Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Essie Garrett

Ultrarunner and fundraiser -- via the Denver Post.

Monika Kinley

Curator, collector, and dealer; specialist in outsider art -- via the Guardian.

Wendy Westover

Calligrapher and miniaturist -- via the Telegraph.

Richard Vaughan

Historian, linguist, and ornithologist -- via the Telegraph.

Bob Larbey

TV writer -- via the BBC. He co-wrote "The Good Life," and created other Britcoms such as "A Fine Romance" and "As Time Goes By."

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith

Guitarist, banjoist, mandolinist, violinist, and composer; wrote (of course) the immortal "Guitar Boogie," and "Dueling Banjos" as well -- via the Washington Post. Great story: he went to go see "Deliverance," which made "Dueling Banjos" world-famous . . . only problem -- he wasn't credited with or paid for his work. Two years of litigation later, he bought himself a 42-foot yacht, thanks to Warner Brothers.








George Shuffler

Bluegrass guitarist; inventor of cross-picking -- via Acoustic Guitar. What a wonderful musician! His music was so pretty, it made me cry. And to watch his fingers work was just such a treat. AND a good soul. Bless him!



Wayne Henderson

Trombonist and co-founder of the Jazz Crusaders -- via NPR.

Joan Miller

Dancer and teacher -- via the New York Times.

Philip W. Brickner

Doctor who reinvented the house call -- via the New York Times.


Sunday, April 6, 2014

Mickey Rooney aka Joe Yule Jr.

Actor -- via TMZ. He was born in 1920 in the Bronx. He made his stage debut a year later; he made his first film in 1926. He made his last film in 2012 -- 86 years in the film business. First the star of a series of silent "Mickey McGuire" silent comedy shorts, he became the go-to juvenile lead at MGM, starring as Andy Hardy in a series of films between 1937 and 1946; paired with Judy Garland in a classic string of hey-kids-let's-put-on-a-show musicals such as "Babes in Arms" (some of these films are marred forever by blackface sequences, which keep them out of circulation). His popularity culminated with his performance as Mi, the cynical young trainer in "National Velvet," but plummeted after World War II. He took work in an increasing sad number of vehicles, but still turned in solid performances in films such as "The Bold and the Brave," "the Bridges at Toko-Ri," the evil Sammy in Playhouse 90's "The Comedian" by Rod Serling, "Baby Face Nelson," "Requiem for a Heavyweight," "The Black Stallion," and the TV movie "Bill." He could do comedy, drama, and song and dance with the best of them -- wowing Broadway towards the end of his career as the star of "Sugar Babies." The ultimate trouper.


















John Pinette

Stand-up comedian -- via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Opened for him. Civilians will know him only as the guy who got carjacked on the final episode of "Seinfeld" -- but a good guy, a funny guy, and a hell of a poker player.




Paul Salamunovich

One of the great American choirmasters -- via the L.A. Times. Read this story -- his thoughts are an exact match with my thoughts on choral singing. Great quote from the obit --

"Singing is an extension of speech, and superb singers are superb actors," he said. "You have to act the meaning of the text. It's about emotional involvement and good technique…"
For Salamunovich, vocal music was literally a religious experience.
"I learned in parochial school that praying is not talking to God; it's lifting the mind and heart to God," he told the Ventura County Star in 2004. "Music feeds the heart, and the words feed the mind. When the choir is done singing at the end of a concert, I say privately to myself, 'Amen.'"



Leslie Perry

Storyteller -- via the L.A. Times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf0n6RiNjZw

Vern Rutsala

Poet -- via The Oregonian.

Unnikrishnan Puthur

Writer -- via the New Indian Express.

George Lerchen

Former MLB player -- via michigan.com.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Peter Matthiessen

Writer and naturalist -- via the New York Times. One of my favorite writers, a master of both fiction and non-fiction -- "Th Snow Leopard," "At Play in the Fields of the Lord," the Watson trilogy, "Blue Meridian," and "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse." Zen priest, CIA agent, industrial fisherman, explorer . . . he lived a lot of life.






Friday, April 4, 2014

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Jerry Biggs

Actor -- via the McKinney Courier-Gazette.

Jürg Neuenschwander

Organist -- via SRF.

Eva Vezer

Film promoter -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

Mon Levinson

Sculptor -- via the New York Times.

Birgitta Valberg

Actress -- via news.cision.com. Best known for her role as Mareta, the daughter in Bergman's "The Virgin Spring."