A a member of vocal group, the Jordanaires, Hugh Jarrett added a rich bass to the many classic recordings of Elvis Presley. Recording over 50 albums with Presley, Jarret can be heard on such songs as “Love Me Tender,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog,” and “Love Me Tender.” Jarrett also toured with Presley and appeared in several of his films and television appearances, included his legendary debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. An in-demand session singer, Jarrett also sang with the likes of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Dottie West, Eddie Arnold, Patsy Cline, andWayne Newton. Hugh Jarrett died of complications from an earlier automobile accident.
Jerry Cole was one of surf music’s original guitar gods. Besides being a much in demand session player, Cole had his own group, the Spacemen, with whom he released four classic albums of “space age surf music.” As a sideman, Cole played on the Beach Boys’Pet Sounds, and the Byrds‘ “Mr. Tamborine Man. He was also part of Phil Spector’s “wrecking crew,” affording him the opportunity to play on countless other songs. Cole could also be heard as part of the house band on TV’s “Shindig” and “Hullabaloo.” He died of a heart attack on May 28, 2008.
Joe “Yo Yo” Jaramillo
October 15, 1948 – March 24, 2000
Photo courtesy of Joe Jaramillo Jr.
Joe Jaramillo was an original member of Cannibal & The Headhunters, a group of singers from East Los Angeles who are considered to the first Mexican American group to have a national hit record with “Land Of A Thousand Dances.” The odds of making a record that would become one of the most famous songs in rock history have got to be at least a million to one. And even less likely, is to find yourself sharing the bill with the Beatles on their legendary 1965 US tour. Joe Jaramillo did just that. He was just a 15-year-old kid living in a notorious Los Angeles housing project when “Yo Yo,” his brother Bobby “Rabbit” Jaramillo, and friend Richard “Scar” Lopez discovered they could create a special harmony when singing together. Within a short time, they teamed up with another local singer by the name of Frankie “Cannibal” Garcia to form the group that would soon be called Cannibal & The Headhunters, with Garcia as front man. After passing an audition for local record executive Eddie Davis, Cannibal & The Headhunters signed to his Rampart Records. They were soon in the studio recording “Land Of A Thousand Dances,” a song co-written by Fats Domino which was already a local hit by another artist. But it was their version of the song that shot to Billboard’s top 30 in April of 1965, and they were fast becoming the pride of East LA. Before long, the group found themselves on the road sharing the stage with such superstars as the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Ben E. King, Marvin Gaye, Wilson Pickett and Tom Jones. They were also invited to perform on “Hullabaloo,” a national rock ‘n roll variety show that counted Paul McCartney as one of its fans. The story goes that McCartney saw the boys on “Hullabaloo” and requested that manager Brian Epstein bring them on tour with the Beatles. Jaramillo and the group were soon flying around the country playing before tens of thousands of screaming Beatles fans at each stop. That tour included the Beatles’ legendary Shea Stadium and Hollywood Bowl shows. Legend has it that the Headhunters were exciting the crowds so much, that Epstein asked their manager to have them ease up a bit on stage. Back home after the tour, the guys started to make more records, but were never able to recapture the hysteria that sparked from that first huge hit. By 1967, the group had broken up, with the guys going their separate ways only to reunite on rare occasions. For “Yo Yo” that meant raising a family. Joe Jaramillo passed away as a result of liver disease on May 24, 2000 at the age of 52.
Along with her husband Boudleaux, Felice Bryant, wrote such early pop hits as “Bye Bye Love,” “Rocky Top,” and “All I Have To Do Is Dream,” the last two being big hits for the Everly Brothers. The future Mr. & Mrs. Boudleaux met in 1945 and so began a successful songwriting partnership (and marriage) that would last some forty years. During that time, they wrote songs for a virtual who’s who of popular music. That list includes Tony Bennett, the Grateful Dead, Dean Martin, Ray Charles, Nazareth, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Elvis Costello, Simon & Garfunkel, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and Sarah Vaughan. Together they penned over 1500 recorded songs which obviously landed them into several songwriter halls of fame. Felice Bryantpassed away from natural causes on April 22, 2003.
Eddie Cochran was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who was one of the early foundations on which rock and roll was built. He played a raved-up union of country and rock that was dubbed rockabilly. To many, he was the flash point of the genre. In 1956, Cochran performed “Twenty Flight Rock” in the film The Girl Can’t Help It. The song continues to be a staple for many of today’s rockabilly performers. Other classic recordings by Cochran include “C’mon Everybody,” and “Nervous Breakdown,” but it was his “Summertime Blues” that will always be remembered as his signature song. Rolling Stone ranked it #73 in their list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Covered by countless acts, its most famous versions by Blue Cheer and the Who. Sadly, Eddie Cochran died when the taxi he was riding in crashed into a lamp-post while on tour in the UK. He was just 21 years old.
themusicsover 
A a member of vocal group, the Jordanaires, Hugh Jarrett added a rich bass to the many classic recordings of Elvis Presley. Recording over 50 albums with Presley, Jarret can be heard on such songs as “Love Me Tender,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog,” and “Love Me Tender.” Jarrett also toured with Presley and appeared in several of his films and television appearances, included his legendary debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. An in-demand session singer, Jarrett also sang with the likes of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Dottie West, Eddie Arnold, Patsy Cline, and Wayne Newton. Hugh Jarrett died of complications from an earlier automobile accident.
Along with her husband 
