Celebrating Birthdays! Antônio Carlos Jobim, Etta James, and Benny Golson

Antônio Carlos Jobim (born January 25, 1927, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—died December 8, 1994, in New York, NY) Considered one of the great exponents of Brazilian music, Jobim internationalized bossa nova and, with the help of important American artists, merged it with jazz in the 1960s to create a new sound, with popular success. As a result, he is sometimes known as the “father of bossa nova”.

Although he was known primarily for “The Girl from Ipanema” and “Desafinado,” Mr. Jobim, by his estimate, wrote some 400 songs, including “One Note Samba,” “How Insensitive,” “Wave,” “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars,” “Meditation,” “No More Blues” and “Dindi.”

Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as “The Wallflower”, “At Last”, “Tell Mama”, “Something’s Got a Hold on Me”, and “I’d Rather Go Blind.”

She turned “I’d Rather Go Blind” into a blues standard that’s been covered by such artists as B.B. King, Rod Stewart, and Dua Lipa. Her 1968 comeback single, “Tell Mama,” was one her biggest hits, inspiring the vocal style of Janis Joplin, who covered it in her live shows.

Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He began playing the saxophone at the age of 14. After studying at Howard University, he joined Bull Moose Jackson’s band in 1951 and then Tadd Dameron’s band in 1953.

Golson joined the bands of Lionel Hampton, Johnny Hodges, Earl Bostic, Dizzy Gillespie, then Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers with whom he recorded the famous “Moanin” album in 1958. Within the group he developed his talents as a composer and later wrote many songs that would become jazz standards: “Along Came Betty,” “I Remember Clifford,” “Killer Joe,” and “Whisper Note”…he then formed a hard bop band with trumpet player Art Farmer: Jazztet.

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