In 1966, Bob Kuban and The In-Men had a Billboard Top 40 hit with “The Cheater,” a catchy pop tune that gave a word of warning to potential adulterers. The In-Men, an eight-piece band with a horn section, were a throwback for the time. Competition from guitar-driven bands of the British Invasion was tough to …
“We are all worms, but I do believe that I am a glow worm.” — Winston Churchill When Sir Winston Churchill passed away in 1965, his funeral was the largest state funeral in world history, with representatives from 112 nations. Only China did not send an emissary.
Vocalist Earl Carroll and some of his Harlem friends formed The Carnations in 1953. Two members left after the group’s first recording. They were replaced and the new group renamed themselves The Cadillacs for its association with automotive elegance and to separate the group from multitude of “bird” and “flower”-named competing bands. With Earl still handling the lead …
Just out of her teens, Ellen Stowe left her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas and headed to Los Angeles — her eyes set on becoming a professional dancer. She began dancing is different strip clubs until a scout from Playboy spotted her. He offered the petite blond a chance at some test shots for the …
All-Star first baseman Dick Stuart hit 228 home runs in his 12-year career. Although he never was a league leader for homers, he finished in the top ten for five years. His career batting average was .264. Dick was in the on-deck circle when teammate Bill Mazeroski hit the ninth inning home run to win …
Jean Spangler danced in Beryl Wallace‘s shadow at Earl Carroll’s nightclub on Sunset Boulevard. She had dreams and aspirations, though. She had a few uncredited roles in some big Hollywood pictures – Miracles of the Bells, When My Baby Smiles at Me, Young Man with a Horn. She had just completed a small part in The …
The new Illustration Friday challenge word is “explore”. Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa discovers the Pacific Ocean. * * * * * * * * It’s that time of year again. Time for your ol’ pal JPiC to give the gift of music. My annual Christmas music compilation is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD for a limited time. …
I don’t know how to break this to you, but professional wrestling is fake. That said, William “Haystack” Calhoun was as close to the real thing as you could get. Haystack Calhoun was born in McKinney, Texas and by the time the hulking youth reached his 20s, he tipped the scales at 450 pounds and …
Stanisława Walasiewicz was born in Poland in 1911 and emigrated to the United States with her family when she was three months old. After settling in Cleveland, her parents, “Americanized” the family name to Walsh and began calling their daughter Stella. At 16, Stella began competing in running events and soon qualified for the Olympics. …
As soon as Fred Moore joined the Disney Studios, he began to build his legacy. The self-taught artist worked as an animator of several cartoons, including Three Little Pigs and its sort-of sequel Three Little Wolves. In 1937, he was the supervising animator on Walt Disney visionary classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was …
