On June 17th, in 1940, seminal session musician, violinist, bandleader, guitarist, songwriter, pianist, composer, bassist, arranger, trumpeter and one of the most sought-after session bassist on both coasts of the US (East & West)-Chuck Rainey (Charles Walter Rainey III) was born in Cleveland, OH. Rainey’s basslines have been featured on hundreds of recordings in various genres for nearly two decades (1965 to 1982). He got his professional start in the late 50s while attending the HBCU in Jackson, TN-Lane College. He was a baritone horn player in the school’s brass band and learned rhythm guitar on the side. He was drafted into the military, continued to play guitar and started learning the bass. In the mid 60s, he moved to New York City and started doing session work for artists like:
Red Holloway, Hubert Laws, Cal Tjader, Phil Upchurch, George Benson, Yusef Lateef, Dizzy Gillespie, Eddie Harris, Gary Burton, Hank Crawford, J.J. Johnson, Lena Horne, Willie Bobo, David Fathead Newman, Jimmy McGriff, The Rascals and Quincy Jones. By the start of the 70s, Rainey’s reputation had exploded and he became the first-option for many musicians needing a bassist. He expanded his resume working with: Donny Hathaway, Betty Davis, Roberta Flack, The Crusaders, Grant Green, Margie Joseph, Donald Byrd, Aretha Franklin, Bobbi Humphrey, Marlena Shaw, Les McCann, Bobby Hutcherson, David T. Walker, Marvin Gaye, Minnie Riperton, Gene Harris (former Three Sounds), Robert Palmer, Steely Dan, King Errisson, King Curtis and Sergio Mendes. He also released liad the bassline for Sanford & Son and released a solo LP in 1972-The Chuck Rainey Coalition (Skye Records). He’s 79 today.
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On June 17th, in 1958, punk rock musician, singer, poet, record executive, Green Party political figure, spoken word artist, social activist, and former lead singer of the Dead Kennedys-Jello Biafra (Eric Reed Boucher) was born in Boulder, Colorado. He was a bit different from other children his age, preferring to learn about world politics and watch the news over learning about popular children games and cartoons. He’s stated that seeing the JFK assassination left an indelible stain on him and he used the surname later for his punk band. He became a roadie for the Ravers/the Nails in the late 70s., and joined an improvisational punk band called the Healers in 1977. They were a jam band of sorts, in that their music and lyrics were created on the spot.
Later that year, he saw an ad where the guitarist East Bay Ray was asking for a lead vocalist to start a punk band. They called themselves the Occupants before changing their name to the Dead Kennedys (1978). Biafra took on the name Jello as a play on the food and 'Biafra' was the name of a former African country. His lyrical content was highly politicized but also satirical. The band gained a lot of popularity in the UK first, before the states caught on. I speculate that his knowledge of world events through his incessant news watching habits, kept him more universal than other punk bands that were largely speaking about things that happen in daily life while living in the states. Biafra couldn’t compose music or play instruments, but his voice and lyrics served as the foundation for the creation of melodies and basslines on their songs. He’s 61 today.
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On June 16th, in 1969, rapper, solo recording artist and former member of N.W.A.-MC Ren (Lorenzo Jerald Patterson) was born in Compton, California. Ren was considered the Ruthless Villain of N.W.A. The former Kelly Park Compton Crip turned to music full-time after his friend MC Chip got busted for drugs. Ren was still in high school and collaborated heavily with soon to be JJ Fad DJ-DJ Train. Eazy E and Ren were friends due to their association with the Kelly Park Crips. Eazy knew Dre and Ice Cube, both of whom wanted to produce and record. Eazy had the money and started Ruthless in 1987. Ren was signed as a solo artists, but after Dre & Cube put Eazy on the mic for Boyz n the Hood, Eazy needed more material. He asked Ren to write songs for his solo album-Eazy-Duz-It. Ren wrote over half the album, with Ice Cube writing the other cuts.
After Eazy saw the writing skills of Ren, he placed him in N.W.A. making the crew: DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E and MC Ren. This is the original core of the group. In 1988 they released Fuck tha Police which catapulted them to stardom. Local, state and federal law enforcement officials were extremely upset that N.W.A. was able to use their freedom of speech in a manner that told the truth about how police historically treated people of color, specifically Blacks-in America. The group pulled D.O.C. in to help with songwriting. Ren stayed with N.W.A. until 1992 when he went solo releasing a 6 song EP-Kiss My Black Azz (Ruthless Records). Later that year, DJ Train got Ren to join the Nation of Islam and Ren changed his lyrical content to reflect his new beliefs. He released Shock of the Hour in 1993. Ren is 50 today.
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HONORABLE MENTION: On June 17th, in 1944, seminal session musician, songwriter, guitarist, producer, singer, multi-label recording artist and one of the most used/popular session guitarists in the UK-Chris Spedding (Peter Robinson) was born in Staveley, Derbyshire, UK. He’s most known for his session guitar and production work from the early 70s to the current date. He’s been an active member of nearly a dozen bands ranging from The Wombles to the Frank Ricotti Quartet. He got his professional start in 1969 with the Battered Ornaments. He released a solo LP a year later-Songs Without Words (Harvest Records, 1970). He’s 75 today.
On June 17th, in 1947, psychedelic rock musician, singer, organist, songwriter and former member of Santana-Greg Rolie (Gregg Alan Rolie) was born in Seattle, WA. He’s most known for being one the the youngest members to join Santana before they blew up (pre-1969 Woodstock performance). He joined the band in 1965 right out of high school when he was 18. They called themselves the Santana Blue Band which later became Santana. He stayed with the group until 1971. He and Neal Schon (guitarist for Santana) went on to join Journey in 1973. Greg stayed with them until 1980. He started releasing his own albums in the 80s. He’s 72 today.
On June 17th, in 1977, blue-eyed soul singer, new wave pioneering vocalist, songwriter, keyboardist, composer, producer, arranger and former member of Traffic-Steve Winwood released his second self-titled LP-Steve Winwood. The album featured 6 non-charting tracks that showcased Winwood’s songwriting and production abilities. Jim Capaldi-former Traffic bandmate helped him put the songs together. It was released on Island Records and peaked at #22 on the Billboard. There are no ‘standout’ hits on the release, but it serves as and example of the sound Winwood would capitalize on in the 80s.
On June 17th, in 1987, millennial musician, rapper and producer-Kendrick Lamar (Duckworth) was born in Compton, CA. I’ve not heard much of his music, so I can’t give an adequate description of his skills or beats. However, the greater public and music critics seem to love him, much like they did Kanye West pre-mental illness diagnosis. He’s been considered one of the the 'new greats' of rap, receiving several awards and accolades. He was influenced by Golden Era MCs and has managed to stay relevant, penning songs of substance in a fluff filled pop market. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for his LP-DAMN (the first non-classical/jazz artist to do so). He’s 32 today.
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