Walt Dickerson
April 16, 1931 – May 15, 2008
Walt Dickerson was a jazz vibraphonist that who played what is generally referred to as post bop. Down Beat magazine called him the best new artist in 1962. Over the years, he worked with Andrew Hill, Andrew Cyrille, John Coltrane and Sun Ra. He died of cardiac arrest at the age of 80.
Barbara Lee
May 16, 1947 – May 15, 1999
Barbara Lee was a member of the ’60s girl group, the Chiffons. Formed while the girls were still in high school in the Bronx, the Chiffons had a #1 hit out of the gate with 1963’s “He’s So Fine.” The group continued to have notable hits over the next decade or so. Of historical note, the Chiffons’ record “I Have A Boyfriend” was playing on KLF Radio in Dallas when interrupted with the first announcements of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Barbara Lee died of a heart attack on May 15, 1999, the day before her 45th birthday.
Bob Florence
May 30, 1932 – May 15, 2008
Bob Florence was an award winning pianist and arranger whose interest in the piano started when he began taking lessons at the age of five. He also led his own Los Angeles-based big band, Limited Edition, for some 50 years. Throughout his career, he received sixteen nominations, winning one for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance in 2000. He also won two Emmys for his work as Music Director on Julie Andrews In Concert and Linda Lavin’s Linda In Wonderland. Florence passed away in his home just days before his 76th birthday.
Al Gallico
1920 – May 15, 2008
Al Gallico was an immensely successful music publisher who owned the copyrights on such classics as “Stand By Your Man,” “House Of The Rising Sun,” “Ring Of Fire,” ” “The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA,” and “Time Of The Season.” Over a career that stretched some 70 years, Gallico worked with such talent as the Zombies, Billy Sherrill, Joe Stampley, and Donna Fargo, whom he discovered. He began his career in his late teens, working first as an errand boy for a publishing house, and later a song plugger for Leed’s Music. Gallico died of cardiac arrest and pulmonary disease at the age of 88.
Frank Sinatra
December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998
Frank Sinatra was an American singer and actor who first came to the public’s attention in the 1940s when he sang with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. He struck out on his own in the early ’50s and signed to Capitol Records. In 1954, his popularity skyrocketed when he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in From Here To Eternity. He later started his own label, Reprise Records, where he continued to release records that helped define a genre. He continued to record and perform into the ’90s. Sinatra epitomized “cool” throughout his career and to this day is still one of the most iconic names in history. With a career loaded with awards and accolades, perhaps none compared to the night in 1995 when the Empire State Building was illuminated in blue to celebrate his 80th birthday. Frank Sinatra passed away on May 14, 1998 after suffering a heart attack. The lights of the Las Vegas strip were dimmed the next night in his honor.
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