Louis Armstrong, also known as “Satchmo,” was one of the most influential American musicians in history. He was a civil rights pioneer who broke down numerous racial barriers. Widely known for popular songs such as “What A Wonderful World,” “Star Dust,” and “Hello, Dolly,” he was also one of the first to transform jazz from an ensemble performance to a soloist’s art.
Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901. Growing up in harsh poverty in New Orleans, he lived mostly with his maternal grandmother in a neighborhood so rough it was nicknamed “The Battlefield.” Armstrong dropped out of school in the fifth grade so that he could work, and in 1912, on New Year’s Day, he shot his stepfather’s gun in the middle of the street, after which he was sent to the Colored Waifs Home as a juvenile.
At the Waifs Home, Armstrong became the leader of the Waifs Home Brass Band. When he was released in 1914, he set his sights on becoming a professional musician and was mentored by one of his city’s top cornetists, Joe “King” Oliver. Armstrong would eventually replace Oliver in Kid Ory’s Band. In 1924, Armstrong played with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra in New York for a year before returning to Chicago to focus on his solo career. It was there that he created some of his most notable works with a band under his own name, “Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five,” which later became “Hot Seven.” By 1929, he was widely known, and he continued to tour as a solo artist accompanied by large orchestras around America and Europe for many years.
In 1935, Armstrong hired a new manager by the name of Joe Glazer. Glazer would remain Armstrong’s manager for the rest of his life, hiring Armstrong’s bands, setting up recording deals with Decca, and guiding his film career and radio appearances. “Satchmo” often came across as good-humored to the public, but in 1947, he played a rare dramatic role in the film “New Orleans.” Performing with a Dixieland band in the film inspired the formation of Armstrong’s All Stars, with whom he continued to tour for the rest of his career.
The years of non-stop touring eventually took a toll on Armstrong’s health. He had his first heart attack in 1959, later returning to the hospital in 1968 for kidney and liver issues. Doctors encouraged him not to continue with his grueling schedule, but he couldn’t stay away from the stage. He returned to performing in 1970, but his health again took a turn and Armstrong passed away at his home in Queens, New York on July 6, 1971.
Louis Armstrong was a bandleader, singer, soloist, film star, and comedian, and he had an almost unmatched impact on jazz and popular music. His timeless hits are favorites of many of our listeners and are considered staples of the Life 103.1 music library.
(biography.com, grunge.com, louisarmstronghouse.org, britannica.com)
Carly Elisabeth Simon was born on June 25, 1945, making her 77 on this year’s birthday. She is the daughter of Richard L. Simon, who was the co-founder of Simon & Schuster. Both parents had musical talents, her father a classical pianist and her mother a singer. Carly has two older sisters and a younger brother. One of the older sisters, Lucy, and Carly joined together forming the Simon Sisters. The sisters released three albums, but the group dissolved when Lucy gave up her career for family life.
Simon’s resume includes singer, songwriter, musician, and children’s author. Success as a singer-songwriter came to her in the 1970s with the following hits: “Anticipation,” “The Right Thing to Do,” “Haven’t Got Time for the Pain,” “You Belong to Me,” “Coming Around Again,” “You’re So Vain” (No. 1), “Mockingbird,” which was a duet with James Taylor, “Nobody Does It Better,” and “Jesse.”
Her biggest hit, reaching number one in the US, and the one with so much speculation and debate was “You’re So Vain.” Who is this song about? In 2004, Simon told Regis Philbin: “I’ve given out two letters already, an ‘A’ and an ‘E.’ But I’m going to add one to it. I’m going to add an ‘R’ in honor of you.” Then in November 2015 Simon confirmed that the second verse is about Warren Beatty. Simon has said in the past that the song refers to three men even though Warren Beatty believes that the entire song is about him. One line in the song, “clouds in my coffee,” has also been explained. Simon has said that while she was on an airplane, “As I got my coffee, there were clouds outside the window of the airplane, and you could see the reflection in the cup of coffee. The friend stated, ‘Look at the clouds in your coffee.’”
In 1972 Simon married James Taylor and had two children. Sarah Maria ‘Sally’ Taylor was born in 1974. Sally has released music both as a solo artist and with her band, The Slip. Ben Taylor was born in 1977, and he is also a singer-songwriter.
Simon’s success continued through 1983, but the album, “Hello Big Man,” her 12th album, was not a hit and her recording company at the time, Epic Records, cancelled her contract. Rebooting her career in 1986 with Arista Records, Simon recorded “Coming Around Again,” which went Platinum in 1988. During these years, Simon contributed as a songwriter to many motion pictures, with songs like “Let the River Run” for the film “Working Girl.” Simon is the first artist to win all three major awards – Oscar, Golden Globe, and Grammy.
In the 2010s, Simon continued to be busy singing and authoring two memoirs. Another career highlight is that she will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November as part of the Class of 2022.
At Life 103.1, Carly Simon songs are part of our “Timeless Favorites” playlist, songs that are indeed timeless in their appeal.
(allmusic.com, biography.com, carlysimon.com, Wikipedia.com)
Linda Marie Ronstadt was born July 15, 1946, in Tucson, Arizona and learned to play guitar like her father. She enrolled in the University of Arizona, but soon left to move to Los Angeles, where she joined folk musician Bob Kimmel and guitarist Kenny Edwards to form the Stone Poneys. The group achieved modest success, before she embarked on a solo career in 1968.
Ronstadt was influential during a career that spanned more than four decades and is credited with helping to establish what is now known as country rock. She appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1977. Along with original songs, she often recorded covers in a variety of genres, including country, rock, folk, jazz, and even a number of Spanish language songs. Her self-titled album (her third solo album) featured session musicians that would eventually form the Eagles.
In the early ‘80s, Ronstadt shifted focus from music to acting, when she was cast in the Broadway version of “Pirates of Penzance.” She later starred in the film version as well. In 1986, she recorded “Somewhere Out There,” the theme for Don Bluth’s animated feature, “An American Tail.” This was followed soon after in 1987 with a return to country music and the recording of Trio, an album that featured Ronstadt, along with Dolly Parton, and Emmylou Harris. Trio II was recorded in 1999.
Ronstadt has won several awards during the course of her career, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALMA award for Special Achievement, the National Medal of Arts, and Kennedy Center Honors.
Her last concert was in 2009. In 2013, Ronstadt disclosed that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which caused her to lose her ability to sing and perform. That same year she released her autobiography and was elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She never married, though she did date several celebrities, including actor Jim Carrey and producer George Lucas (Star Wars).
Here at Life 103.1, we’re pleased to include in our “Timeless Favorites” playlist a number of her most popular hits, songs that are indeed timeless in their appeal.
(allmusic.com, britannica.com, lindaronstadt.com, biography.com)
Neil Leslie Diamond was born on January 24, 1941. His father was a shopkeeper, who also served in the military for a time. Diamond grew up in Brooklyn, except for a couple of years in Wyoming – the family had moved when his father was stationed there.
His interest in music began at an early age. He was part of the chorus at Erasmus Hall High School. Barbra Streisand was also part of the chorus at that time. At 16, he received his first guitar as a birthday gift and began song writing.
He formed a singing duo with Jack Packer, a friend of his younger brother, and the two released songs under the name Neil & Jack. He met little success with Neil & Jack and the duo soon broke up.
He attended New York University on a fencing scholarship as a pre-med student before leaving to pursue his song writing career. He penned several hits for other artists, including “I’m a Believer” for The Monkees. He also composed the score for the 1973 film Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Although the film did not garner much critical acclaim or box office success, it did earn Diamond a Grammy Award for “Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or TV Special.” He worked on the soundtracks for many films over the course of his career, including 1994’s Pulp Fiction.
His first album included the singles “Solitary Man” and “Cherry, Cherry” and led to appearances on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand.” He also appeared on The Mike Douglas Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and in an episode of the show “Mannix.” He turned down many acting roles, preferring to work behind the scenes on soundtracks, or to appear as himself, which he did in the 1978 documentary The Last Waltz.
In 1970, at Hollywood’s Troubador nightclub, Diamond introduced Elton John – it was the British star’s first appearance on stage in the US. According to allmusic.com, “[E]arly in the 21st century, [Diamond] ranked third, behind only Elton John and Barbra Streisand, on the list of the most successful adult contemporary artists in the history of the Billboard chart.”
Diamond has been inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame (1984) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2011). He has also received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Kennedy Center Honor.
In 2018, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and abruptly cancelled the final leg of his 50th Anniversary World Tour. He has been married three times and lives with his current wife in Colorado. Diamond has four children.
We here at Life 103.1 are pleased to include in our “Timeless Favorites” playlist a number of his most popular hits, songs that are indeed timeless in their appeal.
(allmusic.com, imdb.com, liveabout.com, biography.com)
One of the best-known vocal groups of all time, the Temptations are renowned for their harmonies and distinct choreography. The group began in 1961 with the merger of two other Motown groups, the Primes and the Distants. First known as the Elgins, the group changed their name to avoid conflict with another group already using the name and signed with Miracle Records.
The music of the Temptations is unmistakable. Their first big hit came in 1964 with “The Way You Do The Things You Do.” During the early years, Smokey Robinson wrote and produced their songs. When Robinson stepped aside, Norman Whitfield took over writing and production. Under his direction during the late ‘60s and into the ‘70s, the group shifted their signature sound from soul to more psychedelic funk. The Temptations have continued to endure, periodically updating their style to remain contemporary.
Still performing today, the group has changed over the years, losing and replacing members. Otis Williams, who rarely sang lead, is the only remaining member from the original lineup of the 1960s. He still performs with the group today. Some members embarked on solo careers, while others were dismissed or died.
In addition to creating their own music, the Temptations have influenced many other artists, the Motown Museum stating that “the Temptations’ influence on R&B and soul music has been compared by music experts to the impact the Beatles ha[d] on pop and rock.” The group has been featured in the music of other artists, including Rick James (“Standing on the Top” and “Superfreak”) and Rod Stewart (“The Motown Song”).
The Temptations have stars on both the Hollywood (1994) and Apollo Theatre (2019) Walks of Fame. They have won several Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. Their first Grammy, for Best R&B Performance in 1969, was the first ever Grammy for a Motown artist. In 1974, at the first American Music Awards, the Temptations were named Favorite R&B Vocal Group.
The Temptations have also been inducted into both the Rock and Roll (1989) and the Rhythm and Blues (2013) Halls of Fame. “My Girl” (1998) and “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” (1999) have both been added to the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2018, “My Girl” was also added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” and “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” were all included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.”
Billboard Magazine has listed the Temptations as both the “# 1 R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of All Time” (2017) and one of “125 Greatest of All Time Artists” (2019). The Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame named the Temptations as the “R&B Male Group of the 20th Century” (2017). And Rolling Stone Magazine listed their 1973 album Anthology as one of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” in both 2003 and 2012. The Broadway musical also recently won a Tony Award for best choreography in 2019.
The Temptations have lasted for more than sixty years and show no signs of slowing down. We here at Life 103.1 are pleased to include in our “Timeless Favorites” playlist a number of their most popular hits, songs that are indeed timeless in their appeal.
(allmusic.com, rollingstone.com, motownmuseum.org, temptationsofficial.com, classic.motown.com, walkoffame.com)
Van Morrison was born George Ivan Morrison in Belfast, Northern Ireland on August 31, 1945. His mother was a jazz singer, and his father worked in a shipyard as an electrician. Morrison’s father was an avid record collector and his taste in blues and jazz had a great impact on Morrison’s taste in music.
Morrison is a talented musician and a prolific songwriter. Over the course of his career, he has released more than 40 albums, many of which have been certified gold or better, with a few even being classified as triple platinum. Such success is impressive considering Morrison was never a showman and refused to follow the current music trends.
At 15, Morrison left school and began touring with The Monarchs, a local band that played at military bases around Europe. When he joined The Monarchs he knew how to play guitar, and during his time touring with them, he taught himself saxophone and harmonica. A few years later, when he was 19, Morrison returned to Belfast and took up with another band called Them. Them had some success in the mid-1960s with songs Morrison wrote. His song “Gloria,” according to allmusic.com, “endures among the true classics of the rock pantheon, covered by everyone from the Doors to Patti Smith.”
The members of Them kept changing, the group was unstable, and eventually the band’s producer, Bert Berns, insisted that studio musicians take over most of the recording. After a Them’s tour of the US in 1966, Morrison left the band and returned to Belfast once again. Meanwhile Berns moved to New York to start a new label called Bang Records. Berns persuaded Morrison to come back to the States to record as a solo artist. In 1967, Morrison finally got his big break with the release of “Brown Eyed Girl.” Morrison’s other recordings during that time were meant to be released as singles, but Berns instead released them as the album Blowin’ Your Mind, against Morrison’s wishes. The album performed poorly, and Morrison again left the US for Belfast. At the end of 1967, Berns suffered a fatal heart attack, which freed Morrison from his contract.
He then signed with Warner Brothers and in 1968 released Astral Weeks. Later considered a creative masterpiece, and even the defining album of his career, Astral Weeks was a poor seller. It was “too unconventional” for the mainstream markets and was only certified gold in 2001, more than 30 years after its release.
He took three years off from the music business following his first divorce, but returned with a new album in 1977. He continued to produce new albums each year and is still touring today.
Many artists have found greater success with Morrison’s songs than he did. His “Have I Told You Lately” peaked at #12, while Rod Stewart took the same song to #5 in 1993. Morrison’s “Wild Nights” made it only to #28, while John Mellencamp’s cover climbed to #3 in 1994.
Over the course of his career, Morrison has been awarded several Grammys, and even been knighted. Morrison, however, is a private individual, eschewing celebrity. In 1994, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was the first living inductee not to attend the induction ceremony.
Morrison has been married and divorced twice. He has one daughter with his first wife, Janet Planet, whom he married in 1968 to avoid deportation from the US. He and Janet divorced in 1973. Morrison married his second wife, Michelle Rocca, in 1992, and they divorced in 2018. He and Rocca have two children together.
We here at Life 103.1 are pleased to include in our “Timeless Favorites” playlist a number of his most popular hits, songs that are indeed timeless in their appeal.
(allmusic.com, britannica.com, vanmorrison.com, rockhall.com, biography.com)
Sam Cooke in the studio in the early 1960s.
Sam Cooke was an extraordinary performer who appealed to both black and white audiences during a time of great social unrest. Known as the Father of Soul, Sam Cooke was born on January 22, 1931, in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He was the fifth of eight children born to Charles Cook and Anna Mae Cook. Sam later added the “e” to his surname when his career began to take off. His father was a minister who relocated the family to Chicago.
Cooke began singing in church at a young age. He joined three of his siblings to form the Singing Children in the 1930s. Later, as a teen, he joined a local gospel group called the Teen Highway QCs. The QCs were heavily influenced by the national gospel group The Soul Stirrers. In 1951, Cooke became the lead singer of The Soul Stirrers. The group had an aggressive travel schedule, performing at venues all over the country.
After a few years touring with The Soul Stirrers, Cooke began to branch out into secular music. At the time, artists could not “crossover” from gospel to secular music. The sentiment was so strong that in 1956, when Cooke was ready to record his first pop song, “Loveable,” he did so under a pseudonym, Dale Cooke. But his voice was too distinctive – fans knew ‘Dale’ was actually Sam, and as a result of the backlash he was dropped as the lead singer of The Soul Stirrers.
The following year Cooke recorded “You Send Me” for a small label (Keen Records). It would become his first #1 hit on both R&B and pop charts. It sold nearly 2 million copies, making Cooke an “overnight success.” The song was so popular it replaced Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock” at the top of the charts. His early success made him a desirable artist, and several large record labels competed to represent him. In 1960, Cooke became one of the first black artists to sign with RCA Records, one of the three biggest record labels in the world at the time. Cooke signed with RCA because doing so allowed him to keep his copyrights. He to a large extent directed his own career rather than delegating control to a manager or record label executive. In addition to his own singing career, Cooke also helped develop the careers of others through his own record label (Kags Records) and publishing company. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame called him a “groundbreaking black entrepreneur operating within the mainstream music industry.”
Cooke was married twice. He had a child out of wedlock with his high school sweetheart, Barbara Campbell, and a year later in 1953 married his first wife, Dolores Mohawk. They divorced in 1957, and in 1959 Cooke married Campbell. Cooke and Campbell had two more children. In 1963, their 18-month-old son Vincent tragically drowned in the family swimming pool.
Cooke’s career success was solid in the early 1960s. He had produced several #1 hits, retained control of his career objectives, and was starting to produce more socially conscious songs, such as “A Change Gonna Come,” which he wrote after witnessing the success of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Many thought Cooke was poised to break new ground in his songwriting, but in December 1964, Cooke was killed in Los Angeles. He was 33 years old. The circumstances of his death were mysterious, and some allege they were never properly investigated.
Most of his awards were bestowed posthumously. He was inducted as a charter member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1989, he was inducted again, that time as a member of The Soul Stirrers in the Early Influencers category. In 1994, he was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And in 2013, he was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame at Cleveland State University. Cooke has also been designated as the 16th Greatest Rock & Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.
We at Life 103.1 are pleased to include in our “Timeless Favorites” playlist a number of his most popular hits, songs that are indeed timeless in their appeal.
(allmusic.com, encyclopedia.com, imdb.com, rockhall.com, biography.com)
Frank Sinatra was an accomplished singer, songwriter, and actor, whose award-winning career spanned over five decades. Known as Ol’ Blue Eyes, The Sultan of Swoon, The Voice, and Chairman of the Board, he was born in Hoboken, New Jersey on December 12, 1915, to immigrants. His mother, Natalina Della, was from northern Italy, and his father, Saverio Antonino Martino Sinatra, was a boxer, fireman, and bar owner from Sicily. A difficult delivery resulted in a punctured eardrum, which prevented him from later serving in the military during World War II.
In 1935, Sinatra saw Bing Crosby in concert and decided that he would become a singer. His first big break came in 1935. He had auditioned alone for the opportunity to appear on Major Bowes and His Original Amateur Hour, a radio talent show popular in the 1930s and 1940s. A trio, known as the Three Flashes, also auditioned. Producers decided to combine the two acts and renamed them the Hoboken Four. The group disbanded not long after.
Sinatra went solo, and during the 1940s he had 17 Top Ten Singles. He was known for his baritone voice and big band style of music. In 1941, Billboard named him Top Male Vocalist of the Year. He also won several Grammys during his career, including Album of the Year in 1959, 1965, and 1966. In 1973, Songwriters of America named Sinatra Entertainer of the Century.
He continued to sing, but in the 1950s began an impressive acting career as well, winning a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor (1954) for From Here to Eternity, and another for Best Actor (1958) for Pal Joey. Sinatra’s role in From Here to Eternity also won him the 1954 Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In 1960, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1973, he was presented with the Life Achievement Award by the Screen Actors Guild. Some of his other film credits include Anchors Aweigh (1945), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), Guys and Dolls (1955), and The Manchurian Candidate (1962).
During the 1960s, Sinatra started The Rat Pack, which consisted of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. They performed at The Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. The Rat Pack starred in several movies together, including Ocean’s 11 (1960) and Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964).
In 1980, Sinatra was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame. And in 1985 President Ronald Reagan presented Sinatra with the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award for “distinguished civilian service in peacetime.”
Sinatra had three children from his first marriage with Nancy Barbato. His duet with daughter Nancy, “Something Stupid,” was Number One on the Billboard charts in 1967. Sinatra was also married to Johnston County’s own actress Ava Gardner, and later to actress Mia Farrow. He was married a final time in 1976 to Barbara Marks, and the couple stayed together until his death in 1998.
If Sinatra were alive today, he would have turned 103 years old this December (2018), and we at Life 103.1 are pleased to include in our “Timeless Favorites” playlist a number of his most popular hits, songs that are indeed timeless in their appeal.
(sinatra.com; biography.com; allmusic.com; rollingstone.com; imdb.com)
The Beach Boys began as three brothers, their cousin, and a school friend from Hawthorne, California, who liked to sing and enjoyed harmonizing together. Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, along with cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine, made up the original members of the group. When they were all teenagers, the group recorded “Surfin’.” The novelty song was released under the band name “The Pendletones.” Its popularity led to a contract with Capitol Records, and the group was renamed The Beach Boys.
The Beach Boys started out in the classic surf rock genre, but under Brian’s leadership as manager and producer branched out into other song styles. The best example would be the Pet Sounds album released in May 1966. Though critically acclaimed, the album was not especially popular with American listeners and failed to earn gold certification. International audiences were more receptive, however, and the album climbed to #2 in England. By the end of 1966, The Beach Boys were voted “best group” in polls by NME (New Musical Express, a British publication), scoring even higher than The Beatles.
During the early to mid-60s, The Beach Boys were The Beatles strongest chart competition. According to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, “Pet Sounds had a profound impact on the Beatles as they were creating 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
Along with their success, the group has suffered some loss over the years. In 1983, Dennis Wilson drowned, and in 1998 Carl Wilson died after a battle with lung cancer. The group continued with original members leaving, being replaced, and then coming back. During one of Brian Wilson’s breaks with the band (1964), Glen Campbell briefly toured with The Beach Boys as a musician. In 2012, the original surviving members reunited for 50th anniversary celebrations and their 29th studio album That’s Why God Made The Radio. Brian Wilson continues to tour as a solo artist. Other members of the group also continue to tour. The Beach Boys recently performed on PBS’s A Capitol Fourth (July 2018), along with John Stamos and Jimmy Buffett.
The Beach Boys have won several awards, including the Kid’s Choice Award for Favorite Song (“Kokomo” in 1989) and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2001). In 1974, Rolling Stone Magazine named The Beach Boys the Band of the Year. The group was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Their official band website states that the group is “America’s first pop band to reach the 50-year milestone.”
We’re pleased to include in our “Timeless Favorites” playlist a number of The Beach Boys’ most popular hits, songs that are indeed timeless in their appeal.
[billboard.com, thebeachboys.com, allmusic.com, rockhall.com]