R&B

Died On This Date (March 16, 1970) Tammi Terrell / R&B Great

Tammi Terrell
April 29, 1945 – March 16, 1970

tammi-terrellThe incomparable Tammi Terrell was one of those special gifts that was taken from us far too soon. Although Terrell began performing at the age of 13, it wasn’t until she hit her early 20s when Motown’s Barry Gordy, Jr. discovered her and teamed her up with Marvin Gaye that her career began to soar. With a string of hits, the duo took their show on the road, but a series of severe headaches began to take their toll on both Terrell and their act. It all came crashing down in October of 1967 when Terrell collapsed in Gaye’s arms while on stage at Hampden-Sydney College on Vermont. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor which lead to her death on March 16, 1970 at just 24. Gaye was so distraught by her passing that he went into a self-imposed isolation for a couple of years. It was during this time that he wrote and recorded his classic, What’s Going On?. His maturation on that album was likely a byproduct of his great loss of Miss Terrell.

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The Complete Duets - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

Died On This Date (March 14, 1991) Doc Pomus / Songwriting Genius

Jerome “Doc” Pomus
June 27, 1925 – March 14, 1991

doc-pomus.jpgThere isn’t enough room here to list the world-class artists who have recorded or covered songs written by the great Doc Pomus. From Brook Benton to the New York Dolls; from Andy Williams to Elvis Costello; from Dolly Parton to the Misfits. Okay, one more, from Dusty Springfield to Johnny Thunders. Oh and did I mention “Viva Las Vegas?”  Pomus’ life was no picnic, however.  As a child, he developed polio, so he needed crutches.  And after an automobile accident later in life, those crutches were replaced by a wheelchair. Doc Pomus succumbed to lung cancer on March 14, 1991 at the age of 65.



Died On This Date (March 14, 1970) Mary Ann Ganser / The Shangri-Las

Mary Ann Ganser
1947 – March 14, 1970

Mary Ann Ganser was one of the four singers in the ’60s girl group, the Shangri-Las.  She, along with identical twin, Marge Ganser,  and another set of sisters, Mary Weiss and Betty Weiss, recorded such hits as “Leader Of The Pack” and “Remember (Walking In The Sand).”  After record label problems and a downturn in their popularity, the Shangri-Las called it quits in 1968.  Bitter from not receiving royalties from their millions of records sold, Mary Ann Ganser retired from the music industry, and on March 14, 1970, she died of an apparent overdose of barbiturates.

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The Shangri-Las

Died On This Date (March 12, 2010) Rockie Charles / New Orleans’ “President of Soul”

Rockie Charles (Born Charles Merrick)
November 14, 1942 – March 12, 2010

Photo by Joseph A. Rosen

Rockie Charles was a beloved New Orleans R&B singer and guitarist who had been called “The President of Soul.”  Born into a musical family, Charles was schooled in reading and writing music at a very young age.  As he grew older, he generally won local talent competitions and occasionally shared the stage with the likes of Aaron Neville and Ernie K-Doe.  He formed his first band while still in high school and by the late ’60s he was playing the chitlin’ circuit, opening for some of the biggest names in R&B at the time.  Like many traditional R&B artists, Charles’ career slowed down during the ’70s as local clubs began booking disco acts, but he experienced a nice renaissance during the ’90s.  Since then, he was a popular draw throughout the region’s music festivals, and had been working on a new album at the time of his death.  On March 12, 2010, Rockie Charles, 67,  died of cancer.



Died On This Date (March 10, 1997) LaVern Baker / R&B Great

LaVern Baker
November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997

Originally going by the stage name of Little Miss Sharecropper, the early queen of R&B rose to fame when she signed to Ahmet Ertegun’s Atlantic Records and changed her professional name to Lavern Baker. In the 60s, Miss Baker went to Vietnam to entertain the troops and on the advice of a friend, she stayed in the Philippines for the next 22 years and worked as the entertainment director at a Marine Corps nightclub for the US government. LaVern Baker passed away from a heart condition on this date in 1997.

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Soul On Fire: The Best of LaVerne Baker - LaVern Baker