Jazz and blues sax and clarinet player Oliver Alcorn (Oliver E. Alcorn Sr.) was born in New Orleans on August 3, 1910. Oliver, the brother of late New Orleans trumpet great Alvin Alcorn, worked with Oscar "Papa" Celestin's Original Tuxedo Jazz Orchestra, Clarence Desdunes, George McCullum Jr., Lee Collins, Chris Kelly, Little Brother Montgomery, Sunnyland Slim, and others. He passed away on on March 18, 1981. See recording credits. Listen to Oliver Alcorn music on YouTube.
1916
Radio announcer Horace Logan (aka Hoss Logan) was born in Mer Rouge, Louisiana on August 3, 1916. Logan, a DJ for Shreveport radio station KWKH, founded the Louisiana Hayride in 1948. The show helped launch the careers of future stars including Hank Williams, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, Faron Young, and Elvis Presley. Logan coined the catchphrase "Elvis has left the building" after Presley's last appearance on the Hayride (audio). He passed away on October 13, 2002 at age 86. Read more here.
1946
Cajun musician, songwriter and accordion instructor August Broussard was born (August Wilson Broussard) in Westlake, Louisiana on August 3, 1946. Broussard was inducted into the Cajun French Music Association Hall of Fame in 1995. He passed away on October 11, 2022 at age 76. Read more here and here. See August Broussard discography. Watch August Broussard videos on YouTube.
1955
Acclaimed jazz and world music percussionist Hamid Drake (Henry Lawrence Drake) was born in Monroe, Louisiana on August 3, 1955. He was worked with Fred Anderson, Don Cherry, Herbie Hancock, Bill Laswell, Pharoah Sanders, and many other jazz, improv, and world music artists. Read more here and here. See Hamid Drake recording credits. Watch Hamid Drake videos on YouTube.
1999
Harry Connick Jr. was the musical guest on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" on August 3, 1999. Harry and his big band performed "Come by Me". Watch the video here.
2004
Hot Eight Brass Band trombone player Joseph "Shotgun Joe" Williams was shot and killed by New Orleans police in controversial circumstances on August 3, 2004. He was just 22 years old. This is one of several tragedies the group has suffered since their founding in 1996. Read more here. Joe's death was the inspiration for the Stooges Brass Band song "Why Dey Had to Kill Him?".
2005
Singer and songwriter Lucinda Williams was the musical guest on "Late Show with David Letterman" on August 3, 2005. She performed "Changed the Locks" to promote the album "Live at the Fillmore". Watch the video here.
The Wild Magnolias were featured in a concert performance at The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage in Washington, D.C on August 3, 2013. Watch the performance here.
