Died On This Date (May 15, 2009) Wayman Tisdale / NBA Star & Jazz Musician
themusicsover Wayman Tisdale
June 9, 1964 – May 15, 2009
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.
What You Should Own
Stanley Turrentine was one of contemporary jazz’s greatest saxophonists. Born into a musical family, Turrentine began playing in early R&B groups but soon switched to jazz where he became one of it’s stars during the ’50s and ’60s. He shifted to jazz fusion during the ’70s and then to a more soul sound during the ’80s. Over the course of his career, Turrentine played with such greats as 
