On June 22nd, in 1942, classic break beat composer, fusion jazz innovator, pianist, sideman, 80s R&B pioneer, sideman, accordion player, producer, Brazilian/bossa nova musician, bandleader and multi-label recording artist-Eumir Deodato (de Almeida) was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Numerous hip hop producers are well abreast on Deodato’s discography. The same can be said about urban and hip hop music listeners, they tend to know Deodato’s songs, but may not know him by name. He produced the 80s R&B jam-Sugar Free by Juicy. It was most notably sampled by Grand Daddy I.U. & AZ. His classic break-September 13 has been beat juggled for MC ciphers and B-Boy battles by the Godfathers of Hip Hop-Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash.
Not to mention, Pete Rock, J Dilla, Camp Lo, Cocoa Brovaz and Q Bert also sampled the track. These are only two songs from his vast musical archive. Other artists that have sampled his music include: Common, Fat Joe, Dilated Peoples, Hi-Tek, Black Sheep, Kid Capri, Fugees, 9th Wonder, Souls of Mischief, Biggie Small and Moodymann. His interest in music began when he was 12. He played the accordion for two years before moving to the piano. His played in various bands during his teens and formed his first group when he was 20 (1962). He released his first LP in 1964-Inutil Paisagem (Forma Records). His first US release came in 1973-Prelude (CTI). He produced several songs for others like-Kool & the Gang, John Tropea, Con Funk Shun and Hubert Laws. He’s 77 today.
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On June 22nd, in 1948, seminal rock musician, guitarist, songwriter, drummer, producer, keyboardist, singer, bassist, audio engineer, graphic artist, video producer, former member of Utopia and founder of Nazz-Todd (Harry) Rundgren was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He’s a unique musician in that he received no formal training in music, and has managed to play several subgenres of rock like progressive, psychedelic, blues, pop and electronic. He taught himself to play guitar when he was a child. By the time he was 17, he'd formed his first band-Money. In 1966, he moved to Philly and joined the blues rock outfit-Woody’s Truck Stop. In 1967, he started another band-Nazz with Carson Van Osten (bass). They signed to Screen Gems Columbia (subsidiary of Atlantic) and recorded a few demos.
This is when Rundgren learned how to engineer. He felt the engineer they had wasn’t taking the time to mix the tracks the way they wanted him to. Todd took matters into his own hands when the engineer left. He messed around with effects, levels, eq and panning, adding string and horn arrangements as well. They released three LPs from 1968 to 1971. In the early 70s, his musical taste changed while his band’s stayed he same. He left Nazz and founded Runt. They released two LPs on Ampex Records (1970, 1971). He produced an LP for the Los Angeles band-Half-Nelson, and released a solo LP in 1972-Something/Anything? At the time, Rundgren was taking mind altering drugs like marijuana, mushrooms and LSD. He states they had a positive effect on his songwriting and composing. He continued to experiment with sounds and mixing techniques throughout the 70s. He’s 71 today.
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On June 22nd, in 1953, new wave musician, 80s pop culture icon, singer, actress, guitarist, and multi-label recording artist-Cyndi Lauper (Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper) was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. She’s most known for her colorful hair, outgoing personality and 80s pop song-Girls Just Want to Have Fun. My personal favorite is Time After Time. Rolling Stones magazine and VH1 share that sentiment in that she's listed in their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 Years. She took the 80s by storm during the ‘Madonna era’. She introduced a fun and opposite type of edginess to new wave music. She wasn’t highly sexual, but rather tended to be more comical and outrageous in appearance and demeanor-a ‘free spirit’.
She started singing, playing guitar and writing songs when she was 12. Always a fashion standout, Lauper began her colorful style of dress around the same time, and at the time was bullied and ridiculed by her peers for it. She was expelled from high school and moved to Vermont to study art. She began singing with various jam/cover bands-Flyer, One and Doc West. In 1977, she damaged her vocal chords and took time off to heal. She formed the band Blue Angel (1978). They released their self-titled debut on Polydor Records in 1980. The LP failed to chart and the band dissolved. She signed to Portrait Records in 1983, releasing her solo debut-She’s So Unusual. It peaked at #4 on the US pop chart, and contains two of her major hits-Time After Time and Girls Just Want to Have Fun. She’s 66 today.
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HONORABLE MENTION: On June 22nd, in 1958, UK R&B musician, session vocalist, songwriter, actress and solo recording artist-Ruby Turner was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica. She most known for her acting, backing vocals, songwriting and solo LPs/singles during the early 80s to the current date. She worked with notable musicians like-Steve Winwood, Culture Club, George Harrison, Steel Pulse, Mick Jagger and UB40. She’s also one of the few UK R&B artists to reach #1 on the US Billboard for her single-It’s Gonna Be Alright (1990). She was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2016. She’s 61 today.
On June 22nd, in 1987, we lost a seminal pop culture entertainer, the man that passed to torch to the King of Pop-Michael Jackson, dancer, singer, actor, long-term collaborator with Ginger Rogers, percussionist, choreographer and pianist-Fred Astaire (Frederick Austerlitz) was born in Omaha, NE. He was ranked 5th on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 Years…100 Stars-which names the top 25 male and female performers in Hollywood history. He appeared in several films, plays, musicals and TV shows during his career. He also released several albums and co-starred in dance recitals and films with Ginger Rogers. He was 88 when he passed.
On June 22nd, in 1988, we lost a prolific Native American musician, sideman, guitarist, rock innovator, pianist, blues pioneer, bandleader, composer, arranger, solo recording artist and session musician-Jesse Ed Davis (Jesse Edwin Davis III). The Oklahoma native belonged to the Comanche & Kiowa tribes, getting his professional start in the late 50s. He was a long-time member of Taj Mahal’s band and played session work for Willie Nelson and Albert King (late 60s). He released his self-titled debut in 1971-Jesse Davis (Atco/Atlantic Records). He also played for Bob Dylan, George Harrison and John Lennon during the 70s. He continued to record as a bandleader and session musician during the late 70s. In 1985, he founded-the Graffiti Band. He was 43 when he passed.
On June 22nd, in 1996, Detroit Police found the younger brother of Diana Ross-Arthur ‘T-Boy’ Ross deceased with his wife Patricia Ann Robinson at their Oak Park, MI home. It appeared they’d been dead for several days as their corpses were in a major state of decay. T Boy was a songwriting partner with Leon Ware for Motown Records. He signed with the company in 1972 via his sister’s referral. He also released his own LP-Changes (1979). It’s a highly sought after LP due to his relation to Diana and the rarity of album. He wrote songs with Ware for acts like-The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye and The Miracles. The coroner estimated their time of death to be May 30th. He was 47 when he passed.
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