Died On This Date (March 14, 2011) Sherman Washington Jr. / New Orleans Gospel Great
themusicsover Sherman Washington Jr.
DOB Unknown – March 14, 2011
Sherman Washington Jr. was a beloved New Orleans Gospel singer, radio host and promoter. As a member of Zion Harmonizers for the better part of 60 years, Washington was there for the birth of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, playing at its first gathering in 1970. Two years later, he took over the Gospel Tent and turned it into one of the most popular venues at the festival ever since. In the early years of Jazz Fest, the Gospel Tent was the place many white visitors experienced Gospel for the first time. Washington was also the host of the popular Sunday morning Gospel program on New Orleans radio station, WYLD-AM. The show became much more than a jukebox of the latest Gospel hits, but rather a community of sorts with Washington serving as its beloved “mayor.” In ailing health in recent years, Sherman Washington Jr. passed away in his home on March 14, 2011. He was 86.
What You Should Own
Ronnie Hammond was the lead singer for successful southern rock band, the Atlanta Rhythm Section. The group itself was born out of a group of in-demand studio musicians from the Atlanta, Georgia area. When the band was recording their first album in 1972, Hammond happened to show up at the studio as an assistant engineer, and once the guys heard him sing, they asked him to join the band. Hammond sang for ARS on their first six albums, during their peak years. In 1978, they released Champagne Jam which included the popular single of the same name. It would become their biggest hit and take them from playing clubs and into arenas and stadiums. In August of that same year, the band was invited by President Jimmy Carter to play at the White House. Hammond left the group in 1982 to pursue a solo career. He reunited with them in 1988 and continued on for the next decade or so. On March 14, 2011, Ronnie Hammond died of heart failure. He was 60.
Todd Cerney was a brilliant songwriter, musician, and producer who was based in Nashville, Tennessee. Born in Detroit, Cerney moved to Nashville during the ’70s to further his career. His songs have been recorded by George Strait, Tanya Tucker, Jon Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Cheap Trick to name a few. His hits include the Grammy-nominated “I’ll Be Loving You” (Restless Heart) and the country chart topping “Good Morning Beautiful” (Steve Holy). As an in-demand session player, Cerney has performed live or recorded with a list of superstars that includes the Dixie Chicks, the Grateful Dead, the Beach Boys, and Jackson Browne. In November of 2010, Todd Cerney suffered a brain seizure and subsequently learned he had stage four melanoma cancer. On March 14, 2011, Cerney died as a result of the cancer.
Melvin Sparks was a brilliant electric guitarist who made a name for himself on countless jazz and soul-jazz recordings as a session player and a band leader. Born into a musical family, Sparks picked up the guitar at just eleven years old. By the time he was in high school, he was playing behind 
Joe Morello was a world renowned jazz drummer who is perhaps best remembered for his 12-year run with the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Morello had a birth defect that partially impaired his vision, so he tended to spend much of his free time participating in indoor activities . He took up the violin first and soon found himself as a featured soloist in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. At the age of 15, he switched over to the drums and eventually moved to New York City to further his career. It was there he began playing with the likes of 