WNathaniel Carlyle Adderley was an American jazz trumpeter. He was the younger brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, whom he supported and played with for many years.
WOrvon Grover "Gene" Autry, nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, and rodeo performer who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades beginning in the early 1930s. Autry was the owner of a television station, several radio stations in Southern California, and the Los Angeles/California Angels Major League Baseball team from 1961 to 1997.
WThe Blossoms are an American girl-group that originated from California. During their height of success in the 1960s, the group's lineup most famously consisted of Darlene Love, Fanita James, and Jean King.
WThe Champs are an American rock and roll band, most famous for their Latin-tinged instrumental "Tequila". The group took their name from that of Gene Autry's horse, Champion, and was formed by studio executives at Autry's Challenge Records to record a B-side for the Dave Burgess single, "Train to Nowhere". The intended throwaway track became more famous than its A-side, as "Tequila" went to No. 1 in just three weeks, and the band became the first group to go to the top spot with an instrumental that was their first release. The song was recorded at Gold Star Studios in fall 1957, and in 1959 won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.
WBenjamin Sherman Crothers, known professionally as Scatman Crothers, was an American actor and musician. He is known for playing Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show Chico and the Man and Dick Hallorann in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980). He was also a prolific voice-over actor who provided the voices of Meadowlark Lemon in the Harlem Globetrotters animated TV series, Jazz the Autobot in The Transformers and The Transformers: The Movie (1986), the title character in Hong Kong Phooey, and Scat Cat in the animated film The Aristocats (1970).
WJohn Kenneth Davern was an American jazz clarinetist.
WRiccardo Del Fra is an Italian jazz double-bassist, bandleader, composer, and arranger.
WGilbert Leroy "Buddy" Dial was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Rice University.
WGeorge Michael Dolenz Jr. is an American actor, musician, television director, radio personality and theater director, best known as a vocalist and drummer of the 1960s pop-rock band the Monkees.
WDon Durant was an American actor and singer, best known for his role as the gunslinger-turned-sheriff in the CBS Western series Johnny Ringo, which ran on Thursdays from October 1, 1959 to June 30, 1960.
WDonna Fargo is an American country singer-songwriter known for a series of Top 10 country hits in the 1970s. These include "The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA" (1972) and "Funny Face (1972)," both of which became crossover pop hits.
WMary Ford was an American vocalist and guitarist, comprising half of the husband-and-wife musical team Les Paul and Mary Ford. Between 1950 and 1954, the couple had 16 top-ten hits, including "How High the Moon" and "Vaya con Dios", which were number one hits on the Billboard charts. In 1951 alone they sold six million records. With Paul, Ford became one of the early practitioners of multi-tracking.
WFrank Benjamin Foster III was an American tenor and soprano saxophonist, flautist, arranger, and composer. Foster collaborated frequently with Count Basie and worked as a bandleader from the early 1950s. In 1998, Howard University awarded Frank Foster with the Benny Golson Jazz Master Award.
WNathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren is an American actress, animal rights activist, and former fashion model. She achieved worldwide recognition for her work in two of Alfred Hitchcock’s classics: The Birds (1963) and Marnie (1964). She is recognised as one of the most famous ‘Hitchcock Blondes’ and is now one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.
WRolan Webster Holden was an American pop and rhythm and blues singer from Seattle, Washington, United States. He appeared on The Lloyd Thaxton Show, Mike Douglas Show, American Bandstand and The Dick Clark Show. He performed at the Apollo Theater with artists Jackie Wilson, the Crests and Redd Foxx. Most notable were USO tour-stops with Elvis Presley, Pat Boone and Connie Francis.
WJan Howard was an American author, country music singer and songwriter. As a singer, she placed 30 singles on the Billboard country songs chart, was a Grand Ole Opry member and was nominated for several major awards. As a writer, she wrote poems and published an autobiography. Additionally, she was married to American country songwriter Harlan Howard.
WJan and Dean was an American rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence. In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf music styles popularized by the Beach Boys.
WThe Knickerbockers were an American rock band, formed in Bergenfield, New Jersey, United States, in 1964. They were best remembered for their 1965 Beatles sound-alike hit single "Lies".
WAlbert Mangelsdorff was a German jazz trombonist. Working mainly in free jazz, he was an innovator in multiphonics.
WWillie Hugh Nelson is an American musician, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger (1975) and Stardust (1978), made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music. He was one of the main figures of outlaw country, a subgenre of country music that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.
WCarson Wayne Newton is an American singer and actor. One of the best-known entertainers in Las Vegas, he is known by the nicknames The Midnight Idol, Mr. Las Vegas and Mr. Entertainment. His well known songs include 1972's "Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast", "Years" (1980), and his vocal version of "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" (1965). His signature song "Danke Schoen" (1963) was notably used in the score for Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).
WJohn Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli was an American jazz guitarist.
WSeals and Crofts were an American soft rock duo made up of James Eugene "Jim" Seals and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts. They are best known for their hits "Summer Breeze" (1972), "Diamond Girl" (1973), and "Get Closer" (1976), each of which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Both members have long been public advocates of the Baháʼí Faith. Though the duo disbanded in 1980, they reunited briefly in 1991–1992, and again in 2004, when they released their final album, Traces.
WMarilyn Jeanne Seely is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She also has several acting credits and published a book. Seely found success with the Grammy Award-winning hit "Don't Touch Me" (1966). The song reached the No.2 position on the Billboard country songs chart and is her highest-charting single as a solo artist. Her soul-inspired vocal delivery was praised by music professionals, who gave her the nickname of "Miss Country Soul". Seely is also known for her membership and presence on the Grand Ole Opry, where she has been active for over 50 years.
WWinford Lindsey Stewart, better known as Wynn Stewart, was an American country music performer. He was one of the progenitors of the Bakersfield sound. Although not a huge chart success, he was an inspiration to such greats as Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Nick Lowe.
WJustin Wayne Tubb was an American country music singer and songwriter. Born in San Antonio, Texas, United States, he was the oldest son of country singer Ernest Tubb, known for popular songs like "Walking the Floor Over You".
WVincent Eugene Craddock, known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-a-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He is sometimes referred to by his somewhat unusual nickname/moniker The Screaming End.
WNoel Scott Engel better known by the stage name Scott Walker, was a British-American singer-songwriter, composer and record producer who resided in England. Walker was known for his baritone voice and an unorthodox career path which took him from 1960s teen pop icon to 21st-century avant-garde musician. Walker's success was largely in the United Kingdom, where his first four solo albums reached the top ten. He lived in the UK from 1965 and became a UK citizen in 1970.
WGerald Foster Wiggins, Sr. was an American jazz pianist and organist.