Died On This Date (February 7, 2015) Joe B. Mauldin / Bassist For The Crickets
themusicsover Joe B. Mauldin
July 8, 1940 – February 7, 2015
Joe B. Mauldin is best remembered as the influential double-bassist for Buddy Holly & the Crickets. Born in Lubbock, Texas, Mauldin’s first band of note was the Four Teens, which he joined in 1955. Two years later, he joined up with Holly and the Crickets who went on to record some of the most iconic songs in the history of music, among them, “That’ll Be The Day,” “Rave On,” and “Peggy Sue.” The Crickets have been rightfully acknowledged as a direct inspiration to many important bands to follow, including the Beatles. After Holly died in 1959, Mauldin performed with various incarnations of the Crickets. He also became a recording engineer, contributing to the sound of such artists as Brian Wilson, Phil Spector, and Herb Alpert. Joe B. Mauldin died of cancer on February 7, 2015. He was 74.
What You Should Own
John Walker was a the co-lead singer of the Walker Brothers, a popular California-born “British” rock band during the ’60s. Ironically, the band moved to England while British bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were taking over America. As a sort of rock version of the Righteous Brothers, the band became immensely popular in England, with a fan club that once counted more members than even the Beatles’. During the early ’60s, Walker began building a name for himself throughout the hip Hollywood night spots while working with the likes of Phil Spector, the Monkees, and 
Stan Kenton was a popular jazz pianist and band leader who made his mark as part of the West Coast jazz scene of the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. He was considered an innovator in his day – taking what others called a “dance band,” and filling it out to what he preferred to call an “orchestra.” In doing so, he created what was then labeled a “wall of sound,” a term hijacked by Phil Spector in later years. His influence can be heard today across America’s high school and college jazz bands. Stan Kenton died on August 25, 1979 following a stroke. He was 67.
