David L. Lander teamed up with his college pal Michael McKean to form the irreverent comedy troupe The Credibility Gap. The ensemble also included LA radio personality Richard Beebe and comedian Harry Shearer. David and Harry Shearer performed an updated twist on the classic Abbott & Costello “Who’s on First?” bit substituting rock band names …
James Harris was born into hard times in 1950s Mississippi. His father was shot to death during a back alley craps game. Young James became a sharecropper to help support his family. Soon, he turned to petty burglary. Local police told him to leave town before big trouble came his way. James understood that when …
In 1978, Brent Mydland joined Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir on a side project called Bobby and the Midnites. Brent offered the band backing vocals along with his keyboard playing. Just a year later, Brent was invited to join the Grateful Dead as the replacement for the departing Keith Godchaux. Brent was a welcome shot-in-the-arm …
The original Earth, Wind and Fire horn section formed out of the members of a ’70s jazz ensemble called The Pharaohs. After teaming up with the legendary R & B group, they adopted the name The Phenix Horns. Don Myrick was a founding member and maintained saxophone duties for the band, playing alto, tenor and …
Army brat Kathleen Hetzekian moved around a lot – from her birthplace of Santa Monica to Oklahoma to Texas. At 19, she headed to New York City, where she bleached her hair blond and began calling herself “Cyrinda Foxe.” In her early teens, she developed a love for rock and roll. She listened to — …
As my wife and I progress into the later stage of our lives, we have begun purging the many items on display in our home. The first thing to go was our massive, thirty-plus year collection of Disney memorabilia. That itself was a huge undertaking. We were kept busy for over a year, listing each …
“I can remember in early elementary school when the Russians launched the first satellite. There was still so much unknown about space. People thought Mars was probably populated.” — Christa McAuliffe On July 19, 1985, then Vice President George H. W. Bush announced that 36 year-old Christa McAuliffe had been selected for NASA’s “Teacher in …
After graduating from the Pratt Institute with a degree in art, Allen Funt began working at a New York advertising agency. Soon, he was switched to their radio advertising department. He found himself writing episodes of the popular radio show Truth or Consequences as well as helping Eleanor Roosevelt with her regular radio addresses. He …
In 1971, President Richard Nixon appointed Earl Butz to his cabinet as Secretary of Agriculture. Earl was a vocal supporter of farmers and was instrumental in changing agricultural policy implemented by Franklin Roosevelt‘s “New Deal.” His first order of business was to abolish the program that paid farmers not to plant crops. His motto to …
