By Eunice Charles
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Leon Drucker (born August 3, 1961), professionally known as Lee Rocker is an American musician. He is a member of the rockabilly band Stray Cats.
He is the son of the classical clarinetists Stanley Drucker, the late former principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and Naomi Drucker. As a child, he played the cello and later learned bass guitar.
Lee Rocker was born Leon Drucker in Massapequa, Long Island, New York, to a Jewish family in 1961. He is the son of classical clarinetists Stanley and Naomi Drucker. Stanley Drucker was the principal clarinetist for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and played with Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland. His sister Roseanne is a country music singer-songwriter.
At age 12, Rocker picked up the electric bass but quickly developed a preference for playing the double bass as his instrument of choice. He credits records by Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins for his new inclination “The slap bass on those records blew me away!” Rocker’s favorite bass player is Willie Dixon.
He married his wife Deborah in 1989. She is the daughter of Gucci watchmaking pioneer, Severin Wunderman. In the fall of 2013, she launched her own eponymous fashion line. They reside in Laguna Beach, California with their two children. Rocker is a fan of the Lakers and the Angels.
In 2013, Rocker received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Bass Player magazine and gave master classes in London and Los Angeles. He is a member of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Visionary Artist Award from the Laguna Beach Arts Council.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
National Watermelon Day, celebrated on August 3, honors summer’s favorite juicy fruit! Enjoy this refreshing treat at picnics, parties, or straight from the rind—sweet, hydrating, and deliciously fun!
Question of the Day
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
When planning a staircase, keep in mind that a comfortable staircase has a riser that is no higher than 7-1/2 inches and a tread no narrower than 10 inches. A common tread width today is 11-1/2 inches.
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
Born
- John Campbell Hamilton-Gordon (Canadian governor general) –
- John T. Scopes (fined $100 in 1925 for teaching evolution” in Tennessee”) –
- Tony Bennett (singer) –
- Martin Sheen (actor) –
- Martha Stewart (homemaking guru) –
- John C. McGinley (actor) –
- Tom Brady (football player) –
- Evangeline Lilly (actress) –
Died
- Joseph Conrad (writer) –
- Flannery O’Connor (author) –
- Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (soprano) –
Events
- Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain with Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria, in search of a western sea route to Asia –
- First intercollegiate boat race –
- American Canoe Association formed, Lake George, New York –
- Distinguished Flying Cross for William Bishop announced –
- At 2:47 A.M., Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as president by his father at Vermont homestead –
- The first okapi imported into U.S. went on display, Bronx Zoo, N.Y.C. –
- National Basketball Association formed from merger –
- Tom Yawkey inducted into National Baseball Hall of Fame –
- Lightning evidently triggered the fire alarm in an office building near Fort Collins, Colorado, which caused the inhabitants to evacuate – without their keys. While locked out, 16 were injured, most by the marble-size hail and wind gusts produced by the thunderstorm. –
Weather
- Philadelphia, PA, received 5.84 inches of rain within two hours –
- Warsaw, Indiana, received 6.25 inches of rain –
- Hail in Fort Collins, Colorado, injured locked-out workers after lightning triggered fire alarm –
- 115 degrees F, Fort Smith, Arkansas –
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