Died On This Date (March 1, 2013) Jewel Akens / Had Pop Hit With “The Birds And The Bees”
themusicsover Jewel Akens
September 12, 1933 – March 1, 2013
Jewel Akens was an American singer who is best remembered for his 1965 hit, “The Birds and the Bees” which is often included in so-called one-hit-wonder lists. Born in Houston, Texas, initially recorded with doo-wop groups, the Medallions and the Four Dots. After going solo, Akens recorded “The Birds and the Bees” for Era Records. The single ultimately reached #3 on the Billboard charts, #3 on the Australian charts, and #29 on the UK charts on its way to selling over one million copies. He released several more records – many with Eddie Cochran on guitar – but none achieved near the success brought on by “The Birds And The Bees.” Akens toured and later made special appearances throughout most of his life, even touring with the Monkees during the ’70s. Jewel Akens died from complications of a back surgery on March 1, 2013. He was 79.
Thanks to Henk de Bruin for the assist.
Shadow Morton was a much-respected record producer whose contributions to popular music include producing and writing hits for the Shangri-Las. He was particularly adept at composing songs loaded with teen melodrama that became staples of the era. His song-writing hits for the Shangri-Las include “Leader of the Pack,” “Give Him a Great Big Kiss,” and “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” which happens to be the first song he ever wrote. With just those four songs alone, it’s easy to argue that without Morton, the ’60s girl-group phenomenon might never have happened. In 1967, he produced “Society’s Child,” a hit for Janis Ian. He also is credited for discovering Vanilla Fudge and producing their first three albums, which included their hit, “You Keep Me Hanging On.” The production of Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” is also given to Morton. During the ’70s, Morton worked with the New York Dolls, producing their second album, Too Much Too Soon. Shadow Morton died of cancer on February 14, 2013. He was 72.
Danny Sims was a successful American music executive who is perhaps best remembered for being instrumental in the success of 
Carl Davis was an acclaimed record producer and one of the architects of the “Chicago Sound” – Chicago soul music of the 1960s. Davis began his music career as the assistant to a local Chicago disc jockey in 1955. During the early ’60s, he went to work at Nat Records where he produced a regional hit, “Nite Owl,” for the DuKays. He followed that up with “Duke Of Earl” which was credited to the group’s lead singer, Gene Chandler. The song quickly became a #1 hit and one of the biggest selling records of the era. Davis went on to produce hits like “Monkey Time” for Major Lance, 
Frazier Mohawk was a man of many talents who was a prominent if not well-known figure of the Los Angeles music scene of the 1960s. One of his earliest jobs was doing publicity for radio and television host, Bob Eubanks. He quickly parlayed that into doing sound mixes for bands performing on TV. He also worked as a publicist for