WA2K Radio is now on the air

Q. Why isn't your nose 12 inches long?

A. Because then it would be a foot.

Q. How do fish travel to work?

A. In a carp pool.

Q. Why didn't the frog sit on the toad stool?

A. There wasn't mushroom.

Q. How do you cut a wave?

A. With a sea saw.

Q. Why did Sally put sugar in her pillow?

A. So she would have sweet dreams.

Q. Why are garden flowers so lazy?

A. Because they are always in beds.

Q. How do you find your way around a dark castle?

A. Use a knight light.

Q. Who has the right of way when 4 vehicles approach a 4-way stop sign
at the same time?

A. The pick-up truck with the gun rack and the bumper sticker saying,
'Guns don't kill people, I do.'

Q. Where did the tree trimmer apply for a loan?

A. At the branch office.

Q. Why are movie stars so cool?

A. Because they have many fans.

Q. What washes up on small beaches?

A. Microwaves.

Q. What is the difference betwee mass and weight?

A. Mass is where Catholics go on Sundays. Weight is where sundaes go
on Catholics.

Well, folks, we know that our hawkman has completed his bio's when he leaves us with questions that end in puns.

Thanks, Bob, for the bios and the smile. I particularly like the one about mass and catholics and sundaes.

Boston Bob always inspires us to go searching. First this song by Shania Twain.

From This Moment On

(I do swear that I'll always be there. I'd give anything
and everything and I will always care. Through weakness
and strength, happiness and sorrow, for better, for worse,
I will love you with every beat of my heart.)

From this moment life has begun
From this moment you are the one
Right beside you is where I belong
From this moment on

From this moment I have been blessed
I live only for your happiness
And for your love I'd give my last breath
From this moment on

I give my hand to you with all my heart
Can't wait to live my life with you, can't wait to start
You and I will never be apart
My dreams came true because of you

From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment on

You're the reason I believe in love
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above
All we need is just the two of us
My dreams came true because of you

From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment
I will love you as long as I live
From this moment on

And here, folks, is an intriguing site that was awesome to me.

http://www.waltlockley.com/gardenofallah/gardenofallah.htm

As always, we shall await our prancing puppy to do her photo thing.

Sorry I'm so late. Those late night snacks I've been indulging in are really putting me out of commission.

I like Bob's "sugar under the pillow" pun.

I also like Charles Boyer (not in "Gaslight", though):

Charles Boyer (must have been in the sun too long), Donald O'Connor (him, too); Ben Gazzara; David Soul (the way he was); Daniel Stern and Shania Twain

Well, Puppy. Running is the way to work off those extra pounds. Love it, PA.

Great photo's for our gallery as usual, and you right, Raggedy. I do believe Charles and Donald have been colorized.

However, folks, Donald can still make 'em laugh.

Make 'em laugh
Make 'em laugh
Don't you know everyone wants to laugh?
My dad said "Be an actor, my son, but be a comical one."
They'll be standing in lines for those old honky-tonk monkeyshines
Now, you can study Shakspeare and be quite elite
And you could charm the critics and have nothing to eat
Just slip on a banana peel, the world's at your feet
Make 'em laugh
Make 'em laugh
Make 'em laugh
Make--
Make 'em laugh
Don't you know everyone wants to laugh?
My grandpa said "Go out and tell them a joke, but give it plenty of hope"
Make 'em roar
Make 'em scream
Take a fall, butt a wall, split a seam
You could start by pretending your a dancer with grace
Then you wiggle 'till they're giggling all over the place
Then you get a great big custard pie in the face
Make 'em laugh
Make 'em laugh
Make 'em laugh
Make 'em--
What?--
My Dad--
They'll be standing in lines for those old honky-tonk monkeyshines
Make 'em laugh
Make 'em laugh
Make 'em laugh
Make 'em laugh!

What a wonderful song from what many regard as the best musical ever Singing in the Rain. Allow me to play another.


Moses Supposes lyrics

Artist - Gene Kelly
Album - Various Songs
Lyrics - Moses Supposes

Moses supposes his toeses are Roses,
But Moses supposes Erroneously,
For Moses he knowses his toeses aren't roses,
As Moses supposes his toeses to be!
Moses supposes his toeses are Roses,
But Moses supposes Erroneously,
A mose is a mose!
A rose is a rose!
A toes a toes!
Hooptie doodie doodle
Moses supposes his toeses are Roses,
But Moses supposes Erroneously,
For Moses he knowses his toeses arent roses,
As Moses supposes his toeses to be!
Moses
(Moses supposes his toeses are roses)
Moses
(Moses supposes erroneously)
Moses
(Moses he knowses his toeses aren't roses)
As Moses supposes his toeses to be!
A Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose is
A rose is what Moses supposes his toes is
Couldn't be a lily or a taffi daphi dilli
It's gotta be a rose cuz it rhymes with mose!
Moses!
Moses!
Moses!
(Dance Sequence)
AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

Hey, Bob. Never heard that one but I love it, Boston.

Here's one that Donald O'Connor sang, but this version is by a man from The Moulin Rouge and with Jane instead of Ethel.

Ewan McGregor

I hear singing and there's no one there
I smell blossoms and the trees are bare
All day long I seem to walk on air
I wonder why
I wonder why
I keep tossing in my sleep at night
And what's more, I lost my appetite
Stars that used to twinkle in the skies
Are twinkling in my eyes
I wonder why

Jane Horrocks:

You don't need analyzing
It is not so surprising
That you feel very strange, but nice
Your heart goes pitter-patter
I know just what's the matter
'Cause I've been there once or twice
Put your head on my shoulder
You need someone who's older
A red dove with a velvet glove
There is nothing you can take
To relieve this pleasant ache
You're not sick!
You're just in love

no music all afternoon ?
all gone to have a snooze ?

this should wake you up !



AND SHAKE YOU UP !

WAKEY ! WAKEY ! shake a leg , will ya !

Thanks, hbg, for getting us back on the air. Love your Fats song, buddy.

Hmmm, I think our search folks are becoming too independent, so maybe Fats knows why


A Little Bit Independent


There's nothing like you in Paris or New York
You're awfully easy on the eyes
A little bit independent when we dance
A little bit independent toward romance
A bit of sophistication in your glance
And yet you're easy on the eyes
Whenever I'm with you alone
You weave a magic spell
And though it be a danger zone
I only know that you're swell
A little bit independent with your smile
A little bit independent in your style
But how can I help but love you all the while
When you're so easy on the eyes

and, because your PD is a little fussy today, here's another from Mr. Waller


Cross patch how can anyone be so cross
Won't you tumble off your high horse
You know you love to be loved
Cross patch, if you feel the wind change, they say
[these lyrics are found on http://www.songlyrics.com]
It will make your face stay that way
And then you'll never be loved
Cultivate a smile sweet and sunny
You can catch a fly with honey
You're actin so spoiled
Shame, shame... everybody knows your name
Cross patch don't you know it takes two to fight
Won't you kiss and make up tonight
You know you love to be loved

A poem, by
William Carlos Williams

Portrait of a Lady

Your thighs are appletrees
whose blossoms touch the sky.
Which sky? The sky
where Watteau hung a lady's
slipper. Your knees
are a southern breeze -- or
a gust of snow. Agh! what
sort of man was Fragonard?
-- As if that answered
anything. -- Ah, yes. Below
the knees, since the tune
drops that way, it is
one of those white summer days,
the tall grass of your ankles
flickers upon the shore --
Which shore? --
the sand clings to my lips --
Which shore?
Agh, petals maybe. How
should I know?
Which shore? Which shore?
-- the petals from some hidden
appletree -- Which shore?
I said petals from an appletree

Lovely poem by W.C.W., edgar. It is a poetry type of evening, right?

Hope our listeners enjoy these two as well.

Aaron Stark

Withal a meagre man was Aaron Stark, --
Cursed and unkempt, shrewd, shrivelled, and morose.
A miser was he, with a miser's nose,
And eyes like little dollars in the dark.
His thin, pinched mouth was nothing but a mark;
And when he spoke there came like sullen blows
Through scattered fangs a few snarled words and close,
As if a cur were chary of its bark.

Glad for the murmur of his hard renown,
Year after year he shambled through the town, --
A loveless exile moving with a staff;
And oftentimes there crept into his ears
A sound of alien pity, touched with tears, --
And then (and only then) did Aaron laugh.

-- Edwin Arlington Robinson


The Red Wheelbarrow
William Carlos Williams



so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

Mother's Little Helper
The Rolling Stones

[Written by Jagger, Richard]

What a drag it is getting old

"Kids are different today"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day

"Things are different today"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Cooking fresh food for a husband's just a drag
So she buys an instant cake and she burns her frozen steak
And goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And two help her on her way, get her through her busy day

Doctor, please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old

"Men just aren't the same today"
I hear ev'ry mother say
They just don't appreciate that you get tired
They're so hard to satisfy. You can tranquilise your mind
So go running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And four help you through the night, help to minimise your plight

Doctor,plese, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old

Life's just much too hard today"
I hear ev'ry mother say
The pursuit of happiness just seems a bore
And if you take more of those, you will get an overdose
No more running to the shelter of a mother's little helper
They just helped you on your way through your busy dying day

Good morning, WA2K.

edgar, here's a response to your Mick and I had forgotten this oldie, buddy.


Kids!
I don't know what's wrong with these kids today!
Kids!
Who can understand anything they say?
Kids!
They a disobedient, disrespectful oafs!
Noisy, crazy, dirty, lazy, loafers!
While we're on the subject:
Kids!
You can talk and talk till your face is blue!
Kids!
But they still just do what they want to do!
Why can't they be like we were,
Perfect in every way?
What's the matter with kids today?
Kids!
I've tried to raise him the best I could
Kids! Kids!
Laughing, singing, dancing, grinning, morons!
And while we're on the subject!
Kids! They are just impossible to control!
Kids! With their awful clothes and their rock an' roll!
Why can't they dance like we did
What's wrong with Sammy Caine?
What's the matter with kids today!

er, just who is Sammy Caine?

Barry Sullivan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Born August 29, 1912
New York City, New York, USA
Died June 6, 1994 aged 81
Sherman Oaks, California, USA

Barry Sullivan (August 29, 1912 - June 6, 1994) was an American movie actor who appeared in over 100 movies from the 1930s to the 1980s.

Born in New York City, Sullivan was a Broadway actor before breaking into films in the 1930s. One of his most memorable roles was playing a movie director in The Bad and the Beautiful.

In 1950, Sullivan took over the role of Leslie Charteris' Simon Templar from Vincent Price on The Saint NBC Radio show. Unfortunately, Sullivan only lasted two episodes before the show was cancelled, and then resurrected five weeks later with Vincent Price once again playing the starring role.

In 1960 Sullivan played frontier sheriff Pat Garrett opposite Clu Gulager as outlaw Billy the Kid in the western television series The Tall Man (although the series ran for 75 episodes, the one in which Garrett kills Billy was never filmed). He also cameoed in Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) as John Chisum, but his scene was excised from the release print (though later restored to the film).

Sullian has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 1500 Vine St. for his work in television, and another at 6160 Hollywood Blvd for motion pictures.

His daughter Jenny Sullivan wrote the play J for J (Journals for John) after she found a packet of unsent letters (in 1995) written by Barry decades earlier to her older brother, Johnny, who was mentally disabled. The play premiered on October 20, 2001. John Ritter, who in real life had a handicapped brother, played Johnny, Jenny played herself, and actor Jeff Kober portrayed Barry.

George Montgomery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Birth name George Montgomery Letz
Born August 29, 1916
Brady, Montana
Died December 12, 2000 (aged 84)
Rancho Mirage, California
Spouse(s) Dinah Shore (1943-1962)
Children Melissa Montgomery
John David Montgomery (adopted)

George Montgomery (August 29, 1916 - December 12, 2000) was an American painter, sculptor, furniture craftsman, and stuntman who is best known as an actor in western style film and television.

Born George Montgomery Letz to Ukrainian immigrant parents in Brady, Montana, he was the youngest of fifteen children. He was raised on a large ranch where as a part of daily life he learned to ride horses and work cattle. Letz studied at the University of Montana but because he was more interested in a career in film, he left after a year to go to Hollywood. At Republic Pictures, his cowboy skills got him stunt work and a small acting part in the 1935 western film, The Singing Vagabond. He followed this with several more bit parts and additional stunt work using his own name George Letz in mostly low-budget films. He was frequently cast in western films starring their number one box office draw, the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. Elevated to more important secondary roles, in 1938 George Letz appeared as one of the five rangers in The Lone Ranger. He remained with Republic Pictures until 1940 when he signed with 20th Century Fox who dropped the Letz from his name, billing him as George Montgomery.

At 20th Century Fox, Montgomery appeared in more westerns including The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1940) with Cesar Romero. In 1942, he played opposite jazz musician Glenn Miller in Orchestra Wives (whicht marked the non-credited debut of an aspiring actress named Dale Evans) and Ginger Rogers in Roxie Hart. The following year, Montgomery starred with Betty Grable in the Walter Lang-directed film, Coney Island. However, World War II interrupted his film career when he joined the United States Army Air Corps in 1943. On December 5 of that year he married Dinah Shore with whom he would have two children during a marriage that lasted until 1962. In 1963, Montgomery's private life made media headlines when his housekeeper was charged with a failed attempt to kill him. Allegedly suffering from a fanatical attraction to her employer, the deranged woman planned to shoot Montgomery then take her own life.

As a boy, George Montgomery had developed excellent craftsmanship with wood and as an adult pastime he began building furniture; first for himself and then for a few friends. His skill was such that his hobby became a full-fledged cabinetmaking business, employing as many as twenty craftsmen.

Montgomery oversaw the furniture making business for more than forty years and expanded his interest to house design that saw him involved with the building of eleven homes for friends and family. His artistic instincts also included learning how to sculpt in bronze. Self-taught, he sculpted upwards of fifty bronze sculptures including those of John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Gene Autry, Randolph Scott, and future U.S. president, Ronald Reagan. His sculpture of ex-wife Dinah Shore and their children is at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California home to the LPGA Dinah Shore Golf Tournament.

Through to the early 1970s, Montgomery acted regularly in films and made guest appearances on a number of television shows, including the popular western drama, Bonanza. For two seasons in 1958 and 1959 he also starred in his own television series, Cimarron City. After a career that included more than eighty feature films, Montgomery retired in 1972, making only two more minor appearances in film until his death at his home in Rancho Mirage, California in 2000.

After cremation, Montgomery's ashes were divided and interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City) near his Palm Springs, California home and at the Highland Cemetery in Great Falls, Montana near his birthplace.

For his contribution to the television industry, George Montgomery has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6301 Hollywood Blvd.

Richard Attenborough
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Birth name Richard Samuel Attenborough
Born August 29, 1923 (1923-08-29) (age 84)
Cambridge, England
Spouse(s) Sheila Sim (1945-)
[show]Awards
Academy Awards
Best Director
1982 Gandhi

Best Picture
1982 Gandhi

BAFTA Awards
Best Actor
1964 Guns at Batasi ; Seance on a Wet Afternoon

Best Direction
1982 Gandhi
Best Film
1982 Gandhi
1993 Shadowlands

Golden Globe Awards
Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
1967 The Sand Pebbles
1968 Doctor Dolittle

Best Director - Motion Picture
1983 Gandhi


Sir Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, CBE (born August 29, 1923) is an English actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur. Attenborough has won an Academy Award, BAFTA and three Golden Globes.




Acting career

Born in Cambridge, England, he was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

His film career began in 1942 as a deserting sailor in In Which We Serve, a role which would help to type-cast him for many years as spivs or cowards in films like London Belongs to Me (1948), Morning Departure (1950), and his breakthrough role as a psychopathic young gangster in the film of Graham Greene's novel Brighton Rock (1947). During World War II Attenborough served in the Royal Air Force.

He worked prolifically in British films for the next thirty years, and in the 1950s appeared in several successful comedies for John and Roy Boulting, including Private's Progress (1956) and I'm All Right Jack (1959). Early in his stage career, Attenborough starred in the London West End production of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, which went on to become one of the world's longest running stage productions. Both he and his wife were among the original cast members of the production, which opened in 1952 and as of 2007 is still running.

In the 1960s he expanded his range of character roles in films such as Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) and Guns at Batasi (1964), for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the regimental Sergeant Major. In 1963 he appeared in the ensemble cast of The Great Escape, as Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett ("Big X"), the head of the escape committee. As of August 2007, he is one of only three surviving major stars of the film, the others being James Garner and David McCallum.

In 1967 and 1968, he won back-to-back Golden Globe Awards in the category of Best Supporting Actor, the first time for The Sand Pebbles starring Steve McQueen, and the second time for Doctor Dolittle starring Rex Harrison. He would win another Golden Globe for Best Director, for Gandhi, in 1983. He has never been nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category.

He took no acting roles following his appearance in Otto Preminger's version of The Human Factor in 1979, until his appearance as the eccentric developer John Hammond in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park in 1993. The following year he starred in the remake of Miracle on 34th Street as Kris Kringle. Since then he has made occasional appearances in supporting roles including the 1998 historical drama Elizabeth as Sir William Cecil.


Producer and director

In the late 1950s Attenborough formed a production company, Beaver Films, with Bryan Forbes and began to build a profile as a producer on projects including The League of Gentlemen (1959), The Angry Silence (1960) and Whistle Down the Wind (1961), also appearing in the first two of these as an actor.

His feature film directorial debut was the all-star screen version of the hit musical Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), and his acting appearances became more sporadic - the most notable being his portrayal of serial killer John Christie in 10 Rillington Place (1971). He later directed two epic period films: Young Winston (1972), based on the early life of Winston Churchill, and A Bridge Too Far (1977), an all-star account of Operation Market Garden in World War II. He won the 1982 Academy Award for Directing for his historical epic, Gandhi, a project he had been attempting to get made for many years. As the film's producer, he also won the Academy Award for Best Picture. His most recent films as director and producer include Chaplin (1992) starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Charlie Chaplin and Shadowlands (1993), based on the relationship between C.S. Lewis and Joy Gresham. Both films starred Anthony Hopkins, who also appeared in three other films for Attenborough: Young Winston, A Bridge Too Far and the thriller Magic (1978).

Attenborough also directed the screen version of the musical A Chorus Line (1985); and the apartheid drama Cry Freedom based on the experiences of Donald Woods. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director for both films. His most recent film as director was another biographical film, Grey Owl (1999), starring Pierce Brosnan.

Current projects

Attenborough has been in Belfast, Northern Ireland filming his latest film, Closing the Ring, set in Belfast in the Second World War.

He is the President of RADA, Chairman of Capital Radio, President of BAFTA, President of the Gandhi Foundation, and President of the British National Film and Television School.

He is also the patron of the UWC movement (United World Colleges) wherby he continually contributes greatly to the colleges that are part of the organization. He has frequented the United World College of Southern Africa(UWCSA) Waterford Kamhlaba. His wife and he founded the Richard and Sheila Attenborough Visual Arts Center. He also founded the Jane Holland Creative Center for Learning at Waterford Kamhlaba in Swaziland in memory of his daughter who died in the Tsunami on Boxing day, 2004. He passionately believes in education, primarily education that does not judge upon colour, race, creed or religion. His attachment to Waterford is his passion for non-racial education, which were the grounds on which Waterford Kamhlaba was founded. Waterford was one of his inspirations for directing the Cry Freedom motion picture based on the life of Steve Biko.

He was elected to the post of Chancellor of the University of Sussex on 20 March 1998, replacing the Duke of Richmond and Gordon. A lifelong supporter of Chelsea Football Club, Attenborough served as a director of the club from 1969-1982 and since 1993 has held the honorary position of Life Vice President. He is also a patron for the United World Colleges movement.

He is also the head of the consortium "Dragon International", which are currently constructing a film and television studio complex in Llanilid, Wales, often referred to as "Valleywood".


Honours

In 1967, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He was knighted in 1976 and in 1993 he was made a life peer as Baron Attenborough, of Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

On 13 July 2006, Attenborough, along with his brother David, were awarded the titles of Distinguished Honorary Fellows of the University of Leicester "in recognition of a record of continuing distinguished service to the University." [1] & [2].


Family

He has been married to English actress Sheila Sim since 1945. They had three children. In December 2004, his elder daughter, Jane Holland, as well as her daughter, Lucy, and her mother-in-law, also named Jane, were killed in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. [3] A memorial service was held on 8 March 2005, and Attenborough read a lesson at the national memorial service on 11 May 2005. His grandson Samuel Holland and granddaughter Alice Holland also read in the service.

Attenborough's father, Frederick Attenborough, was principal of University College, Leicester, now the city's university. This has resulted in a long association with the university, with Lord Attenborough a patron. A commemorative plaque was placed in the floor of Richmond Parish Church. The university's Richard Attenborough Centre for Disability and the Arts, which opened in 1997, is named in his honour.

His son, Michael Attenborough, is also a director.

He has two younger brothers, the famous naturalist Sir David Attenborough; and John Attenborough, who has made a career in the motor trade.

He has collected Picasso ceramics since the 1950s. More than 100 items went on display at the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester in 2007; the exhibition is dedicated to his family members lost in the tsunami.[1] [2]

Dinah Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Background information

Birth name Ruth Lee Jones
Also known as Queen of the Blues
Born August 29, 1924
Origin Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
Died December 14, 1963 (age 39)
Genre(s) Blues, R&B, Jazz
Occupation(s) Singer
Years active 1943 - 1963
Label(s) Keynote, Mercury,
EmArcy, Roulette

Dinah Washington (August 29, 1924 - December 14, 1963) was a blues, R&B and jazz singer. Because of her strong voice and emotional singing, she is known as the Queen of the Blues.[1] Despite dying at the early age of 39, Washington became one of the most influential vocalists of the twentieth century,[2] [3] credited among others as a major influence on Aretha Franklin. [4] [5]








Early life

Washington was born Ruth Lee Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Her family moved to Chicago while she was still a child. As a child in Chicago she played piano and directed her church choir. She later studied in Walter Dyett's renowned music program at DuSable High School. There was a period when she both performed in clubs as Dinah Washington while singing and playing piano in Sallie Martin's gospel choir as Ruth Jones.

Her penetrating voice, excellent timing, and crystal-clear enunciation added her own distinctive style to every piece she undertook. While making extraordinary recordings in jazz, blues, R&B and light pop contexts, Washington refused to record gospel music despite her obvious talent in singing it. She believed it wrong to mix the secular and spiritual, and after she had entered the non-religious professional music world she refused to include gospel in her repertoire. Washington began performing in 1942 and soon joined Lionel Hampton's band. There is some dispute about the origin of her name. Some sources say the manager of the Garrick Stage Bar gave her the name Dinah Washington, while others say Hampton selected it.


Rise to fame

In 1943 she began recording for Keynote Records and released "Evil Gal Blues", her first hit. By 1955 she had released numerous hit songs on the R&B charts, including "Baby, Get Lost", "Trouble in Mind", "You Don't Know What Love Is" (arranged by Quincy Jones), and a cover of "Cold, Cold Heart" by Hank Williams. In March of 1957 she married tenor saxophonist Eddie Chamblee, (formerly on tour with Lionel Hampton) who led the band behind her. In 1958 she made a well-received appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival.

With "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" 1959, Washington won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Performance. The song was her biggest hit, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The commercially driven album of the same name, with its heavy reliance on strings and wordless choruses, was slammed by jazz and blues critics as being far too commercial and not in keeping with her blues roots. Despite this, the album was a huge success and Washington continued to favor more commercial, pop-oriented songs rather than traditional blues and jazz songs. Along with a string of other hits, she followed this with "September In The Rain", which reached number 35 in the UK in November 1961 and #23 in the US. In 1960, she also had two top 10 hit duets with Brook Benton: "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" and "A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall In Love)". She also dealt in torch songs; her rendition of the popular standard "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" was well regarded.


Queen of the Blues

Her vocal style has influenced many of her successors, and can still move modern listeners. [citation needed] She was married seven times, and divorced six times while having several lovers, including Quincy Jones, her young arranger. She was refined, highly intelligent, deeply spiritual, and infinitely tasteful in her style. She was a liberated woman before such a term existed. Legend has it that she wore mink in all weathers and carried two .45 pistols with her. Although she had a reputation as imperious and demanding, many found her loving, funny, generous and forgiving. Audiences sensed this remarkable combination of qualities and loved her. In London she once declared, "...there is only one heaven, one earth and one queen...Queen Elizabeth is an impostor", but the crowd loved it.

About six months after her marriage to football player Dick "Night Train" Lane, she died from an accidental overdose of prescription sleeping medication ingested on an empty stomach. Washington, who was just 5'2" tall and had fought a weight problem all her life, was dieting to lose weight before a New Year's Eve party she was giving with her friend Bea Buck.

In 2007, R&B platinum-selling singer Deborah Cox reinterpreted the classic songs of Dinah Washington on her fourth album Destination Moon.

A recent surge in popularity can be credited to a promo being run by Doubletree Hotels which features "Relax Max", a catchy tune from the The Swingin' Miss "D" album.