Jimi Hendrix (1942 - 1970)

James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. […]

Jimmie Dodd (1910 - 1964)

Jimmie Dodd had some early film roles in The Three Mesquiteers series of westerns. Coincidentally, he performed in two unrelated series whose names were plays on “musketeers”. He made his first screen appearance in the 1940 William Holden film Those Were the Days! in a minor role. He also appeared in many theatrical films in […]

Jimmie W. Dodd (1910 - 1964)

Actor and songwriter. Host of The Mickey Mouse Club. He was the leader of the Mouseketeers, as well as the writer of the show’s theme song, The Mickey Mouse Club March. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouse:  Ruth Geneva Wolfenden Dodd Braun (1909 – 1992)* *Calculated relationshipCause of death: Cancer

Jimmy Aubrey (1887 - 1983)

Actor. Born in England, he is the son of Robert Aubrey, the US born gymnast. He was a member of the Fred Karno traveling variety troupe and other alumni of the Karno group were Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel. Jimmy moved to the United States around 1908.  An early understudy of Charlie Chaplin, he later […]

Jimmy Bangley (1956 - 2004)

Actor. His most memorable acting role was in the 2001 Faye Dunaway directed film “Yellow Bird” but he was more widely recognized for numerous television appearances and magazine articles on the history of the film industry. He was working on a book about the life of silent film star Barbara LaMarr when he died suddenly […]

Jimmy Blanton (1918 - 1942)

Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Jimmy Blanton originally learned to play the violin, but took up the bass while at Tennessee State University, performing with the Tennessee State Collegians from 1936 to 1937, and during the vacations with Fate Marable. After leaving university to play full-time in St Louis with the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra (with whom he […]

Jimmy Dean (1928 - 2010)

Dean was born in Plainview, Texas, in 1928 the son of George Otto Dean, and his second wife Ruth (née Taylor) Dean. He attributed his interest in music to the Seth Ward Baptist Church. He dropped out of high school and became a professional entertainer after a stint in the Air Force in the late […]

Jimmy Durante (1893 - 1980)

By the mid-1920s, Jimmy Durante had become a vaudeville star and radio personality in a trio called Clayton, Jackson and Durante. Lou Clayton and Eddie Jackson, Durante’s closest friends, often reunited with Durante in subsequent years. Jackson and Durante appeared in the Cole Porter musical The New Yorkers, which opened on Broadway on December 8, […]

Jimmy Ellis (1940 - 2014)

He was born one of ten children. Father Walter was a Pastor and Jimmy grew up a devout christian. As a teenager Ellis worked in a cement finishing factory. He also had an interest in music and became a good singer in the local Church choir, years later wife Mary would join him. He continued […]

Jimmy Ernst (1920 - 1984)

Rebel Artist. Son of surrealist artist, Max Ernst.  Family links:  Spouse:  Edith Dallas Bauman Ernst (1923 – 2011)* *Calculated relationship

Jimmy Hatlo (1898 - 1963)

Cartoonist. He is best remembered for his cartoon strip “They’ll Do It Every Time” that ran from 1929 until his death in 1963. Born James Cecil Hatlow, his father was a printer who immigrated from the Orkney Islands of Scotland. His family moved to Los Angeles, California when he was a young boy and growing […]

Jimmy Hoffa (1913 - 1975)

Jimmy Hoffa The FBI’s confirmation last week that it was looking at a spot near a New Jersey landfill as the possible burial site of former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa is the latest development in a search that began when he disappeared in 1975. Fox News confirmed last week that the FBI obtained a search […]

Jimmy Hoffa (1913 - 1982)

Hoffa was born in Brazil, Indiana, to Indiana natives John and Viola (née Riddle) Hoffa. His ancestors were Pennsylvania Dutch. His father died in 1920 when Hoffa was seven years old, and the family moved to Detroit in 1924, where Hoffa was raised and lived the rest of his life. Hoffa left school at age […]

Jimmy Jewel (1909 - 1995)

The son of a comedian and actor who also used the stage name Jimmy Jewel, the youngster made his stage debut in Robinson Crusoe in Barnsley, at the age of four, performed with his father from the age of 10 and subsequently became stage manager for the family show.  When young Jimmy started his own […]

Jimmy MacDonald (1906 - 1991)

He was born in the family home at 268 West Street Crewe, Cheshire on May 19, 1906. His parents were Richard William MacDonald and Minnie Hall. The family emigrated to America when MacDonald was six months old. They travelled via the SS Haverford from Liverpool, England, arriving in Pennsylvania 15 days later.  As a young […]

Jimmy Martin (1927 - 2005)

Jimmy Martin Beginning in 1949 Martin was lead vocalist for Bill Monroe‘s “Bluegrass Boys,”. Martin’s high voice mixed with Monroe’s tenor came to be known as the “high lonesome” sound. His influence radically changed Monroe’s music from the fast-paced but smooth style of the “original” 1945 band with Flatt and Scruggs. Martin challenged Monroe to […]

Jimmy McHugh (1894 - 1969)

Jimmy McHugh began his career in Boston, where he published about a dozen songs with local publishers. His first success was with the World War I song “Keep the Love-Light Burning in the Window Till the Boys Come Marching Home”, and this also came near the start of a decade-long collaboration with lyricist Jack Caddigan. […]

Jimmy Miller (1942 - 1994)

Prior to working with the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Miller had been trained and was widely known as the protege of Stanley Borden (RKO, ARTIA, AFTER HOURS UNIQUE). Borden the original backer of Island Records, suggested Miller to Chris Blackwell, who in turn brought him to the UK where he rose to fame by producing successful […]

Jimmy Piersall (1929 - 2017)

Jimmy Piersall was selected to the American League All-Star team in 1954 and 1956. By the end of the 1956 season, in which he played all 156 games, he posted a league-leading 40 doubles, scored 91 runs, drove in 87, and had a .293 batting average. The following year, he hit 19 home runs and […]

Jimmy Ruffin (1936 - 2014)

In 1966, Jimmy Ruffin heard a song about unrequited love written for The Spinners, and persuaded the writers that he should record it himself. His recording of “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” became a major success. The song reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the R&B Chart. It also initially reached […]

Jimmy Sangster (1927 - 2011)

James Henry Kinmel “Jimmy” Sangster (2 December 1927 – 19 August 2011) was a British screenwriter and director, known for his work for horror film producers Hammer Film Productions, including scripts for The Curse of Frankenstein (the first British horror film to be shot in colour) and Dracula (US: Horror of Dracula). Jimmy Sangster originally worked […]

Jimmy Wakely (1914 - 1982)

Jimmy Wakely Singer. Born James Clarence Wakely in Mineola, Arkansas, he was a country music entertainer and one of the last vocalists to make it in movies as a singing cowboy. In 1937, he formed The Bell Boys, a country Western singing group which toured and evolved into the Jimmy Wakely Trio and was featured […]

Jimmy Wilde (1892 - 1969)

Jimmy Wilde Born William James Wilde, Jimmy Wilde worked in the coal mines as a boy and started boxing at the age of sixteen in fairground booths where crowds were amazed by his toughness and ability to knock down much bigger opponents. Indeed throughout his career his opponents were usually larger and heavier than him. […]

Jinx Falkenburg (1919 - 2003)

Actress. Born as Eugenia Lincoln Falkenburg in Barcelona, Spain, to Eugene L. Falkenburg, an engineer, and his wife, Marguerite “Mickey” Crooks Falkenburg, an accomplished amateur tennis player. Her Mother gave her the nickname Jinx, thinking the name would bring her good luck, the name stuck with her throughout her life. Receiving her first media attention […]

Jinzo Naruse (1970 - 1970)

Prominent educator during the Meiji and Taisho eras. (bio by: Warrick L. Barrett)

Jitoku Akatsuka (1970 - 1970)

Artist. Also known as “Heizaemon Akatsuka, he is famous for his works in gold lacquer, using the “maki-e” technique, as well for some of his oil paintings. A member of the “Teikoku Geijutsu-in (Imperial Art Academy), many of his creations are on display in museums in metropolitan Tokyo and other areas of Japan. (bio by: […]

Jiverly Wong (1967 - 2009)

At about 10:30 a.m. EDT, Jiverly Wong barricaded the rear door of the Binghamton American Civic Association building with a vehicle registered in his father’s name. He was described as wearing a bullet-proof vest, a bright green nylon jacket, and dark-rimmed glasses. Jiverly Wong entered through the front door, firing a number of bullets at people […]

Jo Ann Marlowe (1935 - 1991)

Child Actress. Born Jo Ann Mares in Schuyler, Nebraska to Edward and Theora Mares. Jo Ann was discovered on a family vacation in Hollywood at age 4 by a Warner Brothers director in a restaurant. Relocating the family to California, the little pint size actress adopted the stage name Jo Ann Marlowe. She would act […]

Jo Ann Robinson (1912 - 1992)

Born near Culloden, Georgia, she was the youngest of twelve children. She attended Fort Valley State College and then became a public school teacher in Macon, where she was married to Wilbur Robinson for a short time. Five years later, she went to Atlanta, where she earned an M.A. in English at Atlanta University. After […]

Jo De Winter (1921 - 2016)

Actress. She was an American actress who was best known for her role in Dirty Harry (1971), Gloria (1982) and Bird (1988). Born Juanita Daussat in Sacramento, California. She appeared on Broadway in Children of a Lesser God, and onstage in Europe in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Between 1965 and 2002 she made […]