Died On This Date (October 12, 1999) Frank Frost / Blues Harmonica Great
themusicsover Frank Frost
April 15, 1936 – October 12, 1999
Frank Frost was a delta blues harmonica player who was arguably one of the best. He cut his musical teeth however, on guitar, most significantly as part Sonny Boy Williamson’s touring band. It was Williamson who taught him to play the harmonica. He left Williamson in 1959 and began working with drummer Sam Carr and guitarist Big Jack Johnson. It was this combo that caught the eye of legendary producer, Sam Phillips who produced his first album, Hey Boss Man!. In later years, Frost formed his own record label, Earwig Music Company to showcase his music. Frank Frost continued making records until into the late ’80s and died of cardiac arrest on October 12, 1999 at the age of 63.
What You Should Own
Known as the “Godfather Of Rocksteady,” Alton Ellis was a Jamaican musician who took the elements of ska and slowed them down to a more relaxed beat. It in turn, paved the way for what we now know as reggae. A prolific singer, Ellis began his career with Eddy Perkins in the late ’50s as part of a duo, Alton & Eddy, who scored a big Jamaican hit with their “Muriel.” In the early ’60s, he formed his group, the Flames just as ska was taking hold throughout Jamaica. He slowed the beat down and recorded a hit song called “Rock Steady” which became the new genre’s name. In 1967, he recorded a song called “Mad Men” that included a three-note descending horn line which became became a constant in more than 100 reggae songs to follow. Reinterpretations of it can be heard in hip-hop songs by the likes of 
Sonny 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.
Luis Aguile was an Argentine singer and songwriter who is best remembered for his international hit, “Cuando Seli de Cuba.” With some 400 songs to his credit, Aguile established himself as one of the premier performers in Latin America. In 1990, he wrote and recorded the team anthem for Monterrey’s national soccer team. It is one of the most popular sports anthems in the world. Luis Aguile died of stomach cancer at the age of 73.