Died On This Date (August 17, 1990) Pearl Bailey / Iconic American Vocalist

Pearl Bailey
March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990

The great Pearl Bailey was a singer and actress who went from the vaudeville stage to television and Broadway, eventually winning an Emmy and Tony award.  She began her career as a teenager singing and dancing in clubs in the Philadelphia area.  By the early ’40s she was entertaining troops with the USO.  Upon her return to the states, Bailey settled in New York where she performed with the likes of Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway.  In 1952, Bailey married jazz great, Louis Bellson who died in 2009, just five months before the passing of their daughter, singer Dee Dee Bellson .   She made her Broadway debut in a 1954 production of Carmen Jones, and later starred in an all-black production of Hello Dolly!, for which she won a Tony.  She recorded popular singles and albums through much of her professional life.  During the ’70, Bailey was a familiar face on television, appearing on countless variety programs as well as hosting her own.  She also voiced animated features including Disney’s The Fox And The Hound in 1981.  Pearl Bailey died of heart disease on August 17, 1990 at the age of 72.

What You Should Own

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Pearl Bailey Sings Porgy & Bess and Other Gerswhin Melodies - Pearl Bailey

Died On This Date (August 16, 2007) Max Roach / Jazz Icon

Max Roach
January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007

Many jazz fans consider Max Roach to have been one of the genre’s greatest drummers.  One of the early practitioners of bebop, Roach made his mark playing behind some of popular music’s greatest musicians.  That list includes Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Sonny Rollins.  Throughout a recording career that spanned nearly 60 years, Roach performed on over 100 albums, either as a sideman or leader.  Of those albums, 1962’s Money Jungle with Mingus and Ellington has been called the greatest trio album ever recorded.  Off the stage, Roach was an civil rights activist.  He passed away at the age of natural causes at the age of 83.

What You Should Own

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We Insist! - Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite - Abbey Lincoln & Max Roach

Died On This Date (July 12, 1947) Jimmie Lunceford / Jazz Great

Jimmie Lunceford
June 6, 1902 – July 12, 1947

Jimmie Lunceford played the alto saxophone and lead his own swing band.  The origin of the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra can be traced back to when Lunceford was still in high school, and within a couple of years after graduation, they were already recording and touring.  And by 1933, they were gracing the stage of Harlem’s Cotton Club where audiences ate up their fun and wildly entertaining shows.   Lunceford and his band are as revered as the greats of the swing era, Count Basie and Duke Ellington.   It was the summer of 1947 that found Lunceford on tour in Oregon, and it was after a show while signing autographs that he collapsed and died of cardiac arrest.  There has been speculation that he had actually been poisoned earlier at dinner by a restaurant owner upset that he had to serve a “negro.”  Lunceford had recently turned 45.

What You Should Own

The Very Best Of - Jimmie Lunceford



Died On This Date (July 12, 2003) Benny Carter / Jazz Great

Benny Carter
August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003

benny-carterBenny Carter was a premier jazz horn player for over 60 years.  He was loved for his abilities on the saxophone, clarinet, and trumpet.  Throughout his career, he’s won numerous awards including Grammys and the National Medal of Arts.  Carter made his first recordings in 1928 and never looked back.  Over the years he’s played with the biggest names in jazz including Fletcher Henderson, Django Reinhardt and Coleman Hawkins.  As an arranger, he’s worked with Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington and many more.    Remarkably, Carter continued working until he retired at the ago of 90.  He passed away five years later.

What You Should Own

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Further Definitions - Benny Carter, Benny Carter and His Orchestra & Quincy Jones and His Orchestra



Died On This Date (July 7, 2008) Bobby Durham / Drummer; Played With Ella Fitzgerald

Bobby Durham
February 3, 1937 – July 7, 2008

Bobby Durham was a versatile jazz drummer who began his career at the age of sixteen by playing with popular doo-wop group the Orioles.  After serving in the military where he played in the military band, Durham settled in New York City where he went on to become one of the most respected drummers in jazz.  Over his career, he performed with the likes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and Ella Fitzgerald, who he accompanied for over ten years.  Bobby Durham died after a long struggle with lung cancer and emphysema.