzâ€? in Clearwater, Florida. In the early 1970s, he he traveled to Australia, where he appeared with the Sydney Symphony.

1856
William J. Scanlan, composer
b. Springfield, MA, USA.
d. Feb. 19, 1898, New York, NY, USA.

1909
"Skeets" Tolbert, leader/reeds
b. Calhoun Falls, SC, USA
d. Nov. 30, 2000, Houston, TX, USA.
né: Campbell Arelus Tolbert.
One of five children. this noted Black musician had a long career in music, - both playing and teaching.. In the early 1940's he led his own band " The Gentlemen of Swing " where he picked up the nickname "Skeets". In 1963, he opened his business 'Pied Piper Music Company'. He later became an instructor at Texas Southern University, where he was a music professor specializing in woodwind instruction. He taught arranging , music theory, and also conducted the stage band.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeets_Tolbert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHowKVvg8nc

1896
Anson Weeks
b. Oakland, CA, USA
d. Feb. 7, 1969, Sacramento, CA, USA.
Anson Weeks was leader of a popular West Coast dance band in the late 1920s through the 1960s, primarily in San Francisco (he made his first recording in Oakland on February 7, 1925, but it was rejected).
He pioneered the "hotel" band sound and spent years at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco, using the slogan "Dancin' With Anson".
He formed his first band in 1924 and had key hotel jobs in Oakland and Sacramento. By the late 1920s he was a popular regional orchestra and started recording for Columbia in 1928. In 1932, he signed with Brunswick and recorded for them through 1935. He later did a session for Decca in 1937.

He gained nationwise attention in late 1931 on the 'Lucky Strike Magic Carpet" radio program. Among his key vocalists were Art Wilson, Harriet Lee, Donald Novis, Bob Crosby, Carl Ravazza, Kay St. Germaine, and Bob Gage. His Brunswick records were quite popular.
Weeks was involved in an auto accident in 1941 and was out of the band business for several years, starting up again in the late 1940s.
He signed to the local Fantasy label in the early 1950s and did a series of dance albums, which were quite regionally popular.

Weeks also composed songs including "I'm Writing You This Little Melody" (theme song), "I'm Sorry Dear", "Senorita", "That Same Old Dream", and "We'll Get A Bang Out Of Life".

http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/weeks.html
http://nfo.net/usa/w2.html
http://www.parabrisas.com/d_weeksa.php

Notable Events occuring this date include:

1957.
"King David", a four-part symphony jazz suite, and Lionel Hamptons only major musical work, debuted at New York's Town Hall. the conducter was Dimitri Mitropoulos.

1959.
Baby Dodds, drums, died in Chicago, IL, USA.
Age: 60 : (

1984.
Barbara Gordon, vocals, died.

1988.
Frederick Loewe, songwriter, died in Palm Springs, CA, USA.
Age: 83

1999.
Buddy Knox, (rockabilly) singer-songwriter, died of cancer.
Age: 65. In the 1950s, his "Party Doll", a tune he composed, topped the charts.

Songs Recorded/Released this date include:

1941 "High On a Windy Hill", Dorsey, Jimmy

1941 "It All Comes Back To Me Now", Krupa, Gene

1941 "Song Of The Volga Boatman", Miller, Glenn

1946 "You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break", Brown, Les

1946 "Oh! What It Seemed To Be", Sinatra, Frank

SPOTLIGHT for FEBRUARY 13TH...

Confetta Percocetta — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:32:02 -0000

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WINGY MANONE

BIRTHDAYS

1918
Irv Cottler, drums
b. New York, NY, USA
d. August 8, 1989
www.spaceagepop.com/cottler.htm www.jazzprofessional.com/inter..._1.htm

1919
Joan Edwards, Vocal
b. New York, NY, USA.
d. 1981.
Joan was the niece of the great vaudevillian Gus Edwards. She is best recalled as the vocalist on the "Your Hit Parade" Radio show.
Vocalist Joan Edwards worked with Paul Whiteman before becoming a fixture on the Your Hit Parade radio series and its various spinoffs during the 1940s.

1920
Eileen Farrell, vocals
b. Willimantic, CT, USA.
www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll

1919 "Tennessee" Ernie Ford, vocals/guitar/actor
b. Bristol, TN, USA
d. Oct. 17, 1991.
né: Ernest Jennings Ford
Biography
by James Manheim
The booming baritone voice of Tennessee Ernie Ford was best known for his 1955 cover of Merle Travis' grim coal-mining song "Sixteen Tons," watered down by the dulcet strains of a Hollywood studio orchestra but retaining its innate seriousness thanks to the sheer power of Ford's singing. But there was more to Tennessee Ernie Ford than that. Over his long career, Ford sang everything from proto-rock & roll to gospel, recorded over 100 albums, and earned numerous honors and awards, including the Medal of Freedom. A native of Bristol, TN, he began his career a DJ on local radio station WOAI. He sang in high-school choirs, and in the late '30s he left to study voice at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. He held radio jobs in Atlanta and Knoxville between 1939 and 1941 and then joined the U.S. Air Force during World War II. After the war, Ford moved his family to San Bernardino, CA, and took a DJ job on a local radio station. It was there that he first took on the name "Tennessee Ernie."
Ford later moved to Pasadena's KXLA, where Los Angeles producer and media host Cliffie Stone heard his jocular "bless your little pea-pickin' hearts" routine and was impressed by his voice. Stone paved the way increasingly frequent appearances by Ford on Los Angeles radio and television. He was signed to Capitol Records in 1948. Five singles had been released by late 1949, including "Tennessee Border" and "Smokey Mountain Boogie" (both Top Ten) and his first number one single, "Mule Train." On both Western songs and boogie-flavored numbers that in their energy and sexual suggestiveness were really rock & roll in all but name, Ford's recordings featured the fabulous instrumental talents of Travis on guitar and Speedy West on pedal steel. Early in 1951, "Shotgun Boogie" became his second number one, spending 14 weeks at the top of the country charts. By the beginning of 1953, although Ford wasn't having as many hits, he remained popular in America and also in England. He became a television quizmaster in 1954, hosting NBC's Kollege of Musical Knowledge. He also had his own daily show and continued recording.
Ford had two Top Ten country hits in 1955 with "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" and his biggest success, "Sixteen Tons," which spent ten weeks at number one on the country charts and eight weeks at number one on the pop charts. From 1956 to 1965 he was a prime-time network television host, making "Bless your little pea-pickin' hearts" a household catchphrase and providing powerful exposure for Ford's increasingly middle-of-the-road music. His voice was ideally suited to big arrangements of traditional hymns, and his first gospel album, Hymns (1956), became the first religious album to go gold. Ford's second gospel album, Great Gospel Songs, earned him a Grammy. In 1965, he had his last chart entry with the Top Ten single "Hicktown," but he continued to record gospel music; his large catalog of LPs on Capitol remained in print and sold well. Ford joined the ranks of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990, a year before he died of liver failure.
LINKS:
www.ernieford.com/
www.ernieford.com/Bio.htmen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Ernie_Ford
www.countrymusichalloffame.com/ inductees/tenn_ernie_ford.html

1921
Wardell Gray, Tenor Sax
B. Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
D. May 25, 1955, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
Well recalled for his work in the Earl Hines band. (Some sources say b. Sept. 28th)
Biography
by Scott Yanow
Wardell Gray was one of the top tenors to emerge during the bop era (along with Dexter Gordon and Teddy Edwards). His Lester Young-influenced tone made his playing attractive to swing musicians as well as younger modernists. He grew up in Detroit, playing in local bands as a teenager. Gray was with Earl Hines during 1943-1945, recording with him (1945). That same year, he moved to Los Angeles and he became a major part of the Central Avenue scene, having nightly tenor battles with Dexter Gordon; their recording of "The Chase" was popular. Gray recorded with Charlie Parker in 1947 and yet his style appealed to Benny Goodman, with whom he played the following year. Among his own sessions, his solos on "Twisted" (1949) and "Farmer's Market" (1952) were turned into memorable vocalese by Annie Ross a few years later. Back in New York, Gray played and recorded with Tadd Dameron and the Count Basie septet and big band (1950-1951); "Little Pony," his showcase with the Basie orchestra, is a classic. Gray was featured on some Norman Granz jam sessions ("Apple Jam" has a particularly heated solo) and recorded with Louie Bellson (1952-1953). Ironically, Wardell Gray, who in the late '40s was an inspiration to some younger musicians due to his opposition to drug use, himself became involved in drugs and died mysteriously in Las Vegas on May 25, 1955, when he was just 34.
www.jazzitude.com/wardellgray_01.htmen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardell_Gray

1908
Lennie Hayton, Piano/Leader
b. New York, NY
d. April, 24, 1971, Palm Springs, CA.
Wife, Lena Horne, with him when he died.
Biography
by Scott Yanow
Lennie Hayton's career can be easily divided into two. Early on he was a jazz-oriented pianist and arranger involved in classic jazz dates of the late 1920's. By the mid-1940's he was primarily an arranger for orchestras and quite busy as a studio musician. Hayton excelled during both parts of his musical life.
He began playing piano when he was six. One of his first professional jobs was working with Spencer Clark in the Little Ramblers in 1926. He spent 1927 with the Cass Hagen Orchestra and then was with Paul Whiteman during Sept. 1928 until May 1930. During this period of time, Hayton appeared on a variety of major jazz records with such players as Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti, Red Nichols and Miff Mole. In the 1930's he moved away from jazz, leading his own orchestra and working as musical director for Bing Crosby for a period. In later years, Lennie Hayton wrote soundtracks for MGM (1941-53) and was the musical director for his wife Lena Horne. He recorded two numbers as a leader in 1928 and eight selections with his shortlived big band in 1939.

1903
Les Hite, Leader
b. DuQuoin, IL, USA.
d. Feb. 6. 1962, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
Biography
by Scott Yanow
An important force as a bandleader in Los Angeles, Les Hite (who never became famous beyond musician circles) led a series of significant (if sparsely documented) orchestras in the 1930's and 40's. After studying at the University of Illinois and playing saxophone in a family band, Hite worked with Detroit Shannon and toured with the Helen Dewey Show. When the revue fell apart unexpectedly in Los Angeles, Hite settled in the city. He worked for the Spikes Brothers' Orchestra, Mutt Carey, Curtis Mosby and Paul Howard's Quality Serenaders among others. In 1930 he took over Paul Howard's band and it became Sebastian's Cotton Club Orchestra, soon becoming a fixture at L.A.'s Cotton Club for years. Hite's big band accompanied Louis Armstrong during the trumpeter's stay in Los Angles and later on backed Fats Waller. Hite's Orchestra also appeared on the soundtracks of many films and made a few rare visual appearances in the movies. Although his big band occasionally toured (even appearing in New York in 1937), it remained based in Los Angeles.
After 1945, Hite gradually dropped out of the music business although in his last five years he managed a booking agency. In addition to Armstrong and Waller, among the musicians who worked with Hite were Lionel Hampton, Marshall Royal, Lawrence Brown, Britt Woodman, Joe Wilder and (for a brief period in 1942) Dizzy Gillespie. Unfortunately, other than its dates backing Louis Armstrong, the Les Hite Orchestra only recorded 14 selections, all during 1940-42; T-Bone Walker guested on "T-Bone Blues" while Dizzy Gillespie took an early bop solo on "Jersey Bounce."

1900
"Wingy" Manone, Trumpet
B: New Orleans, LA, USA.
d. July 9, 1982, USA.
né: Joseph Mathews Manone. (some sources say b. 1904)
Biography
by Scott Yanow
Wingy Manone was an excellent Dixieland trumpeter whose jivey vocals were popular and somewhat reminiscent of his contemporary, Louis Prima. He had lost his right arm in a streetcar accident when he was ten, but Manone (who Joe Venuti once gave one cuff link for a Christmas present) never appeared to be handicapped in public (effectively using an artificial arm). He played trumpet in riverboats starting when he was 17, was with the Crescent City Jazzers (which later became the Arcadian Serenaders) in Alabama, and made his recording debut with the group in the mid-'20s. He worked in many territory bands throughout the era before recording as a leader in 1927 in New Orleans.

By the following year, Manone was in Chicago and soon relocated to New York, touring with theater companies. His "Tar Paper Stomp" in 1930 used a riff that later became the basis for "In the Mood." In 1934, Manone began recording on a regular basis and after he had a hit with "The Isle of Capri" in 1935, he became a very popular attraction. Among his sidemen on his 1935-1941 recordings were Matty Matlock, Eddie Miller, Bud Freeman, Jack Teagarden, Joe Marsala, George Brunies, Brad Gowans, and Chu Berry. In 1940, Manone appeared in the Bing Crosby movie Rhythm on the River, he soon wrote his humorous memoirs Trumpet on the Wing (1948), and he would later appear on many of Crosby's radio shows. Wingy Manone lived in Las Vegas from 1954 up until his death and he stayed active until near the end, although he only recorded one full album (for Storyville in 1966) after 1960.
http://www.redhotjazz.com/Wingy.html

1912
Arthur Rollini, Tenor Sax
b. New York, NY, USA
d. Dec. 30 1993.
Adrian Rollini's younger brother.
Arthur began his career in the late 1920s playing in New York city, where he had attended Columbia University and worked with The California Ramblers. He spent most of 1929 in London, playing with Fred Elizalde's Orchestra and then returned to New York where he freelanced for a few years, recording with his brother and working with the Bert Lown, The California Ramblers, Paul Whiteman and George Olsen orchestras. But, he is best remembered as a member of the Benny Goodman Orchestra (1934-'39) where his playing and solos contributed to the Goodman band's success. After leaving Goodman, Arthur played with the Richard Himber (1940-41) and Will Bradley (1941-42) bands before becoming a longtime ABC staff member. Regretfully, he played very little jazz in later years, although he appeared on a record date with Brad Gowans in 1946. In 1987, he wrote his autobiography "Thirty Years with the Big Bands". He never led a group of his own.

1919
"Chickie" Williams, C&W Singer-Songwriter/Bass Fiddle
b. Bethany, WV, USA.
né: Jessie Wanda Crupe.
Member: "Doc & Chickie Williams", a duo of Chickie and "Doc" né: Andrew John Smik, Jr., Singer-Songwriter/Guitar/Harmonica, b. June 26, 1914, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
www.geocities.com/Nashville...ickie.html

Notable Events occuring this date include:

1914.
ASCAP, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, was formed in New York City.

1941.
"Blind Boy Fuller"
né: Fulton Allen, guitar
died in Durham, NC, USA.
Age: 33

1996.
Daniel K. Womack, guitar/piano/harmonica
died in Peabody, MA, USA.
Age: 91

Songs Recorded/Released this date include:

1942 "Moonlight Cocktail", Miller, Glenn

1942 "Blues In The Night", Shore, Dinah

1942 "White Cliffs Of Dover, The", Smith, Kate

1948 "Slap 'Er Down, Agin, Paw", Godfrey, Arthur

1948 "I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover", Morgan, Russ

1948 "Ballerina"", - Vaughn Monroe

1948 "Now Is The Hour", Whiting, Margaret

1954 "Young-At-Heart", Sinatra, Frank

posted by: ~confetta

SPOTLIGHT for FEBRUARY 12TH...

Confetta Percocetta — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:06:36 -0000

BIRTHDAYS

1900
Pink Anderson, vocals/guitar
b. Lawrence, SC, USA. d. 1974.
While still a child, his family moved to Spartenburg, SC. His career began at age 15 when he found work with "Dr. Kerr" Pink would gain the attention of onlookers, and then the "doctor" would sell various miraculous elixirs. He continued working -on and off - with Kerr until 1945, when the "doctor" retired. In 1916, Pink met the much older blind singer Simmie Dolley, and the pair would entertain at parties in the small towns around Spartanburg. The pair also recorded early on, and again in the 1950s, both times for the Columbia label. in December 1960, Simmie died, after which, Pink made a few 'solo' recordings, and even appeared in the 1963 film 'The Bluesmen'.
Biography
by Richie Unterberger
A good-natured finger-picking guitarist, Anderson played for about 30 years as part of a medicine show. He did make a couple of sides for Columbia in the late '20s with Simmie Dooley, but otherwise didn't record until a 1950 session, the results of which were issued on a Riverside LP that also included tracks by Gary Davis. Anderson went on to make some albums on his own after the blues revival commenced in the early '60s, establishing him as a minor but worthy exponent of the Pidemont school, versed in blues, ragtime, and folk songs. Anderson also became an unusual footnote in rock history when Syd Barrett, a young man in Cambridge, England, combined Pink's first name with the first name of another obscure bluesman (Floyd Council) to name his rock group, Pink Floyd, in the mid-'60s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Anderson

1912
Paul Bascomb, Tenor Sax, b. Birmingham, AL, USA.
d. 1986.
He and his brother Dud were with Erskine Hawkins for many years. (Paul's best solo probably "Sweet Georgia Brown". Recorded with Count Basie in 1941. In late 1940s, toured with his own R&B combo.

1914
"Tex" Beneke, Tenor Sax/vocals
b. Fort Worth, TX, USA.
d. May 30, 2000, Costa Mesa, CA, USA - Respiratory Failure.
né: Gordon Beneke. Best recalled for his outstanding work with the Glenn Miller Orch.

1894
Red Clark, Trombone,
b. New Orleans, LA, USA.

1914
Harold "Hal" Edstron, bandleader/music publisher
b. Worthington, Minnesota, USA,
d. Feb. 23, 1996, Winona, Minnesota, USA

1916
Leroy W. Harris Jr., Sax/Clarinet
b. St.Louis, MO, USA
d. Feb. 16 2005.

1867
Joseph D. Howard, composer
b. New York, NY, USA.
d. May 19, 1961, Chicago, IL, USA.

1914
Ernst Landl, Piano
b. Vienna, Austria,
d. Dec. 4, 1983

1919
Bernie Privin, Trumpet
b. New York, NY, USA
d. October 8 1999.

1918
Wesley Rose, (C&W) producer/arranger
b. Chicago, IL, USA
d. April 26 1990.

1909
Barry Wood, Vocal
b. New Haven, CT, USA.
d. 1970

Notable Events occuring this date include:

1924.
Paul Whiteman's Symphonic Jazz program, presented at New York's Aeolian Hally. featured the first public performance of George Gershwins "Rhapsody In Blue" (with Gershwin himself at the piano). Distinguished guests included John Philip Sousa and Jascha Heifetz.

1942.
Mildred Bailey recorded "More Than You Know" (Decca).

1949.
Seymour Simons, songwriter
died in Detroit, MI, USA.
Age: 53

1965.
John Hays Hammond, Jr., (Hammond Organs)
died in New York, NY, USA.
Age: 76

1967.
Muggsy Spanier, trumpet
died in Sausalito, CA, USA.
Age: 61

1968.
Singer/guitarist Jimi Hendrix received an honorary high school diploma from Garfield High School in Seattle, WA, USA. (He had dropped out of school at the age of 14.)

1970.
Ishman Bracey, guitar
died in Jackson, MS, USA.
Age: 69

1978.
Bob McCoy, piano
died in Birmingham, AL, USA.
Age: 68

1983.
Eubie Blake, piano/composer
died in New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA.
Age: 100. né: James Hubert Blake

1992.
Andy "Blake" Blakeney, trumpet
died in Baldwin Park, CA, USA.
Age: 93

Songs Recorded/Released this date include:

1947 "For Sentimental Reasons", - Nat King Cole vocal

1947 "Ole Buttermilk Sky", - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The Campus Kids)

1947 "A Gal in Calico", - Johnny Mercer vocal