Died On This Date (May 16, 1953) Django Reinhardt / Jazz Great
themusicsover Django Reinhardt
January 23, 1910 – May 16, 1953
Django Reinhardt was one of Europe’s earliest jazz musician’s to gain fame on the international level. His style of choice was Gypsy Jazz on the guitar, spending much of his youth in gypsy camps near Paris. By the mid ’30s he was playing alongside the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter and Louis Armstrong. During WWII, Reinhardt escaped the fate of many other gypsies who were sent to their deaths at the hands of the Nazis. It has been reported that Reinhardt had an influential fan in the Luftwaffe. His popularity soared in post war Europe and beyond thanks in part to his musical partnership with Stephane Grappelli. Reinhardt retired in 1951 and died in 1953 after collapsing outside his house from a brain hemorrhage.
What You Should Own
Wayman Tisdale first came to the world’s attention as an NBA basketball player for the Indiana Pacers and later the gold medal winning US Olympic basketball team of 1984. Tisdale averaged 15 points and six rebounds per game over his twelve-season career, playing with the Pacers, Sacramento Kings and the Phoenix Suns. After retiring from basketball, Tisdale pursued his other dream, music. But unlike most other professional athletes who dabbled in music, Tisdale avoided rap and focused on smooth jazz. In the early ’90s, Tisdale started the Fifth Quarter Band, for which he played bass. The band was signed to MoJazz Records and released their debut in 1995. He went on to release seven more albums that included such guests as George Duke, Bob James, Dave Koz and country star, Toby Keith. Tisdale was diagnosed with cancer in his knee in early 2008, he had broken the knee falling down a flight of stairs. His leg was partially amputated in May of 2008. Plans for a 21-date concert tour were cut short when Wayman Tisdale died of cancer in a Tulsa hospital. He was just 44.
June Carter was born into country music’s iconic Carter Family on May 23, 1929. By the time she was just ten, she was performing as part of the family group. In 1961, the Carter Family went on the road with 
Barbara Lee was a member of the ’60s girl group, the Chiffons. Formed while the girls were still in high school in the Bronx, the Chiffons had a #1 hit out of the gate with 1963’s “He’s So Fine.” The group continued to have notable hits over the next decade or so. Of historical note, the Chiffons’ record “I Have A Boyfriend” was playing on KLF Radio in Dallas when interrupted with the first announcements of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Barbara Lee died of a heart attack on May 15, 1999, the day before her 45th birthday.