Died On This Date (August 8, 1975) Cannonball Adderley / Jazz Great
themusicsover Julian “Cannonball” Adderley
September 15, 1928 – August 8, 1975
Somewhat of a child prodigy, Cannonball Adderley was already turning heads with his sax playing while still a teenager in Tallahassee, Florida. He along with his brother, Nat Adderley was even competent enough to sit in with Ray Charles as far back as the early ’40s. After relocating to New York City in the mid ’50s, Adderley was well on his way to becoming one of jazz’s most revered alto saxophonists. Throughout his career he performed or recorded with such legends as Oscar Pettiford, Miles Davis, Yusuf Lateef and Bill Evans. Adderley also had a brief career as an actor, first performing with his band in Clint Eastwood’s Play Misty For Me, and later acting opposite David Carradine in an episode of Kung Fu. On August 8, 1975, Cannonball Adderley died of a stroke at the age of 46.
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