Died On This Date (September 19, 2010) Buddy Collette / Respected West Coast Jazz Musician
themusicsover William “Buddy” Collette
August 6, 1921 – September 19, 2010
Buddy Collette was an influential jazz musician who was equally adept at the clarinet, flute and tenor saxophone. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Collette was a respected figure of the West Coast jazz movement of the 1950s and a regular performer throughout the storied Central Avenue clubs. His most celebrated works were his collaborations with Chico Hamilton, Dexter Gordon, and Charles Mingus. During the early ’50s, Collette could be heard as part of the house band on Groucho Marx’s popular television program, You Bet Your Life, and in 1963, he became one of the first group of African-American players to perform in the Academy Awards show band. He also taught college level music throughout Los Angeles for many years and was largely responsible for the desegregation of the local musicians’ union, leading to more equitable wages for Black musicians. In later years, Collette worked tirelessly to preserve Los Angeles’ jazz legacy. Buddy Collette was 89 when he passed away on September 19, 2010.
Click here to watch the NAMM Oral History interview of Buddy Collette. Courtesy of Dan Del Fiorentino
Known professionally as Arrow, Alphonsus Cassell was a highly resected West Indies Soca and Calypso singer-songwriter. Cassell was still a child when he began singing back in the mid-60s and by the time he was 18, he recorded his first record. In 1982, he released a song entitled “Hot Hot Hot,” which became the biggest selling Soca song in history. Five years later, the New York Doll’s David Johansen had a pop hit with it under his alterego of Buster Poindexter. Cassell continued to release hits through the ’80s and ’90s. He continued to perform through the later years of his life. On September 15, 2010, Alphonsus Cassell died of cancer at the age of 60.
Rich Cronin was the lead singer and main songwriter for the successful boy band, LFO. Formed in 1995, the group released its first album, LFO, in 1999. Over the next few years they scored hits with such singles as “Can’t Have You,” “Every Other Time,” “Girl On TV, and their biggest, “Summer Girls,” which hit #3 on the US pop charts. The single, which Cronin wrote sold over 1 million copies. LFO broke up in 2002 and Cronin soon resurfaced on the VH-1 reality show, Mission: Man Band. Over the next few years, Cronin continued to record and perform both solo and as part of Loose Cannons. LFO briefly reformed in 2009 for a tour. Cronin learned he had leukemia in 2005, and when it went into remission the following year, he embarked on raising awareness and funds to help fight the disease. But during the summer of 2010, his health once again took a turn for the worse. While in a rehab hospital on September 8, 2010, Rich Cronin suffered a fatal stroke. He was 35.
