On June 14th, in 1908, we lost a seminal 19th century musician, child prodigy, former slave, composer, pianist, vocalist, so-called autistic savant and gifted artist with perfect pitch and a photographic memory-Blind Tom Wiggins (Thomas Wiggins, Thomas Greene Bethune). Wiggins was very popular during the 1860s and up to the turn of the century. He was blind at birth and born into slavery (Harris County, Georgia, 1850). His second owner-General James Neil Bethune planned on killing him since he couldn’t work in the fields. Instead, he decided to let Wiggins live. Wiggins heard the piano being played by Bethune’s daughters when he was 4. He could echo the sounds they made with his mouth, and when he was given access to the piano, he copied their playing, composing his first song when he was 5-The Rain Storm. Bethune took notice and made a lot of money exploiting Blind Tom’s talents.
He allowed him to live in the ‘big house’ with access to a piano. Wiggins would play incessantly for 12 hours or more a day. He also perfected his ability to copy sounds he heard from train whistles to birds chirping. They called this skill ‘echoing’ and by today’s ‘label-ridden’ society-Wiggins would be considered an autistic savant, essentially an audio genius. People stated he never forgot anything and could repeat conversations in the same tone and rhythm of the speaker’s voice. Anything he heard, he could identically duplicate. He was the human sampler, the original sampler. Wiggins was able to perform and compose, but was seen as a novelty act somewhat of a 'freak' and not looked at as a highly intelligent musician. This was of course due to his ethnicity. He also was unable to attain freedom as his behaviors linked to his autism (thrashing, arm movements) and blindness ‘required’ a custodian. He was 59 when he passed.
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On June 14th, in 1935, soul jazz musician, saxophonist, bandleader, Motown recording artist, former member of the Rhythm Rockers and founder of the All Stars-Junior Walker (Autry DeWalt Mixon) was born in Blytheville, Akansas. TOV covered the artist’s death on the November 23rd post. Please refer to it for more information. Walker is most known for his 1965 hit-Shotgun (Soul/Motown Records). It was featured in the Spike Lee film ‘X’ during a dance in the Audubon Ballroom. He wrote and composed the song himself, using Benny Benjamin for drums and James Jamerson for the bass. They both were members of the Funk Brothers. He started playing sax in his teens around the South Bend area (Notre Dame).
He played with the Rhythm Rockers who morphed into the All Stars as members of the band were being drafted for WWII. He played jump blues and covers of popular tunes with a soul jazz feel. Johnny Bristol recommended them to Harvey Fuqua who owned Tri Phi Records. They recorded on his imprint until he was bought out by Berry Gordy in 1964. They had a few hits during the late 60s, but disbanded when Motown moved to California in 1972. Walker signed to Norman Whitfield’s label-Whitfield Records. However, he didn’t have much success without his staple backing band-the All Stars. They reformed the group in the early 80s and toured briefly. Walker saw a resurgence in his popularity in the late 80s and early 90s. In 1995, he passed away in Battle Creek, Michigan. He was 64.
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On June 14th, in 1961, new wave musician, singer, DJ, TV personality, songwriter, producer, photographer, fashion designer, multi-label recording artist and former lead singer of Culture Club-Boy George (George Alan O’Dowd) was born in Barnehurst, Kent, England. He’s been an active participant in the entertainment industry since the early 80s. He was discovered by Malcolm McLaren for his vocal skills and New Romantic androgynous appearance. McLaren had him sing with his band Bow Wow Wow (1980). He sang with them briefly before starting Culture Club in 1981. They meshed reggae with soul and new wave rhythms. It was an original sound, not like the Police, but in a similar vein. They came up with the name Culture Club because their were various ethnicities and cultures in the band.
They released their debut LP in 1982 on Epic Records-Kissing to Be Clever. They had a lot of success in the 80s, releasing 4 LPs from 1982 to 1986. George even appeared in an episode of the A-Team as Cowboy George (1985). By the late 80s, drug use and internal strife caused the dissolution of the band. In 1987, after rehab, Boy George went solo, signed to Virgin Records and released his debut LP-Sold. It did moderately well in the UK, but was unsuccessful in the US. He had been forbidden to travel to the states to promote the album because of situations related to his drug problem. In the early 90s, he became a DJ for Blue Radio. In the 2000s, he was a judge on the talent show-The Voice. He’s 58 today.
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HONORABLE MENTION: On June 14th, in 1943, seminal session musician, soul music innovator, pianist, composer, organist, songwriter, arranger and member of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section-Spooner Oldham (Dewey Lindon Oldham Jr.) was born in Center Star, AL. You can hear him playing on hits recorded at the the infamous FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL. He’s featured on songs like: I'm Your Puppet (James & Bobby Purify-also a co-writer), Mustang Sally (Wilson Pickett), I Never Loved a Man (Aretha Franklin) and When a Man Loves a Woman (Percy Sledge). He worked with others as well like Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker and Neil Young. He’s 76 today.
On June 14th, in 1969, we lost an innovative soul musician, R&B comedian, revolutionary lyricist, guitarist, songwriter, jump blues artist, former member of the Five Echoes and raunchy rap pioneer-Wynonie Harris. The Omaha, Nebraska native was most known during the 30s, 40s and 50s for his highly sexual lyrical content. He sang hits like: Lolly Pop Mama, Sittin’ on it All the Time and I Like My Baby’s Pudding. He was one of the few artists that was able to use shock value to his advantage without it becoming a novelty. His popularity was so strong in the Omaha area that he was able to work throughout the Great Depression without missing a beat, no pun intended. He was 53 when he passed.
On June 14th, in 1989, we lost another seminal musician at the age of 27, the same age that many big named musicians have died like: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Robert Johnson, Amy Winehouse, Jim Morrison, Linda Jones, Jacob Miller, Freaky Tah and Fredo Santana. Pete De Freitas (Peter Louis Vincent de Freitas)-the former drummer for Echo & the Bunnymen was killed when his motorcycle struck a vehicle on the A51 road in London Green, Staffordshire. He became a member of the band in 1979 and doubled as a member of the Wild Swans. He left the group in 1985 and started his own band-The Sex Gods. In 1987, he recorded with Echo & the Bunnymen on their 5th LP. He was dead two years later at 27.
On June 14th, in 2000, we lost a seminal session musician, pianist, sideman and the person featured on hundreds of recordings fomr the 50s to the 90s-Paul Griffin. The Harlem, NYC, NY native got his start as the pianist for King Curtis who played jump blues and soul jazz. By the 60s he was working with the Isley Brothers, Bob Dylan (Highway 61 & Blonde on Blonde), Dionne Warwick, The Shirelles and Don McLean (American Pie). In the 70s, he began working on movies, serving as arranger and composer for the Warriors (1979) and Four Friends (1981). He’s also featured on Steely Dan’s-Aja LP (1977). He was 62 when he passed.
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