1888 Peg Leg Howell*
1929 J.B. Lenoir*
1939 Johnny Jenkins*
1933 Tommy Tucker*
1982 John Belushi+
1988 Murat Kaydirma*
2000 King Ernest Baker+
Dave Gross*
Happy Birthday
J.B. Lenoir *05.03.1929
J. B. Lenoir (* 5. März 1929 in Monticello, Mississippi; † 29. April 1967 in Urbana, Illinois) war ein US-amerikanischer Blues-Sänger und -Gitarrist. Zu seinen bekanntesten Hits gehören Mama Talk to Your Daughter und der Eisenhower Blues.
Zu Lenoirs Vorbildern zählen Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lightnin’ Hopkins und Arthur Crudup. Nach einiger Zeit in New Orleans, wo er mit Sonny Boy Williamson II. und Elmore James in einem Lokal spielte,[1] zog es „J. B.“ (so sein amtlicher Vorname) Ende der 1940er Jahre nach Chicago. Dort wurde er von Big Bill Broonzy in die Bluescommunity eingeführt. 1951 nahm er seine erste Single auf, den Korea Blues; 1951/52 entstanden Aufnahmen für das Label J.O.B.. 1954 erschien Mama Talk to Your Daughter, ein Blues-Standard. Der ebenfalls in diesem Jahr aufgenommene Eisenhower Blues löste einen solchen Sturm der Entrüstung aus, dass er aus dem Verkauf genommen wurde und als Tax Paying Blues wieder aufgelegt wurde.[2] In den 1950er-Jahren war Lenoir für seine ungewöhnlichen Auftritte bekannt, besonders durch seinen Tigerfellfrack und seine hohe Stimme.
Über die Jahre wechselte Lenoir mehrfach die Plattenfirma. 1965 und 1966 nahm er zwei akustische Alben für den deutschen Promoter Horst Lippmann auf, Alabama Blues und Down in Mississippi, beide unter der Regie von Willie Dixon. Beide Songs thematisieren die Situation der Schwarzen im Süden der USA, die auch in den 1960er Jahren noch von Diskriminierung und organisierten Übergriffen des Ku-Klux-Klan geprägt war.
I never will go back to Alabama, that is not the place for me
You know they killed my sister and my brother,
And the whole world let them peoples go down there free
Gegen Ende seines Lebens wurden seine Texte immer politischer, so wendete er sich gegen den Rassismus (Alabama March, Shot On James Meredith) , aber auch gegen den Vietnamkrieg (Vietnam Blues) .
J. B. Lenoir starb 1967 völlig unerwartet, möglicherweise an den Folgen eines Autounfalls, in den er einige Wochen zuvor verwickelt gewesen war, und an Behandlungsversäumnissen in dem Krankenhaus, das er aufsuchte. Er war erst 38 Jahre alt. Er liegt auf dem Salem Church Cemetery in Monticello, Mississippi begraben.[3] 2011 wurde er in die Blues Hall of Fame der Blues Foundation aufgenommen.[4] „Alabama Blues“ wurde in die Wireliste The Wire's "100 Records That Set The World On Fire (While No One Was Listening)" aufgenommen.
John Mayall beklagte Lenoirs Tod in den Songs I'm Gonna Fight for You, J.B. und Death of J. B. Lenoir.
Der Dokumentarfilm Soul of a man von Wim Wenders (zweiter Teil der Dokumentarfilmreihe The Blues von Martin Scorsese) ist J. B. Lenoir, gewidmet. Nebst ihm werden noch zwei weitere Blues-Musiker porträtiert (Skip James und Blind Willie Johnson).
J. B. Lenoir /ləˈnɔːr/ (March 5, 1929 – April 29, 1967) was an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter, active in the 1950s and 1960s Chicago blues scene.
Although his name is sometimes pronounced as French "L'n WAHR", Lenoir himself pronounced it "La NOR". The initials "J.B." had no specific meaning, his given name was simply "JB"
Life and career
Lenoir's guitar-playing father introduced him to the music of Blind Lemon Jefferson, whose music became a major influence.[1] During the early 1940s, Lenoir worked with blues artists Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James in New Orleans.[2] Lenoir would eventually find musical influence in Arthur Crudup and Lightnin' Hopkins.[1]
In 1949, he moved to Chicago and Big Bill Broonzy helped introduce him to the local blues community. He began to perform at local nightclubs with musicians such as Memphis Minnie, Big Maceo Merriweather, and Muddy Waters, and became an important part of the city's blues scene.[2][3] He began recording in 1951 the J.O.B. and Chess Records labels. His recording of "Korea Blues" was licensed to and released by Chess,[4] as having been performed by 'J. B. and his Bayou Boys'.[5] His band included pianist Sunnyland Slim, guitarist Leroy Foster, and drummer Alfred Wallace.
During the 1950s Lenoir recorded on various record labels in the Chicago area including J.O.B., Chess, Parrot, and Checker. His more successful songs included "Let's Roll", "The Mojo" featuring saxophonist J. T. Brown, and the controversial "Eisenhower Blues" which his record company, Parrot, forced him to re-record as "Tax Paying Blues."[4]
Lenoir was known in the 1950s for his showmanship - in particular his zebra-patterned costumes - and his high-pitched vocals. He became an influential electric guitarist and songwriter, and his penchant for social commentary distinguished him from many other bluesmen of the time.[1] His most commercially successful and enduring release was "Mamma Talk To Your Daughter", recorded for Parrot in 1954 which reached #11 on the Billboard R&B chart and was later recorded by many other blues and rock musicians.[4] In the later 1950s (recording on the Checker label), he wrote several more blues standards including; "Don't Dog Your Woman", and "Don't Touch My Head!!!" (1956).
In 1963, Lenoir recorded for USA Records as 'J. B. Lenoir and his African Hunch Rhythm', developing an interest in African percussion.[1] However, he struggled to work as a professional musician and for a time took menial jobs, including working in the kitchen at the University of Illinois in Champaign.[citation needed] Lenoir was rediscovered by Willie Dixon, who recorded him with drummer Fred Below on the albums Alabama Blues and Down In Mississippi (inspired by the Civil Rights and Free Speech movements).[1] Lenoir toured Europe, and performed in 1965 with the American Folk Blues Festival in the United Kingdom.[6]
Lenoir's work had direct political content relating to racism and the Vietnam War.[7]
“ I never will go back to Alabama, that is not the place for me,
I never will go back to Alabama, that is not the place for me,
You know they killed my sister and my brother,
And the whole world let them peoples go down there free.
”
—"Alabama Blues", by J. B. Lenoir
Death
He died on April 29, 1967 in Urbana, Illinois, aged 38, from a heart attack related to injuries he suffered in a car accident three weeks earlier.[8]
Legacy
His death was lamented by John Mayall in the songs, "I'm Gonna Fight for You, J.B." and "Death of J. B. Lenoir".[9]
The 2003 documentary film The Soul of a Man, directed by Wim Wenders as the second instalment of Martin Scorsese's series The Blues, explored Lenoir's career, together with those of Skip James and Blind Willie Johnson.
In 2011, Lenoir was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame.
Although his name is sometimes pronounced as French "L'n WAHR", Lenoir himself pronounced it "La NOR". The initials "J.B." had no specific meaning, his given name was simply "JB"
Life and career
Lenoir's guitar-playing father introduced him to the music of Blind Lemon Jefferson, whose music became a major influence.[1] During the early 1940s, Lenoir worked with blues artists Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James in New Orleans.[2] Lenoir would eventually find musical influence in Arthur Crudup and Lightnin' Hopkins.[1]
In 1949, he moved to Chicago and Big Bill Broonzy helped introduce him to the local blues community. He began to perform at local nightclubs with musicians such as Memphis Minnie, Big Maceo Merriweather, and Muddy Waters, and became an important part of the city's blues scene.[2][3] He began recording in 1951 the J.O.B. and Chess Records labels. His recording of "Korea Blues" was licensed to and released by Chess,[4] as having been performed by 'J. B. and his Bayou Boys'.[5] His band included pianist Sunnyland Slim, guitarist Leroy Foster, and drummer Alfred Wallace.
During the 1950s Lenoir recorded on various record labels in the Chicago area including J.O.B., Chess, Parrot, and Checker. His more successful songs included "Let's Roll", "The Mojo" featuring saxophonist J. T. Brown, and the controversial "Eisenhower Blues" which his record company, Parrot, forced him to re-record as "Tax Paying Blues."[4]
Lenoir was known in the 1950s for his showmanship - in particular his zebra-patterned costumes - and his high-pitched vocals. He became an influential electric guitarist and songwriter, and his penchant for social commentary distinguished him from many other bluesmen of the time.[1] His most commercially successful and enduring release was "Mamma Talk To Your Daughter", recorded for Parrot in 1954 which reached #11 on the Billboard R&B chart and was later recorded by many other blues and rock musicians.[4] In the later 1950s (recording on the Checker label), he wrote several more blues standards including; "Don't Dog Your Woman", and "Don't Touch My Head!!!" (1956).
In 1963, Lenoir recorded for USA Records as 'J. B. Lenoir and his African Hunch Rhythm', developing an interest in African percussion.[1] However, he struggled to work as a professional musician and for a time took menial jobs, including working in the kitchen at the University of Illinois in Champaign.[citation needed] Lenoir was rediscovered by Willie Dixon, who recorded him with drummer Fred Below on the albums Alabama Blues and Down In Mississippi (inspired by the Civil Rights and Free Speech movements).[1] Lenoir toured Europe, and performed in 1965 with the American Folk Blues Festival in the United Kingdom.[6]
Lenoir's work had direct political content relating to racism and the Vietnam War.[7]
“ I never will go back to Alabama, that is not the place for me,
I never will go back to Alabama, that is not the place for me,
You know they killed my sister and my brother,
And the whole world let them peoples go down there free.
”
—"Alabama Blues", by J. B. Lenoir
Death
He died on April 29, 1967 in Urbana, Illinois, aged 38, from a heart attack related to injuries he suffered in a car accident three weeks earlier.[8]
Legacy
His death was lamented by John Mayall in the songs, "I'm Gonna Fight for You, J.B." and "Death of J. B. Lenoir".[9]
The 2003 documentary film The Soul of a Man, directed by Wim Wenders as the second instalment of Martin Scorsese's series The Blues, explored Lenoir's career, together with those of Skip James and Blind Willie Johnson.
In 2011, Lenoir was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame.
J.B. Lenoir - Alabama Blues
Peg Leg Howell *05.03.1888
Joshua Barnes Howell (* 5. März 1888 in Eatonton, Georgia; † 11. April 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia), bekannt als Peg Leg Howell (Holzbein Howell), war ein US-amerikanischer Blues-Gitarrist, Sänger und Songschreiber.
„Peg Leg“ Howell wird dem Atlanta Blues zugerechnet. Er gilt als Bindeglied zwischen dem schwarzen Farmarbeitergesang und dem frühen Blues.
Der Farmarbeiter Howell brachte sich das Gitarrespielen im Alter von 20 Jahren selbst bei. 1916 musste sein rechtes Bein nach einer Schießerei mit seinem Schwager amputiert werden, daher sein Spitzname. 1923 zog Howell nach Atlanta, wo er auf der Straße musizierte. Nebenbei betrieb er Alkoholschmuggel, was ihm 1925 ein Jahr im Gefängnis einbrachte.
Nach seiner Entlassung machte er erste Aufnahmen für Columbia Records. Bis 1929 folgten etliche weitere Aufnahmen, teils solo, teils mit Henry Williams (Gitarre) und Eddie Anthony (Fiddle), die ihn auch auf der Straße begleiteten. Zu Howells Aufnahmen zählen unter anderem New Prison Blues, Skin Game Blues und New Jelly Roll Blues.
Nach den letzten Aufnahmen kam Williams ins Gefängnis, Anthony starb 1934, und Howell geriet allmählich in Vergessenheit. 1952 verlor er sein zweites Bein als Folge seines Diabetes.
1963 wurde Howell wieder „entdeckt“ und machte neue Aufnahmen. Er starb 1966 in Atlanta.
Joshua Barnes Howell, known as Peg Leg Howell (March 5, 1888 - August 11, 1966),[1] was an African American blues singer and guitarist, who connected early country blues and the later 12-bar style.[2]
Life and career
He was born on a farm in Eatonton, Georgia, United States, and taught himself guitar at the age of 21. Over time he became skilled in pre-Piedmont finger picking and slide guitar techniques. He continued working on the farm until he was shot in a fight, as a result of which he lost his right leg and began working full-time as a musician.[2] In 1923 he moved to Atlanta, Georgia and began playing on street corners, but also served a period in prison for bootlegging liquor.
In 1926, he was heard playing on the streets of Atlanta and was recorded for the first time by Columbia Records. They released "New Prison Blues", written while in prison and the first country blues to be issued on the label.[3] Over the next three years Columbia recorded him on several occasions, often accompanied by a small group including Henry Williams on guitar and Eddie Anthony on fiddle. His recorded repertoire covered ballads, ragtime, and jazz, as well as blues.
Howell continued to play around the Atlanta area for several years, but also began selling bootleg liquor again. After the mid 1930s he only performed occasionally and, in 1952, his left leg was removed as a result of diabetes, confining him to a wheelchair. A single track by Howell was issued on The Country Blues in 1959, and in 1963 he was "rediscovered" in dire poverty in Atlanta by folklorist and field researcher George Mitchell and his high-school class-mate, Roger Brown. They recorded Howell at the age of 75 with the results issued on LP by Testament Records thirty-four years after his last recorded sessions, one of Mitchell's first field-recording sessions in his long career.[4] Howell died in Atlanta in 1966.
Tommy Tucker *05.03.1933
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Tommy Tucker (eigentlicher Name Robert Higginbotham) (* 5. März 1933 in Springfield (Ohio); † 22. Januar 1982 in Newark, New Jersey) war ein US-amerikanischer Blues-Sänger und Pianist.
Über das Leben des Bluessängers und Pianisten Tommy Tucker ist nicht viel überliefert. Tommy Tucker war der Kousin von Joan Higginbotham, einer Astronautin, die sich im Dezember 2006 an Bord der Space Shuttle Discovery aufhielt.
Er lernte Klavier ab 1941 und schloss sich dem Bobby Wood-Orchester an, aus dem 1953 die Doo Wop-Formation Cavaliers hervorging. In Woods Band lernte er den Trompeter Clarence LeVille kennen, mit dem er im Jahr 1951 eine Hausband im Farm Dell Club in Dayton/Ohio gründete. Sie begleiteten hier Bluesgrößen wie Big Maybelle, Billie Holiday, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, Little Willie John oder Amos Milburn. Danach wechselte er häufig die Gruppen, tauchte 1955 mit LeVille bei den Belvaderes auf, mit dem er danach 1956 auch bei den Dusters spielte. Zwei erfolglose Singles von je einer dieser Formationen waren das Ergebnis. 1957 schließt sich Tucker der Hausband des The Frolic Night Club in Springfield/Ohio an.
Zusammen mit Atlantic Records-Inhaber Ahmet Ertegün verfasste er den Song My Girl (I Really Love Her So), den er 1961 erfolglos als Solist herausbrachte.
Tuckers einziger und größter Hit war die Eigenkomposition und spätere Mods-Hymne Hi Heel Sneakers mit der markanten Slide-Gitarrenarbeit im Bottleneck-Stil von Welton „Dean“ Young, der mit Tucker bereits in den fünfziger Jahren zusammengearbeitet hatte. Nach Veröffentlichung des Jimmy Reed-ähnlichen Stils beim Chess Records-Tochterlabel Checker Records am 13. Januar 1964 gelangte der Titel bis auf Rang 11 der Popcharts und gehörte mit rund 200 Versionen zu den viel gecoverten Songs. Die Aufnahme wurde wahrscheinlich noch im Gründungsjahr 1962 der A-1-Tonstudios von Herb Abramson produziert. Long Tall Shorty, geschrieben von Don Covay und Herb Abramson, war der erfolglose Nachfolgehit vom Mai 1964, gecovert von den Kinks (auf der gleichnamigen LP vom 2. Oktober 1964). Abramson produzierte auch 1966 That’s Life für sein eigenes Festival-Label, konnte jedoch den künstlerischen Niedergang Tuckers nicht aufhalten.
Ende der sechziger Jahre ließ er sich als Grundstücksmakler in East Orange (New Jersey) nieder und kehrte 1974 ins Tonstudio zurück, wo ihn Altrocker Bo Diddley auf Alben wie Mother Tucker oder The Rocks is My Pillow – the Cold Ground is My Bed begleitete. Die Alben scheiterten ebenso wie die meisten Singles zuvor.
Nicht verwechselt werden darf Tommy Tucker, dessen Künstlernamen auf einen professionellen Footballspieler zurückgeht, mit dem Rockabilly-Sänger Tommy Ray Tucker. Tommy Tucker starb am 22. Januar 1982 am Einatmen giftiger Dämpfe.
Tommy Tucker (born Robert Higginbotham; March 5, 1933 – January 22, 1982)[1] was an American blues singer-songwriter and pianist. He is best known for the 1964 hit song, "Hi-Heel Sneakers", that went to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and peaked at No. 23 in the UK Singles Chart.[2]
Biography
He was born Robert Higginbotham, to Leroy and Mary Higginbotham, the fifth of eleven children, in Springfield, Ohio, United States.
Tucker's follow-up release, "Long Tall Shorty", was less successful. Nevertheless, musicians that played on his albums included Louisiana Red, Willie Dixon and Donny Hathaway.
Tucker co-wrote a song with Atlantic Records founder executive Ahmet Ertegün, called "My Girl (I Really Love Her So)". Tucker left the music industry in the late 1960s, taking a position as a real estate agent in New Jersey. He also did freelance writing for a local newspaper in East Orange, New Jersey, writing of the plight and ignorance of black males in America, and the gullibility and exploitation of African Americans in general by the white-dominated media.[citation needed] Tucker currently has four albums selling in Europe and over the internet, through the Red Lightnin' record label.
Tucker was the father of up-and-coming blues artist Teeny Tucker (real name Regina Westbrook), and was the cousin of Joan Higginbotham, the U.S. female astronaut who launched in November 2006 on the Space Shuttle Discovery.[citation needed]
He was also friends with Davey Moore, the featherweight who died following a boxing contest with Sugar Ramos; and Johnny Lytle, the renowned vibraphonist.
Death
Tucker died in 1982 at the age of 48 at College Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, from inhaling carbon tetrachloride while refinishing the hardwood floors of his home; though his death has been alternatively attributed to food poisoning.
Biography
He was born Robert Higginbotham, to Leroy and Mary Higginbotham, the fifth of eleven children, in Springfield, Ohio, United States.
Tucker's follow-up release, "Long Tall Shorty", was less successful. Nevertheless, musicians that played on his albums included Louisiana Red, Willie Dixon and Donny Hathaway.
Tucker co-wrote a song with Atlantic Records founder executive Ahmet Ertegün, called "My Girl (I Really Love Her So)". Tucker left the music industry in the late 1960s, taking a position as a real estate agent in New Jersey. He also did freelance writing for a local newspaper in East Orange, New Jersey, writing of the plight and ignorance of black males in America, and the gullibility and exploitation of African Americans in general by the white-dominated media.[citation needed] Tucker currently has four albums selling in Europe and over the internet, through the Red Lightnin' record label.
Tucker was the father of up-and-coming blues artist Teeny Tucker (real name Regina Westbrook), and was the cousin of Joan Higginbotham, the U.S. female astronaut who launched in November 2006 on the Space Shuttle Discovery.[citation needed]
He was also friends with Davey Moore, the featherweight who died following a boxing contest with Sugar Ramos; and Johnny Lytle, the renowned vibraphonist.
Death
Tucker died in 1982 at the age of 48 at College Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, from inhaling carbon tetrachloride while refinishing the hardwood floors of his home; though his death has been alternatively attributed to food poisoning.
Tommy Tucker Alimony
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Dave Gross *05.03.
Dave Gross, at his young age, is already a more advanced musician than most in his profession will ever be. His guitar playing and singing express his total mastery of traditional styles while showcasing his original contribution. His sharp sense of style, friendly and confident stage presence, fiery guitar chops and emotional singing shine on the bandstand. Blues star Duke Robillard recognized Dave's talent and produced Take The Gamble, guesting on three songs. The CD features nine originals plus songs by masters such as Gatemouth Brown, T-Bone Walker, and Hot lips Page. Members of Duke's and Dave's bands support them with experience and power. Dave has already been nominated for a Blues Music Award in 2007 as "Best New Artist" and its obvious that he will be a major presence long into the future.
Dave Gross, Blues, Views & BBQ Festival
R.I.P.
John Belushi +05.03.1982
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John Adam Belushi (* 24. Januar 1949 in Chicago, Illinois; † 5. März 1982 in West Hollywood) war ein US-amerikanischer Sänger und Filmschauspieler und der Bruder des Bluesmusikers und Schauspielers James Belushi.John Belushi wuchs als Sohn albanischer Einwanderer[1] in Wheaton (Illinois) auf. Bereits während seiner College-Zeit trat er in Theaterstücken auf. Ab Ende der 1970er Jahre spielte er zusammen mit Dan Aykroyd in der Band The Blues Brothers.
Einem breiten Publikum in den Vereinigten Staaten wurde er durch seine Auftritte in der Fernsehshow Saturday Night Live bekannt. 1978 hatte Belushi seinen ersten Filmauftritt in der Filmkomödie Ich glaub’, mich tritt ein Pferd. 1978 erschien die LP A Briefcase Full of Blues, mit Liveversionen alter Bluesnummern und Eigenkompositionen. Sein größter Filmerfolg wurde die Musikkomödie Blues Brothers von John Landis, in der er an der Seite von Dan Aykroyd auftrat. Zusammen mit diesem trat er schon vor dem Film (als Jake und Elwood Blues) auf Konzerten auf. Unterstützt wurde dieses musikalische Projekt von The Blues Brothers Band, der namhafte Musiker angehörten und die auch im Film mitwirkten. Später erschien der Filmsoundtrack, bis heute die erfolgreichste Platte der Blues Brothers. Belushi imitierte mit Vorliebe den bekannten Rhythm-’n’-Blues-Musiker Joe Cocker und trat sogar mit ihm zusammen auf.
Belushi war langjähriger Drogenkonsument. Nach einer exzessiven Drogen-Party starb er 1982 im Alter von 33 Jahren in einem Bungalow des Chateau Marmont Hotels in West Hollywood an einem Speedball, einer Injektion von Kokain und Heroin. Er wurde hier von seinem Freund und Filmpartner Bill Wallace leblos aufgefunden.[2] Bill Wallace versuchte noch ihn wiederzubeleben, aber er kam zu spät. Belushis Grab befindet sich auf dem Abel’s Hill Cemetery von Chilmark, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.[3]
“I may be gone, but Rock and Roll lives on”
„Mag ich auch vergangen sein, aber Rock ’n’ Roll lebt weiter“
– Inschrift des Grabsteins von John Belushi
John Adam Belushi (/bəˈluːʃi/; January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician. He is best known for his "intense energy and raucous attitude"[1] which he displayed as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, in his role in the film Animal House and in his recordings and performances as one of The Blues Brothers.During his career he had a close personal and artistic partnership with fellow SNL actor and writer Dan Aykroyd whom he met while they were both working at Chicago's Second City comedy club.[2]
Belushi died on the morning of March 5, 1982 in Hollywood, California at the Chateau Marmont, after being injected with, and accidentally overdosing on, a mixture of cocaine and heroin (a "speedball") at the age of 33. He was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, on April 1, 2004.
Early life
John Belushi was born in Humboldt Park, a neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Agnes Demetri, was the daughter of Albanian immigrants, and his father, Adam Belushi, was an Albanian immigrant, from Qytezë.[3] John was raised in Wheaton, a Chicago suburb, along with his three siblings: younger brothers Billy and Jim and his sister, Marian.[4][5] Belushi was raised in the Albanian Orthodox church. He attended Wheaton Warrenville South High School, where he met his future wife, Judith Jacklin.
Early career
After starting his own comedy troupe, The West Compass Trio, with Tino Insana and Steve Beshekas, in 1971 Belushi was asked to join the cast of The Second City.[2] At Second City, he met and began working with Harold Ramis.[2] He was subsequently cast with Chevy Chase and Christopher Guest in National Lampoon Lemmings,[1] a parody of Woodstock, which played Off-Broadway in 1972.
In 1973, Belushi and Judith Jacklin moved together to New York where Belushi worked for National Lampoon magazine's The National Lampoon Radio Hour, a half-hour syndicated comedy program where he was a writer, director and actor. During a trip to Toronto to check the local Second City cast in 1974, he met Dan Aykroyd.[1] Jacklin became an associate producer for the show, and she and Belushi were married on December 31, 1976.
1975–1979
Belushi became an original cast member of the new television show Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 1975.[1] His most memorable characters at SNL included belligerent Samurai Futaba,[1] and an imitation of British singer Joe Cocker that was so accurate Cocker himself briefly believed Belushi was lip synching to a Cocker vocal track rather than singing live.[6] With Aykroyd, Belushi created the characters Jake and Elwood Blues, also known as The Blues Brothers.[7]
During his tenure at SNL, Belushi was heavily using drugs and alcohol which affected his performance and caused SNL to fire him (and promptly re-hire him) a number of times.[8]
Following Chevy Chase's departure from the show in 1976, Belushi gained a more prominent role and his talent became in considerable demand. In 1978, he made the films Old Boyfriends (directed by Joan Tewkesbury), Goin' South (directed by Jack Nicholson) and Animal House (directed by John Landis). Upon its initial release, Animal House received generally mixed reviews from critics, but Time and Roger Ebert proclaimed it one of the year's best. Filmed for $2.8 million, it is one of the most profitable movies of all time, garnering an estimated gross of more than $141 million in the form of theatrical rentals and home video, not including merchandising. Animal House was also largely responsible for defining and launching the gross-out genre of films, which became one of Hollywood's staples.[9]
Following the success of The Blues Brothers on the show, Belushi and Aykroyd, with the help of pianist-arranger Paul Shaffer, started assembling a collection of studio talents to form a proper band. These included SNL band members, saxophonist "Blue" Lou Marini and trombonist-saxophonist Tom Malone, who had previously played in Blood, Sweat & Tears. At Shaffer's suggestion, guitarist Steve Cropper and bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, the powerhouse combo from Booker T and the M.G.'s and subsequently almost every hit out of Memphis's Stax Records during the 1960s, were signed as well.[10] In 1978 The Blues Brothers released their debut album, Briefcase Full of Blues with Atlantic Records. The album reached #1 on the Billboard 200 and went double platinum. Two singles were released, "Rubber Biscuit", which reached number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Soul Man," which reached number 14.
In 1979 Belushi left Saturday Night Live, with Aykroyd, to pursue a film career. In Rolling Stone Magazine's February, 2015 appraisal of all 141 SNL cast members to date, Belushi received the top ranking. "Belushi was the 'live' in Saturday Night Live," they wrote, "the one who made the show happen on the edge ... Nobody embodied the highs and lows of SNL like Belushi."[11]
Aykroyd and Belushi made three movies together, 1941 (directed by Steven Spielberg), Neighbors (directed by John Avildsen), and most notably The Blues Brothers (directed by John Landis). Released in the United States on June 20, 1980, The Blues Brothers received generally positive reviews. It earned just under $5 million in its opening weekend and went on to gross $115.2 million in theaters worldwide before its release on home video. The Blues Brothers band toured to promote the film, which led to a third album (and second live album), Made in America, recorded at the Universal Amphitheatre in 1980. The track "Who's Making Love" peaked at No 39.
Other movie projects
The only film Belushi made without Aykroyd following his departure from SNL was the romantic comedy Continental Divide (directed by Michael Apted). Released in September 1981, it starred Belushi as Chicago home town hero writer Ernie Souchack, who gets put on assignment researching a scientist (played by Blair Brown) studying birds of prey in the remote Rocky Mountains.
In 1980, Belushi had become a fan and advocate of the punk rock band Fear after seeing them perform in several after-hours New York City bars, and brought them to Cherokee Studios to record songs for the soundtrack of Neighbors. Blues Brother band member and sax player Tom Scott, along with producing partner and Cherokee owner Bruce Robb, initially helped with the session but later pulled out due to conflicts with Belushi.
At the time of his death, Belushi was pursuing several movie projects,[12] including Moons Over Miami with Louis Malle, National Lampoon's The Joy of Sex and Noble Rot, a script that had been adapted and rewritten by himself and former Saturday Night Live writer, Don Novello in the weeks leading up to his death. He was also scheduled to work with Aykroyd on Ghostbusters and Spies Like Us.
Belushi also made a "Guest Star Appearance" on an episode of the television series Police Squad! (1982), which showed him underwater wearing cement shoes. He died shortly before the episode aired, so the scene was cut and replaced by a segment with William Conrad.[13]
Death
On March 5, 1982, after showing up at his hotel for a scheduled workout, his trainer, Bill Wallace found Belushi dead in his room, Bungalow 3 at the Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California.[14] He was 33 years old. The cause of death was an overdose of cocaine and heroin, a drug combination also known as a speedball. In the early morning hours on the day of his death, he was visited separately by friends Robin Williams and Robert De Niro, each of whom left the premises, leaving Belushi in the company of assorted others, including Catherine Evelyn Smith.[15][16] His death was investigated by forensic pathologist Dr. Ryan Norris, among others, and, while the findings were disputed, it was officially ruled a drug-related accident.
Two months later, Smith admitted in an interview with the National Enquirer that she had been with Belushi the night of his death and had given him the fatal speedball shot. After the appearance of the article "I Killed Belushi" in the Enquirer edition of June 29, 1982, the case was reopened. Smith was extradited from Toronto, Ontario, arrested and charged with first-degree murder. A plea bargain reduced the charge to involuntary manslaughter, and she served fifteen months in prison.[17]
Belushi's wife arranged for a traditional Orthodox Christian funeral which was conducted by an Albanian Orthodox priest.[18] She also recruited the couple's good friend, James Taylor, who postponed the European leg of his current tour to come and sing his haunting ballad, 'That Lonesome Road', at the morning gravesite service. He has been interred twice at Abel's Hill Cemetery in Chilmark on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. A tombstone marking the original burial location has a New England classic slate design, complete with skull and crossbones, that reads, "I may be gone but Rock and Roll lives on."[19] An unmarked tombstone in an undisclosed location marks the final burial location. He is also remembered on the Belushi family stone marking his mother's grave at Elmwood Cemetery in River Grove, Illinois. This stone reads, "He gave us laughter."[20]
Tributes and legacy
Belushi's life is detailed in the 1984 biography Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi by Bob Woodward and 1990's Samurai Widow by his wife Judith. Wired was later adapted into a feature film in which Belushi was played by Michael Chiklis.
Belushi has been portrayed by actors Eric Siegel in Gilda Radner: It's Always Something, Tyler Labine in Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Mork & Mindy (which also features his friendship with Robin Williams), and Michael Chiklis in Wired. Future SNL star Chris Farley, whose work was influenced by Belushi, also died at age 33 due to a drug overdose, contributing to comparisons between Belushi and Farley.[21]
His widow later remarried and is now Judith Belushi Pisano. She and co-biographer Tanner Colby produced Belushi: A Biography, a collection of first-person interviews and photographs of John Belushi's life that was published in 2005.
In 2004, Belushi was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2006, Biography Channel aired the "John Belushi" episode of Final 24, a documentary following Belushi in the last twenty-four hours leading to his death. In 2010, Biography aired a full biography documentation of Belushi's life.
According to Jane Curtin, who appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2011, John Belushi was a "misogynist" who would deliberately sabotage the work of women writers and comics while working on SNL. "So you'd go to a table read, and if a woman writer had written a piece for John, he would not read it in his full voice. He felt as though it was his duty to sabotage pieces written by women."[22]
At the conclusion of the very first live SNL episode (Robert Urich/Mink DeVille on March 20, 1982) following Belushi's death, Brian Doyle-Murray gave a tribute to him.[23]
Belushi was scheduled to present the first annual Best Visual Effects Oscar at the 1982 Academy Awards with Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd presented the award alone, and stated from the podium: "My partner would have loved to have been here tonight to present this award, since he was a bit of a Visual Effect himself."
King Ernest Baker +05.03.2000
"King Ernest" Baker (May 30, 1939 – March 5, 2000)[1] was an American blues and soul singer. He recorded "I Feel Alright" and "That's When I Woke Up."[1] Baker was born in Natchez, Mississippi, and died in a car crash in 2000,[1] just after finishing recording an album.
His first professional outing was in 1958 with Byther Smith at Wynn's Lounge in Chicago, Illinois. Baker credited Smith with giving him his start as a professional.[2]
He became a popular Chicago club attraction, and performed variously with Tyrone Davis, Buddy Guy and Howlin' Wolf.[3] Due to some disappointments in his career he got a job with the Sheriffs department. He stayed there for 14 years until retiring at 55, and then returned to show business.[2]
In 2000, Baker had just finished recording his second album, Blues Got Soul.[4] He had a listen to the CD on March 2, and a few days later while on his way back to Los Angeles he was killed in a car crash, near to Santa Maria, California on Highway 101.
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