Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson dies at 78
Perhaps best known for cover of ‘Rocky’ theme
VENTURA, California (AP) — Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, known for
his soaring high notes and for his recording of “Gonna Fly Now,” a hit
version of the theme from the “Rocky” movies, has died. He was 78.
Ferguson, who lived in nearby Ojai, died Wednesday night at Community
Memorial Hospital of kidney and liver failure due to an abdominal
infection, friend and manager Steve Schankman said Thursday.
Ferguson’s four daughters, Kim, Lisa, Corby and Wilder, and other family
members were at his side when he died, he said.
“Someone just said, `Gabriel, move over to second trumpet,”‘ Schankman
said from his St. Louis office. “He was the last of the greats. That era
is closed. There is no Kenton, no Basie, no Ellington, and now, no
Ferguson.”
Born into a musical family in Montreal, Ferguson began playing the piano
and violin at age 4, took up the trumpet at 9 and soloed with the
Canadian Broadcasting Company Orchestra at 11, then quit school at 15 to
pursue a career in music.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/25/obit.ferguson.ap/index.html