Died On This Date (February 21, 2015) Clark Terry / American Jazz Great
themusicsover Clark Terry
December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015
Clark Terry was an American jazz trumpeter who is widely considered one of the most influential and popular jazz musicians of his time. Terry launched his career during the early ’40s, just in time to serve in the US Navy Band during World War II. After his discharge, Terry went on to perform with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and later, Quincy Jones, among others, as well as leading his own bands. As one of the most recorded artists jazz music has ever known, Terry appeared on nearly 1000 known recordings. Throughout his career, he wrote over 200 jazz songs, performed for seven US Presidents, and put on several jazz festivals and jazz camps. In 1991 he was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award, and in 2010, he became one of only five trumpet players to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. A lifetime student of jazz as well as a respected educator, Clark held sixteen honorary doctorates. He was even knighted in Germany. Clark Terry was 94 when he passed away on February 21, 2015.
What You Should Own
Steve Strange is perhaps best remembered as the front man for the popular ’80s new wave band, Visage. Like many young people in the UK during the mid ’70s, Strange couldn’t resist the pull of punk rock. After witnessing a Sex Pistols show in 1976, he began setting up gigs for punk bands in and around his Welsh neighborhood. Soon thereafter, he formed his own punk band, the Moors Murderers that counted future Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde and future Clash drummer, Topper Headon, as members during it’s rather short lifespan. Strange soon moved to London where he worked for 
Popsy Dixon was the drummer and harmony vocalist for American Soul/Gospel/Blues group, the Holmes Brothers. Formed in 1978, the trio built a legion of loyal followers thanks to their heavenly harmonies and overall sound that was once described by the New York Times as “deeply soulful, uplifting and timeless.” It was Dixon’s impeccable drumming and beautiful falsetto that made the group complete. Formed in Christchurch, Virginia, the Holmes Brothers moved to Harlem during the ’80s to try their luck in the city’s blues clubs. They signed their first record deal in 1989 and went on to release 12 albums, including three that landed in the top five of the Billboard Blues Album charts. The list of artists they recorded with includes Joan Osborne, Willie Nelson, Peter Gabriel, and Van Morrison. In 2014, they received an National Endowment For The Arts National Heritage Fellowship. Popsy Dixon was 72 when he died of liver cancer on January 9, 2014.