Larry and Roger Troutman had no idea how influential their band would be. They just wanted to play the funk. Roger made a deal with his childhood friend, bassist Bootsy Collins. They vowed that whoever became more famous would help the other achieve the same level of fame. In 1978, Roger founded Zapp with his …
In 1964, Barbara Colby gave a well-received performance in Six Characters in Search of an Author. This led to Broadway, where she made her debut the following year in The Devils with co-stars Anne Bancroft, Jason Robards, James Coco and Albert Dekker. She garnered positive reviews for her roles in numerous plays throughout the remainder …
Bobby Buntrock got his first taste of acting on an episode of Wagon Train at the age of seven. He landed the part of little Harold Baxter on the sitcom Hazel with Oscar winner Shirley Booth as the problem-solving maid for George and Dorothy Baxter as played by Don DeFore and Whitney Blake (Meredith Baxter’s mother). …
Dick Shawn was a difficult performer to peg. He was an film actor, a stand-up comic, a singer, a voice actor and a stage actor. And he did them all well. But he never achieved the fame for his performances that he really deserved. He actually became more famous for the circumstances surrounding his death. Born Richard …
Eighteen year-old Leo Gorcey had just lost his job as a plumber’s apprentice. His father and younger brother, both successful vaudeville performers, persuaded Leo to try out for a part in the play Dead End. The Gorceys each got small roles as members of a street gang. When featured actor Charles Duncan left the production, Leo …
Pete Ham formed his first band at the age of 14. The band evolved over the next few years, experiencing personnel changes until they gained local notoriety as The Iveys in 1965. The Iveys caught the attention of Mal Evans, personal assistant to the Beatles, and they were soon signed to Apple Records. Changing their …
Jean Seberg made her motion picture debut at age 19 in Otto Preminger’s unusual interpretation of George Bernard Shaw’s play Saint Joan, about Joan of Arc. Preminger’s daring casting of the unknown Jean received a huge build-up in the press, but Jean’s performance was panned by critics. Jean noted “I have two memories of St. …
Stanley Adams was a television staple for three decades, appearing in numerous roles in countless series. He was cast in parts as diverse as policemen and bartenders to con men and aliens. Among his more than a hundred guest spots, he played Otis the drunk’s equally-soused brother in an episode of The Andy Griffith Show, a time …
No one played the tramp like Gloria Grahame. After her 1944 film debut as trampy Sally Murfin in Blonde Fever, Gloria shot to stardom as trampy Violet in the Frank Capra holiday favorite It’s A Wonderful Life. She went on portray sluts, bad girls and tramps in a career that spanned five decades. With her pouty …
At 6′ 11″, Mel Turpin dominated the court as starter for the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team in the 1984 NCAA Final Four. He was the Southeastern Conference scoring leader and still holds the record for most field goals in SEC tournament play. At center, he was an aggressive player, scoring 42 points in …
