Gregory “G Baby” Brown
DOB Unknown – March 13, 2010
G Baby was an up-and-coming New York City rapper who was signed to Memphis Bleek’s Get Low Records. He was reportedly facing a prison term for selling drugs. On March 13, 2010, G Baby was gunned down by an unknown assailant as he was leaving an NYC club. He was 22 years old.
Charlie “Bird” Parker
August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955
If jazz had a Mount Rushmore, Charlie “Bird” Parker would be front and center. Parker was a highly influential saxophonist and band leader who launched his career in 1937. And when jazz branched off into bebop during the 1940s, Parker rose to the top. Many of Parker’s songs have since become jazz standards, and just his image alone, has become synonymous with “hip.” Unfortunately as his fame and fortune grew, so did his use of drugs, alcohol, and ultimately, heroin. On March 12, 1955, Charlie Parker died of pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer, reportedly brought on by years of substance abuse. And even though he was just 34, the coroner apparently wrote down that he was in his 50s or 60s.
Lesley Duncan
August 12, 1943 – March 12, 2010
Lesley Duncan was a moderately successful English folk singer during the late ’60s and ’70s. After working on her own during the early part of her career, Duncan hooked up with Elton John in 1970 to sing a duet of her “Love Song” which appeared on his Tumbleweed Connection album. It remains one of just a handful of songs John recorded that was penned by someone outside of his and Bernie Taupin’s creative circle. Duncan went on to provide backing vocals on such albums as John’s Madman Across The Water, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and the Alan Parsons Project’s Eve. During the ’70s, she lent her vocal talents to recordings by Dusty Springfield, among many others. Lesley Duncan was 66 when she died on March 12, 2010 of causes believed to be related to cerebrovascular disease.
Rockie Charles (Born Charles Merrick)
November 14, 1942 – March 12, 2010
Rockie Charles was a beloved New Orleans R&B singer and guitarist who had been called “The President of Soul.” Born into a musical family, Charles was schooled in reading and writing music at a very young age. As he grew older, he generally won local talent competitions and occasionally shared the stage with the likes of Aaron Neville and Ernie K-Doe. He formed his first band while still in high school and by the late ’60s he was playing the chitlin’ circuit, opening for some of the biggest names in R&B at the time. Like many traditional R&B artists, Charles’ career slowed down during the ’70s as local clubs began booking disco acts, but he experienced a nice renaissance during the ’90s. Since then, he was a popular draw throughout the region’s music festivals, and had been working on a new album at the time of his death. On March 12, 2010, Rockie Charles, 67, died of cancer.
Sonny Terry (Born Saunders Terrell)
October 24, 1911 – March 11, 1986
Sonny Terry was a blind blues singer and harmonica player from North Carolina. He was one of the most popular of the Piedmont blues scene. During his early days, he performed and recorded with guitarist, Blind Boy Fuller. And when Fuller passed away, he joined up with Brownie McGhee, and together they played well into the 1970s. The pair was celebrated during the folk revival of the ’60s, a time when they were popular festival draws at the Newport Folk Festival and such. Sonny Terry died of natural causes on March 11, 1986.
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