On This Date (July 6, 1998) Roy Rogers / Singing Cowboy Star
themusicsover Roy Rogers (Born Leonard Slye)
November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998
Born where Riverfront Stadium now stands in Cincinnati, Ohio, Roy Rogers moved to California at eighteen to become a singer. He formed the Sons of the Pioneers and released such early country hits as “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” “Cool Water” and “Don’t Fence Me In,” a later hit by the Talking Heads. By the mid-40s, Rogers was making westerns and becoming a matinee idol. Rogers married film actress, Dale Evans in 1947, beginning a life long partnership both on and off screen. The two starred together in films and on their weekly variety show, which was famous for it’s Evans penned sign-off tune, “Happy Trails To You.” Rogers died of congestive heart failure at the age of 86.
What You Should Own
Harvey Fuqua was a much respected R&B performer, songwriter and producer who is mostly remembered for his longtime association with Motown Records. In 1951, Fuqua formed the Moonglows, a popular doo wop group who recorded such hits as “Sincerely,” “Don’t Be Afraid of Love,” and “Ten Commandments of Love.” In 1958, Fuqua recruited a young singer, 
Van McCoy was a musician, producer, arranger and prolific songwriter who has penned upwards of 700 songs during his career. But, he is perhaps best remembered for just one, “The Hustle,” which was massive disco hit of 1975 and to this day, arguably defines the era. McCoy began singing in the church choir as a child and by his early teens, he and his brother were performing as a doo wop duo. While in college, McCoy started his own record label to release his first single, “Hey Mr. DJ.” He was soon hired by Scepter Records as an A&R rep and songwriter. Over the years, he penned hits for Gladys Knight & The Pips (“Giving Up”), Barbara Lewis (“Baby, I’m Yours”), the Shirelles (“Stop The Music”) and 
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Paul Hackman was a founding guitarist for Canadian hard rock band, Helix. Formed in 1974 for a battle-of-the-bands contest, the band quickly built a following in their homeland which eventually lead to a deal with Capitol Records in 1984. The band soon released a racy video for “Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'” which caused a bit of a stir years later when it was discovered it featured a then 16-year-old Traci Lords dancing around nude. Of course, no one knew she was underage at the time. Several years later, while on a Canadian tour in 1992, the band’s bus veered off a 40-foot embankment, throwing Hackman to his death. He had been asleep behind the driver.