Died On This Date (June 30, 2011) Ruth Roberts / Wrote “Meet The Mets”

Ruth Roberts
DOB Unknown – June 30, 2011

Ruth Roberts was a song and jingle writer who is best remembered for co-writing the catchy and iconic New York Mets anthem, “Meet The Mets.”  Written in 1961, the tune was initially intended to encourage New Yorkers to welcome the new team to a city that was already home to the storied New York Yankees.  The song however, became the team’s anthem and proudly lived on for the next 50 years.  Roberts, who was also an excellent pianist, wrote numerous other hits as well.  She began selling her songs while still in high school, often at the famous songwriting mecca, the Brill Building in New York City.   Her hits included “The First Thing Ev’ry Morning,” recorded by Dean Martin, and “Mr. Touchdown USA.”  Ruth Roberts was 84 when she passed away on June 30, 2011.

Thanks to Scott Miller for the assist



Died On This Date (June 30, 2011) Ron “Byrd” Foster / Drummer For The Silencers; Roy Buchanan

Ron Foster
DOB Unknown – June 30, 2011

Ron “Byrd” Foster was a respected Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania rock drummer who made significant contributions to the sound of such bands as the Silencers, Iron City Rockers, and Red Hot & Blue.  He also played and sang on a handful of Roy Buchanan’s albums during the mid ’70s.   Foster was still in high school when he was hired on by a local band to go on the road for the summer.  He soon landed a gig with local blues rock band, the Igniters.  After his run with the Igniters, Foster played with Buchanan and by the time new wave was taking hold in the US, he found himself playing in Silencers whose claim to fame is that their video for “Peter Gun/Remote Control/Illegal” aired on the very first broadcast day of MTV in 1981.  He later played with Joe Grushecky in Iron City Rockers as well as several other bands over the next two decades.   During the ’90s, Foster moved to Florida where he worked as a session drummer.  During the 2000s, he battled diabetes, cirrhosis, and ultimately, cancer.  On June 30, 2011, Ron “Byrd” Foster died of liver cancer.  He was 61.



Died On This Date (June 30, 2011) Jimmy Roselli / Popular Italian-American Crooner

Jimmy Roselli
1925 – June 30, 2011

Jimmy Roselli was an American pop singer who made his mark during the ’50s and ’60s.  Considered one of the most important Italian-American singers of the era, Roselli could easily hold court with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Perry Como.  He had not even hit his teens when he began singing in local Hoboken, New Jersey clubs, and when Roselli was 14, he got his first break by winning a radio amateur hour.   His next one came in 1946 when he was offered a slot on a  Jimmy Durante bill.  Durante was so impressed by his singing, that he made theater management double Roselli’s pay. And since Durante was one of the most popular performers at the time, Roselli continued to win new fans as he continued to perform with him.  What made him so popular was that he had a perfect pitch for the traditional songs of Naples.  That endeared him to the immigrants who longed for the music from back home. Over the course of his long career, Roselli released over 30 albums and scored hits with “There Must Be A Way, ” “Mala Femmina,” and “When Your Old Wedding Ring Was New” to name a few.  He was also a popular live draw, performing sell-out shows in Atlantic City, and at New York’s Copacabana and Palace Theater.  It was at the latter that he and comic Pat Cooper partnered for a popular two-man show.  It should be noted that unlike Sinatra, Roselli apparently kept the mob at arm’s reach, by not letting them give his career any assistance.  For that, he shared a love/hate relationship with them – they loved his music, but hated the fact that they couldn’t control his career.  Roselli retired in 2004, moved to Florida, and on June 30, 2011, passed away at the age of 85.

What You Should Own

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Saloon Songs - Vol 2 - Jimmy Roselli



Died On This Date (June 30, 2011) Jay Dee Springbett / Australian Idol Judge

Jay Dee Springbett
DOB Unknown – June 30, 2011

Jay Dee Springbett was perhaps best known as a judge on Australian Idol, the country’s version of the immensely popular televised talent show, American Idol.  The Australian program began in July of 2003, with Springbett coming on to replace the controversial Kyle Sandilands in 2009.  As a judge, Springbett quickly became known as the “nice guy.”  Born in the UK, Springbett spent six years as a respected A&R rep for Sony Music where he was directly involved with the careers of Guy Sebastian, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, and Human Nature, to name a few.  Jay Dee Springbett was 36 when he was found dead in his apartment on June 30, 2011.  Cause of death was not immediately released, but authorities did not suspect foul play.



Died On This Date (June 28, 2011) Benton Flippen / Bluegrass Great

James Benton Flippen
July 18, 1920 – June 28, 2011

Benton Flippen was an influential fiddle player who was one of the last surviving notable old-timey musicians of his generation.  Born into a long line of musically talented Flippens and raised in northeast North Carolina, Flippen first learned to play the banjo as a youngster, but switched to the fiddle after hearing one of his uncles play.  His first regional band of note was the Green Valley Boys.  During the late ’60s, he joined Camp Creek Boys, and eventually, the Smokey Valley Boys, with whom he played until 1985.  The latter earned numerous awards and accolades during Flippen’s tenure.  He was also a respected composer, having penned such tunes as “Fiddler’s Reel,” “Benton’s Dream,” and “Smokey Valley Breakdown.”  Flippen continued to draw sizable crowds well into his golden years, even as recently as 2008 when he headlined an Old Time music convention at the age of 88.  Benton Flippen was 90 when he passed away in hospice care on June 28, 2011.

What You Should Own

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Old Time, New Times - Benton Flippen