Monday, August 22, 2011

Nickolas Ashford

Songwriter and performer -- via AP. With his wife Valerie Simpson, he wrote some of Motown's greatest hits -- first, "Let's Go Get Stoned," then "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "You're All I Need to Get By," "Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand," and "Destination: Anywhere." Later, they wrote songs such as "I'm Every Woman" and "Solid."



Jerry Leiber aka Jerome Leiber

Lyricist -- via the L.A. Times. One of the great lyricists of the 20th century, he formed the rock 'n' roll/r 'n' b/soul songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller. Among his greatest works are:"Hound Dog," "Kansas City," "Searchin'", "Yakety Yak," "There Goes My Baby," "Love Me," "Jailhouse Rock," "Charlie Brown," "Stand by Me," "On Broadway," "Ruby Baby," "Is That All There Is?", "Love Potion #9," "Poison Ivy," "Riot in Cell Block Number 9," and "Santa Claus is Back in Town." Their music is golden, just absolutely wonderful. We still sing it today.



Ruth Brinker

Founded Project Open Hand, the first program to bring food and comfort to those housebound by their struggle with HIV/AIDS -- via the Bay Area Reporter.

Larry "the Legend" Johnson aka Aaron Rockwell Johnson

Radio personality -- via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Beverly Whitney Kean

Arts detective and scholar, and actress -- via the Telegraph.

David Holbrook

Writer, teacher and scholar -- via the Independent.

Paul "P.K." Worley

Patriarch of theatrical family -- via the Denver Post.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Jimmy Sangster

Screenwriter, filmmaker -- via Twitch. Really, one of my horror heroes -- one of the prime movers in the history of Hammer horror, along with Terence Fisher, Freddie Francis, Roy Ashton, Bernard Robinson, James Bernard, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Barbara Shelley. With no experience, faced with the strictures of reinventing classic horror icons, he wrote the screenplays for "The Curse of Frankenstein," "The Horror of Dracula," "The Mummy," "The Crawling Eye," "Paranoiac," and many other Second Wave horror greats. He even directed cheesy delights such as "Lust for a Vampire" and "The Horror of Frankenstein." Here's a wonderful profile of him from Cinema Retro. Cheers to him -- he took a well-worn genre and helped revitalize it!






Louise Behrend

Violinist and teacher -- via the Washington Post.

Elbert "El" Gray

Anti-violence activist -- via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Akiko Futaba

Singer -- via Kyodo News. One of the top three female vocalists in Japan after World War II. A native of Hiroshima, she narrowly escaped annihilation on Aug. 6, 1945, when the train she was riding went into a tunnel moments before the atomic bomb exploded, destroying her city.

From the Kitsap Sun: "A tribute to a worthwhile habit"

A lovely think-piece by Rob Woutat on the power, utility and beauty of well-written obituaries -- via the Kitsap Sun.

Gualtiero Jacopetti

Filmmaker -- via the New York Times. Best known as the father of the shockumentary, with his 1962 hit "Mondo Cane." It spawned a subgenre of film that purported to focus on true-life, gruesome and strnage aspects of world culture, life and death. It also brought us the Oscar-winning theme/love song, "More," strangely enough.

Raoul Ruiz

Filmmaker -- via Indiewire.




Robert Breer

Avant-garde animator - via the New York Times. His influence extended to talents as diverse as Stan Brakhage and Terry Gilliam.



Betty Thatcher aka Betty Thatcher Newsinger

Lyricist -- via Renaissance blog. A vital contributor to '70s prog-rock band Renaissance, whose sound and philosophy entranced us during the period, and contributed mightily to the marijuana intake of the time's teenage population.



Joel Chin

Reggae producer -- via Billboard.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Robert L. "Bob" Will

Former MLB player for the Cubs -- via legacy.com.

Jeffrey Ash

Broadway adman and producer -- via Broadway World.

Sif Ruud aka Sif Einarsdotter Ruud Fallde

Actress -- via svd.se. Her career began on stage in 1934; she appeared most memorably in the Bergman films "Wild Strawberries," "The Magician," "Face to Face" and the Bergman-scripted "The Best Intentions."

Topi Sorsakoski aka Pekka Erkki Juhani Tammilehto

Singer -- via iltasanomat.fi.

Joe Trimble

Former MLB pitcher -- via baseball-fever.com.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Albert Brown

Oldest survivor of the Bataan Death March -- via the New York Times.

George C. DeVol

Inventor of the robot arm -- via the New York Times. He also invented an early microwave oven, called the "Speedy Weeny."

Jackie Hudson

Nun and activist -- via the Seattle Times.

James M. Flinchum

Journalist and editor -- via wyomingnews.com.

Jack Kujawski

Bartender -- via the Washington Post.

Del Connell

Animator and cartoonist - via newsfromme.com.

Bob Swank aka Owl Meat Gravy

Writer and poet -- via the Baltimore Sun.

Nicholas Val Napolitano

He gave his life to save someone else's -- via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Juliet "Judy" Kellogg Markowsky

Naturalist -- via the Bangor Daily News.

Jim Penland

Artist -- via nj.com.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Daniel D. McCracken

Computer scientist and writer -- via the New York Times. For decades, he was easily the widest-read "how-to" author on computers, computing and computer language.

Tareq Masud

Filmmaker -- via AFP.

Robert Robinson

Radio and television host, writer and aphorist -- via the Telegraph.

Ernie Johnson Sr.

MLB pitcher and broadcaster -- via mlb.com. He was on the air for 37 years -- a monster talent!

Roger Cartwright

Expert on Morris dancing -- via the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

M. Kenneth Oshman

Electronics executive -- via the New York Times. He pioneered the management style that I have found to be most productive -- a supportive and informal atmosphere that encourages vital engagement and camaraderie.

Noach Flug

Holocaust survivor, and activist -- via Haaretz.

Carlton Roy

Businessman and civil rights activist -- via AP.

Newton Thornburg

Writer -- via the Guardian.

T. A. Birrell

Scholar, and historian of the Royal Library -- via the Independent.