1684 - Composer Francesco Durante was born.
1732 - Composer Franz Joseph Haydn was born. He is known for helping to develop the Classical style.
1901 - Anton Dvorak's opera "Rusalka" premiered in Russia.
1943 - "Oklahoma!" by Rodgers and Hammerstein debuted on Broadway. The original title was "Away We Go".
1958 - Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" was released.
1967 - Jimi Hendrix began his first British tour with Cat Stevens.
Jimi Hendrix apparel and gear
1982 - The Doobie Brothers announced their break-up.
1987 - Prince's "Sign O' The Times" LP was released in the U.S.
1989 - Guns N' Roses released their single "Patience."
1992 - White Zombie's "La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. One" was released. It was their major label debut album.
1992 - Human touch and Lucky Day, both by Bruce Springsteen were released.
1995 - A former Led Zeppelin fan was arrested for trying to stab Jimmy Page at a Page and Robert Plant concert.
Led Zeppelin Apparel and Gear
1995 - Selena was killed by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar. Saldivar had been fired for embezzlement.
1998 - The first Celebration of Female Artists Awards took place at The Grosvenor House in London.
1998 - The video for "Good Times," the only movie to star Sonny & Cher, hit stores. The video included an unreleased version of "I Got You Babe." The movie was made in 1967.
1999 - It was announced that tickets for the Cranberries' forthcoming U.S. tour would only be sold via the Internet at www.cranberries.com.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
5 yr old 1st job
A young family moved into a house, next to a vacant lot.
One day, a Construction crew turned up to start building a
house on the empty lot.
The young family's 5 year old daughter naturally took
an interest in all the
activity going on next door and spent much of each day
observing the workers work and listening to them talk.
Eventually the construction crew, all of them
"gems in the rough," more or
less, adopted her as a kind of project mascot. They chatted
with her, let her sit with them while they had coffee and lunch breaks,
and gave her little jobs to do here and there to make her
feel important.
At the end of the first week, they even presented her with
a pay envelope
containing ten dollars. The little girl took this home to
her mother who suggested that she take her ten dollars
"pay" she'd received to the bank the next day
to start a savings account.
When the girl and her mom got to the bank, the teller was
equally impressed
and asked the little girl how she had come by her very own
pay check at such a young age. The little girl proudly
replied, "I worked last week with a real construction
crew building the new house next door to us."
"Oh my goodness gracious," said the teller,
"and will you be working on the
house again this week, too?"
The little girl replied, "I will, if those assholes at
Home Depot ever deliver the dam' sheet rock."
One day, a Construction crew turned up to start building a
house on the empty lot.
The young family's 5 year old daughter naturally took
an interest in all the
activity going on next door and spent much of each day
observing the workers work and listening to them talk.
Eventually the construction crew, all of them
"gems in the rough," more or
less, adopted her as a kind of project mascot. They chatted
with her, let her sit with them while they had coffee and lunch breaks,
and gave her little jobs to do here and there to make her
feel important.
At the end of the first week, they even presented her with
a pay envelope
containing ten dollars. The little girl took this home to
her mother who suggested that she take her ten dollars
"pay" she'd received to the bank the next day
to start a savings account.
When the girl and her mom got to the bank, the teller was
equally impressed
and asked the little girl how she had come by her very own
pay check at such a young age. The little girl proudly
replied, "I worked last week with a real construction
crew building the new house next door to us."
"Oh my goodness gracious," said the teller,
"and will you be working on the
house again this week, too?"
The little girl replied, "I will, if those assholes at
Home Depot ever deliver the dam' sheet rock."
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Mythological tract:
In the ancient times, a demon called 'Mahishasura' earned the favor of 'Lord Brahma' through extreme austerity and prolonged meditation. Pleased with the devotion of the demon, the lord blessed him with a boon that no man or Deity would be able to kill him. Empowered with the boon, Mahishasura started his reign of terror over the Earth and Heaven.
Invasion of Heaven:
People were already being killed mercilessly and even the Gods were assaulted. Yet the worse was yet to come. It came when an strong army of demons was gathered to siege the abode of the Deities. The army was led by the king Mahishasura, the green skinned demon with the form of a giant buffalo. With its weapons of iron, and its phalanxes of elephants and charioteers the army finally marched on the king of gods, Purandara or (Indra), defeating him. Then, Mahishasura usurped the throne of heaven.
The victory was complete, and all the gods were driven out of the heaven. Routed they went to the trinity of the Supreme Gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva to save themselves and the men on the world. The orgy of violence vis-a-vis the the invasion of the heaven by the evils enraged the Supreme Gods. Their faces were flushed with anger and a dazzling luminescence flooded forth. Great flames and thunderbolt streaked through all directions. The fires illuminated all the three worlds: the heaven, the earth, and the nether-world with penetrating beams of light.
The Birth of Durga:
At a single point, the energy of all the fires coalesced and assumed a shape, in the form of a young woman. Her face was from the light of Shiva. Her ten arms were from Lord Vishnu. Her legs were from Lord Brahma.
The dispossessed gods were awed by the supreme energy and enchanting beauty of the conceived Goddess. They praised her and equipped her with their divine gifts: Shiva gave Her a trident with a spear-end. Krishna gave her rotating disc. Varuna, the God of sea, gave her a conch and the God of fire gave her a missile. From the wind, Vayu, she received arrows. The king of gods, Indra, gave her the thunder-bolt, and the gift of his white-skinned elephant Airavata was a bell. From Yama, the god of death, Durga received a rod, and from the Ruler of Waters she was given a noose.
Durga received many other precious and magical treasures-- gifts of jewels, new clothing, and a garland of immortal lotuses for her head and breasts. Heaven's architect gave her a bright axe and magic armor. God of mountains, Himalayas gave her jewels and a magnificent lion to ride into battle.
Now equipped with the fearsome weaponry and magical powers of the gods, and dressed in golden armor and jewels she set off, seated gracefully upon the lion. His thunderous roars shook the three worlds. Oceans swelled up to scrape the sky and surf broke over the land. Continents were torn at their granite foundations as whole new chains of mountains rose, while older ranges crumbled, cracked, and gave way to dust in a thousand landslides. Seeing these cataclysmic ripplings in waves through all the three worlds, Mahishasura and his demon allies found their attention drawn from heaven to Earth. Though confident of their power and control in heaven, even the conquering demon host could not help being awestruck.
The demons had little time to admire the radiant visage of their new adversary, for soon she engaged them on the battlefield. First, the army of Chikasura, and then that of Chamara, the two chief commanders (also called Shumbha and Nishumbha,of Mahishasura by some) were met. They were destroyed in a great battle. Now it's turn for Mahishasura.
The Termination of Mahishasura:
Confident but confused by the humiliating defeat of his loyal and powerful commanders Mahishasura did his best in arranging and equipping his personal army. This time the heaven was led by Durga as the boon of Mahishasura could only make him invincible against all but woman. Surrounded by chants of praise, the blowing of horns the beating of drums and songs of worship Durga roamed the battlefield on her mighty lion. From her divine breath her army was constantly replenished with new warriors, each able, brave and resolute.
Shocked and enraged by the disastrous events on the battlefield. In a mad desperate bid Mahishasura then reverted to his own form, a buffalo, and charged about on the battlefield. In a wild rage he charged at Durga's divine soldiers wounding many, biting others and all the while thrashing with his long, whip-like tail. Durga's lion, angered by the presence of the demon-buffalo, attacked him. While he was thus engaged, Durga threw her noose around his neck. But through magical spell Mahishasura kept changing his shape and form from one to another so as to puzzle the Devi. Finally the Goddess beheaded the buffalo and from it emerged Mahishasura in his original form. Durga pierced his chest with the trident and relieved the world from the evil power. The gods returned to heaven, and along with the sages of the earth, they sang praises and showered floral compliments to the Goddess Durga. Henceforth, and to this day, the Goddess Durga is worshipped by all the gods in heaven, and all human beings on earth. Mahishasura is there too--frozen in his moment of final defeat, impaled by Durga's spear and seeking pardon beneath her left foot. The Goddess Durga then continued to be worshipped in this form.
According to Puranas (the epics) , King Suratha, used to worship the goddess Durga in spring. Thus Durga Puja was also known as Basanti Puja (Basanta being Spring). While the vernal worship of Durga still goes on but it is the Ram's Akalbodhan during the autumn that came to be a most widely accepted practice.
In the 'Ramayana', as it goes, Rama went to 'Lanka' to rescue his abducted wife, Sita, from the grip of Ravana, the king of the Demons in Lanka. Before starting for his battle with Ravana, Rama wanted the blessings of Devi Durga . He came to know that the Goddess would be pleased only if she is worshipped with one hundred 'NeelKamal' or blue lotuses. Rama, after travelling the whole world, could gather only ninety nine of them. He finally decided to offer one of his eyes, which resembled blue lotuses. Durga, being pleased with the devotion of Rama, appeared before him and blessed him. The epical battle started on the 'Saptami' and Ravana was finally killed on the 'Sandhikshan' i.e. the crossover period between Ashtami (the next day) and Navami (the day after). Ravana was cremated on Dashami. This is why Dashera is celebrated in India with so much of fanfare and the effigy of Raavana is burnt.
In course of time Bengalis adopted the autumnal worship of Durga performed by Rama and made it their main festival. The Pujas span over the four days, the time taken by Rama to finally kill and cremate Ravana.
Invasion of Heaven:
People were already being killed mercilessly and even the Gods were assaulted. Yet the worse was yet to come. It came when an strong army of demons was gathered to siege the abode of the Deities. The army was led by the king Mahishasura, the green skinned demon with the form of a giant buffalo. With its weapons of iron, and its phalanxes of elephants and charioteers the army finally marched on the king of gods, Purandara or (Indra), defeating him. Then, Mahishasura usurped the throne of heaven.
The victory was complete, and all the gods were driven out of the heaven. Routed they went to the trinity of the Supreme Gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva to save themselves and the men on the world. The orgy of violence vis-a-vis the the invasion of the heaven by the evils enraged the Supreme Gods. Their faces were flushed with anger and a dazzling luminescence flooded forth. Great flames and thunderbolt streaked through all directions. The fires illuminated all the three worlds: the heaven, the earth, and the nether-world with penetrating beams of light.
The Birth of Durga:
At a single point, the energy of all the fires coalesced and assumed a shape, in the form of a young woman. Her face was from the light of Shiva. Her ten arms were from Lord Vishnu. Her legs were from Lord Brahma.
The dispossessed gods were awed by the supreme energy and enchanting beauty of the conceived Goddess. They praised her and equipped her with their divine gifts: Shiva gave Her a trident with a spear-end. Krishna gave her rotating disc. Varuna, the God of sea, gave her a conch and the God of fire gave her a missile. From the wind, Vayu, she received arrows. The king of gods, Indra, gave her the thunder-bolt, and the gift of his white-skinned elephant Airavata was a bell. From Yama, the god of death, Durga received a rod, and from the Ruler of Waters she was given a noose.
Durga received many other precious and magical treasures-- gifts of jewels, new clothing, and a garland of immortal lotuses for her head and breasts. Heaven's architect gave her a bright axe and magic armor. God of mountains, Himalayas gave her jewels and a magnificent lion to ride into battle.
Now equipped with the fearsome weaponry and magical powers of the gods, and dressed in golden armor and jewels she set off, seated gracefully upon the lion. His thunderous roars shook the three worlds. Oceans swelled up to scrape the sky and surf broke over the land. Continents were torn at their granite foundations as whole new chains of mountains rose, while older ranges crumbled, cracked, and gave way to dust in a thousand landslides. Seeing these cataclysmic ripplings in waves through all the three worlds, Mahishasura and his demon allies found their attention drawn from heaven to Earth. Though confident of their power and control in heaven, even the conquering demon host could not help being awestruck.
The demons had little time to admire the radiant visage of their new adversary, for soon she engaged them on the battlefield. First, the army of Chikasura, and then that of Chamara, the two chief commanders (also called Shumbha and Nishumbha,of Mahishasura by some) were met. They were destroyed in a great battle. Now it's turn for Mahishasura.
The Termination of Mahishasura:
Confident but confused by the humiliating defeat of his loyal and powerful commanders Mahishasura did his best in arranging and equipping his personal army. This time the heaven was led by Durga as the boon of Mahishasura could only make him invincible against all but woman. Surrounded by chants of praise, the blowing of horns the beating of drums and songs of worship Durga roamed the battlefield on her mighty lion. From her divine breath her army was constantly replenished with new warriors, each able, brave and resolute.
Shocked and enraged by the disastrous events on the battlefield. In a mad desperate bid Mahishasura then reverted to his own form, a buffalo, and charged about on the battlefield. In a wild rage he charged at Durga's divine soldiers wounding many, biting others and all the while thrashing with his long, whip-like tail. Durga's lion, angered by the presence of the demon-buffalo, attacked him. While he was thus engaged, Durga threw her noose around his neck. But through magical spell Mahishasura kept changing his shape and form from one to another so as to puzzle the Devi. Finally the Goddess beheaded the buffalo and from it emerged Mahishasura in his original form. Durga pierced his chest with the trident and relieved the world from the evil power. The gods returned to heaven, and along with the sages of the earth, they sang praises and showered floral compliments to the Goddess Durga. Henceforth, and to this day, the Goddess Durga is worshipped by all the gods in heaven, and all human beings on earth. Mahishasura is there too--frozen in his moment of final defeat, impaled by Durga's spear and seeking pardon beneath her left foot. The Goddess Durga then continued to be worshipped in this form.
According to Puranas (the epics) , King Suratha, used to worship the goddess Durga in spring. Thus Durga Puja was also known as Basanti Puja (Basanta being Spring). While the vernal worship of Durga still goes on but it is the Ram's Akalbodhan during the autumn that came to be a most widely accepted practice.
In the 'Ramayana', as it goes, Rama went to 'Lanka' to rescue his abducted wife, Sita, from the grip of Ravana, the king of the Demons in Lanka. Before starting for his battle with Ravana, Rama wanted the blessings of Devi Durga . He came to know that the Goddess would be pleased only if she is worshipped with one hundred 'NeelKamal' or blue lotuses. Rama, after travelling the whole world, could gather only ninety nine of them. He finally decided to offer one of his eyes, which resembled blue lotuses. Durga, being pleased with the devotion of Rama, appeared before him and blessed him. The epical battle started on the 'Saptami' and Ravana was finally killed on the 'Sandhikshan' i.e. the crossover period between Ashtami (the next day) and Navami (the day after). Ravana was cremated on Dashami. This is why Dashera is celebrated in India with so much of fanfare and the effigy of Raavana is burnt.
In course of time Bengalis adopted the autumnal worship of Durga performed by Rama and made it their main festival. The Pujas span over the four days, the time taken by Rama to finally kill and cremate Ravana.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
SEARCH FOR WATER
A fleeing Taliban, desperate for water, was plodding through the Afghan desert when he saw something far off in the distance. Hoping to find water, he hurried toward the oasis, only to find a little old Jewish man at a small stand, selling ties.
The Taliban asked, "Do you have water?"
The Jewish man replied, "I have no water. Would you like to buy a tie? They are only $5."
The Taliban shouted, "Idiot! I do not need an over-priced tie. I need water! I should kill you, but I must find water first!"
"OK," said the old Jewish man, "It does not matter that you do not want to buy a tie and that you hate me. I will show you that I am bigger than that. If you continue over that hill to the east for about two miles, you will find a lovely restaurant. It has all the ice cold water you need. Shalom."
Cursing, the Taliban staggered away over the hill.
Several hours later he staggered back, almost dead & said......"Your brother won't let me in without a tie!"
The Taliban asked, "Do you have water?"
The Jewish man replied, "I have no water. Would you like to buy a tie? They are only $5."
The Taliban shouted, "Idiot! I do not need an over-priced tie. I need water! I should kill you, but I must find water first!"
"OK," said the old Jewish man, "It does not matter that you do not want to buy a tie and that you hate me. I will show you that I am bigger than that. If you continue over that hill to the east for about two miles, you will find a lovely restaurant. It has all the ice cold water you need. Shalom."
Cursing, the Taliban staggered away over the hill.
Several hours later he staggered back, almost dead & said......"Your brother won't let me in without a tie!"
things people write
Complaints from Council House Owners. These are genuine clips from
council complaint letters:
1. My bush is really overgrown round the front and my back passage
has fungus growing in it.
2. He's got this huge tool that vibrates the whole house and I just
can't take it anymore.
3. It's the dogs' mess that I find hard to swallow.
4. I want some repairs done to my cooker as it has backfired and burnt my knob off.
5. And their 18-year-old son is continually banging his balls against my fence.
6. I wish to report that tiles are missing from the outside toilet roof. I think it was bad wind the other night that blew them off.
7. My lavatory seat is cracked, where do I stand?
8. I am writing on behalf of my sink, which is coming away from the wall.
9. Will you please send someone to mend the garden path? My wife tripped and fell on it, yesterday, and now she is pregnant
10. I request permission to remove my drawers in the kitchen.
11. 50% of the walls are damp, 50% have crumbling plaster and 50% are plain filthy.
12. The toilet is blocked and we cannot bath the children until it is cleared.
13. Our lavatory seat is broken in half and is now in three pieces.
14. This is to let you know that our lavatory seat is broke and we can't get BBC 2.
A Spot of British Humor
As reported in the newspaper...
Commenting on a complaint from a Mr. Arthur Purdey about a large gas bill, a spokesman for North West Gas said, "We agree it was rather high for the time of year. It's possible Mr. Purdey has been charged for the gas used up during the explosion that destroyed his house."
(The Daily Telegraph)
_____
Irish police are being handicapped in a search for a stolen van, because they cannot issue a description. It's a Special Branch vehicle and they don't want the public to know what it looks like.
(The Guardian)
_____
At the height of the gale, the harbourmaster radioed a coastguard and asked him to estimate the wind speed. He replied he was sorry, but he didn't have a gauge. However, if it was any help, the wind had just blown his Land Rover off the cliff.
( Aberdeen Evening Express)
_____
Mrs. Irene Graham of Thorpe Avenue , Boscombe, delighted the audience with her reminiscence of the German prisoner of war who was sent each week to do her garden. He was repatriated at the end of 1945, she recalled. "He'd always seemed a nice friendly chap, but when the crocuses came up in the middle of our lawn in February 1946, they spelt out 'Heil Hitler.'"
( Bournemouth Evening Echo)
____
A list of actual announcements that London Tube drivers have made to their passengers...
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I do apologise for the delay to your service. I know you're all dying to get home, unless, of course, you happen to be married to my ex-wife, in which case you'll want to cross over to the Westbound and go in the opposite direction."
____
"Your delay this evening is caused by the line controller suffering from E & B syndrome: not knowing his elbow from his backside. I'll let you know any further information as soon as I'm given any."
_____
"Let the passengers off the train FIRST!" (Pause.) "Oh go on then, stuff yourselves in like sardines, see if I care -- I'm going home...."
_____
"We can't move off because some idiot has their hand stuck in the door."
_____
"Please move all baggage away from the doors." (Pause..) "Please move ALL belongings away from the doors." (Pause...) "This is a personal message to the man in the brown suit wearing glasses at the rear of the train: Put the pie down, Four-eyes, and move your bloody golf clubs away from the door before I come down there and shove them up your arse sideways!"
council complaint letters:
1. My bush is really overgrown round the front and my back passage
has fungus growing in it.
2. He's got this huge tool that vibrates the whole house and I just
can't take it anymore.
3. It's the dogs' mess that I find hard to swallow.
4. I want some repairs done to my cooker as it has backfired and burnt my knob off.
5. And their 18-year-old son is continually banging his balls against my fence.
6. I wish to report that tiles are missing from the outside toilet roof. I think it was bad wind the other night that blew them off.
7. My lavatory seat is cracked, where do I stand?
8. I am writing on behalf of my sink, which is coming away from the wall.
9. Will you please send someone to mend the garden path? My wife tripped and fell on it, yesterday, and now she is pregnant
10. I request permission to remove my drawers in the kitchen.
11. 50% of the walls are damp, 50% have crumbling plaster and 50% are plain filthy.
12. The toilet is blocked and we cannot bath the children until it is cleared.
13. Our lavatory seat is broken in half and is now in three pieces.
14. This is to let you know that our lavatory seat is broke and we can't get BBC 2.
A Spot of British Humor
As reported in the newspaper...
Commenting on a complaint from a Mr. Arthur Purdey about a large gas bill, a spokesman for North West Gas said, "We agree it was rather high for the time of year. It's possible Mr. Purdey has been charged for the gas used up during the explosion that destroyed his house."
(The Daily Telegraph)
_____
Irish police are being handicapped in a search for a stolen van, because they cannot issue a description. It's a Special Branch vehicle and they don't want the public to know what it looks like.
(The Guardian)
_____
At the height of the gale, the harbourmaster radioed a coastguard and asked him to estimate the wind speed. He replied he was sorry, but he didn't have a gauge. However, if it was any help, the wind had just blown his Land Rover off the cliff.
( Aberdeen Evening Express)
_____
Mrs. Irene Graham of Thorpe Avenue , Boscombe, delighted the audience with her reminiscence of the German prisoner of war who was sent each week to do her garden. He was repatriated at the end of 1945, she recalled. "He'd always seemed a nice friendly chap, but when the crocuses came up in the middle of our lawn in February 1946, they spelt out 'Heil Hitler.'"
( Bournemouth Evening Echo)
____
A list of actual announcements that London Tube drivers have made to their passengers...
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I do apologise for the delay to your service. I know you're all dying to get home, unless, of course, you happen to be married to my ex-wife, in which case you'll want to cross over to the Westbound and go in the opposite direction."
____
"Your delay this evening is caused by the line controller suffering from E & B syndrome: not knowing his elbow from his backside. I'll let you know any further information as soon as I'm given any."
_____
"Let the passengers off the train FIRST!" (Pause.) "Oh go on then, stuff yourselves in like sardines, see if I care -- I'm going home...."
_____
"We can't move off because some idiot has their hand stuck in the door."
_____
"Please move all baggage away from the doors." (Pause..) "Please move ALL belongings away from the doors." (Pause...) "This is a personal message to the man in the brown suit wearing glasses at the rear of the train: Put the pie down, Four-eyes, and move your bloody golf clubs away from the door before I come down there and shove them up your arse sideways!"
Friday, March 26, 2010
BAD DOGGY!
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – A pit bull mix in Tennessee has been sentenced to
obedience training after his dogged attack on a local police car.
Winston didn't bite anybody, but he mauled a Chattanooga police car in what
might have been a confused attempt to take a bite out of crime. The
persistent pooch managed to tear off a section of the front bumper and
damage the tires.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that a judge ruled that Winston had
been a very bad dog. He was sentenced to obedience and canine good citizen
classes, and he'll have to wear a tag that says he is "potentially
dangerous."
Charges against his owner will be dismissed if the classes are completed
successfully.
Owner Nancy Emerling said Winston got out of a fenced-in area at a welding
shop March 14.
obedience training after his dogged attack on a local police car.
Winston didn't bite anybody, but he mauled a Chattanooga police car in what
might have been a confused attempt to take a bite out of crime. The
persistent pooch managed to tear off a section of the front bumper and
damage the tires.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that a judge ruled that Winston had
been a very bad dog. He was sentenced to obedience and canine good citizen
classes, and he'll have to wear a tag that says he is "potentially
dangerous."
Charges against his owner will be dismissed if the classes are completed
successfully.
Owner Nancy Emerling said Winston got out of a fenced-in area at a welding
shop March 14.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
QUIEN ES JESUS?
Quién es Jesús?
¿Quién es él?
En química, él convirtió el agua en vino.
En la biología, nació sin la
NORMAL CONCEPCIÓN;
En física, desmintió la ley de la Gravedad
cuando ascendió al cielo;
En economía, él refutó la ley de la
disminución al alimentar 5000 personas
con sólo dos peces y un pan;
En medicina, él curó a los enfermos y los
ciegos sin administrar una sola dosis de la droga.
En la historia, él es el PRINCIPIO y el FINAL.
En el gobierno, dijo que él sería
llamado maravilloso consejero, el príncipe de la paz; es Rey de Reyes y Señor de Señores
En la religión, dijo que nadie viene a
al Padre sino a través de él; no hay religión que te conduzca al Padre. Jesús es el único camino.
Entonces, ¿Quién es él?
¡Él es JESÚS!
únete a mí y lo vamos a celebrar;
Él es digno.
Los ojos que leen este mensaje
No temerán al mal. la mano que envíe
este mensaje a todo el mundo
no trabajará en vano.
Y la boca que diga amén a esta oración sonreirá por siempre.
Permanece en Dios y buscar su rostro siempre.
AMEN
¡ En Dios todo lo encuentro !
El hombre más grande en la historia: Jesús. !!!
Él no tenía siervos, y sin embargo le llamaban Señor.
No tenía ningún grado de estudio, sin embargo, le llamaban Maestro.
No tenía medicamentos, pero le llamaban sanador.
Él no tenía ejército, pero los reyes le temen..
Él no ganó batallas militares, y sin embargo Él conquistó el mundo.
Él no cometió delito alguno y, sin embargo, le crucificaron.
Fue enterrado en una tumba, y sin embargo Él vive hoy.
¡Me siento honrado de servir a este líder que nos ama!
Si tú crees en Dios y en Jesús
Cristo su hijo .. Envíalo a todos en
tu lista de amigos.
Si no simplemente ignóralo.
Si lo ignoras, simplemente recuerda que
Jesús dijo
'Si me niegas ante los hombres, voy a negarte ante mi Padre.
¿Quién es él?
En química, él convirtió el agua en vino.
En la biología, nació sin la
NORMAL CONCEPCIÓN;
En física, desmintió la ley de la Gravedad
cuando ascendió al cielo;
En economía, él refutó la ley de la
disminución al alimentar 5000 personas
con sólo dos peces y un pan;
En medicina, él curó a los enfermos y los
ciegos sin administrar una sola dosis de la droga.
En la historia, él es el PRINCIPIO y el FINAL.
En el gobierno, dijo que él sería
llamado maravilloso consejero, el príncipe de la paz; es Rey de Reyes y Señor de Señores
En la religión, dijo que nadie viene a
al Padre sino a través de él; no hay religión que te conduzca al Padre. Jesús es el único camino.
Entonces, ¿Quién es él?
¡Él es JESÚS!
únete a mí y lo vamos a celebrar;
Él es digno.
Los ojos que leen este mensaje
No temerán al mal. la mano que envíe
este mensaje a todo el mundo
no trabajará en vano.
Y la boca que diga amén a esta oración sonreirá por siempre.
Permanece en Dios y buscar su rostro siempre.
AMEN
¡ En Dios todo lo encuentro !
El hombre más grande en la historia: Jesús. !!!
Él no tenía siervos, y sin embargo le llamaban Señor.
No tenía ningún grado de estudio, sin embargo, le llamaban Maestro.
No tenía medicamentos, pero le llamaban sanador.
Él no tenía ejército, pero los reyes le temen..
Él no ganó batallas militares, y sin embargo Él conquistó el mundo.
Él no cometió delito alguno y, sin embargo, le crucificaron.
Fue enterrado en una tumba, y sin embargo Él vive hoy.
¡Me siento honrado de servir a este líder que nos ama!
Si tú crees en Dios y en Jesús
Cristo su hijo .. Envíalo a todos en
tu lista de amigos.
Si no simplemente ignóralo.
Si lo ignoras, simplemente recuerda que
Jesús dijo
'Si me niegas ante los hombres, voy a negarte ante mi Padre.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Ismael Rivera
Nació en la Calle Calma del Barrio San Mateo de Cangrejos (Santurce) Puerto Rico un 5 de Octubre de 1931 y fue el primero de cinco hijos nacidos de Don Luis Rivera Esquilín y Doña Margarita Rivera García (Doña Margot).
Cuenta Doña Margot que Ismael siendo niño, empezó a cantar con "Kako" (Francisco Angel Bastard) huyendo de casa para poder hacerlo durante las noches; mientras ella se amanecía llorando, porque decía ¡Dios mío! pero si este muchacho lo que tiene es 13 ó 14 años.
En la escuela formaba las rumbas con latas, que abollaba hasta que dieran el sonido preciso... y en la cocina de Doña Margot, desaparecían guayas y tenedores porque Ismael se los llevaba...
De niño limpiabotas y a los 16 años albañil, aunque se las pasaba cantando y tocando en los rumbones que se formaban en la Calle Calma y otros sectores del Santurce Cangrejero, junto a su amigo y compadre Rafael Cortijo... Muchos años después, Rafael e Ismael formarían un conjunto que se roconocería internacionalmente, y lo convertirían en el portaestandarte indiscutido de la música afrocaribeña...
En 1948 Ismael y Cortijo se unieron al Conjunto Monterrey dirigido por Monchito Muley, Maelo como conguero y Cortijo como bongocero. Pese a su interés en cantar, nunca le dieron la oportunidad... y por su trabajo de albañil, no podía dedicarse a tiempo completo a la que sería su pasión...
Hasta que simplemente ocurrió... un día, mientras Cortijo tocaba en La Riviera, en La Marina sanjuanera, llegó el entonces albañil a pedirle trabajo y fue contratado por un sueldo de $32.80 semanales, por debajo de los $55.00 que ganaba tirando mezcla fina.
El año 1977, el periodista y etnomusicólogo venezolano César Miguel Rondón, consigue respuestas a los inicios de esta hitoria, en entrevista a Ismael durante el programa radial "Quiebre de Quintos" - Radio Nacional (Venezuela-1977):
Ismael, cómo entras tú en el mundo de la salsa, en el mundo de la música ?
Humildemente hablando, yo no entré en el mundo de la salsa, yo nací en el mundo de la salsa. Porque resulta que yo vengo de un pueblo que se llama Santurce, del área metropolitana de Puerto Rico, la costa norte; yo soy de la Calle Calma, y en la calle Calma el reloj, cuando yo me levantaba, era una cosa que hacía: pum qui pum, pum qui pum... y ese reloj como que se me metió en la sangre. Parece que yo traía algo y por eso puedo decirte que antes de tener uso de la razón ya yo estaba en la playa con los tambores, con un señor que se llama Rafael Cortijo, que ustedes lo conocen bien, y bueno... él es el resposable de que yo esté en este pugilato...
Cómo comienza esa relación tuya con Cortijo ?
Bueno, estábamos juntos en la Escuela Intermedia, de Santurce. Y Cortijo, como es natural, siempre ha tocado su tambor... tu sabes, hay lo que se llama "pleneros", que son los que hacen pura música de cueros, y Cortijo era de esos... y entonces, después de la escuela nos íbamos para la playa, que era una caminata como de cinco minutos, y ahí empezábamos a tocar...
Tú dices que estaban en la escuela, cuántos años tenían ?
Rafael tenía quince y yo catorce... y cuando eso fué que empezamos a rumbear juntos... él fue el que empezó a crearme conciencia, tú me entiendes, me decía que yo lo que era era cantante, un vocalista especial, y yo pensaba que el hombre como que me estaba dando mucha coba, pero el seguía... y entonces me iba a buscar a la obra, porque ya yo me había hecho albañil y soy un buen albañil... y así era, yo trabajaba para mi los sábados...tu sabes, uno siempre tiene que sudar, doblar el lomo... y entonces Rafael me iba a esperar con los barriles, los tambores, y mi abuelo cuando lo veía siempre decía: "ahí está el negrito ese con los barriles otra vez, lo voy a botar a él y te voy a botar a tí también, que no te venga a buscar más...". Pero ahí fué donde empezó todo, Rafael fue el que me sacó de la albañilería...
Comenta Don Tito Curet Alonso, a César Pagano en entrevista el año 1991:
«Había dos formas de interpretar la bomba y la plena: una que era con panderetas y coros, cinco o siete pleneros, es decir, un grupo enteramente folclórico que tiene sus instrumentos de percusión y canta, nada más. Y otra era una forma muy estilizada de interpretar nuestros aires para una gran orquesta de salón, estilo Rafael Muñoz, orquesta Siboney o la famosa de César Concepción. Y se produce la convergencia afortunada cuando Cortijo fragua esa manera tan suya de tocar la bomba con un ritmo genuino, pero más elástica, más moderna, cuando le añade metales de viento y arreglos muy sabrosones que revuelcan los pentagramas y los barrios de San Juan. Ocurre un cambio musical que el pueblo agarró veloz porque era su base, la bomba y la plena, pero adaptada a su época. Ni la áspera e indómita música de los atabales y voces, ni mucho menos la adormecedora y dulzona versión de las agrupaciones de cabarets».
La relación entre Cortijo y Maelo llevaría al sonido de la Calle Calma, y luego de todo Puerto Rico, a todo el mundo e inmortalizaría sus nombres y música en la evolución de la música latina y la salsa.
Ismael era un cantante entre muchos, pero capaz de improvisar líricas y ritmos. “Maelo” aprendió bomba y plena (sonidos originarios de Puerto Rico) estando muy joven... Así, su música fue una mezcla de estos estilos folkloricos y tradicionales y el estilo vocal del son cubano.
En 1952 debió dejarlo todo para formar parte del ejército de Estados Unidos, pero fue licenciado al poco tiempo, por su deficiencia en inglés.
A su regreso a la Isla, Cortijo le consiguió trabajo con la Orquesta Panamericana de Lito Peña, con quien grabó y pegó los éxitos "El charlatán", "La vieja en camisa" y "La sazón de abuela". Con "El charlatán" se dio a conocer en todos los rincones de la Isla, y posteriormente consiguió la fama internacional.
Entre presentación y presentación, Maelo salía de El Escambrón y se iba a descargar con su amigo Rafael Cortijo en el Black Magic de Miramar. Un incidente de faldas precipitó su salida de la Orquesta Panamericana y Lito le pidió que no cantara ese día en el programa radial de la orquesta. Pero Ismael decidió no cantar con la orquesta ése ni el resto de sus días.
En 1954 se integra al grupo de Rafael Cortijo, con quien grabaría 17 discos. Con Cortijo y su Combo pegó mucho éxitos, entre ellos: "El bombón de Elena", de don Rafael Cepeda, así como "El negro bembón", "Juan José", "Besitos de coco", "Palo que tú me das", "Quítate de la vía Perico", "Oriza", "El chivo de la campana", "Maquinolandera", "El yoyo", "María Teresa" y "Yo soy del campo"...
Prosigue maelo, en entrevista a César Miguel Rondón...
... y así fue como sucedió el accidente... Cortijo y su Combo... Ismael Rivera... El Bombón de Elena... y hasta la fecha...
Y cómo fué eso del accidente ?
Bueno, es que nosotros tocábamos en grande los fines de semana y ahí montábamos lo nuestro... y la gente nos iba a ver y les gustaba... yo no sé, decían que tocábamos distinto... yo no sé... parece que era el hambre.
Ismael, explícate eso del hambre...
Bueno, yo te dije hambre porque el grupo sonaba como con una rabia, una fuerza, loco por salir del arrabal, inconscientemente... me entiendes?... ese era el tiempo de la revolución de los negros en Puerto Rico... Roberto Clemente... Peruchín Cepeda... Romaní... entraron los negros a la universidad... Paff!!... y salió Cortijo y su Combo acompañando esa hambre, ese movimiento... Digo, no fue una cosa planeada, tu sabes, son cosas que que a veces suceden y en Puerto Rico estaba sucediendo esto... Todo fue una cosa del pueblo, del negro, era como que se nos estaba abriendo un aula, y había rabia y Clemente empezó a repartir palos y nosotros entramos ahí, tu sabes, con nuestra música... Y parece que el mismo deseo de nosotros de salir, de acabar con el arrabal, fue lo que después nos puso un poco más premeditados...y es que había hambre, César, había hambre...
------------------------------------
Prosigue Don Tito Curet Alonso, a César Pagano...
«Pero Cortijo también sabía cotizarse. Desde 1954 se incrementan las salas de baile, el ambiente empieza a mejorar y los músicos a tener mayor demanda, y ahí Cortijo se planta: ¿Quieren música buena? Tienen que pagar mejor y es así como lo logran los llamados músicos callejeros... Cortijo también defendió las tarifas de los percusíonistas que antes eran discriminados ante sus propios compañeros de otros instrumentos porque, además de entereza, tenía ideas, conceptos y estilo propios...»
Francesco Rossi un cineasta italiano de paso por la Isla que iba para Jamaica para filmar con Harry Belafonte forzaron el término de "Calypso" para introducir el sonido de Cortijo y Maelo. El sonido se coló en Nueva York en 1958 y 1959, y es que la colonia puertorriqueña se sentía como en su propia tierra con las inspiraciones de Rivera, fueron contratados por ese legendario club del "Palladium Ballroom" donde, sin partituras y tocando de pie, como en las fiestas de Borinquen, alternaron con las grandes orquestas de MachitoMachito, y Tito Rodríguez. Como anécdota recuerdan a Mr. Hyman, el propietario del Palladium, diciendo : "Mr. Cortijo, no more Pachanga, please", para aplacar la rumba que hacía temblar las lámparas del lugar y cuando llegaban los bomberos en previsión de desastres... La mafia los obligó a regresar cuando intentaron tocar en otros sitios...
Su estatura musical llevó a Benny Moré, ese gigante del cancionero cubano, a bautizar a Maelo como "El Sonero Mayor"... Luego de compartir con "Maelo" noches inolvidables para evocar la salsa clásica, lo bautizó asi por la finura de sus nítidas improvisaciones y excepcional clave, nombre que le seguiría durante su gloriosa carrera musical...
En 1962, gozando toda la fama y prestigio del Combo de Cortijo, Ismael se ve forzado a abandonar el ambiente... En un regreso de Panamá, Ismael y Cortijo fueron detenidos en la Aduana de Puerto Rico, decomisándoles drogas ilegales... Juzgados en otro idioma (recordar que por no hablar inglés, Maelo fue licenciado del servicio militar en el '52)... La sentencia fue de cuatro años en un programa carcelario de rehabilitación, a efectuarse en distintos centros de retención en EEUU.
Su detención significó el fin del grupo... posteriormente Rafael Ithier pudo reagruparlos, y nace "El Gran Combo"...
Al Maelo ser separado de la sociedad, Bobby Capó sintió como propio el encierro de Ismael, y le compuso un número que llegaría a convertirse en el himno de los reclusos: "Las Tumbas"... esta pasantía necesariamente habría de modificar de manera radical el espíritu y la intención de todo el posterior trabajo de Ismael.
Al salir de la cárcel, mientras su compadre Cortijo ensayaba otros combos (Cortijo y su Bonche, Cortijo y sus Champions y la futurista Máquina del Tiempo), Maelo buscó trabajo en New York, donde fue estigmatizado de vicioso, expresidiario, locato vago y exportador de mala imagen para USA. El encierro atemperó entonces a Rivera, cantándole a una audiencia internacional de boleros, son cubano y guajiras...
Así es como adelanta música con el percusionista Kako, Tito Puente y su propia orquesta, "Los Cachimbos" para tocar lo que realmente quería, lo que le gustaba... Con "Los Cachimbos" y sus amigos Bobby Capó (Las Tumbas), Henry Dávila (El Nazareno) y Curet Alonso (De todas maneras rosas), Maelo encontró apoyo para su rehabilitación.... Fortaleció sus propias obras (El incomprendido), y mientras otros salseros se hundían en la droga y el alcohol, se convirtió en vocero social de los rumberos de nuestra América Latina...
Acuñando un fraseo propio maribelemba, ecuajey, ¡sacude zapato viejo!, a Ismael se le salió el personaje compositor de la juventud... Desde la gran manzana, Maelo y los Cachimbos impactactaron el panorama musical con sus grabaciones "La controversia" y "La soledad", y posteriormente "Mi negrita me espera" y "Dime por qué", dos clásicos de la salsa (los salones de salsa en Medellín cierran con "Mi negrita me espera"; todos la cantan a coro, pero sin bailarla). Otros éxitos con Los Cachimbos fueron "San Miguel Arcángel", "La gata montesa", "La manía de tu mujer", y el bolero de serenata "Hasta Mañana".
Con Kako y su trabuco grabó "Lo último en la avenida". También grabó con la Fania All Star cuando sus dueños Jerry Masucci y Johnny Pacheco compraron el sello Tico Alegre y lograron capturar a una serie de músicos rebeldes. En 1979 fue el artista mejor pagado por esa casa disquera, a excepción de Celia Cruz. Entre los éxitos con la Fania se destacan la versión de "El Nazareno" con Papo Lucca al piano, y "Cúcala", a dúo con Celia Cruz.
La gente comenzó a ver en él algo más que un cantante, disculpándole sus excesos, sin tener otra exigencia que no fuera esa identificación casi absoluta entre el público y su sonero. Y Rivera entendió plenamente lo que suponía éste fenómeno, manteniéndose al márgen de la euforia disquera, produciendo discos breves y simples saturados de vivencias y de elementos que progresivamente servían para incrementar esa misma identificación. En sus discos jamás se sintió la presencia de temas gratuitos, de números rellenos.
Sus discos los producía él, y él era el únco que decidía. Fue así como hurgó entre compositores de ayer y hoy, exprimiendo un repertorio que no admitiera la pérdida. Hizo de Pedro Flórez, Bobby Capó, Johnny Ortíz y Tite Curet, los compositores fundamentales de su repertorio. En todos estos discos siempre fue muy destacada la presencia de Javier Vásquez, a la sazón director musical de Los Cachimbos, veterano pianista cubano que se responsabilizó de la totalidad de los arreglos cantados por Ismael. El estilo de Vásquez en el piano con un montuno sólido y lento, como en la mejor tradición cubana, sirvió de apoyo para el vigor definitivo que siempre ha ostentado esta orquesta que, como es común en la salsa, nunca sobrepasó la decena de músicos. El crédito para Vásquez por lo tanto es necesario: fue el medio ideal para traducir en la precisión del lenguaje musical mucho de la inspiración y entusiasmo que en Ismael fue mero talento desbordado.
El 03 de Octubre de 1982, se produjo una pérdida lamentable... Rafael Cortijo fallecía, producto de un cáncer de pancreas...
Narra: Eduardo Rodríguez Juliá, «El entierro de Cortijo» (1991)
«Maelo no se consuela con la memoria. Quiere tocar la materia de su dolor; no pretende conseguir la tranquilidad que logró Cheo Feliciano cuando devolvió el diminuto crucifijo a su sitio, no, no. Maelo nunca ha sido tan fuerte, ha sucumbido a la droga, al alcohol, al desarreglo total, mi “pana” (“compañero”, “compadre”), y ahora también quiere abandonarse, como un Dionisio Carabalí, a la experiencia del dolor perfecto; pero no grita, gime con ese dolor asordinado que no se atreve a proclamarse del todo so pena de asustar a la desesperación. Las mujeres de la familia Cortijo le ruegan ‘No, Maelo, no’. Ello quiere decir ‘No Maelo no, no te abandones a ese dolor, así no puede ser, tienes que controlarte muchacho... ‘. Pero Maelo insiste, y ahora sube la mirada al crucifijo del ataúd y reza una oración ininteligible... Eso que dice... ¿qué le dirá? Estoy frente por frente a Maelo, le estoy mirando en esta cercanía que casi me vuelve invisible, pero no entiendo nada de lo que dice; es como una jerigonza privada a una sola voz entre los dos capitanes del mandinga soneo mayor, quizás alguna consigna en congo del siglo xviii, o un lenguaje íntimo y personal cuya clave sólo ellos conocen. Ahora se ha quedado solo el gran Maelo, con la mitad silenciosa de esos entendidos durmiendo la más larga espera... »
La muerte de su compadre Rafael Cortijo lo afectó sobremanera, al extremo de perder la voz, pese a que atesoraba la esperanza de recuperarla para cantar en un magno homenaje que le preparaban sus familiares y amigos en el Coliseo Roberto Clemente, con una fanfarria de vientos y poderosos ritmos.
En casa de Doña Margot, días antes del evento a las cinco y cuarto de la tarde, Maelo sufrió un infarto cardíaco y falleció luego de abrazar a su madre... Era el 13 de Mayo del 1987 y su muerte se sintió por todo el mundo de la música latina. Su música sigue viviendo en los corazones de aquellos que lo recuerdan al frente del micrófono, chasquendo los dedos, y entreteniendo a las audencias.
Y aunque nadie gozó el día de su muerte, sí hubo mucho música el día de su entierro, tal como Ismael lo quería. Sus seguidores bebieron durante dos días y lo recordaron como "El Sonero Mayor de Puerto Rico". En el populoso funeral, miles de negros, cientos de mulatos, decenas de jibaritos depositaron flores y desprendieron lágrimas sobre el féretro de su Negro Lindo que cantó con tanto cariño a su Puerto Rico del alma.
Ismael Rivera es hoy ya una leyenda de la cultura universal en su expresión musical afroantillana. Grabó un disco con la Orquesta Panamericana, uno con Francisco Bastar (Kaco) y su Conjunto, 13 discos con el genio musical Rafael Cortijo, 12 con su propio grupo Los Cachimbos.
Las canciones que interpretó fueron todas éxitos que calaron hondo en el corazón de su pueblo pues cantó sus tristezas y alegrías como nadie. Muchas fueron especialmente compuestas para él por reconocidos compositores, entre ellos su propia madre (cariñosamente recordada como Doña Margot), Don Tite Curet Alonso y Bobby Capó.
Se considera una leyenda de otra época y ayudó a muchos salseros a empezar sus carreras en Nueva York (entre ellos: Rubén Blades, Ismael Miranda, Hector Lavoe). El insuperable talento y el espíritu de Ismael Rivera vivirán por siempre entre nosotros. Su herencia supera los límites que conforma nuestro pentagrama, llegando a ser digno representante de la elevación de nuestra herencia africana, justo en el momento en que Puerto Rico disfrutaba de la magna revolución racial que colocó los nombres de Roberto Clemente y Peruchín Cepeda en la cúspide la fama.
Cuenta Doña Margot que Ismael siendo niño, empezó a cantar con "Kako" (Francisco Angel Bastard) huyendo de casa para poder hacerlo durante las noches; mientras ella se amanecía llorando, porque decía ¡Dios mío! pero si este muchacho lo que tiene es 13 ó 14 años.
En la escuela formaba las rumbas con latas, que abollaba hasta que dieran el sonido preciso... y en la cocina de Doña Margot, desaparecían guayas y tenedores porque Ismael se los llevaba...
De niño limpiabotas y a los 16 años albañil, aunque se las pasaba cantando y tocando en los rumbones que se formaban en la Calle Calma y otros sectores del Santurce Cangrejero, junto a su amigo y compadre Rafael Cortijo... Muchos años después, Rafael e Ismael formarían un conjunto que se roconocería internacionalmente, y lo convertirían en el portaestandarte indiscutido de la música afrocaribeña...
En 1948 Ismael y Cortijo se unieron al Conjunto Monterrey dirigido por Monchito Muley, Maelo como conguero y Cortijo como bongocero. Pese a su interés en cantar, nunca le dieron la oportunidad... y por su trabajo de albañil, no podía dedicarse a tiempo completo a la que sería su pasión...
Hasta que simplemente ocurrió... un día, mientras Cortijo tocaba en La Riviera, en La Marina sanjuanera, llegó el entonces albañil a pedirle trabajo y fue contratado por un sueldo de $32.80 semanales, por debajo de los $55.00 que ganaba tirando mezcla fina.
El año 1977, el periodista y etnomusicólogo venezolano César Miguel Rondón, consigue respuestas a los inicios de esta hitoria, en entrevista a Ismael durante el programa radial "Quiebre de Quintos" - Radio Nacional (Venezuela-1977):
Ismael, cómo entras tú en el mundo de la salsa, en el mundo de la música ?
Humildemente hablando, yo no entré en el mundo de la salsa, yo nací en el mundo de la salsa. Porque resulta que yo vengo de un pueblo que se llama Santurce, del área metropolitana de Puerto Rico, la costa norte; yo soy de la Calle Calma, y en la calle Calma el reloj, cuando yo me levantaba, era una cosa que hacía: pum qui pum, pum qui pum... y ese reloj como que se me metió en la sangre. Parece que yo traía algo y por eso puedo decirte que antes de tener uso de la razón ya yo estaba en la playa con los tambores, con un señor que se llama Rafael Cortijo, que ustedes lo conocen bien, y bueno... él es el resposable de que yo esté en este pugilato...
Cómo comienza esa relación tuya con Cortijo ?
Bueno, estábamos juntos en la Escuela Intermedia, de Santurce. Y Cortijo, como es natural, siempre ha tocado su tambor... tu sabes, hay lo que se llama "pleneros", que son los que hacen pura música de cueros, y Cortijo era de esos... y entonces, después de la escuela nos íbamos para la playa, que era una caminata como de cinco minutos, y ahí empezábamos a tocar...
Tú dices que estaban en la escuela, cuántos años tenían ?
Rafael tenía quince y yo catorce... y cuando eso fué que empezamos a rumbear juntos... él fue el que empezó a crearme conciencia, tú me entiendes, me decía que yo lo que era era cantante, un vocalista especial, y yo pensaba que el hombre como que me estaba dando mucha coba, pero el seguía... y entonces me iba a buscar a la obra, porque ya yo me había hecho albañil y soy un buen albañil... y así era, yo trabajaba para mi los sábados...tu sabes, uno siempre tiene que sudar, doblar el lomo... y entonces Rafael me iba a esperar con los barriles, los tambores, y mi abuelo cuando lo veía siempre decía: "ahí está el negrito ese con los barriles otra vez, lo voy a botar a él y te voy a botar a tí también, que no te venga a buscar más...". Pero ahí fué donde empezó todo, Rafael fue el que me sacó de la albañilería...
Comenta Don Tito Curet Alonso, a César Pagano en entrevista el año 1991:
«Había dos formas de interpretar la bomba y la plena: una que era con panderetas y coros, cinco o siete pleneros, es decir, un grupo enteramente folclórico que tiene sus instrumentos de percusión y canta, nada más. Y otra era una forma muy estilizada de interpretar nuestros aires para una gran orquesta de salón, estilo Rafael Muñoz, orquesta Siboney o la famosa de César Concepción. Y se produce la convergencia afortunada cuando Cortijo fragua esa manera tan suya de tocar la bomba con un ritmo genuino, pero más elástica, más moderna, cuando le añade metales de viento y arreglos muy sabrosones que revuelcan los pentagramas y los barrios de San Juan. Ocurre un cambio musical que el pueblo agarró veloz porque era su base, la bomba y la plena, pero adaptada a su época. Ni la áspera e indómita música de los atabales y voces, ni mucho menos la adormecedora y dulzona versión de las agrupaciones de cabarets».
La relación entre Cortijo y Maelo llevaría al sonido de la Calle Calma, y luego de todo Puerto Rico, a todo el mundo e inmortalizaría sus nombres y música en la evolución de la música latina y la salsa.
Ismael era un cantante entre muchos, pero capaz de improvisar líricas y ritmos. “Maelo” aprendió bomba y plena (sonidos originarios de Puerto Rico) estando muy joven... Así, su música fue una mezcla de estos estilos folkloricos y tradicionales y el estilo vocal del son cubano.
En 1952 debió dejarlo todo para formar parte del ejército de Estados Unidos, pero fue licenciado al poco tiempo, por su deficiencia en inglés.
A su regreso a la Isla, Cortijo le consiguió trabajo con la Orquesta Panamericana de Lito Peña, con quien grabó y pegó los éxitos "El charlatán", "La vieja en camisa" y "La sazón de abuela". Con "El charlatán" se dio a conocer en todos los rincones de la Isla, y posteriormente consiguió la fama internacional.
Entre presentación y presentación, Maelo salía de El Escambrón y se iba a descargar con su amigo Rafael Cortijo en el Black Magic de Miramar. Un incidente de faldas precipitó su salida de la Orquesta Panamericana y Lito le pidió que no cantara ese día en el programa radial de la orquesta. Pero Ismael decidió no cantar con la orquesta ése ni el resto de sus días.
En 1954 se integra al grupo de Rafael Cortijo, con quien grabaría 17 discos. Con Cortijo y su Combo pegó mucho éxitos, entre ellos: "El bombón de Elena", de don Rafael Cepeda, así como "El negro bembón", "Juan José", "Besitos de coco", "Palo que tú me das", "Quítate de la vía Perico", "Oriza", "El chivo de la campana", "Maquinolandera", "El yoyo", "María Teresa" y "Yo soy del campo"...
Prosigue maelo, en entrevista a César Miguel Rondón...
... y así fue como sucedió el accidente... Cortijo y su Combo... Ismael Rivera... El Bombón de Elena... y hasta la fecha...
Y cómo fué eso del accidente ?
Bueno, es que nosotros tocábamos en grande los fines de semana y ahí montábamos lo nuestro... y la gente nos iba a ver y les gustaba... yo no sé, decían que tocábamos distinto... yo no sé... parece que era el hambre.
Ismael, explícate eso del hambre...
Bueno, yo te dije hambre porque el grupo sonaba como con una rabia, una fuerza, loco por salir del arrabal, inconscientemente... me entiendes?... ese era el tiempo de la revolución de los negros en Puerto Rico... Roberto Clemente... Peruchín Cepeda... Romaní... entraron los negros a la universidad... Paff!!... y salió Cortijo y su Combo acompañando esa hambre, ese movimiento... Digo, no fue una cosa planeada, tu sabes, son cosas que que a veces suceden y en Puerto Rico estaba sucediendo esto... Todo fue una cosa del pueblo, del negro, era como que se nos estaba abriendo un aula, y había rabia y Clemente empezó a repartir palos y nosotros entramos ahí, tu sabes, con nuestra música... Y parece que el mismo deseo de nosotros de salir, de acabar con el arrabal, fue lo que después nos puso un poco más premeditados...y es que había hambre, César, había hambre...
------------------------------------
Prosigue Don Tito Curet Alonso, a César Pagano...
«Pero Cortijo también sabía cotizarse. Desde 1954 se incrementan las salas de baile, el ambiente empieza a mejorar y los músicos a tener mayor demanda, y ahí Cortijo se planta: ¿Quieren música buena? Tienen que pagar mejor y es así como lo logran los llamados músicos callejeros... Cortijo también defendió las tarifas de los percusíonistas que antes eran discriminados ante sus propios compañeros de otros instrumentos porque, además de entereza, tenía ideas, conceptos y estilo propios...»
Francesco Rossi un cineasta italiano de paso por la Isla que iba para Jamaica para filmar con Harry Belafonte forzaron el término de "Calypso" para introducir el sonido de Cortijo y Maelo. El sonido se coló en Nueva York en 1958 y 1959, y es que la colonia puertorriqueña se sentía como en su propia tierra con las inspiraciones de Rivera, fueron contratados por ese legendario club del "Palladium Ballroom" donde, sin partituras y tocando de pie, como en las fiestas de Borinquen, alternaron con las grandes orquestas de MachitoMachito, y Tito Rodríguez. Como anécdota recuerdan a Mr. Hyman, el propietario del Palladium, diciendo : "Mr. Cortijo, no more Pachanga, please", para aplacar la rumba que hacía temblar las lámparas del lugar y cuando llegaban los bomberos en previsión de desastres... La mafia los obligó a regresar cuando intentaron tocar en otros sitios...
Su estatura musical llevó a Benny Moré, ese gigante del cancionero cubano, a bautizar a Maelo como "El Sonero Mayor"... Luego de compartir con "Maelo" noches inolvidables para evocar la salsa clásica, lo bautizó asi por la finura de sus nítidas improvisaciones y excepcional clave, nombre que le seguiría durante su gloriosa carrera musical...
En 1962, gozando toda la fama y prestigio del Combo de Cortijo, Ismael se ve forzado a abandonar el ambiente... En un regreso de Panamá, Ismael y Cortijo fueron detenidos en la Aduana de Puerto Rico, decomisándoles drogas ilegales... Juzgados en otro idioma (recordar que por no hablar inglés, Maelo fue licenciado del servicio militar en el '52)... La sentencia fue de cuatro años en un programa carcelario de rehabilitación, a efectuarse en distintos centros de retención en EEUU.
Su detención significó el fin del grupo... posteriormente Rafael Ithier pudo reagruparlos, y nace "El Gran Combo"...
Al Maelo ser separado de la sociedad, Bobby Capó sintió como propio el encierro de Ismael, y le compuso un número que llegaría a convertirse en el himno de los reclusos: "Las Tumbas"... esta pasantía necesariamente habría de modificar de manera radical el espíritu y la intención de todo el posterior trabajo de Ismael.
Al salir de la cárcel, mientras su compadre Cortijo ensayaba otros combos (Cortijo y su Bonche, Cortijo y sus Champions y la futurista Máquina del Tiempo), Maelo buscó trabajo en New York, donde fue estigmatizado de vicioso, expresidiario, locato vago y exportador de mala imagen para USA. El encierro atemperó entonces a Rivera, cantándole a una audiencia internacional de boleros, son cubano y guajiras...
Así es como adelanta música con el percusionista Kako, Tito Puente y su propia orquesta, "Los Cachimbos" para tocar lo que realmente quería, lo que le gustaba... Con "Los Cachimbos" y sus amigos Bobby Capó (Las Tumbas), Henry Dávila (El Nazareno) y Curet Alonso (De todas maneras rosas), Maelo encontró apoyo para su rehabilitación.... Fortaleció sus propias obras (El incomprendido), y mientras otros salseros se hundían en la droga y el alcohol, se convirtió en vocero social de los rumberos de nuestra América Latina...
Acuñando un fraseo propio maribelemba, ecuajey, ¡sacude zapato viejo!, a Ismael se le salió el personaje compositor de la juventud... Desde la gran manzana, Maelo y los Cachimbos impactactaron el panorama musical con sus grabaciones "La controversia" y "La soledad", y posteriormente "Mi negrita me espera" y "Dime por qué", dos clásicos de la salsa (los salones de salsa en Medellín cierran con "Mi negrita me espera"; todos la cantan a coro, pero sin bailarla). Otros éxitos con Los Cachimbos fueron "San Miguel Arcángel", "La gata montesa", "La manía de tu mujer", y el bolero de serenata "Hasta Mañana".
Con Kako y su trabuco grabó "Lo último en la avenida". También grabó con la Fania All Star cuando sus dueños Jerry Masucci y Johnny Pacheco compraron el sello Tico Alegre y lograron capturar a una serie de músicos rebeldes. En 1979 fue el artista mejor pagado por esa casa disquera, a excepción de Celia Cruz. Entre los éxitos con la Fania se destacan la versión de "El Nazareno" con Papo Lucca al piano, y "Cúcala", a dúo con Celia Cruz.
La gente comenzó a ver en él algo más que un cantante, disculpándole sus excesos, sin tener otra exigencia que no fuera esa identificación casi absoluta entre el público y su sonero. Y Rivera entendió plenamente lo que suponía éste fenómeno, manteniéndose al márgen de la euforia disquera, produciendo discos breves y simples saturados de vivencias y de elementos que progresivamente servían para incrementar esa misma identificación. En sus discos jamás se sintió la presencia de temas gratuitos, de números rellenos.
Sus discos los producía él, y él era el únco que decidía. Fue así como hurgó entre compositores de ayer y hoy, exprimiendo un repertorio que no admitiera la pérdida. Hizo de Pedro Flórez, Bobby Capó, Johnny Ortíz y Tite Curet, los compositores fundamentales de su repertorio. En todos estos discos siempre fue muy destacada la presencia de Javier Vásquez, a la sazón director musical de Los Cachimbos, veterano pianista cubano que se responsabilizó de la totalidad de los arreglos cantados por Ismael. El estilo de Vásquez en el piano con un montuno sólido y lento, como en la mejor tradición cubana, sirvió de apoyo para el vigor definitivo que siempre ha ostentado esta orquesta que, como es común en la salsa, nunca sobrepasó la decena de músicos. El crédito para Vásquez por lo tanto es necesario: fue el medio ideal para traducir en la precisión del lenguaje musical mucho de la inspiración y entusiasmo que en Ismael fue mero talento desbordado.
El 03 de Octubre de 1982, se produjo una pérdida lamentable... Rafael Cortijo fallecía, producto de un cáncer de pancreas...
Narra: Eduardo Rodríguez Juliá, «El entierro de Cortijo» (1991)
«Maelo no se consuela con la memoria. Quiere tocar la materia de su dolor; no pretende conseguir la tranquilidad que logró Cheo Feliciano cuando devolvió el diminuto crucifijo a su sitio, no, no. Maelo nunca ha sido tan fuerte, ha sucumbido a la droga, al alcohol, al desarreglo total, mi “pana” (“compañero”, “compadre”), y ahora también quiere abandonarse, como un Dionisio Carabalí, a la experiencia del dolor perfecto; pero no grita, gime con ese dolor asordinado que no se atreve a proclamarse del todo so pena de asustar a la desesperación. Las mujeres de la familia Cortijo le ruegan ‘No, Maelo, no’. Ello quiere decir ‘No Maelo no, no te abandones a ese dolor, así no puede ser, tienes que controlarte muchacho... ‘. Pero Maelo insiste, y ahora sube la mirada al crucifijo del ataúd y reza una oración ininteligible... Eso que dice... ¿qué le dirá? Estoy frente por frente a Maelo, le estoy mirando en esta cercanía que casi me vuelve invisible, pero no entiendo nada de lo que dice; es como una jerigonza privada a una sola voz entre los dos capitanes del mandinga soneo mayor, quizás alguna consigna en congo del siglo xviii, o un lenguaje íntimo y personal cuya clave sólo ellos conocen. Ahora se ha quedado solo el gran Maelo, con la mitad silenciosa de esos entendidos durmiendo la más larga espera... »
La muerte de su compadre Rafael Cortijo lo afectó sobremanera, al extremo de perder la voz, pese a que atesoraba la esperanza de recuperarla para cantar en un magno homenaje que le preparaban sus familiares y amigos en el Coliseo Roberto Clemente, con una fanfarria de vientos y poderosos ritmos.
En casa de Doña Margot, días antes del evento a las cinco y cuarto de la tarde, Maelo sufrió un infarto cardíaco y falleció luego de abrazar a su madre... Era el 13 de Mayo del 1987 y su muerte se sintió por todo el mundo de la música latina. Su música sigue viviendo en los corazones de aquellos que lo recuerdan al frente del micrófono, chasquendo los dedos, y entreteniendo a las audencias.
Y aunque nadie gozó el día de su muerte, sí hubo mucho música el día de su entierro, tal como Ismael lo quería. Sus seguidores bebieron durante dos días y lo recordaron como "El Sonero Mayor de Puerto Rico". En el populoso funeral, miles de negros, cientos de mulatos, decenas de jibaritos depositaron flores y desprendieron lágrimas sobre el féretro de su Negro Lindo que cantó con tanto cariño a su Puerto Rico del alma.
Ismael Rivera es hoy ya una leyenda de la cultura universal en su expresión musical afroantillana. Grabó un disco con la Orquesta Panamericana, uno con Francisco Bastar (Kaco) y su Conjunto, 13 discos con el genio musical Rafael Cortijo, 12 con su propio grupo Los Cachimbos.
Las canciones que interpretó fueron todas éxitos que calaron hondo en el corazón de su pueblo pues cantó sus tristezas y alegrías como nadie. Muchas fueron especialmente compuestas para él por reconocidos compositores, entre ellos su propia madre (cariñosamente recordada como Doña Margot), Don Tite Curet Alonso y Bobby Capó.
Se considera una leyenda de otra época y ayudó a muchos salseros a empezar sus carreras en Nueva York (entre ellos: Rubén Blades, Ismael Miranda, Hector Lavoe). El insuperable talento y el espíritu de Ismael Rivera vivirán por siempre entre nosotros. Su herencia supera los límites que conforma nuestro pentagrama, llegando a ser digno representante de la elevación de nuestra herencia africana, justo en el momento en que Puerto Rico disfrutaba de la magna revolución racial que colocó los nombres de Roberto Clemente y Peruchín Cepeda en la cúspide la fama.
Celia Cruz - Biography
Born Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alonso, 21 October 1924, Santa Suarez district, Havana, Cuba, died 16 July 2003, New Jersey, USA. Described as the "Queen of Salsa" - just one of her several superlative epithets - Cruz will be remembered as the most influential female in the history of Afro-Cuban music. Her family and neighbours became aware of the young Celia's singing ability from listening to her croon lullabies to her younger relatives. While she was training to become a literature teacher, an older cousin entered her in a competition on the talent show La Hora Del T? on Radio Garc?a Serr?, in which she won first prize. Her 1983 biography refers to 1947 as the year when this contest occurred, but the sleeve notes to two of her early albums, Canta RPM (RPM Sings) and Cuba's Queen Of Rhythm, mention 1935. Celia's father, Sim?n Cruz, viewed music a dishonourable career for a woman, but he was overridden by his wife, Catalina Alfonso. Professional radio work followed. Celia concluded her teacher training and did some classes at Havana's National Conservatory of Music. She eventually switched to singing full-time when a trusted teacher advised her that she would be foolish to do otherwise.
Cruz first appeared on Santero, an album of Afro-Cuban cult music on the Panart label. (Two of her later bestselling albums on Seeco, Homenaje A Los Santos and Homenaje A Los Santos Vol. 2, contained recordings of sacred songs, and her association with Santeria or Yoruba was highlighted in UK media coverage though she always claimed to be a practising Roman Catholic). In addition to radio, Cruz worked with the group Gloria Matancera and in small theatres and cabaret. She befriended Roderico "Rodney" Neyra, later choreographer at the famous Tropicana nightclub in Havana, who helped her get work there as a singer during the club's winter seasons. She toured Mexico and Venezuela with him and his dance troupe, Las Mulatas De Fuego (The Fiery Mulattas). Neyra introduced Cruz to Rogelio Mart?nez, the director of the popular band Sonora Matancera. On 3 August 1950, Cruz replaced Myrta Silva, who had returned to her native Puerto Rico, as lead vocalist of Sonora Matancera on their weekly show on Radio Progreso. Cruz made her recording debut with Sonora Matancera on a 78 rpm single released in January 1951 entitled "Cao Cao Mani Picao" (later included on Canciones Premiadas De RPM, her biggest hit album on Seeco), with the flip-side "Mata Siguaraya" (later contained on Homenaje A Los Santos Vol. 2). She made a long list of records during her 15-year tenure with the band. During the 50s, Cruz and the band appeared on television, topped the bill at the Tropicana and toured the Caribbean, South and Central America and the USA. She made her first appearance in New York at the old St. Nicholas Arena in 1957.
Cruz and Sonora Matancera left post-revolutionary Cuba permanently in July 1960. "We gave them the impression we were just going on another temporary tour abroad. That's how we got out" (quoted in her 1983 biography). They worked in Mexico for one-and-a-half years, during which time they made their fifth Mexican movie appearance. "Castro never forgave me", she said in a 1987 interview. The Cuban government refused her permission to return home to attend her father's funeral. A lengthy commitment at the Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, in 1961 enabled Cruz and Sonora Matancera to apply for US residency. In July 1962 she was able to dispense with her chaperone (a female relative), when she married the band's first trumpeter, Pedro Knight, who became her manager and on-stage musical director.
After finishing with Sonora Matancera in 1965, Cruz switched to Tico Records - then a division of Morris Levy's Roulette Records - and released a series of 12 albums (excluding compilations) between 1966 and 1972, including seven in partnership with Tito Puente and four recorded in Mexico with the band of Memo Salamanca (issued by Tico in the USA under license from the Mexican Orfeon label). A combination of poor promotion and a young Latino audience more interested in other music styles than music from the old country, meant that her Tico releases clocked up poor sales. However, by the early 70s, young Latinos "in New York, New Jersey and Miami began to take a new pride in their roots, and salsa became the musical symbol of that rediscovered identity" (quote from Elizabeth Llorente, 1987). Jerry Masucci, who co-ran the successful salsa labels, Fania and Vaya, with bandleader Johnny Pacheco, had his eye on the Tico catalogue and was especially interested in developing Cruz's talents. He struck a deal with Levy, and Tico became part of the Fania fold.
Cruz was touring in Mexico in 1973 when it was decided that she would sing the part of Gracia Divina on Larry Harlow's Latin opera album Hommy on Fania, a version of the Who's Tommy. Cruz's outstanding performance at the all-star Carnegie Hall presentation of Hommy on 29 March 1973 served to re-launch her career and connect her with a new, younger audience. Her new-found popularity was consolidated the following year. The summer of 1974 saw the release of Celia & Johnny, the first of a series of six successful collaborations with Pacheco on Vaya, which went gold. Masucci thought of alternating Cruz with other top leaders on his roster, like Willie Col?n, Papo Lucca and Ray Barretto, whose bands each had their own trademark sound. Cruz made her album debut with the Fania All Stars in 1975 on the two-volume Live At Yankee Stadium. Bobby Valent?n's re-arrangement of her 60s track "Bemba Colora" ("Red Lips", originally from Son Con Guaguanco produced by Al Santiago) on volume two was a show stopper with the hypnotized audience chanting the single word chorus "colora" and calling Cruz back for an encore. Film footage of this performance was featured in Masucci's movie Salsa. She continued to use Valent?n's chart of "Bemba Colora" to close her live shows. Cruz toured Africa and Europe with Fania All Stars and recorded with them up until 1988.
After a gap of about 17 years, Cruz reunited on record with Sonora Matancera on 1982's Feliz Encuentro. She was the subject of BBC television's Arena film profile My Name Is RPM broadcast in 1988, a year after she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Later that year, a programme in the BBC's Rhythms Of The World series was devoted to concert footage of Cruz teamed up with Puente's big band (with special guest Pacheco) recorded at the Apollo theatre, New York in 1987. She joined a reunion of 13 former lead singers of Sonora Matancera for a series of three concerts by the band in June 1989 in celebration of their 65th anniversary and was commemorated by a double album release. In 1989, Cruz was awarded an honorary doctorate of music by Yale University. Her second collaboration with Ray Barretto, 1988's Ritmo En El Coraz?n, won a Grammy Award in 1990. In 1992, Celia appeared in the Hollywood movie The Mambo Kings as nightclub owner Evalina Montoya, and three years later played a cameo role in The Perez Family.
Cruz signed to the RMM label in 1989, and the following year licensed her product for release in Spain on the newly formed BAT label. Azucar Negra gave Cruz her first gold record on the Spanish charts, and she spent the rest of the 90s establishing her presence in an important market. During a decade which saw the assimilation of Latin music into the US mainstream, Cruz was garlanded with several important titles, not least of which was 1995's Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award. At the end of the decade she signed to Sony, debuting for the label in 2000 with Siempre Vivir?. The "Queen of Salsa" died three years later at her home in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Cruz first appeared on Santero, an album of Afro-Cuban cult music on the Panart label. (Two of her later bestselling albums on Seeco, Homenaje A Los Santos and Homenaje A Los Santos Vol. 2, contained recordings of sacred songs, and her association with Santeria or Yoruba was highlighted in UK media coverage though she always claimed to be a practising Roman Catholic). In addition to radio, Cruz worked with the group Gloria Matancera and in small theatres and cabaret. She befriended Roderico "Rodney" Neyra, later choreographer at the famous Tropicana nightclub in Havana, who helped her get work there as a singer during the club's winter seasons. She toured Mexico and Venezuela with him and his dance troupe, Las Mulatas De Fuego (The Fiery Mulattas). Neyra introduced Cruz to Rogelio Mart?nez, the director of the popular band Sonora Matancera. On 3 August 1950, Cruz replaced Myrta Silva, who had returned to her native Puerto Rico, as lead vocalist of Sonora Matancera on their weekly show on Radio Progreso. Cruz made her recording debut with Sonora Matancera on a 78 rpm single released in January 1951 entitled "Cao Cao Mani Picao" (later included on Canciones Premiadas De RPM, her biggest hit album on Seeco), with the flip-side "Mata Siguaraya" (later contained on Homenaje A Los Santos Vol. 2). She made a long list of records during her 15-year tenure with the band. During the 50s, Cruz and the band appeared on television, topped the bill at the Tropicana and toured the Caribbean, South and Central America and the USA. She made her first appearance in New York at the old St. Nicholas Arena in 1957.
Cruz and Sonora Matancera left post-revolutionary Cuba permanently in July 1960. "We gave them the impression we were just going on another temporary tour abroad. That's how we got out" (quoted in her 1983 biography). They worked in Mexico for one-and-a-half years, during which time they made their fifth Mexican movie appearance. "Castro never forgave me", she said in a 1987 interview. The Cuban government refused her permission to return home to attend her father's funeral. A lengthy commitment at the Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, in 1961 enabled Cruz and Sonora Matancera to apply for US residency. In July 1962 she was able to dispense with her chaperone (a female relative), when she married the band's first trumpeter, Pedro Knight, who became her manager and on-stage musical director.
After finishing with Sonora Matancera in 1965, Cruz switched to Tico Records - then a division of Morris Levy's Roulette Records - and released a series of 12 albums (excluding compilations) between 1966 and 1972, including seven in partnership with Tito Puente and four recorded in Mexico with the band of Memo Salamanca (issued by Tico in the USA under license from the Mexican Orfeon label). A combination of poor promotion and a young Latino audience more interested in other music styles than music from the old country, meant that her Tico releases clocked up poor sales. However, by the early 70s, young Latinos "in New York, New Jersey and Miami began to take a new pride in their roots, and salsa became the musical symbol of that rediscovered identity" (quote from Elizabeth Llorente, 1987). Jerry Masucci, who co-ran the successful salsa labels, Fania and Vaya, with bandleader Johnny Pacheco, had his eye on the Tico catalogue and was especially interested in developing Cruz's talents. He struck a deal with Levy, and Tico became part of the Fania fold.
Cruz was touring in Mexico in 1973 when it was decided that she would sing the part of Gracia Divina on Larry Harlow's Latin opera album Hommy on Fania, a version of the Who's Tommy. Cruz's outstanding performance at the all-star Carnegie Hall presentation of Hommy on 29 March 1973 served to re-launch her career and connect her with a new, younger audience. Her new-found popularity was consolidated the following year. The summer of 1974 saw the release of Celia & Johnny, the first of a series of six successful collaborations with Pacheco on Vaya, which went gold. Masucci thought of alternating Cruz with other top leaders on his roster, like Willie Col?n, Papo Lucca and Ray Barretto, whose bands each had their own trademark sound. Cruz made her album debut with the Fania All Stars in 1975 on the two-volume Live At Yankee Stadium. Bobby Valent?n's re-arrangement of her 60s track "Bemba Colora" ("Red Lips", originally from Son Con Guaguanco produced by Al Santiago) on volume two was a show stopper with the hypnotized audience chanting the single word chorus "colora" and calling Cruz back for an encore. Film footage of this performance was featured in Masucci's movie Salsa. She continued to use Valent?n's chart of "Bemba Colora" to close her live shows. Cruz toured Africa and Europe with Fania All Stars and recorded with them up until 1988.
After a gap of about 17 years, Cruz reunited on record with Sonora Matancera on 1982's Feliz Encuentro. She was the subject of BBC television's Arena film profile My Name Is RPM broadcast in 1988, a year after she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Later that year, a programme in the BBC's Rhythms Of The World series was devoted to concert footage of Cruz teamed up with Puente's big band (with special guest Pacheco) recorded at the Apollo theatre, New York in 1987. She joined a reunion of 13 former lead singers of Sonora Matancera for a series of three concerts by the band in June 1989 in celebration of their 65th anniversary and was commemorated by a double album release. In 1989, Cruz was awarded an honorary doctorate of music by Yale University. Her second collaboration with Ray Barretto, 1988's Ritmo En El Coraz?n, won a Grammy Award in 1990. In 1992, Celia appeared in the Hollywood movie The Mambo Kings as nightclub owner Evalina Montoya, and three years later played a cameo role in The Perez Family.
Cruz signed to the RMM label in 1989, and the following year licensed her product for release in Spain on the newly formed BAT label. Azucar Negra gave Cruz her first gold record on the Spanish charts, and she spent the rest of the 90s establishing her presence in an important market. During a decade which saw the assimilation of Latin music into the US mainstream, Cruz was garlanded with several important titles, not least of which was 1995's Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award. At the end of the decade she signed to Sony, debuting for the label in 2000 with Siempre Vivir?. The "Queen of Salsa" died three years later at her home in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Memphis music legend Alex Chilton dies
Updated Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Pop hitmaker, cult hero, and Memphis rock iconoclast Alex Chilton has
died.
The singer and guitarist, best known as a member of '60s pop-soul act
the Box Tops and the '70s power-pop act Big Star, died today at a
hospital in New
Orleans. Chilton, 59, had been complaining about his health earlier
today. He was taken by paramedics to the emergency room where he was
pronounced
dead. The cause of death is believed to be a heart attack.
His Big Star bandmate Jody Stephens confirmed the news this evening.
"Alex passed away a couple of hours ago," Stephens said from Austin,
Texas, where the
band was to play Saturday at the annual South By Southwest Festival. "I
don't have a lot of particulars, but they kind of suspect that it was a
heart attack."
The Memphis-born Chilton rose to prominence at age 16, when his gruff
vocals powered Box Tops massive hit "The Letter." The band would score
several more
hits, including "Cry Like a Baby" and "Neon Rainbow."
After the Box Tops ended in 1970, Chilton had a brief solo run in New
York before returning to Memphis. He soon joined forces with a group of
Anglo-pop-obsessed
musicians, fellow songwriter/guitarist Chris Bell, bassist Andy Hummel
and drummer Jody Stephens, to form Big Star.
The group became the flagship act for the local Ardent Studios' new
Stax-distributed label. Big Star's 1972 debut album, #1 Record met with
critical acclaim
but poor sales. The group briefly disbanded, but reunited sans Bell to
record the album Radio City. Released in 1974, the album suffered a
similar fate,
plagued by Stax's distribution woes.
"I'm crushed. We're all just crushed," said Ardent founder John Fry,
who engineered most of the Big Star sessions. "This sudden death
experience is never
something that you're prepared for. And yet it occurs."
The group made one more album, Third/Sister Lovers, with just Chilton
and Stephens - and it too was a minor masterpiece. Darker and more
complex than the
band's previous pop-oriented material, it remained unreleased for
several years. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine would name all three Big
Star albums to
its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
In the mid-'70s Chilton began what would be a polarizing solo career,
releasing several albums of material, like 1979's Like Flies on Sherbet
- a strange,
chaotically recorded album of originals and obscure covers that divided
fans and critics. Chilton also began performing with local roots-punk
deconstructionists
the Panther Burns.
In the early '80s, Chilton left Memphis for New Orleans, where he
worked a variety of jobs and stopped performing for several years. But
interest in his
music from a new generation of alternative bands, including R.E.M. and
the Replacements, brought him back to the stage in the mid-'80s.
He continued to record and tour as a solo act throughout the decade.
Finally, in the early '90s, the underground cult based around Big Star
had become so
huge that the group was enticed to reunite with a reconfigured lineup.
"It's obvious to anybody that listens to his live performances or his
body of recorded work, his tremendous talent as a vocalist and
songwriter and instrumentalist,"
Fry said.
"Beyond the musical talent, he was an interesting, articulate and
extremely intelligent person," Fry added. "I don't think you'd ever
have a conversation
with him of any length that you didn't learn something completely new."
The band, featuring original member Stephens plus Jon Auer and Ken
Stringfellow of the Posies, continued to perform regularly over the
next 16 years. Big
Star became the subject of various articles, books and CD reissue
campaigns, including the release of widely hailed box set, Keep an Eye
on the Sky, released
last year by Rhino Records.
"When some people pass, you say it was the end of an era. In this case,
it's really true," said Memphis singer-songwriter Van Duren, a Chilton
contemporary
in the Memphis rock scene of the '70s.
The band was scheduled to launch the spring 2010 season at the Levitt
Shell at Overton Park with a benefit concert on May 15.
Big Star had not played in Memphis since a 2003 Beale Street Music
Festival appearance.
Chilton is survived by his wife, Laura, and a son Timothy.
Pop hitmaker, cult hero, and Memphis rock iconoclast Alex Chilton has
died.
The singer and guitarist, best known as a member of '60s pop-soul act
the Box Tops and the '70s power-pop act Big Star, died today at a
hospital in New
Orleans. Chilton, 59, had been complaining about his health earlier
today. He was taken by paramedics to the emergency room where he was
pronounced
dead. The cause of death is believed to be a heart attack.
His Big Star bandmate Jody Stephens confirmed the news this evening.
"Alex passed away a couple of hours ago," Stephens said from Austin,
Texas, where the
band was to play Saturday at the annual South By Southwest Festival. "I
don't have a lot of particulars, but they kind of suspect that it was a
heart attack."
The Memphis-born Chilton rose to prominence at age 16, when his gruff
vocals powered Box Tops massive hit "The Letter." The band would score
several more
hits, including "Cry Like a Baby" and "Neon Rainbow."
After the Box Tops ended in 1970, Chilton had a brief solo run in New
York before returning to Memphis. He soon joined forces with a group of
Anglo-pop-obsessed
musicians, fellow songwriter/guitarist Chris Bell, bassist Andy Hummel
and drummer Jody Stephens, to form Big Star.
The group became the flagship act for the local Ardent Studios' new
Stax-distributed label. Big Star's 1972 debut album, #1 Record met with
critical acclaim
but poor sales. The group briefly disbanded, but reunited sans Bell to
record the album Radio City. Released in 1974, the album suffered a
similar fate,
plagued by Stax's distribution woes.
"I'm crushed. We're all just crushed," said Ardent founder John Fry,
who engineered most of the Big Star sessions. "This sudden death
experience is never
something that you're prepared for. And yet it occurs."
The group made one more album, Third/Sister Lovers, with just Chilton
and Stephens - and it too was a minor masterpiece. Darker and more
complex than the
band's previous pop-oriented material, it remained unreleased for
several years. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine would name all three Big
Star albums to
its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
In the mid-'70s Chilton began what would be a polarizing solo career,
releasing several albums of material, like 1979's Like Flies on Sherbet
- a strange,
chaotically recorded album of originals and obscure covers that divided
fans and critics. Chilton also began performing with local roots-punk
deconstructionists
the Panther Burns.
In the early '80s, Chilton left Memphis for New Orleans, where he
worked a variety of jobs and stopped performing for several years. But
interest in his
music from a new generation of alternative bands, including R.E.M. and
the Replacements, brought him back to the stage in the mid-'80s.
He continued to record and tour as a solo act throughout the decade.
Finally, in the early '90s, the underground cult based around Big Star
had become so
huge that the group was enticed to reunite with a reconfigured lineup.
"It's obvious to anybody that listens to his live performances or his
body of recorded work, his tremendous talent as a vocalist and
songwriter and instrumentalist,"
Fry said.
"Beyond the musical talent, he was an interesting, articulate and
extremely intelligent person," Fry added. "I don't think you'd ever
have a conversation
with him of any length that you didn't learn something completely new."
The band, featuring original member Stephens plus Jon Auer and Ken
Stringfellow of the Posies, continued to perform regularly over the
next 16 years. Big
Star became the subject of various articles, books and CD reissue
campaigns, including the release of widely hailed box set, Keep an Eye
on the Sky, released
last year by Rhino Records.
"When some people pass, you say it was the end of an era. In this case,
it's really true," said Memphis singer-songwriter Van Duren, a Chilton
contemporary
in the Memphis rock scene of the '70s.
The band was scheduled to launch the spring 2010 season at the Levitt
Shell at Overton Park with a benefit concert on May 15.
Big Star had not played in Memphis since a 2003 Beale Street Music
Festival appearance.
Chilton is survived by his wife, Laura, and a son Timothy.
Fess Parker, TV's Davy Crockett, Dies At 85
LOS ANGELES – Fess Parker, a baby-boomer idol in the 1950s who launched a
craze for coonskin caps as television's Davy Crockett, died Thursday of
natural causes. He was 85.
Family spokeswoman Sao Anash said Parker, who was also TV's Daniel Boone and
later a major California winemaker and developer, died at his Santa Ynez
Valley home. His death comes on the 84th birthday of his wife of 50 years,
Marcella.
"She's a wreck," Anash said, adding Parker was coherent and speaking with
family just minutes before his death. Funeral arrangements will be announced
later.
The first installment of "Davy Crockett," with Buddy Ebsen as Crockett's
sidekick, debuted in December 1954 as part of the "Disneyland" TV show.
The 6-foot, 6-inch Parker was quickly embraced by youngsters as the man in a
coonskin cap who stood for the spirit of the American frontier. Boomers
gripped by the Crockett craze scooped up Davy lunch boxes, toy Old Betsy
rifles, buckskin shirts and trademark fur caps. "The Ballad of Davy
Crockett" ("Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee...") was a No. 1 hit for
singer Bill Hayes while Parker's own version reached No. 5.
The first three television episodes were turned into a theatrical film,
"Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier," in 1955.
True to history, Disney killed off its hero in the third episode, "Davy
Crockett at the Alamo," where the real-life Crockett died in 1836 at age 49.
But spurred by popular demand, Disney brought back the Crockett character
for some episodes in the 1955-56 season, including "Davy Crockett's Keelboat
Race." In reporting this development, Hedda Hopper wrote: "Take off those
black armbands, kids, and put on your coonskin caps, for Davy Crockett will
hit the trail again."
But just as suddenly it had taken the country by storm, the craze died down.
Parker's career then leveled off before he made a TV comeback from 1964-1970
in the title role of the TV adventure series "Daniel Boone" — also based on
a real-life American frontiersman. Actor-singer Ed Ames, formerly of the
Ames Brothers, played Boone's Indian friend, Mingo.
After "Daniel Boone," Parker largely retired from show business, except for
guest appearances, and went into real estate.
"I left the business after 22 years," Parker told The Associated Press in
2001. "It was time to leave Hollywood. I came along at a time when I'm
starting out with Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Sterling Hayden and Gregory
Peck."
"Who needed a guy running around in a coonskin cap?" he said.
Parker had made his motion picture debut in "Springfield Rifle" in 1952. His
other movies included "No Room for the Groom" (1952), "The Kid From Left
Field" (1953), "Them!" (1954), "The Great Locomotive Chase" (1956),
"Westward Ho, the Wagons!" (1956), "Old Yeller" (1957) and "The Light in the
Forest" (1958).
Several of Parker's films, including "The Great Locomotive Chase" and "Old
Yeller," came from the Disney studio.
It was Parker's scene as a terrified witness in the horror classic "Them!"
that caught the attention of Walt Disney when he was looking for a "Davy
Crockett" star. He chose Parker over another "Them!" actor, James Arness —
who became a TV superstar in the long-running "Gunsmoke."
After departing Hollywood, Parker got into real estate with his wife,
Marcella, whom he had married in 1960.
He bought and sold property, built hotels (including the elegant Fess
Parker's Wine Country Inn & Spa in Los Olivos and Fess Parker's Doubletree
Resort Santa Barbara) and grew wine grapes on a 2,200-acre vineyard on
California's Central Coast, where he was dubbed King of the Wine Frontier
and coonskin caps enjoyed brisk sales.
After its inaugural harvest in 1989, Parker's vineyard won dozens of medals
and awards. The Parkers' son, Eli, became director of winemaking and their
daughter, Ashley, also worked at the winery.
Parker was a longtime friend of Ronald Reagan, whose Western White House was
not far from the Parker vineyards. Reagan sent Parker to Australia in 1985
to represent him during an event, and when Parker returned he was asked by
White House aide Michael Deaver if he was interested in being ambassador to
that country.
"In the end, I decided I'd better take myself out of it. But I was
flattered," Parker said.
Parker also once considered a U.S. Senate bid, challenging Alan Cranston.
But Nevada Sen. Paul Laxalt said it would be a rough campaign, and a key
dissenter lived under the same roof.
"My wife was not in favor," Parker said. "I'm so happy with what evolved."
Fess Elisha Parker Jr. was born Aug. 16, 1924, in Fort Worth, Texas — Parker
loved to point out Crockett's birthday was Aug. 17. He played football at
Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene but was injured in a nearly fatal
road-rage knifing in 1946.
"There went my football career," Parker had said.
He later earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas.
Parker was discovered by actor Adolphe Menjou, who was Oscar-nominated for
"The Front Page" in 1931 and who was a guest artist at the University of
Texas. Menjou urged him to go to Hollywood and introduced Parker to his
agent.
craze for coonskin caps as television's Davy Crockett, died Thursday of
natural causes. He was 85.
Family spokeswoman Sao Anash said Parker, who was also TV's Daniel Boone and
later a major California winemaker and developer, died at his Santa Ynez
Valley home. His death comes on the 84th birthday of his wife of 50 years,
Marcella.
"She's a wreck," Anash said, adding Parker was coherent and speaking with
family just minutes before his death. Funeral arrangements will be announced
later.
The first installment of "Davy Crockett," with Buddy Ebsen as Crockett's
sidekick, debuted in December 1954 as part of the "Disneyland" TV show.
The 6-foot, 6-inch Parker was quickly embraced by youngsters as the man in a
coonskin cap who stood for the spirit of the American frontier. Boomers
gripped by the Crockett craze scooped up Davy lunch boxes, toy Old Betsy
rifles, buckskin shirts and trademark fur caps. "The Ballad of Davy
Crockett" ("Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee...") was a No. 1 hit for
singer Bill Hayes while Parker's own version reached No. 5.
The first three television episodes were turned into a theatrical film,
"Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier," in 1955.
True to history, Disney killed off its hero in the third episode, "Davy
Crockett at the Alamo," where the real-life Crockett died in 1836 at age 49.
But spurred by popular demand, Disney brought back the Crockett character
for some episodes in the 1955-56 season, including "Davy Crockett's Keelboat
Race." In reporting this development, Hedda Hopper wrote: "Take off those
black armbands, kids, and put on your coonskin caps, for Davy Crockett will
hit the trail again."
But just as suddenly it had taken the country by storm, the craze died down.
Parker's career then leveled off before he made a TV comeback from 1964-1970
in the title role of the TV adventure series "Daniel Boone" — also based on
a real-life American frontiersman. Actor-singer Ed Ames, formerly of the
Ames Brothers, played Boone's Indian friend, Mingo.
After "Daniel Boone," Parker largely retired from show business, except for
guest appearances, and went into real estate.
"I left the business after 22 years," Parker told The Associated Press in
2001. "It was time to leave Hollywood. I came along at a time when I'm
starting out with Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Sterling Hayden and Gregory
Peck."
"Who needed a guy running around in a coonskin cap?" he said.
Parker had made his motion picture debut in "Springfield Rifle" in 1952. His
other movies included "No Room for the Groom" (1952), "The Kid From Left
Field" (1953), "Them!" (1954), "The Great Locomotive Chase" (1956),
"Westward Ho, the Wagons!" (1956), "Old Yeller" (1957) and "The Light in the
Forest" (1958).
Several of Parker's films, including "The Great Locomotive Chase" and "Old
Yeller," came from the Disney studio.
It was Parker's scene as a terrified witness in the horror classic "Them!"
that caught the attention of Walt Disney when he was looking for a "Davy
Crockett" star. He chose Parker over another "Them!" actor, James Arness —
who became a TV superstar in the long-running "Gunsmoke."
After departing Hollywood, Parker got into real estate with his wife,
Marcella, whom he had married in 1960.
He bought and sold property, built hotels (including the elegant Fess
Parker's Wine Country Inn & Spa in Los Olivos and Fess Parker's Doubletree
Resort Santa Barbara) and grew wine grapes on a 2,200-acre vineyard on
California's Central Coast, where he was dubbed King of the Wine Frontier
and coonskin caps enjoyed brisk sales.
After its inaugural harvest in 1989, Parker's vineyard won dozens of medals
and awards. The Parkers' son, Eli, became director of winemaking and their
daughter, Ashley, also worked at the winery.
Parker was a longtime friend of Ronald Reagan, whose Western White House was
not far from the Parker vineyards. Reagan sent Parker to Australia in 1985
to represent him during an event, and when Parker returned he was asked by
White House aide Michael Deaver if he was interested in being ambassador to
that country.
"In the end, I decided I'd better take myself out of it. But I was
flattered," Parker said.
Parker also once considered a U.S. Senate bid, challenging Alan Cranston.
But Nevada Sen. Paul Laxalt said it would be a rough campaign, and a key
dissenter lived under the same roof.
"My wife was not in favor," Parker said. "I'm so happy with what evolved."
Fess Elisha Parker Jr. was born Aug. 16, 1924, in Fort Worth, Texas — Parker
loved to point out Crockett's birthday was Aug. 17. He played football at
Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene but was injured in a nearly fatal
road-rage knifing in 1946.
"There went my football career," Parker had said.
He later earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas.
Parker was discovered by actor Adolphe Menjou, who was Oscar-nominated for
"The Front Page" in 1931 and who was a guest artist at the University of
Texas. Menjou urged him to go to Hollywood and introduced Parker to his
agent.
"Making Census Of It All"
Making census of it all KENNETH C. CROWE II TU
The U.S. Constitution requires that a census be conducted every 10 years.
The census takes a snapshot of the nation's population on April 1, Census
Day. Census forms were expected to arrive in American households this week
between Monday and today. The first census was done in 1790. This year marks
the 23rd time that the federal government has counted the country's
population and solicited information about its makeup. The first Census Day
was Aug. 2, 1790. April 1 has been Census Day since 1930. In 1790, the U.S.
population was 3.9 million. The estimated U.S. population in 2010 is 309
million. The census mailing package includes a cover letter, the 2010 Census
form and a postage-paid return envelope. The 10 questions should take about
10 minutes to complete. The responses are confidential and protected by
federal law. These are the questions: • 1. The number of people
living in the residence • 2. Any additional people that might be
living there as of April 1, 2010 • 3. Whether the residence is owned
or rented • 4. Telephone number (in case the Census Bureau has
follow-up questions) • 5. Name • 6. Sex • 7. Age and
date of birth • 8. Whether of Hispanic origin • 9. Race
• 10. Whether that person sometimes lives somewhere else Here are
some facts about each of them: • Question 1 Used to get accurate
count of household members on Census Day, April 1, 2010. • Question 2
First asked in 1800. Picks up people left out of first question. •
Question 3 First asked in 1890. An economic indicator. Using for planning
and housing decisions. • Question 4 In case the Census Bureau needs
to reach you to complete an incomplete form. • Question 5 The name
of every household member is listed. First done in 1850. • Question 6
Dates from 1790. Used for determine federal funding of certain programs.
• Question 7 First asked in 1800. Used to provide data to interpret
and forecast social and economic data. • Question 8 Asked since
1970. Used to monitor compliance with anti-discrimination laws and for
voting districts. • Question 9 Asked since 1790. Data for
administering anti-discrimination laws and monitoring racial disparities in
areas such as health and education. • Question 10 Asked to ensure
response accuracy and completeness. Questions are repeated for other
household members on the rest of the form. U.S. Census facts •
Households that won't respond The bureau estimates 47.8 million
households won't mail back the census form and will require follow-up visits
from census takers. • Census cost The estimated cost for the 2010
Census is $14.5 billion from 2001-2013. • Privacy It's against the
law for census workers to disclose personal information. Individual census
records are kept secret for 72 years. Source: U.S. Census Bureau The U.S.
Census Bureau has a Web site devoted to the 2010 Census. The Web address is
http://2010.census.gov/2010census/ .
The U.S. Constitution requires that a census be conducted every 10 years.
The census takes a snapshot of the nation's population on April 1, Census
Day. Census forms were expected to arrive in American households this week
between Monday and today. The first census was done in 1790. This year marks
the 23rd time that the federal government has counted the country's
population and solicited information about its makeup. The first Census Day
was Aug. 2, 1790. April 1 has been Census Day since 1930. In 1790, the U.S.
population was 3.9 million. The estimated U.S. population in 2010 is 309
million. The census mailing package includes a cover letter, the 2010 Census
form and a postage-paid return envelope. The 10 questions should take about
10 minutes to complete. The responses are confidential and protected by
federal law. These are the questions: • 1. The number of people
living in the residence • 2. Any additional people that might be
living there as of April 1, 2010 • 3. Whether the residence is owned
or rented • 4. Telephone number (in case the Census Bureau has
follow-up questions) • 5. Name • 6. Sex • 7. Age and
date of birth • 8. Whether of Hispanic origin • 9. Race
• 10. Whether that person sometimes lives somewhere else Here are
some facts about each of them: • Question 1 Used to get accurate
count of household members on Census Day, April 1, 2010. • Question 2
First asked in 1800. Picks up people left out of first question. •
Question 3 First asked in 1890. An economic indicator. Using for planning
and housing decisions. • Question 4 In case the Census Bureau needs
to reach you to complete an incomplete form. • Question 5 The name
of every household member is listed. First done in 1850. • Question 6
Dates from 1790. Used for determine federal funding of certain programs.
• Question 7 First asked in 1800. Used to provide data to interpret
and forecast social and economic data. • Question 8 Asked since
1970. Used to monitor compliance with anti-discrimination laws and for
voting districts. • Question 9 Asked since 1790. Data for
administering anti-discrimination laws and monitoring racial disparities in
areas such as health and education. • Question 10 Asked to ensure
response accuracy and completeness. Questions are repeated for other
household members on the rest of the form. U.S. Census facts •
Households that won't respond The bureau estimates 47.8 million
households won't mail back the census form and will require follow-up visits
from census takers. • Census cost The estimated cost for the 2010
Census is $14.5 billion from 2001-2013. • Privacy It's against the
law for census workers to disclose personal information. Individual census
records are kept secret for 72 years. Source: U.S. Census Bureau The U.S.
Census Bureau has a Web site devoted to the 2010 Census. The Web address is
http://2010.census.gov/2010census/ .
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Dino Paul Crocetti
Date of Birth
7 June 1917, Steubenville, Ohio, USA
Date of Death
25 December 1995, Beverly Hills, California, USA (lung cancer and emphysema)
Birth Name
Dino Paul Crocetti
Nickname
Dino
King Leer (given to him by Life magazine)
Height
5' 11½" (1.82 m)
Though best known for the 51 films he made, Dean Martin was a prizefighter, steel mill laborer, gas station attendant and card shark before seeing the first glimmer of fame. It came when he teamed up with comedian Jerry Lewis in 1946. Films such as At War with the Army (1950) sent the team toward superstardom. After teaming with Lewis, Martin - born Dino Paul Crocetti - became a dramatic actor and the star of a long-running television variety show. Personality conflicts broke up the comedy duo in 1957. Few thought that Martin would go one to achieve solo success, but he did, winning critical acclaim for his role in The Young Lions (1958) with Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift. A succession of films followed for the singer-actor, including Some Came Running (1958) with Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra. All would later be members of the "Rat Pack." Martin learned well and proved potent at the box office throughout the 1960s, with films such as Bells Are Ringing (1960) and Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), again with Rat Pack pals Sammy Davis Jr. and Sinatra. During much of the 1960s and 1970s Martin's movie persona of a boozing playboy prompted a series of films as secret agent Matt Helm and his own television variety show. Airport (1970) followed, featuring Martin as a pilot. He also played a phony priest in The Cannonball Run (1981). His last public role was a return to the stage, for a cross-country concert tour with Davis and Sinatra. He spoke affectionately of his fellow Rat Packers. "The satisfaction that I get out of working with these two bums is that we have more laughs than the audience has", Martin said.
Mini Biography
If there had to be one image for cool, the one man to fit it would be Dean Martin. Born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio, he spoke only Italian until age five. Martin came up the hard way, with such jobs as a boxer (named Kid Crochet), a steel mill worker, a gas station worker and a card shark. In 1946 he got his first ticket to stardom, as he teamed up with another hard worker who was also trying to hit it big in Hollywood: Jerry Lewis. The duo were to become one of Hollywood's truly great teams. They lasted 11 years together, and starred in 16 movies. They were unstoppable, but personality conflicts broke up the team. Even without Lewis, Martin was a true superstar. Movies such as The Young Lions (1958) and Rio Bravo (1959) brought him international fame. One of his best remembered films is in Ocean's Eleven (1960), in which he played Sam Harmon alongside the other members of the legendary Rat Pack: Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. After this point, Dean went on to more critically acclaimed ventures, such as in Sergeants 3 (1962), Toys in the Attic (1963), and Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963). In 1965 Martin explored a new method for entertaining his fans: Television. That year he hosted one of the most successful TV series in history: "The Dean Martin Show" (1965), which lasted until 1973. In 1965 it won a Golden Globe Award. In 1973 he renamed it "The Dean Martin Comedy Hour", and from 1974 to 1984 it was renamed again, this time "The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts". It became one of the most successful TV series in history, skewering such greats as Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, James Stewart, George Burns' Milton Berle, Don Rickles Phyllis Diller, and Joe Namath. After the 1980s Martin took it easy--that is, until his son, Dean Paul Martin died in a plane crash in 1987. Devastated by the loss, from which he never recovered, he walked out on a reunion tour with Sinatra and Davis. Martin spent his final years in solitude. He died on Christmas Day, 1995.
Spouse
Catherine Hawn (25 April 1973 - 24 February 1976) (divorced) 1 child
Jeanne Martin (1 September 1949 - 29 March 1973) (divorced) 3 children
Elizabeth Anne McDonald (2 October 1941 - 23 March 1949) (divorced) 4 children
Trade Mark
Cigarette and a glass of alcohol whenever he was doing his night club acts
Trivia
His son, Dean Paul Martin (Dino), was killed in a plane crash in March 1987.
Member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. All appeared in Ocean's Eleven (1960).
Father of Gail Martin, Craig Martin, Claudia Martin, Deana Martin Gina Martin, Ricci Martin and Dean Paul Martin.
Grandfather of Alexander Martin.
Born at 11:55pm-CST
Interred at Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California, USA.
His parents were Gaetano and Angella Crocetti. Although born in Ohio, he spoke only Italian until age 5.
He had a fear of elevators and a love of comic books, which he read his entire life.
His career as a boxer was described by him as follows, "I won all but 11 fights." When asked how many he'd fought, he'd reply, "A dozen." In reality, he fought 36 bouts and won 25 of them under the name Dino Crocetti. He reportedly fought under the nickname Kid Crochet, although no records of fights have been found under that name.
Died exactly 29 years to the day (25 December 1995) after his mother, Angela Crocetti (25 December 1966).
Nephew of actor/comedian Leonard Barr.
Much of the "booze" that he drank on stage during his famous "Rat Pack" performances was really apple juice. (Son Dean Paul Martin spilled this secret, after the variety show ended production, stating that his father couldn't have performed if he'd really drunk that much liquor.)
Father in law of Carole Costello. She was married to Craig Martin, his oldest son & was the daughter of Lou Costello.
From 1973 to 1984, he was the host of the "Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts." In one of the most classic television series of all time, Dean and his panel of actors and comics would shower the guest of honor with insults. This series contained the most famous names in the history of entertainment, such as Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, George Burns, James Stewart, Orson Welles, Jack Benny, Phyllis Diller, Milton Berle, Gene Kelly, Don Rickles, Rich Little, John Wayne, and Foster Brooks.
Dean's TV career began in 1950 with The Martin & Lewis Show on The Colgate Comedy Hour, which ran through 1955. He hosted various other shows before reluctantly taking the 1965 gig which turned into a 19-year success under various names.
Dean is one of few actors who have received not just one, but three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for Motion Pictures at 6519 Hollywood Blvd., one for Television at 6651 Hollywood Blvd, and a third for his recording career.
Underwent rhinoplasty when he was 27. The procedure was rumored to have been paid for by Lou Costello among others.
Son-in-law was the late Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys (married to Dean's daughter Gina).
Has a street named after him in San Antonio, Texas.
"Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime" - words written on his tombstone, after his signature hit.
Starred (with Jerry Lewis) on NBC Radio's "The Martin and Lewis Show" (1949-1953).
He and Frank Sinatra were best friends, a fact he held very dear to his heart. The two didn't speak much, in the years after Dean quit the "Rat Pack Reunion" tour, but they did reconcile a few months before his death, over dinner - and a breadroll fight.
His friends often described him as easygoing and good natured, loving to laugh and make others laugh. They also said that he was sometimes quiet and liked to spend time alone, and that they seldom knew what he was thinking.
He and former wife Jeanne Martin maintained a friendship after their divorce, and consulted each other on family matters. When his health declined, Jeanne encouraged him not to worry about facing death, and to look at it as the chance he longed for, to be reunited with their son Dean Paul Martin, and with his parents.
His style of singing was initially influenced by Harry Mills of The Mills Brothers.
When 20th Century-Fox fired Marilyn Monroe as his co-star in Something's Got to Give (1962) and then attempted to replace her with Lee Remick, he reminded the studio that he had contractual approval of his co-star, and refused to continue the project without Monroe. His act of loyalty eventually got Marilyn re-hired, but she died of a drug overdose before shooting on this never-finished film could resume.
Although he had almost 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 charts between 1951 and 1968, only three went to number one: "That's Amore" (Capitol: 1953), "Memories Are Made of This" (Capitol: 1956), and his theme song, "Everybody Loves Somebody" (Reprise: 1964).
Despite the legend that he and comedy partner Jerry Lewis always despised each other, the two were actually quite close friends and the tension between the two began in 1956, when "outside people" (as Lewis called them to Peter Bogdanovich) began to "poison" Martin against Lewis. Frank Sinatra eventually staged a public reunion over 20 years after they stopped speaking to each other. Over the next 10 years they became close again.
Is portrayed by Michael Daymond in Power and Beauty (2002) (TV), by Joe Mantegna in The Rat Pack (1998) (TV), by Jeremy Northam in Martin and Lewis (2002) (TV) and by Danny Gans in Sinatra (1992) (TV).
He and the other members of the Rat Pack were banned from Marilyn Monroe's funeral by Joe DiMaggio
Following his diagnosis of lung cancer at Cedars Sinai Medical Center on 16 September 1993, Martin finally quit smoking and even managed to perform briefly, and rather jauntily, at his 77th birthday celebration in June 1994. He declined to have major surgery on his liver and kidneys which doctors told him was necessary to prolong his life, and succumbed to respiratory failure on Christmas Day 1995.
He and Jerry Lewis recorded a radio spot promoting their film The Caddy (1953), and noticing the tape was still rolling, decided to improvise additional radio spots, with Jerry slipping profanities into his dialog. The unedited master recording was surreptitiously taken from the studio and made into a "bootleg" record that sold briskly among collectors.
Although Martin was a Republican, he supported Frank Sinatra's campaign to elect John F. Kennedy as President in 1960.
Had a night-club in North Bay Village, Florida in the late 1970s and early 1980s called Dino's. It was next to Jilly Rizzo's club, Jilly's.
He declined to participate in the March on Washington in August 1963.
Dean was so distraught over the murder of his The Wrecking Crew (1969) co-star and friend Sharon Tate that he abandoned the next already-announced "Matt Helm" motion picture series installment (to be titled "The Ravagers"), and never played the character again.
Although he made out to be a heavy drinker on stage, he mostly used apple juice, but off stage was a Jack Daniels man.
Martin did not party all night with the rest of the "Rat Pack" crew - actually calling themselves "The Clan". He usually went to bed early so he could play golf the next morning. He was obsessed with golf, and once stated in an interview that he would have preferred to be a professional golfer than an entertainer.
He was a close friend of John Wayne and Gary Cooper.
At 16, Dean Martin was a welterweight boxer who compiled a record of 25-11.
One of his favorite hobbies during his reclusive final years was watching westerns on television - the older the better.
In 1962, Martin left Capitol Records and signed with Reprise, the label started and owned by Frank Sinatra. In 1964, he recorded his blockbuster hit, "Everybody Loves Somebody", which beat the Beatles to become the No. 1 hit in America for one week. It became the theme song for his television variety series, "The Dean Martin Show" (1965), which ran on NBC for eight years. Martin followed this with "The Dean Martin Comedy World" (1974), which ran from 1973 to 1974. An indelible part of Martin's television shtick was his comedic portrayal of life as a lush, which many viewers never realized was just an act.
After being drafted into the United States Army and serving a stateside year (1944-45) in Akron, Ohio, during World War II, Martin was classified 4-F and was discharged.
Has 8 children: Stephen Craig Martin (b. June 29th 1942), Claudia Martin (b. March 16th 1944 - died 2001 (breast cancer), Barbara Martin (b. April 11th 1945 and Deana Martin (b. August 19th 1948) with first wife Elizabeth McDonald. Dean Paul Martin (b. November 17th 1951 - died March 21st 1987 (plane crash), Ricci Martin (b. September 20th 1953) and Gina Caroline Martin (b. December 20th 1956) with second wife Jeanne Martin and adopted daughter Sasha Martin with third wife Catherine Hawn.
He was a close friend of Montgomery Clift. Martin was always grateful for the help Clift had given him while filming The Young Lions (1958) - Martin's first major dramatic role - and he would accompany him to parties after the rest of Hollywood had disowned him due to his increasing addictions to drugs and alcohol.
Although Jerry Lewis often made out to be the short guy in his act, he was actually taller than Martin.
Martin's variety show contract was utterly remarkable in how little he was required to participate. Martin felt he performed better cold and took notice of Fred MacMurray's long-standing 65-day "on the set" contract for producer Don Fedderson for My Three Sons. He succeeded in reaching a new plateau on that one by only be contractually required to appear on the set during the taping. All guest stars, no matter how "big" were required to rehearse with stand-ins (see Greg Garrison). As a result, Martin would often happily flub his lines, to the delight of his audience. More often than not, he'd leave the stage and be seen driving off the studio lot in his sports car before taping concluded.
He was awarded 3 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6519 Hollywood Boulevard, for Recording at 1617 Vine Street, and for Television at 6651 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
Godfather of Tori Spelling.
The line "Everybody loves somebody sometime" is written on his grave.
Personal Quotes
If people want to think I get drunk and stay out all night, let 'em. That's how I got here, you know.
I've got seven kids. The three words you hear most around my house are 'hello,' 'goodbye,' and 'I'm pregnant.
To those who felt he joked his way through songs during concert and nightclub appearences: "You wanna hear it straight, buy the album."
Upon filing for divorce from his second wife: "I know it's the gentlemanly thing to let the wife file. But, then, everybody knows I'm no gentleman."
I drink because my body craves, needs alcohol. I don't drink, my body's a drunk.
On Joey Bishop: Most people think of Joey Bishop as just a replacement for Johnny Carson. That's NOT true. We in show business know better: we don't think of him at ALL.
On Phyllis Diller: Phyllis is the women of about whom Picasso once said, "Somebody throw a drop cloth over that."
On Frank Sinatra: In high school, Frank never participated in extra-curricular activities, like nature study, paintings or ceramics. Frank's hobby was a most interesting one: he was an amateur gynecologist.
On James Stewart: There's a statue of Jimmy Stewart in the Hollywood Wax Museum, and the statue talks better than he does.
On Orson Welles: What can you say about Orson Welles that Don Rickles hasn't already said about him?!
On Bob Hope: As a young boy, Bob didn't have much to say. He couldn't afford writers then.
On Don Rickles: Don's idea of a fun evening is to show home movies of the attack on Pearl Harbor...with a laugh track.
On Johnny Carson: Johnny Carson is a comedian who is seen every night in millions of bedrooms all over America...and that's why his last wife left him.
On Milton Berle: Milton Berle is an inspiration to every young person that wants to get into show business. Hard work, perseverance, and discipline: all the things you need...when you have no talent.
On his tee-total friend Pat Boone: "I once shook hands with Pat Boone, and my whole right side sobered up!"
I'd hate to be a teetotaler. Imagine getting up in the morning and knowing that's as good as you're going to feel all day.
I can't stand an actor or actress who tells me acting is hard work. It's easy work. Anyone who says it isn't never had to stand on his feet all day dealing blackjack.
Motivation is a lotta crap.
"Someone else, would have laid around, feeling sorry for himself, for a year. But Duke, he just doesn't know, how to be sick ... he's recuperating the hard way. He's two loud speaking guys in one. Me, when people see me, they sometimes say, 'Oh, there goes Perry Como.' But there's only one 'John Wayne', and nobody makes any mistakes about that." - On The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
[On Shirley MacLaine] Shirley, I love her, but her oars aren't touching the water these days.
[On singer Eddie Fisher] The reason I drink is because, when I'm sober, I think I'm Eddie Fisher.
[On Frank Sinatra] When he dies, they're giving his zipper to the Smithsonian.
[On Jerry Lewis] At some point, he said to himself, "I'm extraordinary, like Charles Chaplin". From then on, nobody could tell him anything. He knew it all.
7 June 1917, Steubenville, Ohio, USA
Date of Death
25 December 1995, Beverly Hills, California, USA (lung cancer and emphysema)
Birth Name
Dino Paul Crocetti
Nickname
Dino
King Leer (given to him by Life magazine)
Height
5' 11½" (1.82 m)
Though best known for the 51 films he made, Dean Martin was a prizefighter, steel mill laborer, gas station attendant and card shark before seeing the first glimmer of fame. It came when he teamed up with comedian Jerry Lewis in 1946. Films such as At War with the Army (1950) sent the team toward superstardom. After teaming with Lewis, Martin - born Dino Paul Crocetti - became a dramatic actor and the star of a long-running television variety show. Personality conflicts broke up the comedy duo in 1957. Few thought that Martin would go one to achieve solo success, but he did, winning critical acclaim for his role in The Young Lions (1958) with Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift. A succession of films followed for the singer-actor, including Some Came Running (1958) with Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra. All would later be members of the "Rat Pack." Martin learned well and proved potent at the box office throughout the 1960s, with films such as Bells Are Ringing (1960) and Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), again with Rat Pack pals Sammy Davis Jr. and Sinatra. During much of the 1960s and 1970s Martin's movie persona of a boozing playboy prompted a series of films as secret agent Matt Helm and his own television variety show. Airport (1970) followed, featuring Martin as a pilot. He also played a phony priest in The Cannonball Run (1981). His last public role was a return to the stage, for a cross-country concert tour with Davis and Sinatra. He spoke affectionately of his fellow Rat Packers. "The satisfaction that I get out of working with these two bums is that we have more laughs than the audience has", Martin said.
Mini Biography
If there had to be one image for cool, the one man to fit it would be Dean Martin. Born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio, he spoke only Italian until age five. Martin came up the hard way, with such jobs as a boxer (named Kid Crochet), a steel mill worker, a gas station worker and a card shark. In 1946 he got his first ticket to stardom, as he teamed up with another hard worker who was also trying to hit it big in Hollywood: Jerry Lewis. The duo were to become one of Hollywood's truly great teams. They lasted 11 years together, and starred in 16 movies. They were unstoppable, but personality conflicts broke up the team. Even without Lewis, Martin was a true superstar. Movies such as The Young Lions (1958) and Rio Bravo (1959) brought him international fame. One of his best remembered films is in Ocean's Eleven (1960), in which he played Sam Harmon alongside the other members of the legendary Rat Pack: Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. After this point, Dean went on to more critically acclaimed ventures, such as in Sergeants 3 (1962), Toys in the Attic (1963), and Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963). In 1965 Martin explored a new method for entertaining his fans: Television. That year he hosted one of the most successful TV series in history: "The Dean Martin Show" (1965), which lasted until 1973. In 1965 it won a Golden Globe Award. In 1973 he renamed it "The Dean Martin Comedy Hour", and from 1974 to 1984 it was renamed again, this time "The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts". It became one of the most successful TV series in history, skewering such greats as Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, James Stewart, George Burns' Milton Berle, Don Rickles Phyllis Diller, and Joe Namath. After the 1980s Martin took it easy--that is, until his son, Dean Paul Martin died in a plane crash in 1987. Devastated by the loss, from which he never recovered, he walked out on a reunion tour with Sinatra and Davis. Martin spent his final years in solitude. He died on Christmas Day, 1995.
Spouse
Catherine Hawn (25 April 1973 - 24 February 1976) (divorced) 1 child
Jeanne Martin (1 September 1949 - 29 March 1973) (divorced) 3 children
Elizabeth Anne McDonald (2 October 1941 - 23 March 1949) (divorced) 4 children
Trade Mark
Cigarette and a glass of alcohol whenever he was doing his night club acts
Trivia
His son, Dean Paul Martin (Dino), was killed in a plane crash in March 1987.
Member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. All appeared in Ocean's Eleven (1960).
Father of Gail Martin, Craig Martin, Claudia Martin, Deana Martin Gina Martin, Ricci Martin and Dean Paul Martin.
Grandfather of Alexander Martin.
Born at 11:55pm-CST
Interred at Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California, USA.
His parents were Gaetano and Angella Crocetti. Although born in Ohio, he spoke only Italian until age 5.
He had a fear of elevators and a love of comic books, which he read his entire life.
His career as a boxer was described by him as follows, "I won all but 11 fights." When asked how many he'd fought, he'd reply, "A dozen." In reality, he fought 36 bouts and won 25 of them under the name Dino Crocetti. He reportedly fought under the nickname Kid Crochet, although no records of fights have been found under that name.
Died exactly 29 years to the day (25 December 1995) after his mother, Angela Crocetti (25 December 1966).
Nephew of actor/comedian Leonard Barr.
Much of the "booze" that he drank on stage during his famous "Rat Pack" performances was really apple juice. (Son Dean Paul Martin spilled this secret, after the variety show ended production, stating that his father couldn't have performed if he'd really drunk that much liquor.)
Father in law of Carole Costello. She was married to Craig Martin, his oldest son & was the daughter of Lou Costello.
From 1973 to 1984, he was the host of the "Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts." In one of the most classic television series of all time, Dean and his panel of actors and comics would shower the guest of honor with insults. This series contained the most famous names in the history of entertainment, such as Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, George Burns, James Stewart, Orson Welles, Jack Benny, Phyllis Diller, Milton Berle, Gene Kelly, Don Rickles, Rich Little, John Wayne, and Foster Brooks.
Dean's TV career began in 1950 with The Martin & Lewis Show on The Colgate Comedy Hour, which ran through 1955. He hosted various other shows before reluctantly taking the 1965 gig which turned into a 19-year success under various names.
Dean is one of few actors who have received not just one, but three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for Motion Pictures at 6519 Hollywood Blvd., one for Television at 6651 Hollywood Blvd, and a third for his recording career.
Underwent rhinoplasty when he was 27. The procedure was rumored to have been paid for by Lou Costello among others.
Son-in-law was the late Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys (married to Dean's daughter Gina).
Has a street named after him in San Antonio, Texas.
"Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime" - words written on his tombstone, after his signature hit.
Starred (with Jerry Lewis) on NBC Radio's "The Martin and Lewis Show" (1949-1953).
He and Frank Sinatra were best friends, a fact he held very dear to his heart. The two didn't speak much, in the years after Dean quit the "Rat Pack Reunion" tour, but they did reconcile a few months before his death, over dinner - and a breadroll fight.
His friends often described him as easygoing and good natured, loving to laugh and make others laugh. They also said that he was sometimes quiet and liked to spend time alone, and that they seldom knew what he was thinking.
He and former wife Jeanne Martin maintained a friendship after their divorce, and consulted each other on family matters. When his health declined, Jeanne encouraged him not to worry about facing death, and to look at it as the chance he longed for, to be reunited with their son Dean Paul Martin, and with his parents.
His style of singing was initially influenced by Harry Mills of The Mills Brothers.
When 20th Century-Fox fired Marilyn Monroe as his co-star in Something's Got to Give (1962) and then attempted to replace her with Lee Remick, he reminded the studio that he had contractual approval of his co-star, and refused to continue the project without Monroe. His act of loyalty eventually got Marilyn re-hired, but she died of a drug overdose before shooting on this never-finished film could resume.
Although he had almost 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 charts between 1951 and 1968, only three went to number one: "That's Amore" (Capitol: 1953), "Memories Are Made of This" (Capitol: 1956), and his theme song, "Everybody Loves Somebody" (Reprise: 1964).
Despite the legend that he and comedy partner Jerry Lewis always despised each other, the two were actually quite close friends and the tension between the two began in 1956, when "outside people" (as Lewis called them to Peter Bogdanovich) began to "poison" Martin against Lewis. Frank Sinatra eventually staged a public reunion over 20 years after they stopped speaking to each other. Over the next 10 years they became close again.
Is portrayed by Michael Daymond in Power and Beauty (2002) (TV), by Joe Mantegna in The Rat Pack (1998) (TV), by Jeremy Northam in Martin and Lewis (2002) (TV) and by Danny Gans in Sinatra (1992) (TV).
He and the other members of the Rat Pack were banned from Marilyn Monroe's funeral by Joe DiMaggio
Following his diagnosis of lung cancer at Cedars Sinai Medical Center on 16 September 1993, Martin finally quit smoking and even managed to perform briefly, and rather jauntily, at his 77th birthday celebration in June 1994. He declined to have major surgery on his liver and kidneys which doctors told him was necessary to prolong his life, and succumbed to respiratory failure on Christmas Day 1995.
He and Jerry Lewis recorded a radio spot promoting their film The Caddy (1953), and noticing the tape was still rolling, decided to improvise additional radio spots, with Jerry slipping profanities into his dialog. The unedited master recording was surreptitiously taken from the studio and made into a "bootleg" record that sold briskly among collectors.
Although Martin was a Republican, he supported Frank Sinatra's campaign to elect John F. Kennedy as President in 1960.
Had a night-club in North Bay Village, Florida in the late 1970s and early 1980s called Dino's. It was next to Jilly Rizzo's club, Jilly's.
He declined to participate in the March on Washington in August 1963.
Dean was so distraught over the murder of his The Wrecking Crew (1969) co-star and friend Sharon Tate that he abandoned the next already-announced "Matt Helm" motion picture series installment (to be titled "The Ravagers"), and never played the character again.
Although he made out to be a heavy drinker on stage, he mostly used apple juice, but off stage was a Jack Daniels man.
Martin did not party all night with the rest of the "Rat Pack" crew - actually calling themselves "The Clan". He usually went to bed early so he could play golf the next morning. He was obsessed with golf, and once stated in an interview that he would have preferred to be a professional golfer than an entertainer.
He was a close friend of John Wayne and Gary Cooper.
At 16, Dean Martin was a welterweight boxer who compiled a record of 25-11.
One of his favorite hobbies during his reclusive final years was watching westerns on television - the older the better.
In 1962, Martin left Capitol Records and signed with Reprise, the label started and owned by Frank Sinatra. In 1964, he recorded his blockbuster hit, "Everybody Loves Somebody", which beat the Beatles to become the No. 1 hit in America for one week. It became the theme song for his television variety series, "The Dean Martin Show" (1965), which ran on NBC for eight years. Martin followed this with "The Dean Martin Comedy World" (1974), which ran from 1973 to 1974. An indelible part of Martin's television shtick was his comedic portrayal of life as a lush, which many viewers never realized was just an act.
After being drafted into the United States Army and serving a stateside year (1944-45) in Akron, Ohio, during World War II, Martin was classified 4-F and was discharged.
Has 8 children: Stephen Craig Martin (b. June 29th 1942), Claudia Martin (b. March 16th 1944 - died 2001 (breast cancer), Barbara Martin (b. April 11th 1945 and Deana Martin (b. August 19th 1948) with first wife Elizabeth McDonald. Dean Paul Martin (b. November 17th 1951 - died March 21st 1987 (plane crash), Ricci Martin (b. September 20th 1953) and Gina Caroline Martin (b. December 20th 1956) with second wife Jeanne Martin and adopted daughter Sasha Martin with third wife Catherine Hawn.
He was a close friend of Montgomery Clift. Martin was always grateful for the help Clift had given him while filming The Young Lions (1958) - Martin's first major dramatic role - and he would accompany him to parties after the rest of Hollywood had disowned him due to his increasing addictions to drugs and alcohol.
Although Jerry Lewis often made out to be the short guy in his act, he was actually taller than Martin.
Martin's variety show contract was utterly remarkable in how little he was required to participate. Martin felt he performed better cold and took notice of Fred MacMurray's long-standing 65-day "on the set" contract for producer Don Fedderson for My Three Sons. He succeeded in reaching a new plateau on that one by only be contractually required to appear on the set during the taping. All guest stars, no matter how "big" were required to rehearse with stand-ins (see Greg Garrison). As a result, Martin would often happily flub his lines, to the delight of his audience. More often than not, he'd leave the stage and be seen driving off the studio lot in his sports car before taping concluded.
He was awarded 3 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6519 Hollywood Boulevard, for Recording at 1617 Vine Street, and for Television at 6651 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
Godfather of Tori Spelling.
The line "Everybody loves somebody sometime" is written on his grave.
Personal Quotes
If people want to think I get drunk and stay out all night, let 'em. That's how I got here, you know.
I've got seven kids. The three words you hear most around my house are 'hello,' 'goodbye,' and 'I'm pregnant.
To those who felt he joked his way through songs during concert and nightclub appearences: "You wanna hear it straight, buy the album."
Upon filing for divorce from his second wife: "I know it's the gentlemanly thing to let the wife file. But, then, everybody knows I'm no gentleman."
I drink because my body craves, needs alcohol. I don't drink, my body's a drunk.
On Joey Bishop: Most people think of Joey Bishop as just a replacement for Johnny Carson. That's NOT true. We in show business know better: we don't think of him at ALL.
On Phyllis Diller: Phyllis is the women of about whom Picasso once said, "Somebody throw a drop cloth over that."
On Frank Sinatra: In high school, Frank never participated in extra-curricular activities, like nature study, paintings or ceramics. Frank's hobby was a most interesting one: he was an amateur gynecologist.
On James Stewart: There's a statue of Jimmy Stewart in the Hollywood Wax Museum, and the statue talks better than he does.
On Orson Welles: What can you say about Orson Welles that Don Rickles hasn't already said about him?!
On Bob Hope: As a young boy, Bob didn't have much to say. He couldn't afford writers then.
On Don Rickles: Don's idea of a fun evening is to show home movies of the attack on Pearl Harbor...with a laugh track.
On Johnny Carson: Johnny Carson is a comedian who is seen every night in millions of bedrooms all over America...and that's why his last wife left him.
On Milton Berle: Milton Berle is an inspiration to every young person that wants to get into show business. Hard work, perseverance, and discipline: all the things you need...when you have no talent.
On his tee-total friend Pat Boone: "I once shook hands with Pat Boone, and my whole right side sobered up!"
I'd hate to be a teetotaler. Imagine getting up in the morning and knowing that's as good as you're going to feel all day.
I can't stand an actor or actress who tells me acting is hard work. It's easy work. Anyone who says it isn't never had to stand on his feet all day dealing blackjack.
Motivation is a lotta crap.
"Someone else, would have laid around, feeling sorry for himself, for a year. But Duke, he just doesn't know, how to be sick ... he's recuperating the hard way. He's two loud speaking guys in one. Me, when people see me, they sometimes say, 'Oh, there goes Perry Como.' But there's only one 'John Wayne', and nobody makes any mistakes about that." - On The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
[On Shirley MacLaine] Shirley, I love her, but her oars aren't touching the water these days.
[On singer Eddie Fisher] The reason I drink is because, when I'm sober, I think I'm Eddie Fisher.
[On Frank Sinatra] When he dies, they're giving his zipper to the Smithsonian.
[On Jerry Lewis] At some point, he said to himself, "I'm extraordinary, like Charles Chaplin". From then on, nobody could tell him anything. He knew it all.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
John Elroy Sanford
Date of Birth
9 December 1922, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Date of Death
11 October 1991, Los Angeles, California, USA (heart attack)
Birth Name
John Elroy Sanford
Nickname
Chicago Red
Zorro
Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)
Mini Biography
Redd Foxx began doing stand-up comedy on the infamous "Chitlin' Circuit" in the 1940s and 1950s. Foxx was one of the premier "blue humor" comedians. Blue humor was very dirty, too dirty for white audiences. For years his party albums were not available in white record stores. In the 1960s his records became available, although marginally in white record stores, leading to minor comedy work on "Toast of the Town" (1948) (aka "The Ed Sullivan Show") and "The Red Skelton Show" (1951), among other classic variety shows of the time. Foxx developed a fan base in the 1960s that led to increased notoriety. He received his own television series in 1972 called "Sanford and Son" (1972), which was a reworking of the British sitcom "Steptoe and Son" (1962). Foxx's character, Fred Sanford (was actually Foxx's brother's name), was a cranky old man who was set in his ways and would insult both friends and strangers at the drop of a hat. He ran a junkyard in Watts, a bad neighborhood in Los Angeles, with his son Lamont (played by Demond Wilson). The show broke down racial stereotypes and was a huge success, making Foxx and the show household names. Foxx fought a very public battle with the writers and producers of the show, claiming that they did not do enough to promote the black experience, and in general complained there were not enough black writers or producers in the entertainment industry. These highly publicized disputes led to the show faltering artistically, but not in the ratings. Foxx left the show in 1977 to accomplish his dream on ABC: his own variety show, which lasted less than a year. He also starred in the controversial film Norman... Is That You? (1976).
Foxx's trouble with the law and the Internal Revenue Service hampered his career in the early 1980s. He flopped yet again with the sitcom "The Redd Foxx Show" (1986) on ABC. He did, however, find success playing a ghost in the TV movie Ghost of a Chance (1987) (TV), with 'Dick van Dyke'. The late 1980s found Foxx on a rebound, as he starred with Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy in the popular Harlem Nights (1989), which showcased the three premiere black comedians of their respective generations. A whole new generation of comedians begin claiming Redd Foxx as a major influence on their careers, including Murphy and Pryor. Foxx looked like he was finding success 20 years after "Sanford and Son" (1972) with "The Royal Family" (1991). However, we will never know if the show would have been a success--while rehearsing for an episode, Foxx collapsed and was rushed to a hospital. He died in October of 1991. Redd Foxx will be remembered as a pioneering comedian who influenced generations of comedians and helped break down racial barriers in the the entertainment industry. His influence seems as strong as ever.
Spouse
Ka Ho Cho (8 July 1991 - 11 October 1991) (his death)
Yun Chi Chung (31 December 1976 - 11 September 1981) (divorced)
Betty Jean Harris (22 July 1956 - 1975) (divorced) 1 child
Evelyn Killebrew (1948 - 1951) (divorced)
Trivia
Comedian.
Died of heart attack on the set of "The Royal Family" (1991).
Was one-quarter Seminole Indian.
Interred at Palm Memorial Gardens, Las Vegas, Nevada, in the Devotion Section, Lawn Space 4091, 311 G.
Was the only artist to be invited to Elvis Presley's wedding at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, on May 1, 1967.
One of the few performers to have the lead role in a television show on the three main networks. He was the lead in Sanford and Son, on NBC, the Royal Family, on CBS, and in the Redd Foxx show, and the Redd Foxx Comedy Hour on ABC.
Appeared on "Flip" (1970) on January 13th, 1972, the night before the classic "Sanford and Son" (1972) debuted. The two shows were on the same network: NBC.
During his early life as a dishwasher, he was called "Chicago Red" to distinguish him from his friend "Detroit Red". "Detroit Red" would later become famous as the political activist-social critic and Black nationalist known as Malcolm X.
Due to Foxx's financial woes (the IRS seized and auctioned off his assets in 1989), his widow couldn't pay for his funeral, so Eddie Murphy footed the bill, giving Foxx a lavish, star-studded send-off.
Was expelled from one school on the first day for throwing a book at a teacher.
Had no biological children, but when he married Betty Jean Harris, he adopted her daughter.
Adopted daughter Debraca Foxx is the biological daughter of second wife Betty Jean.
One of his greatest assets (and perhaps, weaknesses) was his generosity to others. His most famous character, Fred Sanford, was named in honor of his brother, and many of the actors and character names on the television series "Sanford and Son" (1972) were people who inspired him thoughout his life.
Fred Sanford, Foxx's character on "Sanford and Son" (1972), was ranked #42 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].
On "Sanford and Son" (1972) one of the main characteristics of his character Fred Sanford was the he had a weak heart and that he always knew that the day for "The Big One" would eventually come. It was a trademark of the show that he would fake a heart attack in the face of some shocking news. In one of the bitterest ironies when Redd Foxx finally did experience the "The Big One," it was a heart attack and those around him thought he was just joking around and didn't seek immediate help.
Briefly attended Du Sable High School in Chicago with future Mayor of Chicago, Harold Washington.
Huge fan of the "Little Rascals" and worked frequently with Tommy Bond who played the bully "Butch". Foxx often wore a "Butch" style golf cap in many of his shows because of this.
He was nicknamed "Zorro" which is Spanish for "fox".
His stage name came from his childhood nickname "Red" which referred to his reddish hair and skin. He took the name "Foxx" as a tribute to Chicago Cubs player Jimmie Foxx and as a reference to the red fox.
9 December 1922, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Date of Death
11 October 1991, Los Angeles, California, USA (heart attack)
Birth Name
John Elroy Sanford
Nickname
Chicago Red
Zorro
Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)
Mini Biography
Redd Foxx began doing stand-up comedy on the infamous "Chitlin' Circuit" in the 1940s and 1950s. Foxx was one of the premier "blue humor" comedians. Blue humor was very dirty, too dirty for white audiences. For years his party albums were not available in white record stores. In the 1960s his records became available, although marginally in white record stores, leading to minor comedy work on "Toast of the Town" (1948) (aka "The Ed Sullivan Show") and "The Red Skelton Show" (1951), among other classic variety shows of the time. Foxx developed a fan base in the 1960s that led to increased notoriety. He received his own television series in 1972 called "Sanford and Son" (1972), which was a reworking of the British sitcom "Steptoe and Son" (1962). Foxx's character, Fred Sanford (was actually Foxx's brother's name), was a cranky old man who was set in his ways and would insult both friends and strangers at the drop of a hat. He ran a junkyard in Watts, a bad neighborhood in Los Angeles, with his son Lamont (played by Demond Wilson). The show broke down racial stereotypes and was a huge success, making Foxx and the show household names. Foxx fought a very public battle with the writers and producers of the show, claiming that they did not do enough to promote the black experience, and in general complained there were not enough black writers or producers in the entertainment industry. These highly publicized disputes led to the show faltering artistically, but not in the ratings. Foxx left the show in 1977 to accomplish his dream on ABC: his own variety show, which lasted less than a year. He also starred in the controversial film Norman... Is That You? (1976).
Foxx's trouble with the law and the Internal Revenue Service hampered his career in the early 1980s. He flopped yet again with the sitcom "The Redd Foxx Show" (1986) on ABC. He did, however, find success playing a ghost in the TV movie Ghost of a Chance (1987) (TV), with 'Dick van Dyke'. The late 1980s found Foxx on a rebound, as he starred with Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy in the popular Harlem Nights (1989), which showcased the three premiere black comedians of their respective generations. A whole new generation of comedians begin claiming Redd Foxx as a major influence on their careers, including Murphy and Pryor. Foxx looked like he was finding success 20 years after "Sanford and Son" (1972) with "The Royal Family" (1991). However, we will never know if the show would have been a success--while rehearsing for an episode, Foxx collapsed and was rushed to a hospital. He died in October of 1991. Redd Foxx will be remembered as a pioneering comedian who influenced generations of comedians and helped break down racial barriers in the the entertainment industry. His influence seems as strong as ever.
Spouse
Ka Ho Cho (8 July 1991 - 11 October 1991) (his death)
Yun Chi Chung (31 December 1976 - 11 September 1981) (divorced)
Betty Jean Harris (22 July 1956 - 1975) (divorced) 1 child
Evelyn Killebrew (1948 - 1951) (divorced)
Trivia
Comedian.
Died of heart attack on the set of "The Royal Family" (1991).
Was one-quarter Seminole Indian.
Interred at Palm Memorial Gardens, Las Vegas, Nevada, in the Devotion Section, Lawn Space 4091, 311 G.
Was the only artist to be invited to Elvis Presley's wedding at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, on May 1, 1967.
One of the few performers to have the lead role in a television show on the three main networks. He was the lead in Sanford and Son, on NBC, the Royal Family, on CBS, and in the Redd Foxx show, and the Redd Foxx Comedy Hour on ABC.
Appeared on "Flip" (1970) on January 13th, 1972, the night before the classic "Sanford and Son" (1972) debuted. The two shows were on the same network: NBC.
During his early life as a dishwasher, he was called "Chicago Red" to distinguish him from his friend "Detroit Red". "Detroit Red" would later become famous as the political activist-social critic and Black nationalist known as Malcolm X.
Due to Foxx's financial woes (the IRS seized and auctioned off his assets in 1989), his widow couldn't pay for his funeral, so Eddie Murphy footed the bill, giving Foxx a lavish, star-studded send-off.
Was expelled from one school on the first day for throwing a book at a teacher.
Had no biological children, but when he married Betty Jean Harris, he adopted her daughter.
Adopted daughter Debraca Foxx is the biological daughter of second wife Betty Jean.
One of his greatest assets (and perhaps, weaknesses) was his generosity to others. His most famous character, Fred Sanford, was named in honor of his brother, and many of the actors and character names on the television series "Sanford and Son" (1972) were people who inspired him thoughout his life.
Fred Sanford, Foxx's character on "Sanford and Son" (1972), was ranked #42 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].
On "Sanford and Son" (1972) one of the main characteristics of his character Fred Sanford was the he had a weak heart and that he always knew that the day for "The Big One" would eventually come. It was a trademark of the show that he would fake a heart attack in the face of some shocking news. In one of the bitterest ironies when Redd Foxx finally did experience the "The Big One," it was a heart attack and those around him thought he was just joking around and didn't seek immediate help.
Briefly attended Du Sable High School in Chicago with future Mayor of Chicago, Harold Washington.
Huge fan of the "Little Rascals" and worked frequently with Tommy Bond who played the bully "Butch". Foxx often wore a "Butch" style golf cap in many of his shows because of this.
He was nicknamed "Zorro" which is Spanish for "fox".
His stage name came from his childhood nickname "Red" which referred to his reddish hair and skin. He took the name "Foxx" as a tribute to Chicago Cubs player Jimmie Foxx and as a reference to the red fox.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Jackie Robinson Biography
Baseball player, civil rights activist. Born Jack Roosevelt Robinson on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. Breaking the color barrier, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play in baseball's major leagues. The youngest of five children, Robinson was raised in relative poverty by a single mother. He attended John Muir High School and Pasadena Junior College, where he was an excellent athlete and played four sports: football, basketball, track, and baseball. He was named the region's Most Valuable Player in baseball in 1938.
Robinson's older brother, Matthew Robinson, inspired Jackie to pursue his talent and love for athletics. Matthew won a silver medal in the 200-meter dash—just behind Jesse Owens—at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
Jackie continued his education at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he became the university's first student to win varsity letters in four sports. In 1941, despite his athletic success, Robinson was forced to leave UCLA just shy of graduation due to financial hardship. He moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he played football for the semi-professional Honolulu Bears. His season with the Bears was cut short when the United States entered into World War II.
From 1942 to 1944, Robinson served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. He never saw combat, however; Robinson was arrested and court-martialed during boot camp after he refused to move to the back of a segregated bus during training. He was later acquitted of the charges and received an honorable discharge. His courage and moral objection to segregation were precursors to the impact Robinson would have in major league baseball.
After his discharge from the Army in 1944, Robinson played baseball professionally. At the time, the sport was segregated, and African-Americans and whites played in separate leagues. Robinson began playing in the Negro Leagues, but he was soon chosen by Branch Rickey, a vice president with the Brooklyn Dodgers, to help integrate major league baseball. He joined the all-white Montreal Royals, a farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers, in 1945. He moved to Florida in 1946 to begin spring training with the Royals, and played his first game on March 17 of that same year.
Rickey knew there would be difficult times ahead for the young athlete, and made Robinson promise to not fight back when confronted with racism. From the beginning of his career with the Dodgers, Robinson's will was tested. Even some of his new teammates objected to having an African-American on their team. People in the crowds sometimes jeered at Robinson, and he and his family received threats.
Despite the racial abuse, particularly at away games, Robinson had an outstanding start with the Royals, leading the International League with a .349 batting average and .985 fielding percentage. His excellent year led to his promotion to the Dodgers. His debut game on April 15, 1947, marked the first time an African-American athlete played in the major league
The harassment continued, however, most notably by the Philadelphia Phillies and their manager Ben Chapman. During one infamous game, Chapman and his team shouted derogatory terms at Robinson from their dugout. Many players on opposing teams threatened not to play against the Dodgers. Even his own teammates threatened to sit out. But Dodgers manager Leo Durocher informed them that he would sooner trade them than Robinson. His loyalty to the player set the tone for the rest of Robinson's career with the team.
Others defended Jackie Robinson's right to play in the major leagues, including League President Ford Frick, Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler, Jewish baseball star Hank Greenberg and Dodgers shortstop and team captain Pee Wee Reese. In one incident, while fans harassed Robinson from the stands, Reese walked over and put his arm around his teammate, a gesture that has become legendary in baseball history.
Jackie Robinson succeeded in putting the prejudice and racial strife aside, and showed everyone what a talented player he was. In his first year, he hit 12 home runs and helped the Dodgers win the National League pennant. That year, Robinson led the National League in stolen bases and was selected as Rookie of the Year. He continued to wow fans and critics alike with impressive feats, such as an outstanding .342 batting average during the 1949 season. He led in stolen bases that year and earned the National League's Most Valuable Player Award.
Robinson soon became a hero of the sport, even among former critics, and was the subject for the popular song, "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?" An exceptional base runner, Robinson stole home 19 times in his career, setting a league record. He also became the highest-paid athlete in Dodgers history, and his success in the major leagues opened the door for other African-American players, such as Satchel Paige , Willie Mays , and Hank Aaron.
Robinson also became a vocal champion for African-American athletes, civil rights, and other social and political causes. In July 1949, he testified on discrimination before the House Un-American Activities Committee. In 1952, he publicly called out the Yankees as a racist organization for not having broken the color barrier five years after he began playing with the Dodgers.
In his decade-long career with the Dodgers, Robinson and his team won the National League pennant several times. Finally, in 1955, he helped them achieve the ultimate victory: the World Series. After failing before in four other series match-ups, the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees. He helped the team win one more National League pennant the following season, and was then traded to the New York Giants. Jackie Robinson retired shortly after the trade, on January 5, 1957, with an impressive career batting average of .311.
After baseball, Robinson became active in business and continued his work as an activist for social change. He worked as an executive for the Chock Full O' Nuts coffee company and restaurant chain and helped establish the Freedom National Bank. He served on the board of the NAACP until 1967 and was the first African-American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1972, the Dodgers retired his uniform number of 42.
In his later years, Robinson continued to lobby for greater integration in sports. He died from heart problems and diabetes complications on October 24, 1972, in Stamford, Connecticut. He was survived by his wife, Rachel Isum, and their three children. After his death, his wife established the Jackie Robinson Foundation dedicated to honoring his life and work. The foundation helps young people in need by providing scholarships and mentoring programs.
Robinson's older brother, Matthew Robinson, inspired Jackie to pursue his talent and love for athletics. Matthew won a silver medal in the 200-meter dash—just behind Jesse Owens—at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
Jackie continued his education at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he became the university's first student to win varsity letters in four sports. In 1941, despite his athletic success, Robinson was forced to leave UCLA just shy of graduation due to financial hardship. He moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he played football for the semi-professional Honolulu Bears. His season with the Bears was cut short when the United States entered into World War II.
From 1942 to 1944, Robinson served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. He never saw combat, however; Robinson was arrested and court-martialed during boot camp after he refused to move to the back of a segregated bus during training. He was later acquitted of the charges and received an honorable discharge. His courage and moral objection to segregation were precursors to the impact Robinson would have in major league baseball.
After his discharge from the Army in 1944, Robinson played baseball professionally. At the time, the sport was segregated, and African-Americans and whites played in separate leagues. Robinson began playing in the Negro Leagues, but he was soon chosen by Branch Rickey, a vice president with the Brooklyn Dodgers, to help integrate major league baseball. He joined the all-white Montreal Royals, a farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers, in 1945. He moved to Florida in 1946 to begin spring training with the Royals, and played his first game on March 17 of that same year.
Rickey knew there would be difficult times ahead for the young athlete, and made Robinson promise to not fight back when confronted with racism. From the beginning of his career with the Dodgers, Robinson's will was tested. Even some of his new teammates objected to having an African-American on their team. People in the crowds sometimes jeered at Robinson, and he and his family received threats.
Despite the racial abuse, particularly at away games, Robinson had an outstanding start with the Royals, leading the International League with a .349 batting average and .985 fielding percentage. His excellent year led to his promotion to the Dodgers. His debut game on April 15, 1947, marked the first time an African-American athlete played in the major league
The harassment continued, however, most notably by the Philadelphia Phillies and their manager Ben Chapman. During one infamous game, Chapman and his team shouted derogatory terms at Robinson from their dugout. Many players on opposing teams threatened not to play against the Dodgers. Even his own teammates threatened to sit out. But Dodgers manager Leo Durocher informed them that he would sooner trade them than Robinson. His loyalty to the player set the tone for the rest of Robinson's career with the team.
Others defended Jackie Robinson's right to play in the major leagues, including League President Ford Frick, Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler, Jewish baseball star Hank Greenberg and Dodgers shortstop and team captain Pee Wee Reese. In one incident, while fans harassed Robinson from the stands, Reese walked over and put his arm around his teammate, a gesture that has become legendary in baseball history.
Jackie Robinson succeeded in putting the prejudice and racial strife aside, and showed everyone what a talented player he was. In his first year, he hit 12 home runs and helped the Dodgers win the National League pennant. That year, Robinson led the National League in stolen bases and was selected as Rookie of the Year. He continued to wow fans and critics alike with impressive feats, such as an outstanding .342 batting average during the 1949 season. He led in stolen bases that year and earned the National League's Most Valuable Player Award.
Robinson soon became a hero of the sport, even among former critics, and was the subject for the popular song, "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?" An exceptional base runner, Robinson stole home 19 times in his career, setting a league record. He also became the highest-paid athlete in Dodgers history, and his success in the major leagues opened the door for other African-American players, such as Satchel Paige , Willie Mays , and Hank Aaron.
Robinson also became a vocal champion for African-American athletes, civil rights, and other social and political causes. In July 1949, he testified on discrimination before the House Un-American Activities Committee. In 1952, he publicly called out the Yankees as a racist organization for not having broken the color barrier five years after he began playing with the Dodgers.
In his decade-long career with the Dodgers, Robinson and his team won the National League pennant several times. Finally, in 1955, he helped them achieve the ultimate victory: the World Series. After failing before in four other series match-ups, the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees. He helped the team win one more National League pennant the following season, and was then traded to the New York Giants. Jackie Robinson retired shortly after the trade, on January 5, 1957, with an impressive career batting average of .311.
After baseball, Robinson became active in business and continued his work as an activist for social change. He worked as an executive for the Chock Full O' Nuts coffee company and restaurant chain and helped establish the Freedom National Bank. He served on the board of the NAACP until 1967 and was the first African-American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1972, the Dodgers retired his uniform number of 42.
In his later years, Robinson continued to lobby for greater integration in sports. He died from heart problems and diabetes complications on October 24, 1972, in Stamford, Connecticut. He was survived by his wife, Rachel Isum, and their three children. After his death, his wife established the Jackie Robinson Foundation dedicated to honoring his life and work. The foundation helps young people in need by providing scholarships and mentoring programs.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Do You Know Jesus?
An old nun who was living in a convent next to a construction site
noticed the coarse language of the workers
and decided to spend some time
with them to correct their ways.
She decided she would take her lunch, sit with the workers
and talk with them.
She put her sandwich in a brown bag and
walked over to the spot where the men were
eating.
She walked up to the group and with a big smile
said: "and do you men know Jesus Christ?"
they shook their heads and looked at each other
very confused.
One of the workers looked up into the
steelworks and yelled out,
"Anybody up there know Jesus Christ?"
One of the steelworkers yelled down
'why'?
The worker yelled back,
"Cos his wife's here with his lunch"
noticed the coarse language of the workers
and decided to spend some time
with them to correct their ways.
She decided she would take her lunch, sit with the workers
and talk with them.
She put her sandwich in a brown bag and
walked over to the spot where the men were
eating.
She walked up to the group and with a big smile
said: "and do you men know Jesus Christ?"
they shook their heads and looked at each other
very confused.
One of the workers looked up into the
steelworks and yelled out,
"Anybody up there know Jesus Christ?"
One of the steelworkers yelled down
'why'?
The worker yelled back,
"Cos his wife's here with his lunch"
Reggie Jackson Biography
in full Reginald Martinez Jackson , byname Mr. October
(1946–)
(born May 18, 1946, Wyncote, Pennsylvania, U.S.) professional baseball player.
Jackson was encouraged in sports by his father and became a star athlete at Cheltenham High School in Pennsylvania, excelling in track and football as well as baseball. He was a good pitcher as well as a hitter, batting and throwing left-handed. He continued his athletic career at Arizona State University (Tempe), but after two years he became a professional baseball player. He played with American League Kansas City Athletics farm teams (1967–68) and joined the Athletics in 1968 when the team moved to Oakland, California, remaining with the team through the 1975 season. He made his mark as a home-run hitter and an exceptional base runner. He led the league in home runs (1973 and 1975). Playing on the World Series-winning Athletics (1972–74), Jackson in the 1973 World Series batted .310, drove in all three runs as Oakland won the sixth game, and hit a two-run homer in the decisive seventh game.
In 1976 he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, and in 1977 as a free agent he signed a five-year contract with the New York Yankees for nearly $3 million. He finished his career with the California Angels (1982–86). He led the league in home runs in 1980. In the final game of the 1977 World Series, he hit three consecutive home runs and drove in five runs as the Yankees won 8–4. In the 1978 World Series he hit .391 and two home runs. He earned his nickname “Mr. October” because of his outstanding performance in World Series games. From 1973 he played mainly as a designated hitter (or DH, wherein one bats for the pitcher but holds no fielding position). Jackson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993.
(1946–)
(born May 18, 1946, Wyncote, Pennsylvania, U.S.) professional baseball player.
Jackson was encouraged in sports by his father and became a star athlete at Cheltenham High School in Pennsylvania, excelling in track and football as well as baseball. He was a good pitcher as well as a hitter, batting and throwing left-handed. He continued his athletic career at Arizona State University (Tempe), but after two years he became a professional baseball player. He played with American League Kansas City Athletics farm teams (1967–68) and joined the Athletics in 1968 when the team moved to Oakland, California, remaining with the team through the 1975 season. He made his mark as a home-run hitter and an exceptional base runner. He led the league in home runs (1973 and 1975). Playing on the World Series-winning Athletics (1972–74), Jackson in the 1973 World Series batted .310, drove in all three runs as Oakland won the sixth game, and hit a two-run homer in the decisive seventh game.
In 1976 he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, and in 1977 as a free agent he signed a five-year contract with the New York Yankees for nearly $3 million. He finished his career with the California Angels (1982–86). He led the league in home runs in 1980. In the final game of the 1977 World Series, he hit three consecutive home runs and drove in five runs as the Yankees won 8–4. In the 1978 World Series he hit .391 and two home runs. He earned his nickname “Mr. October” because of his outstanding performance in World Series games. From 1973 he played mainly as a designated hitter (or DH, wherein one bats for the pitcher but holds no fielding position). Jackson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Lou Gehrig Biography
in full Henry Louis Gehrig , original name Ludwig Heinrich Gehrig , byname the Iron Horse
(1903 - 1941)
(born June 19, 1903, New York, New York, U.S.—died June 2, 1941, New York City) one of the most durable players in American professional baseball and one of its great hitters. From June 1, 1925, to May 2, 1939, Gehrig, playing first base for the New York Yankees, appeared in 2,130 consecutive games, a record that stood until it was broken on September 6, 1995, by Cal Ripken, Jr., of the Baltimore Orioles. A quiet, gentle man, Gehrig was somewhat overshadowed by his colourful teammate Babe Ruth, whom he followed in the Yankees' batting order.
Gehrig attended Columbia University before joining the Yankees organization. In each of seven major league seasons, he batted in 150 or more runs, and in 1931 he established the American League record of 184 runs in a season. On June 3, 1932, he hit four consecutive home runs in one game, becoming the first player of the 20th century to do so. In 1934 he achieved the “Triple Crown” of baseball, leading his league in batting average (.363), home runs (49), and runs batted in (RBIs; 165). He hit 49 home runs again in 1936.
In 1939, Gehrig was diagnosed with a rare nervous system disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); this disease has come to be known as Lou Gehrig's disease. On May 2, he took himself out of the Yankees' lineup, and he never played baseball again. He left baseball with a career batting average of .340, with 493 home runs and 1,990 runs batted in, all during regular season play. In seven World Series (34 games), he batted .361, hit 10 home runs, and drove in 35 runs.
On July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day was held in his honour. It was at this event that Gehrig made the memorable speech featured in the film version of his life, The Pride of the Yankees (1942), in which he claimed to be “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” The one-year waiting period after retirement for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame was waived for Gehrig, and he entered the Hall of Fame in late 1939.
(1903 - 1941)
(born June 19, 1903, New York, New York, U.S.—died June 2, 1941, New York City) one of the most durable players in American professional baseball and one of its great hitters. From June 1, 1925, to May 2, 1939, Gehrig, playing first base for the New York Yankees, appeared in 2,130 consecutive games, a record that stood until it was broken on September 6, 1995, by Cal Ripken, Jr., of the Baltimore Orioles. A quiet, gentle man, Gehrig was somewhat overshadowed by his colourful teammate Babe Ruth, whom he followed in the Yankees' batting order.
Gehrig attended Columbia University before joining the Yankees organization. In each of seven major league seasons, he batted in 150 or more runs, and in 1931 he established the American League record of 184 runs in a season. On June 3, 1932, he hit four consecutive home runs in one game, becoming the first player of the 20th century to do so. In 1934 he achieved the “Triple Crown” of baseball, leading his league in batting average (.363), home runs (49), and runs batted in (RBIs; 165). He hit 49 home runs again in 1936.
In 1939, Gehrig was diagnosed with a rare nervous system disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); this disease has come to be known as Lou Gehrig's disease. On May 2, he took himself out of the Yankees' lineup, and he never played baseball again. He left baseball with a career batting average of .340, with 493 home runs and 1,990 runs batted in, all during regular season play. In seven World Series (34 games), he batted .361, hit 10 home runs, and drove in 35 runs.
On July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day was held in his honour. It was at this event that Gehrig made the memorable speech featured in the film version of his life, The Pride of the Yankees (1942), in which he claimed to be “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” The one-year waiting period after retirement for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame was waived for Gehrig, and he entered the Hall of Fame in late 1939.
Friday, March 5, 2010
RASTA MAN dies and goes to heaven
Rasta dies and goes to Heaven.He is at the
Pearly Gates and is met by St. Peter himself.
But the gates are closed as Rass approaches the gatekeeper..
St. Peter said, 'Well, You seem to be in the wrong place as I don't seem to have you on my list, but as there is such a crowd behind you and it would cause such a disruption I will give you an entrance examination if you pass it I will let you in
The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven!
Fair enough said the dread I sure hope that the test ain't too hard. Life was a big enough test as it was!
St. Peter continued, 'Yes, I know but the test is only three questions. Here they are:
First:
What two days of the week begin with the letter T?
That one is easy - That would be Today and Tomorrow!
The Saint's eyes opened wide and he exclaimed, that is not what I was thinking but you do have a point and I guess I did not specify, so I will give you credit for that answer.
Second:
How many seconds are there in a year? asked St. Peter.
How many seconds in a year? Now that one is harder! replied rass but I think about that and I guess the only answer can be twelve!
Astounded, St. Peter said 'Twelve'? How in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?
Well it got to be twelve he replied:
January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd...
'Hold it', interrupts St. Peter. I see where you are going with this and I see your point, though
that was not quite what I had in mind....but I will have to give you credit for that one too
Third:
What is God's first name?
'Well Sure' he replied with a big grin . . 'it's Andy.'
'Andy'? exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St Peter.
Ok, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just
how in the world did you come up with the name Andy as the first name of God?
'Shucks, that was the easiest one of all' - Whenever I went to church I would hear them sing
'ANDY WALKS WITH ME, ANDY TALKS WITH ME, ANDY TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN.'
St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates, and said: 'Run, man, run!!!
Pearly Gates and is met by St. Peter himself.
But the gates are closed as Rass approaches the gatekeeper..
St. Peter said, 'Well, You seem to be in the wrong place as I don't seem to have you on my list, but as there is such a crowd behind you and it would cause such a disruption I will give you an entrance examination if you pass it I will let you in
The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven!
Fair enough said the dread I sure hope that the test ain't too hard. Life was a big enough test as it was!
St. Peter continued, 'Yes, I know but the test is only three questions. Here they are:
First:
What two days of the week begin with the letter T?
That one is easy - That would be Today and Tomorrow!
The Saint's eyes opened wide and he exclaimed, that is not what I was thinking but you do have a point and I guess I did not specify, so I will give you credit for that answer.
Second:
How many seconds are there in a year? asked St. Peter.
How many seconds in a year? Now that one is harder! replied rass but I think about that and I guess the only answer can be twelve!
Astounded, St. Peter said 'Twelve'? How in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?
Well it got to be twelve he replied:
January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd...
'Hold it', interrupts St. Peter. I see where you are going with this and I see your point, though
that was not quite what I had in mind....but I will have to give you credit for that one too
Third:
What is God's first name?
'Well Sure' he replied with a big grin . . 'it's Andy.'
'Andy'? exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St Peter.
Ok, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just
how in the world did you come up with the name Andy as the first name of God?
'Shucks, that was the easiest one of all' - Whenever I went to church I would hear them sing
'ANDY WALKS WITH ME, ANDY TALKS WITH ME, ANDY TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN.'
St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates, and said: 'Run, man, run!!!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Eating Fruit.
We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. It's not as easy as you think. It's important to know how and when to eat.
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What is the correct way of eating fruits?
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IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS! * FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN-EMPTY STOMACH.
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If you eat fruit like that, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.
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FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD. Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so.
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In the meantime the whole meal rots and ferments and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.....
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So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach or before your meals! You have heard people complaining - every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet etc - actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!
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Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, and dark circles under the eyes all these will NOT happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach.
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There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr.. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the Secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.
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When you need to drink fruit juice - drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans. Don't even drink juice that has been heated up. Don't eat cooked fruits because you don't get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. Cooking destroys all the vitamins.
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But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice.. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!
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KIWI: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.
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APPLE: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.
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STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.
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ORANGE : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer...
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WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher.. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene - the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium..
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GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good f or your eyes.
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Drinking Cold water after a meal = Cancer! Can u believe this?? For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal..
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A serious note about heart attacks HEART ATTACK PROCEDURE': (THIS IS NOT A JOKE!) Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack . Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms.. Sixty percent of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.
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What is the correct way of eating fruits?
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IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS! * FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN-EMPTY STOMACH.
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If you eat fruit like that, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.
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FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD. Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so.
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In the meantime the whole meal rots and ferments and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.....
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So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach or before your meals! You have heard people complaining - every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet etc - actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!
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Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, and dark circles under the eyes all these will NOT happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach.
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There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr.. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the Secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.
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When you need to drink fruit juice - drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans. Don't even drink juice that has been heated up. Don't eat cooked fruits because you don't get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. Cooking destroys all the vitamins.
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But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice.. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!
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KIWI: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.
?
APPLE: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.
?
STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.
?
ORANGE : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer...
?
WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher.. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene - the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium..
?
GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good f or your eyes.
?
Drinking Cold water after a meal = Cancer! Can u believe this?? For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal..
?
A serious note about heart attacks HEART ATTACK PROCEDURE': (THIS IS NOT A JOKE!) Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack . Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms.. Sixty percent of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.
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