American Folk Legend Doc Watson Dies

by Mary Morningstar

American folk and roots music performer Doc Watson died on May 29 of complications from abdominal surgery.

For more than five decades, Watson entertained audiences around the world with an eclectic repertoire that included elements of folk, blues, Country, bluegrass, rockabilly, and even jazz.  A master of the contemporary flat-pick guitar style, the eight-time Grammy Award winner influenced generations of musicians in rock, country and folk. 

Born Arthel Lane Watson in Deep Gap, North Carolina, his first love was the traditional music of the Blue Ridge Mountain region.  In his early childhood, he contracted an illness which caused permanent blindness, a handicap that directed his interests toward music.  Watson was also inspired by his father, a multi-instrumentalist, who bought his first harmonica and taught him to play the banjo.  He got his first lessons on the guitar while attending the School For The Blind in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Watson loved to tell the story of how that experience earned him his own guitar.

"My father was sitting at the breakfast table drinking his last cup of coffee before he went to work and I was fooling with a borrowed guitar that one of my brothers had there," Watson recalled. "And he said, 'Son, if you learn a song on that by the time I get back this evening from work, we'll buy you one on Saturday.'  Well, what he didn't know was a friend of mine at the school I was going to over in Raleigh had taught me a few chords and I could pick and sing that thing when he got back.  And he said, 'I guess I'll have to keep my word.'"

At age 17, Doc Watson made his performing debut at a fiddler's convention in Boone, North Carolina.  That led to appearances at other local functions and on various radio programs.  Doc's concerts were often called "short courses in the history of American music."  His popularity grew in the early 1960's, and in 1964, reached a national level following a performance at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.  That same year, he was signed to Vanguard Records.  He once said his ultimate goal was to be a recording artist.

"I always wanted to be professional enough to do some records," he explained. " I never thought about having any sort of countrywide or worldwide recognition in the music world. My dad put me to work when I was 13 instead of letting me sit in the corner on the other end of the saw and that started me.  And my sweet little wife Rosalee took my hand and helped me with enough courage to get out and make a living."

In 1965, Doc Watson added his 15-year-old son Merle to his act.  For the next two decades, Merle's slide and acoustic guitar accompaniment were featured on several albums and at nearly all of his live shows.  At age 36, Merle died in a farming accident, a tragedy that led to Doc's semi-retirement in the late-1980's.  In 1988, Watson honored his son’s memory by founding the annual roots music festival MerleFest.

Although he chose to spend less time on the road, Doc continued to record in the 1990's.  The bond he felt with his audience transcended into the recording studio.

"You think about 'Well, if I do this well, a lot of people of going to buy this record and they're going to listen to it.'  You've got an audience there though you don't see them and you can't reach out and shake hands with them.  They're there in the future as you will.  You know if you do the record well, once people begin to hear it, they'll buy it and that's your audience," he said.

In 1995, Doc returned to his musical roots with the album, Docabilly.  Some of the artists he influenced, including Marty Stuart, Duane Eddy and guit-steel player Junior Brown, were featured on the critically-acclaimed collection of 1950's rockabilly tunes.  Two of Doc’s albums crossed over to the Billboard 200 chart, including his 2003 Grammy-nominated release, The Three Pickers.  The album also featured Earl Scruggs and Ricky Skaggs.

Doc Watson was awarded the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton in 1997.  In 2004, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Photo by boonejag75: Doc Watson at Sugar Grove Music Festival in 2009.

TV Remote Control Inventor Dies

The inventor whose device enabled people to watch television without ever having to get up to change the channel has died.

Eugene Polley, who developed the first wireless television remote control, was 96 years old when he died Sunday in Chicago.

Polley was an engineer with Zenith Electronics in 1955 when he built a hand-held box that pointed a beam of light at the television set. The box let viewers change channels and turn the set on and off, alleviating the need to get up to walk to the TV.

Over the years, the remote control has gone from a novel luxury to what many people consider a necessity.

During his 47-year career as an engineer, Polley earned 18 U.S. patents. His other innovations include push-button car radios and the video disc — the forerunner of today's DVDs.

Photo courtesy of Jim Rees.

Disco Era Icon Robin Gibb Dies of Cancer at 62

British singer Robin Gibb, an iconic voice of the disco era of the 1970s, died Sunday in London after a long fight against cancer. He was 62 years old.

Gibb and his brothers Barry and Maurice formed their band, appropriately named the Bee Gees, for the Brothers Gibb, in the late 1950s.

The band was a success. But the brothers did not become global superstars until disco was born in the mid 1970s, becoming the defining sound of the era.

The Bee Gees sold hundreds of millions of records including the smash hits How Deep Is Your Love, Stayin' Alive, and Night Fever.

The band survived the decline of disco's popularity and broke up when Maurice Gibb died in 2003.

Robin Gibb kept performing until earlier this year. He had been battling liver and colon cancer.

Photo courtesy of AVRO. Robin Gibb (of the Bee Gees) in AVRO's TopPop (Dutch television show), 12 January 1973.

Last Dance for Queen of Disco; Donna Summer Succumbs to Cancer

by Jeff Seldin

She was known as the Queen of Disco and, for many, her iconic songs came to represent the best of the 1970s Disco era.  Donna Summer died Thursday after a quiet battle with cancer.

Donna Summer was "Hot Stuff" for multiple generations of music fans - her hit songs resonating with music lovers long after they topped the music charts.

But as hot as she was, she said for a long time she was never really comfortable with her celebrity.

"Whenever success comes it is a stranger," said Donna Summer. "When it knocks, it is something you hope for, but the form it takes on when it comes, and sometimes the moment it comes in, is so odd and so obscure."

Born Donna Gaines on 31 December 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts to a religious family, the five-time Grammy Award winner got her start singing in her church choir.

By the time she reached high school, she was starring in school productions and just weeks before her graduation, she was cast in a production of the musical "Hair" - a role that took her to Germany.

She stayed in Germany - and in 1974, she recorded her first solo album, "Lady of the Night."  The album was a hit in Europe, but failed to crack the charts in the U.S.

Her luck changed the following year, when a recording she did of the song "Love to Love You Baby," caught the ears of record company executives and started rising on U.S charts.

Summer returned to America and continued to gain fans, in 1979 becoming the first female singer to score three number-one songs in a single year.

Summer kept recording even as the popularity of Disco began to fade, scoring another big hit in 1983 with "She Works Hard for the Money."

And while she no longer ruled the pop music charts, Summer kept singing and performing to the delight of fans.

Summer died early Thursday in Florida, where she had been living with her husband, singer and songwriter Bruce Sudano.

A statement from her family says they "are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy.''

Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco, dead at the age of 63.

Photo by Harry Wad: Donna Summer at The Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2009.

Godfather of Go-Go Music Dies

by Doug Levine

The so-called “Godfather of Go-Go” Chuck Brown died Wednesday (16 May) after suffering from pneumonia at a hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.  He was 75.   Brown was a music legend among fans in the nation’s capital.

Singer and guitarist Chuck Brown, along with his band The Soul Searchers, pioneered Washington’s Go-Go movement in the 1970s.  They turned it into a citywide phenomenon by blending funk with R&B, Latin, soul and dance hall music.  The band’s driving percussion beats were synchronized with Brown’s commanding vocals, while the horn-section provided tight, jazzy solos.

Chuck Brown, who moved to Washington from his native North Carolina, once said he was influenced by the sounds and fast beats he heard on the streets, as well as jazz and gospel.  Brown defined Go-Go as “a music that continues on and on, a call and response communication with the audience.”

Brown launched his career playing guitar with Jerry Butler and the Earls of Rhythm.  He was a member of the band Los Latinos before forming his own group The Soul Searchers in 1966.  After gaining a steady local following, they released their debut album, “We The People” in 1972.  Audiences continued to grow after the release of their hit single, “Bustin’ Loose.”

“Bustin’ Loose” became the first and only Top 40 hit for Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers, although it did reach Number One on the R&B chart.  Over the next three decades, the group recorded more than a dozen albums, culminating with their first Grammy nomination for the song “Love” from “We Got This.”  The honor took Brown by surprise.  He said, “After some 40 years in the business, running around and singing in different parts of the world, I never thought it would be like this.”

News of Brown’s death spread quickly throughout Washington, DC and beyond.  Washington Mayor Vincent Gray called Go-Go music “DC’s very own unique contribution to the world of pop music.”  He said the city would have been a different place without Chuck Brown.

“The Godfather of Go-Go” Chuck Brown died 16 May at age 75.

Photo: Go go musician Chuck Brown performing at the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, National Mall, Washington, D.C. on 1 October 2005. Photo taken by Gyrofrog.

Queen of Disco Loses Battle with Cancer

Music legend Donna Summer, known by many as the Queen of Disco, has died.

The five-time Grammy Award winner died Thursday at the age of 63 in Florida. Those close to her say she had been battling lung cancer for some time but had tried to keep her illness private.

Summer rose to stardom in the 1970s with hits like “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls,” and “Last Dance,” which helped define the disco era.

She was born Donna Gaines 31 December 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts to a religious family and much of her early training came from singing in a church choir.

She moved to Europe in the late 1960s, where she was cast in a German production of the musical “Hair,” and even learned to speak fluent German.

Summer returned to the United States and enjoyed popular success, culminating in 1979 with the “Bad Girls” album.

She continued to have hits in the 1980s, including 1983's “She Works hard for the Money.”

Summer married singer and songwriter Bruce Sudano in 1980. The couple had two children.

President Barack Obama says he and first lady Michelle Obama are saddened at Summer's passing, calling her a legend with an unforgettable voice.

Chuck Brown, 'The Godfather of Go-Go,' Dies at 75

Chuck Brown, the musician known as “The Godfather of Go-Go,” has died at 75 after a bout with pneumonia.

After several minor hit records, Brown created his own sound in the 1970s — a combination of funk, soul, and Latin music he called Go-Go, because he said the music goes and goes all night. The hit, “Bustin' Loose,” with his group, The Soul Searchers, helped define Go-Go's sound.

Go-Go became a signature sound of the African-American community of Washington, D.C. The affable, gravelly-voiced Brown was a familiar presence in the city's nightclubs and on the streets of black neighborhoods.

Photo by Eduardo Rodriguez, NEA. 2005.

Estranged Wife of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Found Dead

The estranged wife of lawyer and environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has been found dead.

An attorney says police discovered the body of 52-year-old Mary Kennedy in her home in Bedford, north of New York City. Police have released no other details.

Mary Kennedy was Kennedy's second wife. The two filed for divorce in 2010 after 16 years of marriage.

Robert Kennedy is an author of several books and one of the United States' top environmental lawyers.

He is the son of Senator Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated in June 1968 while seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, and the nephew of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in November 1963.

Hairstyling Pioneer Vidal Sassoon Dies at 84

Pioneering celebrity hairstylist Vidal Sassoon has died at the age of 84.

A police spokesman says the stylist died Wednesday at his Los Angeles home. Sassoon reportedly had been suffering from leukemia and police have determined he died of natural causes.

Sassoon was born in London, where he opened his first salon in 1954. In the early days of his career, many women fashioned their hair into styles such as the beehive. But Sassoon, who was referred to some as the “founder of hairdressing,” later earned international fame and fortune with groundbreaking, wash-and-wear styles such as the “bob.”

His clients included U.S. actress Mia Farrow and British fashion designer Mary Quant.

The stylist also opened salons in the United States and launched a successful hair care product line bearing his name. His advertising slogan was, “If you don't look good, we don't look good.”

Sassoon was married four times. He wed his last wife, Ronnie, seven years ago.

Famous Children's Author Leaves Legacy of Wild Things

by Penelope Poulou

Maurice Sendak, one of the most important American children’s book authors of the 20th century, has died at the age of 83 of complications from a recent stroke.

In “Where the Wild Things Are,” Max is a hyperactive boy with an imaginary world inhabited by wild monsters.

Maurice Sendak created this wild children's book, which became a movie in 2009. "Where the Wild Things Are" is his most famous creation.

At a New York exhibit of his illustrations,curator Nick Leone had this to say about Sendak's work. "Maurice Sendak, I think, to the world has made such a huge impression with his illustrations and his technique and his story because there's alwasy a story within the story. So once you read one of his stories and you understand beyond being a child, as an adult looking back, you can understand what the story is all about," he said.

In "The Wild Things," Max misbehaves. He escapes into a world where he leads a wild rumpus. 

For more than 50 years, Sendak  wrote and illustrated books focusing on kids’ fears, insecurities, and complexes.  “Where the Wild Things Are,” first published in 1963, changed the image of kids in literature as well-scrubbed  and well behaved.

Throughout his life, Sendak refused to be regarded as a children’s writer. He said he wrote about the human condition.

And he refused to give in to popular trends like ebooks.

Earlier this year, in one of his last TV interviews, he told Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert he was not fond of ebooks. "I hate those ebooks.  They cannot be the future.  They may well be. I will be dead," he said.

Sendak’s art went beyond books. In the second half of his career, he designed theatrical sets.

One of his happiest moments was when “Where the Wild Things Are” came out as a movie. “It feels very strange," he said. "This whole procedure is very strange.  I don't believe this is happening.  It's a dream, right?"

Maurice Sendak will always be remembered for Max and his monsters.  

He showed how the inner world of even the most frail is inhabited by wild things.

Adam Yauch of The Beastie Boys Dies at 47

Adam Yauch, a founding member of the pioneering Beastie Boys hip hop group, died Friday at the age of 47 of cancer.

Yauch, who also was known as MCA, helped start the group in 1979 when it was a hardcore punk bank. But as its music evolved, the Beastie Boys produced some of hip-hop's celebrated albums, including Licensed to Ill, Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head and Ill Communication. Yauch was a vocalist and bass player.

The group has not performed live since 2009, but was inducted last month into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Beastie Boys said Yauch died from a cancerous tumor in his saliva gland that was first discovered in 2009.

Photo: Adam Yauch a.k.a. MCA, Beastie Boys at Brixton Academy, 5 September 2007. Photo by Fabio Venni from London, UK.