June 2, 2023 ~ Composer Kaija Saariaho, full name Kaija Anneli Saariaho, passed away in Paris, France ~ Voted greatest living composer in a poll conducted by the BBC Music Magazine in 2019. Known for her rich, polyphonic textures often created by combining live music with electronics. Has composed for orchestra, string quartets, operas, and for various solo instruments, her compositions performed by the Kronos Quartet, the New York Philharmonic, the Théàtre du Châtelet, and the Finnish National Opera. Perhaps best known for her 2000 L'Amour De Loin opera ~ Saariaho was born in 1952
June 2, 2022 ~ Country singer, songwriter Hal Bynum, full name Harold L Bynum, passed away ~ Revered singer, songwriter, admired by peers. Over an estimated 200 songs to his name, including his best known Lucille, co-written with Roger Bowling. The song would become an international hit for Kenny Rogers in 1977 topping the Billboard Country charts and reaching top 10 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. It would also become Rogers' first UK charttopper and over time be covered by over 80 artists. Other songs written or co-written by Bynum would be recorded by George Jones (The Old Old House), Ray Price (You Can't Take It With You), Jim Reeves (Nobody's Fool), Johnny Cash (Papa Was A Good Man), Jeanne Pruett (I've Been So Wrong For So Long), Diahann Carroll (Easy To Love), and Patty Loveless (Chains), to name just a few ~ Bynum was born in 1934
June 2, 2022 ~ Conductor Kai Bumann passed away ~ Became chief conductor of the Opera Krakowska in 1997. Guest conductor with the Deutsche Oper Berlin the following year. Perhaps best known as musical director of the Warsaw Chamber Opera from 2003 through 2013 and chief conductor of the Polish Baltic Philharmonic from 2008 through 2012. Has also worked with the Lodz Philharmonic and served as professor of conducting at the Musikakademie Danzig ~ Bumann was born ca.1961
June 2, 2020 ~ Christopher Ryan Pask, commonly known as singer, actor Chris Trousdale, passed away in Burbank, California, USA ~ Made his Broadway debut at age 8, touring with a production of Les Miserables, starring alongside Ashley Tisdale. Member of the Broadway Kids, a concert group consisting of a rotating company of children, all of whom have performed in at least one Broadway, off-broadway, or major national touring production. Member of pop boy band Dream Street, with whom he recorded the albums Dream Street and The Biggest Fan. Has also ventured into acting for film and TV ~ Pask was born in 1985
June 2, 2020 ~ Werner Böhm, commonly known as schlager singer Gottlieb Wendehals, passed away in Gran Canaria, Spain ~ Active since the late-1950s under his birth name serving as jazz pianist, notably in the ensemble the Cabinet Jazzmen. Best known for his 1980s alter ego Wendehals, a bespectacled bow-tie-wearing schlager singer. His Polonäse Blankenese would spent nine weeks atop the German singles charts ~ Böhm was born in 1941
June 2, 2018 ~ Bassist Wayne Secrest passed away ~ Member of country, outlaw country, country rock outfit Confederate Railroad from its inception in 1987 until retiring from the band in 2017 for health reasons. They are best known for songs such as Jesus And Mama, The Queen Of Memphis and Daddy Never Was The Cadillac Kind ~ Secrest was born in 1950
June 2, 2017 ~ Pop singer Dua Lipa releases her eponymous Dua Lipa debut album ~ With a series of tours from 2016 through 2018, including as support act for Troye Sivan, Bruno Mars, and Coldplay, Lipa garnered enough exposure to have her original 12-track debut album reach peak popularity by mid-2018, as it reached top 10 in over a dozen countries. The singles Be The One, IDGAF, and New Rules would all reach UK top 10, the latter topping the charts in her native UK and reaching top 10 Billboard Hot 100. In October 2018, Lipa reissued the album as Dua Lipa (The Complete Edition), adding seven new tracks including her second UK No.1 hit One Kiss with Calvin Harris, and the UK top 10 hit Electricity with Silk City. The album was met with universal acclaim, and helped her win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 61st Grammy Awards ceremony, held in February 2019. Overall, Lipa estimated that she wrote over 160 songs for the album, many of which were never finished as she was constantly writing new ones
June 2, 2016 ~ Jazz guitarist Hansche Weiss passed away ~ Guitarist in the tradition of Django Reinhardt. Member of the Schnucknack Reinhardt Quintet from 1969 through 1972. Fronted the Hansche Weiss Quintet, backed by Titi Winterstein, Holzmanno Winterstein, Ziroli WInterstein, and Hojok Merstein. Weiss has also worked with Trilok Gurtu, Vali Meyer, Mickey Bamberger, and others ~ Weiss was born ca.1951
June 2, 2014 ~ Singer Sheryl Crow releases her Shotgun single ~ Written by Sheryl Crow, Chris DuBois, Kelley Lovelace, and John Shanks. A straightforward country-rocker, it would have made a fine album filler or B-side. As a single, however, the third off her Feels Like Home album, it only charted moderately, peaking outside the top 40 on the Billboard Country charts. Crow has stated the inspiration for the song came from one of her father's sayings: “My dad always said, ‘Drive it like it's stolen, and park it like it's rented.’ And I thought, that's how you have to live life. So I've always wanted to write a song with that idea in it.”
June 2, 2012 ~ Singer Leanne Mitchell wins the talent contest The Voice UK, aired on BBC ~ Mitchell wins the 1st season of talent show The Voice UK, beating the other finalists were Bo Bruce, Tyler James, and Vince Kidd. Following her success on the show, Mitchell released her Run To You single the following day, which peaked outside the top 40 in the UK, and a full-length eponymous album, Leanne Mitchell, the following year
June 2, 2008 ~ Ellas Otha Bates, commonly known as guitarist, singer, songwriter Bo Diddley passed away in Archer, Florida, USA ~ Pivotal figure in development of rock & roll and just about everything after. Defined both the beat, the hearbeat of rock, and the guitar riffs. Influenced by Louis Jordan, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters. Hugely influential himself on Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and especially Stones guitarist Keith Richards, the Animals, the Clash, and others. Best known for recordings such as I'm A Man, Bo Diddley, Say Man, You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover, and Who Do You Love ~ Diddley was born in 1928
June 2, 2006 ~ Keyboardist, singer Vince Welnick, full name Vincent Leo Welnick, passed away in Sonoma County, California, USA ~ Co-founding member of the Tubes, perhaps best known for Talk To Ya Later of their 1981 The Completion Backward Principle album. Left the band in the late-1980s to team up with Todd Rundgren and subsequently join the Grateful Dead. Has also worked with Zero, Dick Dale, Merl Saunders, and Missing Man Formation ~ Welnick was born in 1951
June 2, 2001 ~ The 32nd edition of Pinkpop takes place in Landgraaf, the Netherlands ~ Day 1 of 3. A chilly but mostly dry weekend, except for rain today, this year's edition would draw a total of 64,200 visitors. Included on today's, Saturday the 2nd's bill would be Dreadlock Pussy, Spearhead, Krezip, the Queens Of The Stone Age, and Within Temptation
June 2, 2000 ~ Western swing, polka bandleader, singer Adolph Hofner, full name Adolph John Hofner, passed away in San Antonio, Texas, USA ~ Helped shape what would later become known as Western swing, drawing from jazz, swing, country, rockabilly, and polka. Sang lead vocals on the Tom Dickey's Show Boys Floyd Tillman-cover It Makes No Difference Now. Fronted Adolph Hofner & his Texans, later renamed Dolph Hofner & his San Antonians, known for songs such as Alamo Rag, Cotton-Eyed Joe, and Jessie Polka ~ Hofner was born in 1916
June 2, 1999 ~ Jazz bassist Andy Simpkins passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Member of the Three Sounds from 1956 through 1968. Also worked with George Shearing, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Anita O'Day, Gerald Wiggins, Monty Alexander, Buddy DeFranco, Don Menza, Stéphane Grappelli, and Pat Boone ~ Simpkins was born in 1932
June 2, 1999 ~ Franklin Delano Alexander Braithwaite, commonly known as reeggae guitarist, singer Junior Braithwaite passed away in Kingston, Jamaica ~ Best known as member of Bob Marley's famed band the Wailers through 1964. Sang lead on early Wailers tracks such as Habits, Straight And Narrow Way, Don't Ever Leave Me Alone and It Hurts To Be Alone ~ Braithwaite was born in 1949
June 2, 1998 ~ Country singer, accordionist, autoharpist, guitarist, pianist, mandolinist Helen Carter, full name Helen Myrl Carter, passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ~ Member of pioneering all-female country grouip the Carter Sisters alongside matriarch Mother Maybelle Carter and younger sisters June Carter and Anita Carter ~ Carter was born in 1927
June 2, 1997 ~ Adolphus Anthony Cheatham, commonly known as swing, dixieland, big band trumpeter, bandleader Doc Cheatham, passed away in Washington DC, USA ~ Influenced by Henry Busse, Johnny Dunn, Louis Armstrong. Worked with Ma Rainey, Bobby Lee, Wilbur de Paris, Marion Handy, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, Benny Carter, Teddy Wilson, Fletcher Henderson, Claude Hopkins, Pérez Prado, Marcelino Guerra, Ricardo Ray, Machito, Benny Goodman, and others ~ Cheatham was born in 1905
June 2, 1990 ~ Hard bop, bebop pianist Walter Davis Jr passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Worked with Babs Gonzales, Max Roach, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Donald Byrd, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Kenny Clarke, Sonny Criss, Jackie McLean, Pierre Michelot, Archie Shepp, Nick Brignola, Slide Hampton, Etta Jones, Charlie Rouse, Art Taylor, Hank Mobley, and Philly Joe Jones ~ Davis was born in 1932
June 2, 1987 ~ Guitarist, composer Andrés Segovia passed away in Madrid, Spain ~ Leading classical guitarist known for his expressiver wide palette of tone. Premiered works by contemporary composers such as Federico Moreno Torroba, Joaquín Rodrigo, Federico Mompou, Manuel Ponce, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Heitor Villa-Lobos, often specifically written for Segovia himself, as well as adaptations of works written originally for instruments other than guitar by classical composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados ~ Segovia was born in 1893
June 2, 1986 ~ Zsuzsanna Eva Ward, commonly known as singer, guitarist, pianist, songwriter ZZ Ward, born in Abington, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Released her full-length Til The Casket Drops debut album in 2012, spawning the singles Put The Gun Down, 365 Days and Last Love Song. Has collaborated with Blended Babes, Asher Roth, Lindsey Stirling, and Robben Ford
June 2, 1980 ~ R&B, hip hop, pop singers twin sisters Irish Grinstead and Orish Grinstead born in Houston, Texas, USA ~ Irish was a constant member of girl trio 702, recording three albums from the late-1990s through the early-2000s. They are best known for the singles Get It Together and Where My Girls At, both of which reached top 10 Billboard Hot 100. The group also guested on Subway's 1995 This Lil' Game We Play Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit, and alongside Magoo on Missy Elliott's 1998 single Beep Me 911, which did not chart in the USA yet reached top 20 in both New Zealand and the UK. Orish was an early member of the group but departed the band prior to making any recordings ~ Irish passed away in 2023
June 2, 1975 ~ Jazz guitarist Gisle Corvik born in Torvikbygd, Norway ~ Worked with Sigmund Groven, Petter Wettre, Frode Berg, Endre Christiansen, Torstein Lofthus, Hilde Norbakken, Eddie Gomez, Bendik Hofseth, Dean Johnson, Øystein Sevåg, Tony Moreno, Karl Seglem, the Eple Trio, Andreas Ulvo, Sigurd Hole, Jonas Howden Sjøvaag, and others
June 2, 1975 ~ Aimee Springer, commonly known as alternative rock, country keyboardist, bassist, percussionist, singer Zia McCabe, born ~ Best known as a member of the Dandy Warhols, joining the band shortly after its inception in 1994. The band is especially acclaimed for their 1994 Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia album, which spawned the UK top 10 hit Bohemian Like You. Married to the band's road manager Travis Hendricks from 2001 through 2011. Springer also performs as a solo DJ, and is a member of country outfit Brush Prairie
June 2, 1974 ~ Donnie Shaquan Lewis, commonly known as rapper Skillz, born in Detroit, Michigan, USA ~ Acclaimed for his 1996 From Where album. Also known as creator of the web series Hip-hop Confessions, where guests reveal something hip-hop related they have never told anyone. The show has featured guests such as Q-Tip and DJ Jazzy Jeff
June 2, 1970 ~ Jazz, jazz fusion bassist Matt Garrison, full name Matthew Justin Garrion, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Son of Jimmy Garrison. Worked with Gary Burton, Rashied Ali, Ravi Coltrane, Gil Evans, Steve Coleman, Vernon Reid, Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, Joni Mitchell, Joe Zawinul, the Zawinul Syndicate, John McLaughlin, John Scofield, Mike Stern, Wayne Krantz, Rashied Ali, Terri Lyne Carrington, Dennis Chambers, Chico Hamilton, Herbie Hancock, Rita Marcotulli, Andy Milne, Bob Moses, Meshell Ndegeocello, Revolution Void, the World Saxophone Quartet, and others
June 2, 1969 ~ Jazz double bassist Albert Stinson passed away ~ Worked with Terry Gibbs, Frank Rosolino, Chico Hamilton, Charles Lloyd, Larry Coryell, John Handy (New View), Miles Davis, Bobby Hutcherson (Oblique), Gerald Wilson, Clare Fischer (Surging Ahead), Joe Pass and others ~ Stinson was born in 1944
June 2, 1968 ~ Rock, pop, power pop guitarist, singer, songwriter Jason Falkner born in Agour Hills, California, USA ~ Cites XTC, Elvis Costello and the Beatles as influences. Present on the Three O'Clock's 1988 Vermillion album. Present on Jellyfish's 1990 Bellybutton debut album. Has recorded as a solo artist starting with Author Unknown released in 1996. Also worked with Fabulon, the Grays, Beck, Noel Gallagher, and others
June 2, 1968 ~ Pop singer, songwriter Merril Bainbridge born in Melbourne, Australia ~ Best known for the Billboard Hot 100 No.4 hit Mouth, taken of her 1995 The Garden debut album. Other notable credits include the lead single Lonely of her 1998 sophomore and final album Between The Days. Bainbridges's sophomore album also contained I Got U Babe featuring a small contribution from Shaggy. The Sonny & Cher cover was also used in the 1997 Welcome To Woop Woop comedy film. Bainbridge retired from music by the early-2000s
June 2, 1967 ~ Clarence Earl McCurry, commonly known as folk banjoist, guitarist Clarence Ashley, passed away in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA ~ Actively recording in the 1920s and 1930s, notably with the Carolina Tar Heels. Rediscovered during the late-1950s, early-1960s folk revival. Influenced Roy Acuff, Jerry Garcia, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Jean Ritchie. Best known for the 1961 Old Time Music At Clarence Ashley's album which also featured Doc Watson, Clint Howard, Fred Price, Gaither Carlton and Tommy Moore. Also known for his 1933 recording of The House Of The Rising Sun, reportedly the first recorded version of the song ~ McCurry was born in 1895
June 2, 1964 ~ Pop singer Bobby Vinton records Clinging Vine ~ Written by Earl Shuman, Leon Carr and Gary Lane. Produced by Bob Morgan. Vinton's single, paired with Imagination Is A Magic Dream on the flip side, would reach top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts peaking at No.17
June 2, 1962 ~ Jazz singer, pianist Ian Shaw born in St Asaph, UK ~ Actively recording since the early-1990s. In-demand duet partner of singer such as Claire Martin, Linda Lewis, Liane Carroll, Sarah Jane Morris. Has also collaborated with Cedar Walton, Lew Soloff, Eric Alexander, Billy Childs, Peter Washington, Mark Murphy, Carol Grimes, and others
June 2, 1960 ~ Singer Tony Hadley born in Islington, UK ~ Rose to fame as lead singer of 1980s band Spandau Ballet, initially a new wave, punk pop band but best known for their New Romantic pop ballads scoring UK top 10 hits such as True, Gold and Only When You Leave. After the band disbanded in 1990 Hadley released a number of solo albums, starting with 1992's The State Of Play, but would be unable to reach the same level of chart succes
June 2, 1958 ~ Singer, guitarist, songwriter Hans de Booij born in the Netherlands ~ Member of cabaret group Circus Stupido. Best known as a solo artist, especially for Annabel, a top 20 hit in the Netherlands in 1983. Other notable recordings include Een Vrouw Zoals Jij and Thuis Ben
June 2, 1957 ~ Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban jazz drummer, percusionist, composer, producer Bobby Sanabria born in South Bronx, New York, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Had Latin jazz stars Tito Puente and Paquito d'Rivera guest on his 1993 New York City Ache debut album. Has also collaborated with Mongo Santamaria, Yomo Toro, Carola Grey, Spider Saloff, Jorge Sylvester, Ray Barretto, Sekou Sundiata, and Donata Poveda
June 2, 1957 ~ Electronic music keyboardist, composer Mark Shreeve born ~ Well over a dozen albums to his name, starting with Embryo released in 1980. Has also composed for film and formed the 1990s group Redshift, which also included his brother Julian Shreeve. To pop audiences best known for co-writing Touch Me (I Want Your Body), a mid-1980s top 10 hit for Samantha Fox on both sides of the Atlantic ~ Shreeve passed away in 2022
June 2, 1949 ~ Ronnie Jones, commonly known as country singer Anthony Armstrong Jones, born in Ada, Oklahoma, USA ~ Released his Proud Mary debut album in 1969. Best known for a number of country covers of pop and rock songs, notably Creedence Clearwater Revival's Proud Mary, Gary US Bonds' New Orleans, Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline, Jim Croce's Bad Bad Leroy Brown and RB Greaves' Take A Letter To Maria, the latter his highest charting single reaching Billboard Country top 10 in 1970 ~ Jones passed away in 1996
June 2, 1944 ~ Singer Antone Tavares born ~ Member of sibling R&B, disco outfit Tavares, known best for She's Gone, It Only Takes A Minute, Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel, Don't Take Away The Music and More Than A Woman, the latter notably featured on 1977 Saturday Night Fever soundtrack
June 2, 1941 ~ Rock, jazz, blues drummer Charlie Watts, full name Charles Robert Watts, born in Bloomsbury, UK ~ Influenced by jazz artists such as Max Roach, Chico Hamilton, and Jelly Roll Morton. Best known as member of the Rolling Stones, joining the band in 1963 and appearing on all the band's albums until his death nearly sixty years later. In-demand collaborator and leader in a number of mostly jazz-focused side projects, notably Rocket 88 and the ABCD Of Boogie-Woogie. Back in 1964 while still in art school, the Stones not yet famous, Watts authored and illustrated a small book, Ode To A Highflying Bird, for a class project. A tribute to one of his biggest heroes, Charlie Parker also known as “Bird”, Watts portrayed the iconic saxophone player as an actual bird, complete with sunglasses and sax, in simple, child-like sketches along with light-hearted text: “Soon everybody was digging what Bird blew. His nest was made.” ~ Watts passed away in 2021
June 2, 1941 ~ Jazz, free improvisation pianist, drummer Irène Schweizer born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland ~ Considered one of the leading Swiss jazz musicians and an advocate of the women's movement, active since the mid-1960s. Member of all-female avant-garde jazz collective the Feminist Improvising Group. As a solo artist especially acclaimed for her 1978 Tuned Boots album. Well known for her collaborations, usually as a duo, with a series of drummers including Pierre Favre, Günter Sommer, Andrew Cyrille, Han Bennink, Joey Baron, and Hamid Drake. Other notable associations include Manfred Schoof, John Tchicai, Rüdiger Carl, Henry Cow, Louis Moholo, Marilyn Crispell (Overlapping Hands (Eight Segments)), the London Jazz Composers Orchestra, Peter Kowald, Jon Rose, Les Diaboliques (Splitting Image), and Don Cherry. Schweizer is also known as co-founder of the long-running annual cross-border Taktlos Festival in Zurich, Switzerland, and as co-founder of the Intakt Records jazz label. Schweizer continued to perform into her 80s, retiring from the stage for health reasons in 2021 ~ Schweizer passed away in 2024
June 2, 1939 ~ Funk, rock saxophonist, flutist Charles Miller born in Olathe, Kansas, USA ~ Co-founding member of War remaining with the band through 1979, to be succeeded by Pat Rizzo. Notably present on the 1975 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit Low Rider. Miller was stabbed to death in a street robbery, the case remains unresolved to this day ~ Miller passed away in 1980
June 2, 1937 ~ Jazz percussionist Pierre Favre born in Le Locle, Switzerland ~ Leader and sideman. Noted for his 1984 Singing Drums, teaming up with Paul Motian and Naná Vasconcelos. Has also collaborated with John Surman, Michel Godard, Mal Waldron, Michel Portal, the ARTE Quartett, Barre Phillips, Irène Schweizer, Manfred Schoof, Dino Saluzzi, the London Jazz Composers Orchestra, and others
June 2, 1936 ~ Doo-wop, R&B singer Otis Williams born in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA ~ Not to be confused with namesake Otis Williams, co-founding member of the Temptations. Member of the Charms, known best for their 1954 single Hearts Of Stone. Subsequent hits included Ling Ting Tong, Two Hearts, Ivory Tower and United, all of which reached top 10 Billboard R&B. Member of the Distants. Co-produced and arranged Hank Ballard's original version of The Twist
June 2, 1934 ~ R&B, doo-wop singer Johnny Carter born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Co-founding member of the Flamingos, for whom he wrote Golden Teardrops. Following a stint in the Army joined the Dells in 1960 replacing Johnny Funches, with whom he remained until his death. Both groups have been inducted in the the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, making Carter one of the few multiple inductees ~ Carter passed away in 2009
June 2, 1932 ~ Jazz saxophonist Akitoshi Igarashi born in Tokyo, Japan ~ Took up the saxophone at age 19 and was playing professionally within a year. Has worked with artists such as Shungo Sawada, Shotaro Moriyasu, the West-liners, Sharps & Flats, Blue Coats and with Shigenori Obara
June 2, 1929 ~ Jazz pianist, organist Gildo Mahones, full name Hermengildo Mahones, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Recorded sporadically as a leader, especially known for his 1965 The Great Gildo album. In-demand sideman, present on albums by Frank Foster, Les Jazz Modes (Jazzville), Julius Watkins, Bennie Green (Walkin' & Talkin'), Jimmy Witherspoon, Jon Hendricks, Lambert Hendricks & Ross, Charlie Rouse (Unsung Hero), Pony Poindexter (Pony's Express), Ted Curson, Frank Wess, Booker Ervin (The Blues Book), Lou Rawls, and Big Joe Turner ~ Mahones passed away in 2018
June 2, 1927 ~ Country singer, songwriter Carl Butler, full name Carl Robert Butler, born in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA ~ Recorded and performed as husband-wife duo Carl Butler & Pearl with Pearl Butler, known for country hits such as Too Late To Try Again, My Tears Don't Show and their biggest hit Don't Let Me Cross Over. Butler also wrote If Tear Drops Were Pennies, a hit for Carl Smith in 1951 and again for Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner in 1971. Also co-wrote Flatt & Scruggs' 1960 song Crying My Heart Out Over You with Flatt, Scruggs and Earl Sherry, also a country hit for Ricky Skaggs in 1982 ~ Butler passed away in 1992
June 2, 1926 ~ Blues pianist, composer Hershal Thomas passed away in Detroit, Michigan, USA ~ Despite dying of food poisoning at a mere 19 years of age, Thomas left a huge imprint nevertheless. Boogie-woogie pianists Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis both cite Thomas as a major influence. His sister was Sippie Wallace and has recorded several of his compositions, including A Jealous Woman Like Me, A Man For Every Day Of The Week, I Feel Good, and Trouble Everywere I Roam. He recorded with King Oliver and Louis Armstrong ~ Thomas was born in 1906
June 2, 1887 ~ Lyricist, songwriter Howard Johnson born in Waterbury, Connecticut, USA ~ Remembered for co-penning songs such as Lindbergh The Eagle Of The USA (Vernon Dalhart, Ernest Hare, Harry Crane), What Do We Do On A Dew-Dewey Day (Charles Kaley, Nathaniel Shilkret, Ruth Etting), When The Moon Comes Over The Mountain (the Radiolites, Leo Reisman, Sam Lanin), Ice Cream I Scream You Scream We All Scream For Ice Cream (Harry Reser, Waring's Pennsylvanians, Chris Barber), and What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For (Sam Ash, Bob Howard, Betty Hutton) ~ Johnson passed away in 1941
June 2, 1863 ~ Pianist, conductor, composer Felix Weingartner, full name Paul Felix Weingartner, born in Zara, Austria ~ One of the last pupils of Franz Liszt. Succeeded Gustav Mahler as director of the Vienna Hofoper, a post Weingartner held from 1907 to 1910. First conductor to make commercial recording of all nine Ludwig van Beethoven symphonies, and after Leopold Stokowski the second to record all four Johannes Brahms symphonies. Premiered Georges Bizet's long-lost Symphony In C in 1935 ~ Weingartner passed away in 1942
June 2, 1852 ~ Vaudevillian, songwriter Charles B Lawlor, also known as Chas B Lawlor, born in Dublin, Ireland ~ Emigrated to America in the late 1860s. Perhaps best remembered for penning The Sidewalks Of New York with James W Blake. The song would become an unofficial anthem of New York, first recorded by Dan Quinn in 1895 and covered by numerous artists including Vernon Dalhart, Kai Winding, Nat King Cole, and Mel Tormé. The song would also be notably used as theme song in the campaign of presidential candidate Alfred E Smith in 1928 ~ Lawlor passed away in 1925