Died On This Date (March 12, 2011) Joe Morello / Jazz Drummer For Dave Brubeck

Joe Morello
July 17, 1928 – March 12, 2011

Joe Morello was a world renowned jazz drummer who is perhaps best remembered for his 12-year run with the Dave Brubeck Quartet.  Born in Springfield, Massachusetts,  Morello had a birth defect that partially impaired his vision, so he tended to spend much of his free time participating in indoor activities .  He took up the violin first and soon found himself as a featured soloist in the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  At the age of 15, he switched over to the drums and eventually moved to New York City to further his career.  It was there he began playing with the likes of Stan Kenton, Art Pepper, and Brubeck to name a few.  He actually declined offers to play with Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey.  Over a career that spanned over 50 years, Morello played on at least 120 albums, 60 of those being Brubeck’s.  He also wrote several instruction books and became a highly regarded instructor – Max Weinberg of Bruce Springsteen and Conan O’Brien fame was one of his many successful students.  Joe Morello was 82 when he passed away in his home.

You can learn more about Joe Morello by watching THIS INTERVIEW for the National Association of Music Merchants.

What You Should Own

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Time Out (50th Anniversary Legacy Edition) - The Dave Brubeck Quartet

Died On This Date (March 11, 2011) Hugh Martin / Wrote “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”

Hugh Martin
August 11, 1914 – March 11, 2011

Hugh Martin was a highly successful American theatrical and film composer and arranger.   Over the course of a career that spanned some 60 years, Martin wrote the music and in some cases the lyrics for such musicals as Make A Wish, High Spirits, and his most celebrated, Meet Me In St. Louis, in which Judy Garland sang his  “The Trolley Song,” “The Boy Next Door,” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”  He also worked as a vocal arranger on Gentleman Prefer Blondes, Sugar Babies, and Top Banana to name a few.  His film credits include Athena, The Girl Most Likely, and Best Foot Forward.  Hugh Martin was 96 when he passed away on March 11, 2011.

You can learn more about Hugh Martin by watching THIS INTERVIEW for the National Association of Music Merchants.



Died On This Date (March 11, 2011) Jack Hardy / Influential Folk Singer-Songwriter

John “Jack” Hardy
November 23, 1947 – March 11, 2011

Jack Hardy was a respected and influential New York singer-songwriter who came to prominence in the early ’70s.  After building a following in Greenwich Village, Hardy began hosting a weekly gathering of local singer-songwriters in his apartment. It eventually became a must-visit for aspiring songwriters which included the likes of Suzanne Vega and John Gorka, to name a few.  By the ’80s, Hardy was becoming quite popular – mainly in Europe, and was touring with friend, David Massengill as the Folk Brothers.  He released several albums over the course of his career and has been cited as a direct influence on the likes of Vega, David Wilcox, and the Roches.  Jack Hardy was 63 when he passed away on March 11, 2011.  Cause of death was not immediately released, but he had reportedly been diagnosed with cancer just a few weeks prior.



Died On This Date (March 11, 2011) Rita Guerrero / Lead Singer of Mexican Rock Group, Santa Sabina

Rita Guerrero
DOB Unknown – March 11, 2011

Rita Guerrero was the lead singer of popular Mexican rock band, Santa Sabina.  Co-formed by Guerrero in Mexico City in 1989, the band built a solid following thanks in part to their Gothic twist on progressive rock and jazz as well as Guerrero’s charismatic stage presence.  During the late 80s, Guerrero moved from her home in Guadalajara to attend college in Mexico City.  A theater student, she enlisted the help of a few local musicians to provide music for a play she had written.  They quickly realized they had something special and became an actual band.  Over the course of their run, they released seven albums including an MTV Latin Unplugged set.  Santa Sabina went on hiatus in 2006 with Guerrero and fellow band mate, Leonel Perez continuing on as a chamber group, Ensamble Galileo.  In January of 2010, Guerrero learned she had breast cancer.  After a courageous year-long battle, Rita Guerrero succumbed to the cancer on March 11, 2011.  She was 47.

What You Should Own

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XV Aniversario en Vivo - Santa Sabina

Died On This Date (March 10, 2011) Eddie Snyder / American Composer & Lyricist

Eddie Snyder
February 22, 1919 – March 10, 2011

Eddie Snyder was an American composer who is best remembered for co-writing the English lyrics and music for the Frank Sinatra hit, “Strangers In The Night.” The song was first written by a Croation songwriter, the piece eventually ended up with Snyder who helped create the English lyrics and complete the music with Bert Kaempfert and Charles Singleton.  Although Sinatra reportedly hated the song, his rendition of it was the title song of his most successful album and won three Grammys.  Snyder also co-wrote the Al Martino hit, “Spanish Eyes.”  Songs that Snyder either wrote or co-wrote have been recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley (“Spanish Eyes”), Johnny Mathis (“A Time For Us”), and Perry Como (“The Girl With The Golden Braids”) to name just a few.  Eddie Snyder passed away on March 10, 2011 at the age of 92.

Thanks to Anne Bentley for the assist.