Died On This Date (April 24, 1970) Otis Spann / Chicago Blues Legend
themusicsover Otis Spann
March 21, 1930 – April 24, 1970
Otis Spann was one of greatest blues pianists to come out of post-war Chicago. And some consider him the greatest, period. Spann gigged around mostly on his own throughout much of his teens and then joined up with Muddy Waters in 1952. He appeared on nearly every one of his Chess recordings. Oddly, Chess failed to recognize his talents as a singer, so he left to record for Candid, Vanguard, Storyville and others. Otis Spann would have no doubt earned the fame he deserved had he lived past the age of 40. He died of liver cancer on April 24, 1970
What You Should Own
Tristram Cary was a British composer and pioneering electronic musician. But his greatest contribution to popular music was probably the EMS VCS3 portable synthesizer which he co-designed. The instrument became very popular with such English electronic and prog acts as Pink Floyd, Brian Eno and Roxy Music. He also wrote music for British television show, Dr. Who, as well as some British films.
Jimmy Giuffre was a respected jazz composer and arranger and also was also known for his stylish saxophone and clarinet skills. Getting his start as Woody Herman’s arranger in 1947, he went on to become of the main forces of West coast jazz. In 1961, Giuffre formed a trio with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow who, though not very successful at the time, went down in history as one of the most important groups in jazz history. Giuffre went on to teach at NYU and later the New England Conservatory of Music through the ’90s. He suffered from Parkinson’s Disease throughout his later life and passed away on April 24, 2008 at the age of 86.
Al Hibler was a blind singer who spent most of the 1940s singing 
DJ Hideo was a very popular and highly respected Los Angeles DJ who is perhaps best remembered as the mix show director, production assistant and on-air turntablist at local powerhouse radio station, KKBT, “The Beat.” While there, Hideo build a sizable following thanks to his on-air spinning for the popular Steve Harvey and John Salley programs, among others. Hideo became a key fixture of L.A.’s hip hop scene while performing with some of the biggest names of the genre as well as DJ’ing at high-profile events. Throughout the years, he has opened for the likes of Coolio, Ludacris and Xzibit. He also produced and hosted the West Coast Takeover show on Sirius/XM. By doing all this and more, Hideo rightfully earned the moniker of “The Hardest Working DJ On The West Coast.” On April 24, 2010, DJ Hideo, age 42, died after a long struggle with colon and liver cancer.