December 11
Soul music lost one of its greatest voices today in 1964 when Sam Cooke was shot dead at the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles by motel manager Bertha Franklin in what was ruled justifiable homicide, though questions about the circumstances of the 33-year-old's death have persisted for six decades… Rock and roll's most scandalous marriage occurred on this day in 1957 when 22-year-old Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13-year-old cousin once removed Myra Gale Brown, the revelation destroying his career in America when it became public and overshadowing his musical genius for years… We remember blues pioneer Big Mama Thornton on her birthday today in 1926, the powerful vocalist whose original versions of "Hound Dog" and "Ball and Chain" would be covered by Elvis Presley and Janis Joplin respectively, though Thornton never received the fame or fortune she deserved before her death in 1984… Soft rock's melodic craftsman David Gates celebrates his...
