Billy Eckstine was one of the most popular singers and bandleaders of his day. As well, he has been held in high regard by musicians for his groundbreaking 1940's bebop big band, of which membership included Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Kenny Dorham, Tadd Dameron, Fats Navarro, Wardell Gray, Dexter Gordon and others. That band was in effect a "finishing school" for musicians who would go on to legendary status themselves. Eckstine was born in Pittsburgh and later attended high school in Washington DC. He was a gifted athlete but an injury curtailed his football...

I want to give some birthday love to one of my favorite figures from the '60s soul scene, the underrated Fontella Bass! Fontella is most remembered for a song that everyone knows but many people think is by Aretha Franklin! "Rescue Me" was a #1 hit in 1965 for Chess Records, their biggest seller since Chuck Berry's mid-'50s reign. Bass was denied songwriting credit, despite her contribution as a co-author. The tune has lasted forever and has been covered many, many times, as well as used in movies, ads, etc. The song was banned from radio by Clear Channel after...

Feliz cumpleaños to the great salsero Cheo Feliciano. Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, his family moved in the '50s to Spanish Harlem. As a teenager he started playing percussion with Tito Rodriguez' orchestra and with Kako's group. As well, he toured as a roadie with Mon Rivera. In 1956 he joined the Joe Cuba Sextet as their baritone-voiced Español-singing counterpart to the velvety English-languaged voice of Jimmy Sabater. The group became hot shit and made several amazing records for Tico and Seeco. In '67 Cheo left the group to join the Eddie Palmieri band. He sang with them until '69,...

An early riot grrl influence and a punk rock icon, Poly Styrene was the front woman for the awesome first-wave British punk band X-Ray Spex. Her powerful voice paired well with the sax of Lora Logic on classics like "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!". Born to a Somali father and Scottish-Irish mother, Marian Joan Elliott-Said was trained in opera but seeing the Sex Pistols on her 19th birthday inspired her to take the punk name "Poly Styrene" and start her band X-Ray Spex. She was also a ska fan from the time. X-Ray Spex may have been short-lived and underdocumented but...

Back when I played a drumkit, it wasn't Tony Allen who was my biggest influence. Nor was it Keith Moon, Mitch Mitchell, Art Blakey or anyone else. It was Rashied Ali! Someone once asked if a recording that was being played had Rashied on drums, and I was thrilled to tell him that it was actually me! But never in a million years could I match Ali in chops but I certainly dug his polytonal expression and unique waves of sound on the kit. Most famous for being John Coltrane's last drummer (and for the duo album they did together,...