Died On This Date (January 11, 2017) Tommy Allsup / Rockabilly & Western Swing Great
themusicsover Tommy Allsup
November 24, 1931 – January 11, 2017
Tommy Allsup was an influential rockabilly and western swing guitarist, but he was also one of the luckiest people in all of popular music. While on tour with Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and JP “The Big Bopper” Richardson in February of 1959 – he was in Holly’s band – Allsup was on the “losing” end of the infamous coin toss that gave his seat up to Valens who was killed with the others when the plane crashed. After Holly’s death, Allsup went to work for Liberty Records where he produced records by Willie Nelson and Tex Williams, among others. Although he was most famous for his playing on Holly’s records, Allsup also recorded with the likes of Bob Wills, The Ventures, Kenny Rogers, The Everly Brothers, and Roy Orbison. Tommy Allsup was 85 when he died on January 11, 2017. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Thanks to Harold Lepidus for the assist.
Alphonse Mouzon was a jazz drummer who came to be one of the architects of American jazz fusion during the late ’60s and early ’70s. Born in Charleston, SC, Mouzon realized in high school that he had what it took to make a living as a musician. Upon graduation, he moved to New York City where he studied music and drama. Mouzon’s first gig of note was playing percussion in the Broadway show, Promises, Promises. He then went to work with jazz great, McCoy Tyner, and spent about a year in Weather Report before being signed to Blue Note Records as a solo artist in 1972. In 1973, he joined up with Larry Coryell‘s Eleventh House, one of the premiere fusion bands of its time. He played with Coryell for about two years and can be heard on such albums as Introducing The Eleventh House and Level One. Throughout his career, which spanned over 45 years, Mouzon also recorded or performed with the likes of 
