mick laBriola

William Smith Monroe (September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, and created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the “Father of Bluegrass“.

The genre takes its name from his band, the Blue Grass Boys, who named their group for the bluegrass of Monroe’s home state of Kentucky. He described the genre as “Scottish bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin’. It’s Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It’s blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound.”

Monroe was born on his family’s farm near Rosine, Kentucky, the youngest of eight children of James Buchanan “Buck” and Malissa (Vandiver) Monroe. His mother and her brother, James Pendleton “Pen” Vandiver, were both musically talented, and Monroe and his family grew up playing and singing at home.

Bill was of Scottish and English heritage. Because his older brothers Birch and Charliealready played the fiddle and guitar, Bill was resigned to playing the less desirable mandolin. He recalled that his brothers insisted that he remove four of the mandolin’s eight strings so he would not play too loudly.

Leon Brown “Chu” Berry (September 13, 1908 – October 30, 1941 Wheeling, WV) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist during the 1930s. He is perhaps best known for his time as a member of singer Cab Calloway‘s big band.

According to music critic Gary Giddins, musicians called him “Chu” either because he chewed on the mouthpiece of his saxophone or because he had a Fu Manchu mustache. Berry died at 33 on October 30, 1941, in Conneaut, Ohio, after being in a car accident.

Whereas the Verdiales is a lively folk dance associated with violins and tambourines, the Abandolao is traditonally a slower song accompanied on the guitar. In fact, abandolao means “to the guitar,” bandola being a regional synonym for ‘guitar.’ The form is also known as Fandango Abandolao. The Abandolao is essentially a slow Verdiales, the underlying compás a three count pattern in which the second beat is accented and the first beat is silent or accented softly with the foot. As with the verdiales, the introduction and interludes in the abandolao are in a phrygian mode ending with the characteristic G-F#-F-E cadence. The verses are in the major mode. 

Maria Muldaur (born Maria Grazia Rosa Domenica D’Amato; September 12, 1942) is an American folk and blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s. She recorded the 1973 hit song “Midnight at the Oasis” and has recorded albums in the folk, blues, early jazz, gospel, country, and R&Btraditions.

She was the wife of musician Geoff Muldaur and is the mother of singer-songwriter Jenni Muldaur.

“Papa” John DeFrancesco (September 12, 1940 – June 25, 2024) was an American jazz organist and vocalist, and father of Joey DeFrancesco and Johnny DeFrancesco. DeFrancesco died on June 25, 2024, at the age of 83.

The dark Horsehead Nebula and the glowing Orion Nebula are contrasting cosmic vistas. Adrift 1,500 light-years away in one of the night sky’s most recognizable constellations, they appear in opposite corners of the abovestunning mosaic. The familiar Horsehead nebula appears as a dark cloud, a small silhouette notched against the long glow of hydrogen — here shown in gold — at the lower left. Alnitak is the easternmost star in Orion’s belt and is seen as the bright star to the left of the Horsehead. Just below Alnitak is the Flame Nebula, with clouds of bright emission and dramatic dark dust lanes. The magnificent emission region, the Orion Nebula (aka M42), lies at the upper right. Immediately to its left is a prominent reflection nebula sometimes called the Running Man. Pervasive tendrils of glowing hydrogen gas are easily traced throughout the region.

Mickey Hart (born Michael Steven Hartman, September 11, 1943 Brooklyn, NY) is an American percussionist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until February 1971, and again from October 1974 until their final show in July 1995. He and fellow Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann earned the nickname “the rhythm devils“.

Leo Kottke (born September 11, 1945) is an American acoustic guitarist. He is known for a fingerpicking style that draws on blues, jazz, and folk music, and for syncopated, polyphonic melodies. He has overcome a series of personal obstacles, including partial loss of hearing and a nearly career-ending bout with tendon damage in his right hand, to emerge as a widely recognized master of his instrument. He resides in the Minneapolis area with his family.

Focusing primarily on instrumental composition and playing, Kottke also sings sporadically, in an unconventional yet expressive baritone described by himself as sounding like “geese farts on a muggy day”. In concert, Kottke intersperses humorous and often bizarre monologues with vocal and instrumental selections from throughout his career, played solo on six and twelve string guitars.

Victor Lemonte Wooten (born September 11, 1964 Mountain Home, ID) is an American bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He has been the bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones since the group’s formation in 1988 and a member of the band SMV with two other bassists, Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller. From 2017 to 2019 he recorded as the bassist for the metal band Nitro.

He owns Vix Records, which releases his albums. He wrote the novel The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music. He later released the book’s sequel, The Spirit of Music: The Lesson Continues, on February 2, 2021.

Wooten is the recipient of five Grammy Awards. He won the Bass Player of the Year award from Bass Player magazine three times and is the first person to win the award more than once. In 2011, he was ranked No. 10 in the Top 10 Bassists of All Time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine.

In 2018–2019 Wooten was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition called focal dystonia in his hands and upper body, which had been limiting his ability to play in previous years, but has since abated somewhat.

Roosevelt “Baby Face” Willette (September 11, 1933 – April 1, 1971) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician who played the Hammond organ.

He was born Roosevelt James Willett (no “e”), in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1933 according to researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc, though other sources state 1934 or 1937. According to the liner notes on his first Blue Note album, Grant’s First Stand, Willette was born in New Orleans.

His mother was a missionary who played the piano in the church where his father was a minister. As a result, his musical roots were in gospel. Willette became involved in music by playing the piano for various gospel groups, and accompanied his sisters Dorothy and Georgia, who toured and recorded as the Willett Sisters. He spent his early career travelling across the United States, Canada and Cuba, as pianist with the bands of King Kolax, Joe Houston, Johnny Otis and Big Jay McNeely, among others.

He made his first recording as Baby Face Willette (“Wake Up, Get Out” b/w “Cool Blues”) in Los Angeles in 1952, but soon moved to Chicago and married. He recorded tracks including “Can’t Keep From Lovin’ You” and “Why” for Vee-Jay Records that year, but they were not released until late 1955. He played in both rhythm and blues and jazz bands, playing piano before switching to organ around 1958. His organ playing was inspired by Jimmy Smith‘s work, though Willette’s style is more heavily influenced by gospel, blues and soul jazz than Smith’s. Willette was also a professional hairdresser. Before his time in New York City, he was based out of Milwaukee, playing with his vocalist wife Jo Gibson at clubs such as The Flame Club, The Pelican Club, The Moonglow and Max’s among others.