On January 13th, 1979, the amazing singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, arranger, producer, and ‘The Nation’s Youngest Gospel Singer’-Donny Pitts AKA Donny (Edward) Hathaway passed away in NYC, NY. TOV covered his birthday in the October 1st post. Please refer to it for more information. Donny was a professional gospel singer, and taking piano lessons, at three years old. By the time he reached his teens, he had become a prolific singer and composer, combining the soul and harmony of the church with bluesy lyrics and jazzy melodies. He earned a music scholarship from Howard University, and studied there for three years from 1964-1967. His college roommate was LeRoy Hutson. The two often collaborated on songwriting and jammed.
Roberta Flack was also a close associate of Donny’s on campus at the same time. Their interactions at Howard U laid the foundation for their musical collaborations later.
Interesting Fact: Hathaway, Hutson, and Flack were all vocalists and multi-instrumentalist, with the piano as their primary instrument. After Donny left Howard in ’67, he went to Chicago and got a job as House Producer, A&R, session musician, songwriter, and occasional artist for Curtom Records (Curtis Mayfield’s label). He worked there for two years, before signing to Atlantic as a solo artist in 1969. In 1970, he released his debut LP-Everything Is Everything. Donny’s music, all of his albums, production work, and songwriting credits are all worthy of a listen. He has some filler stuff, as any musician with an extensive catalog does; but his unique sound and high caliber playing can’t be denied. He was only 33 years old when he died.
Interesting Fact: Hathaway, Hutson, and Flack were all vocalists and multi-instrumentalist, with the piano as their primary instrument. After Donny left Howard in ’67, he went to Chicago and got a job as House Producer, A&R, session musician, songwriter, and occasional artist for Curtom Records (Curtis Mayfield’s label). He worked there for two years, before signing to Atlantic as a solo artist in 1969. In 1970, he released his debut LP-Everything Is Everything. Donny’s music, all of his albums, production work, and songwriting credits are all worthy of a listen. He has some filler stuff, as any musician with an extensive catalog does; but his unique sound and high caliber playing can’t be denied. He was only 33 years old when he died.
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On January 13th, 1955, session drummer, songwriter, sideman, percussionist, brother of Verdine & Maurice White, and early member of Earth Wind & Fire-Fred White (Frederick Eugene Adams) was born in Chicago, Illinois. White got his start on drums at an early age. By the time he was 14, he was playing drums and percussion for singers in the area. He got his recording debut with The Salty Peppers on their single La La Time (1969). He played tambourine on the track. Later that same year he played drums for Kitty Hayward on her single Mama’s Baby Ain’t A Baby No More. In 1970, he joined Syl Johnson’s backing band as the drummer on The Pieces Of Peace (Pass it On). He also worked with early funk innovators Simtec & Wylie on their Do It Like Man single (1970).
In 1971, at just 16 years old, and was discovered by Albertina Walker (The Queen Of Gospel Music). She had him play drums on her song Mama Said Thank You. Donny Hathaway had just left Curtom in 1969, and was in The Chi around the same time that White was. After having released a couple LPs in 1970 and 1971, he hired White to play drums in his touring band, and featured him on Donny’s Live LP in 1972. In 1974, he played on Willie Hutch’s Fully Exposed LP and Donny Hathaway’s Extension Of A Man. He also wrote a couple songs, and played drums for Little Feat’s Feats Don’t Fail Me Now LP. In 1975 he joined Earth Wind & Fire, playing drums on their That’s The Way Of The World 1975 album-and every LP after. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Famer is 64 today.
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On January 13th, in 2010, we lost soul singer, multi-instrumentalist (guitar, piano, drums), songwriter, and member of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass (Theodore DeReese Pendergrass). The Philadelphia native got his start singing in church, and allegedly at the age of 10, he was ordained as a minister. He started playing drums around 11, and then moved to secular music in his early teens. While he was in high school, he sang with The Edison Mastersingers, dropped out his junior year, and released his first single-Angel With Muddy Feet. He also worked as a session and backing musician-gigging and recording with several local bands during the mid to late 1960s. He joined The Cadillacs, and was spotted on drums by Harold Melvin, who then recruited Pendergrass to play drums for The Blue Notes. When the band was rehearsing, Pendergrass started singing along...Harold Melvin heard his voice and made him lead singer.
In 1971, with Teddy as front man, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes signed to Philadelphia International Records. They put out several LPs, with plenty of (Kenny) Gamble & (Leon) Huff's lush productions. At first they were known for early 70s ballads like: I Miss You (originally for The Dells), and If You Don’t Know Me By Now-but by the mid 70s, they transitioned to dance floor hits like the Deep House classic Bad Luck. After the Wake Up Everybody LP blew up in 1975, Teddy left The Blue Notes for a solo career. He released the first of his four consecutive platinum LPs, starting in 1977, and going to 1981. These include: his self-titled debut album in 1977, Life Is A Song Worth Singing in 1978, Teddy in 1979, and TP in 1980. Some notable songs off these LPs include: Close The Door, Love TKO, The More I Get-The More I Want, Feel The Fire, Come Go With Me, I Don’t Love You Anymore, Get Up-Get Down-Get Funky-Get Loose, and Turn Off The Lights. The LPs released after his infamous 1982 car accident were good, but weren’t up to the level of music he put out between 1971-1981. He was 59 years old when he died.
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On January 13th, 1938, poet, singer, composer, arranger, guitarist, producer, bandleader, and founding member of Soft Machine-Daevid Allen was born in Melbourne, Australia. He originally had aspirations of being a poet, after being inspired by the Beat Poets and their writings he found in the Melbourne bookstores he worked at and frequented. He moved to Paris in 1960, and then to England in 1961. While he was in Paris, he stayed in the flat that Allen Ginsberg & Peter Orlovsky (Beat Poets) had lived in. England is where he got into guitar and songwriting more. He also met two prominent figures that inspired him further to start his own free-jazz band, with cerebral lyrical content: Sun Ra & William S. Burroughs. From there he started The Daevid Allen Trio, with Robert Wyatt on drums (pianist unknown).
They added pianist Mike Ratledge and Kevin Ayers (bass, singer, songwriter), both from the band Wilde Flowers, and officially formed Soft Machine in 1966. They toured Europe in 1967, and landed a spot at the First Annual Montruex Jazz Festival. After the tour, Allen tried to return to England; but was denied re-entry because his visa expired. He had to leave Soft Machine, went back to Paris, and founded the band Gong there (which included Gilli Smyth on vocals and a constantly changing group of backing musicians). They recorded their debut LP Magick Brother, on BYG Actuel Records, in 1970. The sound of both bands are Prog Rock at the core-with funk, jazz, psychedelia, and space references thrown in. Allen recorded seven LPs with Gong between 1970 and 1976. He was 77 when he died in 2015.
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On January 13th, 1978, UK band The Police were determined to record an LP. The lineup at the time consisted of: Sting (lead vocals, bass), Steve Copeland (backing vocals, drums), and Andy Summers (backing vocals, guitar). This was a pure Power Trio, like Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Copeland’s brother Miles gave them about $2,500, as a loan towards their first album. They started recording Outlandos d'Amour, one of their best works to date, at Surrey Sound Studios in Surrey, England. Nigel Gray was acting producer. It's a great debut LP that contains classics like Roxanne, Can’t Stand Losing You, So Lonely, and Next To You. Sting and Stewart Copeland co-wrote Peanuts; while Andy Summers and Sting co-wrote Be My Girl-Sally.
Sting played bass, harmonica, and piano on the LP. Andy Summers does a spoken word piece, and adds some guitar and piano. Joe Sinclair also played piano on Masoko Tanga and Hole In My Life. Janette Beckman took the cover photo for the LP. The Police were heavily influenced by reggae, and managed to use it as a foundation for hit tracks over the span of their career. They're like any determined group of individuals, that put a wholehearted attempt towards a task...they used their resources at hand to accomplish the goal. It all goes to show that it doesn’t take much money to put together a solid project, if you’re skilled at what you do and have a belief in your ability to succeed. One thing’s for sure, if you try, you may not succeed, but if you don’t try, you definitely won’t succeed.
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HONORABLE MENTION: On January 13th, 1973, singer, songwriter, guitarist, actor, Rock Icon, and original member of Cream-Eric Clapton made an official comeback. He had recently kicked his heroine habit, and made a live appearance at the Rainbow Theatre in London, England, with Pete Townshend acting as the primary organizer. It was Clapton’s first appearance in over a year. Jim Capaldi, Reebop Kwaku Baah, Ronnie Wood, and Ric Grech performed with him. Clapton sang Layla at this show too.
On January 13th, in 1929, guitarist, sideman, composer, arranger, producer, and bandleader-Joe Pass was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He started playing guitar at nine, and was performing professionally by his early teens. He’s largely a jazz & pop vocal guitarist, who’s played for Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughn, and Dizzy Gillespie. He’s also been a featured guitarist on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show & The Steve Allen Show. He was 65 when he died (May 23rd, 1994).
On January 13, 1926, one of the first acknowledged and formally credited female jazz trombonists-Melba Doretta Liston was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She moved to Los Angeles, California, when she was very young. She started on trombone-composing and arranging some of her own songs by her early teens. In 1943, when she was 17, she joined Gerald Wilson’s Orchestra (big band jazz). Through the course of the 1940s, she worked with notable jazz musicians such as: Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, and Dexter Gordon. By the 1950s, she’d retired from music and started working in education. She returned in the late 50s to record, as a bandleader, on Melba & Her Bones. She was 65 when she passed away (May 23rd, 1994).
On January 13, in 1909 author, singer, songwriter, guitarist, early jazz innovator, sideman, composer, arranger, producer, and bandleander-Danny Barker (Daniel Moses Barker) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He started playing in The NOLA street band-The Boozan Kings. When he was in his late teens, Barker moved to NYC and started playing guitar (early 1930s). Cab Calloway picked him up in the late 30s, and Barker stayed with him until the mid 40s. In the 1950s, he again recorded with Calloway’s band-before returning to NOLA in 1965. This NEA Jazz Master was 85, when he passed away on March 13th, 1994.
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