Died On This Date (December 28, 2011) Kaye Stevens / Popular Singer & Actress During The ’60s
themusicsover Kaye Stevens
July 21, 1933 – December 28, 2011
Kaye Stevens was a popular entertainer who initially found her audience during the 1960s. Stevens’ big break came one night when Debbie Reynolds, who was headlining the Riviera in Las Vegas, fell ill. Stevens was called in at the last-minute, and club bookers quickly took notice. Before she knew it, Stevens was playing up and down the Las Vegas Strip and at clubs in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, and beyond. She even secured an opening slot on dates with the Rat Pack, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis, Jr. During the mid ’60s, Stevens visited Vietnam as part of one of Bob Hope’s popular USO Tours. She released a handful of albums during her career as well. Stevens was also a familiar face on television throughout the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, appearing on numerous game shows and guest starring on several series programs. Kaye Stevens was 79 when she passed away on December 28, 2011. She had reportedly been suffering from breast cancer.
Thanks to Henk de Bruin at 2+ Printing for the assist.
Whop Frazier was a Washington DC blues singer and bassist who was a popular draw throughout the city and surrounding area blues clubs for many years. Over the years, he played with Carl Anderson, the Bad Influence Band and his own Whop Frazier & Friends By Choice. William “Whop” Frazier died of lung and bone cancer on December 22, 2011. He was 68.
David Gold was the founder and lead singer/guitarist for Ontario, Canada doom metal band, Woods Of Ypres. Formed as a trio in 2002, the band released a handful of critical and fan favorite albums on Gold’s own Krankenhaus Records. Their black and dark metal songs, which have been described as a “metallised Pink Floyd, helped build a legion of fans over the years. In 2010, just as rumors of the group’s demise were circulating, they signed with Earache Records who is scheduled to release their latest offering in January 2012. David Gold was reportedly killed in a car accident in Ontario, Canada on December 22, 2011. He was 31.
Merv Conn was a Washington DC area accordionist and singer who entertained audiences big and small for several decades. Conn was still in his teens when he first learned to play the accordion, and in a very short time, he was playing parties and on local radio stations. During the mid ’40s, he opened an accordion school, which at its peak, employed five teachers and taught as many as 300 students a week. In 1964, he became the official live musician of the Washington Senators professional baseball team, entertaining crowds over the PA system between innings. Due to his proximity to the U.S. Capital, Conn often performed at embassy events and even played private shows for Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, and Harry S. Truman. Over the years, his repertoire swelled to over 1000 songs. Merv Conn was 91 when he died of complications of prostate cancer on December 20, 2011.