Died On This Date (June 6, 1991) Stan Getz / Jazz Great
themusicsover Stan Getz (Born Stan Gayetzky)
February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991
Stan Getz was a jazz saxophone player who earned the nickname, “The Sound” because of his warm mellow tone. Although he tried his hand at several different instruments, it was the saxophone he received from his father at 13 that Getz connected with. He reportedly practiced as much as eight hours a day and was soon playing in the All City High School Orchestra of New York City. And remarkably, Getz was hired at just 16 years old to play in Jack Teagarden’s band. He would go on to play with the likes of Nat King Cole, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman and Stan Kenton before he was barely into his 20s. Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, Getz came to exemplify all that was “cool jazz.” He also dabbled in bossa nova, partnering with Tom Jobim, Joao Gilberto and Astrud Gilberto to record the classic album, Getz/Gilberto from which their Grammy-winning hit “The Girl From Impanema” came from. In the ’70s, Getz moved toward fusion, recording with Stanley Clarke and Chick Corea. Stan Getz struggled with drug and alcohol addiction from an early age, which likely lead to his death from liver failure at the age of 64.
What You Should Own
Besides winning a Grammy for his own work, keyboardist Billy Preston made major contributions to some of the greatest names in pop music history. He can be heard playing alongside the Rolling Stones, Little Richard, 
Dana Key was a prominent Christian rock musician who is perhaps best remembered as one half of DeGarmo & Key, a duo he had with Eddie DeGarmo. Formed in 1978, DeGarmo & Key released several popular Christian based albums throughout the the ’80s and ’90s, many of which nominated for Grammy and Dove awards. In 1985, their “Six Six Six” became the first video by a Christian music act to air on MTV. Key was also a direct descendant of Francis Scott Key who wrote the “Star Spangled Banner.” After he retired from performing, Key ran the popular Memphis independent label, Ardent Records. On June 6, 2010, Dana Key died unexpectedly of a ruptured blood clot. He was 56 years old.
