On February 26th, in 1971, singer, actress, activist, DJ, producer, Soulquarian, songwriter, poet, mother, neo soul innovator and collaborator with Madlib, J-Dilla, D'Angelo, Common, and Jay Electronica-Erykah Badu (Erica Abi Wright) was born in Dallas, Texas. Erykah’s most noted for her hits like On & On, Window Seat, Bag Lady, Tyrone, Next Lifetime, and Back In The Day (Puff) among many others. Her career, however, goes back way before the masses would hear her sing. Her uncle Curtis King founded The Black Academy Of Arts And Letters (TBAAL). Erykah started performing there as a dancer and singer at the age of four years old; and she was taught by her godmother Gwen Hargrove.
Her immersion into Pro-Black Culture and self-awareness blossomed during her middle school years, and in her early teens, she would recite raps and freestyle on local radio stations. It is around this time that she changed the spelling of her name from Erica to Erykah, thus embracing a more Afrocentric spelling and meaning (kah means self). The last name Badu, derives from the Akan (Ghana) word for 10th born child, and it’s also the common jazz scat combination sound. This is one of her favorite vocal scats, hence Erykah Badu. She graduated from Booker T. Washington High School For The Performing & Visual Arts, before attending Grambling State University. She left in 1993 to pursue a career in music. Erykah cut a demo eventually heard by Kedar Massenburg of Kedar Entertainment, who got her a deal with Universal in 1996. Queen Badu is 48 today.
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On February 26th, 1989, jazz musician, pianist, composer, sideman, trumpeter, bandleader, arranger, drummer, tuba player, and swing jazz innovator (David) Roy Eldridge-aka Little Jazz-passed away in Valley Stream, New York. TOV covered the artist’s birthday in the January 30th post. Please refer to it for more information. Eldridge was infamously known for his pitch perfect tone and musical memory. He could hear a tune or melody, just one time, and duplicate it. This talent paid off throughout his career; and was largely attributed to his ability to retain professional gigs. A lot of bandleaders and studio owners wanted musicians that could read music. Eldridge had trouble reading it, and thus had to heighten his ear skills to compete.
He started playing piano when he was about four or five years old, drums when he was nine, and picked up the trumpet in his teens. After his parents divorced, and his mother remarried, he began practicing trumpet as more of a constant. He started traveling with bands, as a sideman, in his late teens. In his early twenties he started his own band, and he later began performing, recording, and working with Gene Krupa, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Anita O’Day, Buddy Rich, Illinois Jacquet, and Ben Webster. Roy Eldridge also released a number of solo LPs between the mid 1930s & the late 1970s. This DownBeat Hall Of Fame musician was 78 when he passed away.
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On February 26th, 2008 singer, drummer, sideman, bandleader, songwriter, producer, arranger, former member of Band Of Gypsys and The Electric Flag-Buddy Miles (George Allen Miles Jr.) passed away in Austin, Texas. TOV covered his birthday in the September 5th post. Please refer to it for more information. Buddy Miles started on the drums at a very young age. His father was an upright bassist for Duke Ellington, Dexter Gordon, and Charlie Parker-so music was always around the house. He learned quickly, and by the time he was 10, he had earned the nickname 'Buddy' from his aunt because he was as good on the drums as Buddy Rich. Buddy started playing professionally with his father’s band, The BeBops, at the age of 12.
As a teen, Buddy worked as a session drummer for Rainbow & Universal Studio. He also played with Wilson Pickett, Ruby & The Romantics, and The Delfonics. His first encounter with Jimi Hendrix took place at a soul review, that both of them were playing as sidemen, when he was just 16. They reconnected in 1967, at a jam session at Stephen Stills’ home in Malibu, California (with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby-Stills & Nash). He jammed with Jimi two more times in 1968, before forming The Electric Flag with Mike Bloomfield (guitarist), and Nick Gravenites (vocalist). The group released two LPs in '68. Miles recorded with Hendrix on his Electric Ladyland, and then formed The Buddy Miles Express in 1969. Hendrix produced four of the tracks on their second LP. Buddy joined The Band of Gypsys in 1970. He was 60 years old, when he passed away.
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HONORABLE MENTION:
On February 26th, 1932, singer, actor, activist, songwriter, guitarist, rock ‘n roll legend, and country music icon-Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas. TOV covered his death in the September 12th post. Please refer to it for more information. Johnny Cash’s music is legendary, without a doubt. But few know about his grassroots mobilization of the down trodden, blue-collar, and rural farming communities. They depended on as the voice of their issues to the government, and society on a national level. Johnny Cash was 71 when he died.
On February 26th, 1932, singer, actor, activist, songwriter, guitarist, rock ‘n roll legend, and country music icon-Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas. TOV covered his death in the September 12th post. Please refer to it for more information. Johnny Cash’s music is legendary, without a doubt. But few know about his grassroots mobilization of the down trodden, blue-collar, and rural farming communities. They depended on as the voice of their issues to the government, and society on a national level. Johnny Cash was 71 when he died.
February 26th, 1955, is the date of two happenings that affected the music industry in a big way. First: The 7” single (45RPM vinyl record) had outsold the 78RPM record, which was the record that singles were originally printed on. Customers said that the 7” record was more durable, lighter in weight, and easier to carry as accessories-and holders popped up everywhere. Second: Soul singer LaVern Baker decided she'd had her fill of White pop musicians taking Black singles, and remaking them without having to pay for it. She sent an appeal letter asking Congress to amend the 1909 Copyright Act, that would make it harder for people to perform exact copies of songs without consent and royalty payments. They turned her down.
On February 26th, 1983, singer, songwriter, The King Of Pop, dancer, actor, choreographer, and music video pioneer-Michael Jackson's 1983 Thriller LP reached The #1 spot on The US Billboard Chart. Several things can be said about this LP:
Michael was one of the few musicians to go to the Ronald Reagan White House, have his video played on MTV, and was the first Black artist to secure a promotional deal with a major product (Pepsi). The dope videos and numerous Grammys can’t account for the barriers he broke.
Michael was one of the few musicians to go to the Ronald Reagan White House, have his video played on MTV, and was the first Black artist to secure a promotional deal with a major product (Pepsi). The dope videos and numerous Grammys can’t account for the barriers he broke.
On February 26th, 1990, we lost a former member of The Coasters-doo wop, blues, soul, and R&B vocalist Cornell Gunter (Cornelius E. Gunter). Gunter was a vocalist in three of the best doo wop groups to ever do it: The Flairs, The Platters, and The Coasters. He recorded Yakety Yak with the latter. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame singer was inducted in 1987 (with The Coasters). He recorded over 20 singles, with four different groups, between 1954 & 1965. The majority of the music he made helped shape the sound of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Cornell Gunter was 53 at the time of his death.
For more information on any musician or event reviewed in posts, or for additional information on The Wandering Eyes Blog overall, use the search bar and search the artist or event using keywords. It’s like a Google search for the site. A myriad of information, covering several topics exists on this site going back to 2013 when it was created. PEACE