On June 4th, in 1932, jazz musician, composer, saxophonist, arranger, sideman, pianist, clarinetist, former Marine, bandleader, post-bop jazz innovator and fusion jazz pioneer-Oliver (Edward) Nelson was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Nelson is one of my favorite jazz composers, and he’s definitely in my top 20 for sax players. He composed the song-Stolen Moments which is a jazz standard that was on his 1961 LP-The Blues and the Abstract Truth (Impulse! Records). The song has been used for commercials, TV shows, movies, documentaries and more (first video below). Nelson got his start in music early on, playing piano when he was 6, and sax when he was 11. His sister was a singer and pianist, while his older brother was a saxophonist. It's highly probable that he picked up skills from both of them.
By his early teens, Nelson was playing piano and sax in local bands (late 40s). His reputation flourished, and as a result he joined Louis Jordan’s band (1950). He only stayed with Jordan for a year, acting as his arranger and saxophonist. In 1952, he enlisted in the Marines and got stationed in Japan & Korea. While there, he played with the 3rd Division Band. His stint overseas taught him a lot about music and furthered his arranging skills. Prior to going to the ‘Far East’, Nelson hadn’t composed much-if at all, and he had limited exposure to world music. His duty in the Marines led to him becoming a composer. When he returned to the states in the mid 50s and began taking courses that focused on composing. He moved to NYC in 1958 and immediately got into the jazz scene. He was 43 when he passed.
| | |
On June 4th, in 1954, reggae musician, electronics protégé, Jamaica Broadcast Corporation audio engineer, singer, producer, songwriter, arranger, author, composer, DJ and founder of the JBC radio show: ‘Dread at the Controls’-Mikey Dread (Michael George Campbell) was born in Port Antonio, Jamaica. He was very good with electronics as a child. He tinkered with equipment, taking things apart and reassembling it while adding his own variations to them. He honed these skills during his childhood and started putting them to use with the first DJ team he joined-The Safari and Sound of Music Sound System. He also worked as a DJ on his high school’s radio station. He was privileged to grow up during the transition of ska to reggae/dub.
He also predated the creation of dancehall. As a result, he’s able to incorporate the three genres into his own music, as well having a playlist that other sound system DJs couldn’t match. Even if they had the same records, he’d use his skills with electronics to modify the songs he played. In the mid 70s, he became a DJ for the JBC, hosting his own show-Dread at the Controls. He played reggae, ska, dub and dancehall. He was a prolific ‘toaster’ on the mic and was well-known for his radio jargon. During the same time, he recorded with Joe Gibbs, Lee Scratch Perry and Sonia Pottinger. In the late 70s, he started his own label DATC (Dread at the Controls). In 1980, he was the opening act for the Clash on their European tour. He released over a dozen LPs from 1979 to 1995-mostly dub and reggae. He was 53 when he passed.
| | |
On June 4th, in 1961, 80s R&B musician, innovative songwriter, pianist, composer, producer, vocalist, arranger, multi-label recording artist, former member, co-founder and lead singer of DeBarge-El (Patrick) DeBarge was born in Detroit, Michigan. El DeBarge is most known for his falsetto vocals with his family group-DeBarge in the 80s. He sang lead on hits like: Stay With Me (Sampled by Biggie for One More Chance), I Like It, Rhythm of the Night, In a Special Way and All This Love. He also had a lot of success as a solo artist in the late 80s and early 90s. He’s worked with Quincy Jones, George Clinton, DJ Quik and Babyface. He patterned his vocal tone and styling based off his older brother Bobby’s voice-the lead singer/songwriter for Switch (They’ll Never Be, I Call Your Name).
El comes from a huge musical family consisting of 10 siblings, he’s the 6th. Like most soul vocalists, he got his start in the church choir as a child. During his early teens, he started studying music with Ricky Callier and watched his brother Bobby’s group Switch rise to fame. El decided he wanted to be a professional musician himself. He had to accelerate his plans because he had a baby on the way at 16. In 1977, he dropped out of high school and started opening for his brother in the Midwest area. In 1979, he got a deal with MCA Records and called on his brothers-Randy and Mark to join him. This led to an impromptu audition with Berry Gordy in 1980. El secured a deal with Motown for his then group called-The DeBarges. They shortened the name to DeBarge, and released their self-titled debut in 1981. Since then, he has continued to record, tour and collaborate with major 'heavyweights' of soul and pop music. He’s 58 today.
| | |
HONORABLE MENTION: On June 4th, in 1930, jazz vocalist, actress, the woman that played Carmela Corleone in the Godfather (1972) and Godfather II (1974)-Morgana King (Maria Grazia Morgana Messina) was born in Pleasantville, NY. She got her start as a singer in at the Greenwich Village nightclub when she was a teen (1953). She signed to EmArcy Records and released her solo debut in 1956-For You, For Me, For Evermore. She continued to record several singles and LPs throughout the 60s. In the mid 60s she started acting in films and on television. She was a regular on the Dean Martin and Mike Douglas Show. She also appeared in soap operas and the Godfather documentary: Behind the Scenes (1971). She was 87 when she passed.
On June 4th, in 1944, jazz/funk musician, pianist, composer, saxophonist, arranger, songwriter and former original member of the Average White Band-Roger Ball. He’s most known as the sax player, songwriter and arranger for the Average White Band during the 70s. He originally wanted to be an Architect (early 60s). He was a session musician for Mama Cass, Kiki Dee, Badfinger, Roxy Music and Elton John in the 60s and 70s. He started the Average White Band in 1971 with Malcolm Duncan and Alan Gorrie. Hamish Stuart, Onnie McIntyre and Robbie McIntosh joined shortly after. He’s played with soul artists like Chaka Khan and Marvin Gaye. He’s 75 today.
On June 4th, 1972, political activist, Black Power Movement figurehead, public speaker, scholar, Communist Party USA member, college Professor (U of CA Santa Cruz-History of Consciousness Dept.) and controversial student leader-Angela (Yvonne) Davis was acquitted by an all-White jury for the crime of murder. She was being prosecuted for being the owner of some weapons that were used to secure a courtroom by George Jackson (one of the Soledad Brothers). When a judge was killed in their attempted escape by police officers firing at the defendants who held the hostages (the judge, some jurors and the prosecutor), Davis was charged with the crime.
On June 4th, 2007, we lost a pioneering 60's soul vocalist, songwriter, and multi-label recording artist Freddie Scott. Freddie is most known for his association with the gospel group Sally Jones & The Gospel Keys (as a child), and the secular music he made as an adult. In 1963 he released the Top 10 Pop & R&B single Hey Girl. He also had the #1 R&B hit Are You Lonely For Me in 1966. He's most remembered, however, for his 1968 single You Got What I Need (sampled by Biz Markie in 1989 for Just A Friend). Ghostface Killah and DJ Rob Gee also sampled the song. His late 60's soul music is very much worth the buy. Freddie Scott was 74 when he passed.
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 wide variety of information, covering several topics exists on this site going back to 2013 when it was created. PEACE