Jazz trombonist Charles Christian was born in New Orleans on July 25, 1885. Charles was the brother of Emile Christian (trombone and string bass) and Frank Christian (trumpet). Christian worked with his brothers in bands led by Papa Jack Laine and Alfred Laine. He passed away on June 11, 1964.
1899
Jazz cornetist, composer and bandleader Johnny Wiggs was born (Johnny Wigginton Hyman) in New Orleans on July 25, 1899. His early career included stints with Norman Brownlee and Tony Parenti. He later led his own band before leaving music in the early 30's to become an elementary school teacher (one of his students was Pete Fountain). He resumed playing in the late 40's and was a founder of the New Orleans Jazz Club (with Albert Diket, Gilbert Erskine, and Donald Perry). Wiggs died in New Orleans on October 9, 1977. Read more here. See Johnny Wiggs discography. Watch Johnny Wiggs videos on YouTube.
1969
Late poet, activist, and former New Orleans resident (and WWOZ DJ) John Sinclair was found guilty of possession of marijuana (2 reefers) by a jury in Detroit in 1969. Sinclair was subsequently (July 28, 1969) sentenced to a ten year jail term. He was released after serving 29 months, three days after a massive rally demanding his release (attended by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Bobby Seale, Jerry Rubin, and Allen Ginsberg) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Read more about John Sinclair here.
1995
Country music legend Charlie Rich died in his sleep at a Hammond, Louisiana motel on July 25, 1995 at age 62. "The Silver Fox", who was traveling to Florida with his wife, suffered a blood clot in the lungs. The Grammy-winning Arkansas native is best remembered for his 1973 hits "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Most Beautiful Girl".
