Ronnie Gilbert • 1926 - 2015

Ronnie Gilbert, perhaps best known as a member of the group The Weavers, passed away over the weekend at her home in California. She was 88 years old. While singing, it was hard to mistake the gorgeous and rich tone of her voice, as well as her bold and strong style of singing. The Weavers were formed in 1948 in Greenwich Village, New York, the epicenter of the Folk movement. The quartet was made up by Gilbert, Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, and Fred Hellerman. They made music that was uniquely their own, although many followed in their footsteps. They sang international traditional Folk songs, as well Glues favorites, Gospel songs, children's songs, and American ballads. The group had several hit songs, like "On The Top of Old Smoky", "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine", "The Wreck of the John B", and many others. This is the group singing the 1950 hit that was the b-side of another hit, "Goodnight, Irene". This is The Weavers singing "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena".

Like many of the Folk musicians of the time, The Weavers had a strong liberal view on social issues, and communicated with their music. From the traditional songs they performed, to the songs about labor, their music put them on the firing line of some politicians in the 1950s, most notably, Joseph McCarthy. Seeger and Hays were 'identified' as members of the Communist Party, and called to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Seeger was found guilty of contempt, and the group soon discovered they were blacklisted, unable to play on television or the radio, and near impossible to find a venue to play live. Later, the FBI informant recanted his testimony, but the damage had been done. The group took time off, and reunited a few times in the 1950s and 1960s before breaking up in 1964. They reunited a few times, for the right cause, or just to give back to the fans who stayed with them through the years. This is The Weavers with "Wimoweh" from a reunion show at Carnegie Hall.

After the break up of the group, Ronnie did her own thing, at her own pace. She earned a master's degree in clinical psychology in the 70s, and worked as a therapist. Many of the Folk singers of the 1960s, especially the ladies, not only noted the influence Gilbert and The Weavers had on their career, but also invited her to sing with them. This is a clip from a 1988 show of Judy Collins, who invited Ronnie to join her on stage. Gilbert sang the 1950 hit by her old group, "Good Night, Irene", and both the audience and Collins joined in.

Ronnie was married to Martin Weg from 1950 to 1959, and together they had a daughter, born in 1952. During years after that, Gilbert took time for personal exploration, and found herself involved in women's issues, and in relationships with women. In the 1980s, collaborated with Holly Near, one of the biggest out lesbian performers of the time. They worked together on three albums, and played live shows together. The following clip features Holly Near speaking of the influence of Ronnie Gilbert had on her career. The clip was taken from the 1982 documentary, 'Wasn't That a Time?", and Ronnie sings "Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out", and joins Near singing "Hay Una Mujer Desaparecida (Chile Song)".

Ronnie Gilbert passed away at her home in Mill Valley, California, from natural causes. To the best of my knowledge, Ronnie was still with partner Donna Korones, whom she had married in 2004 when then-Mayor of San Fransisco, Gavin Newsom, legalized marriage for all his citizens. The couple were together for nearly 20 years at the time of their wedding. With her passing, only Fred Hellerman of the original Weavers still survives. Rest in peace, Ronnie Gilbert, for I am sure you are singing harmony in an astounding chorus now.

Jimi Hendrix • 1942 - 1970

On this day forty-two years ago, the world lost a great talent when Jimi Hendrix was discovered dead in the apartment of his girlfriend. To this day, many consider Hendrix to be the greatest electric guitar player that has ever lived, bar none. Remarkably, he gained this reputation with only three years in the spotlight, first garnering attention with a great performance at the 1967 Monterrey Pop Festival. Before that Jimi and his band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, had success in Europe, but were virtually unknowns in his home country. But Monterrey changed that, and he followed that up with another great showing time and again, including an iconic show at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. I will start with a wonderful blues performance by Hendrix, not a live video, but one certainly worth hearing. The song had music by the great Booker T. Jones and lyrics by the amazing William Bell. It is "Born Under A Bad Sign", and I hope you love it as much as I do.



Now we can take a look at the live performances that have been captured of the talented musician and showman. "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" was written by Jimi, and appeared on the third and final album from The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Electric Ladylove. The song was originated as a studio jam with Hendrix playing with another great guitarist, Steve Winwood. The music was taken to another level, as only Hendrix could.



"Purple Haze" appeared on the 1967 album, Are You Experienced?, the first album from The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was released as the second single off the album, and has gone on to reach iconic standing for many of the great minds of Rock music.



The next song was not written by Hendrix, although he so made the song his own, it is hard to really call it a cover. Stories say Hendrix kept returning to the studio over a three month period until he was satisfied, and Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower" appeared on the final album, Electric LadyLove.



As you can see and hear, Jimi Hendrix left a rich legacy behind, even though he left the world much too young. He was just 28 years old, with only three studio albums, although many lost recordings have surfaced and been repackaged time and time again in various compilations. You can purchase Experience Hendrix: The Best of The Jimi Hendrix on both iTunes and Amazon. But like many from that generation, Jimi found himself at the mercy of an addiction, found dead following a long night of partying. While the circumstances surrounding the discovery of his body have been long questioned, it doesn't change the fact that and inspired talented was no longer going to share his gifts with the world. Rest In Peace, Jimi.

RIP Ernest Borgnine

Ernest Borgnine, Academy Award-winning actor, passed away yesterday. He was 95 years old. He began his career as an actor on the stage, playing character roles from the beginning. He appeared in shows as varied as Tennessee Williams' Glass Managerie, to the Pulitzer Prize winning play Harvey, written by Mary Chase. While he might have won his Oscar for his lead int eh 1955 movie Marty, I will perhaps remember him best as the star of McHale's Navy, a show I thought was so very funny when I was a child. The show played from 1962 to 1966. It was classic comedy of the time, using physical comedy, and even a bit of slap-stick to make the viewers laugh. For his performance on the show, Borgnine won one of his four Emmy Awards. The show also had an unforgettable theme song.



I also must admit I remember him in The Poseidon Adventure, one of the early disaster films, filled with action, adventure, and stars. Released in December of 1972, it was the must successful film in 1973, at least according to box office receipts. The film won an Oscar for the theme song, sung by Maureen McGovern. "The Morning After" McGovern was already a Broadway actress, and this her first national, and international, success.



In 1974, McGovern followed with another hit, the theme song from The Towering Inferno. She was a go-to-singer for soundtracks during the 1970s. But back to Borgnine, he was also known by some for his three-year-run in the TV show Airwolf. A much younger crowd would know him from his voice work on SpongeBob SquarePants, playing Mermaid Man.



HE was also married five times during his lifetime, including a month-long match to belter Ethel Merman. He is survived by three daughters and 1 son, and his last wife, Tova Traesnaes Borgnine. They were together 39 years. She was also known as a businesswoman in her own right, having a cosmetic line on both QVC and infomercials. Borgnine had a career of 65 years as a working actor. Rest in peace Ernest Borgnine.

RIP Levon Helm • 1940 – 2012

Singer and drummer Levon Helm made musical history as part of The Band. On Thursday, Helm lost his battle with cancer. He was 71. I will remember him from The Last Waltz, which I went to see in the movie theaters with friends while still in high school, and I am so damn glad I did. Here is the performance of The Weight from the movie, with Levon starting the song off.



And this is his amazing performance of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down from the film. The song was recorded by The Band in 1969, written by talented guitarist Robbie Robertson. It was recorded in 1971 by Joan Baez, who had a hit with it. But the amazing vocals of Levon on the track will never be forgotten.



Rest in peace, Levon Helm. Your legacy will not be forgotten.

Amy Winehouse RIP

I wish I could say we were greeted with the shocking news that Amy Winehouse was found dead in her home today. Unfortunately, few find it to be shocking. Amy, whose star burned bright and quickly in the musical firmament, publicly fought her demons on many an occasion, and it became apparent that the demons often won. Most recently, that seem to be the case, with cancelled shows, and unfortunate performances. But there was a time when it was really all about the voice, the talent, and the gift she made of both to the world. So, without further words that will fall to the ground and futilely as did her life today, I just offer up a couple of performances that I will want to remember from the late and oh-so-talented Miss Amy Winehouse.

Don't Go To Strangers with Paul Weller




Tears Dry On Their Own




Love Is A Losing Game



Rest in peace, Amy. Amy you find your bliss in the celestial choir.

Dark Monday - Jill Clayburgh RIP

Just thought I would take a moment to say how sad I was to hear about the passing of actress Jill Clayburgh. When I read about it, I immediately thought back to the first Broadway musical I saw, Pippin, and she played Catherine. I was still in high school, and went on a school-sponsored trip. NYC is only a couple of hours away, so we could make the trip, catch a matinee, and be home. I was absolutely crazy about the the show, and it started my love for the theater. Clayburgh was magnificent in the role, playing a self-proclaimed "ordinary woman" who meets Pippin, who believes himself to be rather extraordinary.

Clayburgh went on to do many movies, becoming quite the popular actress with some interesting roles, some of the most interesting and liberated female characters of the 70s. To me, she will always be Catherine. Rest in peace, Jill Clayburgh.

RIP Teddy Pendergrass - 1950-2010

Philadelphia born Teddy Pendergrass passed away yesterday, January 13, 2010. Handsome, brimming with sex and machismo, Pendergrass is the enduring image I have of the man who was a part of my early adulthood, being from the Philadelphia area. Teddy started out his music career as a drummer for the group The Cadilllacs. In 1970, he joined Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes, a Philly-based group, as their drummer. Within months of joining the Bluenotes, the lead singer left, and Teddy was promoted to the job. Soon the band was signed to Philadelphia International Records, run by the the writing team of Gamble & Huff. In 1972 the group put out an eponymous album, featuring the monster hit If You Don't Know Me By Now, which shot up the charts, topping out at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on the Billboard R&B chart. Teddy's expressive vocals helped the song stand out from the rest of the music on the radio.



In total, the group released four albums, the last being 1975's Wake Up Everybody, which went into the Top 10 on the US Album chart. It also spawned the mega-hit of the same name. It was an amazing song, filled with political ideas, delivered in the inimitable Teddy style. This was one of my favorite Teddy songs, a truly great performance.



Not too long after this, Pendergrass went out on his own to make a solo career for himself. In 1977 he put out his debut, a self-titled album that continued his success. His second album, Life Is A Song Worth Singing, was released in 1978, along with the single, a Gamble & Huff penned tune Close The Door. Songs like this cemented his position as a loving yet sexy singer, and he looked damn good doing it.



His career continued to soar, staying near the top of the R&B and Pop charts thru 1982 when he was involved in an automobile accident, when the brakes on his Rolls reportedly failed. He went into the hospital for an extended period, and it was revealed he had a spinal chord injury, and was paralyzed from the waist down. He went through a prolonged recovery process, including physical therapy. His music stayed on the charts, thanks for the music he had recorded prior to the accident. He finally returned to the studio in 1984 to record his next album, This One's For You, which included a duet with a little known singer, Whitney Houston. In July 1985, Pendergrass took to the stage with Ashford & Simpson at the historic Live Aid concert in Philadelphia, making a triumphant return to live performance. They sang Reach Out And Touch, which he most certainly did that day, just shy of 40 months after the accident.



He was soon back to work, touring with his music, as well as touring in the gospel musical, Your Arms Too Short To Box With God. He also continued putting out albums and top rated singles. That included the song Joy, which made it to #1 on the R&B charts in 1988.



He continued on until 2006, when he retired from the music business. In 2009 he went back to the hospital with more medical problems, and passed away on January 13th, 2010, just 59 years old. His joy will most definitely be missed.

RIP - Patrick Swayze

I was saddened to hear last night Patrick Swayze had lost his battle with Pancreatic Cancer. A trained dancer, Swayze came to the public's eye in the independent film, Dirty Dancing. The film started a sensation, with tons of people rushing out to try this 'dirty' dancing. Of course, one of the things that helped this dancing be so dirty was the glorious body and handsome face of Swayze. Now, watching a clip is rather sad, with the late Swayze, the late Jerry Orbach, and Jennifer Grey's late nose.



Swayze also appeared with Demi Moore and Whoopie Goldberg in the movie Ghost. His murdered ghost seemed so much more alive than Moore's listless performance. Thankfully, Swayze played much of the movie with Goldberg, her colorful character keeping up with Swayze.



And there was the fantastic To Wong Fu (Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar), with Swayze, Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo playing drag queens making their way across the country, sorta like the American version of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. [And, by the way, didn't the bizarre outfit Lady GaGa have on at the VMAs look like an outfit out of Priscilla?] No matter, the movie had much charm, and quite wonderful to watch.



How nice he managed to leave quite a stamp in such different ways, different themes, and different styles. Rest in peace, Patrick Swayze.