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RIP Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner from the Ohio Players
Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner, guitar player and front man for the classic lineup of the Ohio Players, passed away on Friday at the age of 69. If you were around in the 1970s you could not have missed...
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“I’ll Take You There”: Inspired by Murder and a Jamaican Riff
Cleotha “Cleedy” Staples, the eldest daughter of Roebuck “Pops” Staples who sang in the Staple Singers, passed away recently. Cleotha, who had Alzheimer’s, was 78. The Staple Singers — which also...
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RIP Richie Havens
I just heard on the radio station WFUV that Richie Havens passed away today of a heart attack at the age of 72. Chimesfreedom previously wrote about Havens’s landmark opening performance at Woodstock...
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Pull Down Your Pants and Slide on the Ice
For twelve M*A*S*H episodes from 1973 through the series finale in 1983, actor Allan Arbus created one of the great recurring character roles in television history. Arbus, who played the psychiatrist...
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Ray Manzarek of The Doors Passes Away
Ray Manzarek, a founding member of The Doors, passed away today at age 74. After Jim Morrison’s death at a young age, Manzarek became a recognizable face preserving the legacy of the great band. In...
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Bobby “Blue” Bland Was All Right With Me
Bobby “Blue” Bland, one of the great blues and soul singers, has passed away at his Memphis, Tennessee home the age of 83. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame, Bland...
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Lou Reed RIP: “Dirty Boulevard”
The legendary Lou Reed passed away today at the age of 71. His catalog of music with Velvet Underground and by himself and others like Metallica includes a number of classics, such as “Sweet Jane” and...
View ArticleRay Price: Thanks For the Good Times
When I was a kid, my parents and my grandma had 8-track tapes of country singer Ray Price. Perhaps because I heard those songs so many times back then, I never bought Ray Price albums myself when I...
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TCM Remembers Entertainers We Lost in 2013
I caught Turner Classic Movies‘ moving “Remembers” video of some of the entertainers and artists we lost in 2013. While most of us remember the big name losses like Peter O’Toole, what stands out in...
View ArticleSid Caesar RIP
Comic legend Sid Caesar has passed away at the age of 91. After growing up in Yonkers, New York, Caesar went on to be one of the early pioneers of the new medium of television with his shows Your Show...
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Comedian David Brenner’s 1971 Debut on “The Tonight Show”
Comedian David Brenner passed away this weekend on March 15, 2014 from cancer at the age of 78. For anyone who grew up watching Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, Brenner will always be associated...
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Ruben “Hurricane” Carter “in a Land Where Justice Is a Game”
Ruben “Hurricane” Carter, who had been suffering from prostate cancer, has passed away at the age of 76. Carter was a former boxer who was accused of murder in 1966 and ended up spending 19 years in...
View ArticleMaya Angelou’s Best Advice
Poet and author Maya Angelou has passed away at the age of 86. In this video, the poet who has dispensed wisdom in numerous ways, discusses the best advice she has ever given and the best advice she...
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Charlie Haden’s “Spiritual”
The great jazz bassist Charlie Haden has passed away at the age of 76 after a prolonged illness. Haden had a long and influential career, including being a part of the Ornette Coleman Quartet starting...
View ArticleBlues Legend Johnny Winter Live in Copenhagen
Blues guitarist and singer Johnny Winter has passed away in Switzerland at the age of 70. During his lifetime, he made some great music, including this wonderful full show from Copenhagen in 1970....
View ArticleMork and Happier Days
The world is saddened today by the news that Robin Williams has passed away. He was such a part of our lives that everyone has their own favorite movie scenes or performances, and I cannot add much...
View ArticleRonny Spears: “North of Mexico”
Texas singer-songwriter Ronny Spears passed away this week on October 20, 2014. Although not as well known as the many of those he performed with, Spears had a genuine Texas sound and the man was...
View ArticleRIP Percy Sledge: “When a Man Loves a Woman”
Percy Sledge, best known for his performance of the great song “When a Man Loves a Woman,” has passed away at the age of 74. Although there is some difference of opinion about who deserves the most...
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B.B. King: “Why I Sing the Blues”
The legendary B.B. King passed away last night (May 14) in Las Vegas, Nevada at age 89. As King’s website notes, “the thrill is gone.” Much will continue to be written about King’s guitar playing and...
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Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog
One of the highlights of my childhood was when my family would get to go shopping at the hometown G.C. Murphy variety store in Ohio. It was there that I bought my first records, 45-rpm singles that I...
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