Charlene Bartley born circa 1922

Charlene Bartley (born circa 1922 - ?) was a big band and jazz singer who was based in Boston and was a regular entertainer in Boston hotels that hosted live music in their lounges in the 40's and 50's. 

The exact birth date of Charlene Bartley is not known but possibly prior to 1922 as although there is no information regarding her early life; her trail starts off on March 3, 1938, when she married a truck driver Raymond Bartley. They had a daughter named Joyce Lee who was 8-years-old when they divorced in 1946. At that time it was reported that Ms. Bartley was 26-years-old, so either she married quite young or she shaved a few years off her age. If the latter is the case, she would have been born earlier than 1922. It is not known whether Charlene was her birth name, but Bartley was her married name. Of course, she could have gotten married again and no longer went by the name Bartley. 

What is known is that as a singer, she hailed from Los Angeles, and the Boston bandleader Al Donahue initially brought her back East. Donahue hired Bartley in California in late 1947. They recorded a few sides on the Tune-Disk label just before the second recording ban took effect. One of them, “My Old Fashioned Gal,” ended up on the Boston Crystal-Tone label (Crystal-Tone 523) in 1948. Donahue was back in Boston, with Bartley singing, in 1949. 

Bartley toured with Donahue in the early 1950s, but when he relocated to the Sunshine State permanently, she gave up the road and settled in Boston although during 1954 she appeared for one appearance on the Al Donahue TV show. He held an annual residence at the Statler Hotel, and Bartley sang with him there through 1957. She also recorded a single on his Aldon Records label in 1956, but by that time she was on the staff at Boston’s WHDH-AM. There she met guitarist Don Alessi, one of the Park Squares, a vocal-and-instrumental group then providing music on both radio and television broadcasts. 

                                   

The Park Squares were real pros, playing everything from The New England Farm and Food Show in the afternoon, to John McLellan’s Jazz Scene in the evening. One of their daily radio shows was One to Two, with Charlene Bartley as the staff singer. That’s when she came to the attention of someone from A&R at RCA, and an album was in the works. The Weekend of a Private Secretary, was released in 1957. It’s the story in song of a woman who weekends in Havana, finds romance, and returns home sadder but wiser. 

RCA brought some of its leading talent to the project, with four songs arranged by Tito Puente and performed by his orchestra. Saxophonist Hal McKusick arranged four more, and performed them with a small group. The duo of Alessi and bassist Milt Hinton performed the final four.  Alessi, in fact, played on all twelve numbers. The title tune, backed by Puente’s orchestra, has a catchy rhythm to go with Johnny Mercer’s lyrics, but for the most part Bartley sings ballads, including “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” “I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance,” and “Memories of You.” 

The record did not create much excitement. Wrote Billboard’s reviewer: “Charlene Bartley has a sweet, fresh vocal sound but doesn’t do much with it on this package of standards.” Her singing was warm, and free from embellishment, but that didn’t attract attention in 1957. The jazz-pop continuum was teeming with singers… Teddi King, Kathy Barr, Lucy Ann Polk, Helen Grayco, Audrey Morris, Jaye P. Morgan, Ann Gilbert… all worthy voices, and all with LPs out in 1957. Bartley’s record just didn’t stand out from the crowd. 

Then the Bartley story took a mysterious turn, she dropped from sight after a visit to Los Angeles the summer of 1958, until she was reported in the December 31, 1961 edition of “The Boston Globe” that she was performing at the Meadows in Framingham. There have also been unconfirmed reports of her living in the area in the late 1980s after which there is no information regarding what became of her.

(Edited mainly from an article by Richard Vacca & IMDb)

Cedar Walton born 17 January 1934

Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and composer who interpreted familiar jazz traditions in unexpected ways. 

He was born in Dallas and was taught to play the piano by his mother, Ruth, who also took him to jazz concerts by piano stars including Art Tatum. From his early years he showed a preference for composing his own pieces rather than practising other people's. From 1951 until 1954 Walton studied music and education at the University of Denver, and ran a local trio that got to accompany such illustrious visitors as Dizzy Gillespie. 

He was then drafted into the army, where he had the opportunity to sit in with Duke Ellington's orchestra, and to play with the trumpeter/composer Don Ellis and the saxophonists Leo Wright and Eddie Harris in the 7th Army band while stationed in Germany. 

On his demobilisation and return to the US in 1958, Walton made his recording debut with the bebop trumpeter and vocalist Kenny Dorham, playing reservedly but supportively on the album This Is the Moment. The following year, Walton almost found himself involved in what was to become a jazz landmark – John Coltrane's Giant Steps –but though he played on the early takes at Coltrane's invitation, he was absent on tour for the final ones, and Tommy Flanagan took his place. 

Walton was now in demand for the leading young bands practising the bluesy, viscerally exciting style called hard bop. He worked in the trombonist JJ Johnson's group from 1958 until 1960, and then alongside the trumpeter Art Farmer and saxophonist Benny Golson in the elegant Jazztet for a year. But in 1961, his most significant career choice presented itself, and he joined the drummer Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers – the doyen of hard bop bands, with a gospelly energy that sprang directly from Blakey's volatile drumming. 

                                   

Walton later maintained that playing with Blakey greatly sharpened his alertness and attentiveness as an accompanist as well as a soloist. But since the Messengers were an open and evolving jazz workshop that devoured new original material, this was also an opportunity for Walton the composer to blossom – and the presence of the trumpet virtuoso Freddie Hubbard and saxophonist/composer Wayne Shorter in the lineup were added inspirations. Walton contributed such deviously lyrical themes as Mosaic and Ugetsu to Blakey's repertoire in his tenure from 1961 to 1964, years in which the Messengers were at their zestful best. 

For a year, he was Abbey Lincoln's accompanist, and recorded with Lee Morgan from 1966 to 1968. In the mid-1970s he led the funk group Mobius. He recorded with the popular former Messengers trumpeter Lee Morgan, worked as a house pianist for Prestige Records, and participated in a tough bebop band with the saxophonists George Coleman and later Bob Berg that from 1975 took the name Eastern Rebellion. Walton was also a key member of the tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan's Magic Triangle group in the mid-70s, and though he touched on electric music and funk in the same decade, bebop and swing were closest to his heart and he soon returned to acoustic groups. 

He frequently toured with a trio featuring the gracefully inventive Billy Higgins on drums, an inspiration that helped bring the pianist's uncliched improvised phrasing to a new level of telling concision. He made magnificent recordings with lineups from duos to an 11-piece through the 1990s. But Walton also remained an open and willing participant in other players' ventures, like leading the backup trio for the Trumpet Summit Band, which started as a project for the 1995 Jazz in Marciac festival in France and cannily shadowing the London vocalist Ian Shaw on the 1999 album In a New York Minute. 

In 2001 Walton released The Promise Land, his debut for Highnote, which was followed by Latin Tinge in 2002, Underground Memoirs in 2005, and Seasoned Wood with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt in 2008. Walton was joined by saxophonist Vincent Herring on Voices Deep Within in 2009. 

He was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2010, and his last recording The Bouncer, in 2011, for his trio augmented by sax and trombone, was a typically nimble canter through the old master's favourite kinds of jazz. 

After a brief illness, Walton died on August 19, 2013, at his home in Brooklyn, New York, at age 79. 

(Edited from John Fordham obit @ The Guardian & Wikipedia) 

Caleb Ginyard Jr. was born 15 January 1910

Caleb Nathaniel Ginyard Jr. (January 15, 1910 – August 11, 1978), known as Junior Caleb "J. C." Ginyard, was an American gospel and doo-wop singer and songwriter who performed with various vocal groups between the 1930s and 1970s, including the Royal Harmony Singers, the Jubalaires and the Du Droppers. 

The Jubalaires

Caleb Nathaniel Ginyard, Junior was born in St. Matthews, South Carolina. Since he was Caleb Nathaniel, Junior, people took to calling him "Junior Caleb", and that's where the "J.C." came from. He sang in his church as a youth before becoming a professional singer as a tenor (later baritone). He started his singing career as one of the founders of the Royal Harmony Singers in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1936. They moved to Philadelphia in 1941. The group worked on the Arthur Godfrey radio show in New York and later renamed their group as the Jubalaires, appearing in several movies and shorts. In 1947 Ginyard left the Jubalaires to form a new group, the Dixieaires, who remained together with a varying membership until the mid-1950s.

In 1952, Ginyard also formed a secular vocal group the Du Droppers. The original members were Ginyard  on lead, brothers Willie Ray and Harvey Ray on tenor and baritone, respectively, and Eddie Hashow on bass (who was soon replaced by Bob Kornegay).They would get together in the basement of his apartment house at 149th Street and 7th Avenue in Harlem. There was a piano there and the new group practiced until they felt they were ready to start a professional career. With the 15 years of experience that Ginyard brought to the group, they quickly attracted some attention. 

                                   

They began as a gospel group each member had been in previous gospel groups (including the Royal Harmony Singers, the Dixie-Aires, the Jubilaires, and the Southwest Jubilee Group). The Du Droppers began performing R&B vocal-group songs and soon auditioned for record producer Bobby Robinson and DJ Joel Turnero, both owners of the Harlem-based label and record shop Red Robin. Their first record, "Can't Do Sixty No More," released by the group in December 1952, was an "answer" record to the massively popular Dominoes hit, "Sixty Minute Man." It earned the group instant popularity and airplay, but Red Robin let the Du Droppers slip through their fingers; soon the group was recording for RCA Victor, one of the major labels looking to break out in the fast growing field of R&B. 

J.C. Ginyard

In mid-March of 1953, their next single, "I Wanna Know," made a huge impact and climbed to number three. In June 1953, the Du Droppers released the follow-up to their RCA smash, and "I Found Out (What You Do When You Go Round There)" climbed to number three on the pop charts. Both hit records  were either written or co-written by Ginyard. Soon they were embarking on a late-summer tour of one-nighters through the South with the Joe Morris Blues Cavalcade. Subsequent singles, however, failed to generate much new interest in the group. In November, RCA paired the group with pop music singer Sunny Gale for a (now highly collectable) single, "Mama's Gone Goodbye." 

In 1954, the Du Droppers began recording for a new RCA subsidiary, Groove Records, which was meant to be strictly for R&B acts signed to the major label. Unfortunately, they failed to improve upon their track record and subsequent Groove singles saw them slipping from the charts. In early 1955, Groove attempted to persuade Ravens' vocalist Joe Van Loan to join the group and help shake things up, but he was already under a personal service contract with Herald Records; while this was being sorted out, Charlie Hughes was brought in to sing lead on recordings only, though he wasn't allowed to perform with the group. In August, the label issued one last single, but soon thereafter, Junior Ginyard retreated back to gospel music, joining the Golden Gate Quartet, so the others decided to call it a day. 

Ginyard was with the Golden Gate Quartet from 1955 until 1971, by which time they'd all relocated to Europe. Those years with the Gates sparked the most brilliant repertoire of Caleb's career. His addition to the group inspired the hallmark years of the Golden Gate Quartet as well. Due to failing health  he moved to Basel in Switzerland but continued to and perform as a soloist until his death on August 11, 1978 at the age of 68. 

He was married to Janie Elnora, née Flowers in USA having five children and also to Gunilla in Sweden having two children. A Father and Son Autobiography of A Spiritual Music Genius was published by Ginyard's son Caleb Ginyard, III . 

(Edited from Wikipedia, doo-wopp blog & Marv Goldberg)

 

Linda Lawson born 14 January 1936

Linda Lawson (January 14, 1936* – May 18, 2022) was an American actress and singer. 

Linda Gloria Spaziani was the first of three children born to Italian immigrants Maria Cataldi and Edward Spaziani, she was five years old when her family moved from Michigan to Fontana, California. 

After graduating from Chaffey High School, Linda was named Miss Fontana of 1953. She then followed her sister Diana Spaziani to Las Vegas. Linda began her 50-year acting career in 1955 with a short film for the U.S. government. On May 5, 1955, Lawson was dubbed "Miss Cue" in reference to a series of nuclear tests conducted by the US military under "Operation Teapot," and publicized as "Operation Cue" in a short film distributed by the US Federal Civil Defense Administration. 

She won an audition as a singer and changed her last name to Lawson on the advice of Louella Parsons and songwriter Jimmy McHugh. She turned professional and began her music career at the top, and was hired to sing in the lounge at The Sands Hotel in 1957, where she opened for stars such as Lena Horn and Frank Sinatra. Linda went on to perform as a singer and dancer in the larger floor shows, also making singles for the Verve label with an orchestra arranged and conducted by no less than Henry Mancini. She often referred to her time in Las Vegas as some of the most cherished years of her life. 

                                   

Her rising profile led to Introducing Linda Lawson, her debut album as a singer. Recorded in 1960, with an orchestra arranged and conducted by the gifted Marty Paich and packed with the finest West Coast jazz talent, her performance suggested that a successful career in music was hers for the taking. But acting remained her first love and these recordings are the only examples of her notable musical ability. In them she combined the highly complementary skills of singing and acting, splendidly uniting them to tackle the range of high-quality and demanding material chosen for these sessions. That she did it with persuasive aplomb is abundantly clear from the results.

She seemed set to make a considerable impact in music, but instead decided to focus on an acting career. Linda moved to Los Angeles several years later and got got a job working as a studio messenger at MGM when she was "discovered" in an elevator and given a screen test. Her singing and her memorably dark, voluptuous good looks, coupled with some natural acting ability, led to Lawson getting roles in several television series, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents; The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; Maverick starring James Garner, as Clint Eastwood's "other woman" in the episode "Duel at Sundown"; James Michener's Adventures in Paradise, as recurring character "Renee" in six episodes; Don't Call Me Charlie!, in which she portrayed "Pat Perry" for eighteen episodes; Ben Casey, seen as "Laura Fremont" for nine episodes; M Squad; Overland Trail, and Wagon Train, co-starring with Raymond Massey as the princess of a lost Aztec settlement. 

Lawson and Telly Savalas in Bonanza

Lawson also appeared in two episodes of Bonanza, It Takes a Thief, ER; The Virginian, Mr. Lucky, Perry Mason, The Real McCoys, The Aquanauts, Sea Hunt; Tales of Wells Fargo, 77 Sunset Strip; Hawaiian Eye; Border Patrol, Colt .45, Peter Gunn, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer and The Tall Man among many others. Movie appearances included Sometimes a Great Notion, but her best screen role was in her second film, as the doomed, tormented Mora in Curtis Harrington's hauntingly beautiful Night Tide (1961) where she co-starred opposite Dennis Hopper. 

Lawson with Dennis Hopper

She remained busy throughout the 1960s, including a regular role on Adventures in Paradise for one season, and on series such as The Virginian, interspersed with occasional feature-film work, and she married producer John Foreman (1925-1992), who subsequently became business partners with actor Paul Newman. After the birth of her two daughters, Linda set her career aside to stay home and devote her time to them. Linda and John were known for throwing lively and extravagant parties, which were regularly attended by some of the most fascinating people in Hollywood. Her last major screen role in Newman's Sometimes a Great Notion (1971). 

Lawson was seen again onscreen in the made-for-television feature Another Woman's Husband (2000) and in a 2005 episode of ER. Animals were Linda's lasting passion and influenced her decision to become a vegetarian and to donate to animal charities as often as she could.  She died from natural causes at the Motion Picture and Television Retirement Home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles on May 18, 2022, at the age of 86. Her death was announced 2 weeks later. 

(Edited from Wikipedia, AllMusic, Los Angeles Times & Fresh Sound Records) (* other sources state 11^th January as birth date)

 

Frankie Armstrong born 13 February 1941

Frankie Armstrong (born 13 January 1941) is an English singer and voice teacher. She has worked as a singer in the folk scene and the women's movement and as a trainer in social and youth work. Her repertoire ranges from traditional ballads to music-hall and contemporary songs, often focusing on the lives of women. 

She is a key mover of the natural voice movement and is the president of the natural voice network, and has been a voice coach for theatrical groups, including at the National Theatre for 18 years Involved with folk and political songs from the 1950s, she has performed and/or recorded with Blowzabella, the Orckestra (with Henry Cow and the Mike Westbrook Brass Band), Ken Hyder's Talisker, John Kirkpatrick, Brian Pearson, Leon Rosselson, Dave Van Ronk and Maddy Prior. She is blind from glaucoma. 

Frankie with Louis Killen

Armstrong was born in Workington, Cumberland. She moved to Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, as a young child. She began singing in a group with her brother singing Elvis Presley and Little Richard numbers, and in 1957 joined the Stort Valley Skiffle Group which a few years later changed its name to the Ceilidh Singers as its repertoire moved towards folk music. The group founded the Hoddesdon Folk Club. 

In 1963 she qualified as a social worker for blind people and began working with Louis Killen and performing solo (Louis Killen's advice led to her developing the harder voice quality for which she is noted.). In 1964, at Killen's suggestion she joined The Critics Group directed by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger. In 1965 she sang at the Edinburgh Festival "Poets in Public", with John Betjeman, Stevie Smith and Ted Hughes. 

              Here’s “The Frog and the Mouse” from above LP

                       

Her first recording, in 1965, was at the invitation of Bert Lloyd who as director of Topic Records was putting together an album of erotic songs with Anne Briggs, released as The Bird in the Bush. In 1968 she recorded songs for the radio programme The Blind Set produced by Charles Parker about the treatment of visually impaired people which led to the formation of the Blind Integration Group. 

In 1973 she spent several weeks in the US and met Ethel Raim. She was inspired by Raim's Balkan singing workshops and in the mid-1970s pioneered her own workshops developing her own approach to singing with a natural voice. Her conviction that singing is for everyone has underpinned her approach. She was an initiating member of the NVPN – Natural Voice Practitioners' Network, and "The key figure behind the development of the network...". 

She was a member of the Feminist Improvising Group (FIG), co-founded in 1977 by vocalist Maggie Nicols, bassoonist Lindsay Cooper, keyboardist Cathy Williams, cellist and bassist Georgina Born, and trumpeter Corinne Liensol. Armstrong collaborated within the accomplished FIG after 1978, and also with free jazz pianist (and partly percussion playing) Irène Schweizer, saxophonist (and film maker) Sally Potter, trombonist and violist Annemarie Roelofs, flutist and saxophonist Angèle Veltmeijer, and saxophonist and guitarist Françoise Dupety. 

In 2018, she was awarded a Gold Badge Award from the English Folk Dance and Song Society for outstanding contributions to folk music. She wrote and recorded a song for Stick in the Wheel which is included in their second "From Here: English Folk Field Recordings, Volume 2" recording project and joined Lankum on stage at new year in Bristol singing Old Man from over the Sea. 

Green Ribbons

In 2019, Folk Radio UK announced that Frankie had formed a new band called Green Ribbons with Alasdair Roberts, Jinnwoo and Burd Ellen. In July 2019, the band released their self-titled debut album consisting of purely unaccompanied singing through Matiere Memoir Records. 

In November 2020, Folk Radio UK announced that Frankie is due to release her 12th studio album 'Cats of Coven Lawn' in January 2021 to mark her 80th birthday. The album was produced by Bird in the Belly member Tom Pyor, and the first single 'Life Lived Well' features Laura Ward (Bird in the Belly, Hickory Signals). 

Her last live concert was during September 2025 although she was still presenting her Natural Voice Leaders Training workshops at the end of the year. 

(Edited from Wikipedia and Frankie Armstrong’s web page)

 

Trummy Young born 12 February 1912

James "Trummy" Young (January 12, 1912 – September 10, 1984) was an American trombonist in the swing era. 

Young was born in Savannah, Georgia, growing up in Richmond, Virginia, and Washington D.C. (He started off as a child playing trumpet and drums but, by the time he started working as a professional in 1928, he was a trombonist. His early gigs including working with Booker Coleman’s Hot Chocolates, the Hardy Brothers, Elmer Calloway, and Tommy Myles. While with Myles, he acquired the lifelong nickname of Trummy. 

From 1933 to 1937, he was a member of Earl Hines' orchestra; he then joined Jimmie Lunceford's orchestra in which he played from 1937 to 1943, scoring a hit on Decca Records with "Margie", which featured his vocal. With Sy Oliver he co-wrote "'Tain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)", a hit for both Lunceford and Ella Fitzgerald in 1939. His other compositions include "Easy Does It" (1939; co-written with Oliver) and "Trav'lin' Light" (1942; co-written with Jimmy Mundy, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer). 

                                   

Bebop caused no difficulty for Young even though he did not alter his style much through the years. On Jan. 9, 1945, Young appeared with Gillespie on the original version of “Salt Peanuts,” plus “Be-Bop,” a modernistic transformation of “I Can’t Get Started,” and Tadd Dameron’s “Good Bait,” sounding quite at home. That year Young really displayed his versatility. He was part of Boyd Raeburn’s orchestra on “A Night In Tunisia,” was a member of the Benny Goodman big band (including soloing on “Gotta Be This Or That”), recorded with ensembles led by Georgie Auld, Johnny Bothwell, and Al Killian, was on V-Disc dates that teamed him with Roy Eldridge, and led his own swing session. 

1946 found him recording with Benny Carter’s big band, clarinetist Tony Scott, Buck Clayton, Illinois Jacquet, Tiny Grimes, a reunion session with Jimmie Lunceford (including a remake of “Margie”), Billy Kyle, and two sessions of his own. In addition, Young toured with Norman Granz’s Jazz At The Philharmonic, working alongside Billie Holiday, Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Coleman Hawkins, and Buddy Rich. 

Clearly Trummy Young was in great demand during this era. In 1947 he toured again with JATP and was on some Los Angeles jam session records. But after a record date with Gerald Wilson’s big band, he was off records altogether for five years. Young’s disappearance was because he had gotten married, his wife was from Hawaii, and he moved there. The trombonist freelanced and soon had his own band, playing swing and Dixieland while enjoying the climate and environment. But then his life changed again in 1952 when he was offered an opportunity to join the Louis Armstrong All-Stars, and stayed for twelve years. He performed with Armstrong for the ninth Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. 

During his years with the All-Stars, Young performed in the musical film, High Society (1956). He appeared in the Universal-International biopic, The Glenn Miller Story (1954) and constantly traveled the world. He was part of nearly all of Louis Armstrong’s triumphs during that long period including the W.C. Handy and Fats Waller tribute albums, performing “St. Louis Blues” with the New York Philharmonic, all of the “Ambassador Satch” world tours, Armstrong’s “Musical Biography” recordings, the Timex All Star Jazz television specials, the album that had Duke Ellington with the All-Stars, Dave Brubeck’s musical The Real Ambassadors, and the original versions of both “Mack The Knife” and “Hello Dolly.” 

Trummy Young was not heard outside of the Louis Armstrong All-Stars very often but there were a few exceptions. He was a major part of the famous Buck Clayton Jam Session records of Mar. 31, and Aug. 13, 1954, playing a roaring solo on “How Hi The Fi” that stole the show. He was on a posthumous Jimmie Lunceford tribute project led by Billy May in 1957, an album by the Lawson-Haggart Band (Boppin’ At The Hop), and played with Teddy Buckner at the 1958 Dixieland Jubilee in Los Angeles. But mostly he was associated with Armstrong. 

Shortly after “Hello Dolly” caught on, the 52-year old trombonist decided to finally quit the road and settle back in Hawaii. Louis Armstrong was very sorry to see him go. During his final 20 years, Young worked with a variety of bands in Hawaii, sometimes led his own groups, and occasionally went on European tours (including with Chris Barber in 1978) and returned to the mainland for special appearances and jazz parties. 

Sally & Trummy Young, Lillian Taylor, Sep.1984

Trummy Young remained active up until the very end. He was featured next to Billy Butterfield, Kenny Davern, and Eddie Miller at the Peninsula Jazz Party in July 1984. Two months later, on Sept. 12, he died suddenly from a cerebral hemorrhage in San Jose, California, at the age of 72. Beloved by all, the always-smiling Trummy Young had succeeded in carving out his own place in jazz history.

(Edited from The Sycopated Times & Wikipedia)