Sonny Red born 17 December 1932

Sylvester Kyner Jr. (December 17, 1932 – March 20, 1981), known as Sonny Red, was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist and composer associated with the hard bop idiom among other styles. 

Sylvester Kyner was born in Belzoni, Mississippit o Lottie and Jeff Kiner. Although he had four siblings he was the only family member whose last name was spelled with a “y,” as verified on his birth certificate. The first four years of his life were spent with his family in Humphreys County, Mississippi. In the spring of 1936, lack of educational opportunities and poor living conditions compelled Lottie and her five children to board a Greyhound bus and flee north to Detroit, Michigan, where they moved in with Lottie’s sister. At some point in the late 1930s, the family moved to Detroit where life was still difficult but with hard work and extreme determination, she was able to successfully raise her family. 

In the early- to mid-1940s, Sonny Red took his first saxophone lessons from William Gardner on the C melody saxophone, an instrument originally given to his sister Marie. Eventually he would trade in the C melody for a Conn New Wonder alto saxophone. From the fall of 1947 to 1952, Red attended Detroit’s Northern High School, dropping out temporarily for the 1950-1951 school year. At Northern he formed close musical relationships with Curtis Fuller, Kiane Zawadi, Donald Byrd, Barry Harris, Paul Chambers and Tommy Flanagan. Some of these relationships were formed in the concert band led by Orville Lawrence. Lawrence exposed his students to many different types of music, and encouraged them to try other instruments. Red also met and played with other teenagers in Detroit during informal jam/practice sessions at the homes of Barry Harris and Joe Brazil. 

It’s difficult to determine the source of Sylvester Kyner’s nickname, “Sonny Red,” but opinions point to “Sonny” being a common nickname for a boy growing up in the 1930s and 1940s, and “Red” referring to Sylvester’s natural red hair. For an industrial arts shop project in high school, he used a router to etch the name “Sonny Red” into a finished board. Professionally his name would be in flux. It has been noted that over the years he has also been named as Sonny Redd, Sonny Red Kyner and Sylvester "Sonny Red” Kyner. 

                                   

After graduating from high school in 1952, Sonny Red performed in many of the best jazz clubs in Detroit. He frequently gigged and sat in at Klein’s Show Bar, The Crystal Show Bar, The Twenty Grand, The World Stage, The Rouge Lounge, The Blue Bird Inn and The Mirror Ballroom. Sonny also participated in frequent jam sessions at The West End Hotel, a popular after-hours spot for musicians.

Sonny & Elena

Besides working steadily with Barry Harris, Red had a few opportunities to sit in with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Yusef Lateef and Sonny Stitt. Other early gigs included trombonist Frank Rosolino’s combo in April-May 1954 at Klein’s Show Bar, three days with Billie Holiday sometime during 1954, and Art Blakey’s group during the fall of 1954 in Philadelphia. 

Sonny Red and Elena Knox were married in February 1960. Tommy Flanagan signed the marriage license. Two years later, on June 4, 1962, their daughter Nicole Kyner was born. Red’s publishing company, established in the 1960s, was named “Nadianicole” after his two daughters.

During the late 1950s through the 1970s, Sonny Red was at his finest as a recording artist and sideman. His work with Art Blakey, Jimmy Heath, Donald Byrd, Kenny Dorham, Blue Mitchell, Barry Harris, Bobby Timmons, Howard McGhee, Yusef Lateef, Bill Hardman, Pony Poindexter, Philly Joe Jones, Curtis Fuller, Red Garland, Clifford Jordan, Tommy Flanagan, Roy Brooks, Grant Green, Elvin Jones and many others helped establish him as one of the best saxophonists in New York. 

During the early 1970s Sonny Red was very involved with the Jazzmobile program and Henry Street Settlement in New York. His teaching methods at Jazzmobile were very similar to the way he approached composition and playing: emphasis on sound, playing with feeling, the blues, and the importance of scales and theory. In 1976 Red received a $4000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to complete the composition and orchestration of a three-part jazz suite, entitled Cien Fuegos. One completed part exists from the suite: Song Samba, written for 17 instruments. 

Sonny’s declining health in the mid- to late 1970s brought him back to live with his mother at 233 Leicester in Detroit, though he frequently managed to return to New York for concerts. On December 9, 1979, a benefit concert was given for Red in Detroit, and the musicians and friends in attendance revealed how many people he had touched as a son, father, brother, musician and friend. Sonny died from complications of lymph node cancer in March 1981, at the age of 48. 

(Edited from Sonny Red Music)

Bob Dawdy born 16 December 1942

Bob Dawdy (December 16, 1942 - January 21, 2013) was best known as lead guitarist of the Velaires. 

Robert Edward Dawdy was born at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, the son of Richard and Mary (Green) Dawdy. The family moved to Sioux City in the late 1940’s. Bob was a self taught musician, who started playing at age 4. In 1958, at the age of 15, Bob became lead guitarist for The Screamers at Central High School, but they soon changed their name to The Flairs (not to be confused with the doo-wop group The Flairs based in Los Angeles). 

Their first record was a do-it-yourself effort recorded at Kay Bank studio in Minneapolis by The Screamers in 1959. The titles were I Dig and What Did I Do Wrong? This got some local and regional air play and helped promote bookings for the band. But then in early 1961, their lean years got better shortly after they drove to Oklahoma City and cut a tape with a version of Roll Over Beethoven as the Flairs. The band were headed for Norman Petty’s Clovis, New Mexico studio, but they never made it that far South, stopping in Oklahoma City for a session at Gene Sullivan’s studio there. They recorded five songs, but still had twenty minutes remaining on the clock, so the Flairs cut Roll Over Beethoven. It was a song they played so often on stage, that they dismissed its hit possibilities. 

Founding member Don Bourett said that the name change from The Flairs to The Velairs resulted from a problem with a recording company contract. When they needed to make a change, he explained: "We had just played the Vel Air Ballroom in Des Moines, so became the Velaires!', a slight difference in spelling of the ballroom, which has stuck ever since." Later in 1961, as The Velaires, they signed with Jamie Records and again released "Roll Over Beethoven" which leapt onto the Billboard charts rising to No. 51 nationally and reaching No. 1 in Los Angeles. 

                                    

The Velaires consisted of Bob Dawdy (lead guitar) , Danny Matusak (rhythm guitar), Jerry DeMers (bass) and Don Bourett (drums). All four were vocalist although Jerry and Dan did most of the singing on their recordings. These four original members remained together as the Screamers, the Flairs and finally the Velaires. The fifth Velaire was their full-time manager and booking agent, Dan's older brother, Richard "Dick" LaMiere Matousek. 

While "Roll Over Beethoven" was on the charts, The Velaires had the opportunity to appear on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand in Philadelphia being the only-Iowa based group to have ever done so. They also joined the Caravan of Stars for a time. They would follow “Roll Over Beethoven” with eight more releases on such labels as Jamie Records, Mercury Records, Palm Records, Ramco Records and Brent Records. Other releases on Jamie Records included their cover of "Dream" (Johnny Mercer) and "Ubangi Stomp" (Earl Bostic). 

The original members would stay together until 1963 when Dan Matousek would reform the group and continue on until 1971 under the name of Danny and The Velaires. This band recorded in 1966 in Omaha several originals that received ample airplay, but never charted after "Roll Over Beethoven." 

After leaving Danny & the Velaires, Bob Dawdy performed concerts for many benefits, especially those for missing and exploited children. He shared his gift of music to anyone wishing to listen or learn. Bob taught thousands of people to play the guitar and other instruments. He taught at Flood Music, Midbell Music and from home. Some of his students went on to study music at Berklee in Boston. 

During 1996, the Velaires fans were treated to a reunion gig where the original band members played their old songs. The following year they band were inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. In April of 2013 the Velaires were inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2012, Bob was celebrated for his lifetime of music at The Chesterfield, which was also his last public performance. Following this performance, he fulfilled his lifetime dream of attending the 55th annual Monteray Jazz Fest along with his son, Bobby Jr. 

Bob Dawdy died on January 21, 2013, at home, in Sioux City, Iowa, at age 70. Founder member and drummer Don Bourett did his final gig as The Velaires with keyboardist Gene Ambroson, bassist Mike King, guitarist Bill “Chopper” Pelchat and saxophonist Dave Napier, during June 2019. Bourett died in Soux City on March 4, 2024. 

(Edited from Wikipedia, Waterbury Funeral Services obit & Sioux City Journal)

Randy Parton born 15 December 1953

Randy Parton (December 15, 1953 – January 21, 2021) was an American country music singer-songwriter, actor, and businessman. 

Randle Huston Parton was born in Sevierville, Tennessee, the eighth of twelve children born to Avie Lee Caroline (née Owens; 1923–2003) and Robert Lee Parton Sr. (1921–2000). He was a younger brother of singer-songwriters Dolly and Stella Parton and an older brother of former actress Rachel Parton George. 

Randy had a modest country music chart presence with two Top 30 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1981, "Hold Me Like You Never Had Me" (#30) and "Shot Full of Love" (#30), plus several other charting singles like "Don't Cry Baby" (#80) and "A Stranger in Her Bed" (#92) in the early '80s, but may be best known for "Old Flames Can’t Hold A Candle To You," a chart-topping duet with his sister. He often shared stages with Dolly Parton, playing bass and guitar in her band. 

                                   

He released several singles that didn't chart as high or were non-album tracks, including "Tennessee Born" (1975) and "Roll On Eighteen Wheeler" (1982) which in 1984 was recorded by the band Alabama, and became the group's 12th straight No. 1 single. Also in 1984, Parton sang a song for the Rhinestone soundtrack; his sister Dolly starred in the film. He also played bass for his sister. He was a Dollywood fixture, connecting visitors to the musical East Tennessee family with popular live performances, including seasonal favorite "My People, My Music" at the park. He began hosting shows at Dollywood in 1986, according to Parton's post. 

Parton is also known for the theater that once bore his name in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. In 2007, he signed a deal worth over $1.5 million yearly to manage and perform in a new theater bearing his name in the Carolina Crossroads entertainment and shopping complex. 

The relationship between Parton and the city soured as the theater struggled to attract customers and questions arose concerning Parton's use of a nearly $3 million fund for personal travel and entertainment. Parton was also questioned by city leaders for unauthorized events held at the theater including a wedding reception for his daughter along with details about who would be marketing the theater. Throughout the controversy, Parton maintained that his actions were within the contract and that the theater would be successful given time. 

Parton's contract with the city was terminated on January 8, 2008, and the theater was renamed the Roanoke Rapids Theater. The city took over the theater and in July 2012 voted to allow electronic gambling to help pay expenses and possibly attract a buyer. 

Randy Parton last appeared on a album in 2020, singing with his sister on "You Are My Christmas." Dolly Parton dedicated the song to her brother, releasing it on her "A Holly Dolly Christmas" record. Randy Parton's daughter, Heidi, who also entertains at Dollywood, joined on the song. It was Randy’s last musical recording. 

Randy Parton died in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina of cancer on January 21, 2021, at age 67. 

(Edited from Wikipedia, The Tennessean, Billboard & Music Row) 

 

Phineas Newborn Jr. born 14 December 1931

Phineas Newborn Jr. (December 14, 1931 – May 26, 1989) was an American jazz pianist, whose principal influences were Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and Bud Powell. 

Newborn was born in Whiteville, Tennessee, and came from a musical family: his father, Phineas Newborn Sr., was a drummer in blues bands, and his younger brother, Calvin, a jazz guitarist. He studied piano as well as trumpet, and tenor and baritone saxophone. 

Before moving on to work with Lionel Hampton, Charles Mingus, and others, Newborn first played in an R&B band led by his father on drums, with his brother Calvin on guitar, Tuff Green on bass, Ben Branch and future Hi Records star Willie Mitchell. The group was the house band at the now famous Plantation Inn Club in West Memphis, Arkansas, from 1947 to 1951, and recorded as B. B. King's band on his first recordings in 1949, as well as the Sun Records sessions in 1950. They left West Memphis in 1951 to tour with Jackie Brenston as the "Delta Cats" in support of the record "Rocket 88", recorded by Sam Phillips and considered by many to be the first ever rock & roll record (it was the first Billboard No. 1 record for Chess Records). 

Among his earliest recordings, from the early 1950s, are those for Sun Records with blues harmonica player Big Walter Horton. From 1956, Newborn began to perform in New York City, recording his first album as a leader in that year, Here Is Phineas for Atlantic Records. His trios and quartets at that time included his brother Calvin on guitar, bassists Oscar Pettiford, George Joyner and drummers Kenny Clarke and Philly Joe Jones. 

                                   

Newborn created enough interest internationally to work as a solo pianist in Stockholm in 1958 and in Rome the following year. He drew much critical acclaim, for both his leonine technique and meticulously artful playing at any tempo. The most often-noted feature of Newborn's playing is fast-tempo parallel improvisation, two octaves apart in the manner of Oscar Peterson, which requires great ambidexterity. 

On March 16, 1960, 29-year-old Newborn replaced Thelonious Monk and performed "It's All Right with Me" on the ABC-TV series Music for a Spring Night. Newborn moved to Los Angeles that year, and recorded a sequence of piano trio albums for the Contemporary label. Critics often noted his playing style as being too technical, and Newborn developed emotional problems as a result. He was admitted to the Camarillo State Mental Hospital for some periods, and suffered a nervous breakdown related to conflicts with a record label during his career. Newborn later sustained a hand injury which hindered his playing. 

Newborn's later work was intermittent due to ongoing health problems. This is most true of the period from the mid-1960s to mid-1970s when he faded from view, underappreciated and under recorded. He made a partial comeback in the late 1970s and early 1980s, although this return ultimately failed to benefit his financial situation. 

He died on May 26, 1989 · Memphis, Tennessee from lung cancer and is buried in Memphis National Cemetery. His work, however, continues to inspire new generations of jazz pianists and he is still renowned among many critics who have rediscovered his genius.According to jazz historian Nat Hentoff, Newborn's deatht spurred the 1989 founding of the Jazz Foundation of America, a group dedicated to helping with the medical bills and other financial needs of retired jazz greats. In the early 1990s the four-player Contemporary Piano Ensemble was formed by pianists Harold Mabern, James Williams, Mulgrew Miller, and Geoff Keezer to pay tribute to Newborn; it recorded two albums and toured internationally. 

Despite his setbacks, many of Newborn's records, such as Phineas' Rainbow, The Great Jazz Piano of Phineas Newborn Jr., and Harlem Blues remain highly regarded. Jazz commentator Scott Yanow referred to Newborn as "one of the most technically skilled and brilliant pianists in jazz." Evidence of his technical prowess can be heard on tracks such as "Sometimes I'm Happy", from the album Look Out – Phineas Is Back!, on which Newborn performs extended, complex, and brisk solos with both hands in unison. Leonard Feather said of him, "In his prime, he was one of the three greatest jazz pianists of all time." Oscar Peterson said, "If I had to choose the best all-around pianist of anyone who's followed me chronologically, unequivocally ... I would say Phineas Newborn, Jr." 

(Edited from Wikipedia & Memphis Music Hall of Fame)

 

Buck White born 13 December 1930

Buck White (December 13, 1930 - January 13, 2025) was a legendary American country and bluegrass musician, patriarch of the Grammy-winning family group The Whites. 

Born in Oklahoma City to Edward Shelton and Lucille White he was raised in Texas, Buck grew up within a rich musical environment. As a young child, he changed his name to Buck to be like the cowboy actor, Buck Jones. He grew up listening to the radio and he loved all genres of music. He enjoyed going to the movies watching Gene Autry and especially Roy Rogers with the Sons of the Pioneers. He began playing piano and mandolin as a teenager, and following high school he performed in various honky tonk country bands in Texas and Oklahoma, and even went on to play back up for some of the greats of that era, such as Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb. 

Sharon, Cheryl, Buck and Pat White

While in Abilene, he met his future brother-in-law, Bob Goza, who introduced him to the love of his life, Patty Goza whom he married in 1952 and moved to Wichita Falls, Texas where he began working as a plumber and playing music on the side. In 1962, Buck and Patty moved the family to the country in Arkansas. For over twenty-five years, his full-time trade was plumbing. In September of 1971, he and his family moved to Nashville and settled in Hendersonville. He continued to work as a plumber several years before finally becoming a full-time musician. 

It’s when Buck White’s daughters Sharon White (born December 17, 1953) and Cheryl White (born January 27, 1955) showed early promise in music that Buck White started to take it more seriously as a career. Buck White and The Down Home Folks formed in 1972 and did well, although Pat retired from the group the following year. Buck recorded a solo album for Sugar Hill in 1979 called More Pretty Girls Than One. But it’s when The Whites formed officially in the early 1980’s as a family band signed to Curb Records that things started to click. 

                                   

The Whites earned multiple Top 10 hits through memorable songs like “Give Me Back That Old Familiar Feeling,” “Pins And Needles,” You Put The Blue In Me,” "If It Ain’t Love (Let’s Leave It Alone),” and “When The New Wears Off of Our Love” among others. Buck White’s mature age didn’t hold the group back at all. It gave The Whites a venerated and wholesome appeal. 

Just as much as Buck White and The Whites are revered for their songs, they’re perhaps best known for their collaborations, as well as their long-standing membership to the Grand Ole Opry, and their countless appearances on the program. The Whites were signed on as Grand Ole Opry members in 1984, and have been Opry mainstays ever since, including Buck White making appearances into his 90s. 

Daughter Sharon White married Ricky Skaggs in 1981, and this commenced a relationship where The Whites would regularly perform in Ricky’s band, and Skaggs would regularly perform with The Whites, including collaborations on songs, albums, and on the Grand Ole Opry regularly. Sharon White and Ricky Skaggs minted the hit song “Love Can’t Ever Get Better Than This” in 1987, and in 2008, The Whites won a Grammy for the album Salt of the Earth in collaboration with Skaggs. 

Buck White and The Whites were nominated numerous times by both the CMA and ACM for Vocal Group of the Year during the ’80s decade. But perhaps their biggest recognition came through their contribution to the Grammy Album of the Year-winning soundtrack to the acclaimed movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou in 2001. Their rendition of “Keep on the Sunny Side” introduced The Whites to an entirely new generation and audience. . They were also part of the accompanying musical event at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, which was released as the documentary film and album Down From the Mountain. 

The Whites are members of the Texas Music Hall of Fame, and celebrated 40 years at the Grand Ole Opry on March 2, 2024. That was Buck’s last official performance. Father and grandfather of The Whites, the oldest member of the Grand Ole Opry, and a grand patriarch of country music passed away peacefully on January 13, 2025, at the age of 94. The group entered a short hiatus after his death, but returned to performing on the Opry in August 2025. 

(Edited from Saving Country Music, Wikipedia & RFD-TV) 

Toshiko Akiyoshi born 12 December 1929

Toshiko Akiyoshi (born 12 December 1929) is a Japanese jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader who has  cemented her place as one of the most important jazz musicians of the twentieth century. 

Toshiko Akiyoshi was born in Darien, Manchuria. Historically an area of China, many world powers fought to control Manchuria during the twentieth century. From 1932-1945, the Japanese held Manchuria under colonial control. At the end of World War II, the Japanese in Manchuria, including Akiyoshi’s family, were forced out. 

The family moved back to occupied Japan, where they experienced the hardships of postwar life. In an interview, Akiyoshi noted that when the family came back, her “parents lost everything.” While Akiyoshi had been able to play piano in Manchuria, her parents were now unable to provide her with an instrument. Since Japan was still under occupation, there were many clubs that catered to both soldiers and the local community. The clubs needed musicians to entertain not only the foreign troops but the Japanese who wanted to dance and listen to music. To keep playing piano, the teenaged Akiyoshi got her first job playing in the clubs and in small combos. By 1951, she was playing piano professionally and leading her own jazz group. 

In 1952, pianist Oscar Peterson discovered Akiyoshi while he was on a Jazz at the Philharmonic tour of Japan. After hearing her play in a Tokyo nightclub, Peterson persuaded producer Norman Granz to record her on his Verve label. This recording became Akiyoshi’s big break. After this opportunity, Akiyoshi came to the United States in 1956 to begin studying at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. With her enrollment, she became the first Japanese musician at the school. 

                                   

In 1959, she moved to New York City and established a reputation as a fine “bebop” (a style of jazz popularized in the 1940s in the U.S.) player. She played in clubs such as Birdland, Village Gate, Five Spot, and Half Note. She remembered facing discrimination in the jazz world because she was a woman and Asian. In an interview, Akiyoshi recalled hearing people ask “’Japanese play jazz, really?’” and, when it came to her being female, she described it as a “‘Really, really?’ kind of thing.’” 

Charlie Mariano

In 1959, she also married her first husband, saxophonist Charlie Mariano; the two formed a quartet. In the 1960s, Akiyoshi continued making her mark on the jazz world. She began showing her talent as a composer-arranger for big bands and worked with Charles Mingus in 1962. 

By 1973, Akiyoshi had moved to Los Angelas with her second husband, saxophonist, and flutist Lew Tabackin. That same year, Akiyoshi formed her first jazz orchestra—the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. Tabackin, who was playing with The Tonight Show band, helped fill the 16-piece orchestra with some of the best studio musicians in town. 

Lew Tabackin

The Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra went on to have great success, winning the DownBeat Critic’s Poll and best jazz album of the year for Long Yellow Road by Stereo Review in 1976. Akiyoshi also began to branch out musically. Since all of the saxophone players could also play flute, Akiyoshi thought she could write a woodwind section for the band. In the 1970s, she also began introducing Japanese themes and instruments into her compositions and arrangements. All became her trademarks. 

In 1982, Akiyoshi and her husband moved back to New York and restarted their band with New York musicians. They continued to enjoy critical success. The band debuted at Carnegie Hall as part of the 1983 Kool Jazz Festival and went on to record 22 albums and receive 14 Grammy nominations. Akiyoshi became the first woman to place first in the Best Arranger and Composer category in the DownBeat Readers’ Poll. Among her other notable honors are the Shijahosho (1999, from the Emperor of Japan); the Japan Foundation Award, Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosetta (2004, from the Emperor of Japan); the Asahi Award (2005, from the Asahi Shimbun newspaper); and NEA Jazz master, American jazz’s highest honor (2007). Her autobiography, Life with Jazz (1996), is in its fifth printing in Japanese. 

In 2003, Akiyoshi disbanded her orchestra to focus on piano. She said in an interview, “it has been 60 years since I discovered jazz and made it my lifetime work. I am so gratified to be recognized for my endeavors especially my infusing of Japanese culture into the jazz world, making it ever more universal.” 

Today in her mid 90’s she is still actively touring with  recent mentions from 2024 and 2025 highlighting her continued presence in the jazz scene. 

(Edited from National Women’s History Museum article)

  

Carole Simpson born circa 1928

Carole Simpson (born c. 1928 – 25 January 2013) was an American pop and jazz musician (vocals, piano). A gorgeous, glamorous blonde, she had an intimate singing style not far from June Christy and a pianistic approach that borrowed most heavily from George Shearing and Erroll Garner. 

Carole Simpson was born in Anna, Illinois, began piano lessons at five, voice lessons at twelve. She started as a piano cocktail singer at Hotel Wisconsin in Milwaukee, until she joined Billy May s band as a featured vocalist in 1950 but never recorded. Then came several long and sometimes weary years of clubbing it around the country, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, never truly deciding whether she preferred singing or playing piano. 

Eventually, she impressed Tutti Camarata when he heard Carole sing and brought her to the attention of Dave Cavanaugh at Capitol Records, who recorded her first album in the summer of 1957 All About Carol, with pop standards such as "Oh! Look at Me Now", "There Will Never Be Another You" and "You Make Me Feel So Young". The arrangers and directors of the studio session were Eddie Cano and Lennie Niehaus. 

                                   

After listening to the album, Steve Allen booked her for his TV show, and in 1960, as soon as he knew Carol s contract with Capitol was over, invited her to record a selection of his compositions for her second LP, Singin' and Swingin' issued on the Tops label. These included  "This Could Be the Start of Something Big," the theme song of Allen's NBC talk show, and "Oh What a Night for Love," a song that was also recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé, and Frances Wayne. 

She married drummer Billy Stafford, with whom she had children. Apparently, motherhood took her out of the full-time club work world, and her musical life revolved more around playing in churches and directing choirs. In that community, she was known as Carolyn Stafford. In 1990, she recorded the live album Live (And Otherwise), a recording from the Vine Street Bar and Grill in Los Angeles. As Carolyn Stafford, she also conducted choirs and sang in churches. Due to a stroke, she no longer performed as a singer in 1999, but as a pianist; among other things, she played on the West Coast with guitarist Skip Heller after the turn of the millennium. As she got older, she played fewer jazz jobs. 

It was Reno where she ended up, and she died there of natural causes on January 25, 2013. There was no obit in the Los Angeles Times, nor was there a big musical tribute at the Musicians Union building just down the street from the big round Capitol Tower where she made her great record. There was a mention on a website that was very light on biographical data. It did mention she passed while under hospice care. 

(Edited from Wikipedia &, All About Jazz)