Rosalie Allen, a disc jockey known as the “queen of the yodelers,” died on Sept. 23 from congestive heart failure. She was 79.
Allen taught herself to sing and play her brother’s guitar as a child. During World War II, she earned $15 a week as a professional yodeler. When she moved to New York and landed a job on the “Swing Billies” radio show, her pay increased to $300 a week.
In 1944, Allen took a brief break from singing to become one of the first female disc jockeys. Her half-hour program, “Prairie Stars” on WOV in New York was so popular that Country Music magazine named her the most famous country music personality in Manhattan. She also produced her own local television show on NBC, and opened one of New York’s first country music record stores, the Rosalie Allen’s Hillbilly Music Center.
Allen returned to singing in the late 1940s, performed at Carnegie Hall and recorded several hits, including “I Wanna Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” and “Guitar Polka.” In 1999, she became the first woman inducted into the Country Radio Broadcasters: Country DJ Hall of Fame.
Categotry Archives: Musicians
Arthur Berger
Categories: Education, Media, Musicians, Writers/Editors
Arthur Berger, a composer, teacher and critic, died on Oct. 7 of heart failure. He was 91.
Berger studied music at New York University and Harvard University, then moved to Paris to train with Nadia Boulanger and at the Sorbonne. When he returned to the states, Berger spent a decade working as a music writer for The New York Sun and The New York Herald Tribune.
During the 1940s, he received recognition for his own neo-classical compositions. Although he mostly wrote pieces for piano and chamber ensembles, Berger’s “Ideas of Order” debuted in 1952 in a performance of the New York Philharmonic. The following year, Berger moved to Boston and took a teaching job at Brandeis University, where he remained for more than a quarter of a century. The composer then spent the next two decades teaching at the New England Conservatory.
His book, “Reflections of an American Composer,” was published last year to mark his 90th birthday.
Anne Ziegler
Categories: Musicians
Anne Ziegler, who was half of one of Britain’s most popular singing acts during World War II, died Oct. 13. Cause of death was not released. She was 93.
Born Irene Frances Eastwood in Liverpool, Ziegler trained as a classical pianist and singer. She changed her name, appeared in the musical, “Virginia,” in New York and landed a role in the 1938 movie, “Faust.” During the filming, the beautiful soprano met and married tenor Webster Booth. Together they formed a popular singing team and toured Britain performing popular ballads including, “Only a Rose” and “We’ll Gather Lilacs.”
When British tastes in music changed, the couple moved to South Africa so they could remain faithful to their original sound. Ziegler and Booth returned to Wales in 1978, where they taught singing and occasionally made public appearances.
J.D. Kimball
Categories: Musicians
J.D. Kimball, the former lead singer of the 1980s heavy metal band, Omen, died on Oct. 3 from cancer. His age was not released.
Omen was formed in 1983 by guitarist Kenny Powell. Kimball signed on as Omen’s lead singer, recorded four albums, then left the band in 1987. He was replaced by Coburn Pharr.
“He was a great writer, one of the true innovators in the early years of power metal. I am extremely proud of the records that we did together, ‘Battle Cry,’ ‘Warning of Danger,’ ‘Nightmares’ and ‘The Curse.’ I hope everyone will remember J.D. for all of his truly great contributions to the world of heavy metal,” Powell said.
Paul Burlison
Categories: Musicians
David Paul Burlison, a rock guitarist who inspired many of the world’s best musicians, died on Sept. 27 of cancer. He was 74.
When Burlison’s family moved to Memphis in 1937, he developed a passion for music. At eight, he taught himself how to play the guitar, and eventually built his own homemade electric guitar. Burlison dropped out of high school, learned how to box, did a stint in the Navy then played with several hillbilly bands. In 1953, he teamed up with Johnny and Dorsey Burnette to form the Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio. The group produced more than a dozen records, including the rockabilly hits “Tear It Up,” “Honey Hush,” “Lonesome Train” and “Rock Therapy.”
Burlison’s impact on rock ‘n’ roll became apparent in the 1960s and 1970s. The Yardbirds, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith all played cover versions of his songs, which were known for their memorable guitar riffs and a primitive buzz sound.
For the past 20 years, Burlison has performed with the Sun Rhythm Section. He recently recorded the album, “Rock-A-Billy Country,” with W.S. “Fluke” Holland and Jerry Lee “Smoochy” Smith.
Richard Robbins
Richard Robbins, a lawyer with a love of singing, died on Sept. 10 from a stroke. He was 69.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Robbins earned a law degree from the University of Wisconsin. He played piccolo in the school’s marching band and sang with the barbershop quartet, Treble Shooters.
Robbins then moved to Chicago where he worked as a patent attorney and sang with several quartets, including the Windy City Four, Harmony First, the Ragtimers and the Good Old Days. In 1969, he won the Award for Barbershopping Excellence.
Joel Johnson
Joel Johnson, a Minnesota radio personality, died on Oct. 2 from a massive brain hemorrhage. He was 55.
Johnson was born and raised in Minneapolis. A rhythm guitarist, he moved to the city’s west bank in the 1960s and became the songwriter and band leader of the Joel Johnson Band. The group released three albums — “City Music,” “Turnin’ Heads” and “Blue Diamonds w/Grana’ Louise.” On Mondays and Tuesdays, Johnson hosted an acoustic set at Big Daddy’s BBQ in St. Paul.
For the past 20 years, Johnson has hosted the “Lazy Bill Lucas Show” on KFAI FM in Minneapolis-St. Paul. In 2003, City Pages named him the Best Radio Personality on the FM dial.
Matthew Jay
Categories: Musicians
Matthew Jay, a rising British singer/songwriter, died on Sept. 24 after falling out of a seventh-story window in London. He was 24.
“His act would appear to have been an impulsive gesture following a professionally difficult year and perhaps, a difficult day,” said a statement from his record company, EMI.
Raised by folk musicians, Jay joined the family band when he was a child and started writing his own songs at 15. He released the demo, “Four Songs,” in January 2000 and another CD titled, “Friendly Fire,” six months later. Both were supported by local appearances.
Jay was signed by EMI, and released his debut album, “Draw,” in 2001. It was a critical success and lead to tours with Dido, Starsailor and Stereophonics.
Jay had recently enrolled for college. He left no suicide note.