Died On This Date (November 24, 1985) Big Joe Turner / Influential Jump Blues Singer

Big Joe Turner
May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985

Big Joe Turner was a jump blues singer who has been rightfully called “The Boss of the Blues.”  He is also considered to be one of the direct influences on early rock ‘n roll.  Turner’s career began during the 1920s as a singing bartender in around his hometown of Kansas City.  He eventually moved to New York City where, in 1938, legendary talent scout, John Hammond Sr. gave him a slot on the groundbreaking From Spiritual to Swing concerts.  By the early ’40s, Turner was living in Los Angeles where he worked with the likes of Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, Count Basie, and Meade Lux Lewis.  In 1951, Turner signed with the up-and-coming label, Atlantic Records where he began releasing a string of upbeat songs that would help establish rock ‘n roll as a new art form.  Such records included  “Sweet Sixteen,” “Chains of Love,” “Corrine Corrina” and “Shake Rattle and Roll,” which would be made into hits by Bill Haley and Elvis Presley.   Turner returned to a more traditional blues sound during the ’60s.  Big Joe Turner was 74 when he suffered a fatal heart attack on November 24, 1985.

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Died On This Date (November 24, 2008) Kenny MacLean / Platinum Blonde

Kenny MacLean
January 9, 1956 – November 24, 2008

Kenny MacLean is best remembered as the bassist for Canadian new wave band, Platinum Blonde.  Initially formed as a Police tribute band, Platinum Blonde went on to become one Canada’s most popular bands of the the era, selling in the multi-platinum status and earning two Juno nominations.  During the ’90s, MacLean released a couple of solo albums and earned a Most Promising Male Vocalist Juno nomination.  He went into music education during the 2000s, forming his own teaching academy in 2006.  Kenny MacLean, 52,  died of natural causes related to his heart on November 24, 2008.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.

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Died On This Date (November 24, 2008) Michael Lee / Drummed For Robert Plant; Thin Lizzy

Michael Lee (Born Michael Pearson)
November 19, 1969 – November 24, 2008

Michael Lee was a respected English drummer who, after a short career as the with ’90s rock band, Little Angels, began recording and touring with many of the era’s greatest musicians.  His first gig of magnitude came in 1991 when he toured as part of the Cult’s band.  In 1993, he began working with Robert Plant on record and on tour.  That lead to a Led Zeppelin reunion of sorts when Plant began collaborating with Jimmy Page as Page and Plant.  While working with Plant, Lee co-wrote “Please Read the Letter” which won a Grammy for Plant and Alison Krauss in 2009.  Throughout his career, Lee also collaborated with a reconfigured Thin Lizzy, Quireboys, Lenny Kravitz, Ian Gillan, and Echo & The Bunnymen.  Michael Lee died of an epileptic seizure in his home at the age of 39.



Died On This Date (November 23, 1992) Roy Acuff / Country Music Icon

Roy Acuff
September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992

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Roy Acuff was a country musician, singer, songwriter, promoter and publisher who was rightfully called, the King of Country Music.  Acuff got his start when, in 1932, he was hired to entertain potential customers of a traveling medicine show.  He left in 1934 to form his first band, the Crazy Tennesseans with whom he moved to Nashville in 1938.  They were soon offered a contract with the Grand Ole Opry.  In 1942, Acuff partnered with Fred Rose to open Acuff-Rose Music, which became Nashville’s biggest country music publishing company. The company quickly became very successful by hiring such songwriters as Lefty Frizzell, Roy Orbison, Don Gibson and many more.  As a performer, Acuff’s career started to falter during the ’50s and ’60s due to the fickle tastes of music fans, but in the early ’70s, he experienced a bit of a comeback thanks to his appearance on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s landmark album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken.  He continued to perform sporadically throughout his later life.  Roy Acuff was 89 when he died of heart failure on November 23, 1992.

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Died On This Date (November 23, 1969) Spade Cooley / Influential Country Swing Fiddler

Donnell “Spade” Cooley
December 17, 1910 – November 23, 1969

Photo: Getty Images

Spade Cooley was a western swing fiddle player, band leader and television personality who came to prominence during the 1940s.   Born in Oklahoma, Cooley eventually settled in Southern California where he and his band took up residence in the Venice Pier Ballroom.  During the first part of the ’40s, the band performed a then-unheard of run of eighteen months.  During that time, Cooley released his first of a string of Top 10 singles, “Shame On You.” By the early ’50s, Cooley was a popular face on film and television as well, appearing in almost forty westerns, and hosting his own television program from 1949 to 1959.  His career came to an abrupt end in 1961 when he was convicted of beating his second wife, Ella Mae Evans, to death when she told him she wanted a divorce.   After serving eight years of his sentence, Spade Cooley was permitted to perform at a sheriff’s benefit concert on November 23, 1969.  Following his set, Cooley suffered a fatal heart attack backstage.

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