Died On This Date (July 12, 1983) Chris Wood / Founding Member Of Traffic

Chris Wood
June 24, 1944 – July 12, 1983

Chris Wood was not only a founding member of English rock band, Traffic, he was good enough to play alongside the great Jimi Hendrix, appearing on 1968’s Electric Ladyland.  A multi-instrumentalist, Wood was known for his skills on the flute, keyboards and saxophone.  He also co-wrote several of Traffic’s songs and sang back up for them.  Throughout the late ’60s and ’70s, Wood lent his talents to such artists as Dr. John, Ginger Baker, Free, the Faces and John Martyn.  Wood suffered from drug and alcohol abuse throughout his career but would die of pneumonia on July 12, 1983 while working on a solo album.

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The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (Bonus Tracks) - Traffic


Died On This Date (July 12, 2010) Olga Guillot / The Queen Of Bolero

Olga Guillot
October 9, 1922 – July 12, 2010

Born in Cuba, Olga Guillot became a popular Bolero singer who was called La Reina de Bolero, or the Queen of Bolero.  Discovered while singing in local clubs in 1954, Guillot was soon whisked off to New York City where she recorded her first album for the respected Decca label.  Over the next forty-odd years, she released over 20 albums.  By the early ’50s, Guillot had relocated to Mexico where she soon became popular thanks to her music and budding acting career.  In 1958, she did her first European tour and had the good fortune to sing alongside the great Edith Piaf.  In 1963, Guillot was awarded the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or (The Golden Palm) for being the best Bolero singer in Latin America.  She became the first Latin singer to play Carnegie Hall in 1964.  A critic of Fidel Castro, her music is banned in Cuba.   Olga Guillot was 87 when she passed away on July 12, 2010.

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Los 15 Grandes de Olga Guillot - Olga Gullot



Died On This Date (July 12, 2010) Tuli Kupferberg / The Fugs

Naftali “Tuli” Kupferberg
September 28, 1923 – July 12, 2010

Tuli Kupferberg was a counter-culture icon who is best remembered as a poet, cartoonist, activist and co-founding singer of the Fugs, a folk rock band formed in 1965.  Kupferberg first gained notice during the late ’50s when he published his own Birth magazine which featured such Beat writers as Allen Ginsberg and LeRoi Jones.  He wrote several acclaimed books as well, the best known is perhaps 1966’s 1001 Ways To Beat The Draft.  In 1964, Kupferberg formed the Fugs, a folk rock band that took well-deserved jabs at the government and society in general.  They have been called one of New York’s first underground bands.  Since he was in his ’40s at the time, he referred to himself as “the world’s oldest rock star,” a description that would make even more sense when the band reformed in 1985.  Their comical “Boobs-A-Lot” has been a staple on Dr. Demento’s radio program for years.  The Fugs were introduced to a new generation when their “CIA Man” was prominently featured in 2008’s Coen Brothers film, Burn After Reading.  Kupferberg suffered a stroke in 2009, prompting such devotees as Sonic Youth, Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye and Lou Reed to put on a benefit concert on his behalf.  Tuli Kupferberg was 86 when he passed away on July 12, 2010.

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The Fugs



Died On This Date (July 12, 2010) Paulo Moura / Grammy Winning Brazilian Jazz Musician

Paulo Moura
July 15, 1932 – July 12, 2010

Paulo Moura was a respected Brazilian saxophonist and clarinetist who, over the course of his career played Carnegie Hall with Sergio Mendes, performed on Cannonball Adderley’s Cannonball’s Bossa Nova, and became the first Brazilian to win a Latin Grammy (2000).  Paulo Moura was 77 when he died of lymphoma on July 12, 2010.

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Dois Irmãos - Paulo Moura & Raphael Rabello



Died On This Date (July 11, 1937) George Gershwin / Iconic Composer

George Gershwin (Born Jacob Gershowitz)
September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937

Although his career spanned just around twenty years due to his untimely death, George Gerswhin, along with his brother Ira Gershwin, created some of the most popular music of all time.  His compositions can, to this day, be heard on Broadway, in classical concert halls, films and television.  Many of his songs have become standards and have been recorded by the biggest names in show business.  That list includes Barbra Streisand, Sting, Janis Joplin, Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Diana Ross, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane and Louis Armstrong.  George Gershwin died at the age of 38 during surgery for what was a brain tumor.  There have been some who disputed that a tumor caused his death.

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