Died On This Date (August 17, 1990) Pearl Bailey / Iconic American Vocalist

Pearl Bailey
March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990

The great Pearl Bailey was a singer and actress who went from the vaudeville stage to television and Broadway, eventually winning an Emmy and Tony award.  She began her career as a teenager singing and dancing in clubs in the Philadelphia area.  By the early ’40s she was entertaining troops with the USO.  Upon her return to the states, Bailey settled in New York where she performed with the likes of Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway.  In 1952, Bailey married jazz great, Louis Bellson who died in 2009, just five months before the passing of their daughter, singer Dee Dee Bellson .   She made her Broadway debut in a 1954 production of Carmen Jones, and later starred in an all-black production of Hello Dolly!, for which she won a Tony.  She recorded popular singles and albums through much of her professional life.  During the ’70, Bailey was a familiar face on television, appearing on countless variety programs as well as hosting her own.  She also voiced animated features including Disney’s The Fox And The Hound in 1981.  Pearl Bailey died of heart disease on August 17, 1990 at the age of 72.

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Pearl Bailey Sings Porgy & Bess and Other Gerswhin Melodies - Pearl Bailey

Died On This Date (July 4, 2009) Dee Dee Bellson / Jazz Vocalist

Dee Dee Bellson
April 20, 1960 – July 4, 2009

With Louis Bellson
With Louis Bellson

Dee Dee Bellson was the adopted daughter of Pearl Bailey and Louis Bellson.  As a child, Bellson traveled with her mother on tour and occasionally appeared on her television show.  She later became a professional jazz singer, touring all over the world, performing with her father’s band, and singing on albums by such jazz artists as Weather Report and Wayne Shorter.  Dee Dee Bellson died as a result of a heart attack at the age of 49.


Died On This Date (February 14, 2009) Louie Bellson / Jazz Great

Louie Bellson (Born Luigi Belassoni)
July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009

louis-bellsonLouie Bellson was one of jazz’s greatest drummers.  If there were a Mt. Rushmore of jazz drummers, Bellson would likely sit there alongside Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich.  During a career that spanned over 70 years, he played with nearly every jazz icon of the 20th century.  That list includes Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington and Pearl Bailey, to whom he was married for nearly 40 years.  Their adopted daughter, Dee Dee Bellson, a successful jazz singer in her own right, also passed away in 2009.  Bellson’s most significant contribution to jazz was perhaps his use of two bass drums, which became standard practice to future generations.   Louis Bellson was 84 when he passed away from complications of a broken hip and Parkinson’s Disease on February 14, 2009.

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Louie Bellson