Don McLean
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Don Richard McLean
Background information
Birth name Donald Richard McLean
Born 2 October 1945 (1945-10-02) (age 62)
Genre(s) Folk
Folk rock
Occupation(s) singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals
Guitar
Piano
Years active 1970 - present
Website
http://www.don-mclean.com/
Donald Richard McLean (born October 2, 1945 in New Rochelle, New York) is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1971 songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".
Personal life
Don McLean was profoundly affected by the deaths of both Buddy Holly and John F. Kennedy. In his personal life, he endured the death of his father in 1961. McLean graduated from Iona Preparatory School in 1963, but dropped out of Villanova University after only four months. He later attended night school at Iona College and received a Bachelors degree in Business Administration in 1968. He was a popular folk singer at campus events. With the help of a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, he began reaching a wider public, with visits to towns up and down the Hudson River. He learned the art of performing from his friend and mentor Pete Seeger. McLean accompanied Seeger on his Clearwater boat up the Hudson River in 1969 to protest environmental pollution in the river. The Clearwater campaign was widely credited for improving water quality in the Hudson River. [1]
Songs
"American Pie"
Don McLean's most famous composition, "American Pie", is often interpreted as describing the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper in an airplane crash on February 3, 1959, spawning the phrase, "The Day the Music Died". McLean has stated that the lyrics are also somewhat autobiographical and present an abstract story of his life from the mid-1950s until the time he wrote the song in the late 1960s [citation needed]. The hometown legend is that "the levy" is his hometown bar, the Beechmont Tavern near Iona College. "American Pie" symbolizes the ongoing radical and tumultuous changes in popular music during this period, evolving from the often raw, upbeat sounds that marked the earliest days of rockabilly and the rock eras of the 1950s to the darker, more introspective, often cynical and increasingly socially conscious music of the late 1960s, driven by the sweeping social upheavals and volatile political atmosphere that had engulfed and defined America by the end of the decade.
Don McLean's "American Pie" has remained the subject of intense scrutiny and philosophical interpretation for more than 30 years as music historians, scholars, professors of modern American literature, and his fans alike continue to search for its 'deeper meaning'. In interviews, Don claims to be amused that many interpretations start with the premise that he never talks about the song nor has ever provided insight into the meaning of the lyrics.
Other Songs
McLean's other well-known songs include:
"And I Love You So", covered by Elvis Presley, a 1973 hit for Perry Como
"Vincent", a tribute to the 19th century Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh
"Castles in the Air", which McLean recorded twice -his 1981 re-recording was a top-40 hit
"Winterwood"
"Wonderful Baby", a tribute to Fred Astaire that Astaire himself recorded
"Superman's Ghost", a tribute to George Reeves, who portrayed Superman on television in the 1950s
The album American Pie (album) features a version of Psalm 137, Babylon arranged by Don McLean and Lee Hays (The Weavers). Boney M would have a number one hit in the UK with this song in 1978 under the title Rivers of Babylon, although the two renditions are so different it is not immediately noticeable that they are versions of the same song.
In 1980, McLean had an international number one hit with the Roy Orbison classic, "Crying". Only following the record's success overseas was it released in the U.S., becoming a top 10 hit in 1981. Orbison himself once described McLean as "the voice of the century," and a subsequent re-recording of the song saw Orbison incorporate elements of McLean's version.
Later work
In 1991, Don McLean returned to the UK top 20 with a re-issue of "American Pie". The song became a worldwide smash again in 2000 when covered in abridged form by Madonna.
As of 2006, Don continues to tour extensively both in the U.S. and Europe. His new album Addicted to Black is expected to be released in the near future, along with his biography Killing Us Softly: The Don McLean Story (Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly with His Song" is said to have been written about Don after Lori Lieberman, also a singer/song writer saw him singing his composition "Empty Chairs" in concert. Afterwards, Lori wrote a poem titled "Killing me softly with his blue", and inspired by this poem, Norman Gimbel/Charles Fox wrote this song and the rest is history).
By the time you read through this you will understand
"TENJOOBERRYMUDS."
In order to continue getting by in America (our homeland), we all need
to learn the NEW English language! With a little patience, you'll be able to fit right in.
The following is a telephone exchange between you as a hotel guest and the hotels room-service, somewhere in the good old USA.
Room Service: "Morrin. Roon sirbees."
Guest: "Sorry, I thought I dialed room service."
Room Service: " Rye. Roon sirbees...morrin! Joowish to oddor sunteen???"
Guest: "Uh..... Yes, I'd like to order bacon and eggs."
Room Service: "Ow July den?"
Guest: ".....What??"
Room Service: "Ow July den?!?... pryed, boyud, poochd?"
Guest: "Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry.. scrambled, please."
Room Service: "Ow July dee baykem? Crease? "
Guest: "Crisp will be fine."
Room Service: "Hokay. An sahn toes?"
Guest: "What?"
Room Service: "An toes. July sahn toes?"
Guest: "I... don't think so."
Room Service: "No? Judo wan sahn toes???"
Guest: "I feel really bad about this, but I don't know what 'judo wan
sahn toes' means."
Room Service: "Toes! Toes!...Why joo don Juan toes? Ow bow Anglish moppin
we bodder?"
Guest: "Oh, English muffin!!! I've got it! You were saying 'toast'...??
Fine. Yes, an English muffin will be fine."
Room Service: "We bodder?"
Guest: "No, just put the bodder on the side."
Room Service: "Wad?!?"
Guest: "I mean butter... just put the butter on the side."
Room Service: "Copy?"
Guest: "Excuse me?"
Room Service: "Copy...teameel?"
Guest: "Yes. Coffee, please... and that's everything."
Room Service: "One minnie. Scramah egg, crease baykem, Anglish moppin, we
bodder on sigh and copy ......... rye??"
Guest: "Whatever you say."
Room Se r vice: "Tenjooberrymuds."
Guest: "You're welcome."
Remember I said, "By the time you read through this
you will understand tenjooberrymuds'."
Good morning, WA2K listeners and contributors.
Thank you very much, edgar and Bob.
I hope that our Raggedy doesn't kill your PD (softly or otherwise) for the Kate Moss thingy. I have antiquated equipment here in my wee studio and couldn't completely listen.
Perhaps this one should be redicated to her.
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
I heard he sang a good song
I heard he had a style
And so I came to see him to listen for awhile
And there he was this young boy, a stranger to my eyes
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
I felt all flushed with fever
Embarrassed by the crowd
I felt he found my letters and read each out loud
I prayed that he would finish But he just kept right on
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
He sang as if he knew me
In all my dark despair
And then he looked right through me as if I wasn't there
And he just kept on singing
Singing clear and strong
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
In the absence of our Raggedy, your PD will do a picture of the revered Gandhi.
Rama, the Lord of heavens
Blessed is thy name
Victory to you Ram
the husband of Sita
Oh so lovable, joyous
it is to worship thee...
Some of us call you as Shiva
and some others as Allah
but we beg you Lord
that you bless us all...
Raghupati Raghav Rajaram
Patit Paavana Sitaram
Sitaram Jai Sitaram
Bhaj pyare tu Sitaram
Raghupati Raghav..........
Ishwar Allah Tere Naam
Sabko sanmati de Bhagwan
Raghupati Raghav
A moment of homage, listeners
Ah, yes. Gandhi is one of my historical heroes.
THE GANDY DANCER'S BALL
(Paul Mason Howard / Paul Weston)
Frankie Laine - 1952
The Weavers - 1952
Tennessee Ernie Ford - 1952
Oh they danced on the ceiling
And they danced on the wall
At the Gandy Dancer's ball
Hey! Swing around, Swing around,
Swing around the Jimmy John
Swing around, Swing around
The Jimmy, Jimmy John
Swing around, Swing around
Swing around the Jimmy John
Swing the pretty girl round
The Jimmy, Jimmy John
The Gandy Dancer is a railroad man
And his work is never done
With his pick and his shovel and his willing hands
He makes the railroad run
There's Macanaw Mack and Toledo Jack
And the boys from Idaho
And the Frisco kid and Saginaw Sid
And good old Cotton-eyed Joe
Oh they danced on the ceiling
And they danced on the wall
At the Gandy Dancer's ball
Hey! Swing around, Swing around,
Swing around the Jimmy John
Swing around, Swing around
The Jimmy, Jimmy John
Swing around, Swing around
Swing around the Jimmy John
Swing the pretty girl round
The Jimmy, Jimmy John
The boys will gather at the great affair
The Gandy Dancer's ball
A-kissin' their ladies with perfumed hair
And prancin' round the hall
They got the biggest band in all the land
And the rhythm rocks the room
And they holler out with a mighty shout
When the big bass drum goes boom
Oh they danced on the ceiling
And they danced on the wall
At the Gandy Dancer's ball
Hey! Swing around, Swing around,
Swing around the Jimmy John
Swing around, Swing around
The Jimmy, Jimmy John
Swing around, Swing around
Swing around the Jimmy John
Swing the pretty girl round
The Jimmy, Jimmy John
The railroads bring `em to the great affair
The Gandy Dancer's ball
An' every line is represented there
The big ones and the small
There's the MKT and the old SP
And the Lee High Valley too
The C and J and the Santa Fe
The Southern and the Sioux
Oh they danced on the ceiling
And they danced on the wall
At the Gandy Dancer's ball
Hey! Swing around, Swing around,
Swing around the Jimmy John
Swing around, Swing around
The Jimmy, Jimmy John
Swing around, Swing around
Swing around the Jimmy John
Swing the pretty girl round
The Jimmy, Jimmy John
They danced all day
And they danced all night
They all danced till the broad daylight
At the Gandy Dancer's ball
(Swing around, swing around
Swing around, swing around
The Jimmy John)
Gandy Dancer's Ball? Love it, edgar.
Ready for Halloween, is he? Watch that scorpion's sting.
And yet, Sting's song is so gentle, folks
Have you seen but a bright lily grow Before rude hands have touched it?
Have you marked but the fall of snow
Before the soil hath smutched it?
Have you felt the wool of beaver,
Or swan's down ever?
Or have smelt o' the bud o' the brier,
Or the nard in the fire?
Or have tasted the bag of the bee?
O so white, O so soft, O so sweet is she!
Ordinary Miracle
Sarah McLachlan
It's not that unusual when everything is beautiful
It's just another ordinary miracle today
The sky knows when it's time to snow
Don't need to teach a seed to grow
It's just another ordinary miracle today
Life is like a gift they say, wrapped up for you everyday
Open up and find a way to give some of your own
Isn't it remarkable like every time a raindrop falls
It's just another ordinary miracle today
Birds and winter have their fling but always make it home by spring
It's just another ordinary miracle today
When you wake up every day please don't throw your dreams away
Hold them close to your heart cause we are all a part of the ordinary miracle
Ordinary miracle, do you wanna see a miracle?
Oooooooo
It seems so exceptional that things just work out after all
It's just another ordinary miracle today
The sun comes up and shines so bright and disappears again at night
It's just another ordinary miracle today
Oooooooo
It's just another ordinary miracle today
dj, I thought that you had deserted us. Welcome back! Lovely song by Sarah, honey. Just an ordinary miracle? Perhaps all miracles are. Thanks, for the lovely song.
Well, it's time for me to say goodnight, folks.
My goodnight song
Beatles
I'm Only Sleeping
When I wake up early in the morning
Lift my head, I'm still yawning
When I'm in the middle of a dream
Stay in bed, float up stream (float up stream)
Please, don't wake me, no, don't shake me
Leave me where I am - I'm only sleeping
Everybody seems to think I'm lazy
I don't mind, I think they're crazy
Running everywhere at such a speed
Till they find there's no need (there's no need)
Please, don't spoil my day, I'm miles away
And after all I'm only sleeping
Keeping an eye on the world going by my window
Taking my time
Lying there and staring at the ceiling
Waiting for a sleepy feeling...
Please, don't spoil my day, I'm miles away
And after all I'm only sleeping
Keeping an eye on the world going by my window
Taking my time
When I wake up early in the morning
Lift my head, I'm still yawning
When I'm in the middle of a dream
Stay in bed, float up stream (float up stream)
Please, don't wake me, no, don't shake me
Leave me where I am - I'm only sleeping
From Letty with love
Good early morning, WA2K.
Since I have a lot to do today, I am in our studio before the sun comes up.
Donovan
Yellow is the colour of my true love's hair,
In the morning, when we rise,
In the morning, when we rise.
That's the time, that's the time,
I love the best.
Green's the colour of the sparklin' corn,
In the morning, when we rise,
In the morning, when we rise.
That's the time, that's the time,
I love the best.
Blue's the colour of the sky-y,
In the morning, when we rise,
In the morning, when we rise.
That's the time, that's the time,
I love the best.
Mellow is the feeling that I get,
When I see her, m-hmm,
When I see her, oh yeah.
That's the time, that's the time,
I love the best.
Freedom is a word I rarely use,
Without thinking, oh yeah,
Without thinking, m-hmm.
Of the time, of the time,
When I've been loved.
Yellow is the colour of my true love's hair,
In the morning, when we rise,
In the morning, when we rise.
That's the time, that's the time,
I love the best.
Incidentally, Today is our Eva's birthday, so I am going to wish her well in another part of our vast audience.
Eva will be busy today, but I am certain she will peek in and see all the well wishers, folks.
http://www.able2know.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=104617
Buzz Buzz Buzz
Well buzz, buzz, buzz goes the bumble bee
Tweedle ee deedle ee dee goes the bird
But the sound of that little bird callin'
Is the sweetest sound I ever heard
I've seen the beauty of the red, red rose
Seen the beauty of the sky so blue
Seen the beauty of the evening sunset
And the morning dew
Sweet is the honey from the honeycomb
Sweet is the song of the bird
There's nothing as sweet as that bird callin'
It's the sweetest sound I ever heard
Well buzz, buzz, buzz goes the bumble bee
Tweedle ee deedle ee dee goes the bird
But the sound of that little bird callin'
Is the sweetest sound I ever heard
I've seen the beauty of the red, red rose
Seen the beauty of the sky so blue
Seen the beauty of the evening sunset
And the morning dew
Sweet is the honey from the honeycomb
Sweet is the song of the bird
There's nothing as sweet as that bird callin'
It's the sweetest sound I ever heard
Well buzz, buzz, buzz goes the bumble bee
Tweedle ee deedle ee dee goes the bird
But the sound of that little bird callin'
Is the sweetest sound I ever heard
I've seen the beauty of the red, red rose
Seen the beauty of the sky so blue
Seen the beauty of the evening sunset
And the morning dew
Sweet is the honey from the honeycomb
Sweet is the song of the bird
There's nothing as sweet as that bird callin'
It's the sweetest sound I ever heard
It's the sweetest sound I ever heard
Good morning, edgar. and here's an answer from Jimmie Rodgers.
He's still alive, folks.
Well it's a darn good life
And it's kinda funny
How the Lord made the bee
And the bee made the honey
And the honeybee lookin' for a home
And they called it honeycomb
And they roamed the world and they gathered all
Of the honeycomb into one sweet ball
And the honeycomb from a million trips
Made my baby's lips
Oh, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
Got a hank o' hair and a piece o' bone
And made a walkin' talkin' Honeycomb
Well, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
What a darn good life
When you got a wife like Honeycomb
(Honeycomb)
And the Lord said now that I made a bee
I'm gonna look all around for a green, green tree
And He made a little tree and I guess you heard
Oh, then well he made a little bird
And they waited all around until the end of Spring
Gettin' every note that the birdie'd sing
And they put 'em all into one sweet tome
For my Honeycomb
Oh, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
Got a hank o' hair and a piece o' bone
And made a walkin' talkin' Honeycomb
Well, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
What a darn good life
When you got a wife like Honeycomb
(Honeycomb)
And the Lord says now that I made a bird
I'm gonna look all round for a little ol' word
That sounds about sweet like "turtledove"
And I guess I'm gonna call it "love"
And He roamed the world lookin' everywhere
Gettin' love from here, love from there
And He put it all in a little ol' part
Of my baby's heart
Oh, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
Got a hank o' hair and a piece o' bone
And made a walkin' talkin' Honeycomb
Well, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
What a darn good life
When you got a wife like Honeycomb
(Honeycomb)
James Herriot
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Herriot OBE is the pen name of James Alfred Wight, also known as Alf Wight (3 October 1916 - 23 February 1995), a British veterinary surgeon and writer. Wight is best known for his semi-autobiographical stories, often referred to collectively as All Creatures Great and Small, a title used in some editions and in film and television adaptations.
Biography
James Herriot was born 3 October 1916 in Sunderland, United Kingdom, to James and Hannah Wight. Shortly after their wedding, the Wights moved from Blandford Street, Sunderland to Glasgow in Scotland, where James took work as a pianist at a local cinema, and Hannah was a singer. For Alf's birth, his mother returned to Sunderland, bringing him back to Glasgow when he was three weeks old. He attended Yoker Primary School and Hillhead High School.
In 1939, at the age of twenty-three, he qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Glasgow Veterinary College. In January 1940 he took a brief job at a veterinary practice in Sunderland, but moved in July to work in a rural practice based in the town of Thirsk, Yorkshire, close to the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, where he was to remain for the rest of his life. On 5 November 1941, he married Joan Catherine Anderson Danbury. The couple had two children, James Alexander (Jim), born 1943, who also became a vet and was a partner in the practice, and Rosemary (Rosie), born 1947, who became a medical doctor.
From 1940 until 1942, Herriot served in the Royal Air Force. His wife moved to her parents' house during this time, and upon being discharged from the RAF Wight joined her. They lived here until 1946, at which point they moved back to 23 Kirkgate, staying until 1953. Later, he moved with his wife to a house on Topcliffe Road, Thirsk, opposite the secondary school. The original practice is now a museum, "The World of James Herriot", while the Topcliffe Road house is now in private ownership and not open to the public. He later moved with his family to the village of Thirlby, about 4 miles from Thirsk, where he lived until his death.
He intended for years to write a book, but with most of his time consumed by veterinary practice and family, his writing ambition went nowhere. Challenged by his wife, in 1966 (at the age of 50), he began writing. After several rejected stories on other subjects like football, he turned to what he knew best. If Only They Could Talk was published in the United Kingdom in 1969, but sales were slow until Thomas McCormack, of St. Martin's Press in New York City, received a copy and arranged to have the first two books published as a single volume in the United States. The resulting book, titled All Creatures Great and Small, was an overnight success, spawning six sequels (published as four outside the UK), movies, and a successful television adaptation. Herriot was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1992, and underwent treatment in the Lambert Memorial Hospital in Thirsk. He died 23 February 1995, aged 78, at home in Thirlby[1].
Author
In 1969 Wight wrote If Only They Could Talk, the first of the now-famous series based on his life working as a vet and his training in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. In his books, he calls the town where he lives Darrowby, which he based largely on the towns of Thirsk and Sowerby.
The books, which told of the many comic and illustrative incidents which happened to him and the people around him, were enormously popular, and by the time of his death he was one of the foremost best-selling authors in both United Kingdom and the United States. Despite his authorial success, he continued practising until a few years before his death with his colleague Donald Sinclair. Owing in part to the British law forbidding veterinary surgeons from advertising, he took a pen name, choosing "James Herriot" after seeing the Scottish goalkeeper Jim Herriot play exceptionally well for Birmingham City F.C. in a televised game against Manchester United. He also renamed Donald and his brother Brian Sinclair as Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, respectively.
As literature, Wight's books don't fit the modern definition of a novel, in that each book doesn't constitute a single narrative. Rather, they are best seen as collections of short stories, following the chronology of Herriot's life. In this way, they are much like the compendium books of Sherlock Holmes stories, where each story stands as a narrative in its own right, but taken together, the collection of stories also becomes greater than the sum of its parts. This style lends itself well to the various collections and adaptations, as selected stories can be enjoyed.
Since the stories are told from the first-person perspective of James Herriot, his character is central to all of the episodes (although this was occasionally changed in the television adaptations, with some stories ending up with Siegfried or Tristan as the primary player). The first story details his arrival in Darrowby in the late 1930s, applying for employment with Siegfried Farnon. The tales continue with his developing experience as a vet, his blossoming romance with local farmgirl Helen Alderson, their marriage, his conscription into the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, and the birth and growth of their children (accurately named Jimmy and Rosie).
Wight's storytelling style is clear and simple, and he shows himself to be an astute observer of details, particularly the personality quirks of people, as they sceptically question his treatment recommendations and rely instead on folk medicine and superstition. He takes a very matter-of-fact, clinical approach to veterinary medicine, but explains procedures in a way that is accessible to the layman. The stories vary in tone from heartwarming, to humorous, to tender and sad (but optimistic), to inspiring and romantic.
It is important to remember that Wight's stories are only partially autobiographical, and those elements that are directly taken from Wight's life are often presented in a manner that bears little relation to the genuine chronology of events. For example, the books suggest that Wight joined the practice in the late 1930s and had been working with Sinclair for at least a year before Sinclair (and subsequently Wight himself) departed to serve in World War 2; in reality, the war was already underway when Wight was employed in July 1940 (with a specific brief to run the practice in Sinclair's absence), just weeks before Sinclair left to join the RAF. Wight himself was conscripted in 1942.
Other typical examples of Wight's dramatic licence include the implication that Thirsk represented his first professional employment after leaving veterinary college (he was actually employed as a vet for six months in Sunderland following his graduation), and that he was given a partnership as a wedding present; in reality, Wight married in 1941 but did not become a full partner in the veterinary practice until 1949.
From a historical standpoint, the stories help document a transitional period in the veterinary industry: agriculture was moving from the traditional use of beasts of burden (in England, primarily the draught horse) to reliance upon the mechanical tractor, and medical science was just on the cusp of discovering the antibiotics and other treatments that eliminated many of the ancient remedies still in use. These and other sociological factors prompted a largescale shift in veterinary practice over the course of the 20th century: at the start of the century, virtually all of a vet's time was spent working with farm animals; by the turn of the millennium, the majority of vets practice mostly or exclusively on small animals (dogs, cats, and other pets). In the stories, Wight (as Herriot) occasionally steps out of the narrative at hand, to comment with the benefit of hindsight on the primitive state of vet medicine at the time. Among the episodes included in the books are memories of his first hysterectomy on a cat, and his first (almost disastrous) abdominal surgery on a cow.
The Herriot books are often described as "animal stories" (Wight himself was known to refer to them as his "little cat-and-dog stories"[2]), and given that they are about the life of a country veterinarian, animals certainly play a significant role in most of the stories. However, there are a few of the stories in which animals play little or no part (particularly those about his courtship of Helen), and the overall theme of the stories is actually Yorkshire country life as a whole, with the people and animals being two of the primary elements that give it its distinct character.
The books were adapted into two films and a long-running BBC television programme, all called All Creatures Great and Small.
Chubby Checker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Background information
Birth name Ernest Evans
Born October 3, 1941 (1941-10-03) (age 66)
Spring Gulley, South Carolina
Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genre(s) Rock and roll
Occupation(s) Singer
Instrument(s) Vocals
Years active 1959 - Present
Label(s) Parkway, MCA
Website ChubbyChecker.com
Chubby Checker is the stage name of Ernest Evans (born October 3, 1941), an American Rock and Roll singer best known for popularizing the dance The Twist with his 1960 song "The Twist".
He was born in Spring Gulley, South Carolina,[1] and raised in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended South Philadelphia High School with Frankie Avalon and Fabian. The wife of American Bandstand's host Dick Clark suggested the name "Chubby Checker" to Evans as a take-off on then-popular singer Fats Domino. In 1964, he married the Nederlander Catharina Lodders, who was Miss Universe in 1962.
Fame
"The Twist" (which had previously been a minor rhythm and blues hit for its author, Hank Ballard) was so popular that his private often did not allow him to sing any other style of music. He did popularize many dance songs. Checker later lamented:
...in a way, "The Twist" really ruined my life. I was on my way to becoming a big nightclub performer, and "The Twist" just wiped it out. It got so out of proportion. No one ever believes I have talent.
He is the only recording artist to have five albums in the Top 12 all at once. He is hailed by many to have changed the way we dance to the beat of music since 1959. [citation needed]
Checker had a number of hits with dance-themed records into the mid-1960s, but changes in public taste ended his hitmaking career in 1965. He spent much of the rest of the 1960s touring and recording in Europe. The 1970s saw him become a staple on the oldies circuit and having a minor comeback as a disco artist.
Later years
His material during his 1960s heyday was recorded for Cameo-Parkway Records and became unavailable after the early 1970s. His later sixties material included a dancefloor classic cover version of The Beatles "Back in the USSR", released on Buddah Records. None of it was available on compact disc until 2005. (Almost all CD compilations of Checker's hits consist of re-recordings.)
Despite his negative view towards his biggest hit single, in the 1980s it granted him a new lease of fame when he recorded a new version of "The Twist" (released in 1987) with rap trio The Fat Boys. The lyrics to this new version implied he was pleased of his association with it. Checker also sang it in a commercial for Oreo cookies in the early-1990s. He then opened his own restaurant, which he continues to run, as well as singing on a regular basis.
Hit songs
Chubby Checker"The Class"
"Jingle Bell Rock" (with Bobby Rydell)
"The Twist" (#1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 19 in 1960, topping the chart for one week and returning to the top position on January 13, 1962, for two weeks).
"Slow Twistin'" (with Dee Dee Sharp)
"Pony Time" (written by Don Covay; was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 27, 1961, topping the chart for three weeks)
"Let's Twist Again"
"Limbo Rock"
"Dancin' Party"
"The Twist," "Pony Time," "Slow Twistin'," "Let's Twist Again" and "Limbo Rock" each sold more than 1 million copies around the world. "The Twist" was re-released in 1961, once again selling over a million.
Trivia
His daughter, Mistie Williams (née Bass), is a professional basketball player for the Houston Comets in the Women's National Basketball Association.
Chubby met his future wife Catharina during the German Oktoberfest of 1964. He was there to perform his hit songs and she made her appearance as the reigning Miss World. A few months later he flew to Amsterdam to ask Catharina's parents for their daughter's hand.
Dictionary Updates by Oxford
**Divorce: Future tense of marriage.
**Cigarette: A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end
& a fool on the other.
**Lecture: An art of transferring information from the notes of the
lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through "the
minds of either"
**Conference: The confusion of one man multiplied by the number
present.
**Compromise: The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody
believes he got the biggest piece.
**Tears: The hydraulic force by which masculine will-power is
defeated by feminine water power
**Conference Room: A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and
everybody disagrees later on.
**Classic: books that people praise, but do not read.
**Smile: A curve that can set a lot of things straight.
**Office: A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.
**Yawn: The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.
**Etc.: A sign to make others believe that you know more than you
actually do.
**Committee : Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to
decide that nothing can be done together.
**Experience: The name men give to their mistakes.
**Atom Bomb: An invention to end all inventions.
**Diplomat: A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way that
you actually look forward to the trip.
**Opportunist: A person who starts taking a bath if he accidentally
falls into a river.
**Optimist: A person who while falling from Eiffel tower says in
midway "See, I am not injured yet."
**Miser: A person who lives poor so that he can die rich.
**Father: A banker provided by nature.
**Criminal: A guy no different from the rest....except that he got
caught.
**Boss: Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are
early.
**Doctor: A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you with
his bills.
Thanks, Bob. Love your Oxford definitions.
Hope our Raggedy can make it today.
Here's one by Chubby, folks
Every limbo boy and girl
All around the limbo world
Gonna do the limbo rock
All around the limbo clock
Jack be limbo, Jack be quick
Jack go unda limbo stick
All around the limbo clock
Hey, let's do the limbo rock
Limbo lower now
Limbo lower now
How low can you go
First you spread your limbo feet
Then you move to limbo beat
Limbo ankolimboneee,
Bend back like a limbo tree
Jack be limbo, Jack be quick
Jack go unda limbo stick
All around the limbo clock
Hey, let's do the limbo rock
la la la etc (instead of instrumental break)
Get yourself a limbo girl
Give that chic a limbo whirl
There's a limbo moon above
You will fall in limbo love
Jack be limbo, Jack be quick
Jack go unda limbo stick
All around the limbo clock
Hey, let's do the limbo rock
Don't move that limbo bar
You'll be a limbo star
How low can you go
played this over on eva's b'day thread
thought i'd share it here
Venus Kissed The Moon
Christine Lavin
Venus kissed the Moon tonight
We watched her in the Sky
She's been - flirtin' with him for centuries
Too bad he's so shy
He's waxing
He's waining
You don't see Venus complaining
She'll steal a kiss whenever she can
Not 'till 2031
Will this happen again.
I kissed you in the taxicab
And touched your handsome face
I said, I feel like a satellite
Away too long in space.
You roll down the window
To gain a clearer view.
Now you're
Gazing at the Heavens
I'm gazing at you.
2031 you say
That's an eternity
So far away
Not to me
Time and Distance
Make no difference
in this celestial love affair
Oh you laugh and you hold me tight
Your eyes are shining bright
Like the luminescent street lights
Like those lovers way up there.
Venus kissed the Moon tonight
It's okay - This is a leap year.
Then she kept right on travelling
Centriphical force, my dear.
He'll keep waxing,
And waining,
You won't see Venus complaining
She'll steal a kiss whenever she can
This will happen again
This will happen again.
Why, my goodness, dj. You wouldn't have missed Eva's birthday had you followed our announcements on WA2K. <smile>
Our Raggedy simply cannot get in to our studio, folks, so.....
And from Tori's "To Venus and Back"
I took a taxi from LA to Venus in 1985.
I was electro-magnetically sucked back into a party going on that night.
It was the glories of the 80's, with karma drawn up in lines,
And two Bugle Boy models saying, "Baby, it's a freebee you sure look deprived."
I had the story of 'O' in my bucket seat in my wannabe Mustang,
Auditioning for reptiles in their Raquel Welsh campaign.
It was the glories of the 80's, you said, "I'm not afraid to die."
I said, "I don't find that remotely funny even on this space cake high."
And then, when it all seemed clear, just then you go and-
Disappear... (disappear...) disappear...
Silicone party babries to the left and Joan of Arcs to the right.
No one feeling insecure we were all gorge and famous in our last lives.
In the glories of the 80's, you said, "The end is nothing to fear."
I said, "Blow the end, now baby, who do I gotta shag to get outta here."
And then, when it all seemed clear, just then you go and-
Disappear... (disappear)... disappear... (disappear)...
Sure you're out there orbiting around.
Sure you're out there orbiting around. Wish I had you back now.
Sure you're out there orbiting around.
Sure you're out there orbiting around. Wish I had you back now.
