Sir George Martin, ‘Fifth Beatle,’ Dies at 90

Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr has announced the death of the so-called "fifth Beatle," producer Sir George Martin, at age 90.

Starr posted the news on Twitter Wednesday, with a photograph of Martin with the Beatles captioned "Thank you for all your love and kindness George."

Universal Music Group has confirmed the death, but details have not been released.

British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted a tribute early Wednesday, calling Martin "a giant of music."

Martin, a classically trained musician, signed the four young Beatles to a music contract in 1962. He was considered essential to their success, helping them arrange, and produce many of their biggest hits, starting with one of their first: 1962's "Love Me Do."

​​In some cases, Martin's classical music training filled in gaps for band members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Starr, who entered the industry with only a basic knowledge of reading and writing music. Martin is credited with scoring now-iconic trumpet solos, string quartet interludes, and piano breaks in some of the Beatles' most memorable songs.

After the breakup of the Beatles in 1970, Martin went on to work with other artists such as Elton John, Bob Dylan, and Sting. He was knighted by the British monarchy in 1996.

Martin continued working on Beatles-related projects, recording two solo albums for Paul McCartney and, in 2006, developing a Beatles-based Cirque de Soleil show called "Love" that has won two Grammy awards for its soundtrack.

Guinness World Records has named Martin as the most successful music producer ever, with more than 50 number-one hit records in Britain and the United States alone, over a career that lasted six decades.

George Duke, Jack Clement, Marilyn King

In Memoriam

Last week, three music legends died.

67-year-old jazz keyboardist George Duke lost his battle with lymphocytic leukemia on August 5.  Last month, Duke released his final album DreamWeaver, which he recorded as a tribute to his wife who died one year ago.  The album reached Number One on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart.

On August 8, 82-year-old “Cowboy” Jack Clement died at his Nashville home of liver cancer.  During his long career, Clement produced records for such artists as Johnny Cash, Eddy Arnold, Roy Orbison, Charley Pride, Louis Armstrong, U2, and many others.  Earlier this year, it was announced that Clement is among the latest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  The official induction for Clement, Kenny Rogers and Bobby Bare takes place on October 27. 

And, Marilyn King, the last surviving member of the King Sisters, died on August 7.  The King Sisters are credited with influencing generations of jazz vocal groups. They recorded some 150 records from the 1940s through the 1960s.

Music Fans Mourn Country Legend George Jones

by Mary Morningstar

Music fans are mourning the loss of a true Country legend. George Jones, 81, died Friday at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

In 1955, Jones recorded “Why Baby Why,” his first hit for Starday Records.  Born in Saratoga, Texas, he began performing in local clubs at age 10.  In the late 1940s, he worked as a disc jockey at various radio stations in his home state, before entering the U.S. Marine Corps in 1950.  Three years later, Jones completed his military service and returned to the Texas nightclub circuit.  He was discovered by Starday’s founder, “Pappy” Dailey, who convinced Jones to record for his label.

Jones says his first studio session proved a great learning experience.

“The first time I went in to do my first recording session, for about two hours I sang like Roy Acuff, Lefty Frizzell and Hank Williams," he said. "Finally, the producer came in the studio -- after he figured I’d had enough fun -- and he wanted to know if I could sing like George Jones.  So I said, ‘Oh, I didn't know that.  I thought I was supposed to sing like those people.’  They were selling records.  I didn’t know the difference, you know.”

After leaving Starday Records in 1957, Jones worked with several other labels.  In 1969, he joined Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, and the same year, married singer Tammy Wynette.  Their union lasted only six years, but during that time, they collaborated on numerous duets, including the Number One hits “We’re Gonna Hold On,” “Near You” and “Golden Ring.”

Through much of his life, George Jones battled an addiction to alcohol that nearly ruined his professional career.  He earned the nickname “No Show Jones” for missing numerous concert dates.  At one point, lawsuits against him by show promoters seeking compensation forced Jones to declare bankruptcy.  He credited his fourth wife Nancy, whom he married in 1983, for helping him overcome his dependency to alcohol and giving his life new meaning.

Countless singers, including Garth Brooks, George Strait, Alan Jackson and Randy Travis name George Jones as a major influence.

Bill Ivey, former director of the Country Music Foundation, once described the role Jones played in Country music. 
   
“He has a unique vocal style that really is so special that it hasn’t been much imitated," he said. "I think people in contemporary Country music, who look back on George’s early work for inspiration, don’t try to sound like him.  They, I think, try to write like him and try to get that spirit into their interpretation.  What George Jones has is a constant presence of the real energy of Country music and I think it’s something that’s much admired.”

At age 62, Jones was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  The surprise announcement was made during the 1992 Country Music Association Awards telecast.  The overwhelmed performer described his feelings in this acceptance speech.

“You know, I’ve won a lot of awards - I’m not bragging - a lot of awards over the period of years and each and every one of them was fantastic," he said. "They made you feel great. They kept you going and made you try harder and work harder, but this has got to be the greatest one in the world.  Country music has been awful good to me throughout a whole bunch of years, and I’ll tell you what, I’d like to just thank all the fans in the whole, wide world.”

New pop-oriented trends have broadened Country music's boundaries in recent years, but never lessened the popularity of George Jones’ traditional sound.  Several of his peers, including Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Clint Black, Travis Tritt and Pam Tillis, fulfilled a life-long dream, when they collaborated with Jones on the Grammy Award-winning single, “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair.”

On many occasions, George Jones said that he played, sang and wrote Country songs out of his deep love for the music.  Equally gratifying was his relationship with his fans.

Jones once revealed, “It’s not really that important to me, as far as glory, popularity and those things.  I just feel like I’m making people happy.  And they sure make me happy when I walk out on that stage.  That’s all that’s really important to me.”

In the early 1990s, Country music fans and musicians named Jones’ recording of “He Stopped Loving Her Today” as the greatest song of all time.  The single topped the chart in 1980 and earned Jones a Grammy and two Country Music Association awards.  His other industry honors included induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992.  Three years later, he teamed with his former wife Tammy Wynette to record the chart-topping album, “One.”

Jones autobiography, “I Lived To Tell It All,” was published in 1996, and an album of the same name followed.  MCA Records dropped him from its roster in 1998 and he later formed his own label, Bandit Records.

In 1999, George Jones suffered life-threatening injuries when he lost control of his car and slammed into a bridge near his home.  After making a full recovery, he returned to recording and touring.  His last solo album, “Hits I Missed and One I Didn’t,” contains songs made famous by other artists, plus a newly recorded version of his signature tune, “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” 

Jones’ many accolades included a 2008 Kennedy Center Honor and a 2012 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. 

In late 2012, he kicked off his farewell tour, scheduled to conclude on November 22 in Nashville.  Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers and many other Country stars were set to perform at the show.

During the past year, Jones had been hospitalized several times, most recently on April 18 with fever and irregular blood pressure.

(2005 photo of George Jones by Chester L. Roberts.)

Former US Presidential Candidate George McGovern Dies

George McGovern, a former U.S. lawmaker best known for a devastating defeat in the 1972 presidential election, has died. McGovern passed away at age 90 on Sunday in his native South Dakota. Family members say he had been suffering from a “combination of medical conditions.”

McGovern served terms as a Democratic Congressman and a Senator between 1957 and 1981.

In 1972, he campaigned on a platform opposing the Vietnam war as he challenged then-President Richard Nixon. He suffered one of the most severe defeats in a U.S. presidential election, winning a majority of votes in only one of the 50 U.S. states and in the District of Columbia.

In a 2006 interview, McGovern said his views on the Vietnam War were shaped by the time he spent as a World-War-Two combat pilot.

“I came out of that war, especially after the atomic bomb was set off — destroying two great cities in Japan — with the feeling that we have got to do something to halt this kind of barbaric enterprise. So, I think almost from the end of World War Two, I have been doing what I can to settle our disputes with other countries, where possible, without going to war.”

McGovern said he saw parallels between the Vietnam War and the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

“I think it was a great mistake to go into Vietnam, a country that was no threat to the United States and wanted nothing much other than to be recognized as a legitimate government. It was a mistake to go into Iraq, another country that was no threat to us and had nothing to do with the 9-11 attack. Our leaders, some of them, seem to think we are fighting terrorism in Iraq. I think we're causing it.”

In later life, McGovern served as a lecturer, teacher and the U.N. Global Ambassador on World Hunger.

President Barack Obama called McGovern a “statesman of great conscience and conviction.” Former President Bill Clinton and his wife Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said they were deeply saddened to learn of their friend's passing and that “we must continue to draw inspiration from his example and build the world he fought for.”

Final Exits, 8-14 October 2011

George "Mojo" Buford

Obituaries for 8-14 October 2011

8
* Al Davis, 82, American football coach and team owner (Oakland Raiders).
* David Hess, 75, American actor (The Last House on the Left), singer and songwriter, heart attack.
* Ovidio de Jesús, 78, Puerto Rican Olympic sprinter (1956, 1960). (Spanish) (death announced on this date)
* Piet Noordijk, 79, Dutch saxophone player.
* Nina Sorokina, 69, Russian ballerina, People's Artist of the USSR. (Russian)
* Mikey Welsh, 40, American artist and musician (Weezer).
* Roger Williams, 87, American pianist, pancreatic cancer.
* Ingvar Wixell, 80, Swedish opera singer. (Swedish)

9
* Kei Aoyama, 32, Japanese mangaka, suicide. (Japanese)
* Antonis Christeas, 74, Greek basketball player (AEK Athens) and coach. (Greek)
* Robert Boochever, 94, American federal judge.
* Bill Brown, 69, American disc jockey (WCBS-FM).
* Rob Buckman, 63, British-born Canadian oncologist and comedian.
* Vibeke Mowinckel Falk, 93, Norwegian actress. (Norwegian)
* Chauncey Hardy, 23, American basketball player, heart attack following beating.
* Pavel Karelin, 21, Russian ski jumper, traffic accident. (Russian)
* Edward Loper, Sr., 95, American artist, Alzheimer's disease.
* Manuel Prado Perez-Rosas, 88, Peruvian Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Trujillo (1976–1999).
* Ljubo Stipišić, 73, Croatian composer. (Croatian)
* James Worrall, 97, Canadian Olympic athlete (1936) and administrator.

10
* Ray Aghayan, 83, Iranian-born American costume designer (Funny Lady, Doctor Dolittle).
* Milton Castellanos Everardo, 91, Mexican politician, President of Chamber of Deputies (1951), Governor of Baja California (1971–1977). (Spanish)
* Albert Rosellini, 101, American politician, Governor of Washington (1957–1965), natural causes.
* Jagjit Singh, 70, Indian musician, brain haemorrhage.
* Otto Tausig, 89, Austrian writer, director and actor. (German)
* Jyohji Yanagi, 63, Japanese blues singer. (Japanese)

11
* Amin al-Shami, Yemeni air force colonel, car bomb.
* Kim Brown, 66, British-born Finnish musician, cancer. (Finnish)
* George "Mojo" Buford, 81, American blues harmonica player.
* Cy Buker, 92, American baseball player (Brooklyn Dodgers).
* Ion Diaconescu, 94, Romanian politician, former PNŢCD leader, President of Chamber of Deputies (1996-2000), heart failure. (Romanian)
* Doctor X, 43, Mexican professional wrestler, shot. (Spanish)
* Bob Galvin, 89, American businessman, CEO of Motorola (1959–1986).
* Freddie Gruber, 84, American jazz drummer.
* Nauman Habib, 32, Pakistani cricketer, murdered.
* Henk Hofs, 60, Dutch footballer (Vitesse). (Dutch)
* Keith Holman, 84, Australian rugby league player and referee.
* Frank Kameny, 86, American gay rights activist, natural causes.
* Jose Vasconcelos, 85, Brazilian actor and comedian, respiratory failure. (Portuguese)

12
* Heinz Bennent, 90, German actor. (German)
* Patricia Breslin, 80, American actress (The People's Choice, Peyton Place, The Twilight Zone), wife of Art Modell, pancreatitis.
* Joel DiGregorio, 67, American keyboardist (The Charlie Daniels Band), car crash.
* Lambert Giebels, 76, Dutch writer, historian and politician. (Dutch)
* János Herskó, 85, Hungarian film director and actor. (Hungarian)
* Dieudonné Kabongo, 61, Congolese-born Belgian comedian, actor and musician.
* Vic Miles, 79, American reporter and news anchor.
* Dennis Ritchie, 70, American computer scientist, developer of C programming language. (body discovered on this date)
* Dick Thornett, 71, Australian triple international sportsman (water polo, rugby union and rugby league), heart disease.
* Martin White, 102, Irish hurler.

13
* Chris Doig, 63, New Zealand opera singer and sports administrator, bowel cancer.
* Pavlina Nikaj, 80, Albanian singer. (Albanian)
* Abdoulaye Seye, 77, Senegalese Olympic bronze medal-winning (1960) athlete. (French)

14
* Reg Alcock, 63, Canadian politician, MP for Winnipeg South (1993–2006); President of the Treasury Board (2003–2006), heart attack.
* Leon Cakoff, 63, Brazilian film critic, melanoma. (Portuguese)
* Michael Fitzpatrick, 69, Irish politician, TD for Kildare North (2007–2011), motor neurone disease.
* Adam Hunter, 48, Scottish golfer, leukemia.
* Sue Mengers, 78 or 81, American show business talent agent.
* Laura Pollán, 63, Cuban opposition leader, founder of the Ladies in White, cardiorespiratory arrest.
* Chuck Ruff, 60, American drummer (Edgar Winter, Sammy Hagar), after long illness.

Final Exits, 1-7 September 2011

George Kuchar on set during production of his 2008 film, "Orphans of the Cosmos", 18 April 2008. Photo: Calliopemichael.

Obituaries for 1-7 September 2011

1
* Jan Lammers, 84, Dutch Olympic athlete (1948). (Dutch)
* Liu Huang A-tao, 90, Taiwanese activist, first comfort woman to sue Japan for compensation.
* Abdulrahman al-Nuaimi, 67, Bahraini opposition leader, founder of the PFLB and the NDA.
* Alexandru Pesamosca, 81, Romanian surgeon and pediatrician, cardiac arrest. (Romanian)
* Kamal Salibi, 82, Lebanese historian.

2
* Edgar Benson, 88, Canadian politician and diplomat.
* Felipe Camiroaga, 44, Chilean television presenter, plane crash.
* Takis Chrisoulis, 65, Greek playwright and actor. (Greek)
* Tony Corsari, 84, Belgian television host, cancer. (Dutch)
* Samuel Flores Borrego, Mexican drug cartel leader, shot.
* Allan Hubbard, 83, New Zealand businessman, car accident.
* Shrinivas Khale, 85, Indian composer.
* José María Montes, 91, Argentine Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Chascomús (1983–1996).
* Jehangir Sabavala, 89, Indian artist.
* Bernard William Smith, 94, Australian art historian and critic.
* Ichiro Yoshikuni, 95, Japanese baseball commissioner. (Japanese)
* Alberto Zalamea, 82, Colombian journalist and politician, Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire, Venezuela and Italy.

3
* Julio Casas Regueiro, 75, Cuban politician, Vice President and Defense Minister (since 2008), heart attack.
* Andrzej Maria Deskur, 87, Polish Roman Catholic cardinal.
* Don Fambrough, 88, American football player and head coach (University of Kansas), injuries from a fall.
* Finn Helgesen, 92, Norwegian Olympic gold medal-winning (1948) speed skater. (Norwegian)
* John Hoover, 91, American artist.
* Sándor Képíró, 97, Hungarian World War II veteran acquitted of Nazi war crimes.
* Sumant Misra, 88, Indian tennis player.

4
* A Produce, 59, American musician.
* Lalla Aicha, 81, Moroccan princess, first female Arab ambassador, Ambassador to United Kingdom (1965–1969); Greece (1969–1970); Italy (1970–1973).
* Victor Bussie, 92, American labor activist, president of Louisiana AFL–CIO.
* Hugh Fox, 79, American poet and novelist.
* Hilde Heltberg, 51, Norwegian musician, cancer. (Norwegian)
* Bill Kunkel, 61, American video game designer and magazine editor, heart attack.
* Jag Mundhra, 62, Indian film director (Bawandar).
* León Rozitchner, 87, Argentine philosopher. (Spanish)
* Lee Roy Selmon, 56, American Hall of Fame football player (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), stroke.
* Dana Wilson, 28, New Zealand rugby league player, car accident.

5
* Charles S. Dubin, 92, American film and television director (Hawaii Five-O, Kojak, M*A*S*H), natural causes.
* Salvatore Licitra, 43, Italian tenor, injuries from a motor scooter accident.
* Georgios-Alexandros Magakis, 89, Greek professor of law and politician, Minister of Justice (1982–1986). (Greek)
* Vann Nath, 66, Cambodian painter.
* Bobby Rhine, 35, American soccer player (FC Dallas), heart attack.
* Peter Thuruthikonam, 82, Indian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Vijayapuram (1988–2006), heart attack.

6
* Shigeri Akabane, 70, Japanese professional wrestler, heart attack.
* Hans Apel, 79, German politician, Finance Minister (1974–1978) and Defence Minister (1978–1982). (German)
* Dan David, 82, Romanian-born Israeli businessman and philanthropist, brain hemorrhage.
* Archduke Felix of Austria, 95, Austrian royal, last surviving child of Charles I of Austria. (German)
* Michael S. Hart, 64, American author, founder of Project Gutenberg.
* George Kuchar, 69, American film director.
* Janusz Morgenstern, 88, Polish filmmaker.
* Malcolm Prine, 83, American baseball executive (Pittsburgh Pirates), lung cancer.
* Wardell Quezergue, 81, American music arranger, producer and bandleader, heart failure.
* Donald L. Taffner, 80, American television producer and distributor.

7
* Gabriel Bullet, 90, Swiss Roman Catholic prelate, Auxiliary Bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg (1970–1993). (German)
* Jang Hyo-Jo, 55, South Korean baseball player (Samsung Lions, Lotte Giants), liver cancer.
* Harold Mair, 92, Australian politician.
* Eddie Marshall, 73, American jazz drummer.
* Gabriel Valdés, 92, Chilean politician. (Spanish)
* Hiroe Yuki, 62, Japanese badminton player. (Japanese)
* Notable ice hockey players and coaches among the 43 killed in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash:
Vitali Anikienko, 24, Ukrainian
Mikhail Balandin, 31, Russian
Gennady Churilov, 24, Russian
Pavol Demitra, 36, Slovakian
Robert Dietrich, 25, German
Marat Kalimulin, 23, Russian
Alexander Kalyanin, 23, Russian
Alexander Karpovtsev, 41, Russian
Andrei Kiryukhin, 24, Russian
Nikita Klyukin, 21, Russian
Igor Korolev, 41, Russian
Stefan Liv, 30, Swedish
Jan Marek, 31, Czech
Brad McCrimmon, 52, Canadian
Sergei Ostapchuk, 21, Belarusian
Karel Rachůnek, 32, Czech
Ruslan Salei, 36, Belarusian
Maxim Shuvalov, 18, Russian
Kārlis Skrastiņš, 37, Latvian
Pavel Snurnitsyn, 19, Russian
Daniil Sobchenko, 20, Russian
Ivan Tkachenko, 31, Russian
Pavel Trakhanov, 33, Russian
Yuri Urychev, 20, Russian
Josef Vašíček, 30, Czech
Alexander Vasyunov, 23, Russian
Alexander Vyukhin, 38, Ukrainian
Artem Yarchuk, 21, Russian