but the songs live on forever

2012

R&B Singer

Died On This Date (January 6, 1980) Georgeanna Tillman / The Marvelettes

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Georgeanna Tillman
February 6, 1943 – January 6, 1980

tillman

Georgeanna Tillman was an original member of Motown’s legendary girl group, the Marvelettes.  Formed in 1960, the group were responsible for Motown’s first #1 pop single with “Please Mister Postman.”  Tillman left the group in 1965 due to the effects of lupus and sickle-cell anemia which were making it near impossible to continue.  She succumbed to the diseases on January 6, 1980, passing away at the age of 36.



Blues Musician Singer

Died On This Date (January 5, 2009) Sam “Bluzman” Taylor / Blues Great

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Sam “Bluzman” Taylor
October 25, 1924 – January 5, 2009

sam-taylor-1

Sam “Bluzman” Taylor was a blues musician, singer and oft-covered songwriter who came to prominence during the 1960s.  As a guitarist or bandleader, Taylor worked with the likes of Maxine Brown, Big Joe Turner, Otis Redding. and Sam and Dave.  Over the years, his songs have been recorded by Freddie King, Son Seals, Jay and the Americans, the Isley Brothers, and BT Express who scored a huge hit with his “Do it ’til Your Satisfied.”  That song was later embraced by the hip hop community, appearing in songs by Epmd, Beanie Sigel, Ma$e, and DMX.  Sam Taylor was 74 when he died of heart disease on January 5, 2009.


Jazz Musician

Died On This Date (January 5, 1979) Charles Mingus / Jazz Icon

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Charles Mingus
April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979

Charles Mingus was a universally respected composer, bandleader and pioneering jazz bassists.  Though hard to categorize, Mingus’ music drew heavily from hard bop and free jazz.  As a composer, Mingus knew few equals, with many compositions considered too difficult to play by even the best of players.  Throughout his career, Mingus played with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Powell.   Mingus was extraordinarily prolific, with one decade beginning during the ’60s seeing over 30 new albums alone.  During his later years, Mingus suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease, forcing him to give up playing the bass.  On January 5, 1979, Charles Mingus died of Lou Gehrig’s disease at the age of 56.

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Mingus Ah Um - 50th Anniversary - Charles Mingus

Musician Rock

Died On This Date (January 5, 2008) Drew Glackin / The Silos

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Drew Glackin
1963 – January 5, 2008

Drew Glackin is best remembered as the bassist for critically praised Americana band, the Silos.  He also played bass for Graham Parker, Susan Tedeschi, and the Crash Test Dummies.  A multi-instrumentalist, Glackin could play the piano, trumpet and French horn while still in elementary school and soon thereafter picked up the guitar and bass.  He studied music while in college in Hartford, Connecticut where he worked booking talent at a local club.  He joined the Silos in 1998.  Drew Glackin was 44 when he died on January 5, 2008 of cardiac arrest brought on by an undiagnosed thyroid condition.


Gospel Singer

Died On This Date (January 5, 2009) Willa Mae Dorsey / Gospel Great

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Willa Mae Dorsey
DOB Unknown – January 5, 2009

Photo by Frederick D. Joe
Photo by Frederick D. Joe

Willa Mae Dorsey was a Grammy-nominated Gospel singer whose career spanned nearly 60 years.  She began singing while still in her teens, often songs written by her cousin Thomas A. Dorsey, the “Father of Gospel Music.”  Over the years, she sang for princes and presidents and reportedly was one of the first black singers to sing in white churches.  In 1969, she released her first album, The World’s Most Exciting Gospel Singer, for which she was nominated for a Grammy.  The following year, she released what would become her best-selling album, Stand Tall.  Willa Mae Dorsey, age 75, died on January 5, 2009 after a series of strokes.


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