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 career retrospective of the works of Kerry James Marshall are at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Illinois through September 25th.
Kerry James Marshall workHAIL and FAREWELL to the music producer Sandy Pearlman— who (along with his partner Murray Krugman, as their names seldom were apart in the 70’s-80’s) not only produced Blue Oyster Cult and The Clash, but also my punk favorites, The Dictators — who has died at the age of 72 ….. and to the cartoonist Jack Davis— whose career spanned the world of sports, film and TV but whom I recall as one of the founders of MAD Magazine — who has died at the age of 91.
FILM NOTES — a new documentary by Julien Temple looks at the childhood of Keith Richards in post-war Great Britain … and how he still connects to it, today.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Misty the Cat— an Oregon kitteh reunited with her family after an eleven-year absence … due to her microchip.
Misty the CatATTENTION, BUD-NIPPERS — the city of Morgantown, West Virginia has honored one of its native sons, Don Knotts— a five-time Emmy Award winner as Barney Fife — with the unveiling of a statue, some ten years after his death at age 81.
CHEERS to the veteran film star Christopher Walken— whose new film Nine Lives coincides with his love of cats and proponent of pet adoption.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Skinny the Hero Cat— a New Zealand kitteh who helped police capture a mobile phone-bearing Peeping Tom.
Skinny the CatBRAIN TEASER - try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC.
THE OTHER NIGHT yours truly hosted the Top Comments diary with the reference of There Used To Be a Ballpark Here— old sports venues (the Minneapolis Armory and the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis) that no longer exist as such … plus some ornate rail stations, as well.
It also gives the answer to the trivia question: what lasting distinction do these sports teams share: the 1953 NY Yankees (MLB), 1953 Detroit Lions (NFL), 1958 St. Louis Hawks (NBA), 1959 University of California basketball team and the 1969 University of Texas football team?
OLDER-YOUNGER BROTHERS? — Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR).
Syria’s Bashar Al-Assad Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… among the many R&B singers who left the music business at a certain point (due to lack of work or to raise a family) and then made a return later in life was LaVern Baker– who came from an interesting musical lineage and was one of the singers that helped build Atlantic Records in the 50’s, with an interesting interregnum before her comeback.
The Chicago native (a niece of Memphis Minnie, the blues legend) began singing in South Side clubs at age 17 with the unusual stage name Little Miss Sharecropper (in ragged clothes). She finally adopted the name LaVern Baker in 1952 while singing for the Todd Rhodes Orchestra and began transitioning from jazz into the newly-burgeoning R&B sound.
The following year (at age 24) she signed with Atlantic Records and for the next eleven years became one of their mainstays. In 1955 she had her first hit single, with Tweedle Dee reaching #14 on the pop charts. Like others (including Little Richard) she saw white singers - especially Georgia Gibbs - parlay her songs into even greater hits, as it would take a few years for black performers to be heard on many radio stations. But eventually that did come to pass: and she had several other hits such as "Play it Fair", "Still" and "I Can’t Love You Enough" scoring high on the R&B charts and doing reasonably well on the pop charts.
She began to appear in other forums: performing on a 1955 R&B revue hosted by Ed Sullivan and appearing in two Alan Freed movies. As the 1950’s came to an end, she had hits with the ballad "I Cried a Tear", the Neil Sedaka tune "I Waited Too Long" and the Lieber/Stoller tune Saved (with a Gospel theme). In 1962 she had another hit with the Ma Rainey classic See See Rider and recorded a Bessie Smith tribute album.
Her career with Atlantic came to an end in 1964 (as it did for others) when the British Invasion began. She recorded for the Brunswick label for a few years, including one last moderate hit duet "Think Twice" with Jackie Wilson.
In the late 1960’s, she went on a tour to entertain the troops in Vietnam, but became quite ill from pneumonia and was sent to the Philippines for treatment. After recuperating, she was offered the job of managing an NCO club at the American naval facility in Subic Bay and - with the R&B music scene at a low ebb - she took the job and stayed for 20 years.
In 1988, Atlantic Records invited her to perform at its 40th anniversary concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden – and the reception she received led to a career revival. In addition to concert performances, she was offered film soundtrack roles for Dick Tracy and A Rage in Harlem in 1991. In 1990, she took over a starring role from her former Atlantic labelmate Ruth Brown in the Broadway musical Black & Blue and she made a triumphant return to play at the Chicago Blues Festival in her hometown.
She also resumed recording, with a 1992 album Woke Up this Morning plus a new Live in Hollywood release and also oversaw the release of a compilation album entitled Soul on Fire– the name of her first single from 1953. But she was suffering from diabetes, and had to stop performing after both her legs were amputated in 1994. Her final recording came on the 1995 tribute album to Harry Nilsson– who also suffered from diabetes - when she sang "Jump Into the Fire".
LaVern Baker died in March, 1997 at the age of 67. Not long after her 1988 comeback, she was among the first eight recipients of a Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer award, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame the next year. Sadly, her grave in Queens, New York was without a headstone for ten years (as was the case with many R&B pioneers). But luckily, this was remedied in 2008 - when a local fundraising effort provided for one.
A young LaVern Baker … … and later in lifeWhile she had higher-charting hits: LaVern Baker is perhaps best known for her 1956 song Jim Dandy– which was cited by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as one of its 500 Songs that Shaped Rock & Roll, and was named as #352 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. And below you can hear LaVern Baker sing it.
Jim Dandy in a submarine: got a message from a mermaid queen She was hanging from a fishing line
Jim Dandy didn't waste no time
Jim Dandy wanted to go to Maine …. Got a ticket on a DC plane … Jim Dandy didn't need no suit …. He was hip and a-ready, to boot
Jim Dandy to the rescue! Go, Jim Dandy! Go, Jim Dandy!
x YouTube Video