I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM, our Wyoming-based friend Irish Patti and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES — a photography exhibit about the history of amplified Chicago blues will be at the Chicago, Illinois History Museum through August of 2019.
Muddy Waters (1913-1983)HAIL and FAREWELL to the veteran comedic entertainer Chuck McCann— a mainstay of children’s programming in the late 50’s-early 60’s in New York, appeared on Vaughn Meader’s First Family comedy album from 1962, then completed his 60+ year career doing network TV, commercials, voice-overs and even feature films — who has died at the age of 83.
CHEERS to a lacrosse player for the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Noelle Lambert— who lost a leg in a horrific 2016 moped accident, but after being fitted with a prosthetic leg … scored a goal in her first game back.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Marley the Cat— who was a 103rd birthday present for a woman named Lillian in a Utah nursing home, having lost her cat a few years earlier.
Lillian on her 103rd birthdayTHEATER NOTES — the recent Broadway premiere of the play Three Tall Women has focused on the work of the late playwright Edward Albee— with his “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolff?” starring Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton in the 1966 film roles — and since his plays featured numerous strong female roles (at a time when few existed) — his work has gained new respect during the #MeToo era.
YOUR WEEKEND READ is Adam Davidson’s essay in the New Yorker … about what he sees as the end stage of the Trumpster’s reign.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Ty the Cat— who served as an emotional support kitteh to a North Carolina veteran who suffered from PTSD, then saw him stolen as part of a home burglary … but then Ty came home: and the veteran considers him more valuable than his earthly possessions.
Ty - Emotional Support CatBRAIN TEASER - try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC.
A GOOD TIME was had at a nice Cheers & Jeers meet-up in South Portland, Maine yesterday. Look for a photo diary in CUA! (ore elsewhere).
FATHER—SON? — the late Scottish two-time world darts champion Jock Wilson and the film star Jack Black.
Jock Wilson (1950-2012) Jack Black (born 1969)...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… regular readers know that one of my favorite categories is “You may not know their name, but you have heard their work”. Someone who fits that bill with several memorable songwriting credits is Mark James— who never quite made it as a performer but who has written three interstellar hit songs for other musicians (plus other hits) and deserves to be better-known.
Born in Houston, Texas in 1940 as Francis Zambon (the son of an Italian contractor father), he was a childhood friend of B.J. Thomas. He began playing in local clubs … until he changed his stage name to Mark James, for the benefit of club owners … who couldn’t pronounce his given name. He had some local hits, then had a stint in Vietnam … but left to go to Memphis on his return in 1966 as his performing career had stalled.
His big break was being hired by the late music producer and publisher Lincoln “Chips” Moman— who helped shape the music coming out of the mid-South. And one of the performers he wrote for was his old friend, B.J. Thomas — and hits such as Eyes of a New York Woman and It’s Only Love soon followed.
In 1968, Mark James recorded a song he wrote for Scepter Records (produced by Chips Moman) which the label was certain would be a hit. Except … it flopped.
Several months later, Elvis Presley came into the studio in Memphis, with seven years having passed since his last big hit. Mark James realized this might be the break the song needed, and told Chips Moman to play the recording for him. Chips did so … and in 1969, Elvis hit #1 with Suspicious Minds— the last #1 he had during his lifetime — which Rolling Stone ranked as #91 in its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Presley sang other tunes by Mark James, including Moody Blue, It’s Only Love and Raised on Rock (which reached #41 in 1973).
In the 1970’s, Mark James had further success with his writings, including Sunday Sunrise (reaching #6 in the country charts for Brenda Lee in 1973, with Anne Murray covering it with equal success two years later). Mark James released an album of his own in 1978 entitled She’s Gone Away— which was another flop; he seemingly wrote songs that people would love .. if they were performed by others.
This was aptly demonstrated by a 1972 song he co-wrote with Johnny Christopher and also Wayne Carson (who had a mega-hit of his own with The Letter). Elvis Presley recorded Always On My Mind as the B-side of a single he released — but it was Willie Nelson’s recording a decade later that reached #5 on the charts, and won the 1982 Song of the Year at the Grammys for Mark James and his co-writers.
His songs have been recorded by everyone from the names already mentioned … to Fine Young Cannibals, Jay-Z, Dwight Yoakam, Bill Withers, the Pet Shop Boys and many others. They have been used in films such as Kramer vs. Kramer, Black Hawk Down and Reservoir Dogs.
In 2000, the performer’s rights organization BMI named him as one of its top Songwriters of the 20th Century (due to multiple listings in its Songs of the Century) and in 2015 was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. One year earlier, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in NYC.
While out of the limelight since then, Mark James has continued to write songs that are recorded by others at age 77, and splits his time between Los Angeles (where he does film work), Memphis, Nashville and New York. It may once again happen that a song written by him will be a hit for an up-and-coming performer.
Mark James (back in the 1960’s) …... … and now shown in this decade ….Of all of his work: as much as I love Always On My Mind, my favorite remains one from my mis-spent youth in 1968: that was recorded by B.J. Thomas and reached #5 on the charts.
Hooked on a Feeling was among the early pop songs that used a sitar and — along with “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” — made a star out of B. J. Thomas. Six years later in 1974, the group Blue Swede covered the song and brought it to #1 — with its memorable “Ooga-chukka, ooga, ooga-chukka” add-on chorus (originally added by the English singer Jonathan King in 1971) — and was the first #1 single in the US by a Swedish act.
You can hear Blue Swede at this link, and below is B.J. Thomas’s version of my favorite Mark James-written song (as infectious as the Blue Swede version is).
I can't stop this feeling Deep inside of me Girl, you just don't realize What you do to me
When you hold me In your arms so tight You let me know Everything's all right
I'm hooked on a feeling I'm high on believing That you're in love with me
x xYouTube Video