Music

We remember the world best known player of the mouth organ, Larry Adler. He died recently at the age of 87. He got started on vaudeville, and went on to perform with Fred Astaire, George Gershwin, Jack Benny and many others. When George Gershwin first heard Adler play Rhapsody in Blue on the mouth-organ he said, "It sounds as if the goddamned thing was written for you." Adler also played classical music and performed with a number of symphony orchestras. Adler moved to England after being blacklisted during the McCarthy hearings.

The founder of the Mamas and the Papas, John Phillips. He died of heart failure on Sunday. He was 65. Phillips was the principal songwriter for the pop group which had a string of hits from 1966 to 1968 when the group broke up. Their hits included Monday, Monday, California Dreamin, I Saw Her Again Last Night and others.

Curtis Mayfield, the great soul singer and songwriter, died yesterday at the age of 57. We'll remember him with a 1993 interview. (3/23/1993)

We remember Tex-Mex rocker Doug Sahm. For many, he was best known for his stint with the Sir Douglas Quintet, a group of Texans and Mexicans who were packaged to look like a British Invasion band. Sahm had played a variety of styles since, including Tex-Mex, blues, rhythm and blues, rock. Sahm died last week. (Rebroadcast from 9/7/89)

Donald Mills, the last surviving member of the singing group, The Mills Brothers, died on Saturday. He was 84 years old. The group was knwon for their harmonies, and their hits included "Up the Lazy River," and "Glow Worm." (REBROADCAST from July 1985).

Singer Mel Torme died Saturday at age 73 of complications from a stroke. We'll hear an interview Terry Gross did with Mel in 1988. For more than 50 years, Torme was one of most accomplished and versatile pop and jazz singers. Known for years as "The Velvet Fog," Born Melvin Howard Torme to Russian-Jewish immigrants in Chicago on Sept. 13, 1925, Torme first made his reputation in the Big Band era as a songwriter, arranger, drummer and singer. He later sang in MGM musicals.

Vee, who died Monday, had 38 hit singles including, "Take Good Care of My Baby." During a 1999 Fresh Air interview, Vee explained how the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly got him started in music.

We remember bluesman, songwriter and pianist Charles Brown. He died yesterday from congestive heart failure. (REBROADCAST from 6/22/89)

We remember Jeff Moss, one of the original creators and writers of "Sesame Street." He died Thursday, at the age of 56, from colon cancer. Moss created Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch, and wrote such songs as "Rubber Ducky" and "People in Your Neighborhood." He won 14 Emmy's, four Grammy's, and an Acacdemy Award nomination for his work on "Sesame Street" and with the Muppets. Moss was also the author of books for children, including "Hieronymus White: A Bird Who Believed That He Always Was Right" (REBROADCAST from 11/30/94)

Adams died Monday at the age of 67. We present a rebradcast of an interview with Adams that took place in December of 1997. He was one of songwriter Doc Pomus' favorite singers. He recorded a collection of Doc Pomus songs, "Johnny Adams sings Doc Pomus: The Real Me." His most recent album is "Man of My Word," released in August (Rounder). Adams died of cancer. (Originally aired 12/12/97)