01/09/1939 - 03/07/2009
Jimmy Boyd (January 9, 1939 – March 7, 2009) was an American singer, musician, and actor. He was best known for his recording of the novelty song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
04/22/1935 - 01/04/1969
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. (April 22, 1935 – January 4, 1969) was a jazz bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not on...
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Tommy Newsom (Thomas Penn Newsom)
02/25/1929 - 04/28/2007
Thomas Penn "Tommy" Newsom (February 25, 1929 – April 28, 2007) was a saxophone player in the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, for which he later became assistant director.
03/15/1927 - 01/16/2010
Carl Milton Smith (March 15, 1927 – January 16, 2010) was an American country music singer. Known as "Mister Country," Smith was the husband of June Carter (later June Carter Cash) and Goldie...
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Guy Lombardo (Gaetano Alberto Lombardo)
06/19/1902 - 11/05/1977
Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was a Canadian-American bandleader and violinist.
Forming "The Royal Canadians" in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert, and Victor and oth...
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11/05/1931 - 12/12/2007
Ike Wister Turner (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer.
11/05/1931 - 12/12/2007
Isaac Wister (Ike) Turner (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, talent scout, and record producer. Considered to be one of the fathers of rock and roll, his first recording, "Rocket 88" by ...
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Jimi Hendrix (James Marshall Hendrix)
11/27/1942 - 09/18/1970
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix, November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is widely considered to be the greatest electric guitarist in musical histo...
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05/13/1909 - 11/05/1956
Arthur "Art" Tatum, Jr. (October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso. He was nearly blind.
Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all tim...
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05/21/1917 - 01/06/1993
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993 was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise
Alex Chilton (William Alexander Chilton)
12/28/1950 - 03/17/2010
William Alexander "Alex" Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer, best known as the lead singer of the...
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12/09/1906 - 19/30/1983
Frederick Alfred (Freddy) Martin (December 9, 1906 – September 30, 1983) was an American bandleader and tenor saxophonist.
11/14/1900 - 12/02/1990
Aaron Copland (November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990) was an American classical composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly A...
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07/29/1916 - 03/02/1942
Charles Henry "Charlie" Christian (July 29, 1916 – March 2, 1942) was an American swing and jazz guitarist. He was one of the first to produce improvised masterpieces using electrically amplified equipment.