Died On This Date (January 31, 2011) Doc Williams / Country Music Legend
themusicsover Doc Williams (Born Andrew Smik Jr.)
June 26, 1914 – January 31, 2011
Doc Williams was a pioneering country music singer and band leader who, over a career that spanned nearly 80 years, entertained millions either on the road or over the airwaves of radio powerhouse, WWVA-AM. On clear nights, his voice could be heard across most of the eastern 2/3 of the United States and much of Canada. Williams was in the tenth grade when he dropped out of school to help support his family. He soon launched his music career, forming and band and landing performances on local radio stations. He eventually found himself performing on WWVA’s long running Jamboree program which was later renamed Jamboree USA when it’s broadcast stretched to further points of the country. Doc Williams & His Border Riders quickly became the most popular act on the program while their traveling show put them in front of fans across the U.S., Canada and even England. Williams met the future Chuckie Williams after she sent him a letter asking if she could come on his show. They soon became singing partners and were married in 1939. Doc Williams retired from music in 2006. He was 96 when he passed away on January 31, 2011.
Thanks to Fred Jasper for the assist.
John Barry was a prolific composer whose iconic works include eleven of the James Bond film scores. It was Barry’s music in those movies that helped create a mood that defined the character and series. Over a career that stretched across five decades, Barry won numerous awards including five Academy Awards, a Grammy, and a BAFTA, which is the British equivalent of an Oscar. His other film scores include Out of Africa, Born Free, Midnight Cowboy, Dances With Wolves, Chaplin, and Somewhere In Time, to name just a few. Barry also scored numerous television programs. Many of his soundtracks included singles that landed high on both UK and US charts. John Barry was 77 when, on January 30, 2011, he died of a heart attack.
Milton Babbitt was an American composer who helped develop the world’s first synthesizer during the 1950s. Babbitt was just 4 years old when he took up the violin, and within a few years he branched out to the saxophone and clarinet. He was arranging songs by the time he was 7, and winning songwriting contests by 13. In college, Babbitt received honors for his studies in both music and mathematics. After the development of RCA’s Mark II synthesizer, Babbitt devoted his time and energy to making electronic music, often combining synthesizer and conventional instruments. Milton Babbitt passed away on January 29, 2011. He was 94.
Sterling Belcher was a music promoter who founded the Festival of The Pines in Rocky Point, Virginia in 1981. A tireless lover of bluegrass music, Belcher brought such acts as Ralph Stanley, Alison Krauss, 
Bruce Jackson was a sound engineer who helped Bruce Springsteen create his storied concert experiences as his concert sound engineer for over ten years. Jackson started with Springsteen during his historic Darkness On The Edge Of Town tour of 1978 and stayed on board through 1987’s Tunnel Of Love Express tour. And if that weren’t impressive enough, Jackson also worked with the likes of