FROM THE VAULTS

Bebe Daniels (January 14, 1901 – March 16, 1971) was an American actress, singer, dancer, writer and producer.

She began her career in Hollywood during the silent movie era as a child actress, became a star in musicals like 42nd Street, and later gained further fame on radio and television in Britain. In a long career, Bebe Daniels made over 230 films.

Daniels was born Phyllis Virginia Daniels (Bebe was a childhood nickname) in Dallas, Texas. Her father was a theater manager and her mother a stage actress. The family moved to Los Angeles, California in her childhood and she began her acting career at the age of four in the first version of The Squaw Man. That same year she also went on tour in a stage production of Shakespeare's Richard III. The following year she participated in productions by Morosooa and David Belasco. She was in silent films from the age of nine and had made many films by the time that she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures, all this while attending a convent school.

She became a tremendously popular leading lady, starring opposite big names such as Rudolph Valentino and making dozens of silent films. The advent of talking pictures served only to boost her career and she was successful in Rio Rita (1929), in which she also sang.

Altogether, Daniels appeared in more than 200 films. Among these is Dixiana (1930), in which she plays opposite Metropolitan Opera House star Everett Marshall and which also features comics Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey although most interest lies in Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson’s dancing. She had a supporting role in 42nd Street (1933, also starring Warner Baxter, Ruby Keeler, George Brent and Dick Powell), while in Music Is Magic (1935, starring

Alice Faye and Ray Walker), Daniels had one of her best roles as a fading movie star, even though she was only in her mid-thirties. As it happens, her real life film career was waning by this time and in 1936 she went to London with actor Ben Lyon, her husband since 1930.

Daniels and Lyon became popular in the UK and when they opted to stay in bomb-ravaged London during World War II, their stock with the general public knew no bounds. From 1941 they had an immensely popular BBC radio show, Hi Gang! which also featured Vic Oliver, and a 1941 film, Hi Gang! was based on their radio series.

Following the war, Daniels was awarded the Medal of Freedom by Harry S. Truman for war service. In 1945 she returned to Hollywood for a short time to work as a film producer for Hal Roach and Eagle Lion. She returned to the UK in 1948 and lived there for the remainder of her life. Daniels, her husband, her son

Richard and her daughter Barbara all starred in the radio sitcom Life With The Lyons (1951 to 1961). This show also spawned a 1955 television series and two indifferent films, Life With The Lyons (1954) and The Lyons In Paris (1955). Daniels not only performed on the radio and television shows, she was also deeply involved in the scripts. Poor health in the 60s curtailed Daniels’ activities during the final years of her life.

On March 16, 1971, Daniels died of a cerebral haemorrhage in London at the age of 70. Her remains were cremated at London's Golders Green Crematorium and the ashes brought home where she was interred in the Chapel columbarium at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. Her husband Ben died eight years later of a heart attack. (Info edited from Wikipedia & Allmusic)

Art Kassel (18 January 1896, Chicago, Illinois - 3 February 1965, Van Nuys, California) was a saxophonist, clarinetist and leader of "Kassels in the Air" (his tag line), a society orchestra which purveyed 'sweet' (rather then swing) dance music to audiences in the Midwest.

Art Kassel did not start out in radio, he just got there in a hurry. He began in Chicago playing in dixieland bands around 1923. It was a struggle. Eventually he found his way into playing "sweet"

ballroom dance music. It was pure schmaltz. But it paid well.

He formed his first dance band in 1924 for an appearance at the Midway Gardens in Chicago In 1926 his orchestra then started playing the Venetian room of the Southmoor Hotel in Chicago. That was significant. Ballrooms were a good gig, but hotels were a regular paycheck. In 1928 his band began playing at the Metropole Hotel. (This venue was also the headquarters for Al Capone.) In 1929 he broke into radio. His own Castles in the Air program debuted live at Al Tearney's Grand Auto Inn. It was at Grand Boulevard and 35th street on the South Side of Chicago.This was a live broadcast for WBBM.

That attention got them a gig at a bigger venue before the end of 1929. They were playing at the Terrace Casino room of the Morrison Hotel, still on WBBM. In 1930 they moved to the even

bigger place, the Walnut Room at The Bismark Hotel. In his book That Toddlin' Town: Chicago's White Dance Bands and Orchestras, Charles Sengstok described the situation thus:

"Since most dance bands sounded alike in those days the challenge for an orchestra broadcasting frequently from one dance venue or another was to develop a special sound that would quickly identify it to listeners. bands introduced theme songs and tag lines The Musical Gems Of Ray Pearl" or "Art Kassel And His Kassels In The Air." But more than that, they hired arrangers to give their music a distinctive sound, which often resulted in music with more style than substance."

This rather wild arrangement of the Kassel composition turned out to be one of his most successful recordings. He did a “Hell’s Bells” remake for Bluebird in 1939. Originally issued on 78rpm: Columbia 2682-D - Hell’s Bells (Kassel) by Art Kassel & his Kassels In The Air, vocals by band members Ralph Morris, Ding Johnson, & Floyd Townes, recorded in NYC June 27, 1932.

Though in its early years the band boasted such jazz artists as Benny Goodman, Bud Freeman, and Mugsy Spanier. Recording for RCA Victor, the group’s vocalists were Norman Ruvell, Thal Taylor, Billie Leach, Harvey Crawford, Grace Dunn, Marian Holmes, Gloria Hart and the group’s own three-piece vocal act, the Kassel Trio. Led by Kassel himself on saxophone, the orchestra’s engagements after their Midway Gardens bow included the Aragon and Trianon Ballrooms in Chicago, with frequent airplay on the sponsored Shell Oil Company Show, Elgin Watch Show and Wildroot Hair Oil Show.

In 1933 they were playing twice a day on 670 WMAQ-AM; once at

7:15 and again after 12:30 PM. That show was carried on the NBC Red Network. In the 1940s they moved the show to The Aragon Ballroom and WGN-AM carried the program. Then on tour in 1940 they did a set of shows on WOR-AM. On December 22nd, 1944 they returned to the Bismark Hotel still live, but still with WGN-AM. But that was just home base, they toured every year not taking a break until 1952, that's 25 consecutive years. In that time it's also worth noting that one of his vocalists, Billy Leach had his own radio career that took off.

In 1951 Art moved to Encino California where he appeared for two years with a new orchestra on a local television program, The Gloria Hart Show. He never went back to radio. He died 3 February, 1965 of cancer.

After Kassel’s death his band continued to play the west coast circuit, where their theme song, ‘Doodle-Doo-Doo’, was now among dance band music’s most famous compositions.

(Info edited from tenwatts blogspot.co.uk & All Music)

Leslie Sarony (born Leslie Legge Frye; 22 January 1897 – 12
February 1985) was a British entertainer, singer and songwriter.

Sarony was born in Surbiton, Surrey, the son of William Henry Frye, alias William Rawstorne Frye, an Irish-born artist and photographer, and his wife, Mary Sarony, who was born in New York City. He was christened as Leslie Legge Tate Frye at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Twickenham, on 5 May 1898. He began his stage career aged 14 with the group Park Eton's Boys. In 1913 he appeared in the revue Hello Tango.

In the Great War, Sarony served (as Private Leslie Sarony Frye) in the London Scottish Regiment and the Royal Army Medical Corps in France and Salonika, and was awarded the Silver War Badge.

His stage credits after the war include revues, pantomimes and musicals, including the London productions of Show Boat and Rio Rita. Sarony became well known in the 1920s and 1930s as a variety artist and radio performer. In 1928 he made a short film made in the Phonofilm sound-on-film system, Hot Water and Vegetabuel. In this film, he sang, interspersed with his comic patter, the two eponymous songs – the first as a typical Cockney geezer outside a pub, the second (still outside the pub) as a less typical vegetable rights campaigner ("Don't be cruel to a

vegetabuel").

He went on to make a number of recordings of novelty songs, such as "He Played his Ukulele as the Ship Went Down", including several with Jack Hylton and his Orchestra. He teamed up with Leslie Holmes in 1933 under the name The Two Leslies. The partnership lasted until 1946. Their recorded output included such gems as "I'm a Little Prairie Flower". His song "Jollity Farm" was covered by Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band on their 1967 album Gorilla.

While the name of Leslie Sarony may have become unfamiliar to new generations by the 1970s, within the entertainment business he had become a living legend. He continued to perform into his

eighties, moving on to television and films. In the 1970s he appeared in hit programmes including the Harry Worth Show, Crossroads, Z-Cars, The Good Old Days, and The Liberace Show, as well as the famous sitcom Nearest and Dearest. He took over from Bert Palmer as the senile Uncle Stavely ("I heard that! Pardon?") in the fourth and final series of I Didn't Know You Cared in 1979. Other appearances included Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV and Minder, and in 1984 he had a showy bit part as the Gatekeeper in Paul McCartney’s Give My Regards to Broad Street. Also in 1984 he was on a television variety bill broadcast from Manchester.

Sarony did get to re-record some of his old hits with modern arrangements for an LP in 1980, and soon afterwards was awarded a Golden Tuning Fork by the Songwriters Guild of Great Britain

for his lifetime’s achievement as a composer.

In 1983 Sarony appeared in his second Royal Variety performance. He also appeared as one of a number of elderly insurance clerks in the The Crimson Permanent Assurance segment of Monty Python's film The Meaning of Life.

Leslie died of cancer in a London hospital 12 February 1985. Active almost to the very end, at 88 he was the oldest working actor on Equity’s books. He had been an ‘entertainist’ for over three-quarters of a century. (Info edited from Wikipedia & Voices of Variety.com)

Here’s Leslie Sarony late in life – well into his 80s – in a TV appearance where he sings The Old Sow (a traditional folk song involving bizarre vocal effects that he made his own) and his classic Aint It Grand to be Blooming Well Dead.

Benny Waters (born Benjamin Waters; January 23, 1902, Brighton, Baltimore, Maryland – August 11, 1998, Columbia, Maryland) was a jazz saxophonist and clarinettist.

Longevity, versatility and virtuosity are words that inevitably come to mind when describing Benny Waters. His career as a clarinetist, saxophonist, vocalist, composer and arranger encompassed eight decades, and his playing reflected elements from the entire history

of jazz.

Benny Waters grew up in Brighton, Maryland, the youngest of seven children. After discovering his brothers organ and learning how to play, Benny's mother, who was terminally ill, was so moved by his natural ability that she devoted her remaining energy to getting him a formal education in music.

He worked with Charlie Miller from 1918-1921. Benny then attended the New England Conservatory of Music, where he gained invaluable training in harmony and composition and became a teacher; one of his students was Harry Carney. Waters played, arranged for, and recorded with Charlie Johnson's Paradise Ten (1925-1932), an underrated group that also for a time included Benny Carter and Jabbo Smith.

Waters, who was primarily a tenor saxophonist and an occasional clarinetist during this period, was influenced to an extent by

Coleman Hawkins, and he recorded with both Clarence Williams and King Oliver in the 1920s. During the next two decades, Waters played in many groups including those led by Fletcher Henderson (for a few months), Hot Lips Page and Claude Hopkins.

Over the next 25 years, Waters played with a number of top big bands, including those of Fletcher Henderson, Hot Lips Page, Claude Hopkins and Jimmie Lunceford. After that he started his own band and played at the "Red Mill" in New York. After NY he stayed for four years in California. He later played with Roy Milton's R&B band, and in 1949 went to France with the Jimmy Archey Dixieland group.

Waters had long been fascinated with the idea of playing in Paris, and left Archey's band after a tour of Europe to immerse himself in the thriving post-war jazz scene in the City of Lights. From 1952 to 1992 he lived in Paris and in 1996 received the Legion of Honour by the French Ministry of Culture.

Though his playing remained prolific, Waters' career had become so geographically spread out that the media essentially lost track of him, but by the 1980s, he was visiting the U.S. more frequently, and Waters is heard in brilliant form on a 1987 quartet set for Muse on which he plays tenor, alto, and clarinet, in addition to taking some effective vocals.

Here's "Always" from above album.

Still going strong at 90, Waters returned to the US, moving to New York in 1992. A car accident and a blinding bout with cataracts were not enough to deter him from once again making his mark stateside. Jazz historian Phil Schapp recalls Benny’s ingenuity in a

djusting his playing style to new concepts well into his 90s.

Though Waters never received the recognition he deserved in the United States, his outstanding performances in New York did awaken many more musicians and jazz listeners to his truly legendary credentials.

The seemingly ageless Benny Waters continued recording and performing with a remarkable amount of energy, touring with the Statesmen of Jazz in 1995 and creating some miraculous music prior to his death on August 11, 1998 in Columbia, Maryland.

(Info edited from All Music, NPR.org & Wikipedia)

Wesley Webb "Speedy" West (January 25, 1924 – November 15, 2003) was an American pedal steel guitarist and record producer. He frequently played with Jimmy Bryant, both in their own duo and as part of the regular Capitol Records backing band for Tennessee Ernie Ford and many others. He also played on Loretta Lynn's first single.

Speedy West was among the most innovative and influential steel guitarists in country-music history. A master showman and the

originator of the explosive "crash-bar" style of playing, he will be best remembered for a series of exciting instrumental duets he cut in the 1950s with the guitarist Jimmy Bryant, including their classic "The Night Rider".

The son of an amateur gospel singer and guitarist, Wesley West was drawn to the steel guitar as a child. Fired by his admiration for early players such as Leon McAuliffe and Jerry Byrd, he persuaded his parents to buy him a $12 Hawaiian guitar and then rapidly progressed to a more expensive National steel-bodied resonator model.

He married at 17 and spent the Second World War years working successively in a munitions factory and on a farm, all the while honing his craft at local clubs and jam sessions. At the war's end he

began to appear regularly on local radio, KWTO, Springfield. During one of these appearances the emcee, Slim Wilson, introduced him as "Speedy" West and the name stuck.

In 1946 he moved his family to Southern California where he juggled work at a drycleaners with membership of a popular local band named the Missouri Wranglers. He also fell under the influence of another renowned steel guitarist, Joaquin Murphey, whose astonishing jazz-influenced single string riffs whilst with Spade Cooley's Orchestra can be seen as a precursor of West's own approach.

In 1948 he was himself hired by Cooley but left after just five months and began to work with the broadcaster and musician Cliffie Stone whose Hometown Jamboree would do much to establish California as a major centre for country music. Stone encouraged his musicians to develop their own style and, through his position as assistant A&R man at Capitol Records, was able to offer them session work.

In 1949 West made his recording début alongside the vocalist

Eddie Kirk and a year later played on sessions with Tennessee Ernie Ford and Kay Starr that resulted in the country/pop hits "I'll Never Be Free" and "Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own". As a result he was invited to tour with both stars and in that same year made his début on Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. Perhaps more significantly, the label also signed him to a recording contract that led to his now revered duets with Jimmy Bryant. The sides they cut together from 1951 to 1956, once described as "manic country bebop", included "The Night Rider", "Chatter Box" and "Stratosphere Boogie", and have had a major influence.

Following the cancellation of the Hometown Jamboree in 1959, West briefly became a fixture in Las Vegas. In 1960 he produced sessions for a young Kentuckian named Loretta Lynn and was sufficiently impressed with her talent to suggest that she allow him to bring in leading musicians such as Roy Lanham and Harold

Hensley rather than the also-rans she had hired. The resulting disc, "Honky Tonk Girl", went on to become her first hit.

He cut a final album for Capitol in 1962, Guitar Spectacular, on which he was joined by Lanham, the guitarist Billy Strange and the legendary R&B drummer Earl Palmer, and then began to concentrate increasingly on work outside of music. He was reunited briefly with Bryant in the late 1970s, a session that was belatedly issued in 1990 as For the Last Time.

In 1980 Speedy West was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. The following year a debilitating stroke left him unable to play his instrument, but he remained a popular fixture at steel-guitar conventions, where his good-humour made him an ideal emcee. He looked back on his playing days with affection. His health deteriorated, and West died on November 15, 2003, in Broken Bow, Oklahoma.

“I used to get high, higher than a kite, just playing my guitar. You don't have to use drink and drugs if you love your instrument enough.” (Info from The Independent.co)

Alice Babs (born Hildur Alice Nilson; 26 January 1924 – 11 February 2014) was a Swedish singer and actress. She worked in a wide number of genres – Swedish folklore, Elizabethan songs and opera. While she was best known internationally as a jazz singer, Babs also competed as Sweden's first annual competition entrant in the Eurovision Song Contest 1958.

Her parents sang and played in amateur theatre. Growing up, she

sang with her mother. Her father took her to Stockholm when she was 13 and got an offer to sing at a nightclub but had to reject the offer. But on the train back home she met a voice coach who promised to give her singing lessons. The lessons couldn't destroy her natural talent and she got more and more attention.

In 1939 she sang at nightclubs like Berns or China and got a record contract at the age of 15 although her yodelling made her initially popular and the novelty "Swing It, Mr. Teacher" was her first hit, Babs even at the start had a highly appealing voice and a lightly swinging style.

After making her breakthrough in the film Swing it magistern ('Swing It, Teacher!', 1940), she appeared in more than a dozen Swedish-language films. Despite being cast as the well-behaved,

good-hearted, cheerful girl, the youth culture forming with Babs as its icon caused outrage among members of the older generation. A vicar called the Babs cult the "foot and mouth disease of cultural life".

She mostly recorded in jazz and swing-oriented settings throughout the years of World War II and remained active throughout the 50’s and '60s in Europe, singing everything from jazz and pop to a bit of classical music.

She has performed with all the big names in Swedish music, people like Charlie Norman, Putte Wickman and Arne Domnérus. In 1958, she was the first artist to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 4th place with the song "Lilla stjärna" ("Little Star"). The same year, she formed Swe-Danes with guitarist Ulrik Neumann and violinist Svend Asmussen. The group would later tour the United States together, before dissolving in 1965.

A long and productive period of collaboration with Duke Ellington began in 1963. Among other works, Babs participated in performances of Ellington's second and third Sacred Concerts which he had written originally for her. Her voice had a range of more than three octaves; Ellington said that when she was not available to sing the parts that he had written for her, he had to use three different singers. . Her important first set with Duke Ellington, Swing It!, does a fine job of summing up her first 15 years on records.

In 1963, her recording of "After You've Gone" (Fontana) reached No. 43 in the British charts.

In 1943 Babs married Nils Ivar Sjöblom (1919–2011). Their three children are Lilleba Sjöblom Lagerbäck (born 1945), Lars-Ivar (Lasse) Sjöblom (born 1948), and Titti Sjöblom (born 1949).

Daughter Titti Sjöblom appeared with her mother in recordings and radio shows from the mid-1950s, and also on an early-1960s advertising for Toy Chewing Gum. At the end of Alice Babs' career, mother and daughter again toured together.

In 1972 Ms. Babs was the first non-opera singer to be named Sweden’s royal court singer. She later became a member of the Royal Academy of Music.Among other honours, her face now graces the arrivals hall at Arlanda airport.

By the late '70s, Alice Babs had become less active, but into the mid-'90s she occasionally performed on special occasions. 1973–2004 Babs and her husband resided in Costa del Sol (in Spain), while still working in Sweden and internationally. In their later years, they returned to Sweden.

Babs suffered from Alzheimer's in her final years, and she died at a nursing home on February 11, 2014 of complications from the disease. She was 90 years old.

(Info edited from Wikipedia, All Music & IMDB)

Second Sacred Concert 1969 Duke Ellington

Alice Babs (vocal) Johnny Hodges (alto sax)

Rick Wayne (born Learie Carasco, 27 January 1938), OBE, is a St. Lucian writer, editor, former professional bodybuilder and pop singer.

Wayne was born Learie Carasco in St. Lucia. In the 1950s he immigrated to England, and served two years in the Royal Signals, most of the time in Yorkshire. On returning to civilian life in London, he was spotted singing in a club and successfully auditioned for record producer Joe Meek.

Renamed as Ricky Wayne (a combination of Ricky Nelson and John Wayne), he released a single, "Hot Chickaroo", which was produced by Meek and on which Wayne was backed by The Fabulous Flee-Rakkers. Although the single and its follow-ups were not commercial successes, Wayne established a singing career for several years and for a while had his own show on Radio

Luxembourg.

In 1963, at age 25, Wayne placed sixth at the FIHC Mr. Universe contest. In the July 1964 issue of MUSCLE BUILDER, he was hailed as "England's Music-Muscle Man" because of his nightclub singing act in London. Later that year, he won the tall class at the Mr. Europe and placed second in the tall class at the Mr. Universe in Paris. In 1965, he won the short-class title at the IFBB Mr. Universe, held in conjunction with the first-ever Mr. Olympia. He went on to earn the 1967 IFBB Mr. Universe short-class title, as well as the overal at the 1967 Mr. World. He won the 1969 Mr. Universe and the 1970 Mr. World medium-class titles.

Wayne is the author of numerous articles and books on bodybuilding and politics. While pursuing a professional

bodybuilding career, he began to write regularly for bodybuilding magazines, particularly Joe Weider's Muscle Builder and Flex in the 1970s and '80s (two separate periods of employment). He also wrote for Dan Lurie's Muscular Development magazine in 1994–95.

Wayne moved back to St. Lucia (where he now resides) and in 1986, in collaboration with his now wife, former US bodybuilder Mae Mollica Sabbagh, founded the Star Publishing Company. Its publications include a newspaper, St Lucia Star, and two magazines, Tropical Traveller and She Caribbean. The St Lucia Star is a hard-hitting controversial newspaper that has incurred the wrath of both major political parties on the island.

Wayne served as an opposition party senator until 1998, when he

was booted out of the Senate by then Prime Minister Kenny Anthony for his opposition of a government guarantee of a failing St. Lucian airline.

Wayne is the host of a politically charged local television talk show, simply called Talk, which features on DBS TV for a Thursday-night slot of two and a half hours. He is known for aggressive interviews and fiery comments about various ills on the island. He rails about press freedom, whether locally or internationally.

In 2007, Wayne was honoured as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for his contribution to journalism in St. Lucia. (Info edited from Wikipedia & IFBB Caribbean)

Harry Leader (January 28, 1906, London, United Kingdom - January 20, 1987, United Kingdom) was a saxophone player and bandleader from the United Kingdom.

Harry Leader was born in the East End of London on 28th January 1906. He was the son of a Russian trumpeter in the Tsar's Army who became a Professor of Music at St Petersburg Conservatoire. Anglicising the family name, Harry's father set up a grocery store after arrival in this country around the turn of the 20th century. Harry learned to play the violin from his father and, when not assisting in the family business, could be found playing for silent movies.

With the coming of jazz, Harry taught himself to play the saxophone at the age of 14. He later acquired valuable experience playing in clubs in the West End of

London, as well as touring. In 1928 he was invited to join Sid Phillips' Melodians, and even took over the direction of the band during a tour of Italy when Sid Phillips had to return to London. No doubt this inspired him to form his own band, which he soon did. Initially it was essentially a combination for recording purposes and Harry made over 12,000 titles m (often under pseudonyms) for Decca's Panachord label as well as Broadcast, Eclipse, HMV and various EMI labels. His biggest hit (recorded on Eclipse 729) was 'Little Man You've Had a Busy Day', which sold 375,000 copies. Indeed, so keen was Harry for this record to be a success he even stood in the streets of London selling it himself!

In the early thirties, Harry Leader played for Teddy Brown as well as for a character known as 'Jack de Yanke' at the Café de Paris. He made his first broadcast with his own band in 1934, commencing a broadcasting career spanning nearly 50 years, during which time his 'line-up' included such famous names as Norrie Paramor, Billy Amstell, Billy Bell, Freddie Gardner, George Chisholm, Nat Temple, Tommy McQuater, Steve Race, Phil Green, Kenny Baker, Johnny Gray, Bert Weedon, Ray Davies and Stanley Black.

Harry Leader's first residency was at the Hammersmith Palais from around 1939 to 1942, after which he moved to the Astoria, playing opposite Jack White until 1955. There followed seasons at Butlin's Holiday Camps until a residency was available at the Regent Ballroom in Brighton, where he stayed until well into the sixties.

Harry's original signature tune was 'Memories of You', but this was later changed to 'Music Maestro Please'. During his extensive broadcasting career, Harry contributed to many series that featured dance bands, as well as having his own 'Harry Leader Show' on television in 1947.

Harry Leader was particularly associated with 'Music While You Work', in which he appeared 215 times. His first appearance was on the 10th August 1941 and his last on 13th June 1966. Apart, that is, from an appearance in the revival series.

Harry was also a gifted composer who, with his wife Rona, produced over 350 songs under various aliases, his best-known composition probably being 'Dragonfly'. Other compositions include 'Just Fancy That', 'Washington Square' and 'Dance, Dance, Dance'.

Oner of Harry's claims to fame was the discovery of two leading popular singers, Clinton Ford and Matt Monro. Readers may well remember the occasion of a 'This is Your Life' television show featuring Matt Monro, in which Harry made a guest appearance.

By the early seventies, Harry's broadcasts were becoming infrequent and he moved down to Brighton where he continued to do gigs and to teach the flute, trumpet, saxophone and clarinet (the instrument with which he is most associated).

In 1972 Harry made an LP for strict-tempo dancing. At this time he called the band 'Harry Leader’s Nu-Set' In 1983 he concluded his broadcasting career with a superb programme in the revived series of 'Music While You Work'.. He rallied his musicians, saying: "Come on lads, let's enjoy ourselves, just like we used to in the old days". Well, Harry certainly did! He was dancing on the rostrum in one piece and the overall broadcast had a sparkle which put some of the other bands to shame. Sadly, it was to be his last broadcast and he died on 20th January 1987. (Info edited from a bio on last.fm)

Paul Leon Gayten (January 29, 1920 – March 26, 1991) was a seminal figure in New Orleans rhythm & blues, who led a varied career in the music business as a bandleader, producer, label owner, and one-time overseer of the West Coast operation of Chess Records.

Paul Gayten looms large in the rich history of New Orleans rhythm and blues. He was born in Kentwood, a small town in North Louisiana (population 2,205 at the 2000 census). His mother was the sister of blues pianist Little Brother Montgomery and his other uncles also played piano. Before World War II, in Jackson,

Mississippi, Paul played in the bands of Don Dunbar and Doc Parmley while also setting up his own group, Paul Gayten's Sizzling Six, which featured future bebop saxophonist Teddy Edwards.

During the war, he led a band at the Army base in Biloxi, Mississippi. He then moved to New Orleans and, with a new trio, established a residency at the Club Robin Hood. Gayten's first combo, which included Edgar Blanchard on guitar, first recorded for DeLuxe Records in January 1947 That first session yielded the hit (# 5 R&B), "True (You Don't Love Me)”, and "Since I Fell for You", the latter featuring singer Annie Laurie. Both made the top ten in the US Billboard R&B chart. Gayten also backed singer Chubby Newsom on her hit single "Hip Shakin' Mama". During his 30-month tenure at DeLuxe, Gayten had over 20 singles released on the label.

In 1949, Gayten expanded his combo into a nine-piece orchestra and moved to Regal Records. There, Gayten wrote the number 1

R&B hit "For You My Love" for Larry Darnell, and recorded "I'll Never Be Free" again with Annie Laurie. His orchestra toured widely, for a period adding saxophonist Hank Mobley and singer Little Jimmy Scott, and appearing on double bills with both Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.

When Regal folded in 1951, Gayten's contract was bought by Columbia Records, who released eight singles by his band on its OKeh subsidiary (1951-53), with no commercial success. Tired of the road, he returned to New Orleans in 1953 and formed another band featuring Lee Allen, who went on to be one of the top tenor saxophonists of the rock 'n' roll era.

Beginning in 1954, Gayten decided to quit as a touring bandleader and worked as a talent scout for the New Orleans branch of Chess Records, which also signed him as a recording artist..He discovered Clarence "Frogman" Henry and produced his first hit, "Ain't Got No Home", in 1956, later going on to co-write and produce his biggest hit, "But I Do", in 1961. At Chess, Gayten produced Bobby Charles'"Later Alligator" and played piano on Chuck Berry’s "Carol". In 1956 he also had one of the biggest hits of his own career with "The Music Goes Round And Round", followed up by "Nervous Boogie".

The follow-up, "Tickle Toe", was in the same style, though not quite as exciting (Argo 5300). Curiously, it was the other side, the flute-led "Windy", that charted (# 78). In the UK, this song was a # 2 hit in 1958 under the title "Tom Hark" (by Elias and the Zig Zag Jive Flutes). According to the website www.mustrad.org.uk,.it is not even Gayten playing on "Windy", but the Ramsey Lewis Trio.

In 1959, Paul recorded two instrumental singles for Berry Gordy's Anna label in Detroit. The first of these, a cover of Bobby Peterson's "The Hunch" (Anna 1106), gave him his last hit (# 68 pop). It was the second record to be released in the UK under Paul's own name (London HLM 8998), the first one being the instrumental "Yo Yo Walk" on the back of the Tune Weavers'

"Happy Happy Birthday Baby" (London HL 8503, November '57).

In 1960, tired of nightclub performing, he moved to Los Angeles with his wife, Odile. Paul took the Chess brothers up on their offer to open and run the label's L.A. office, which he continued to do until Chess was sold in 1969. In that year he founded his own (short-lived) independent label, Pzazz Records, which recorded Louis Jordan, among others. He continued to live in Los Angeles with Odile after retiring in the 1970s, and died there aged 71 in March 1991due to complications from bleeding ulcers.

(Info edited from Wikipedia & BlackCat Rockabilly Europe)

As you may of noticed there is a lack of photographs of Mr. Gayten on the web.

Paul Gayten:Piano

Waldron Joseph:Trombone

Lee Allen:Tenor Sax

Alvin "Red" Tyler:Bariton Sax

Justin Adams:Guitar

Frank Fields:Bass

Frank Parker:Drums Recorded in New Orleans, LA. Tuesday, March 20, 1956

Originally issued on the 1956 single (Checker 836) (78 & 45 RPM)

This recording taken from the 1989 album "Paul Gayten:Chess King of New Orleans" (Chess/MCA CH-9294) (LP)

Jackie Ross (born Jaculyn Bless Ross 30 January 1946 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American soul singer.

Chicago soul diva Jackie Ross was born in St. Louis on January 30, 1946; the daughter of husband-and-wife preachers, she made her performing debut on her parents' radio gospel show at the age of three. Following her father's 1954 death, the family relocated to the Windy City; there the legendary Sam Cooke, a friend of her mother, recruited Ross for his SAR label, where she issued her debut single, "Hard Times," in 1962.

Following a stint singing with Syl Johnson's band, she signed to Chess Records, making her label bow with 1964's "Selfish One"; which reached #11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and #4 on the Cashbox R&B chart. A follow-up, "I've Got The Skill" reached the Hot 100 but stalled at #89 and the following year, "Jerk and Twine", a re-working of "Everything But Love", the song on the other side of her big hit, peaked at #85.

An album, Full Bloom, was released in 1965, which was followed by three more singles which included the superb "Take Me for a Little While." Unbeknownst to Ross, however, the same song had been recently recorded by New York singer Evie Sands as well, and although Sands' version for Blue Cat actually came first, Chess' marketing muscle nevertheless ensured that their label's rendition proved more successful. Ross' disgust with the situation, combined with the negligible royalties she received from "Selfish One," soon prompted her to exit Chess during 1967.

She later recorded for several labels well into the 1970s, such as Brunswick and Jerry Butler's Fountain Productions. Most of her later recordings were produced by her manager, Jimmy Vanleer's production company and issued on various labels, including GSF, Mercury and Capitol, but she was unable to duplicate the success of "Selfish One" or to recapture her earlier commercial success.

Then sometime in the early 80s she decided to record a sort of comeback album, like many other 60s soul artists did, and in 1980 she released the album ‘A New Beginning’ on Golden Ear Records.

a sophisticated blend of soul, jazz, and a little bit of club – served up with arrangements from Ben Wright and Jimmy Van Leer, the latter of whom produced the record. Jackie works surprisingly well in this setting – with a style that makes us wonder what would have happened had she got a chance at larger exposure at the time.

In 1981 she cut a pretty fantastic album “Cold Hearted Woman” “for the same label, sadly it never got past the test pressing or promotional phase and was pretty much scrapped, aside from a few copies given out here and there.

(Info mainly edited from All Music & Wikipedia)

Here’s Jackie performing this classic “Keep your chin up” for the 2007 documentary, "The Strange World Of Northern Soul".

Arthur Lyman (February 2, 1932 – February 24, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. His group popularized a style of faux-Polynesian music during the 1950s and 1960s which later became known as exotica. His albums became favourite stereo-effect demonstration discs during the early days of the stereophonic LP album for their elaborate and colourful percussion, deep bass and 3-dimensional recording soundstage.

Lyman was known as "the King of Lounge music.

Arthur Lyman was born on the island of Oahu in the U.S. territory of Hawaii, on February 2, 1932. He was the youngest of eight children of a Hawaiian mother and a father of Hawaiian, French, Belgian and Chinese descent. When Arthur's father, a land surveyor, lost his eyesight in an accident on Kauai, the family settled in Makiki, a subdistrict of Honolulu. Arthur's father was very strict with him, each day after school locking him in a room with orders to play along to a stack of Benny Goodman records "to learn what good music is."

"I had a little toy marimba," Lyman later recalled, "a sort of bass xylophone, and from those old 78 rpm disks I learned every note Lionel Hampton recorded with the Goodman group." At age eight

he made his public debut playing his toy marimba on the Listerine Amateur Hour on radio station KGMB, Honolulu, playing "Twelfth Street Rag.” Lyman joined his father and brother playing USO shows on the bases at Kaneohe and Pearl Harbour.

Over the next few years he became adept at the four-mallet style of playing which offers a greater range of chord-forming options. In fact he became good enough to turn professional at age 14 when he joined a group called the Gadabouts, playing vibes in the cool-jazz style then in vogue.

After graduating from McKinley High School in 1951, he put music on hold to work as a desk clerk at the Halekulani hotel. It was there in 1954 that he met pianist Martin Denny, who, after hearing him play, offered the 21-year-old a spot in his band. Initially wary, Lyman was persuaded by the numbers: he was

making $280 a month as a clerk, and Denny promised more than $100 a week.

Denny had been brought to Hawaii in January on contract by Don the Beachcomber, and stayed in Hawaii to play nightly in the Shell Bar at the Hawaiian Village. Denny, who had travelled widely, had collected numerous exotic instruments from all over the world and liked to use them to spice up his jazz arrangements of popular songs. The stage of the Shell Bar was very exotic, with a little pool of water right outside the bandstand, and rocks and palm trees growing around. One night Lyman had "had a little to drink," and when they began playing the theme from Vera Cruz, Lyman let out a few bird calls. "The next thing you know, the audience started to answer me back with all kinds of weird cries. It was great." These bird calls became a trademark of Lyman's sound.

When Denny's "Quiet Village" was released on record in 1957 it became a smash hit, igniting a national mania for all things Hawaiian during the lead-up to Hawaii becoming a state, including tiki idols, exotic drinks, aloha shirts, luaus, straw hats and Polynesian-themed restaurants like Trader Vic's.

That same year, Lyman split off from Denny to form his own group, continuing in much the same style but even more flamboyant. For the rest of their careers they remained friendly rivals, even appearing together (with many of their former band mates) on Denny's 1990 CD Exotica '90.

Although the Polynesian craze faded as music trends changed, Lyman's combo continued to play to tourists nearly every Friday and Saturday night at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel in Honolulu throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He also performed for years at Don the Beachcomber's Polynesian Village, the Shell Bar, the Waialae Country Club and the Canoe House at the Ilikai Hotel at Waikiki, the Bali Hai in Southern California and at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago.

During the peak of his popularity Lyman recorded more than 30 albums and almost 400 singles, earning three gold albums. Taboo peaked at number 6 on Billboard's album chart and stayed on the chart for over a year, eventually selling more than two million copies. The title song peaked at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1959. Lyman's biggest pop single was "Yellow Bird," originally a Haitian song, which peaked at #4 in July 1961. His last charting single was "Love For Sale" (reaching number 43 in March 1963),but his music enjoyed a new burst of popularity in the 1990s with the lounge music revival and CD reissues.

Lyman died from oesophageal cancer in February 2002. (Info edited from Wikipedia)

Gil Bernal (February 4, 1931 - July 17, 2011) was a singer and a session musician who was described by many as having one of the most sensual sounds in Jazz.

Bernal was born on February 4, 1931 in Watts, Los Angeles. His father was Sicilian and his mother Mexican. He grew up in an area rich with musicians, including Buddy Collette, Big Jay McNeely and Charles Mingus.

By the time he was in his teens he was an accomplished singer and saxophonist. Gil attended Jordan High School and enrolled at Los

Ageles City College for one year. After graduating from high school in 1948, Bernal played with a 10-piece band that played at parties. In 1950, he ended up replacing a sax player that Lionel Hampton had fired. He then toured nationallywith Hampton in a band that included Quincy Jones and Little Jimmy Scott. He left Hampton's band in the early 1950s.

Next he did a stint with his own band in Las Vegas, before joining Spike Jones' band as saxophone soloist, vocalist, and impressionist, spending the next six years touring the U.S., playing Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, as well as appearing on numerous NBC and CBS television shows. After which he returned to L.A. where he founded his own band, which included Shelley Mann and Shorty Rogers, playing the busy L.A. music scene and working Vegas and Lake Tahoe, this time with his own band.

In the period between 1954 and 1955, Bernal recorded under his own name. He recorded "Easyville" and "The Whip" for the Spark Records label. Two others he recorded for the label were "Strawberry Stomp" and "King Solomon's Mines". "The Whip" did

receive some airplay and was used by Alan Freed as the opening theme for his late R&B show. He did some session work for the label which included "Riotin Cell Block Number 9" and “Smoky Joe’s Café” by The Robins. He played on Duane Eddy's 1958 hit "Rebel Rouser" and also "Stalkin'". According to Mike Stoller, co-writer of Smokey Joe's Cafe, Bernal "could take eight bars and make it very exciting in a middle of a vocal performance".

As well as a musician, Bernel was a singer in his own right. Many of his records, like “Can You Love A Poor Boy” and “To Make A Big Man Cry” are very collectable by Northern Soul fans. Other notable recordings are "Keep Those Wandering Eyes Off My Baby" for American Records, "Starwberry Stomp" for Spark Records and "Tower Of Strength" for the Imperial label.

His single "This Is Worth Fighting For" was picked by Billboard in July 1967 to chart in the hot 100. Also in 1967, the film Banning that starred Robert Wagner and Jill St. John and Gene Hackman was released. Bernal sang the song "The Eyes of Love" which was featured in the film. He received an Academy Award nomination

for it. In 1970, he was signed to Amaret Records with the intention to be produced Joe Porter and Jerry Styner.

In 1997 he appeared in the film The End of Violence In the 90s, he received a phone call from Ry Cooder, who had known for about five years, asking him to come to Havana in the next few days to play on a recording by Ibrahim Ferrer. Bernal didn't have his passport in order and it would have been weeks before he could get it sorted. In the end, the solution was to overdub the saxophone parts. So following Cooder's instructions, he added the parts. In 2005, Bernal

contributed to Cooder's concept album Chavez Ravine.

In 2012, his record "The Dogs" bw "James" was re-released by Jukebox Jam Series in 2012. The A side is a Northern Soul favourite while the B side is a tribute to Civil Rights Movement figure James Meredith. Bernal had agreed to the terms of reissuing the 45 but died before the record was released.

As one of L.A.’s most in-demand session players, he recorded with many other greats, including Ray Charles, Big Mama Thornton, The Dominos, The Coasters, Quincy Jones Orchestra, Buddy Bregman Orchestra, Henry Mancini Orchestra, David Rose Orchestra, Dan Terry Orchestra and many others.

Gil died of congestive heart failure on July 17, 2011 at Glendale Adventist Medical Centre in Glendale, California at the age of 80. He was survived by his wife Harriet and his five children, ten grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. (Info edited from various sources mainly Wikipedia)

Laten John Adams, Jr. (January 5, 1932 – September 14, 1998), known as Johnny Adams, was an American blues, jazz and gospel singer, known as "The Tan Canary" for the multi-octave range of his singing voice, his swooping vocal mannerisms and falsetto. His biggest hits were his versions of "Release Me" and "Reconsider Me" in the late 1960s.

Adams was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the oldest of 10

children. He became a professional musician on leaving school. He began his career singing gospel with the Soul Revivers and Bessie Griffin's Consolators, but crossed over to secular music in 1959. His neighbour, the songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie, supposedly persuaded him to start performing secular music after hearing him sing in the bathtub.

He recorded LaBostrie's ballad "I Won't Cry" for Joe Ruffino's Ric label. Produced by the teenaged Mac Rebennack (later known as Dr. John), the record became a local hit. Adams recorded several more singles for the label over the next three years, most of them produced by Rebennack or Eddie Bo. His first national hit came in

1962, when "A Losing Battle", written by Rebennack, reached number 27 on the Billboard R&B chart.

After Ruffino's death in 1963, Adams left Ric and recorded for a succession of labels, including Eddie Bo's Gone Records, the Los Angeles–based Modern Records, and Wardell Quezergue's Watch label. His records had little success until he signed with Shelby Singleton's Nashville-based SSS International Records in 1968. A reissue of "Release Me", originally released by Watch, reached number 34 on the R&B chart and number 82 on the pop chart.

Its follow-up, "Reconsider Me", a country song produced by Singleton, became his biggest hit, reaching number 8 on the R&B chart and number 28 on the pop chart in 1969. Two more singles, "I Can't Be All Bad" and "I Won't Cry" (a reissue of the Ric recording), were lesser hits later the same year, and the label released an album, Heart and Soul.

Adams left SSS International in 1971 and recorded unsuccessfully for several labels, including Atlantic and Ariola, over the next few years. At the same time, he began performing regularly at Dorothy's Medallion Lounge in New Orleans and touring nightclubs in the south.

In 1983, he signed with Rounder Records, for which he recorded

nine critically acclaimed albums produced by Scott Billington, beginning with From the Heart in 1984. These records encompassed a wide range of jazz, blues and R&B styles and highlighted Adams's voice. The albums included tributes to the songwriters Percy Mayfield and Doc Pomus. The jazz-influenced Good Morning Heartache included the work of composers like George Gershwin and Harold Arlen. Other albums in this series are Room with a View of the Blues (1988), Walking on a Tightrope (1989), and The Real Me (1991). These

recordings earned him a number of awards, including a W.C. Handy Award. He also toured internationally, with frequent trips to Europe, and worked and recorded with such musicians as Aaron Neville, Harry Connick Jr., Lonnie Smith, and Dr. John.

Adams was diagnosed as suffering from cancer in 1997, and a fund was set up in New Orleans to help with his medical bills. He died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1998 after a long battle with prostate cancer. (Info mainly Wikipedia)

Matt Dennis (February 11, 1914 – June 21, 2002) was an American singer, pianist, band leader, arranger, and writer of music for popular music songs.

Born Matthew Loveland Dennis, he learned to play the piano at a young age.. His father was a singer and his mother a violinist, and the family business was a vaudeville act. There he made his debut as one of "The Five Musical Lovelands." In 1933, he joined the

Horace Heidt orchestra as piano player and vocalist. Several years later, he formed a band with Dick Haymes, one of the great popular baritones of the time. Haymes fronted the band, but Matt Dennis was the musical brain behind it. At the same time, he was building a reputation as an arranger for popular singers.

He worked as arranger, accompanyist and vocal coach for Martha Tilton, and helped out a new group that had recently formed called The Stafford Sisters. One of the sisters was named Jo, and in 1940, she when she had joined the Tommy Dorsey Band, she convinced TD to hire Matt as staff arranger-composer. Dennis wrote prolifically, with 14 of his

songs recorded by the Dorsey band in one year alone, including "Everything Happens to Me", an early hit for Frank Sinatra.

During his service in WWII, Dennis did radio work and arranged music for Glenn Miller's AAF Orchestra, among others. After four years in the United States Air Force in World War II, Dennis returned to music writing and arranging, getting a boost from his old friend Dick Haymes, who hired him to be the music director for his radio program. He also recorded a few sides with Paul Weston & His Orchestra for Capitol Records.

Dennis' chief collaborator was lyricist Tom Adair, and his best-known tunes include "Will You Still Be Mine?,""Let's Get Away from It All,""Everything Happens to Me" (1941), and "Angel Eyes" (1953), but he also penned "We Belong Together,""We've Reached the Point of No Return," and "You Can Believe Me."

Dennis did a series of recordings for the Glendale, RCA, Jubilee, and Kapp labels. HE made six albums, which were out of print for many years; however, his 1953 song "Angel Eyes" (with lyricist Earl Brent) has become a frequently recorded jazz standard; less frequently recorded, but notably by Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins is "Will You Still Be Mine". Pianist Dave Brubeck and his quartet recorded an entire album of Dennis's compositions, released as Angel Eyes in 1965.

A popular singer and jazz pianist in the '40s, '50s and '60s in Los

Angeles area clubs and restaurants such as the Encore, the Tally-Ho and the Lighthouse, Dennis had his own local TV shows on KTTV and KHJ in the early 1950s, and in 1955 was a summer replacement for Eddie Fisher on NBC-TV with "The Matt Dennis Show."

For the next couple of decades Dennis kept working in radio and then TV, while often hitting the nightclub circuit, but by the late 1960s he was beginning to wind down toward what would be a long retirement. He died in a hospital in Riverside, California at the age of 88.

In 2012, Jasmine Records re-released four of Dennis' records as "Welcome Matt". The collection included "Plays and Sings Matt Dennis", a 1958 live performance by Dennis' piano trio, of twelve tunes that Dennis had co-authored.

(Inf mainly edited from Wikioedia & All Music)

Matt Dennis sings his "Violets For Your Furs," written in 1941 for Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra. This 1957 clip is from "The Rosemary Clooney Show."

Lillie Bryant (born February 14, 1940, Newburgh, New York) is an American singer who was part of the pop vocal duo Billy & Lillie.

Born in Newburgh, NY, about an hour and a half from New York City, Lillie always loved music. Her initial public singing was in the church as a very young child. Her favourite singers were Dinah Washington, Ruth Brown and Nat "King" Cole. Her grandmother

would frequently take her to New York City's legendary Apollo Theatre to see many of music's biggest performers. Young Lillie vowed to herself "one day I'm gonna be on that stage." And when she turned 14, she was on that stage! She appeared during an amateur night and did a rousing rendition of Ruth's signature song "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" and tore the house down.

For the next few years she performed in New York City working at different clubs. When she was 17, a dancer at one of the clubs loved her singing and told her that a popular bandleader-arranger-musician-singer named Billy Ford was looking for a female vocalist to be part of his ensemble. Lillie followed up and a couple of months later, Billy invited her to come down and audition for him. On the day of the audition, it just so happened that the

regular girl singer with his group did not show up due to illness. So Lillie turned out to be the only one there that afternoon.

Unbeknown to Lillie, two very successful producer-songwriters named Bob Crewe and Frank Slay were there to audition Billy's group, which was called Billy Ford's Thunderbirds. Frank and Bob happened to be looking for a duo to record a song that they had written called "La Dee Dah." Being that they were looking for a duo and the young lady who was usually with Billy was not there, they said pointing to Lillie "what does she sound like?" Billy said "I don't know! I was going to audition her after you leave." But Bob said "well, we'd like to hear her." They asked Lillie to sing and she chose the Ruth Brown song "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean."

After she sang, they opened up a briefcase and pulled out the sheet music of "La Dee Dah" and said "would the two of you please sing this song together"? Somewhat bewildered Billy and Lillie obliged and Bob and Frank loved what they heard. Following their impromptu performance, Frank and Bob looked at each other, nodded their heads and said in unison "we got our duo"! Lillie's scheduled audition for Billy Ford never happened. Instead her unscheduled audition for Bob and Frank did happen and Billy and Lillie passed with flying colours.

Billy & Lillie recorded for Swan Records in the late 1950s, and charted three hit singles in the United States, two of them written by the songwriter and record producer Bob Crewe, and producer Frank C. Slay, Jr. Crewe later became one of the most successful songwriters and producers in history.

The first single, "La Dee Dah" (written by Crewe), was the only

one of them to hit the Top 10 on the Billboard chart, peaking at No. 9. It was released on Swan Records and sold over 1,000,000 copies and was awarded a gold disc. When they performed "La Dee Dah" for Dick Clark's American Bandstand, Clark liked their song so much that he asked the songwriters to write another song. Crewe and Slay came up with their third single release, "Lucky Ladybug". Most of their singles were released on London Records in the UK.

While releasing records as half of the Billy and Lillie duo, Lillie also released solo records which became regional hits. They included "Smoky Gray Eyes,""The Gambler,""I'll Never Be Free," and "Good Good Morning Baby."

Billy and Lillie broke up in 1959 but Lillie (who became Lillie Bryant Howard) never stopped singing. Her primary musical focus over the years has changed from catchy rock and roll tunes to jazz and blues. But she still performs the old Billy and Lillie hits including a critically-acclaimed brand new solo version of "La Dee Dah."

Ford died in 1983 (though some sources suggest 1985). Bryant returned to her hometown of Newburgh, New York, and became a

community activist. She was the Democratic candidate for mayor of Newburgh in 2007. She lost the election to the Republican candidate by 150 votes.

Recently Lille was a featured principle, along with jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan, in the off-Broadway production of "The Beatnik Cafe." And she has also been doing a tribute to Dinah Washington since the fall of 2009 throughout upstate New York, Boston, and Pennsylvania in theatres and at private affairs.

(Info edited from Wikipedia & jerseygirlssing.com)

Lawrence Hankins 'Hank' Locklin (February 15, 1918 – March 8, 2009) was an American country music singer-songwriter. A member of the Grand Ole Opry for nearly 50 years, Locklin had a long recording career with RCA Victor, and scored big hits with "Please Help Me, I'm Falling", "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" and "Geisha Girl" from 1957-1960. His singles charted from

1949-1971.

Born in McLellan in the Florida Panhandle, Locklin grew up working in the cotton fields to supplement his family’s low income. He began playing the guitar at the age of nine after being seriously injured by a school bus. He was picking guitar for amateur contests in Milton, Florida, by age 10. In his teens he was a featured performer on Pensacola radio station WCOA. For the next several years, he played with a variety of groups through the South and worked at various jobs in Florida, including farmer, ribbon mill hanker, and shipyard worker.

After World War II ended, his career started taking off. He was one of country music's early honky tonk singers and appeared on Shreveport’s Louisiana Hayride and the Big D Jamboree in Dallas, Texas. He recorded briefly for Decca, and after meeting producer Bill McCall, Hank recorded for McCall’s Four Star Records for five years. Hank scored his first Top 10 song in 1949 with “The Same Sweet Girls.” Four years later, he had a No. 1 with “Let Me Be the One,” and a recording contract with RCA Victor followed.

The next year started a string of hit singles, with “Send Me the Pillow You Dream On,” which he wrote, “It’s a Little More Like Heaven,""Geisha Girl,""Fraulein,""Why, Baby Why," and “Blue Grass Skirt.”

In 1960, the remarkable success of “Please Help Me, I’m Falling”—the song not only dominated the country chart that year, but crossed over into the Top 10 pop charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom—earned him membership in the Grand Ole Opry. It also introduced the slip-note piano style to

country music through legendary pianist Floyd Cramer and was a major factor in creating the “Nashville Sound.” The slip-note piano style was synonymous with Hank's recordings from that point forward and considered his signature sound.

In the 1960s, Locklin built a ranch house called The Singing L in the field in McClellan where he had picked cotton as a boy. He was later made the honorary mayor of the town.

Many hits followed throughout the ’60s, including “We're Gonna Go Fishin',""Happy Birthday To Me,""Happy Journey,""Followed Closely by My Teardrops,” “The Country Hall of Fame,” and "Where The Blue Of The Night, Meets The Gold Of The Day." During this time, Hank pioneered the creation of

concept albums in country music with releases such as Foreign Love and Irish Songs, Country Style. Hank is also credited with taking country music to unprecedented heights of popularity with International audiences throughout the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. In all, Hank has sold more than 15 million albums and received numerous industry awards from The Grand Ole Opry, BMI, ASCAP, Cashbox, Billboard and NARAS.

His first marriage to Willa Jean Murphy ended in divorce. In 1970 he married Anita Crooks of Brewton, Alabama. He had a son and four daughters, 12 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and a few close great nieces and nephews.

Long a favorite with Opry audiences, Hank returned to the studio in 2001 to record Generations in Song. Featuring long-time colleagues such as Dolly Parton and Jeannie Seely, newer friends and admirers like Vince Gill (who cites Hank as an influence) and Jett Williams.In 2006, Locklin appeared on the PBS special, Country Pop Legends in which he performed "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On," and "Please Help Me I'm Falling". Until his death at the age of 91 in 2009, he was the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry. Hank had recently released his 65th album, By the Grace of God, a collection of gospel songs.

In 2007 he was inducted to the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

He moved to Brewton, where he remained throughout his later years, and died there at home in the early morning on March 8, 2009. (Info edited from hanklocklin.com & Wikipedia)

William Ballard "Bill" Doggett (February 16, 1916 – November 13, 1996) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues pianist and organist. He is best known for his compositions "Honky Tonk" and "Hippy Dippy", and variously working with the Ink Spots, Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Jordan.

William Ballard Doggett was born February 16, 1916, on the north side of Philadelphia. At age nine, Doggett was attracted to the trumpet, but his family could not afford one. Bill's mother, Wynona, was a church pianist and his inspiration. Within a few years, he switched to the piano and was hailed as a child prodigy by the time he was thirteen. At fifteen, he formed his first combo, the Five Majors. While attending Central High School, he found work playing in the pit orchestra at the Nixon Grand theater with the Jimmy Gorman Band.

Eventually, he inherited Gorman's fifteen-piece orchestra. His career as a band leader was short-lived as he came to the conclusion that the field was over crowded. In financial distress , he

sold the band to Lucky Millender and joined Millender himself. In 1939, Doggett with Jimmy Munder, Benny Goodman's arranger, form an orchestra. Later that year Doggett made his first two recordings as part of Lucky's band, "Little Old Lady From Baltimore" and "All Aboard," released on the Varsity label.

Doggett returned to Millender's orchestra as a pianist in 1941. He appeared on the next eight of Millender's recordings. In late 1942, he joined the Ink Spots and became the group's arranger and pianist. He stayed with the group two years during which he recorded five singles with them.

The next ten years, Doggett toured and recorded with several of the nation's top singer and bands, including Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Louis Jordan, Ella Fitzgerald and Lionel Hampton.

In 1949 he joined Louis Jordan, as a pianist replacing Wild Bill Davis. Doggett was a featured performer on many of Jordan's classic Decca recordings including "Saturday Night Fish Fry' and "Blue Light Boogie." Doggett credited his time with Jordan for educating him to the finer points of pleasing an audience.

When Doggett decided to form another combo he was torn with should he use the organ in a "pop" music setting. Like most musicians of that time, Doggett felt the sound of the organ was sacred and should be reserved for a church setting. However, when on he own he decided that he needed a fresh sound to set him apart from other piano combos. It was an agonizing design, but he felt it was the right one in switching to the organ. In late 1951 he formed

a trio and quickly landed a recording contract with Cincinnati's King Records.

While with King 1952-56, more than a dozen singles were released. Many were moderately successful within the rhythm and blues community and some even caught on with the jazz fans. Most of the records were delivered in the mildly swinging groove reflecting his years with Millender and Jordan. He also recorded in the slow blues style perfected during his years with Fitzgerald and the Ink Spots.

His best known recording is "Honky Tonk", a rhythm and blues hit of 1956 which sold four million copies (reaching No. 1 R&B and No. 2 Pop), and which he co-wrote with Billy Butler. The track topped the US Billboard R&B chart for over two months. He won the Cash Box award for best rhythm and blues performer in 1957, 1958, and 1959.

Doggett remained with King Records until 1960. The next few years he recorded for Warner Brothers. After that Columbia, ABC-Paramount and Sue for sporadic singles and albums. His strong drawing power allowed him to work jazz festivals in America and Europe. It was during the mid sixties rock and roll had changed forms and left him behind. At the same time his popularity in the jazz community had declined. Finding it hard to get regular bookings, he turned his efforts toward the passage of civil rights passage using his concerts to promote public awareness.

By the 1970s, Doggett had re-established himself in the jazz community and regular offers of bookings started to come in. He played regional jazz clubs in New Orleans, Cleveland and New York State. A long-time resident of Long Island, New York, Doggett continued to play and arrange until he died on November 13, 1996, three days after suffering a heart attack.

(Info edited from History of Rock & Wikipedia)

Here’s a TV gig in France. Billy Martin - tenor sax; Benny Goodwin - guitar; Walter MacMahon - bass; Kenny Clayton - drums.

John Dudley Leyton (born 17 February 1936 in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex) is an English actor and singer.

Leyton went to Highgate School and after completing his national service, he studied drama, paying his way through drama school with bit-part roles in films and on television. His first major acting role was his portrayal of Ginger in a 1960 Granada TV adaptation

of Biggles, which earned him a large following of young female fans and led to the formation of a John Leyton fan club.

Following the success of Biggles, Leyton was persuaded by his manager, Robert Stigwood, to audition as a singer for record producer Joe Meek, and subsequently recorded a cover version of "Tell Laura I Love Her", which was released on the Top Rank label. In 1961 though, the Top Rank label was taken over by EMI

who then issued Leyton's records on their HMV label. EMI had already released Ricky Valance's version of the same song. Leyton's recording was withdrawn from sale, whilst Valance's version reached Number 1 in the UK chart.

A second single - "The Girl on the Floor Above" - was released on the HMV label, but was not a success. His first big hit, "Johnny Remember Me", coincided with his appearance as an actor in the popular ATV television series Harpers West One, in which he played a singer named Johnny Saint Cyr. Leyton performed "Johnny Remember Me" during the show (backed by the Outlaws), and the single subsequently charted at Number 1. His next single, "Wild Wind", reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, and later singles also achieved lower chart positions.

On 15 April 1962, Leyton performed at the NME Poll-Winners Concert at London's Wembley Pool. But in 1963, Meek and Goddard's association with Leyton ended; that circumstance, combined with the British beat boom, cast Leyton adrift

immediately, although he found a lot of acting work in television and film to keep him busy. Despite trying to give Leyton's music more of a 'group' sound by giving him a backing group, 'The LeRoys', his chart career faded out by the beginning of 1964.

Leyton was a familiar face in film and television during the 1960s. He played himself in the 1962 Dick Lester film It's Trad, Dad!, performing his latest single "Lonely City" in a radio studio. In The Great Escape (1963) he played tunnel designer Willie Dickes, one of the only three characters who successfully make it to freedom. He also appeared in Guns at Batasi in 1964; Every

Day's a Holiday (aka Seaside Swingers in the United States) and Von Ryan's Express starring Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard in 1965. In Krakatoa, East of Java, in 1969 he played the designer of a diving bell.

From 1966 to 1967, Leyton played the lead role as SOE Royal Navy Lieutenant Nicholas Gage, an expert in demolitions, in Jericho, an American TV series about espionage in the Second World War.

He returned to Britain in the early 1970s and unsuccessfully attempted to re-launch his singing career, signing to the York record label in the UK but without success. In the mid 1970s,

Leyton starred in the ITV television series, The Nearly Man. Acting roles became fewer and farther between during the 1970s, and by the early 1980s, he was no longer active in show business.

In the 1990s, however, he began performing in the 'Solid Gold Rock 'n' Roll Show', appearing with artists such as Marty Wilde and Joe Brown. The autumn 2004 tour featured Leyton, Showaddywaddy, Freddy Cannon and Craig Douglas. Leyton has also returned to acting, with a cameo appearance in the 2005 film, Colour Me Kubrick starring John Malkovich.

In May 2006, Leyton released "Hi Ho, Come On England", a re-working of Jeff Beck's "Hi Ho Silver Lining", to coincide with the

World Cup in Germany. During the summer of 2007 he filmed a cameo appearance for the Nick Moran film, Telstar. Leyton also topped the bill at the Theatre Royal, Windsor, along with 1960s stars Jess Conrad and Craig Douglas at a concert named "'60s Icons".

Leyton continues to tour the UK and Scandinavia performing his hits (sometimes backed by the Rapiers) and can boast an internet following with his official website. In 2014 John continues to tour with his band the Flames, featuring John James on guitar, Ray Royal on drums and Dale Corcoran on bass guitar.

(Info edited from Wikipedia)

Here's John Leyton's sixth single released in 1962 and was featured in the film It's Trad Dad.

Hazy Osterwald (born February 18, 1922 as Rolf Erich Osterwalder in Berne, Germany , February 26, 2012 in Lucerne , Switzerland ) was a Swiss musician , singer and orchestra conductor . His most famous pieces include the « Kriminal-Tango » and the «Wirtschaft-Cha-Cha»

Osterwald, the son of football national player and bookkeeper Adolf Osterwalder , who was also nicknamed Hazy, was a fan of football and was excluded from his piano lessons because of his

lack of practice. However, schoolmates urged him to become a pianist in the school orchestra. In 1939 he became its leader. From 1940 on, he attended the Conservatoire and studied composition and theory with Albert Moeschinger . In 1940, one year before his matura, he arranged for the orchestra conductor Teddy Stauffer and others. In 1941 he played trumpet in the band of Fred Böhler , from 1942 under the artist name "Hazy Osterwald".

In the "Original Teddies" by saxophonist Eddie Brunner , the successor to Stauffer, he played the piano and trumpet in 1944, but in the same year he founded his own eight-headed combo with the singer Kitty Ramon . On 1 September 1944 the first engagement took place in the Dancing Chikito in Bern. The expansion to the big band turned out to be too expensive, and on the 1 st of May

1949 Svend Asmussen set up his sextet , with whom he played the same year at the International Jazz Festival in Paris, where also greats such as Charlie Parker and Sidney Bechet .

After appearing in Europe in 1951 the Americans engaged the sextet as Hazy Osterwald USO-Show (O for Overseas). Shortly thereafter, a six-month contract for Beverly Hills was rejected in 1952 by the American musicians' union. The sextet again concentrated on Europe and played in Stockholm, Lisbon and Arosa. In 1953, the first German radio production took place at the NWDR in Hamburg, followed by the first recordings for the Austrian Austroton. In 1954 the Hazy Osterwald-Sextet

appeared in the German television film A small, big journey .

In 1955 he received a record contract with Polydor and made recordings with the Cologne producers Heinz Gietz and Kurt Feltz . In 1957 and 1958 they played in the Olympia in front of sold out house. They were very successful not least because of their funny stage show. Big record successes were the tracks "Kriminal Tango" (1959), "Panoptikum" (1960) and "Konjunktur Cha-Cha" (1961).

In 1961 Franz Josef Gottlieb produced the Hazy Osterwald story with Gustav Knuth , Eddie Arent and Peer Schmidt . It is based on a 1961 biography by Walter Grieder . Osterwald acted as a trumpeter, pianist, vibraphonist, bandleader, composer, lyricist, choreographer, arranger, director and producer at the Sextet in

Personalunion.

Then followed in the ARD the TV show «Lieben Sie Show?" Directed by the young Michael Pfleghar , which was broadcast for the first time on 24 November 1962 and has remained one of the most successful international TV shows in Germany, broadcast in 35 countries. Here Osterwald was presented in its own show. The last episode ran on 16 March 1963.

Osterwald toured 1979, now under the name Hazy Osterwald Jetset . Amongst others they were an official band at the Olympic Games 1972 in Munich and 1976 in Innsbruck as well as in numerous television broadcasts. At the height of his career in the 1970s, Osterwald had his own record publishing house and a series

of nightclubs ( Hazyland ) in Switzerland , which he had to sell when the public taste ( discos ) changed. He then set up a performance break until 1984, then acted as a vibraphonist with Hazy Osterwald and the Entertainers , turning back to jazz.

In 1999, he published his autobiography . On the occasion of his 90th birthday, it became known that he had been dependent on a wheelchair for a long time because of Parkinson's disease , which had existed since 1992 . Until his death in February 2012, Hazy Osterwald lived in Lucerne. (Info edited from Wikipedia translation.)

Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco (born February 19, 1943), known professionally as Lou Christie, is an American singer-songwriter best known for three separate strings of pop hits in the 1960s, including his 1966 hit "Lightnin' Strikes".

While Lou Christie's shrieking falsetto was among the most

distinctive voices in all of pop music, he was also one of the first solo performers of the rock era to compose his own material, generating some of the biggest and most memorable hits of the mid-'60s.

Born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco in Glen Willard, PA on February 19, 1943, he won a scholarship to Moon Township High School as a teen; there he studied music and vocal technique, later joining a group dubbed the Classics. Between 1959 and 1962, in collaboration with a variety of Pittsburgh-area bands, he cut a series of records for small local labels, adopting the stage name Lou Christie along the way.

Eventually he made the acquaintance of Twyla Herbert, a classically trained musician and self-proclaimed mystic some 20 years his senior; they became song writing partners, and in 1962

penned "The Gypsy Cried," which he recorded on two-track in his garage. The single became a local phenomenon, and was eventually licensed for national release by the Roulette label, peaking at number 24 on the pop charts in 1963.

After relocating to New York and landing session work as a backing vocalist, Christie wrote and recorded a follow-up, "Two Faces Have I"; it landed in the Top Ten, but shortly after its release he began a two-year stint in the Army. He returned to action in 1966, picking up right where he left off with his biggest hit yet -- the lush, chart-topping "Lightnin' Strikes." Christie's next smash, 1966's "Rhapsody in the Rain," was notorious for being among the more sexually explicit efforts of the period.

After brief stays with Colpix and Columbia, he next moved to the Buddah label, scoring one last Top Ten hit in 1969 with "I'm Gonna Make You Mine." Drug problems plagued Christie during the early '70s, and after getting clean at a London rehab clinic, he

dropped out of music, working variously as a ranch hand, offshore oil driller, and carnival barker; by the 1980s, he was making the occasional appearance on oldies package tours, and in 1997 issued Pledging My Love, his first new material in over a quarter-century.

On October 21, 2003, Christie appeared at the Bottom Line in New York City, with performances from the show (one of the last to be held at the longstanding venue) heard on Greatest Hits Live at the Bottom Line, released by Varèse Sarabande in 2004).

In addition to the occasional new release, Christie remains a concert act on the oldies circuit in the US and UK. He has also hosted a series of programs on SiriusXM radio for the 1960s channel. Today, he still plays a couple of hundred shows a year and posts new songs on his website. His fans include actress/director Asia Argento, who regularly tweets links to Christie obscurities, and he is blessed with a talented super-fan called Harry Young who has written a raft of effusive and entertaining sleeve notes for Christie’s reissues over the years. (Info edited mainly from All music)

Bebe Daniels born 14 January 1901

Art Kassel born 18 January 1896

Leslie Sarony born 22 January 1897

Benny Waters born 23 January 1902

Speedy West born 25 January 1924

Alice Babs born 26 January 1924

Rick Wayne born 27 January 1938

Harry Leader born 28 January 1906

Paul Gayten born 29 January 1920

Jackie Ross born 30 January 1946

Arthur Lyman born 2 February 1932

Gil Bernal born 4 February 1931

Johnny Adams born 5 February 1932

Matt Dennis born 11 February 1914

Lillie Bryant born 14 February 1940

Hank Locklin born 15 February 1918

Bill Doggett born 16 February 1916

John Leyton born 17 February 1936

Hazy Osterwald born 18 February 1922

Lou Christie born 19 February 1943