Bob Brunning
Filed under: Musicians — Tags: Bob Brunning — admin @ 4:41 pm
Born on June 29, 1943 in England.
Bob Brunning was a British musician best known for his role as original bass guitar player with the blues rock band Fleetwood Mac. After his stint in Fleetwood Mac, he joined Savoy Brown before embarking on a career in teaching which lasted 30 years. He did not abandon music however, and played in the Brunning Sunflower Blues Band, Tramp, and later the DeLuxe Blues Band.In 1972 he played bass guitar on the 22nd Streatham Cub Scouts LP Songs for Your Enjoyment. The album featured folk songs as well as the Scout theme song “Kumbaya”.Brunning also authored many books. He has written several about Fleetwood Mac, the British blues scene, and music in general. His works about his former group include Behind The Masks, published in 1990, 1998’s Fleetwood Mac: The First 30 Years, and The Fleetwood Mac Story: Rumours and Lies.
Brunning died on October 18, 2011.
Comments OffNorman Corwin
Filed under: Writers — Tags: Norman Corwin — admin @ 4:24 pm
Born on May 3, 1910 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Norman Corwin was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing. His earliest and biggest successes were in the writing and directing of radio drama during the 1930s and 1940s.
Corwin died at the age of 101 on October 18, 2011.
Comments OffDan Wheldon
Filed under: Sports — Tags: Dan Wheldon — admin @ 4:17 pm
Born on June 22, 1978 in Emberton, Olney, England.
Dan Wheldon was an English racing driver. He was the 2005 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series champion, and winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 2005 and 2011.
Wheldon died from injuries shortly after a collision at the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on 16 October 2011, at the age of 33.
Comments OffBetty Driver
Filed under: Actors — Tags: Betty Driver — admin @ 3:29 pm
Born on May 20, 1920 in Leicester, England.
Betty Driver was an English singer, actress and author, best known for her role as Betty Williams on Coronation Street. She appeared in more than 2,800 episodes of the British soap opera. She also appeared in its spin-off Pardon the Expression.
Driver died on October 15 due to pneumonia. She was 91.
Comments OffChuck Ruff
Filed under: Musicians — Tags: Chuck Ruff — admin @ 2:54 pm
Born on May 25, 1951 in Reno, Nevada.
Chuck Ruff as an American rock drummer well known for his work with Edgar Winter on the popular instrumental “Frankenstein”. He played in the rock group Sawbuck with Ronnie Montrose and Bill Church from 1968–1970. Ruff and Montrose later joined Edgar Winter with Dan Hartman to form The Edgar Winter Group in 1972. It was with this band that he had his biggest successes: first with the album They Only Come Out at Night (1973), featuring “Frankenstein” which reached No. 1 in the U.S. in May 1973, and the top 15 single “Free Ride”, which reached No. 14 that same year. The album Shock Treatment, which featured the song “Easy Street”, was also successful. In 1977, Ruff joined Sammy Hagar and performed on the albums Street Machine (1979) and Danger Zone (1979), including the song “Bad Reputation” which is in the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Chuck Ruff died in San Francisco, California on October 14, 2011 after a long illness.
Comments OffJoel DiGregorio
Filed under: Musicians — Tags: Joel DiGregorio — admin @ 2:35 pm
Born on January 8, 1944
Joel DiGregorio was a longtime member and keyboardist for the Charlie Daniels Band. He was self-taught on the keyboards, practicing from tunes by Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, and Little Richard following his attendance at a Ray Charles concert.He fulfilled his goal of becoming a professional musician, initiating his career with the group Paul Chaplain and his Emeralds, best known for their minor hit “Shortnin’ Bread” (1960). By the early 1960s, the group disbanded, leaving DiGregorio (who was seventeen) to find other gigs which included playing in a lounge band in Florida. In 1964, he met and joined Charlie Daniels who at that time was in a band called the Jaguars. A few years later, DiGregorio was drafted and served with the US Army. Upon his return home, he resumed his career with Daniels and following some ensemble changes The Charlie Daniels Band launched what was to become a commercially successful body of work, beginning with their self-titled debut album in 1970. In 1979, their signature hit “The Devil Went Down To Georgia,” which achieved a number 3 placing on the US Pop Charts, was co-written by DiGregorio. In addition to his work with Daniels, he recorded the solo projects Midnight in Savannah (2008) and Shake Rag (2008).
DiGregorio was killed in a car accident in Cheatham County, Tennessee, on October 12, 2011. He was 67 years old.
Comments OffPatricia Breslin
Filed under: Actors — Tags: Patricia Breslin — admin @ 2:00 pm
Born on March 17, 1931 in New York City, New York.
Patricia Breslin was an American actress known for her guest roles in various television series in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1953, Breslin co-starred with Jackie Cooper as his wife in the NBC sitcom, The People’s Choice. In 1954, she guest-starred with Peter Mark Richman in an episode of NBC’s legal drama, Justice, as a woman threatened by hoodlums. In 1955, Breslin guest starred in the CBS anthology series Appointment with Adventure. In 1960, she played the newlywed wife of William Shatner’s character in The Twilight Zone episode “Nick of Time” and also in the 1963 Twilight Zone episode, “No Time Like the Past”, in which she played Abigail Sloan. Breslin played the role of Anne Mitchell, along with co-stars Ralph Bellamy and Paul Fix, in the 1961 episode “The Haven” of CBS’s anthology series The DuPont Show with June Allyson. In 1964, she landed in the role of Laura Brooks on the ABC prime time soap opera Peyton Place. She also played the role of Meg Baldwin in the ABC soap opera General Hospital from 1966 to 1969.
Breslin died on October 12, 2011, aged 80, from pancreatitis, after a lengthy hospitalization.
Comments OffMikey Welsh
Filed under: Musicians — Tags: Mikey Welsh — admin @ 12:55 pm
Born on April 20, 1971 in Syracuse, New York.
Mikey Welsh was an American artist and musician, best known as the former bassist of Weezer. He played with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo during Cuomo’s time in Boston during the hiatus in the band Homie. Following original bassist Matt Sharp’s decision to leave Weezer to focus on his group, The Rentals, Welsh was chosen to take over for him. Welsh played with Weezer from the time that they regrouped in 2000 until August 2001, when he suffered a mental breakdown. Shortly afterwards, he retired from music to focus on his art career.
Mikey Welsh died on October 8, 2011 from a suspected drug overdose.
Comments OffDavid Hess
Filed under: Actors — Tags: David Hess — admin @ 12:48 pm
Born on September 19, 1942 in New York City.
David Hess was an American actor and songwriter. In 1956 Hess recorded the original version of the Otis Blackwell composition “All Shook Up” under the stage name David Hill. The next year the song would become a #1 hit for Elvis Presley. He began his professional career as a songwriter for Shalimar Music, in 1957. He composed “Start Movin’” for Sal Mineo and “Rockin’ Shoes” for the Ames Brothers. He continued to write songs for Elvis Presley throughout the 1950s and 1960s, which include “Come Along,” and “Sand Castles”. “Your Hand, Your Heart, Your Love” became a 1960s hit when it was performed by Andy Williams. In 1962, Hess wrote and recorded “Speedy Gonzales,” (as David Dante) which became a #6 single for Pat Boone in the US and a #2 in the UK, selling more than eight million copies worldwide. Hess then recorded two solo albums for Kapp Records, again topping the charts, this time with a Top Ten folk hit called “Two Brothers.” In 1972, his career split off into several new directions with his starring role in the Wes Craven horror classic The Last House on the Left (1972), for which he also composed the soundtrack. He went on to score Buck at the Edge of the Heaven, a children’s film based on a collection of Jack London stories. The film won the top prize for film and direction at the Giffoni Film Festival. He also had roles in Hitchhike and The House on the Edge of the Park.
David Hess died on October 8, 2011. He was 69.
Comments OffRoger Williams
Filed under: Pianist — Tags: Roger Williams — admin @ 12:23 pm
Born on October 1, 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Roger Williams was an American popular music pianist. Williams recorded “Autumn Leaves”, the only piano instrumental to reach #1 on Billboard’s popular music chart. It sold over two million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. It was the fourth #1 song of the “rock era,” which unofficially began with the ascension of “(We’re Gonna) Rock Around The Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets into the top spot. In 1966 he had another Top Ten hit with the song “Born Free” from the motion picture soundtrack. His other hits include “Near You”, “Till”, “The Impossible Dream”, “Yellow Bird”, “Maria”, and “The Theme from Somewhere in Time“. Billboard magazine ranks him as the top selling piano recording artist in history with 18 gold and platinum albums to his credit. Williams was known as the “Pianist to the Presidents” having played for nine administrations beginning with Harry S. Truman. His last White House performance was in November 2008 for a luncheon hosted by First Lady Laura Bush.
Williams died on October 8, 2011, one week after his 87th birthday due to pancreatic cancer.
Comments Off
