Musical Calendar for January 1
- The Big Bands Database by Murray L. Pfeffer

           BIRTHDAYS
1918     "Wee Bonnie" Baker, vocals, née: Evelyn Nelson. Best recalled for her hit tune "Oh Johnny", with the Orrin Tucker Orch.. (Orrin, b. Feb. 11, 1917, was himself a 'singing' bandleader.)
1975     Thomas Bangaltier, keyboards, b. Paris, France. Member group: 'Daft Punk', - a French "Techno" duo of Bangaltier (aka: Bangalter) and Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo (b. 1974).
1936     Benny Barnes, C&W guitar/vocals, b. Beaumont, TX, USA, d: Aug. 9, 1986
1934     Pat Boone, Singer. né: Charles Eugene Boone. Married to Red Foley's daughter, Shirley
1931     Helmut Brandt, Baritone Sax, b. Berlin, Germany, d. July 26, 2001
1916     Marvin Camras, Elec. Engineer who perfected 'Magnetic Tape', b. Chicago, IL, USA.
1884     Oscar "Papa" Celestin, Trumpet/leader, b. Napoleanville, LA, USA. d. Dec. 15, 1954, New Orleans, LA, USA. Theme Song: "Marie LaVeau". "Papa Jack" appeared in one Hollywood movie, "Cinerama Holiday" (1953). His son Jack also had an equally famous band in New Orleans.
1928     Ernie Chaffin, C&W guitar/Voc., b. Water Valley, MS, USA, d: April 16, 1997, Hattiesburg, MS, USA.
1942     "Charo", vocals. née: Maria Martinez. Best recalled for her work with the 'Xavier Cugat Orchestra' (see below). Presently (2003) living in Hawaii, and teaching Japensese language to students
1947     Leonid Chizhik, Piano, b. Kishinev, Moldavia
1963     Holly Cole, vocals, piano, b. Halifax, N.S., Canada. (Both her parents were concert pianists.)
1947     Gary "B.B." Coleman, producer (Ichiban Records), b. Paris, TX, USA.
1900     Xavier Cugat, b. Girona, Catalonia, Spain, d. Oct. 27, 1990, Barcelona, Spain. né: Francisco de Asis Javier Cugat Mingall de Bru y Deulofeo. This Spanish/Cuban bandleader was principally responsible for popularizing Latin American music in the U.S.A., and he became known as "The Rhumba King". His family moved to Cuba while he was still a child. There he studied violin, and played in the Havana opera company. He later continued his studies in Berlin, Germany, and worked with The Berlin Orchestra before coming to America. In the late 1920s, he organized his first Latin dance band. In the '30s, he became a film star when he appeared in the movie 'Gay Madrid' -- the first of many film appearances. During the '40s, Cugat was particularly prominent, being featured in many MGM musicals. He had many hit records all through the '30s and '40s and made appearances with Bing Crosby and Desi Arnaz. His orchestra became a 'fixture' at New's York's famed Waldorf- Astoria Hotel, where he was adored by the 'society' set. Vocalists who appeared with the band include Lena Romay, La Chata, Miguelito Valdes, Carmen (wife No. 1), Lorraine (wife no. 2), Abbe Lane (wife no. 3) and "Charo" (wife no. 4), - all of whom were talented performers. He officially retired in 1970, turning his band over to Tito Puente. Cugat returned to Spain in 1980. He is well remembered today as a prime mover in bringing Latin rhythms and beats to the attention of world audiences. His bands were composed of excellent musicians.
1937     Neville Dickie, Piano, b. Dunham, England, UK
1898     Edgar "Cookie" Fairchild, Bandleader. best recalled as musical director for the Jerry Colonna Show
1950     Morgan Fisher, organ/piano, b. Soho, West London, England, UK.. né: Stephen Morgan Fisher. Member groups: 'Mott the Hoople', 'Hybrid Kids', and 'Morgan'.
1908     Teddy Foster, Trumpet/Vocals, b. London, England, UK, d. Jan. 5, 1984, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, UK, . Teddy was the older brother of trumpeter Lew Foster.
1916     Bulee "Slim" Gaillard, (NOTE: PLEASE SEE OUR JAN. 4, CALENDAR FOR GAILLARD.) Vocals/Guitar/piano, b. Detroit, MI, USA, d. Feb, 26, 1991, London, England, UK. Best recalled as part of the "Slim and Slam" (Slam Stewart, b. Sept. 21, 1914 in Englewood, NJ, USA, Slam on Bass - Slim on Guitar) team. Their 1938 recording of "Flat Foot Floogie" was a huge hit bringing them national fame. The team broke up in 1942 when Slim entered the U.S. Airforce. After WW2 hostilities, Gaillard played and led mostly small combos. His single biggest hit recording was 1938's "Flat Foot Floogie (With A Floy Floy)", a duet with "Slam" Stewart on Bass.
1925     Kurt W. Geisler, piano, b. Germany, d. Aug. 23, 2002, Baltimore, MD, USA (Emphysema) Worked with The Ink Spots on their East Coast tours.
1878     Edwin Franko Goldman, Band Leader, b. Louisville, KY, USA. d. Feb. 21, 1956, New York, NY, USA
1951     Andy Gonzalez, (Latin Jazz) bassist, b. New York, NY, USA Has work with his brother Jerry Gonzalez in the 'Fort Apache Band'. He has also played bass with such stars as Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto, McCoy Tyner, Don Grolnik and many others. Andy is musical director of the group 'Manny Oquendo y Cojunto Libre', and he has produced and contributed to many recordings and commercials.
1936     Sonny Greenwich, Guitar, b. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1924     Esco Hankins, C&W vocals/guitar, b. Union County, TN, USA.
1960     Eiichi Hayashi, alto saxophonist, b. Japan
1942     Yoshio Ikeda, Jazz bassist, b. Osaka, Japan
1923     Milt "Bags" Jackson, Vibes/piano/guitar, b. Detroit, MI, USA. d. Oct. 9, 1999, age 76. Partial deafness. Was stongly influenced by such singers as Kay Starr, Billie Holiday, and a southern R&B vocalist named 'Miss Cornshucks'. "Bags" is best remembered as part of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Began his career in Detroit, MI, playing piano, guitar, violin and drums before settling on the Vibraphone. In 1945, he joined Dizzy Gillespie's big band, an astonishing group that included John Lewis on piano, Ray Brown on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. Jackson then formed the Modern Jazz Quartet, with Lewis, Percy Heath and Clarke (later replaced by Connie Kay), -one of the most popular and critically acclaimed groups in modern Jazz. Jackson also recorded with other jazzmen including Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Coleman Hawkins. He composed "Bag's Groove" and "Bluesology"
1908     Howard William "Swan" Johnson, Alto Sax, b. Boston, MA, USA. d. Dec. 28, 1991. (Worked with Panama Francis, and others)
1909     Frank Delaney Kettering, bass/guitar, b. Monmouth, IL, USA, d. June 1973. Member: "The Hoosier Hot Shots"
1934     Bob Kirkpatrick, guitar/singer-songwriter, b. Haynesville, LA, USA.
1904     Orville Knapp, leader, b. Kansas, City, MO, d. July 16, 1936, Beverly, MA, USA.
1952     Urs Leimgruber, bass clarinet/saxophone (all), b. Lucerne, Switzerland
1949     Mike Levine, Rock keyboardist/bassist
1942     "Country" Joe McDonald, b. El Monte, CA, USA. Member/Leader group: 'Country Joe McDonald & The Fish'
1946     Susannah McCorkle, Vocal, b. Berkeley, CA, USA. d. May 19, 2001
1919     Alfred Benjamin "Al" McKibbon, Bass, b. Chicago, IL, USA, d. July 29, 2005
1894     George W. Meyer, Composer, b. Boston, MA, USA, d. Aug. 28, 1959, New York, NY, USA.
1950     Maryam Mursal, vocals, b. Mogadishu, Somalia. Denmark-based Mursal was one of the first professional female vocalists of Muslim faith.
1931     Manny Oquendo, percussion, b. New York, NY, USA
1952     Phil Perry, singer-songwriter/producer, b. Springfield, Illinois, USA. A member of 'The Montclairs', and later teamed with Richard Sanlin in a duo. Their only album was not well received but they continued as singer-songwriters.
1958     T. C. Pfeiler, Hammond B3 organ, b. Salzburg, Austria. né: Ewald Pfeiler. In the USA, the big Hammond organ is known as "The Console", and Pfeiler is such a wonderful Hammond organist that Jazzmen soon tagged him with the affectionate nickname of "T. C." Eventually, the Austrian Gov. of Justice told Pfeiler that he would have to register the "T.C." in his passport, social security card etc. as a regular artist's name. So, T. C. became legal. Today, the whole world knows him just as "T. C.". Pfeiler formally studied in Munich, Germany, but has said that Jazz-organ pioneer "Wild" Bill Davis was his friend and most important teacher. In the early 1970s, while still in his teenage years, he began playing commercial dance music. Beginning in 1978, Pfeiler led his own organ trio, mostly with guitar and drums, and occasionally with sax. They appeared at some concerts but mainly played in European clubs, at Jazz-festivals, plus some gigs in the U.S.A. Since then, he has appeared in Broadcasts and TV shows, and also performed in the studios working as arranger, composer, and producer (Jazz, jingles, videoclips etc.). In 1980, T. C. toured Europe with the Lionel Hampton Bigband. His great friend, and mentor "Wild" Bill Davis was the regular organist, but T. C. had the chance to play some club gigs and sessions. Among the musicians in the BigBand were trumpet stars like Wallace Davenport, Joe Newman, 'Cat' Anderson, Curtis Fuller on trombone or Arnette Cleophus Cobb, and Illinois Jacquet on sax for some special concerts. Playing with such stars was a great help for T. C. in his early years as a Jazz-organist. In 2003, T.C. Pfeiler, together with long time partner and producer/promoter, Miss Ulrike Muehlbachler (drums, b. Dec. 30, 1963) formed the very successful Hammond B3 Lounge project. In addition to his work with "Wild" Bill Davis, other famous stars with whom Pfeiler has played include Ken Peplowski, Frank Foster, Herb Ellis, Maceo Parker, Red Holloway, Bill Elgart, Jack Mc Duff, and many famous European musicians such as Michael Honzak, Joris Dudli, Joe Nay, Peter Legat , Carl Drewo, Harry Sokal, among others. In 2004, he is still very active and in much demand. It is not widely known, but T. C. has (in his own words) "composed over 1200! tunes until today (2004)". T. C's second passion, after Jazz and the Hammond organ, are Vintage U. S. cars. Occasionally, he will visit the USA especially to bid on some vintage automobile up for auction. Link: http://www.tc.pfeiler.umm.at
1971     Chris Potter, Alto,tenor Sax, b. Columbia, SC, USA.
1909     Judge L. Riley, drums, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. (Worked with Arthur Crudup)
1912     Ray Robbins, Leader b. Gardenia, CA, USA.
1957     Joe Rockman, bass, b: Toronto, Ontario, Canada. member: 'Jeff Healey Band'
1950     Graham Russell, Singer. member group: Air Supply
1958     Joseph Saddler, DJ/vocals, b. Barbados, West Indies. aka: 'Grandmaster Flash'. Member group: 'Grandmaster Flash & Furious 5', a 'Rap' group consisting of DJ Saddlerl and rappers Melle Mel (Melvin Glover), Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), Kid Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Mr. Ness (Eddie Morris) and Rahiem (Guy Williams
1945     Linda Scott, Singer
1962     Beau Shelby, guitar, b. Indianolo, MS, USA.
1940     Earl Sinks, C&W Guitar/voc, b. Amarillo, TX, USA.
1908     Grace Smith, vocals, b. Columbia, SC, USA.
1888     Frank Stokes, guitar/vocals, b. Whitehaven (near Memphis), TN, USA, d. Sept. 12, 1955, Memphis, TN, USA (Stroke). The lives of Bluesmen Frank Stokes, Dan Sane (b. Jan, 24, Michigan, MI, USA. d. Feb. 18, 1956, Memphis, TN, USA), Will Batts (b. Michigan (Benton Co), MS, USA, d. April 16, 1954 ), Jack Kelly (b. ca. 1905, Mississippi, USA, d. ca. 1960, Memphis, TN, USA), and are intertwined. (Sane and Batts have the same birthdate.) By 1925 Frank was playing professionally in Memphis along with fellow guitarist Dan Sane, violinist Will Batts (b. Jan, 24, 1904, Memphis, TN, USA), and singer-guitarist Jack Kelly (b. ca. 1905, Mississippi, USA, d. ca. 1960, Memphis, TN, USA.). Batts will later be the featured instrumentalist in the "Jack Kelly Memphis Jug Band". In 1927, the duo Frank and Dan Sane, billing themselves 'The Beale Street Sheiks', make their first recordings. In 1929 Frank makes his last recordings. Stokes then seems to disappear from sight until 1952 when he became a religious minister. Sadly, on Sept. 15, 1955, just three years later, Stokes died as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage.
NOTES on Jack Kelly:
In 1925, an interesting note is that Jack Kelly's first jug band included Stokes, Sane and Will Batts. In 1933, Kelly, Batts, Sane and jug blower D.M. Higgs, recorded as "The South Memphis Jug Band". In 1934, Kelly disbanded, and afterwards worked solo, occasionally in ad hoc bands, and occasionally with his old friend guitarist Frank Stokes. In 1939, Kelly, Batts and a guitarist (possibly Ernest Lawlars), again recorded. In 1953, Sun Records recorded him playing piano, with Walter "Shakey" Horton and Joe Hill Louis, but never released the 78RPM recorded. Some years later, a small part of that session was released.
1894     Jaspar Taylor, Drums/Washboard, b. Texarkana, TX, USA. d. Nov. 7, 1964.
1953     Kevin Toney, Jazz keyboardist, b. Detroit, MI, USA
1930     Ack Van Rooyen, Trumpet/Flugelhorn, b. The Hague, Netherlands
1947     Ron Wood, Guitar, Joined group: Rolling Stones in 1976
1896     "Mama" Yancey, piano, b. Cairo, IL, USA.
1918     Johnny Young, guitar/mandolin, b. Vicksburg, MS, USA.
          Notable Events occuring this date include:
1942.   Jaroslav Jezek, piano, composer, arranger, leader, died in New York, NY, USA.
1953.   Hank Williams, guitar/songwriter, died in Oak Hill, W. VA, USA. Age: 29. (He died somewhere in the night of December 31, 1952, or the morning of January 1, 1953, in the back seat of his Powder Blue Cadillac convertible.)
1958.   Fulton McGrath, piano, died
1962.   The Beatles auditioned for Decca. (They were turned down in favor of Brian Poole & The Tremeloes.)
1964.   Artie Bernstein, bass, died
1967.   Aubrey "Moon" Mullican, piano, died in Beaumont, Texas. Age: 57. Throughout the 1930s Economic Depression and WWII years, he "cut his teeth" on Western Swing, most notably as vocalist and piano player in Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers. In 1946, he signed with the King Records label. Mullican was a performer with wide-ranging tastes. A piano-pounding honky-tonk man, his playing had a significant musical influence on Jerry Lee Lewis, and others. Many of his King sides, cut with Black producer Henry Glover, jumped to the beat of hardcore R&B.
1970.   Floyd "Salty" Holmes, C&W singer/guitarist/harmonica/Jug,, and member "The Prarie Ramblers," died. Age: 60
1972.   Maurice Chevalier died in Paris, France. Age: 84.
1973.   Jeff Carp, harmonica, died in Panama. Worked with Muddy Waters
1984.   Alexis Korner, guitar, died in London, UK. Age: 55. Member 'Blues Incorporated'
1990.   Dieter Zimmerle, editor (Jazz Podium), died in Stuttgart, Germany. Age: 73
1991.   Buck Ram, producer/arranger/songwriter, died in Las Vegas, NV, USA. Age: 83. Member: 'The Platters'
1995.   Ted Hawkins, (Roots) guitar/vocals/songwriter, died from a stroke in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Age: 58 or 60
1997.   Townes Van Zandt, songwriter, died of heart failure. Age 52
1998.   Dave Schildkraudt, alto and tenor sax, died
          Songs Recorded/Released this date include:
       1955 Open Up Your Heart (And Let The Sunshine In), - Cowboy Church Sunday School
       1966 Must To Avoid, A, - Herman's Hermits