On January 1st, 1958, pioneering Hip Hop Dee Jay, inventor of the Merry-Go-Round, one of the first Dee Jays to incorporate a cue switch to his mixer, and founding member of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five-Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler) was born in Bridgetown, Barbados. His family moved to The South Bronx when he was a child. He grew up there and took an extreme liking to his father’s record collection. His mother encouraged him to get a technical skill; so he studied electronics. The skills he learned in electrical work enabled him to make his own cue switch for his mixer. Flash worked diligently on his Dee Jaying skills-practicing for hours on end in his room. He debuted his skills to the public in the late 1970s; and is most noted for innovating and perfecting three staple Dee Jay techniques: Beat Juggling, Punch Phrasing, and Scratching. He also invented The Clock Theory, which goes hand in hand with all three techniques.
Beat Juggling is playing the same segment of music on two separate copies of the LP (loops). It was invented by DJ Kool Herc; but Flash perfected it to remain on beat. Punch Phrasing is bringing in small segments of music from one record over the music of another record that’s playing at the same time (guitar, vocal and horn stabs). Scratching is self-explanatory (invented by Flash’s apprentice, DJ Grand Wizard Theodore, by mistake). The Clock Theory is the art of reading the record spindle like a clock so that the Dee Jay knows exactly where the break starts and begins. By the early 1980s, Flash was a staple name in most Hip Hoppers’ mouths. He appeared in films, like Wild Style & Beat Street; and was touring the country with his Emcee Core-The Furious Five. They released The Message in 1982; and changed the lyrical content of Hip Hop forever. He continues to spin, educate, and speak about the culture of Hip Hop. The Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall Of Famer is 61 today.
| | |
On January 1st, 1953, we lost a highly influential singer, songwriter, producer, Country Music innovator, guitarist, and unique vocalist-Hank Williams (Hiram King Williams). The Mount Olive, AL native got his start playing guitar as a child under the guidance of a Black man-Rufus Payne AKA Tee Tot-the infamous Greenville, AL Bluesman. Tee Tot taught Williams in exchange for money or food. Williams started singing professionally in 1937 when he was 13. He played guitar and sang a 15-minute set on WSFA radio, who signed him to a contract. He formed his first backing band around the same time-The Drifting Cowboys. His mother managed the group, allowing Williams to drop out of school when he was 15 to pursue music full-time.
His contract with WSFA was terminated when a lot of his band members got drafted for WWII; and Williams started abusing alcohol heavily. He got married in 1944, and got a new deal with Sterling Records-then later MGM. In 1947, he released Move It On Over, which charted and led him to getting a spot on Louisiana Hayride Radio. In 1948, he recorded Lovesick Blues. This song got him national stardom, and his career took off after this point. Williams had a severe problem with alcohol and prescription drug abuse (pain killers, morphine) however. His abuse of these substances accelerated his death, and proved to be a significant obstacle that kept him from reaching his full potential as a musician. He was 29 when he died.
| | |
On January 1st, in 1923, guitarist, vibraphonist, pianist, composer, bandleader, sideman, arranger, and founding member of The Modern Jazz Quartet-Milt Jackson (Milton Jackson) was born in Detroit, Michigan. Jackson got his start playing guitar at age 7, and piano when he was 11. He said he got most of his musical inspiration and style from the church: "Everyone wants to know where I got that funky style. Well, it came from church…impromptu soul music." He started playing drums when he was in high school, and even dabbled in singing when he was 16 (as a member of The Evangelist Singers). He started playing vibraphone shortly after hearing Lionel Hampton play. Dizzy Gillespie hired Jackson in 1945 to be a part of his sextet. Others he worked with following Gillespie include: Woody Herman, Thelonious Monk, Howard McGhee, and Charlie Parker. By 1952, the Hall Of Fame vibraphonist had started his own quartet-The Milt Jackson Quartet (1950-1952), which later became The Modern Jazz Quartet. The original lineup was: Milt Jackson (vibes), John Lewis (piano), Kenny Clarke (drums) and Ray Brown (bass).
They released over 25 LPs, and stayed together from 1952-1974 (with only a few minor personnel changes over the years). After The MJQ disbanded, Jackson recorded solo albums and toured with various backing band members (1974-1985). Most of the music he put out during this time was recorded on Pablo Records. During the late 80s and early 90s, Jackson continued to compose, record, and educate the masses about Jazz Music. He’s been featured, as a sideman, on 100s of recordings from a variety of musicians like John Coltrane, B.B. King and everyone in between. In the late 90s he received several awards: Percussive Arts Society Hall Of Fame (1996), NEA Jazz Master (1997), Down Beat Jazz Hall Of Fame (1999). He was 76 years old, when he died, on October 9, 1999.
| | |
On January 1st, 1969, film,television, and stage actor: Morris Chester Chestnut Jr. was born in Cerritos, California. He graduated high school in 1986, and attended college at California State University (Northridge). While there in his sophomore year, he got his film debut in Freddy’s Nightmares: A Nightmare On Elm Street: The Series (Season 2 Episode 9 - A Family Affair). He played Jadon in the episode (which aired Febuary 18th, 1990). He got his silver screen debut in 1991, in the John Singleton-directed film: Boyz N The Hood. He played Ricky Baker (a football phenom headed to USC on a football scholarship, before he was shot and killed).
This role brought him more name recognition. He appeared in several Made-For-TV Movies and sitcoms, during the early to mid 90s, most notably Patti LaBelle’s sitcom Out All Night, Higher Learning (Singleton directed), and The Inkwell. By the late 90s and early 2000s, Chestnut was a well-known face in movies and on television. He was nominated for an NAACP Award in 1999 for his role in The Best Man-and appeared in The Brothers (2001), Ladder 49 (2004) and The Cave (2005). Around 2007, he started acting in stage plays like Love In The Nick Of Tyme. He also became the lead in the Fox TV series Rosewood in 2015. The show lasted 2 seasons, containing 44 episodes, and earned additional NAACP Award nominations. Chestnut is able to play both serious and more dramatic roles, as well as a comedic characters. He's 51 today.
| | |
On January 1st, in 1984, singer, songwriter, pianist, guitarist, producer, broadcaster, and dobro & tiple player (old style pre-guitars) Alexis Korner (Alexis Andrew Nicholas) passed away in Westminister, London. Most modern music historians consider Alexis to be
"The Founding Father Of British Blues." He was inspired to play the Blues when he was in London during a WWII German air raid. The radio was playing a Jimmy Yance cut and Alexis was hooked. He said from that point on, all he wanted to play was The Blues. He started playing guitar and piano in the late 1940s, and got a gig with Chris Barber’s Jazz Band. This is where he met Blues harpist Cyril Davies, and the two started collaborating and playing as a duo. In 1955 they founded The London Blues And Barrelhouse Club; and in 1957, they recorded their first song.
"The Founding Father Of British Blues." He was inspired to play the Blues when he was in London during a WWII German air raid. The radio was playing a Jimmy Yance cut and Alexis was hooked. He said from that point on, all he wanted to play was The Blues. He started playing guitar and piano in the late 1940s, and got a gig with Chris Barber’s Jazz Band. This is where he met Blues harpist Cyril Davies, and the two started collaborating and playing as a duo. In 1955 they founded The London Blues And Barrelhouse Club; and in 1957, they recorded their first song.
In the early 1960s Alexis and Cyril founded Blues Incorporated, which was a group of musicians that shared an admiration for R&B and Blues music. Some past members include: Long John Baldry, Jack Bruce, John Mayall, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Rod Stewart, Jimmy Page, and Keith Richards. They would often jam and perform together during this era. Cyril left in 1962; but Alexis remained and continued to record under the Blues Incorporated name. During this time, a lot of the members left to start their own bands (i.e The Rolling Stones, Cream, and Led Zeppelin). In 1966, Alexis formed the blues power trio Free At Last with Hughie Flint (drums) & Binky McKenzie (bass). He gave the band Free their name based off this group and they got a deal on Island Records in 1968. By the 1970s, he had transitioned into becoming a radio broadcaster. Although he never got the notoriety deserved for cultivating The Blues Rock Scene in London, he remains one of the most important figures that assured British Blues survived and thrived. He was 55 when he passed away.
| | |
HONORABLE MENTION: On January 1st, 1951, New York State mandated that performers carry a Cabaret Card to be able to perform at venues (mainly NYC-related to Prohibition). Charlie Parker had some drug charges on him from 1950, and thus saw his card revoked by the state. He was unable to play, making it difficult for the musician to earn money off his craft. Billie Holiday was also financially and publicly affected by this law.
Small world: On January 1st, 1959, guitarist, singer, songwriter and Country Music Icon-Johnny Cash put on a free concert at the San Quentin Prison in California. The inmate population included a very young 19-year-old Merle Haggard, who was in on a 15 year bid for GTA and armed robbery. He served three years of the sentence, before being released and pursuing music thereafter. I believe Cash’s appearance had a lot to do with Haggard’s career change.
On January 1st, in 2003, guitarist, bassist, songwriter, and co-founding member of The Stooges (featuring Iggy Pop) Ron Asheton (Ronald Franklin Asheton) passed away in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He started playing accordion when he was 5, bass when he was 10 and guitar when he was 13. He played guitar professionally with The Prime Movers first, and The Chosen Few during the mid to late 1960s. In 1967, he joined The Stooges, and they released their first self-titled LP in 1969. He joined New Order in the late 70s and Destroy All Monsters in the late 80s. He’s listed at 29th out of The 100 Greatest Rock Guitarists Of All Time by Rolling Stone Magazine. He was 60 when he died.
On January 1st, in 2006, P.E. incomparble hype man, emcee, and Reality TV Personality-Flavor Flav aired his own reality show on VH1-Flavor of Love. The show was a weekly program that sought to find the hype man a good woman…It was a Hip Hop infused version of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. Flav would have a slew of females to choose from, and make decisions on who to keep and who to let go at the end of each episode-leading to two final women, one of which he’d stay with. It had a few seasons (3)…check it out if you haven’t seen it. It’s definitely a good laugh.
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