Henri Salvador was a French Cabaret singer who dabbled in different genres of music throughout his 50+ year career. He often performed French pop, Jazz, Brazilian, and even children’s songs. In 1956, Salvador released what is believed to be the first French rock ‘n roll songs, but under an alias, Henry Cording. On February 13, 2008, Henri Salvador died of a ruptured aneurysm. He was 90 years old.
Blind Boy Fuller (Born Fulton Allen)
July 10, 1907 – February 13, 1941
Blind Boy Fuller was a singer and guitarist who was a practitioner of what is known as Piedmont blues, a finger picking style of guitar playing that is not dissimilar in sound to the music made by ragtime pianos. Blind since his late teens, Fuller mostly earned his living playing on either the streets, house parties, or outside the local tobacco warehouses. It is not known how Fuller lost his sight. In 1935, he was given his first recording contract and went on to make more than 120 recordings over the next five years. Later, he made a series of records with the great Sonny Terry. Blind Boy Fuller was 33 when he died as a result of an infected bladder and liver failure on February 13, 1941. It is believed that heavy alcohol consumption may have played a role in his death.
Jalacy “Screamin’ Jay” Hawkins
July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins was a somewhat outrageous blues and rock ‘n roll singer and musician whose biggest hit, “I Put a Spell On You,” and spooky stage theatrics influenced the likes of Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath. Even Bruce Springsteen has borrowed from Hawkins by coming out of a coffin to kick off his shows around Halloween. After serving in WWII where he was reportedly captured and tortured, Hawkins came home to the U.S. where he became a middleweight boxing champ, and later, a recording artist. In 1956, he released “I Put a Spell On You,” which went on to become a radio staple each year in October and has since been recorded or performed by the likes of Creedance Clearwater Revival, Ray Charles, Iggy Pop, Marylin Manson, and more recently, She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward). In later years, Hawkins collaborated with Dread Zeppelin and the Fuzztones. He’s also shared the stage with the Clash, the Rolling Stones and Fats Domino. On February 12, 2000, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, age 70, died following surgery for an aneurysm. It has been estimated that he left behind as many as 75 children to many different mothers.
L-R: Ronnie Spector, Nedra Talley, Estelle Bennett
Estelle Bennett was a member of famed girl-group, the Ronettes. She, her sister Veronica (later Ronnie Spector), and Nedra Talley formed the group while still teenagers back in 1959. Over the next several years, they released a string of singles that defined the era as well as the “girl group sound.” That list includes “Be My Baby,” “Baby I Love You,” and “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” And they were the only female group that ever toured with the Beatles. The group broke up in 1966 after which Bennett released just one record, “The Year 2000,” and retired from the music business. She resurfaced in 2007 for the group’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Estelle Bennett died of colon cancer on February 11, 2009. She was 67.
J Dilla aka Jay Dee (Born James Yancey)
February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006
J Dilla was a respected hip hop producer who rose to prominence during the late ’90s. He began getting noticed thanks to mid ’90s remixes for the likes of the Pharcyde, Janet Jackson and A Tribe Called Quest. In 1997, Jackson’s “Got ’til It’s Gone” won a Grammy. Even though Dilla produced it, he wasn’t credited, therefore didn’t receive the Grammy. Dilla began releasing his own albums in 2000, each of which were moderately successful, particularly throughout hip hop’s underground community. In 2003, he began collaborating with Los Angeles based producer and MC, Madlib. Together they recorded as Jaylib. Around that time, Dilla learned he was suffering from a rare blood disease that made it increasingly more difficult for him to get around. His health continued to deteriorate over the next few years. On February 10, 2006, 32-year-old J Dilla died of cardiac arrest.