Gonsalves, Paul

Paul Gonsalves – 2014

The Pawtucket saxophonist was Duke Ellington’s right-hand man and was a pivotal figure in the development of modern jazz

While a Pawtucket high school student in the 1930s, Paul Gonsalves studied with two of Rhode Island’s finest musicians, guitarist Joseph Petteruti and saxophonist Joseph Piacitelli, but it was his tenor sax which opened doors for him with the big bands including Count Basie’s. He became a pivotal figure in the evolution of post-war jazz from swing into the modern era when he was drafted into Dizzy Gillespie’s band in the late ’40s.

Paul was attuned to all developments in popular music and while his warm tone invoked the masters, Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster, his extraordinary abilities were on par with the young lions of the era such as Stan Getz and Sonny Rollins. He joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1950 and provided a crucial ingredient in the modernization of Duke’s sound. In his off time, he released a series of solo albums which are considered some of the finest small-group, modern jazz recordings of the ‘50s and ’60s.

But even had he never racked up so many achievements, he was guaranteed a place in the history books by his famous 27 chorus improvisation on “Diminuendo and Crescendo In Blue” at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival which single-handedly reversed the waning fortunes of the Ellington band and turned the festival’s tone from a staid, concert setting into the joyous celebration for which it has become known the world over. In one solo, he managed to pay tribute to his mentors, prove himself the equal of his post-Bop contemporaries, and drive the crowd wild with a rockin’ nod to the honkin’ tenor stylings of the R&B scene.

Although plagued throughout career by problems with drugs and alcohol, Paul was universally regarded as one of the warmest, kindest and generous musicians in jazz. He passed away at 53 in 1974.

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DELL PADGETT (1936-2024): It is with deep sadness that the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame notes the passing of 2014 inductee Dell Padgett of The Castaleers. (Mr. Padgett is seen below at top row center, in a 1958 Felsted Records publicity photo.) Dell was honored for his pioneering work in the 1950s during the early years of Rhythm & Blues which helped move the vocal group tradition into the modern era. The group's four single releases also helped to establish Rhode Island as a nationally recognized hotbed of talent and paved the way for a succession of acts to break out of R.I. in the R&B and Rock 'n' Roll fields. Since his induction, Dell remained a great supporter of the Hall of Fame mission and his presence at our events welcoming new honorees into the Hall will be greatly missed. He was also an avid photographer noted for his fine art photography and portrait work. A GoFundMe effort has been established to support the family and assist with funeral costs. Friends and fans may contribute by visiting the below link:

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ARTIE CABRAL (1940-2023)

It is with great sorrow that the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame notes the passing of 2017 inductee Artie Cabral. He was a world-renowned jazz drummer and a dedicated music educator. He began his career in 1956 and spent two decades touring the world with a host of jazz masters including Stan Kenton, Dakota Staton and Mel Torme. In 1969, he joined Woody Herman’s Seventh (and final) Herd which included backing R&B great Dionne Warwick. Along with bassist Bob Petteruti and pianist Mike Renzi he played with the house band at the Kings & Queens in Pawtucket in the 1960s and Allary in Providence in the 1970s backing the guest artists including Blossom Dearie, Mose Allison, Johnny Hartman and Phil Woods. He discography includes recordings with Ben Webster, Carol Sloane, Toshiko Akioshi and Greg Abate. He taught in the Pawtucket Public Schools, at Berklee and the R.I. School of Music. He served as President of the Providence Federation of Musicians for 20 years.

Funeral arrangements and obituary may be seen here:
Funeral info and obituary

CAROL SLOANE (1937-2023): It is with great sadness that the Board of Directors of the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame notes the passing of 2016 inductee Carol Sloane. Jazz vocalist Carol Sloane was born in Providence, grew up in Smithfield, and began her professional career in 1951 singing with Rhode Island society band leader Ed Drew. She first gained national attention in the late 1950s when she joined the orchestra of Larry Elgart with whom with she recorded for RCA Victor. In 1961, Jon Hendricks of the legendary vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, who had become a fan of Carol’s after hearing her at a jazz festival, helped her secure her first booking at The Village Vanguard opening for Oscar Peterson. He next convinced the producers of the Newport Jazz Festival to include her in their “New Stars” program that summer, a showcase for emerging talent. She garnered rave reviews for her performance and was heard by a representative of Columbia records. Columbia signed her and she recorded an album a few months later. Released in 1962, "Out Of The Blue" was unanimously praised by the press and launched her on a solo career which has continued for nearly six decades. She has recorded more than two dozen critically-acclaimed, internationally released albums as a leader in the company of dozens of jazz legends and giants including Clark Terry, Tommy Flanagan, Bob Brookmeyer, Art Farmer, Jim Hall, Sir Roland Hanna, Ben Webster and Phil Woods, just to name a few, and she continues to perform. In a 2007 review of her album “Dearest Duke,” Matt Schudel of The Washington Post wrote, ”If Carol Sloane isn't America's greatest living jazz singer, then no one deserves the title.”

JOHN ROSSI (1942-2022): It is with great sadness that the Board of Directors of the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame notes the passing of 2012 inductee John Rossi who was inducted with the first class as a member of Roomful Blues. When John left The Hamilton-Bates Blue Flames to join Roomful in 1970, he brought with him a deep love and encyclopedic knowledge of the larger Rock ‘n’ Roll bands which sported horn sections including Fats Domino’s and Little Richard’s Upsetters. His mastery of the styles of New Orleans’ greatest R&B drummers Earl Palmer, Smokey Johnson and Charles Conner not only maintained and refined the group’s unique style of swing, but brought a harder rocking edge to their sound. He remained with the group for their first 11 albums. He is seen here at left in 1970 shortly after joining with the first 7-piece/3-saxophone lineup of Roomful: John, Duke Robillard, Ed Parnagoni, Rich Lataille, Greg Piccolo, Doug James and Al Copley in front at the piano. His obituary may be seen here:
Obituary
For more information on this great Rhode Island musician, visit the Roomful of Blues page at the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame Historical Archive:
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ROBERT “BOB” PETTERUTI (1929-2022): It is with deep sadness that the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame notes the passing of Robert Petteruti. Bob was considered the dean of bass players in Rhode Island. Over several generations, he instructed and mentored dozens of our finest musicians, on the bass and other instruments, at the Twin City Music stores in Providence and Pawtucket founded in 1932 by his father, guitarist and bandleader Joseph Petteruti. He was also a faculty member at Brown University, Community College of Rhode Island and Dean Junior College serving as a double bass applied music instructor. Over the course of his 70 year career, Bob anchored the rhythm section for every major jazz figure to pass through Rhode Island. A fraction of the list of musicians he backed as member of the house bands at famed Rhode Island jazz nightspots the Celebrity Club, the Kings and Queens and Allary includes Roy Eldridge, Bobby Hackett, Mose Allison, Zoot Sims, Duke Ellington and Ben Webster.

JON CAMPBELL (1951-2022): It is with great sadness that the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame notes the passing of 2019 inductee Jon Campbell. After several decades focusing on instrumental music, playing with Uilleann Piper Pat Sky and Irish ceili bands in Denver, Boston and Providence, Jon Campbell of Peace Dale began making up songs. Over the course of several decades, he released a series of albums with songs on subjects such as regional cuisine, tourists, swamp Yankees, commercial fishing, politics and local history. His work has been archived by the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution and the Rhode Island Historical Society. 95% of his performances took place “line of sight to salt water.” On the eve of his induction into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame, Jon summed up his uniquely “Rhode Island” career in this way, “When you live in an interesting place where interesting people are doing interesting things, all you have to do is make it rhyme.”

GERRY GRANAHAN (1932-2022): It is with deep sadness that the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame notes the passing of 2012 inductee Gerry Granahan. Although a Pennsylvania native, Gerry has been a resident of Rhode Island and a fixture on the Ocean State’s music scene since 1963. He first found Top 40 success in New York in the late 1950s as a singer-songwriter with "No Chemise, Please,” and as a singer, songwriter and producer with his two vocal groups, Dicky Doo & The Don'ts and The Fireflies. By the early 1960s, Gerry had started his own label, Caprice Records, where he pioneered the girl group sound and matched Motown's crossover success with several hits from R&B legend James Ray. In 1964, Gerry took over the A&R department at United Artists Records and was responsible for the most successful era in that company's history. As a producer and songwriter, he racked up a long string of hit singles and albums with Jay & The Americans, Patty Duke and comedian Pat Cooper, among many others.

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