Ernie K-Doe (Born Ernest Kador)
February 22, 1936 – July 5, 2001
New Orleans born, Ernie K-Doe was best known for his huge #1 hit, “Mother-In-Law,” released in 1961. A colorful performer, K-Doe was a popular draw in and around Louisiana for many years. During the ’80s, K-Doe hosted a popular New Orleans radio program. Ernie K-Doe passed away in 2001 at the age of 65.
Paul Hackman
1953 – July 5, 1992
Paul Hackman was a founding guitarist for Canadian hard rock band, Helix. Formed in 1974 for a battle-of-the-bands contest, the band quickly built a following in their homeland which eventually lead to a deal with Capitol Records in 1984. The band soon released a racy video for “Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'” which caused a bit of a stir years later when it was discovered it featured a then 16-year-old Traci Lords dancing around nude. Of course, no one knew she was underage at the time. Several years later, while on a Canadian tour in 1992, the band’s bus veered off a 40-foot embankment, throwing Hackman to his death. He had been asleep behind the driver.
Harry James
March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983
Harry James was a popular band leader and trumpet player whose career started in the mid ’30s. After performing with Ben Pollack, James joined Benny Goodman’s band for about a year, leaving that to form his own big band in 1939. One musical footnote includes Frank Sinatra, who sang with James very early in his career. Legend has it that James wanted Sinatra to change his name to Frankie Satin. Fortunately, Sinatra refused. Later employing Buddy Rich, James stayed active with his band until the early ’80s. In 1983, he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer, likely due to years of heavy smoking. And even though he was dying, James continued to perform right up until nine days before he passed away on July 5, 1983.
Shirley Goodman
June 19, 1936 – July 5, 2005
Shirley Goodman was an R&B singer who, with Lee Leonard, performed as Shirley & Lee during the 1950s. Their first single, 1952’s “I’m Gone” reached #2 on the R&B charts and is considered by some scholars as an early influence on ska. In 1956, their recording of “Let the Good Times Roll” topped the R&B charts and made it into the top 20 of the pop charts. Shirley & Lee broke up in 1962 after which Goodman sang on records by the likes of Sonny & Cher and Dr. John. She had a dance hit with “Shame Shame Shame,” in 1974. Shirley Goodman, 69, passed away on July 5, 2005.
David Fanshawe
April 19, 1942 – July 5, 2010
David Fanshawe was a revered English ethnomusicologist and sometime composer who created music for television shows and more. After high school, he began to study music in college while working as a film editor and traveling the world during holidays. While on these excursions, many times hitchhiking, Fanshawe took along a tape recorder to capture the traditional folk songs of the people he encountered along the way. This continued, but much more extensively upon his graduation. Meanwhile, Fanshawe was also composing music, much of it for English television and film scores. Many of his pieces incorporated the field music he recorded during his travels. Samples of these recordings can also be heard in such American films as Gangs Of New York and How To Make an American Quilt. In all, Fanshawe’s collection grew to over 2000 hours of music and over 6000 photographs. David Fanshawe was 67 when he died of a stroke on July 5, 2010.
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