Died On This Date (August 8, 1975) Cannonball Adderley / Jazz Great
themusicsover Julian “Cannonball” Adderley
September 15, 1928 – August 8, 1975
Somewhat of a child prodigy, Cannonball Adderley was already turning heads with his sax playing while still a teenager in Tallahassee, Florida. He along with his brother, Nat Adderley was even competent enough to sit in with Ray Charles as far back as the early ’40s. After relocating to New York City in the mid ’50s, Adderley was well on his way to becoming one of jazz’s most revered alto saxophonists. Throughout his career he performed or recorded with such legends as Oscar Pettiford, Miles Davis, Yusuf Lateef and Bill Evans. Adderley also had a brief career as an actor, first performing with his band in Clint Eastwood’s Play Misty For Me, and later acting opposite David Carradine in an episode of Kung Fu. On August 8, 1975, Cannonball Adderley died of a stroke at the age of 46.
What You Should Own
David Carradine was an internationally known actor most famous for his leading role in the ’70s television series, Kung Fu and for his role as Bill in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies. Carradine was also a singer-songwriter who released at least one album entitled As Is. In fact, he always fancied himself a musician first who just happened to fall into acting when he took a class in college. Throughout his film career, it wasn’t unusual to find Carradine’s characters playing music. He was also an occasional performer and local clubs. David Carradine was 72 when he was found dead in a Bangkok hotel on June 9, 2009. Cause of death was attributed to accidental asphyxiation.