Died On This Date (December 26, 2011) Sam Rivers / American Jazz Saxophonist
themusicsover Sam Rivers
September 25, 1923 – December 26, 2011
Sam Rivers is best remembered as the influential jazz saxophonist and composer who helped define the Free Jazz movement of the mid to late ’60s. Born into a musical family, Rivers began playing at an early age. After studying at the Boston Conservatory, Rivers went on to be an in-demand sideman, playing with the likes of Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Freddie Hubbard. As a band leader, Rivers released several highly regarded albums on such storied labels as Impulse! and Blue Note. His tune, “Beatrice” from 1964’s Fuchsia Swing Song is widely regarded as tenor sax 101 for aspiring players. During the ’70s, Rivers and his wife owned and operated a jazz performance studio in New York City. He continued to perform and record until as recently as 2006’s Aurora. Sam Rivers was 88 when he died of pneumonia on December 26, 2011.
Thanks to Paul Bearer for the assist.
What You Should Own
![Dimensions & Extensions (Rudy Van Gelder Edition) [Remastered] - Sam Rivers](https://i0.wp.com/ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.gif?w=640){kind=icon}
Jody Rainwater was a bluegrass pioneer who found his calling as a teenager, at first playing the mandolin. Before long, he and is brother were performing as Chuck and Slim, the Johnson Brothers. The boys built a local following thanks in part to their comical on stage banter. In 1937, they were hired by High Point, North Carolina radio station, WMFR to perform live every Thursday evening. By 1945, the duo were no longer together, so Rainwater enlisted in the Marines and served during WWII. Upon his discharge, he formed the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys with Woody Hauser and developed an onstage persona known as Little Jody. By the late ’40s, they disbanded, and Rainwater was soon playing bass alongside 
Whop Frazier was a Washington DC blues singer and bassist who was a popular draw throughout the city and surrounding area blues clubs for many years. Over the years, he played with Carl Anderson, the Bad Influence Band and his own Whop Frazier & Friends By Choice. William “Whop” Frazier died of lung and bone cancer on December 22, 2011. He was 68.
David Gold was the founder and lead singer/guitarist for Ontario, Canada doom metal band, Woods Of Ypres. Formed as a trio in 2002, the band released a handful of critical and fan favorite albums on Gold’s own Krankenhaus Records. Their black and dark metal songs, which have been described as a “metallised Pink Floyd, helped build a legion of fans over the years. In 2010, just as rumors of the group’s demise were circulating, they signed with Earache Records who is scheduled to release their latest offering in January 2012. David Gold was reportedly killed in a car accident in Ontario, Canada on December 22, 2011. He was 31.