Musician

Died On This Date (March 8, 1989) Stuart Hamblen / Early Singing Cowboy

Carl Stuart Hamblen
October 20, 1908 – March 8, 1989

stuart-hamblenStuart Hamblen was country singer and songwriter who later turned to making Christian music.  When he became a singing cowboy during the mid ’20s, he was one of the genre’s earliest stars.  Having his own radio show from 1931 to 1952 certainly helped him achieve fame.  When he transitioned from radio to film, he worked alongside the likes of John Wayne, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.  As a songwriter, his biggest hits were “Open Up Your Heart (And Let The Sunshine In),” and “It’s No Secret.”  The former was sung by Pebbles and Bam Bam in a Flintstones episode, while the latter was covered by Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Pat Boone, and Ernest Tubb to name a few.  Hamblen later became involved in politics, ultimately running for president against Dwight Eisenhower on the Prohibition Party ticket in 1952.  Stuart Hamblen was 81 when he passed away on March 8, 1989.

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Stuart Hamblen

Died On This Date (March 7, 2009) Jimmy Boyd / Sang “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”

Jimmy Boyd
January 9, 1939 – March 7, 2009

jimmy-boydJimmy Boyd was a popular ’50s and ’60s television actor as well as a singer and musician who is best remembered for his 1952 recording of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.”  Recorded just before he hit his teens, the song as gone on to sell an astonishing 60,000,000 copies ever since.  Thanks to its popularity, Boyd became a popular fixture on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Frank Sinatra Show, The Tonight Show, and American Bandstand, to name a few.  Although Boyd had opportunities to make rock ‘n roll records, including with legendary producer Sam Phillips, he was working with Mitch Miller who hated the new style of music.  Boyd was very loyal to Miller who had signed him to Columbia Records, but as a pop singer.  During the mid ’60s, Boyd finally started making more rock-leaning records when he worked with the likes of Bobby Darin,Terry Melcher and Leon Russell.  One such record was for a song written by Barry Gibb of Bee Gees fame – it helped Boyd land a recording contract with A&M.  Jimmy Boyd was 70 when he died of cancer on March 7, 2009.

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Jimmy Boyd

Died On This Date (March 7, 1971) Harold McNair / Jazz Flute Great

Harold McNair
November 5, 1931 – March 7, 1971

harold-mcnairHarold McNair was a respected jazz flautist and saxophonist who followed a less-than-traditional way to jazz greatest.  Born in Jamaica, McNair spent the early years of his career making Island music.  He also sang Calypso.  McNair recorded his first album, 1960’s Bahama Bash, in Miami, Florida, and in 1960, he moved to Europe where he toured with Quincy Jones before settling in London.  He also played on the scores of several Paris films and television programs.  Soon, McNair joined up with  Charles Mingus, but the quartet was quickly derailed thanks to a U.K. musicians’ strike.  McNair released several albums throughout his career, and played on recordings by the likes of Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Blossom Dearie, Donovan, and Ginger Baker.  Harold McNair died of lung cancer on March 7, 1971.  He was just 39 years old.

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Died On This Date (March 6, 2010) Mark Linkous / Sparklehorse

Mark Linkous
September 9, 1962 – March 6, 2010

Mark Linkous was the multi-instrumentalist leader of alternative rock group, Sparklehorse, who became an critics’ darling cult band after the release of their debut album, Vivadixiesubmarine- transmissionplot, in 1995.  Prior to that, he was a member of the Dancing Hoods, who he co-founded  in the mid ’80s.  In 1996, while on tour with Radiohead, Linkous overdosed Valium, antidepressants and alcohol, causing him to lay unconscious with his legs pinned underneath him for fourteen hours.  He literally died for two minutes when rescuers tried to straighten his legs which had been cut off from circulation for the duration of his unconsciousness.   The incident left him with permanent damage to his legs.  In 2009, Linkous collaborated on a Dark Night of Soul with famed indie producer Danger Mouse and iconic film director, David Lynch.  The multi-media project also includes performance by  Flaming Lips, Suzanne Vega, Vic Chesnutt, Frank Black, Iggy Pop and more.  He was recently working on a new album due out in late 2010.  On March 6, 2010, Mark Linkous died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  He was 47.

Thanks to Craig Rosen of Number1Albums

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Good Morning Spider - Sparklehorse

Died On This Date (March 6, 1999) Lowell Fulson / Blues Great

Lowell Fulson
March 31, 1921 – March 6, 1999

lowell-fulsonLowell Fulson was an influential west coast blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was one of the key figures of the ’40s and ’50s. After moving to Los Angeles in the early ’40s, Fulson formed his first band which included future greats, Ray Charles and Stanley Turrentine.    Over the course of his career, Fulson released such now-classics as “3 O’Clock Blues,” “Lonesome Blues,” and “Reconsider Baby” which was later made into a hit by Elvis Presley and selected by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. He continued recording and performing well into the ’90s.  Lowell Fulson was 77 when he died from complications of diabetes, kidney disease and congestive heart failure on March 6, 1999.

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Lowell Fulson