Died On This Date (September 19, 1968) Red Foley / Early Country Music Star

Clyde “Red” Foley

June 17, 1910 – September 19, 1968

Red Foley was one of country music’s most popular performers during the ’40s and ’50s.  He sold upwards of 25 million records during his career, and his “Peace In The Valley” was the first gospel record to be certified a million-seller.  Known as Mr. Country Music, Foley became part of the Grand Ole Opry’s radio program in 1946,  and a decade later, he successfully transitioned to television.   After performing during two Grand Ole Opry shows in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Red Foley died of heart failure in his sleep later that night.  He was 58 years old.

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Red Foley

Died On This Date (September 19, 2009) DJ Roc Raida / The X-Ecutioners

Roc Raida (Born Anthony Williams)
May 17, 1972 – September 19, 2009

raidaRoc Raida was a DJ / Turntablist primarily known for his work with the X-Ecutioners, a crew of New York DJs who gained popularity in the ’90s.  They collaborated with many hip hop greats including Cypress Hill and Kool G Rap.  In 2002, the X-Ecutioners released Built From Scratch on Loud Records.  An innovator on the turntable, Raida worked on recordings by the likes of Big Pun and Buckshot LeFonque with Branford Marsalis.  On September 19, 2009, DJ Roc Raida died of cardiac arrest that was attributed to an accident he suffered while training in Krav Magna several weeks earlier.  He was 37.

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Built from Scratch - X-Ecutioners

Died On This Date (September 19, 2009) Arthur Ferrante / Ferrante & Teicher

Arthur Ferrante
September 7, 1921 – September 19, 2009

L-R: Arthur Ferrante, Louis Teicher

Arthur Ferrante and Lou Teicher performed as Ferrante & Teicher, a very popular piano duo who scored many hits during the ’60s and ’70s.  Many of their songs were recorded for popular films of the day.  Their hits included “Exodus,” “Theme From The Apartment,” and “Midnight Cowboy.”  Ferrante & Teicher retired in 1989 and Arthur Ferrante passed away on September 19, 2009.

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All Time Great Movie Themes - Ferrante & Teicher

Died On This Date (September 19, 1994) Frankie Kennedy / Altan

Frankie Kennedy
September 30, 1955 – September 19, 1994

With Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh
With Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh

Frankie Kennedy was a founding member of popular Irish  traditional folk band, Altan with whom he played the flute.  Formed with his wife, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, in the early ’80s, the band became widely popular during the ’90s, selling millions of albums worldwide and touring for adoring fans the world over.  They even performed for President Bill Clinton at the White House on St. Patrick’s Day, 1994.  In 1992, Frankie Kennedy discovered he had Ewing’s sarcoma, an aggressive cancer.  He died of the disease at the age of 38.

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Horse With a Heart - Altan

Died On This Date (September 19, 2008) Richard Sudhalter / Respected Jazz Trumpeter and Author

Richard Sudhalter
December 28, 1938 – September 19, 2008

Richard Sudhalter was a jazz trumpeter who actually earned his biggest acclaim as a jazz historian and biographer.  As a musician, he has been compared to Louis Armatrong, Bix Beiderbecke and Bunny Berigan.  Over the years, Sudhalter wrote critically acclaimed biographies on Beiderbecke and Hoagy Carmichael.   In 1999, he published the controversial, Lost Chords: White Musicians and Their Contribution to Jazz, 1915-1945 causing a bit of a stir, primarily since he argued that white jazz musicians never received their true acclaim.  Richard Sudhalter died of a degenerative condition similar to Lou Gehrig’s Disease at the age of 69.