Died On This Date (April 15, 1998) Rose Maddox / Country Legend
themusicsover Rose Maddox (Born Roselea Brogdon)
August 15, 1925 – April 15, 1998
Rose Maddox was a country singer, musician and songwriter who performed with her siblings as Maddox Brothers and Rose during the late ’30s and early ’40s. When her brothers went off to serve their country in WWII, Rose continued as a solo act and later rejoined the boys upon their return. And even though they were considered a “hillbilly” band, they were most popular in California, likely due to its growing population of Southern immigrants. They have been called the “greatest hillbilly band of all time,” while Rose has been referred to as the “grandmother of rockabilly.” After the group disbanded in the late ’50s, Rose signed to Capitol Records as a solo act. She scored several Top 20 hits including a #4 hit duet with Buck Owens. In the mid ’60s, Rose switched gears a bit and started performing bluegrass. She found a new audience among the folk revivalists of the era. She continued recording and performing occasionally well into the ’90s, even earning a Grammy nomination in 1996. She died of kidney failure in 1998 at the age of 71.
What You Should Own
Machito was a Latin musician who, during the ’40s, took jazz improv and married it with Afro-Cuban rhythms to help popularize Latin jazz around the world. As a band leader, he fronted the Afro Cubans, who also featured his sister, 
Robert Brookins began singing at the tender age of four, and never looked back. After winning a Motown talent search in 1974, he joined a group called Afterbach whose debut was produced by Earth Wind & Fire’s Maurice and Verdine White. Brookin’s vocals were featured on George Duke’s self titled release of 1986. He soon signed to MCA Records for whom he recorded a handful of acclaimed R&B albums. Over his career he worked with the likes of Stephanie Mills, Deniece Williams, the Whispers, Jeffrey Osbourne, and Bobby Brown. Robert Brookins died of a heart attack at the age of 46.