On This Date (July 7, 2008) Hugh Mendl / Influential Decca Producder

Hugh Mendl
August 6, 1919 – July 7, 2008

Hugh Mendl started his music career in the early ’40s when his grandfather, then chairman of Decca Records gave him his first job as a producer at the label.  He stayed there for some 40 years.  Over the years, the label followed Mendl’s great ear by signing such acts as Lonnie Donegan, the Moody Blues, Genesis, David Bowie and John Mayall.  One act that the label famously did ignore his pleas to sign was the Beatles.  Mendl eventually grew disillusioned with business and retired to become an antique dealer.  He passed away in 2008 at the age of 89.

Died On This Date (July 6, 1971) Louis Armstrong / Jazz Icon

Louis Armstrong
August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971

Nicknamed “Satchmo,” Louis Armstrong was arguably the greatest performer jazz has ever known.  Born into poverty in New Orleans, Armstrong’s young life was as tough as one could imagine – a father who abandoned the family and a mother who was forced to turn to prostitution.  To get away, Armstrong hung out at the local dance halls of the city’s red light district, taking in the music of such greats as Joe “King” Oliver and Bunk Johnson who claimed he taught the young boy how to play the cornet.  He would later take up the more familiar trumpet.  When he became proficient on the cornet, Armstrong got gigs playing on riverboats and in parade brass bands.  It was only a matter of time before Armstrong was playing alongside the likes of Kid Ory, Fletcher Henderson, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Ella Fitzgerald and future wife, Lil Hardin.  Throughout his career, Armstrong made countless recordings, appeared in film and on television, and made the cover of Time magazine in February of 1949.  But it wasn’t until the world was caught up in Beatlemania, that he released his unlikely 1964 hit, “Hello Dolly.”  The song had the distinct honor of not only making him the oldest artist (63) to reach the #1 slot on the pop charts, but also of knocking the Beatles out of the top slot for the first time in 14 weeks.  Louis Armstrong died shortly after a heart attack at the age of 69.

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Louis Armstrong

Died On This Date (2009) Allen Klein / Managed the Beatles, Rolling Stones

Allen Klein
December 18, 1931 – July 4, 2009

allan_kleinAllen Klein was a record company executive and powerful artist manager during the 1960s.  Known as a ruthless businessman, many artists benefited from his abilities to get them better record deals and higher royalties.  His client list included Bobby Darin, Herman’s Hermits, Sam Cooke, and most famously, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.   His relationships with the Rolling Stones and the Beatles would eventually sour, ending in lawsuits. Some Beatles fans reportedly blamed tensions caused by Allen for driving the band apart.  Allen Klein died after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease at the age of 77.


Died On This Date (May 26, 1968) Little Willie John / Early R&B Great

Little Willie John
November 15, 1937 – May 26, 1968

As one of R&B’s unsung heroes, Little Willie John sang with a robust voice and an emotional range that would be cited as an influence by no less than Sam Cooke, James Brown, Jackie Wilson and Al Green. Discovered at the age of 17 by music impresario Johnny Otis, John signed to King Records where he had a run of hits that included “All Around The World,” “I’m Shakin’,” “Sufferin’ With The Blues,” and “Fever,” which would later be huge hits for both Peggy Lee and Elvis Presley. His songs were also covered by the Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, James Brown and the Blasters. His career came to a screeching halt in 1964 when he stabbed a man to death. His notorious bad temper and alcoholism likely played a role in the altercation. John was sent to Washington State Prison where he died of pneumonia in 1968.  Recognition for his contributions to popular music finally came three decades later, when John was elected to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

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Little Willie John: All 15 of His Chart Hits from 1953-1962 - Little Willie John

Died On This Date (May 8, 1967) LaVerne Andrews / The Andrews Sisters

LaVerne Andrews
July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967

LaVerne Andrews, along with her two younger sisters, Maxene and Patty  were better known as the Andrews Sisters, the best-selling female vocal group in pop music history. Over their career, the Andrews’ recorded over 600 sides that sold over 75 million copies in all. They had 113 charted hits, 46 of which landing in the top 10, a feat that surpassed even Elvis Presley and the Beatles. The original group’s run can to an end when LaVerne died of cancer on May 8, 1967 at the age of 56.

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