bmusic - Newsletter No. 259

In 1846, Adolphe Sax patented his invention - the saxophone. He had invented the instrument early in the decade, and by the time the patent was granted there were 14 different saxophones - seven designed for orchestras and seven for bands. The saxophones designed for bands are the ones in common use today.

In 1955, Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" reached number one on the US charts, staying in the top spot for seven weeks. Haley's recording sold only moderately well when it was first released in the spring of 1954. But when it was included in the soundtrack of "Blackboard Jungle," a film about juvenile delinquents, demand for the record soared. By 1970, world sales of "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and the Comets were estimated at 16-million copies.

In 1956, Elvis Presley appeared on "The Steve Allen Show." Allen managed to make Elvis appear ridiculous, forbidding him to dance and having him sing "Hound Dog" to a bassett hound. Today, one of the most famous pieces of Elvis Presley on television.

In 1964, "It's All Over Now" by the Rolling Stones was released. The song, written by American soul singer Bobby Womack, was the first Stones' record to reach number one in Britain.

In 1965, the Byrds, the group which pioneered folk rock, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Mr. Tambourine Man," written by Bob Dylan. The Byrds had met Dylan six months earlier, and he publicly endorsed the group. The recording of "Mr. Tambourine Man" was actually cut by studio musicians, with guitarist Roger McGuinn the only member of the Byrds actually playing on the record. The group did, however, provide the vocals.

In 1966, the Grateful Dead released their first single in the U.S., "Don't Ease Me In" backed with "Stealin'."

In 1967, John Entwhistle, bass guitarist with the Who, married Alison Wise. Entwhistle told a London newspaper that he knew they would marry from their first date - when Alison carried his amplifier to a gig.

In 1968, the Jeff Beck Group, with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood, made its US live debut in New York City. Stewart was said to have had such a severe case of stage fright that he hid behind the speakers for the first couple of songs.

In 1969, Mick Taylor, who replaced Brian Jones as the Rolling Stones guitarist, made his first appearance with the group at the Coliseum in Rome. Jones would be found dead in the swimming pool of his home a week later.

In 1969, the three day Newport Festival began in Northridge, California, featuring such performers as Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker and Ike and Tina Turner. Hendrix was paid $135,000, at the time the most ever paid to a rock performer for a single performance. Like the notorious Altamont Festival later in the year, there were violent gate-crashing incidents and a motorcycle gang had been hired for security.

In 1969, the Denver Pop Festival opened at the Mile High Stadium. Among the performers were Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter and Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the last concert by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Later that year, Hendrix formed the Band of Gypsies.

In 1970, Pete Townshend's use of the British slang term "bomb" to describe the success of the Who's rock opera "Tommy" caused him to be detained at the Memphis airport. FBI agents thought it was a bomb threat.

In 1970, Chubby Checker and three other people were arrested in Niagara Falls, Ontario and charged with possession of marijuana and hashish.

In 1973, Bread played their final concert before more than 13,000 people at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City. A truck accident earlier in the day had destroyed the band's equipment, so they had to play with borrowed instruments and amps.

In 1973, David Bowie announced at a London concert that ended a 60-date British tour that he would never again perform on stage. He disbanded his backing group, The Spiders From Mars, and went to Paris to record an album. Bowie's retirement was shortlived. Less than a year later he was back on stage in the US with the "Diamond Dogs" tour.

In 1973, vocalist Ian Gillan and bass guitarist Roger Glover played their last concert with Deep Purple, a show in Japan. Gillan left the band for a solo career while Glover opted for session and production work. Their replacements with Deep Purple were David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes.

In 1975, Alice Cooper broke six of his ribs after he fell off the stage during a concert in Vancouver. Several dates on his "Welcome to My Nightmare" tour had to be cancelled.

In 1975, Jefferson Starship's "Red Octopus" was released. The album marked the return of singer Marty Balin, went to number one on the charts and became the band's biggest seller.

In 1975, Sonny and Cher Bono's divorce was made final by a court in Santa Monica, California. They had married in 1964. Four days after the divorce, Cher married Greg Allman of the Allman Brothers. That marriage lasted only a short time.

In 1975, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore quit Deep Purple to form Rainbow.

In 1975, Cher and Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band were married. She had been divorced from Sonny Bono only several days. Nine days after marrying Allman, Cher was again suing for divorce

In 1976, Brian Wilson, rehabilitated from drug and other problems, joined the Beach Boys on stage in Oakland, California for the first time in 12 years.

In 1977, Elvis Presley gave his last performance - at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. His final song - "Can't Help Falling in Love." Less than two months later, Presley was found dead in his bathroom at Graceland. The cause of death was at first given as congestive heart failure, but later investigation revealed that drug abuse may have played a part.

In 1977, the theatrical rock group Kiss released a comic book of themselves. The story that band members contributed some of their blood to the printing ink undoubtedly helped boost sales past the 500,000 mark.

In 1978, the legendary power-rock trio Cream - Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker - reunited for a show at Baker's polo club. The three had not played together for ten years.

In 1979, disco singer Donna Summer captured the number one and number three positions on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls." She was the first solo entertainer to hold two of the top three positions simultaneously.

In 1981, 25 year-old Mark David Chapman pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of John Lennon. On December 8th, 1980, Chapman shot Lennon seven times in front of Lennon's New York apartment building just hours after Lennon had given him his autograph.

In 1981, Jerry Lee Lewis was taken to hospital in Memphis after bleeding internally from a perforated stomach ulcer. After two operations, his chances were rated no better than 50-50. But within four months, Lewis was back performing.

In 1984, the future Mrs. Springsteen, Patty Scialfa, joined Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band four days before "The Boss" began his "Born in the USA" tour.

In 1985, Yul Brynner gave his 4,625th and final performance in the musical "The King and I." Less than four months later, Brynner was dead of lung cancer at the age of 65. Brynner had opened in "The King and I" on Broadway in 1951. He also starred in the 1956 movie version.

In 1986, group Wham! drew a sellout crowd of 75,000 to their farewell concert at Wembley Stadium in London. Elton John duetted with Wham! member George Michael on "Candle in the Wind."

In 1988, Earl Falconer, the bassist for the British reggae band UB-40, was sentenced to six months in jail for causing his brother's death in a car accident.

In 1988, the wife of Lionel Richie was arrested in Beverly Hills, California after allegedly hitting the singer and a young woman after she found them in bed together.

In 1988, former Beach Boy Brian Wilson released his first record in 22 years, "Love and Mercy." The album was not a commercial success. On the same date, the Beach Boys released the single "Kokomo," which went to number one.

In 1988, Michael Jackson became the first artist to have five number one singles from one album when "Dirty Diana" went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The other four chart-toppers from "Bad" were "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," "Bad," "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Man in the Mirror."

In 1989, Paul Simon brought his "Graceland" tour to Moscow, playing the first of two concerts before 5,000 people in Gorky Park. It was Simon's first appearance in the Soviet Union.

In 1990, Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block suffered cuts and bruises after falling through a stage trap door during a concert in Saratoga Springs, New York. Teenage fans besieged the hospital where he was treated.

In 1990, actor Gary Busey, who played Buddy Holly in "The Buddy Holly Story," paid US$242,000 for one of Holly's guitars at an auction in New York.

In 1991, a brawl at an Atlanta nightclub led to charges of aggravated assault and battery against Run-DMC lead rapper Darryl McDaniels. He and two other members of the rap group, Raymond White and Michael Dobson, were charged with attacking two bouncers at the club. McDaniels later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct while intoxicated and was fined $600. White and Dobson were fined $400 each. The bouncers sued McDaniels for more than $1 million.

In 1991, Paul McCartney made his debut as a classical composer when his "Liverpool Oratorio" was performed at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral. The former Beatle's partly autobiographical, eight-movement ode to growing up in the northern British port was performed by hundreds of singers and musicians, including soprano Dame Kiri TeKanawa. The 2,000 people in attendance stood and applauded for 10 minutes.

In 1991, Guns N' Roses lead singer Axl Rose precipitated a riot in a St. Louis suburb by jumping off the stage and attacking a fan videotaping the heavy metal band's concert. Sixty people were hurt and the Riverport Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, Missouri was wrecked.
Several lawsuits were filed and Rose was charged with assault and property damage. Rose never surrendered to face the charges, and was arrested a year later at Kennedy International Airport in New York as he returned from a European tour.
He was eventually put on probation for two years and ordered to donate $50,000 to five social service organizations.

In 1992, a drunk Hank Williams Junior swore at the audience and walked off stage after stumbling through parts of four songs at the Sandstone Amphitheatre near Kansas City.

In 1993, singer Lyle Lovett wed actress Julia Roberts in a hastily arranged wedding in Marion, Indiana. Lovett's band performed "Angel Eyes" in honor of the bride. The two had met the previous year while filming Robert Altman's "The Player." The couple announced on March 28th, 1995, that they were separating.

In 1995, Neil Young filled in for Pearl Jam at a concert in San Francisco after lead singer Eddie Vedder quit after six songs because of the flu. Young had already been scheduled to perform as a guest at the show. He played for 1.5 hours, mixing classics with songs from his latest album, "Mirror Ball." About half the crowd of 50,000 left after Vedder departed. The next day, Pearl Jam cancelled the remaining dates on its 15-city tour, citing scheduling difficulties caused by the band's dispute with Ticketmaster. Pearl Jam had accused the agency of price gouging.
They contended that the ticket giant held a monopoly and charged fans too big of a surcharge on concert tickets. Their argument went to the U.S. courts but Pearl Jam failed to make any impact on Ticketmaster's stranglehold on the industry. Since then Pearl Jam have abandoned their policy of playing non-Ticketmaster venues as almost all venues in America (and now across the world) are under Ticketmaster control. The band were setting up their own outdoor venues in cities with only Ticketmaster venues. This was an expensive exercise but one which the band did often so as not to play the Ticketmaster venues. However, since the Roskilde festival tragedy in Denmark Pearl Jam now only play seated venues, most of which Ticketmaster has control of.

In 1995, the three members of the female rap group TLC filed for bankruptcy protection. One of the major problems - a $1.3 million claim against Lisa (Left Eye) Lopez for setting fire to her boyfriend's Atlanta-area mansion.

In 1995, Hole singer Courtney Love punched Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna backstage at the opening date of the Lollapalooza tour in George, Washington. Love sported a cast on her arm at some subsequent shows, and was charged with assault. She later posted a message on the America Online computer service saying that when her fist "met" Hanna's head "it was orgasmic." Love pleaded guilty to the assault but avoided jail by agreeing to attend anger management classes.

In 1996, the Sex Pistols played in Britain for the first time in 19 years, performing before 30,000 people in London. The four members were rumored to have made as much as $1.5 million each for the series of reunion concerts that was dubbed "The Filthy Lucre Tour."

In 1996, Van Halen announced that lead singer Sammy Hagar had left the band and that it was working on a greatest hits album with former frontman David Lee Roth. The reunion with Roth would last only a matter of weeks and ended in a public trading of insults. Hagar said he left the band after a decade because of "creative differences."

In 1997, the Walt Disney Company pulled "The Great Malenko" by the rap group Insane Clown Posse from store shelves throughout the U.S. and Canada. Less than a week earlier, Disney's music division, Hollywood Records, had shipped 100,000 copies of the obscenity-laced album. The action came after the Southern Baptist Convention voted to boycott Disney for what it called anti-family product and policies. Disney denied the recall had anything to do with the boycott.

In 1997, one of the biggest deals in music publishing history was completed when EMI Group paid US$132,000 for a 50 per cent share of the company that controlled the Motown song catalogue. Motown founder Berry Gordy's sale of half of Jobete Music covered the copyrights to such classic songs as Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," the Miracles' "Shop Around" and Barrett Strong's "Money."

In 1997, the remaining members of John Lennon's original group, The Quarrymen, reunited to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the historic meeting between Lennon and Paul McCartney. They performed the Del Vikings hit "Come Go With Me" from the back of a truck that toured the streets around Liverpool's St. Peter's Church where Lennon and McCartney first met on July 6th, 1957.

In 1999 Eric Clapton put 100 of his guitars up for auction in New York at Christie's to raise money for his drug rehab clinic, the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. His 1956 Fender Stratocaster, named Brownie, was sold for a record US$497,500. The guitar was used to record "Layla." The auction helped raise nearly US$5 million for the clinic.

In 2002, the Forbes Top 100 List named Britney Spears as the most powerful entertainer in showbiz.

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Births In 1910, Colonel Tom Parker, who managed Elvis Presley for much of his career, was born. Parker took over from Memphis disc jockey Bob Neal in 1955, signing a managerial contract with Presley for 25% of the singer's earnings. The contract lasted until well after Presley's death in 1977. In 1983, after 21 months of litigation, Parker turned over most of his interest in Presley's audio and video recordings to RCA and the Presley family in return for a large monetary settlement. Parker died of complications from a stroke on January 21st, 1997, in Las Vegas.

In 1915, bluesman Willie Dixon, an important link between blues and rock 'n' roll, was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He wrote scores of blues classics that were later adopted by rock bands - songs such as "Little Red Rooster," "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" and "You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover." Dixon sold many of his songs for as little as $30 apiece, losing thousands of dollars in royalties. Dixon, a bass player, played in the house band at Chess Records in Chicago, backing such musicians as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters. He also arranged and produced many of the sessions at the label. Dixon died on January 29th, 1992.

In 1936, singer, songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas. His first success as a songwriter came when Roger Miller recorded "Me and Bobby McGee." That song was turned into a million-seller by Janis Joplin in 1971.

In 1940, country singer Diana Trask was born in Melbourne, Australia. Originally a pop vocalist, she was a regular on Mitch Miller's "Sing Along With Mitch" TV show after moving to the US in 1959. After returning to Australia and raising a family, Trask returned to the US in the late '60s and turned to country music. She had hits with "I Fall to Pieces" in 1969 and "Beneath Still Waters" in 1970. Trask came back to Australia in 1975.

In 1942, Brian Wilson, lead singer and main songwriter for the Beach Boys, was born in Hawthorne, California.

In 1942 Mick Fleetwood, Fleetwood Mac's drummer, was born.

In 1943, Florence Ballard of the Supremes was born in Detroit. The three original Supremes - Ballard, Diana Ross and Mary Wilson - grew up together in a housing project. Through a friendship with members of the Temptations, the trio, then calling themselves the Primettes, were introduced to Berry Gordy, who signed them to Motown in 1961. It was Florence Ballard who suggested a change of name for the group - to the Supremes. It wasn't until their 10th single, "Where Did Our Love Go," in 1964 that the Supremes hit the top of the charts. Other number-one records for the Supremes that year included "Baby Love" and "Come See About Me."
Diana Ross gradually emerged as the star of the group, and this and other problems led to Florence Ballard's departure from the Supremes in 1967. She later sued Ross and Berry Gordy, alleging she had been forced out of the group. Ballard lost the suit, and when she died three years later of cardiac arrest at the age of 32, she and her three children were living on welfare.

In 1943, Judith Durham, lead singer of the Australian folk-pop group the Seekers.

In 1943, Alan (Blind Owl) Wilson, one of the founders of the blues-rock band Canned Heat, was born in Boston. Canned Heat's appearance at the Monterrey Pop Festival in 1967 gained them a wider audience, and they had hit singles with "On the Road Again," "Going Up the Country" and "Let's Work Together." Wilson, who was partially blind and subject to severe depression, died of a drug overdose in 1970. Canned Heat never recovered from the setback.

In 1944, Glen Shorrock, lead singer of Little River Band.

In 1944, Ray Davies, lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, was born in London. Formed in 1963 by Ray and his brother, Dave, the Kinks have gone through several musical changes. They began as a singles band, scoring hits with such songs as "You Really Got Me," "All Day and All of the Night" and "Well Respected Man." All these hits were written by Ray Davies, who then turned to more ambitious concept albums such as "(The Kinks Are) The Village Green Preservation Society" and "Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One." The Kinks left concept albums behind in 1976, and three years later scored a gold album with "Low Budget." It was the group's first gold LP in 12 years. That was followed by several other hit albums, including 1983's "State of Confusion," which contained the Top 10 hit "Come Dancing."

In 1944, Jeff Beck, one of the great rock guitarists, was born in Surrey, England. Beck's first important band was the Yardbirds, where he was the replacement for Eric Clapton in 1964. In 1967, he formed the Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood. The beginnings of heavy metal could be heard in the group's blues-based songs. The Jeff Beck Group broke up after only two albums, and Beck was then sidelined for 18 months with a fractured skull suffered in a car accident.
A new Jeff Beck Group put out two more LPs before Beck formed a band with two former members of Vanilla Fudge, Tim Bogert and Carmen Appice. But that group dissolved as well, in 1974. Beck then began playing fusion music, often in collaboration with keyboards player Jan Hammer. Jeff Beck has made only rare appearances since 1980, but his aggressive style has heavily influenced rock guitarists who followed him.

In 1944, Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys was born in Chicago. He joined the touring version of the group in 1965 when Brian Wilson decided to quit touring after a nervous breakdown.

In 1945, Deborah Harry, former lead singer of Blondie.

In 1945, Colin Blunstone, lead vocalist of the '60s British group the Zombies.

In 1945, singer Carly Simon was born in New York City, the daughter of publishing magnate Richard Simon of Simon and Schuster. She began singing with her sister Lucy when the two were in college. Simon began her solo career in 1969, and hit the top 10 two years later with "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be." In 1972, her recording of "You're So Vain," featuring a guest appearance by Mick Jagger, hit number one. That year she married James Taylor, and the two combined in 1974 for the hit single "Mockingbird," a remake of a '60s R'n'B success by Inez and Charlie Foxx. Carly Simon suffers from stage fright and rarely appears in concert. In 1981, she filed for divorce from Taylor.

In 1946, Ian McDonald, rhythm guitarist with King Crimson and Foreigner.

In 1948, rock singer and keyboardist Patrick Moraz, formerly of Yes.

In 1948, producer and musician Todd Rundgren.

In 1948, Jeremy Spencer, former guitarist and vocalist with Fleetwood Mac.

In 1948, Ian Paice, drummer with Deep Purple and Whitesnake.

In 1949, John Illsey, bassist for the British rock band Dire Straits.

In 1949, Andrew Scott, lead guitarist with the '70s British rock group Sweet.

In 1949, Australian singer John Farnham, former lead vocalist with Little River Band who went on to sell far too many records considering his talent. All thanks to Glenn Wheatly me says. Surround yourself with the best writers and musicians in the country and no one will ever know that all you can do is carry a tune.

In 1950, Joey Kramer, drummer with Aerosmith.

In 1951, guitarist Nils Lofgren of Bruce Spingsteen's E Street Band.

In 1951, rock and jazz bass player Stanley Clarke was born in Philadelphia. Following stints with such well-known jazz artists as Art Blakey, Gil Evans and the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, Clark and pianist Chick Corea formed a jazz-rock group called Return to Forever in 1972. The group's albums were popular, but Return to Forever disbanded in 1976. Clarke joined Rolling Stones guitarists Keith Richards and Ron Woods in 1979 for a North American tour as the New Barbarians.

In 1952, Tim Finn of Split Enz and Crowded House.

In 1953, rock singer Cyndi Lauper.

In 1953, country singer Pake McEntire, older brother of Reba McEntire.

In 1953, Australian rock singer Colin James Hay, former lead vocalist of Men at Work.

In 1954, Pete Briquette of the Irish rock group the Boomtown Rats.

In 1955, Mick Jones of the Clash and Big Audio Dynamite.

In 1955, Michael Anthony, bassist with Van Halen.

In 1955, Glenn Danzig, leader of the heavy-metal band that bears his name.

In 1956, Philip Wright of the British electro-pop group the Human League.

In 1957, Garry Beers, bassist with INXS.

In 1957, singer Laura Brannigan.

In 1958, Kirk Pengilly, guitarist, saxophonist and vocalist with the Australian rock band INXS.

In 1959, Andy McCluskey of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

In 1959, Richie Sambora, guitarist with Bon Jovi who has endorsed more guitar and accessory brands than any one alive or dead. (Except maybe Dimebag Darrell of Pantera).

In 1959, Stephen Pearcy, lead singer of the hard rock band Ratt.

In 1960, Duran Duran bassist John Taylor.

In 1960, Vince Clarke of the electronic music bands Depeche Mode and Erasure.

In 1961, Curt Smith of Tears For Fears.

In 1961, Jimmy Somerville, formerly of the British groups Bronski Beat and the Communards.

In 1962, singer Taylor Dane.

In 1963, singer George Michael, one of the biggest rock stars of the late 1980's, was born in London. Michael and Andrew Ridgeley formed the pop duo Wham!, which hit the British chart in 1982 with "Young Guns (Go For It)."

In 1963, Roddy Bottum, keyboardist with the San Francisco band Faith No More.

In 1964, Mike Edwards, vocalist and guitarist with Jesus Jones.

In 1967, rock singer with plenty o' cred, Juliana Hatfield.

In 1970, singer Glenn Medeiros.

In 1970, Steven Page, former lead singer of the Barenaked Ladies.

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Deaths In 1966, country singer Slim Willet died of a heart attack at age 46. Willet's one and only hit, "Don't Let the Stars (Get in Your Eyes)," topped the country chart in 1952. The song was a number-one pop hit for Perry Como the following year.

In 1969, singer and movie star Judy Garland died in London at the age of 47.

In 1972, blues singer and guitarist Mississippi Fred McDowell died in Memphis, Tennessee of cancer at the age of 68. He did not make his first recordings until 1959, when he was 55 years old, but he became one of the best known of all country blues singers during the 1960's. Singer and guitarist Bonnie Raitt was responsible for bringing McDowell to the attention of rock fans, including him on her tours and recording his songs. McDowell's best known composition is "You Got to Move," recorded by the Rolling Stones on their "Sticky Fingers" album.

In 1975, folk singer Tim Buckley died of a heroin and morphine overdose in Santa Monica, California at the age of 28. Testimony at the coroner's inquest indicated Buckley had snorted what he thought was cocaine. The man who owned the house where Buckley died was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

In 1979, Lowell George, former lead singer of the rock band Little Feat, died of an apparent heart attack in Arlington, Virginia. He was 34. George had just released a solo album following the breakup of Little Feat, and was on tour with his own band when he died. Little Feat was formed in Los Angeles in 1969 by George and Roy Estrada, both former members of the Mothers of Invention.

In 1981, Steppenwolf bass guitarist Rushton Moreve died in a car crash in Los Angeles. He was 32. Moreve wrote Steppenwolf's 1968 million-seller, "Magic Carpet Ride."

In 1986, old-time country musician Joe Maphis died at the age of 65. Joe and his wife, Rose Lee, were among the most popular country performers in the years following the Second World War. Maphis played guitar on many early rock 'n' roll sessions in California, including Ricky Nelson's first recordings.

In 1987, Boudleaux Bryant, one of Nashville's most prolific songwriters, died of cancer at the age of 67. Bryant and his wife Felice wrote many of the Everly Brothers' hits, including "Bye Bye Love," "Wake Up Little Susie" and "All I Have to Do Is Dream." The husband and wife team also composed "Rocky Top," which became an anthem for the American state of Tennessee.

In 1987, Fred Astaire, the great American song and dance man, died in Los Angeles at the age of 88.

In 1987, all six members of the Montana Band were among 10 people killed when a light plane crashed and burned in western Montana. The Reno, Nevada-based bluegrass band had become popular since winning the 1986 Willie Nelson Music Invitational.

In 1988, jazz and blues great Eddie (Cleanhead) Vinson died in Los Angeles of a heart attack at age 70. He also suffered from cancer of the esophagus. Vinson was a singer and alto saxophone player whose hits in the 1940's included "Cherry Red," "Kidney Stew Blues" and "Somebody's Got to Go."

In 1995, jazz and R'n'B singer Phyllis Hyman committed suicide in her New York apartment. She was 45. Hyman starred in the 1981 Broadway musical "Sophisticated Ladies," a tribute to Duke Ellington. That same year, she had a top-10 R'n'B hit, "Can't We Fall in Love Again."

In 1997, blues guitarist Johnny Copeland died in New York, a week after his eighth open-heart operation. He was 60. Copeland's commercial breakthrough came in 1985 with "Showdown!," a collaboration with Albert Collins and Robert Cray that won a Grammy Award for best traditional blues recording.

In 1998, Roy Rogers King Of The Cowboys passed away. Roy was a member of Pioneer Trio, Sons Of The Pioneers, (famous for "Tumbling Tumbleweed"), The Rocky Mountaineers and Jack LeFevre And His Texas Outlaws. He was married to Dale Evans. She and Roy did, "Happy Trails".

In 1999, Mark Sandman, singer and bassist for Morphine. Had a heart attack on stage.

In 2000, Trinidad born promoter Harold Phillips (aka Lord Woodbine and Woodie) died of smoke inhalation in a house fire. Phillips was the first to promote The Beatles who were, at the time, called The Silver Beatles.

In 2001, Patricia Angadi, co-founder the Asian Music Circle, died. She is most well known for having introduced The Beatles to Ravi Shankar. She also drew sketches of The Beatles as they finished up their "Rubber Soul" LP and painted George Harrison and his then wife Pattie Boyd.

In 2001, Afro-Cuban Jazz performer Chico O'Farrill (Arturo O'Farrill) died from a blood disorder. He wrote "Undercurrent Blues" and "The Aztec Suite". Worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Machito, Count Basie, Orquesta Bellemar, Ringo Starr, Armando Oréfiche's Lecuona Cuban Boys, David Bowie, Los Newyorkers, Stan Getz and others.

In 2001, Karen Lamm died of heart failure. Lamm was born 1952. She co-wrote The Beach Boys' "Baby Blue" and was a backup vocalist and songwriter for her husband Dennis Wilson.

In 2001, saxophonist Joe Henderson died of heart failure. Beside his solo work, Henderson worked with Blood, Sweat & Tears, Jack McDuff, Freddie Hubbard, Louis Hayes and The Herbie Hancock Sextet.

In 2001, Chet Atkins died of lung cancer. Producer, vocalist, guitarist, arranger and fiddler. He did,"Yakety Axe" and "Country Gentleman" (to which the Gretsch guitar is named). In his career he worked with The Dixie Swingers, Homer And Jethro, Red Foley, Shorty Thompson And His Rangers, Hank Snow, Eddy Arnold, The Everly Brothers ("Wake Up Little Susie''), Elvis Presley ("Heartbreak Hotel"), Hank Williams Sr. ("Your Cheatin' Heart") and many others including Australia's own Tommy Emmanuel. Chet Atkins was the King of the Chicken Pickers.

In 2002, pop and jazz singer Rosemary Clooney died in Beverly Hills at the age of 74. Rosemary was the aunt of actor George Clooney and mother-in-law of singer Debbie Boone.

In 2002, John Entwistle, bass player for The Who, was found dead in a Las Vegas apartment the day before the group were to embark on a North American tour. After much speculation the Las Vegas coroner determined that cocaine caused the heart attack that killed Entwistle. The death was classified as accidental and not due to an overdose. The drug caused his coronary arteries - already damaged by a pre-existing heart condition - to contract, which led to the fatal heart attack. How much cocaine was in Entwistle's system, however, couldn't be determined

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