Cab Calloway – Page 2 – The Music's Over

Died On This Date (October 3, 2009) Laura Mae Gross / L.A. Blues Club Owner

themusicsover October 3, 2009 0 Comments

Laura Mae Gross
1920 – October 3, 2009

lauramae Known around the Los Angeles blues scene as “Mama,” Laura Mae Gross was the owner of Babe and Ricky’s Inn which she opened on the storied Central Avenue in 1964. In no time, the club became a destination of local and traveling blues musicians alike. She hosted the likes of B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Big Mama Thornton, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, John Lee Hooker and Albert King to name just a few. In 1987, the mayor of Los Angeles signed a proclamation honoring Gross for her commitment to keeping the Central Avenue music scene alive. After a downturn in the area during the ’90s, Gross moved the club to the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles. Laura Mae Gross died of heart failure at the age of 89.

Jazz Musician

Died On This Date (September 20, 1973) Ben Webster / Jazz Great

themusicsover September 20, 2009 0 Comments

Ben Webster
March 17, 1909 – September 20, 1973

Ben Webster was a prominent saxophonist who made his mark playing swing. He is considered one of the most important players of the idiom. He got his start in the Young Family Band alongside the great, Lester Young. It was the 1930s in St. Louis, and Webster was quickly rising to the top of the scene. Throughout his career, he was part of the best bands and orchestras in history. They included those lead by Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Benny Carter and Cab Calloway. In the mid ’60s, Webster moved to Amsterdam where many American jazz musicians were settling at the time. He continued to play in and around Denmark until his passing in 1973.