Died On This Date (September 11, 2007) Joe Zawinul / Weather Report
themusicsover Joe Zawinul
July 7, 1932 – September 11, 2007
Joe Zawinul was a jazz keyboardist who co-founded Weather Report, a popular jazz fusion band, in the early ’70s. During the early part of his career, Zawinul played with Maynard Ferguson, afterwhich he toured and recorded with Dinah Washington. In 1961, Zaminul went to work with Cannonball Adderley and by the end of the decade he was playing with Miles Davis with whom he helped create what would be called jazz fusion. He played on Davis’ In A Silent Way and the monumental Bitches Brew. In 1970, he helped form Weather Report with Wayne Shorter, going on to record such modern jazz records as the Zaminul penned “Birdland,” a Grammy-winning song that has been covered by the likes of Quincy Jones, Jefferson Starship and String Cheese Incident. Joe Zawinul died of a rare skin cancer on September 11, 2007, approximately two months after a successful tour. He was 75 years old.
What You Should Own
Beau Jocque was a Zydeco singer and accordion player who came to prominence in Louisiana during the ’90s. With his band, the Zydeco Hi-Rollers, Jocque injected rock and funk into the Zydeco sound, endearing him to fans throughout the local clubs. A big man, standing 6′ 6″ and weighing in at nearly 275 pounds, Jocque died of a fatal heart attack at the age of 46.
Bill Monroe was a bluegrass pioneer who more or less invented the genre whose name itself was derived from the moniker of his own band, the Blue Grass Boys. Born on the family farm in Kentucky, each of Monroe’s parents passed away by the time he was 16, so he spent the next two years living with his fiddle-playing uncle whom he often accompanied on mandolin at local gigs. When he was 18, Monroe formed the Monroe Brothers with his brother Charlie Monroe and two friends. The friends eventually left and the brothers continued as a duo, signing with RCA Victor in 1936. In 1940, Monroe formed the Blue Grass Boys which soon included banjo great, Earl Scruggs and guitarist 
