July 5          BIRTHDAYS 1896     Vic Berton, drums, b. Chicago, IL, USA. d. Dec. 26, 1951 (Note: various sources say b. May 5, 6 or 7th, or July 5, --take your pick.) 1908     Larry Binyon, Tenor Sax, b. Cicero, IL, USA. 1905     Ray Biondi, Guitar, b. Cicero, IL, USA, d. 1981. 1959     Marc Cohn, singer, songwriter. His 1991 single "Walking In Memphis" reached No. 22 on the UK charts. 1912     Mack David, lyricist, d. Dec. 30, 1993, Rancho Mirage, CA, USA. Mack is the older brother of another wonderful lyricist, Hal David 1979     Shane Filan, vocals. Member: Westlife. Their 1999 single "Flying Without Wings" made it to No.1 in the UK. 1924     Vern Friley, Trombone, b. Marshall, MO, USA. 1929     /Richard (Dick) Healey, alto/tenor/baritone sax/clarinet/flute, piano, b, Youngstown, OH, USA. 1930     Mitch Jayne, Bass/piano/lyricist, b. Hammond, IN, USA. né: Mitchell Jayne. As a child, Mitch learned to play piano but had no plans for a career in music. Mitch entered "Bluegrass" music via the back door. He worked as a teacher (in a one-room schoolhouse) before becoming a KSMO (Salem, MO) Radio Bluegrass music show host. As host, he invited The Ozark Mountain Boys (a local band) to appear. In the band were Doug Dilliard (banjo) and his brother Rodney (guitar/vocals) and when they formed their own band, Mitch was invited to join them as bassist/lyricist and he did join - after first quickly teaching himself to play the bass! While 'The Dillards' went through many personnel changes over the years (only Rodney Dillard remained from orig. band), Jayne's bass playing has continued to provide a solid foundation, with his lyrics giving a voice to the working people of the Ozark Mountains. 1956     Billy Jenkins, Guitar/keyboards/vocals, b. Bromley, England, UK 1973     Bengt Fredrik Lagerberg, rock drums. Member group: The Cardigans, whose 1997 single with re-issued "Lovefool", reached No. 2 in the UK. 1951     Huey Lewis (Cregg), R&R vocals 1913     "Smiley" Lewis, R&B vocals/composer, b. Louisiana, USA;. d. October 20, 1966. His composition, "I Hear You Knocking", reached No.1 in the UK, and No.2 for Dave Edmunds, in the USA. 1950     Michael Monarch, guitar. Member group: S'teppenwolf' 1953     Maggie Moone, vocals. 1879     Joseph Plaut vocals/actor/lecturer, b. Detmold, Lippe, Germany, d. Nov. 5, 1966, Bad Salzuflen, Germany. (some say d. Nov. 25, 1966, Delmold.) From 1901 to 1903, this son of a teacher and a school inspector of Jewish faith attended the Stern Conservatoire in Berlin, Germany, where he trained as a singer. In the years 1902 to 1904, he began his career as an opera singer, first as a young Tenorbuffo working in Wismar, Schleswig. From the Metzer and Essener city theatre, he came to the "German opera" in Berlin, working there until 1914. After working at the Hebbel theatre in Berlin, he served as a German soldier during WW1. After 1918, he worked, together with his wife, Maria Schneider, mostly as an actor and lecture artist with his own cabaret program. During this time, Plaut also appeared with various orchestras, -mostly as an lecturer/actor - including one performance with the Dajos Bela orchestra. He may (or may not) have sung a popular song at the time, but his main role was that of an actor. In 1936, he emigrated to Switzerland where he worked as a lecturer in Zurich, Berne and Basel. In 1937, he emigrated to South Africa, where he appeared at the royal opera of South Africa. In 1938, he went to to England, where he worked at different activities. During WW2, he was interned briefly (1939/1940) on the Isle Of Man, before being allowed to work at the BBC. In 1951, he returned to Germany, where he worked as a lecturer, and an actor in both theatres and radio. Domiciled in Dortmund, Germany, he visited other lands, including Israel, before his demise, at age 87, on 25 November 1966 in Detmold. 1943     James "Robbie" Robertson, vocals/guitar, b. Toronto, Canada. member group: 'The Band' 1949     Richard Simon, bass b. Kansas City, MO, USA. In 1977, he moved to Los Angeles, CA as an English instructor at L.A. Community College (he has a B.A. and Masters in English), and also studied music at El Camino College. He also had private lessons with Red Callender and others. Since then, he has become one of L.A.'s busiest bass players and now performs at festivals, concerts, nightclubs and recording sessions with a variety of renowned jazz artists including Page Cavanaugh, Rosemary Clooney, Terry Grimes, Plas Johnson, Buddy Collette, Al Viola, Gerald Wiggins and others. He has hosted numerous jazz events, worked as an emcee, and had done some writing. 1922     Bruce Turner, Alto-soprano-tenor sax/clarinet, b. Saltburn, England, d. Nov. 28, 1993. 1952     Charles Ventre, C&W vocals/guitar. Member group: 'River Road'. 1955     Eric Watson, piano, b. USA. Paris-based American pianist Eric Watson is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, where he studied classical piano, composition, and jazz improvisation. Watson's style is somewhat intimate and he is known favor small groups of 2-4 musicians. He has collaborated with some of the most distinguished artists of his era: Albert Mangelsdorff, Steve Lacy, Joëlle Lééandre, Paul Motian, Linda Sharrock, Daniel Humair, Ray Anderson, and John Lindberg among many others. While basically a Jazz musician, Watson has consistently demonstrated his ability in other music genres. His dance score "The Peking Ballet" was commissioned by Radio City Music Hall and seen by 200,000 people during the summer of 1984, while multi-concert series of his music have been presented by the Lyon Opera and the State Theater in Poitiers. His numerous commissions include "Martial Arts" (1986) written for Martial Solal and the French National Jazz Orchestra and "The Twisted Suite" (1992), written for the Reader's Digest - Meet the Composer Commissioning Program. In 1998, Radio France commissioned him for a new chamber music work, and Watson completed "Bénévoles", written for the Australian violinist Jane Peters. He received a commission by the French Cultural Ministry, and his 30-minute work for solo piano entitled "Constellations", and was first performed on May 18, 2001, at the GMEM Contemporary Music Festival in Marseille, France. In November 2001, Watson was appointed artistic director of La Villette Jazz Festival, and musical consultant to the director of the Cité de la Musique, Laurent Bayle. One of his latest releasees is a solo piano recording of original ballads as well as pieces by great masters such as Bill Evans, Jimmy Rowles, Mal Waldron and Thelonious Monk. Released in February 2002 by Night Bird Music, "Sketches of Solitude" became one of the best-selling jazz albums in France. In February 2003, Watson was inducted as a "chevalier des Arts et des Lettres", by the French minister of culture, Jean-Jacques Aillagon. A French tour in April 2003 saw the premiere performance of a new quartet repertoire entitled "Road Movies", composed for the German tenor saxophonist Christof Lauer. The quartet of Watson, Christof Lauer a young French rhythm section of Christophe Marguet and Claude Tchamitchian (who have collaborated with many including Henri Texier, Kenny Wheeler, Bud Shank, Daunik Lazro, Joe McPhee and Raymond Boni) have met regularly for radio recordings with the Hessischer Rundfunk Jazz Ensemble. CAUTION: Do not confuse with Eric Watson who was born in the United Kingdom, and graduated from Trinity College of Music majoring in Piano, Composition and Conducting for which he won the Ricordi prize. Entering professional life as a repetiteur in ballet, opera and light music, he then became a musical director and conductor of some 25 hit musicals in the UK such as the 'Rocky Horror Show', 'West Side Story', 'The Sound of Music', and 'Jesus Christ Superstar'. He has written many scores for the stage and screen including musicals, A River in Time and A Land of a Thousand Dreams produced in Singapore. Among his compositions are works for piano, voice, various instrumental ensembles and orchestras. In 2001, Watson was invited to be the Music Director of the Singapore National Day Parade 2001. His direction included writing, conducting and recording the overture; orchestrating a new song, "My Dream", based on a theme by the late Singaporean composer, Tsau Chieh; and re-arranging and re-recording the national song medley. Watson is also Head of the School of Music at LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts where he set up and established the electronic music studio.          Notable Events on this date include: 1943.   Bandleader Harry James and screen actress Betty Grable were married in Las Vegas, NV, USA. 1954.   Elvis Presley, in his first session for Sam Phillips and Sun Records in Memphis, TN. USA, recorded "That's All Right (Mama)" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky". 1956.   Henry Link, composer, died 1960.   Bill Johnson, alto sax, died CAUTION: Do not confuse with --- Bill Johnson, Dixieland Jazz bassist, b, August 10, 1874, Talledega, AL, USA. d. Dec. 3, 1972 in New Braunfels, Texas, USA.(father of the "slap" style of bass playing.) --- Bill Johnson, Broadway musical vocalist who died in 1957 (He sang "The Girl I Marry" in the hit musical 'Annie Get Your Gun'.) 1964.   Teddy Napoleon, piano, died (b. Jan. 23, 1914, New York, NY, USA) (nephew of trumpeter Phil Napoleon and the older brother of pianist Marty Napoleon) 1983.   Harry James, trumpet, leader, died in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (lymphatic cancer) (b. March 15, 1916, Albany, GA, USA ) 1984.   Don Elliott, vibes, mellophonium, trumpet, vocal, died in Weston, Connecticut, USA (b. October 21, 1926 in Somerville, New Jersey, USA) 1991.   Russell Bowles, trombone, died. (b. April 17, 1909, Glasgow, KY, USA. ) 2002.   Harold Dejean, alto sax, leader, vocal, died 2006.   Don Lusher trombonist died Age: 82. (b. Nov. 6, 1923, Peterborough ,Northamptonshire, England, UK)          Songs Recorded/Released this date include: 1916   "Two Key Rag", - Conway's Band. 1916   "Oh How She Could Yacki Hacki Woo", - Arthur Collins and Byron Harlan vocs. 1917   "The Ragtime Volunteers Are Off To War", - Van and Schenk voc. 1925   "Am I Blue", - Ben Selvin Orch. 1927   "Love and Kisses", - Paul Ash Orch. 1933   "Moonstruck", - Fran Frey and His Orch. (Ben Selvin Orch.), Fran Frey voc. 1934   "Love in Bloom", sung by Bing Crosby with Irving Aaronson's orchestra, recorded: Brunswick Records in Los Angeles. 1935   "Love Me Tonight", - Jeanette MacDonald voc. 1935   "Cheek To Cheek", - Eddy Duchin Orch. 1935   "I've Got A Feeling You're Fooling", - Eddy Duchin Orch. 1935   "Isn't It A Lovely Day", - Eddy Duchin Orch. 1938   "Love Is Where You Find It", - Kay Kyser Orch. 1939   "Them There Eyes", - Billie Holiday vocal. 1945   "Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well", - Lucky Millinder 1945   "I Wish", - The Mills Brothers 1945   "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Sante Fe", - Johnny Mercer 1969   "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town", - Kenny Rogers 1980   "Sailing", - Christopher Cross 1980   "Emotional Rescue", - The Rolling Stones 1980   "Let My Love Open The Door", - Pete Townshend 1986   "Papa Don't Preach", - Madonna 1986   "Higher Love", - Steve Winwood