Died On This Date (December 17, 1975) Hound Dog Taylor
themusicsover Theodore “Hound Dog” Taylor
April 12, 1915 – December 17, 1975
Hound Dog Taylor was an electric blues guitarist who was born in Mississippi but in 1942 moved to Chicago where he eventually became one of the city’s premier performers. It wasn’t until relatively late in life, 1957, that Taylor began his music career. He was known for his prowess on the slide guitar, the fact that he had six fingers on his left hand certainly didn’t hurt. In 1971, Taylor became the first artist signed to Alligator Records which would soon turn into one of the premier blues and roots labels in the world. He released a handful of acclaimed albums for the label and toured the country with the likes of Big Mama Thornton and Muddy Waters. Hound Dog Taylor was 60 years old when died of lung cancer on December 17, 1975.
What You Should Own
Grover Washington Jr. was one of the most popular saxophonists in jazz, if not all music. His appeal was in that he played in a more soul or R&B style than straight ahead jazz. In doing so, he was one of the forefathers of the smooth jazz genre. Washington began learning to play the sax when he was just eight years old. After he got out of the Army, he settled in New York City and later, Philadelphia where he began his professional career as a sideman. In 1971, he released his debut album, Big City Blues. Over the next 25 years, he released nearly two dozen albums including 1980’s platinum selling Winelight, which earned him two Grammys. On December 17, 1999, Grover Washington collapsed while waiting to tape a segment of CBS’ The Early Show. He died at a nearby hospital later that night, cause of death, a massive heart attack. He was 56.
Dan Fogelberg was one of the most popular soft rock singer-songwriters of the 1970s. Starting in 1975, Fogelberg released a string of gold and platinum selling albums including 1979’s Phoenix, which included the #2 single, “Longer,” that has since become a wedding favorite. Two collaborations with Tim Weisberg were also very popular with his fans. In 1981, he released High Country Snows, a bluegrass album that included such guests as Vince Gill, Doc Watson, Jerry Douglas and David Grisman. Fogelberg stayed very active either touring or recording into the early 2000s, Often using his popularity to promote social and environmental issues. Dan Fogelberg was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004, and died of it on December 16, 2007. He was 56.
Sylvester James, who generally went by just his first name, was a disco-era star who had hits in the late ’70s with “Dance (Disco Heat),” “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),” and “Can’t Stop Dancing.” Born and raised by a music-loving family in Los Angeles, James was encouraged to sing at an early age. During the late ’60s, he moved to San Francisco where he became part of the gay and transgender entertainment community, with most notably, the Cockettes. Over the next few years, James began making a name for himself throughout the Bay area and in 1977, he signed with Fantasy Records, who teamed him up with legendary Motown producer, 