Cornet king and jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden was born (Charles Joseph Bolden) at 319 Howard Street in New Orleans on September 6, 1877. Bolden is considered by many as the originator of jazz. He formed his first band circa 1895, playing at dances, funerals and parades. A powerful player, he was dubbed "the blowingest man since Gabriel" by Jelly Roll Morton. Bolden began showing signs of mental illness in 1906, and was committed to a mental hospital the following year. He remained institutionalized until his death in 1931. Read more here. Check out these books on Buddy Bolden.
1933
Noted bluegrass mandolin picker and songwriter Buzz Busby was born (Bernarr Busbice) in Eros, LA on September 6, 1933. Busby hosted the Hayloft Hoedown television show in Washington DC in the mid-fifties (he was in the FBI before pursuing music fulltime), and later returned to the Bayou State to perform on the Louisiana Hayride radio show. Busby, known as the 'Father of Washington DC Bluegrass Music', died of heart failure on January 5, 2003 at age 69. See Buzz Busby discography. Watch Buzz Busby videos on YouTube.
1953
Baton Rouge blues drummer Lester "Pick" Delmore was born in New Orleans on September 6, 1953. Delmore played with Larry Garner's band, and recorded with Clarence Edwards. See Lester "Pick" Delmore discography.
1985
Rapper Webbie was born (Webster Gradney, Jr.) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on September 6, 1985. His 2005 single "Give Me That" was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2006. He is a frequent collaborator with fellow Baton Rouge native Boosie Badazz (aka Lil Boosie). See Webbie discography. Watch Webbie videos on YouTube.
1985
Pianist and vocalist Little Brother Montgomery (Eurreal Wilford Montgomery) passed away in Chicago on September 6, 1985 at age 79. The Kentwood, Louisiana native worked with Kid Ory, Memphis Minnie, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, Buddy Guy, and others. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013. Read more here. See Little Brother Montgomery discography. Listen to Little Brother Montgomery music on YouTube. See discography. Watch videos on YouTube.
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1995
Bruce Hornsby and Branford Marsalis performed the National Anthem before an Orioles and Angels baseball game at Oriole Park in Baltimore on September 6, 1995 (video). The game was significant as it was Cal Ripken, Jr.'s 2,131st consecutive game, breaking a record established by Lou Gehrig in 1939. Ripken's streak extended to 2,632 games before he finally decided to take a day off in 1998.
2000
New Orleans R&B legend Huey "Piano" Smith was among the honorees at the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's 11th annual Pioneer Awards held in New York on September 6, 2000. Smith, making an extremely rare public appearance, was introduced by another local R&B legend, Lloyd Price. Smith also treated the crowd to a performance of his hits "Rockin' Pneumonia and The Boogie Woogie Flu" and "Sea Cruise". Read more here and here. See other Pioneer Award winners from Louisiana here.
2001
The 2001 MTV Video Music Awards aired live from New York City on September 6, 2001. Highlights included Britney Spears performing "I'm A Slave 4 U", while dancing with an albino Burmese python. The big winner at the event was Fatboy Slim. His "Weapon of Choice" video, featuring Christopher Walken, picked up 6 awards.
