Illinois Jacquet

Illinois Jacquet | The Illinois Jacquet Foundation | tc187

Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet was born on October 31, 1922. He was a jazz musician who developed the tenor saxophone playing style most closely associated with rock and roll and early rhythm and blues recordings. His father was a band leader and Illinois began playing with bands at the age of 15. He is associated with Lionel Hampton, the Modern Jazz Quartet and Cab Calloway.

Illinois died on July 22, 2004 of a heart attack aged 81. There is a monument to him in Woodlawns, The Bronx, New York.

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The Meditation Singers

Meditation Singers LP cover | Vinyl Beat | tc306 The Meditation Singers, a long running Gospel music group, first recorded in the 1940s and at one time included Della Reese. The group, at the time they were recording for Checker in 1966, were Ernestine Rundless, wjo founded the group, Donna Hammonds, Verlene Rogers, Marie Waters, Patricia Lyles and Victoria Beasley. Ernestine Rundless was born in Egremont, Mississippi on 4 May 1914 and died on 7 February 2007. Donna Hammonds is undocumented. Verlene Rogers died in Las Vegas, Nevada, after a long illness, on 27 August 2020. Marie Waters is undocumented but is known to have been the older sister of singer Della Reese. Patricia Lyles was born in 1943 and died in 1978. Victoria Beasley is undocumented.

Anthony La Mont

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Chuck Berry

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Chess Records 80

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