Died On This Date (August 14, 1964) Johnny Burnette / Rockabilly Pioneer

Johnny Burnette
March 25, 1934 – August 14, 1964

Johnny Burnette was one of the originators of what would later be called rockabilly. Along with his brother, Dorsey Burnette and friend Paul Burlison, Burnette formed The Rock and Roll Trio who would cause a bit of a stir from a remarkable amount of promotional appearances for a band in such infancy. They were lucky enough to appear on American Bandstand, Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour, the Tonight Show and Kraft Music Hall. Unfortunately, the night they appeared in the finals of Ted Mack, Elvis Presley made his debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. But even with all of this great exposure, their records failed to catch on, leading the the end of the group in the fall of 1957. It should be noted that for about six years of his childhood, Dorsey and his family lived in the same Memphis housing project as Gladys, Vernon and Elvis Presley. Both Burnettes also spent their early days as amateur boxers, culminating in Golden Gloves championships for each. Johnny took a shot at turning professional, but after only earning $60 and a broken nose in his first bout, he decided to change careers. By the late ’50s, the Burnette brothers were living in Los Angeles where they would work with and have their songs recorded by Rick Nelson, among others. Johnny would soon go “solo” and record several hits for Liberty Records and later, Chancellor and Capitol Records. But tragedy would strike in August of 1964. While boating one night in a lake north of San Francisco, Burnette’s tiny unlit fishing boat was hit by a much larger cruiser, the impact throwing him into the water to his death.

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Johnny Burnette

Died On This Date (August 14, 1958) Big Bill Broonzy / Blues Icon

Big Bill Broonzy
June 26, 1898 – August 14, 1958

Big Bill Broonzy was a popular blues singer and guitarist whose career ran from the early ’20s until his death in the late ’50s.  First playing country blues to black audiences in and around his hometown in Arkansas, Broonzy moved to Chicago in the early ’20s and began playing a more polished urban blues, eventually attracting a white audience.  As a composer, he was very prolific, with over 300 songs or adaptations to his name.  He stayed very busy recording and touring through the ’30s and ’40s, but by the ’50s, his career ran stale and he considered retiring from music.  But with the birth of the folk revival, Broonzy’s traditional songs were back in fashion and he found success touring with the likes of Pete Seeger, Lead BellySonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.  He died of throat cancer at the age of 60.

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Died On This Date (August 14, 2006) Johnny Duncan / Country Singer

Johnny Duncan
October 5, 1938 – August 14, 2006

johnny-duncanJohnny Duncan was a prolific country singer and guitarist who could count 14 studio albums to his name.   Born into a talented family that included cousins Eddie Seals, Dan Seals and Jimmy Seals, Duncan knew early on that he wanted to be a professional singer.  He got his chance while working as a disc jockey outside of Nashville when he was signed to Columbia Records.  Over the years he charted over 30 singles, included several popular duets with Janie Fricke.  As a writer, he had songs covered by Charley Pride, Chet Atkins, Conway Twitty and Marty Robbins.  Johnny Duncan suffered a fatal heart attack on August 14, 2006.  He was 67.

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Died On This Date (August 14, 1988) Robert Calvert / Hawkwind

Robert Calvert
March 9, 1945 – August 14, 1988

Robert Calvert is best remembered as the sometime lead singer of British space rock band, Hawkwind.  He sang with the group at various times between 1972 and 1979.  Calvert also co-wrote one of their biggest hits, “Silver Machine.”  Highly prolific, he also released several solo albums and wrote poetry, stage plays and a novel.  Robert Calvert died of a heart attack at the age 43.

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Died On This Date (August 14, 2011) Herman Leonard / Jazz Photographer

Herman Leonard
1923 – August 14, 2010

Herman Leonard was an American photographer who is revered for the countless iconic photos he took of jazz musicians throughout his career.  After graduating from college, Leonard landed an apprenticeship where he was lucky enough to shoot pictures of Albert Einstein and Harry Truman.  By the early ’50s, he was running his own Greenwich Village studio and freelancing for national magazines.  By then he had turned his focus on the local jazz scene.  His most famous photographs include those of Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and Billie Holiday.  In 2005, Leonard and his family were living in New Orleans when they lost their house, his studio and thousands of prints to Hurricane Katrina.  Fortunately, most of his negatives were being housed elsewhere.  His collection is now part of the Smithsonian Museum.  Herman Leonard was 87 when he passed away on August 14, 2010.

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