Fw: [Bluesville] Today In Blues - Dec 11


From: hiway_61revisited <hiway_61revisited@...>
Subject: [Bluesville] Today In Blues - Dec 11
To: Bluesville@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2008, 10:19 PM

Today In Blues - Dec 11

© 2004 L.W. "Junior" Jackson

On this 11th day of December in 1951 acoustic Blues guitarist
/songwriter "Diamond" Jim Greene (Black Magic, Cooling Board Records)
was born in Chicago.
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Saxaphonist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer Booker T Jones of
Booker T and The MGs was born today in 1944 in Memphis, TN.
Jones was one of the creators of The "Memphis Sound" and is featured
on countless Soul and Blues hits from Stax Records, including Sam and
Dave`s "Soul Man", "Hold on, I`m Comin", and hits by Otis Redding,
Wilson Pickett, Rufus and Carla Thomas, and Albert King, among
others. He co-wrote the Blues classic "Born Under a Bad Sign". His
band had several solo instrumental hits, including "Green Onions",
and "Groovin`"
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Darryl Jones, bassist for The Rolling Stones, was born in Chicago on
this day in 1961.
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Blues vocalist, drummer and harmonica player Big Mama Thornton was
born on this day in 1926 in Montgomery, AL.
Thornton is best known for being the originater of the Elvis
hit "Hound Dog" and her song "Ball and Chain" whose overwrought but
well intentioned cover by Janis Joplin helped Thornton`s career
immensely in the 60s.
Thornton was an accomplished harp player, almost unheard of for a
female in those days. She was a tough cookie who dressed like a man
and took no gruff from anyone. Years of drug abuse took its toll, and
her once ample frame dwindled to downright scrawny in her later years.
She was found dead in a low-rent rooming house in L.A. in 1984.
Recommended: "The Original Hound Dog" on Ace, "The Peacock
Recordings" on MCA, and The Complete Vanguard Years" on Vanguard.
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Jazz pianist McCoy Tyner was born on this day in 1938 in Philadelphia,
PA.
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Steve Wagner, producer for Delmark records, was born in Chicago on
this day in 1957.
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Chicago Guitarist Andrew Brown died on this day in 1985 in Harvey, IL
at age 48.
Brown moved from Mississippi to Chicago in 1946 at age nine and was
tutored on guitar by Earl Hooker. By the early 50s he was playing
professionally. He was woefully underecorded, releasing a few
singles in the sixties, until Alligator released 3 of his songs on
its` anthology series "Living Chicago Blues" in 1980. Dick Shurman
produced 1982`s Handy Award winning album "Big Brown`s Chicago Blues"
on Black Magic records, and "On The Case" for Double Trouble in 1985.
Brown was already suffering from lung cancer by then, and he died
shortly after its release.
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Country fiddle pioneer "Fiddlin" John Carson (OKeh Records) died on
this day in 1949 in Atlanta, GA at age 81.
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Soul, R&B and Gospel guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and producer Sam
Cooke died on this day in Los Angeles, CA in 1964 at age 33.
Cooke was a major influence on soul music in his short career and had
several big hits, including "Bring It On Home To Me".
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Gospel vocalist Andy Kirk of The Clouds Of Joy died on this day in
1992 in Harlem, NY at age 94.
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On this day in 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13-year-old cousin,
Myra Gale Brown.
Although that may have been accepted in rural Louisiana, it was not
in the rest of the country and nearly ruined Lewis` career.
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On this day in 1960, Aretha Franklin makes her New York debut at The
Village Vanguard.