Died On This Date (April 2, 1987) Buddy Rich / Acclaimed Jazz Drummer
themusicsover Buddy Rich
September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987
Buddy Rich was an American jazz drummer who was considered by many to be the greatest drummer, period. His power and speed were unmatched. He was the backbone behind classic recordings by a who’s who of popular music, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson. His television appearances were frequent and ranged from sitting in with Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show band to having a “drum off” with The Muppet Show’s “Animal.” Buddy Rich passed away from a heart failure while being treated for a malignant brain tumor. He was 69.
What You Should Own
Eubie Blake was a jazz pianist and songwriter who is most closely associated with the golden age of ragtime jazz. Many of his compositions, such as “I’m Just Wild About Harry,” “Charleston Rag,” and “Memories of You” have become standards. In 1921, Shuffle Along, a musical he co-wrote, became one of the first Broadway shows that was written and directed by African-Americans. Blake continued to work well into his later life and was a regular guest on the Johnny Carson and 
Although he was small in stature, picked the guitar lightly, and sang almost in a whisper, Mississippi John Hurt’s influence on folk and blues was huge. He learned to play the guitar before he was ten, and by the early 1920s, he had already been playing in front of crowds at local barn dances. In 1928, and on the recommendation of a friend who had recently won an Okeh Records contract in a talent contest, Hurt was asked to audition for the label. He was signed that same year and given two recording sessions that produced collection of sides that sadly, never had a chance to develop since Okeh soon went under due to the Great Depression. Hurt soon retired from the music business and went back to his life as a sharecropper. Fast forward about 35 years to 1963. The folk revival was in full swing when music historian, Tom Hoskins heard those old recordings and sought out to find Hurt. He tracked him down still living in Avalon, Mississippi and convinced him to move to Washington DC and relaunch his music career. Hurt’s set at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival was that of legend, and he was subsequently signed to legendary folk label, Vanguard Records. He went on to tour the country and even perform on the Tonight Show With Johnny Carson. Hurt’s music influenced a new generation of singer-songwriters from blues to country to folk. Mississippi John Hurt died of a heart attack on November 2, 1966. In 2001, Morgana Kennedy and the folks at Vanguard records released Avalon Blues: A Tribute to the Music of Mississippi John Hurt. It contained versions of John Hurt songs by the likes of Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Ben Harper, Beck and John Hiatt.
Jud Strunk was an American singer-songwriter who flirted with success during the 1970’s. He recorded several records through the course of his career, one of which, “The Biggest Parakeets in Town” continues to get airplay on Dr. Demento’s syndicated radio program. His biggest hit came in 1974 with the release of “A Daisy a Day,” which landed in the Top 20 of Billboard’s pop and country charts. Though his name might not have been a household one, he was a semi-regular guest on such television programs as Laugh-In and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. A licensed pilot, Jud Strunk suffered a heart attack while taking off in his small plane on October 15, 1981. The plane crashed, instantly killing Strunk, age 45, and his passenger.