Died On Ths Date (March 13, 2008) Wilfred Middlebrooks / Jazz Bassist
themusicsover Wilfred Middlebrooks
July 13, 1933 – March 13, 2008 
Wilfred Middlebrooks was a one-time bassist for Ella Fitzgerald. Middlebrooks began playing bass at a very young age and by the time he was just 15, he was traveling the region as part of a vaudeville troupe. During his early 20s, he moved to Los Angeles where he began making a name for himself in the jazz community. By the time he was 25, he was performing live and recording as part of Fitzgerald’s band with whom he’d stay for many years. Wilfred Middlebrooks died in his home from heart failure on March 13, 2008.
Sir John Dankworth was a highly regarded English jazz saxophonist, clarinetist and composer. Dankworth gravitated toward music while still a child, so he took piano, violin, and finally, clarinet lessons. As a teen, attended the Royal Academy of Music, and by the late ’40s, he was an up-and-coming star of the British jazz scene. During his early years, he played with the likes of 
Louis Jordan was a jazz pioneer who achieved great fame during the 1940s. He was one of a few black musicians of the era that was equally popular with both black and white audiences. According to Billboard magazine, Jordan ranked fifth on their list of the most successful African-American recording artists of all time. That figure is based solely on record sales and chart history. A talented singer as well and dynamic musician and bandleader, Jordan recorded duets with some of the era’s biggest stars. That list includes 
Ed Thigpen was a jazz drummer who was part of the 