Died On This Date (January 6, 2009) Rev. Claude Jeter / The Swan Silvertones

Claude Jeter
October 26, 1914 – January 6, 2009

Photo by Jack Vartoogian
Photo by Jack Vartoogian

Reverend Claude Jeter was a much respected gospel singer and founding member of the Swan Silvertones, one of the genre’s most beloved groups.  And for a time, he was also a member of the equally respected Dixie Hummingbirds.  As a singer, Jeter is said to have inspired the likes of Eddie Kendricks, Al Green and Paul Simon who has claimed that Jeter’s “Mary Don’t You Weep” inspired him to write “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.”  Simon returned the favor years later by hiring Jeter to sing on his There Goes Rhymin’ Simon album.  The Reverend Claude Jeter was 94 when he passed away on January 6, 2009

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Heavenly Light - The Swan Silvertones



Died On This Date (January 5, 2009) Willa Mae Dorsey / Gospel Great

Willa Mae Dorsey
DOB Unknown – January 5, 2009

Photo by Frederick D. Joe
Photo by Frederick D. Joe

Willa Mae Dorsey was a Grammy-nominated Gospel singer whose career spanned nearly 60 years.  She began singing while still in her teens, often songs written by her cousin Thomas A. Dorsey, the “Father of Gospel Music.”  Over the years, she sang for princes and presidents and reportedly was one of the first black singers to sing in white churches.  In 1969, she released her first album, The World’s Most Exciting Gospel Singer, for which she was nominated for a Grammy.  The following year, she released what would become her best-selling album, Stand Tall.  Willa Mae Dorsey, age 75, died on January 5, 2009 after a series of strokes.


Died On This Date (December 2, 2011) Howard Tate / Soul Music Legend

Howard Tate
August 14, 1939 – December 2, 2011

Howard Tate was an American soul and gospel singer and songwriter who first found his audience during the ’60s and early ’70s.  With bluesy soul records like “Ain’t Nobody Home,” “Granny,” and “Stop,” Tate built a sizable following which included no less than Janis Joplin, who recorded his “Get It While You Can” on her Pearl album.  After retiring from the music business during the late ’70s, Tate fell into some hard times, and eventually found work as a drug and mental illness counselor and preacher.  In 2003, he mounted a much welcomed comeback with the release of the Grammy nominated Rediscovered which was produced by Jerry Ragavoy who died the same for Tate’s hits back in the 1960s.  Tate back in  A live album followed the following year, and in 2006 he released A Portrait Of Howard, produced by Steve Weisberg and featuring songs by Carla Bley, Lou Reed, and Nick Lowe.  Howard Tate died from complications of Multiple Myeloma and Leukemia on December 2, 2011.  He was 72.

Thanks to Steve Weisberg for the assist.

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A Portrait of Howard - Howard Tate & The Steve Weisberg Orchestra

Died On This Date (October 28, 2011) Beryl Davis / Popular Big Band Singer

Beryl Davis
March 16, 1924 – October 28, 2011

Beryl Davis was a popular British big band singer who got her start fronting her father’s (Harry Davis) band during the 1940s.  During WWII, Davis entertained the Allied troops, and it was around this time she was discovered by Glenn Miller who hired her to sing in the Army Air Force Orchestra.  She also toured Europe with Stephane Grappelli and George Shearing during that period.  She eventually moved to Los Angeles where she sang with Frank Sinatra for about a year on Your Hit Parade.  In 1954, Davis formed the Gospel quartet, the Four Girls, with Rhonda Fleming, Jane Russell, and Connie Haines.  They released several hit albums and singles including perhaps their most popular, “Do Lord.”  Beryl Davis died from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease on October 28, 2011. She was 87.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus for the assist.

 

Died On This Date (September 26, 2011) Jessy Dixon / Popular Gospel Singer; Toured With Paul Simon

Jessy Dixon
March 12, 1938 – September 26, 2011

Jessy Dixon was highly influential Gospel singer, musician, and songwriter who earned seven Grammy nominations while endearing himself to audiences world wide thanks to his passionately soulful live performances.  While deeply committed to his Ministry, Dixon occasionally flirted with pop music, earning accolades from the likes of Natalie Cole, Bette Midler, and Diana Ross.   Unlike many of his contemporaries, Dixon was able to find an equal audience in both young and old, and black and white.  Nothing spoke to that more than his longtime association with Bill Gaither and his Gospel Hour program.   Born in San Antonio, Texas, Dixon began singing when he was just five.  He and his family soon moved to Chicago, where he was reportedly discovered by the great James Cleveland who went on to record a few of his songs.  After meeting him at his 1972 Newport Jazz Festival performance at Radio City Music Hall, Paul Simon took Dixon on tour with him, launching a collaborative relationship that would last eight years.  As reported in the Chicago Tribune, Jessy Dixon passed away on September 26, 2011 at the age of 73.

Thanks to Scott Miller for the assist.