07/08/1908 - 02/04/1975
Louis Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was a pioneering American jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician, songwriter and bandleader who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "The Ki...
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02/13/1921 - 05/25/1955
Wardell Gray (1921–1955) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods. Today often overlooked, Gray's playing displays a unique style, an unmatched tone and a strong presence.
02/01/1948 - 08/06/2004
James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popula...
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07/20/1919 - 01/11/2008
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008), was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist.
08/10/1928 - 06/13/2010
Jimmy Ray Dean (August 10, 1928 – June 13, 2010) was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. Although he may be best known today as the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand, he became a national televisio...
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03/01/1904 - 12/15/1944
Alton Glenn Miller (March 1, 1904 – missing in action December 15, 1944) was an American jazz musician (trombone), arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leadi...
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05/13/1926 - 07/02/2002
Raymond Matthews Brown (October 13, 1926 – July 2, 2002) was an American jazz double bassist.
1949 - 09/09/2009
Michael John Galasso (1949, Hammond, Louisiana - September 9, 2009, Paris) was an American composer, violinist, and music director.
Larry Adler (Lawrence Cecil Adler)
02/14/1914 - 08/07/2001
Lawrence "Larry" Cecil Adler was an American musician, widely acknowledged as one of the world's most skilled harmonica players. During the later stage of his career he was known for his collaborations with p...
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04/22/1927 - 07/17/2005
Lorenzo Aitken (April 22, 1927 – July 17, 2005), better known as Laurel Aitken, was a singer and one of the originators of Jamaican ska music . He is often referred to as the "Godfather of ska
07/25/1915 - 08/12/1944
Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr. (July 25, 1915 – August 12, 1944) was an American bomber pilot during World War II. He was the eldest of nine children born to Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr.,and Rose Elizabeth (née Fitzger...
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02/03/1935 - 05/17/1996
Johnny "Guitar" Watson (February 3, 1935 – May 17, 1996) was an American blues and funk guitarist and singer. John Watson, Jr. was born in Houston, Texas. His father John Sr. was a pianist, and taught his son the instrument. But yo...
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Louie Bluie (Howard Donald Armstrong)
03/04/1909 - 07/30/2003
Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong was an African American string band and cantry blues musician who played fiddle, mandolin and guitar and also sang. He was also a notable visual artist and raconteur.
01/19/1943 - 10/04/1970
Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 - October 4, 1970) was an American blues-influenced rock singer and occasional songwriter with a distinctive voice. Joplin released four albums as the front woman for several bands from 1967 to a posthumous relea...
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Jackie Wilson (Jack Leroy Wilson)
06/09/1934 - 01/21/1984
Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement". He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in...
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