| Originally posted on 07/17/18: On July 17th, in 1959, Jazz Vocalist Billie Holiday passed away in a NYC hospital due to cirrhosis of the liver. She was 43 years old when she died. Police officers were at the door of her hospital room when she passed on because they had arrested her earlier for heroine possession. |
Billie Holiday was never given the respect she deserved by Jazz club bookers and promoters at the time. They would swindle her out of her deserved earnings. She died with 70 cents in the bank.
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On July 17th, in 1965, the Cincinnati, Ohio based record label King Records released James Brown’s groundbreaking song 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag', which is credited by most as the first official Funk record. It went on to sell over 2 million copies. | |
James Brown would later receive a Grammy Award for the Best Rhythm & Blues Recording. The song introduced the world to the concept of the ONE. Which means hitting the first notes of a 4 bar measure the hardest and not accentuating the 4th beat. George Clinton & Prince would go on to make the ONE a staple requirement in funk music.
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| On July 17th, in 1967, eight years to the date after Billie Holiday passed away, Infamous Jazz Saxophonist & writer John Coltrane joined Billie on the other side. Much like her, his death was due to a bad liver, liver cancer to be exact. He passed away at Huntington Hospital in Long Island, New York. |
He was 40 years old. Coltrane is noted for working with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Lee Morgan & Cannonball Adderley. His participation in Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue LP, his take on the song Favorite Things from the Sound of Music & his 1964 released LP ‘A Love Supreme’ are all seen as some of his greatest works.
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On July 17th, in 1968, The hippie movement was gaining much momentum worldwide. Psychedelia was in full bloom! The London Pavilion premiered the animated film Yellow Submarine featuring the Beatles. | |
They did a photo-shoot for the film and helped promote it. The cameo appearances they made in the film were not their own voices. The movie-makers overdubbed them with their own actors’ voices.
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