Died On This Date (November 4, 2009) Art D’Lugoff / Owned The Village Gate
themusicsover Art D’Lugoff
August 2, 1924 – November 4, 2009
Art D’Lugoff was a highly respected jazz impresario who opened the Village Gate in New York in 1958. The Greenwich Village jazz club became world famous thanks to D’Lugoff’s bookings of such greats as Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday and many more. Though mostly known as jazz venue, thanks in part to numerous “Live at the Village Gate” jazz albums over the years, D’Lugoff also hosted rock, blues, and R&B acts like Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, and Aretha Franklin. He does however, have the dubious honor of refusing to book a young Bob Dylan. D’lugoff closed the club in 1994 due to financial troubles. In later years, he was instrumental in the development of the National Jazz Museum of Harlem, and acted consultant for the 2008 opening of a new jazz club, Le Poisson Rouge, which stands in the original location of the Village Gate. Art D’Lugoff passed away at the age of 85 on November 4, 2009.
Eugene Powell was a Mississippi born Delta blues musician who, like so many of his peers, picked up the guitar while still a child. During his early career, Powell, who was also proficient on the banjo, violin and harmonica, occasionally performed and recorded with the Mississippi Sheiks. Sometimes performing under the name of Sonny Boy Nelson, Powell built a strong regional following throughout the ’30s and ’40s. But as rock ‘n roll and R&B began to take root, his music began to fall out of favor with young audiences so he was all but retired during the ’50s. He experienced a bit of a comeback during the folk revival of the ’60s, and was encouraged to record and tour the festival circuit. He signed to Adelphi Records in the early ’70s and recorded such sides as “Street Walkin’,” “Suitcase Full of Trouble,” “44 Blues,” and “Meet Me in the Bottoms.” By the ’90s, Powell’s health began to ail so he was living in a nursing facility. He passed away on November 4, 1998.
Jheryl Busby was a long time music industry executive who, in recent years, was the President and CEO of Motown Records. Busby’s career in music began in the early ’70s when he was hired by Stax Records to be the head of West Coast promotion and marketing. From there, he moved on to A&M, Casablanca, and then MCA Records where he helped establish the black music division which developed into the one of the most lucrative labels of the ’80s thanks to discoveries like New Edition and Jody Watley. In doing so, Busby was elevated to the rank of President. In 1988, Busby purchased a stake in Motown Records and became it’s President and CEO. There he helped develop such young talent and Boys II Men and Queen Latifah while rebuilding catalog sales during the height of the CD revolution. In the later years of his career, Busby worked for DreamWorks Entertainment. On November 4, 2008, Jheryl Busby, 59, was found dead in his hot tub. His death was ruled accidental, caused by pre-existing cardiovascular and other conditions.
Byron Lee was a Jamaican musician, band leader and producer who has been credited for introducing the electric bass to Jamaica. He formed the Dragonaires in the early ’50s. They went on to become one of the most successful and influential ska bands Jamaica has ever known. As a producer, Lee worked with the likes of the Maytals. He later bought a recording studio and turned it into the best of it’s kind in Jamaican, hosting the Rolling Stones and Paul Simon among other major acts. In 2007, it became known that Lee was being treated for bladder cancer. Although he was no longer able to perform with the Dragonaires, he continued on in a management capacity. Byron Lee died of cancer at the age of 73.
Fred “Sonic” Smith was the founding guitarist for Detroit proto punk band, the MC5. Formed in 1964 with Wayne Kramer, 