Saturday, July 21, 2012

Lincoln High Alumni Association Website Now Open.

The Lincoln High Alumni Association has it's own independent website now in operation, as announced today at the Alumni Association's monthly meeting.

Log on at http://lhsaatigers.org/Home.html   There's still more to be done but this website should allow for better dissemination of information and provide more current updates of activities and plans.

Friday, July 20, 2012

July 19th of many years past- musicians and entertainers of our times.



Here are some of the things that jog your memory to days gone by- with reference to the LA Radio.com Rewind compilations as the source.  Well, if you aren’t very old, then there’s not that far to to go to be jogged.  But for others, you might notice how so many people, celebrities, we remembered as “young” or “not that old” are now pretty old.  But for some  of this flashback to a younger time, check the list that follows from laradio.com, with some of my comments added.
LARP Rewind: July 19.
On this day in 2011, Jimmy Buffett and his 11-piece Coral Reefer Band played a sold-out concert at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Along with his hits he sang his first chart single, The Great Filling Station Holdup, which reached #58 on the country chart in 1973. On this day in 1980, Billy Joel earned his first gold record, for It's Still Rock & Roll To Me, written by Joel and produced by Phil Ramone. The song was also Joel's first number-one hit.
On this day in 1975, Lefty Frizzell died of a stroke at 47. Born William Orville Frizzell in Corsicana, he had six number-one country hits, including Saginaw Michigan, Always Late and If You've Got The Money I've Got The Time.
On this day in 1966, Frank Sinatra, 50, married 21-year-old actress Mia Farrow.
On this day in 1923, Radio Corporation of America (RCA) put WRC, "The Voice Of The Capitol," on the air at 640 kHz in Washington, DC. WRC shared the frequency with AT&T's short-lived station WCAP.
BIRTHDAYS
Today, July 19, 2012, singer/guitarist Vikki Carr is 71.  Born Florencia Martinez Cardona (I have heard her recite her full name and it’s way longer) in El Paso, she signed with Liberty in 1962 and reached #115 with her first single, a version of Gene Pitney's “He's A Rebel”.  (YouTube audio with a video collage- or montage- of pics of this different treatment by a young Vikki Carr- showing the artist over the years; she seemed chubby in some that must be from a young age, with different changes in the look shown over the years but still exuding the same glamour over all this time.) (I saw her a few times on the Art Linkletter daytime t.v.  show when I was absent from LHS. Linkletter had a popular book, “Kids Say the Darndest Things,” some or much of the content taken from the interviews he did on the show with visiting local elementary school kids, a segment of each show. She was one of the few artists at that time that actually said she was "Mexican." You might remember that Linda Ronstadt had some Mexican roots she didn't seem to generally acknowledge until most of her rock years were behind her, while many new genres were ahead- and she had a fine voice, too, for all of them. )
In 1967 she got to #3 with It Must Be Him.”  In 1962 and 1968 she was a regular performer on a syndicated variety tv series hosted by trumpeter/bandleader Ray Anthony. Carr began recording Spanish-language albums in 1971 and has won three Grammy awards. Among her hit singles to make the Latin chart are Déjame, Discúlpame, Adoro, Mala Suerte, Cosas Del Amor and Hay Otro En Tu Lugar. She has performed for five US presidents and the Queen of England. Carr's latest CD, Viva La Vida, will be released in September.
(Checking the YouTube videos, her singing in Spanish or English still impresses me.  Hard to believe she’s 71.   Here’s a good sampling of her performances with some pretty good quality video- Vikki Carr Ni princesa ni esclava, Nomas ocho dias, Total (Duo con Ana Gabriel, Video).)  [I have no idea how old she was here but the voice is fine on all the songs over the years.  I have lots of her albums in vinyl that I haven’t heard in many years, and now hearing some of these samplings I remember how those were what they called, “easy listening,” just play and enjoy- my Andy Williams collection  dating from the 70s and 80s were in that category, too.]
Also today, George Hamilton IV (he is the guy with the ever-present tan) is 75, Commander Cody (George Frayne) is 68, Average White Band bassist/lead singer Alan Gorrie is 66, Flying Burrito Brothers/Eagles guitarist Bernie Leadon is 65, Queen guitarist Brian May is 65, Lucie Arnaz is 61.
On July 19, 1986, twenty-six years ago today, Michael W. Smith's Rocketown was beginning its fourth week at number one on the KYMS Top 40. God Only Knows by Russ Taff, former lead singer of the Imperials, was #2. David Meece climbed from #19 to #10 with Seventy Times Seven. Tonio K (born Antonio Krikorioan) jumped from #28 to #19 with Perfect World. Dion DiMucci, famous in the late 1950s as leader of “Dion & the Belmonts” (some good doo wop to hear in  “I Wonder Why”  audio on YouTube) (A very good quality video of “Runaround Sue performed live shows some of what we heard in days past) and in the '60s as a solo artist, (in 1968, was the original singer of “Abraham, Martin and John” that was a departure from his earlier styles,, accompanied with some classical guitar touches) moved from #27 to #26 with Crazy Too, from his contemporary Christian album, Velvet & Steel. High debut at #35 was Prayer For The Children by Allies. The quintet was led by Bob Carlisle, who would have a 1997 top-ten hit, Butterfly Kisses.

LHS Alumni Meeting Saturday at Cafe in the Heights

The LHS Alumni Association's July meeting will be at 9:30 a.m at the Cafe in the Heights on Saturday, July 21, 2012.  The Cafe is located across the street from the school on N. Broadway.

Some items to be covered at the meeting are the August Dodger game fundraiser and the November Alumni Dance fundraiser.  Coming up for more planning is the 2013 Lincoln High Centenial Celebration.  The football season for LHS is getting closer and the Alumni concessions stand will be back in operation so arrangements are being planned now.

The LAUSD calendar calls for classes to begin in August instead of September.  LHS was one of the first to begin using that schedule a few years ago before it was applied to all schools.  One main effect of this schedule would be to have the semester be completed before the Christmas break. 

It's a shorter summer however, but there's also a shorter school year with the days cut back more and more as the LAUSD tries reducing the work year to avoid cutting more teachers.

And there's the continuing issue of charter schools becoming the beneficiaries of the LAUSD school construction program.  Would voters have approved the huge bond measure many years ago if they knew many brand new schools would be operated by charter schools?

But all that's not part of the meeting topics- just a note to see some of the other things going on in the district.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Some July 9th Reference Points in Music and Entertainment

The very informative website www.LARadio.com has one part of the website I present here. That LARP Rewind section always  gets me to think how fast time goes by and how some things don't seem as old as they are- to me, at least.

From the high school perspective, coming out of Lincoln in 1967 by way of graduation, it was the middle of the war in Vietnam, the Summer of Love was here, and two years had passed since the Watts Riot.  It was one year before Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed in April 1968, and two months later, Robert F. Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel here in L.A. after winning the California June primary.

So, you may or may not have some close or vivid memories to these all of events and people, but there should be some here to get you thinking about different times.
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From:
LARP Rewind: July 9.
On this day in 2010, during a Santana concert at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Illinois, lead guitarist Carlos Santana proposed to his girlfriend, Cindy Blackman, who toured with the group as their drummer and also recorded and toured with Lenny Kravitz. They would marry five months later in Maui.

On this day in 1965, ten weeks after switching from adult contemporary to top 40, KHJ published its first Boss 30 survey folder. On the cover was 9pm-to-midnight "Boss Jock" Sam Riddle.  (Sam Riddle would be hosting locally on Channel 9 each afternoon the very popular dance show, "9th Street West").  The Rolling Stones' Satisfaction was number one.

On this day in 1957, Dick Clark replaced Bob Horn as host of WFIL/tv's Bandstand after Horn was fired following a drunk-driving arrest. The Philadelphia program would go national a year later on ABC as American Bandstand and run until 1989.

Today, July 9, 2012, Ed Ames is 85. Born Edmund Urick in Malden, Massachusetts, he formed a group with his three brothers, Gene, Vic and Joe, while still in high school. Taking Vic's middle name, they called themselves the Amory Brothers. They performed around Boston and with Art Mooney's orchestra, then became the Ames Brothers. From 1948 to 1960 they had 33 top-40 hits, including Rag Mop, You You You, Tammy and The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane.

Ed played a Native American character, Mingo, on the first four seasons of Fess Parker's 1960s tv series, Daniel Boone. In 1967 Ed had a top-ten solo hit, My Cup Runneth Over. Also today, bluegrass mandolinist Jesse McReynolds is 83, James Hampton is 76, Brian Dennehy is 74, Richard Roundtree (He played the title role in the movie "Shaft"- made more memorable by the title song that Isaac Hayes sang) is 70, pianist/composer John Tesh is 60, country singer/guitarist David Ball is 59, Sister Sledge vocalist Debbie Sledge is 58, tv actor Jimmy Smits is 57, Tom Hanks is 56, Soft Cell lead singer Marc Almond is 55, Kelly McGillis is 55, Simple Minds lead singer Jim Kerr is 53, Courtney Love is 48, White Stripes lead singer Jack White is 37, Fred Savage (child star of a favorite of mine in the late 80s to early 90s, "The Wonder Years") is 36, Disney Channel actor/singer Mitchel Musso is 21.

On July 9, 1977, thirty-five years ago today, Best Of My Love by the Emotions was in its fourth week at number one on the KGFJ Soul 40.  The group was three sisters who as children had sung gospel and called themselves Heavenly Sunshine. Best Of My Love would earn them a Grammy for best r&b vocal group. The Floaters, a Detroit quartet, jumped from #10 to #6 with Float On. War climbed from #16 to #11 with L.A. Sunshine. High debut at #35 was Clean Up The Ghetto by the Philadelphia International All Stars (Archie Bell, Billy Paul, Lou Rawls, Dee Dee Sharp and the O'Jays).

Saturday, July 07, 2012

On July 6th, Recollections- old and not as old- and Birthdays


Some Entertainment recollections from the past and birthdays from laradio.com’s LARP Rewind for July 6 -
On this day in 2010, Poor Boy Records released Custom Built, the fourth studio album by Poison lead singer Bret Michaels. It included a duet with Miley Cyrus, Nothing To Lose, and reached #14 on the album chart.

On this day in 1998, Western actor/singer Roy Rogers died at 88. On this day in 1971, Louis Armstrong died of heart failure at 69.

On this day in 1964, the Beatles' first film, A Hard Day's Night, premiered in London.

On this day in 1947, ABC Radio debuted Allen Funt's Candid Microphone, which would evolve into the tv show Candid Camera.

On this day in 1937, Benny Goodman and his orchestra, including Gene Krupa on drums and Harry James on trumpet, recorded Sing Sing Sing for Victor Records. The recording was 8:43 in length and took both sides of a 12-inch 78-rpm record. It reached only #7 on the chart but has become Goodman's most renowned song. Sing Sing Sing was written by Louis Prima, who first recorded it in 1936 for Brunswick.

Today, July 6, 2012,  singer/actress Della Reese is 81, Ned Beatty is 75, r&b singer Gene Chandler is 75, country singer Jeannie Seely is 72, Sylvester Stallone is 66, singer/guitarist Nanci Griffith is 59, rapper 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson III) is 37.

On July 6, 1968, forty-four years ago today, Boogaloo No. 1 by Leo Acosta, a Mexican drummer and orchestra leader, was in its second week at number one on the KALI Top 30. At #2 was Cuando Me Enamoro by Angélica Maria, a singer-songwriter and telenovela actress. Henry Mancini's Norma La De Guadalajara was #7. Released as a single from the album The Big Latin Sound Of Henry Mancini, it went to #21 on the adult contemporary chart and number one in Mexico. José Feliciano jumped from #18 to #8 with Lágrimas Negras/La Copa Rota. High debut at #29 was El Juego De Simon by Los Rockin Devils, a rock'n'roll band formed in 1962 in Tijuana by brother and sister Frankie and Blanca Estrada.