Died On This Date (October 11, 2008) Neal Hefti / Composed “Batman” and “Odd Couple” Themes

Neal Hefti
October 29, 1922 – October 11, 2008

Neal Hefti was a jazz musician and composer who is best remembered for writing the theme music for the Batman series and the Odd Couple movie and series.  Prior to his career as a composer, he played the trumpet in Woody Herman’s band.  He also arranged for Frank Sinatra, Buddy Rich and Count Basie.  Neil Hefti passed away in his home at the age of 85.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.

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Neal Hefti

Died On This Date (October 10, 1963) Edith Piaf / Iconic French Singer

Edith Piaf (Born Edith Gassion)
December 19, 1915 – October 10, 1963

Edith Piaf was a French singer who rose from poverty to become one of her country’s most popular performers of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s.  Because of her petite frame, she was called “The Little Sparrow” around the world, and has since become a cultural icon thanks to numerous recordings, biographies and at least one major motion picture about her life.   After conquering France, Piaf began touring the rest of Europe and the United States in the years following World War Two.  While in the U.S., she graced the stage of Carnegie Hall twice and The Ed Sullivan Show eight times.  Piaf was seriously injured in a car accident in 1951, the pain from which lead to her addiction to morphine and alcohol.  She died of liver cancer on October 10, 1963 at the age of 47.

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The Voice of the Sparrow - The Very Best of Édith Piaf - Edith Piaf

Died On This Date (October 10, 2009) Sonny Bradshaw / Jamaican Jazz Musician

Sonny Bradshaw
1926 – October 10, 2009

sonny_2Sonny Bradshaw was a beloved Jamaican musician whose career spanned a remarkable six decades.  He was as multi-faceted as he was renowned.  Besides playing the trumpet, piano, trombone, saxophone, and clarinet,  Bradshaw was a composer, arranger, producer, journalist and promoter.  During the ’50s, he formed the Sonny Bradshaw 7, which turned out to be the first significant musical home of many great Jamaican musicians to come.  In the early ’60s, Bradshaw began working in radio, with his Teenage Dance Party, becoming the first place many Jamaicans heard the early songs of future legends. On October 10, 2009,  Sonny Bradshaw died after having been ill following a stroke a few months earlier.  He was 83 years old.



Died On This Date (October 9, 1978) Jacques Brel / Belgian Singer-Songwriter

Jacques Brel
April 8, 1929 – October 9, 1978

brelJacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who came to prominence in Europe during the 1950s.  And although he wrote and sang exclusively in French, many of his songs have been covered in English by such notable performers as Ray Charles, David Bowie and Dusty Springfield.  He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide.  His career started modestly in the cabarets of Paris, but by the mid ’50s, his talent could not be denied, so he began touring Europe and beyond.  He also made a name for himself in film.  A longtime smoker, Brel was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1973 and died from it five years later at the age of 49.

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Jacques Brel

Died On This Date (October 4, 2008) Al Gallodoro / Jazz Musician

Al Gallodoro
June 20, 1913 – October 4, 2008

Al Gallodoro was a jazz saxophonist whose career began in the 1920s and spanned nearly eight decades until just prior to his death in 2008.  He is best remembered for his association with Paul Whiteman, playing in his orchestra from 1936 to 1940.  He went on to play bass clarinet in NBC’s Symphony Orchestra.  Gallodoro made his final appearance on September 20, 2008 and then passed away 2 weeks later at the age of 95.