Sept. 2: "Fifth Beatle" Billy Preston would be 64 today...

... he died in June 2006 from hypertension and kidney disease.

William Everett "Billy" Preston, a rhythm and blues legend, was born in Houston, Texas but spent most of his formative years in Los Angeles.


Billy was called the Fifth Beatle because he played keyboards on Let it Be, The White Album and Abbey Road. He is one of only two musicians to ever receive billing on a Beatles' album. (the other is Tony Sheridan.) The label of the "Get Back" single credits the artists on the record as The Beatles with Billy Preston.

He also played on the Rolling Stones' hit song "Miss You," and often played with Eric Clapton. He also did the organ work on Sly & the Family Stone's greatest hits. Preston's own hits included "Nothing from Nothing," "Will it Go Round in Circles," and "You Are So Beautiful," which Joe Cocker turned into an international hit.

Preston was actually mentored by Ray Charles, and acts like Little Richard, Mahalia Jackson, and James Cleveland had a huge impact on him at a young age. In the early 60s, Billy went to Europe with Little Richard who playing in Hamburg. The Beatles were the opening act and as the story goes he was the one who made sure they got fed.


Other stars Preston collaborated with include: The Band, Nat King Cole, Little Richard, Eric Burdon, Ray Charles, George Harrison, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Sam Cooke, King Curtis, Sammy Davis Jr., Aretha Franklin, The Jackson 5, Quincy Jones, Mick Jagger, Richie Sambora, Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ringo Starr.

Press links below to view You Tube videos:
-- "Get Back" (With Beatles)
-- "Nothing From Nothing"
-- "Will it Go Round in Circles"
 
 

Sept. 1: "Boxcar Willie" would be 79 today...

... he died in April, 1999 from leukemia.

Born Lecil Travis Martin in Sterret, Texas, Lecil sang in the "old-time hobo" music style, complete with dirty face, overalls, and a floppy hat. His stage name Boxcar Willie came from a character in a ballad he wrote and sang.

Martin attended a talent show in San Jose, California and performed under the nickname "Boxcar Willie"


for the first time. He won first place, a $150 prize and the nickname stuck. Music was only a part-time gig; he was in the Air Force and flew missions every day in the early 1950s.

In 1976, Martin left the Air Force and became a full-time performer. He became well-known thanks to a series of television commercials for recording artists who were not well-known in the U.S. including Slim Whitman and Gheorghe Zamfir. Eventually his own singing career took off, and he become a country music star in his own right, selling more than 10 million records, tapes and CDs. In 1981, he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry as its 60th member.


In 1985, Martin moved to Branson, Missouri and purchased a theater on Highway 76, or 76 Country Music Boulevard. In addition to the Boxcar Willie Theater, he opened a museum and eventually had two motels, both bearing the name that made him famous - "Boxcar Willie."

Press links below to view You Tube videos:
-- "Hobo Heaven"
-- "Train Medley"
-- "Winds Of Yesterday"

Sept.1: Tommy Evans of the "ever-drifting" Drifters is 83 today.

The Drifters, known for classics including "Up on the Roof," "Under the Boardwalk," might not have been singing about romance and as much as a way to get away from legal entanglements, threats and line-up changes that plagued the group over the years. In the '50s, there was so much acrimony there were two groups named the Drifters, one dubbed "The Original Drifters" who didn't do much more than perform in clubs before splitting up. It's as if the group did more drifting apart than singing together. (At one point a group named The Drapers had more members from the Drifters than the Drifters did.)

Still, at different times, the group featured legendary names including Clyde McPhatter, Johnny Moore and Ben E. King.


Tommy Evans first joined the group in mid-1956 and again in 1958. Singing bass, he was a member when they scored the top ten hit, "Fools Fall in Love" that same year (number 69 Pop and number 10 R&B) and "Drip Drop" the following year. Tommy Evans. Evans had been with the group in mid-1956 and again in 1958. In 1963, he was back for his third stint as bass of the Drifters .Evans left in 1963 after "Up on the Roof" and "On Broadway."

As an aside, the blues guitar you hear in "On Broadway" was played by record producer  - and future convicted murderer - Phil Spector.

Even after he left the group, Tommy Evans occasionally showed up at Drifters recording sessions or did overdubbing on Drifters recordings - including "Under the Boardwalk," although there is no official proof of this.


-- "There Goes My Baby" (Featuring Ben E. King)
-- "Up on the Roof" 

-- "On Broadway"

Sept. 1: Today is Conway Twitty's birthday...

... he died in June, 1993 from an abdominal aortic aneurysm at the age of 60.

Born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, Twitty was a highly successful country music artist who also enjoyed success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 on the Billboard country chart until George Strait broke the record in 2006.

Believing that his given name wasn't marketable for a singer, supposedly, while "Harold" Looked at a road map, he spotted Conway, Arkansas and Twitty, Texas and though that would make a great stage name. Early in his career, it was rumored that Conway Twitty was really Elvis Presley recording under a different name. One song that lent credence to the rumor was Twitty's recording of "It's Only Make Believe."

From 1971–76, Twitty, A former member of the Grand Ole Opry, received a string of Country Music Association awards for duets with Loretta Lynn.


Conway is a member of both the Country Music and the Rockabilly Halls of Fame.

-- "Its Only Make Believe"
-- "Hello Darling"
-- "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" (With Loretta Lynn) 

Sept. 1: Archie Bell of Archie Bell and the Drells is 66 today.

Archie Bell was born in Henderson, Texas and moved to Houston when he was a young boy. He formed the R&B vocal group The Drells 1966 with his friends James Wise, Willie Parnell and Billy Butler.


The band's hits include "Tighten Up", "I Can't Stop Dancing" (both 1968), "Girl You're Too Young" (1969), "Here I Go Again," "Soul City Walk" (1976), "Everybody Have A Good Time" (1977) and "Don't Let Love Get You Down" (1986).


Archie is the older brother of world karate champion Jerry Bell, and former NFL player Ricky Bell (1955–1984.)


-- "Tighten Up"
-- "Here I Go Again"
-- "Let's Groove"

Sept. 1: Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees is 64 today.

Singer, songwriter and producer Barry Alan Lee Maddison Crompton Gibb, CBE (Commander of the British Empire) was born on the Isle of Man to English parents. With his brothers Robin and Maurice, he formed the Bee Gees (Brothers Gibb), one of the most successful pop groups of all time. The trio got their start in Australia, and found major success when they returned to England.

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Barry’s signature falsetto and his song writing prowess were two of the reasons for the groups huge success. In 1978, he penned four straight #1 hits, surpassing the record previously held by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. His songs "Stayin’ Alive," "Love Is Thicker Than Water," "Night Fever," and "If I Can’t Have You" all hit the top of the charts.


Barry also produced many successful albums during the 1970s and 1980s. Some of the notable albums which Barry wrote and produced include those released by Andy Gibb, Barry’s late brother, as well as those by Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, and Dionne Warwick.

In 2004, Barry, along with brother Robin, received honorary Doctor of Music Degrees from The University of Manchester. In 2005, Barry visited Buckingham Palace, where Prince Charles granted him the Commander of the British Empire honor.

During their careers the Bee Gees have sold over 178 million albums and won multiple Grammy Awards. Their career spanned over forty years.

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Sept. 1: Singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan is 53 today.

Born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García, the Cuban-American singer, songwriter and actress is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 90 million albums sold worldwide - 26 million of them in the U.S. She has won seven Grammy Awards.

At age 18, Gloria was invited to sing at a wedding with a local band called the Miami Latin Boys. The group’s leader was Emilio Estefan. The singer quickly became an integral part of the band. Between 1975 and 1977, they polished their sound creating what would be called the “Miami sound”; and the group became the Miami Sound Machine. The day after her 21st birthday she married Emilio.                                                            

In 1984 the band hit it big with the recording of their first album in English, “Eyes of Innocence.” Less than a year later, they released a new album, album “Primitive Love,” which sold more than 3 million copies in the U.S., and produced the hit singles "Bad Boy," "Words Get In The Way"’ and "Conga." "Conga" was the first record in history to appear simultaneously in Billboard’s Pop, Latin, Soul and Dance charts.
 The next two albums, “Let It Loose” (1987) and “Cuts Both Ways” (1989), were also smash hits, with “Cuts Both Ways,” selling more than 10 million copies. By this time, the name of the group changed to Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine.


Besides her seven Grammy's, Gloria has been honored twice by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1993, she was granted an honorary doctoral degree in music from the University of Miami. In 2007 she and her husband, Emilio, received honorary doctoral degrees in music from the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

-- "Rhythm is Gonna Get You"
-- "Words Get In The Way"

Gloria Estefan's Official Website

-- "Betcha Say That"