On May 2nd, in 2014, we lost an important session vocalist, songwriter, singer of soul, funk, disco, former member of Friends of Distinction, Parliament-Funkadelic, Raw Silk and Earth Wind & Fire-Jessica (Marguerite) Cleaves. TOV covered the artist’s birthday on the December 10th post. Please refer to it for more information. The Los Angeles native started singing soul as a teen. She co-founded the Friends of Distinction with Floyd Butler, Barbara Jean Love and Harry Elston in 1968 (19). Jim Brown-infamous former running back for the Cleveland Browns-discovered the group and got them signed to RCA Records. They had a couple top ten hits with their vocal cover version of Hugh Masekela’s-Grazing in the Grass (1968) and the sultry ballad-Going in Circles (1969).
Jim Brown also discovered the second band that Cleaves joined in the early 70s-Earth, Wind & Fire. She did session work for them in 1971 and is featured as an official band member on their 1972 LP-Last Days and Time, and the 1973 album-Head to the Sky. Around the late 70s, Cleaves (r) left Earth Wind & Fire and joined Raw Silk. Members included former Crown Heights Affair vocalists-Bert Reid and Ron Dean Miller, along with Sybil Thomas and Tenita Jordan. Shortly after this, she moved to Detroit and joined Parliament-Funkadelic. She can be heard on their early 80s recordings. She left the industry in the late 80s. There’s a documentary on her life in the works by Armand Araujo-Jessica Cleaves, My Friends of Distinction. She was 65 when she passed.
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On May 2nd, in 1935, indigenous American rock musician from the Shawnee tribe, singer, pioneering electric guitarist, songwriter, Korean War veteran and survivor of tuberculosis-Link Wray (Fred Lincoln Wray) was born in Dunn, North Carolina. Wray is known for inventing two major sounds on the guitar-fuzz and the power chord. He invented the fuzz sound when he punched a hole in his amplifier making his tone reverberate and distort. Many musicians rely on the sound, especially in rock, blues and pop music. He also invented the power chord-which is played by striking the root note with the fifth note. This is the primary sound of Heavy Metal and Punk Rock. He sang and recorded country at the onset of his career. He enlisted in the US Army (21, 1950) and served in the Korean War (1950-1953).
He was diagnosed with tuberculosis and had to have one of his lungs removed. Following the successful operation, the doctors informed Wray that he’d never sing again. This is when his sound changed. He began to write instrumental rock songs with a rockabilly edge. Wray often performed 3 staple songs during his sets-Apache (yes, the Incredible Bongo Band’s cover song and hip hop staple breakbeat), Shawnee and Comanche. In the mid 50s, he formed a band-Link Wray & His Ray Men. They released their first recording in 1958-Rumble (Cadence Records). He released a few more sides with the band, before going indie, making his own three-track studio and releasing his own recordings. Wray influenced Iggy Pop, Pete Townshend, Jimmy Page and Neil Young. He was 76 when he passed.
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On May 2nd, in 1945, singer, songwriter, former member of the Delfonics and Blue Magic-Randy Cain (Herbert Randal Cain III-r) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. TOV covered the artist’s death on the April 9th post. Please refer to it for more information. Cain started signing with various doo wop groups during his years at Overbrook High School. In 1964, William Poogie Hart, Wilbert Hart, Richie Daniels and Randy Cain formed the Orphonics. Cain left for a short time and rejoined the group making them a trio consisting of William, Wilbert and himself. Their manager, John Watson changed their name to the Delfonics and got them a deal with producer Thom Bell.
They released several hits that shaped the Sound of Philadelphia soul music-Hey Love, La La Means I Love You, Ready or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide from Love) and Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time. Most of their recordings featured early members of MFSB and TSOP Records studio band-Daryl Hall, John Oates, Karl Chambers, Roland Chambers, Norman Harris, Tony Bell, Earl Young, Ronnie Baker and Vince Montana. Cain (above-r, inset-c) remained with the group until 1971. He then hired Ted Mills as a writer for W.M.O.T. (We Men Of Talent). They had a few other vocalist audition from 1972-1973 before they formed the vocal group-Blue Magic (1973). Some of their hits include: Welcome to the Club, Sideshow, Stop to Start and Three Ring Circus. He was 64 when he passed.
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HONORABLE MENTION: On May 2nd, in 1933, innovative prog rock musician, pianist, composer, saxophonist, arranger, flautist, producer, piccolo player, clarinetist, bassoonist and former member of Mothers of Invention (with Frank Zappa)-Bunk Gardner (John Leon Guarnera) was born in Cleveland, OH. He got his start on piano when he was 7. He moved to tenor sax in his teens. He played with Joanna & the Playboys in the early 60s, and joined Mothers of Invention in 1966. Interesting fact: Bunk's little brother Buzz joined the Mothers of Invention in 1968. He played trumpet and flugelhorn. Bunk is 86 today.
On May 2nd, in 1962, seminal rock musician, producer, singer, guitarist, drummer, saxophonist, bassist, pianist, composer, arranger, theremin player, violinist, songwriter, percussionist, audio engineer and flautist-Alain Johannes (Mociulski) was born in Santiago, Chile. He’s most known as a producer, writer, drummer and guitarist for the following: Them Crooked Vultures, Eleven, Arctic Monkeys, Eagles of Death Metal, Queens of the Stone Age, Firekind, Attention Dimension, Chain Reaction, What is This?, Desert Sessions and PJ Harvey. He continues to record, produce, perform and write. He’s 57 today.
On May 2nd, in 1951, former punk rocker turned new wave innovator-Jo Callis (John William Callis) was born in Rotherham, England, UK. He’s most known for his vocals, guitar and keyboard playing on Human League recordings (1981-1986). He co-wrote a lot of their songs as well. Before he joined Human League, he was a member of the punk rock bands: The Rezillos and Boots for Dancing. He also wrote for Feargal Sharkey-former lead singer of the Undertones. He continued to work with Human League as a co-writer, guitarist and keyboardist up to the early 90s. He’s 68 today.
On May 2nd, in 1973, we lost a seminal jazz and pop vocalist-June Hutton (June Marvel Cowan). The Bloomington, IL native and Chicago raised singer, was most known for performing with big bands during the late 30s and early 40s. She was the younger sister of Ina Ray Hutton, who was one of the first women to become a bandleader. June sang and recorded with: The Quintones, the Stardusters, The Pied Pipers, Sande Williams Band, Charlie Spivak & His Orchestra and her sister’s band. She had several hits over her career, and worked heavily during the early 50s-she was featured on over a dozen albums from 1950-1954. She was 52 when she passed.
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