JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 109th anniversary of Muddy Waters’ birth.
Tag: 1940s
Throwback: Happy 120th Birthday, Son House!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms belated celebrates the 120th anniversary of blues legend, Son House’s birth.
Throwback: Happy 93rd Birthday, Bo Diddley!
JOVM belatedly celebrates the 93rd anniversary of Bo Diddley’s birth.
Throwback: Happy 114th birthday, Cab Calloway!
JOVM celebrates the 114th anniversary of Cab Calloway’s birth.
Throwback: Happy 102nd Birthday, Art Blakey!
JOVM (belatedly) celebrates what would have been Art Blakey’s 102nd birthday.
Throwback: Happy 95th Birthday, John Coltrane!
JOVM celebrates what would have been John Coltrane’s 95th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 89th Birthday, Patsy Cline!
JOVM celebrates what would have been Patsy Cline’s 89 birthday.
Throwback: Happy 104th Birthday, John Lee Hooker!
JOVM celebrates what would have been John Lee Hooker’s 104th birthday.
Throwback: Happy Birthday, Louis Armstrong!
JOVM celebrates Louis Armstrong’s 120th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 95th Birthday, Miles Davis!
JOVM celebrates Miles Davis’ 95th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 97th Birthday, Marshall Allen!
JOVM (belatedly) celebrates Marshall Allen’s 97th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 104th Birthday, Ella Fitzgerald!
JOVM celebrates what would have been Ella Fitzgerald’s 104th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 96th Birthday, Roy Haynes!
Yesterday was the legendary Roy Haynes’ 96th birthday. Over the course of his 77 year career — yes, 77! — Haynes has played swing, bop, fusion and avant garde jazz with a who’s who of jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Stan Getz, Sarah Vaughan, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Oliver Nelson and a long list of others. And unsurprisingly because of such a lengthy and productive career, Haynes is one of the most recorded drummers in jazz history.
I had the pleasure and honor of photographing and watching the imitable legend play on a SummerStage bill that featured Ron Carter and McCoy Tyner. At the time, I believe that Haynes was around 91 and even in his advanced age, he was full of energy, charming and incredibly spry: during his set, he got up from his drum kit to tap dance and sing. I hope to have that kind of energy and joy if I get to that age! He’s also still regularly playing and touring. And if it wasn’t for the COVID pandemic, Haynes would have been playing his annual Blue Note residency to celebrate his birthday.
Happy birthday, Mr. Haynes! May there be many, many, many more!
Throwback: Black History Month: Big Mama Thornton
Today is February 27, 2021. It’s the 27th day of Black History Month. And as I’ve mentioned throughout this series, I’ve been featuring Black artists across a wide and eclectic array of genres and styles — with the hopes that it’ll be a bit of a primer on the Black experience and on Black music.
Of course, I hope that these posts will serve as a reminder of these very important facts:
Black culture is American culture — and Black music is American music.
America’s greatest and beloved contributions to the world are Black music styles — the blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll and hip-hop.
Black art matters.
Black lives matter — all of them, all of the time.
It’s February 27, 2021. The 27th day of Black History Month, which is rapidly coming to a close. Of course, let’s not forget Big Mama Thornton. Without her, Elvis wouldn’t have one of his signature hits. And she just kicked ass and took names in her own brassy way.
Throwback: Black History Month: John Coltrane
Today is February 27, 2021. It’s the 27th day of Black History Month. And as I’ve mentioned throughout this series, I’ve been featuring Black artists across a wide and eclectic array of genres and styles — with the hopes that it’ll be a bit of a primer on the Black experience and on Black music.
Of course, I hope that these posts will serve as a reminder of these very important facts:
Black culture is American culture — and Black music is American music.
America’s greatest and beloved contributions to the world are Black music styles — the blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll and hip-hop.
Black art matters.
Black lives matter — all of them, all of the time.
It’s February 27, 2021. The 27th day of Black History Month, which is rapidly coming to a close. I grew up in a music obsessed home — and to my father, John Coltrane was God. And so here’s God playing gorgeous music. That’s right John William Coltrane is God. The end.