July 17

 

Jazz lost its most haunting voice on this day in 1959 when Billie Holiday died in a New York City hospital from cirrhosis at just 44, ending the troubled life of the woman who gave us "Strange Fruit" and "God Bless the Child."…

 

The world of jazz mourned another giant today in 1967 when John Coltrane succumbed to liver cancer at 40 at Huntington Hospital on Long Island, silencing the innovative saxophonist who revolutionized modern jazz…

 

Rock management history lost a key figure today in 1996 when Chas Chandler died at 57 from an aortic aneurysm, the former Animals bassist who discovered Jimi Hendrix and brought him to international fame…

 

We remember Spencer Davis on his birthday today in 1939, the Welsh musician who formed the Spencer Davis Group and gave a young Steve Winwood his first taste of stardom before his passing in 2020…

 

Singer-songwriter Nicolette Larson was born on this day in 1952, the vocalist who would become known for her hit "Lotta Love" and collaborations with Neil Young before her untimely death in 1997…

 

The music world lost half of a beloved duo today in 2009 when Gordon Waller of Peter and Gordon died of a heart attack at 64, ending the life of the singer who helped create hits like "A World Without Love."…

 

Jazz-pop vocalist Phoebe Snow entered the world today in 1952, the distinctive singer who would captivate audiences with "Poetry Man" and her remarkable vocal range before her death in 2011.