Died On This Date (June 5, 1999) Mel Torme / Jazz Vocal Icon

Mel Torme
September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999

Mel Torme was a jazz singer who they called, the Velvet Fog because of his beautiful voice.  He also did plenty of acting, first on radio and later in such films as Good News and  Frank Sinatra’s Higher and Higher. As a songwriter, Torme penned over 250 songs, many of them becoming jazz standards, including “The Christmas Song” which became a huge hit for Nat King Cole.  Torme continued to perform, record and act well into the ’90s.  In his later years, Torme appeared on such television shows as Seinfeld and Night Court. His 65-year career came to an abrupt end when he suffered a stroke in 1996.  He died of a second stroke on June 5, 1999.

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Mel Tormé

Died On This Date (June 4, 1997) Ronnie Lane / The Small Faces

Ronnie Lane
April 1, 1946 – June 4, 1997

Photo by Craig Petty

Ronnie Lane was born in the east end of London, and from an early age, he wanted to be a musician. Meeting drummer Kenney Jones at 16, Lane formed his first band, the Outkasts with him initially on guitar, but quickly switching to bass. Lane soon met Steve Marriott and together with Jones and Jimmy Winston, they formed the Small Faces in 1965. In 1972, Lane broke from the Small Faces to embark on a solo career. During that time, he hooked up with Pete Townsend to record an album called Rough Mix that was released in 1977. It was during the Rough Mix sessions that Lane discovered he was suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, which barely slowed him down for a bit as he continued to tour and record. In fact he spent most of those days as a gypsy minstrel, traveling the highways of England playing acoustically along the way. In 1983, Lane’s then girlfriend, Boo Oldfield helped arrange an MS benefit concert (A.R.M.S Concert) that featured performances by Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Jones and Andy Fairweather-Low. Joe Cocker and Paul Rodgers were added to a US tour. Suffering from the effects of MS, Lane moved to the better climate of Austin TX, where he continued to work with the likes of Alejandro Escovedo. Since he wasn’t earning royalties from his days with the Small Faces, friends like Jimmy Page and Rod Stewart generously helped with the medical bills. Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan were able to arrange Small Faces royalty payments to Lane, before he died of pneumonia as a result of the MS on June 4, 1997.

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Small Faces

 

Died On This Date (June 4, 2009) David Carradine / Actor and Musician

John “David “Carradine
December 8, 1936 – June 4, 2009

guitarDavid Carradine was an internationally known actor most famous for his leading role in the ’70s television series, Kung Fu and for his role as Bill in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies.  Carradine was also a singer-songwriter who released at least one album entitled As Is.  In fact, he always fancied himself a musician first who just happened to fall into acting when he took a class in college.  Throughout his film career, it wasn’t unusual to find Carradine’s characters playing music.  He was also an occasional performer and local clubs.  David Carradine was 72 when he was found dead in a Bangkok hotel on June 9, 2009.   Cause of death was attributed to accidental asphyxiation.

Thanks to Jeff Ballenberg for the assist.


 

Died On This Date (June 4, 2008) Bill Finegan / Arranger For Tommy Dorsey & Glenn Miller

Bill Finegan
April 3, 1917 – June 4, 2008

Bill Finegan, was a music arranger that helped such big band greats as Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller formulate their sounds.  He arranged suts hits as “Sunrise Serenade,” and “Little Brown Jug.”  Finegan also arranged music for films like The Fabulous Dorseys, Orchestra Wives and Sun Valley Serenade.  In later years, Fenegan wrote music for commercials and taught music at the Univerisity of Bridgeport.  Bill Finegan died from complications of pneumonia at the age of 90.