#Cissy Davis

[comic-covers]

(1970)

[lmmontgomerypolls]

*who in this case LIVES ok ):

** not an orphan, just in serious need of a parent

[packet-of-staples]

So I found some Rawfury videos of Yuri Lowenthal, Krizia Bajos and Cissy Jones talking about their characters and talking about the game before it was released (I was looking for clips for OC voice claims) and there was something in Cissy's Vivian video that kinda stuck out to me.

So what she says about Vivian exactly is: "Arcadia to her is- its not only where she's built her career, its where she's building her legacy, and uh, for her this is something really important. She wants to leave something of value, something that's worth a lot to people-"

Now, from a non spoiler point of view this is like, oh yeah rich Ceo lady wants to leave a mark on the world. Ceos are always talking about legacy, wanting to leave something behind, be something great yadda yadda. Added bonus if you know that she's supposed to be Elijah's '''Granddaughter''', she wants to continue her family's legacy all checks out.

But, knowing who she really is, not Elijah's granddaughter but one of the Arcadia 6, makes this sentence a lot more interesting. You could see this as her wanting to remake her legacy, because she technically already had one. Emily Garland is one of the 6 Arcadian born citizens to escape the dome, that's something pretty cool to be known for. But she threw that away, she sold out and chose to support the very company that oppressed her and many others like her. So now she has to make something more of herself to justify that choice. If she can make Arcadia greater, bring it out of its current slump like Howard Ashman did for Disney, then she's no longer the escapee who sold out because she was too weak to handle the outside world, she's the amazing woman who made American Arcadia popular again!

Cissy goes on to say: "-and so she works really really hard to make this thing, um, the best it can be with the most interesting people-" (She also goes on to call Trevor 'a bit of an L 7' or a square and I think that's really funny, like yeah, yeah he wouldn't be there, he would be square)

She does work really hard to leave something that, in her eyes, is positive to her image. She's reinventing herself to make her crawling back to the company worth it. To prove to herself that it wasn't a mistake and to leave a legacy that, hopefully, most people will look fondly on instead of in contempt or betrayal. She wants to leave something of value, because I can imagine there is a part of her that doesn't hold any value in herself, not after failing to make a difference that actually mattered and becoming part of the problem.

And I dunno I feel like that adds just an extra layer to her which is pretty cool. I could also be reading way too much into this idk.

Anyway, the other two videos are very cool too. Yuri talks about how Trevor's life isn't boring like Walton thinks it is, its just 'Exciting in the wrong way'. He also talks about how he thinks lots of people will relate to Trevor (So true) and how just because your life may be simple, it doesn't mean its boring and not worth living which I think is very sweet. Thank you Yuri. Krizia talks about how she really related to Angela because she grew up on Puerto Rico and how she got to add a couple of 'spicy words' as she put it, in her dialogue for a bit of extra authenticity. She also talked about how Walton was the job Angela always wanted, but after 'peaking behind the curtain' she realised that it wasn't the dream she thought is was, it's both kinda heart breaking but also very relatable, especially I'm sure to those in the entertainment industry. It makes me really want to know what her 'peak behind the curtain' moment was and what the steps where to get her to this point in more detail (Hey hey, Out of the Blue, hey please. please make that prologue thing you said was a good idea of mine on twitter. Hey, please? Please? It has the Regi Davis stamp of approval, please?)

The videos are very cool I'll put them under the cut if you're interested. I just wanted to have a ramble cause I haven't in a while and I've just been thinking about this.

[retropopcult]

"Saving All My Love for You" is a song made famous by American singer Whitney Houston, who recorded it for her debut album in 1985. It became her first single to hit #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and eventually went Platinum for sales of over 1 million copies. At the 28th Annual Grammy Awards, it won for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

The song caused some controversy for Houston due to its theme of having an affair with a married man. Her mother, Cissy, did not like the scenario described in the lyrics, claiming that the song's message would reflect badly on her daughter. However, later Whitney herself confessed, “I was going through a terrible love affair at the time. He was married, and that will never work out for anybody. Never, no way.”

"Saving All My Love" was originally written by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin during the 1970s and first recorded by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis for their album but not released as a single. Years later, Masser saw Whitney for the first time in New York when she was singing one of his songs, "The Greatest Love of All". After her performance, Houston told Masser that the song was one of her favorites and later, Masser was chosen by Arista to produce some tracks for Houston's first album.  He offered up "Saving All My Love" and she said she "immediately responded to it, emotionally."

After the success of her previous single, "You Give Good Love", the executives at Arista Records didn't think "Saving All My Love for You" was a good follow up for next single. When Masser heard this, he made a friendly wager with Arista's president, Clive Davis, during one of Houston's performances at the Roxy Theatre in LA. Masser proposed that if all the women got on their feet when Houston started single "Saving All My Love", then Davis would agree that it should be the next single. They did and it was. 

[reusedtvseriescostumes]

This Candy stripe nurse outfits is worn in Family Affair (1967) on Kathy Garver as Cissy Patterson-Davis and worn in The Hardy Boys (1978) on Jean Marie Hon as Kim and many years later worn in Pretty Little Liars (2011) on Lucy Hale as Aria Montgomery and worn again in Kickin' It: Breaking Board (2012) on Olivia Holt as Kim Crawford and worn again in Masters of Sex (2013) Rose McIver as Vivian Scully.

[burins]

as promised the separate comics/graphic novels roundup for 2023! this is a normal post until May when I realized I could (as a graphic novel librarian) become an Eisner voter and read 54 comics in a month (and then slightly less so in August when the Harveys came up.) below a cut because it's heinously long. I'll include my little write-ups and some panels right after my faves

JANUARY

Under the Red Hood by Judd Winick and Doug Mahnke I read this January second. Begin as you mean to go on! For all its flaws (Dick's Squidward face) the emotional arc of this story puts me right into the pit about Jason Todd.

Superman: Reign of the Supermen by Dan Jurgens and others

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest (ongoing) by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, and Travis Moore First off Dan Mora draws everyone like the most beautiful people in the world, which never hurts to look at. But also this is just a really fun comic! The action is fun the characters are very sweet and we get an honest to god Superbat gem fusion

Young Justice (1998) by Peter David and Todd Nauck MY CHILDREN! I was finishing up my Tim readthrough and was so delighted to meet Kon and Cassie and Bart and Cissie and Anita (I still don't care for Lobo.) Nauck's art is cartoony in a way that fits the comic really well.

Red Robin by Christopher Yost, Fabian Nicieza, Ramón Bachs, and Marcus To THEEEEE ARC for Tim. Everyone says read Red Robin. Yes read Red Robin but also understand this is him at his worst and most scrungly. This is not normal Tim. This is Tim's failgirl era.

Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day by Judd Winick and Ale Garza

MARCH

You and a Bike and a Road by Eleanor Davis Beautiful little memoir comic about biking across the US, and also about borders and travel and isolation/togetherness.

Superman for All Seasons by Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale, and Bjarne Hansen I love this comic. Tim Sale draws Clark like the biggest, softest person you've ever seen, and Bjarne Hansen's colors are so gentle. (if you remember the rock metaphor from mission parameters, it's inspired by this scene from Book 1: Spring)

APRIL

Superman: Lost by Christopher Priest and Carlos Parlaguyan (ongoing) This series cuts right to the horror of being Superman and also the horror of being Lois Lane SO deftly. a few plot points I don't love but overall God it makes me miserable

Birds of Maine by Michael Deforge A delightful, dreamy collection of comics about birds living in a utopian society on the moon. The art is weird, the story is weird, everything about it is lovely.

MAY

Divinity v1-2 by Matt Kindt and Trevor Hairsine

The City of Belgium by Brecht Evans This is not a perfect graphic novel but the stuff it does with art and page and rhythm is so so phenomenal.

Lights, Planets, People! by Lizzy Stewart and Molly Naylor

Killadelphia v1-3 by Rodney Barnes, Jason Shawn Alexander, and Christopher Mitten

The Department of Truth v1-4 by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds This is a book about conspiracy theories and it is DEEPLY unsettling. Martin Simmonds' art makes me legitimately queasy to look at. Really really good but also it did send me into a little spiral for a bit.

Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely (Mat Lopes' colors also deserve a shoutout) This book made me cry! Also I have yet to read another Kara comic because this one was so good and I'm afraid the others won't be. She's sharp and angry in all the best ways and also deeply deeply caring and good. Capes meets space fantasy at its best. I would die for Ruthye

Nightwing (2016) v1-2 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo

Batman: One Bad Day: The Riddler by Tom King and Mitch Gerads

She-Hulk (2022) v1-2 by Rainbow Rowell, Luca Maresca, Rogê Antônio, and Takeshi Miyazawa

Superman: Space Age by Mike Russell and Michael Allred

Revenge of the Librarians by Tom Gauld

Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball by Jon Chad

Down to the Bone: A Leukemia Story by Catherine Pioli

So Much for Love: How I Survived a Toxic Relationship by Sophie Lambda

Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure by Lewis Hancox 

Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez and Danica Brine

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith

Animal Castle v1 by Xavier Dorison and Felix Delep

Bungleton Green and the Mystic Commandos by Jay Jackson

Flung Out of Space: Inspired by the Indecent Adventures of Patricia Highsmith by Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer Masterclass in writing a biopic that doesn't shy away from its subject's being kind of a wretched person while also producing art that is deeply meaningful to many, many people.

Rain by Joe Hill and Zoe Thorogood

Tiki: A Very Ruff Year by David Azencot and Fred Leclerc

Ten Days in a Madhouse by Nellie Bly, adapted by Brad Ricca and Courtney Sieh

Ultrasound by Conor Stechschulte

Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes, The Graphic Album (various)

A Visit to Moscow by Rabbi Rafael Grossman, adapted by Anna Olswanger and Yevgenia Nayberg

Look Back by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Shuna’s Journey by Hayao Miyazaki

Come Over Come Over by Lynda Barry

It’s So Magic by Lynda Barry

My Perfect Life by Lynda Barry What a lovely collection of comics. Barry captures being a teen in all its mess and glory.

Macanudo: Welcome to Elsewhere by Liniers

Always Never by Jordi Lafebre

The Pass by Espé

Mary Jane and Black Cat Beyond

Moon Knight: Black, White and Blood by Jed Mackay and Carlos Villa

The Nice House on the Lake v1-2 by James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno (Jordie Bellaire colors) I know Tynion can do horror, but he really really can do horror. This is like Glass Onion meets the worst nightmare you've ever had, and the way it unfolds is masterful. Martínez Bueno's art is dreamy and unsettling, especially combined with Bellaire who colors like she's painting oil slicks.

A Vicious Circle by Mattson Tomlin and Lee Bermejo

Booster Gold (1986) by Dan Jurgens Booster my friend Booster. I really didn't expect this to be as FUN as it is! There are occasional storylines that drag but overall a delight.

The Human Target v1-2 by Tom King and Greg Smallwood

Heartstopper v2-4 by Alice Oseman

Killer Queens by David Booher and Claudia Balboni

I Hate This Place v1 by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin I really need to read v2 because this was so fun. Queer backwoods horror, sarcastic, delightful, and never heavy-handed. I read this right after Killer Queens, which read like someone fed a bunch of Drag Race episodes and 2012 tumblr posts into a comics generator, and Heartstopper, which was so blandly unobjectionable I actually forgot I'd read it, so I Hate This Place felt refreshing as hell. (actually while looking up screencaps I remember why I didn't read v2 which is that v1 has a LOT of gore and body horror and I gotta be careful with that stuff. however if you like a slasher go forth)

It’s Lonely at the Center of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood Gut punch on every page. Thorogood's art is weird and wild. It does feel a bit as though she's opened up her ribs for us to peruse.

Chivalry by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran

Sensory: Life on the Spectrum (various)

Cryptid Club by Sarah Andersen

Public Domain v1 by Chip Zdarsky

Love Everlasting v1 by Tom King and Elsa Charretier

Mazebook by Jeff Lemire A twisting fable about grief and the paths it takes you down. A lot of the Eisner noms had dead wives or daughters which I began to resent, but I gave this a pass because it was really, really beautiful.

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton Everyone has told you it's good! oh it's good. Beaton's style, which I associate more with her humor work, at first feels somewhat at war with the subject matter, but it ended up really working for me.

Days of Sand by Aimee DeJongh

Talk to My Back by Yamada Murasaki This was one of my favorite books of the whole year. Beautiful meditation on the compromises of marriage and motherhood in beautiful, sparse drawings that lingered with me long after I'd finished reading.

Crushing by Sophie Burrows

JUNE

Do a Powerbomb by Daniel Warren Johnson Do you like wrestling? I don't really care about it, but I do love weird wacky stories about grief and trying to fight your way through the afterlife to get your mom back. Both hilarious and poignant. The art is as bombastic as it needs to be.

The Night Eaters v1 by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda Liu and Takeda are back! This time with some horror about a pair of siblings and their fucked up parents. Great stuff.

Ripple Effects by Jordan Hart and Bruno Chiroleu

Superman: Up in the Sky by Tom King and Andy Kubert Oh the Clark Kent of it all. the panel where Clark is calling home from alien customs because he has flown to the ends of the universe for one little girl is really what got me in this one

Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross

Superman: American Alien by Max Landis and various artists

Superman Red and Blue (anthology) This is a whole lot of writers and a whole lot of artists and all of them are excellent. Once again the Clark Kent emotion is happening to me.

JULY

Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu

Superman (2011) v5-6 by Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder

Superman: Warworld by Philip Kennedy Johnson and various artists

Justice League International by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire Booster my friend Booster is here and also so are all of my other new friends. I loved the initial run (though it has its weak spots) but then I had to slog through a lot of very bad later stuff.

AUGUST

Blue and Gold by Dan Jurgens and Ryan Sook

New Teen Titans (various Brother Blood issues) by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez

Acting Class by Nick Drnaso

Follow Me Down: A Reckless Book by Ed Brubaker

Girl Juice by Benji Nate

Little Monsters v1 by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen

Mimosa by Archie Bongiovanni

Who Will Make the Pancakes by Megan Kelso

Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani

Goodbye, Eri by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Spy x Family v1-2 by Tatsuya Endo

Alice on the Run: One Child’s Journey Through the Rwandan Civil War by Gaspard Talmasse

Ashes by Álvaro Ortiz

The Extraordinary Part: Book One: Orsay’s Hands by Florent Ruppert and Jérôme Mulot The art and story here are simply so fabulous. A better world is possible and sometimes you have to take direct action to make it!

SEPTEMBER

Batman RIP by Grant Morrison and Tony S. Daniel

Batman Incorporated by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham

Batman and Robin (2011) by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason I've talked about this one before but I think it is truly one of my favorite depictions of Bruce as father in all the ways he succeeds and all the ways he fails. John Kalisz's luminous colors also deserve a shoutout.

OCTOBER

Batman: Failsafe and Gotham War by literally everyone currently working in DC but especially Zdarsky

Birds of Prey (1999) by Chuck Dixon and then Gail Simone and a number of other people (this continued into November and December) This made the worms in my brain wriggle so bad that I wrote a whole yuri zine piece about Dinah and Babs, coming to a PDF (or physical copy!) near you soon!

DECEMBER

Dungeon Meshi v1-11 by Ryoko Kui Is it romantic to devour and be devoured in turn? Ryoko Kui sure thinks so. I was hungry the whole time I was making these my bedtime reading.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll Emily Carroll is among the best to ever do it. This collection of stories is her at her unsettling best.

When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll

Batgirl (2000) v1-3 by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott thanks to Mssrs Puckett and Scott I am now fully unhinged about Cass Cain and her quest for immolation. the art in this is so stylized but so well-done, especially given how little text is in much of the series. when the paneling hits it HITS.

Bruce Wayne Murderer/Fugitive by everyone working at DC in 2002 When a good crossover storyline works, it really really works. I love to see Bruce completely blow up his life because he doesn't see any point in existing outside the cowl anymore. Even more do I love to see the fallout from this on everyone who loves him! delight delight delight.

and that's everything I read this year!! god there was a lot of it. I liked a lot of the stuff I didn't bold, but also I hated some of it. please feel free to talk to me about any of it!!!

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Trey Anastasio, Basia, BBC Radio 1 (1967), Monica Bellucci, singer-songwriter Derek Buckwalter, Jill Corey, Marion Cotillard, Angie Dickinson, The Flintstones (1960 A.D.), Éamonn Ó Gallchobhair, Miki Howard, Cissy Houston, Deborah Kerr, music aficionado Robert Lapolt, Héctor Lavoe, John Lombardo (10,000 Maniacs—good to have met you), Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons), Félix Luna, Frankie Lyman, Dewey Martin (Buffalo Springfield), Johnny Mathis, Marilyn McCoo, David Oistrakh, vocalist Tim Oliver, Sylvia Peterson (Chiffons), the 1935 premiere of Gershwin’s PORGY & BESS, Buddy Rich, Bill Rieflin (King Crimson), Rumi, Shaan, Marty Stuart (good to have met you), The Supremes’s 1968 “Love Child” single, Robby Takac (Goo Goo Dolls), Biggie Tembo, Elie Wiesel, Jack Wild, Barry Williams, Frank Zincavage (Romeo Void), and the iconic singer-songwriter, poet, and auteur of glam rock, Marc Bolan. He was the face of T. Rex (a force of nature in British Rock), and his songwriting was an artful, impulsive mash of campy kitsch and cosmic medievalism, glitter, and psychedelia. Marc’s best-known hit, “Bang a Gong,” fused Chuck Berry-fied guitar with almost prog-rock vision, backed by Flo & Eddie, Ian McDonald, and Rick Wakeman. Davy Jones (Monkees) was a big Bolan fan, and he and I went through a phase of studying Bolan’s music, from B-side to outtake. Here’s Davy doing a cover of Bolan’s “Jeepster.” Marc left us too soon, but we thank you for the hours of rockin’ joy you gave to us.

#DavyJones #TheMonkees #MarcBolan #TRex #Glamrock #Britishrock #Jeepster #johnnyjblair #birthday #glitterrock #glitter

[behindthemirrorofmusic]

For #womenshistorymonth a look at some of the most important women in the history of The Phantom of the Opera.

Number 13. Janet Devenish

Janet Devenish originated Meg Giry in the 1986 adaptation of Phantom of the Opera. This Meg is very different from the Meg from the book who is still very much a child telling ghost stories and barely knows Christine.

This Meg on the other hand is close friends with Christine and supportive of her career.

Janet Devenish studied at Bush Davies School and initially worked as a ballet dancer (appearing in the music video for Nik Kershaw's "Bring on the Dancing Girls") and touring with Lewis London Ballet before making her stage musical debut in 1984 in 42nd Street at Drury Lane. She went on to make a number of appearances in original productions, including creating the role of Meg Giry in The Phantom of the Opera and later that of Nicole in The Baker's Wife. She also played such roles as Cissy Blitzein in Blitz! and Liz and Annie in Chicago.

Later on she begun focusing more on teaching and choreography.

[weaversweek]

25 "Step by step" - Whitney Houston

writer Annie Lennox

"Being around people like Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick and Roberta Flack, all these greats, I was taught to listen and observe. It had a great impact on me as a singer, as a performer, as a musician. Growing around it, you just can't help it. I identified with it immediately. It was something that was so natural to me that when I started singing, it was almost like speaking."

Part of the UncoolTwo50 project, marking the best singles from 1977-99.

One could argue that Whitney Houston was an early nepo baby. Daughter of Cissy Houston, niece of Dionne Warwick, the famous relations opened doors. But Whitney made it on her own brilliance: a superb voice, a perfect show, and the drive to succeed.

Signed up by Clive Davis of Arista Records, and made his personal priority, Whitney was granted access to the classiest songs and greatest musicians. The debut album had ballads "Saving all my love for you" and "You give good love" to show off her tender side; disco stomper "How will I know"; and a reading of "Saving all my love for you" to leave nothing on the table.

Second album Whitney had the uptempo "I wanna dance with somebody", love song "Didn't we almost have it all", and the surprisingly smutty "Love is a contact sport". Only a completely-missing-the-point version of "I know him so well" with her mum spoiled the album. After the gloopy "One moment in time", album I'm Your Baby Tonight was a one-note disco album, saved only by "All the man I need".

The Bodyguard dominated Whitney's time for a couple of years, and gave her most-remembered hit "I will always love you". A remake of A Star is Born was mooted, but never happened; instead the galpal romcom Waiting to Exhale came out in 1995 and had a hugemungous soundtrack album - it's a wonderful capsule of New Jill Swing, where American women were at. "Count on me" and "Exhale" the big singles.

The Preacher's Wife was a festive comedy for 1996, Whitney co-starred with Denzel Washington. It's mostly an update of The Bishop's Wife, with a large quotient of church music on the soundtrack album with the Georgia Mass Choir. The film was Whitney's acting highlight, simultaneously flirtatious and temptress.

"Step by step" had been written by Annie Lennox, and released as the B-side to 1992 single "Precious". Whitney's version takes a yearning song with gospel tinges, and transforms it into an uplifting house song. Age has leant Whitney some gravitas; we cannot imagine Whitney '85 making this sound. As much at home on Radio 1's club show as it was on "soft rock" 100.7 Heart FM, it reminded us that Whitney could a) make danceable music and b) when she wanted to be great, she was bloody brilliant.

Whitney only made two more full studio albums, My Love is Your Love (1998) and Just Whitney (2002), before getting lost in a mess of drink and drugs. Comeback album I Look to You (2009) was respectfully received, but her death in 2012 left so much unsung.

For me, "Step by step" and The Preacher's Wife are peak Whitney - her best acting, some of her best singing, roles she was at home performing.

Very difficult to pick just four Whitney songs - I eventually chose "How will I know", "It's not right but it's ok", and "All the man I need" for the longlist; "Step by step" the only one to make the shortlist. Brandy's "Sitting up in my room" from Waiting to Exhale also made the longlist. Annie Lennox was another act with so many quality songs - "No more 'I love you's" beat out the five singles from Diva.

[mamusiq]

*Mikell's was a jazz club on the corner of 97th Street and Columbus Avenue, in New York City.

Run by Mike Mikell and Pat Mikell, from 1969 to 1991 it was a regular venue for New York's top studio and session musicians, who would turn up for jam sessions with major soul, funk and jazz artists visiting the city. Paul Shaffer, bandleader for CBS's Late Show with David Letterman, called Mikell's "soul heaven".

Among the performers and bands associated with Mikell’s are Stuff, the alliance of studio musicians that played almost weekly at Mikell's in the 1970s.

Writer James Baldwin's brother David worked as a bartender at the club in the 1970s and 1980s, thereby attracting patronage from Baldwin as well as other authors, including Toni Morrison, Amiri Baraka and Maya Angelou, and musician friends such as Art Blakey, Roy Ayres and Wynton Marsalis.

Mike Mikell, 80, Owner of an Influential R&B and Jazz Club, Dies

Mikell's was my neighborhood hangout--a great place that has become a drab coffee shop.--CA November 21, 2005

Mike Mikell, 80, Owner of an Influential R&B and Jazz Club, Dies

By JON PARELES

Mike Mikell, whose Upper West Side club, Mikell's, was a vital part of New York City rhythm-and-blues and jazz scenes for two decades, died on Friday in Kingston, N.Y. He was 80 and lived in Woodstock, N.Y. The cause was cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known and Lou Gehrig's disease, his wife, Pat, said.

Mikell's opened in 1969 at the corner of 97th Street and Columbus Avenue, and became both a literary and musical magnet, which it remained until it closed, in 1991. At a tribute to the club last year, Paul Shaffer, the bandleader for CBS's "Late Show With David Letterman," called Mikell's "soul heaven." Harold Craig Mikell, who was known as Mike, was born in Quincy, Fla., and grew up in Hartford. As a young man, he earned a living picking tobacco. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and returned to Hartford to work in restaurants as a chef and manager. But he would regularly visit New York and the jazz clubs that were thriving on 52nd Street, and he eventually moved to the city.

He was the manager of Terry's Pub on the Upper West Side when the owner decided to give up the lease, and Mr. Mikell took it over with the help of a Small Business Administration loan; he renamed it Mikell's.

In 1971 he married Patricia Nuccitelli, who survives him, along with a son, Zachary Mikell, of Hartford and two daughters, Deborah Glover of Georgia and Monique Mikell of Woodstock.

With the writer James Baldwin's brother David working at the club as a bartender, Mikell's drew Baldwin and other authors as regulars, including Tony Morrison, Amiri Baraka and Maya Angelou. Top studio musicians came to unwind there with late-night jam sessions, and around them a 1970's New York City style coalesced that mixed blues, gospel and soul roots with urban sophistication. It was a style that would permeate albums by Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and many others, and would also define the sound of late-night television bands on "Saturday Night Live" and Mr. Letterman's shows.

An instrumental group of studio musicians, called Stuff, which formed in 1974, played at Mikell's three nights a week until 1980, and singers like Stevie Wonder and Joe Cocker would show up to sing with them. A teenage Whitney Houston made her solo debut at Mikell's after performing regularly there with her mother, the gospel singer Cissy Houston. One night, Cissy Houston told her daughter she was too ill to perform and Whitney would have to sing a set herself; it was a ploy to give Whitney her start. Clive Davis of Arista Records later discovered Whitney Houston during a Mikell's engagement.

The club remained an Upper West Side landmark through the 1980's, presenting mainstream jazz groups, pop-soul singers and Latin jazz. Ms. Mikell said that the trumpeter Wynton Marsalis sat in with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers there one night and was offered a spot in the group, a turning point in his career.

In 1991, Mr. Mikell took on outside investors to get a longer lease for the club, and problems with those investors led to bankruptcy and the club's closing. In the early 1990's, Mr. Mikell and his wife moved to Woodstock.

A 2004 tribute concert at Symphony Space reunited many of the club's performers and brought a proclamation from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg that praised Mr. Mikell for "providing a stage for the world's most talented and ingenious poets, musicians and artists."

Mikell's - James Baldwin, Mike Mikell, James' brother David Balwin, who was bartender at the club

James Baldwin is writing himself into bad health. After two heart attacks, the author returns to New York City for some rest, relaxation and much-needed TLC. First on his itinerary is the iconic jazz club Mikell’s, a favorite hangout, where his brother David tends bar. But things have changed.

Mikell’s is closing, and his entourage this night consists of just Maya Angelou and Miles Davis. What’s intended as a celebration turns into an Irish wake for the not-yet deceased, instigated by Miles as James impulsively, on the spot, starts writing an elegy to his beloved old joint. It’s time to par-taayy!!

Mikell's NYC No X-Cess Baggage Blues Jon Hammond and The Late Rent Session Men

[lboogie1906]

Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown (March 4, 1993 – July 26, 2015) was a reality television personality and singer. She was the daughter and only child of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. Her parents’ fame kept her in the public eye, as did her appearances on the reality show Being Bobby Brown.

She intended to become a singer, actress, and dancer like her parents. She performed with her mother at concerts several times, as well as singing a cover of her mother’s song “I’m Your Baby Tonight” on Being Bobby Brown. She appeared as herself on several television shows and specials and played a role on For Better or Worse in 2012.

On January 31, 2015, she was found unconscious in a bathtub in her home, which was similar to the fate of her mother.

She was born in Livingston, New Jersey. She was related to many singers and entertainers: her maternal grandmother was singer Cissy Houston, and her mother’s cousins were singers Dee Dee Warwick, Dionne Warwick, and Leontyne Price. Her uncle was former professional basketball player Gary Garland, her mother’s half-brother. Through her father, Brown had six siblings. Her godmother was gospel singer CeCe Winans and her godfather was music executive Clive Davis.

She grew up in front of cameras, appearing beside Houston during an interview with Barbara Walters at eight months old, and appearing at age one on stage at the 1994 American Music Award when her mother accepted an award. Her vocals were featured on the song “My Love Is Your Love,” for the album of the same title. When her mother brought her to the recording studio and held her up to the microphone, she said “Sing, mommy,” which can be heard during the first verse of the song; she says “Clap your hands!” at the end of the track. She was featured on her mother’s 2003 Christmas album titled One Wish: The Holiday Album on “The Little Drummer Boy”. When her parents divorced in 2007, her mother was awarded custody. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #womenshistorymonth

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Trey Anastasio, Basia, BBC Radio 1 (1967), Monica Bellucci, singer-songwriter Derek Buckwalter, Jill Corey, Marion Cotillard, Angie Dickinson, The Flintstones (1960 A.D.), Éamonn Ó Gallchobhair, Miki Howard, Cissy Houston, Deborah Kerr, music aficionado Robert Lapolt, Héctor Lavoe, John Lombardo (10,000 Maniacs—good to have met you), Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons), Félix Luna, Frankie Lyman, Dewey Martin (Buffalo Springfield), Johnny Mathis, Marilyn McCoo, David Oistrakh, vocalist Tim Oliver, Sylvia Peterson (Chiffons), the 1935 premiere of Gershwin’s PORGY & BESS, Buddy Rich, Bill Rieflin (King Crimson), Rumi, Shaan, Marty Stuart (good to have met you), The Supremes’s 1968 “Love Child” single, Robby Takac (Goo Goo Dolls), Biggie Tembo, Elie Wiesel, Jack Wild, Barry Williams, Frank Zincavage (Romeo Void), and the iconic singer-songwriter, poet, and auteur of glam rock, Marc Bolan. He was the face of T. Rex (a force of nature in British Rock), and his songwriting was an artful, impulsive mash of campy kitsch and cosmic medievalism, glitter, and psychedelia. Marc’s best-known hit, “Bang a Gong,” fused Chuck Berry-fied guitar with almost prog-rock vision, backed by Flo & Eddie, Ian McDonald, and Rick Wakeman. Davy Jones (Monkees) was a big Bolan fan, and he and I went through a phase of studying Bolan’s music, from B-side to outtake. Here’s Davy doing a cover of Bolan’s “Jeepster.” Marc left us too soon, but we thank you for the hours of rockin’ joy you gave to us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtzc3HXZvGU

#DavyJones #TheMonkees #MarcBolan #TRex #Glamrock #Britishrock #Jeepster #johnnyjblair #birthday #glitterrock #glitter

[diarioelpepazo]

León Magno Montiel @leonmagnom "Bella amante iré de tumba en tumba tocando las manos de los difuntos besando los labios de todas las estatuas hasta reconocerte” Carlos Fuentes. (Panamá, 1928). Cualquier mujer que haya comenzado a cantar a los 11 años con reconocimiento de los mayores, aplausos de sus maestros; parecería destinada a triunfar, con una victoria duradera. Esa niña prodigio, que en la Iglesia Baptista  Nueva Esperanza de  New Jersey cantaba góspel y asombraba con su portento a  todos, era Whitney Houston. Sorprendía por su afinación natural, su innato “GPS armónico”. Por la calidad de su voz y su fiato o capacidad de administrar su respiración al cantar largas frases. En ella aplicaba el principio de la geno-cultura, era heredera de una tradición de buenas cantantes de soul de la Costa Este de los Estados Unidos; comenzando por Cissy Houston, su madre y sus tías Dee y Dionne Warwick. Whitney era una afroamericana espigada, fina, turgente, con una sonrisa luminosa, que siendo una adolescente acompañaba a su madre a cantar al legendario Mikell´s Club en la calle 97 Nueva York. Cantaban soul para los melómanos que fielmente se daban cita allí, eran los cátaros jazzistas de los años 80 en La Gran Manzana, que la aplaudían al tiempo que la flirteaban. Whitney llegó a ser corista de Lou Rawls, el gran barítono del jazz. En una noche de soul del Mikell´S Club la descubrió  el gurú del sello Arista, Clive Davis  y la firmó para comenzar una carrera como cantante, con la cual logró vender 170 millones de discos y obtuvo múltiples galardones.  Ganó 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammys, 30 Billboards Music y 22 American Music Awards. En el año 1992 impactó en el cine con la cinta “El Guardaespaldas” co-protagonizada con  Kevin Costner, actor que venía de obtener un éxito atronador con su película “Danza con Lobos” (1990). La cinta “El Guardaespaldas” obtuvo 710 millones de dólares en taquilla y su banda sonora vendió cerca 42 millones de copias. Esa película la catapultó mundialmente, le generó una fortuna en regalías. Se residenció en Los Ángeles, disfrutaba de su sensual celebridad, se le veía por los bulevares de la Costa Oeste, siempre con garbo, luciendo  segura y seductora. Todo en ella había sido un dulce sueño, hasta que llegaron las pesadillas de sus amoríos.  El más aciago con Kevin Brown, el rapero con quien se casó en 1992, una relación violenta, intolerante, en la cual ambos sucumbieron al inframundo de las drogas, de las pastillas y el alcohol. Allí comenzó el declive de “La Voz”, sus penosos desórdenes, sus miedos incontrolados, su ansiedad, la permanente sensación de ahogo, el deterioro progresivo de su salud, su rostro tenía una pátina de dolor perenne, más la terrible situación que vivía ante la paulatina pérdida de su voz. En los últimos tres años de su atribulada vida, de grandes triunfos y grandes fracasos,  Whitney tuvo una relación con el cantante de rhythm and blues Ray-J, un acercamiento sentimental que partió de la admiración del joven cantante sureño, por la mítica artista, un romance discreto y edípico. Cuando Ray-J nació en 1981 en Mississippi, Whitney ya tenía 18 años de edad y llevaba 7 años cantando en los templos y clubes de Newark y Nueva York. Ray-J confesó a los medios el gran vacío que está sintiendo en estos días, sin su novia y diva a la vez. Antes de comenzar a salir con Ray-J tuvo crisis severas de alcoholismo combinadas con los ansiolíticos que con desorden  consumía, a causa de su creciente estado de depresión. En ocasiones se le vio famélica, con cara de paciente terminal.  A raíz de la nueva relación con Ray-J había logrado recuperarse, volvió a sonreír con la antigua luminosidad, recuperó su  peso, salía poco a poco de su caos. Aferrada a su vieja adicción al whisky y las fiestas, recayó en los excesos, fue relapsa en el consumo de  sedantes, una combinación mortal que la atrapó en la tina de la suite 434 del hotel Beverly Hilton, donde terminaron sus días. Su cuerpo fue llevado a New Jersey,

ciudad donde nació el 9 de agosto de 1963, en carroza dorada y acompañada por el canto de Alicia Keys. Fue sepultado en el gélido domingo de febrero de la Costa Este. Kevin Costner dio las palabras de despedida desde el púlpito de la iglesia Nueva Esperanza,  ante la tristeza y el llanto de una legión de amigos y seguidores que fueron a decirle adiós a “El alma del canto”, de sólo 48 años de edad, uno de los mayores talentos de la música contemporánea, corroído por la debilidad ante el placer oscuro de las drogas y el pesar del desamor. Los ladrillos rojizos de la iglesia en Newark donde qella fue corista, guardarán el eco de las palabras de su compañero Kevin Costner: “Ahora te vas escoltada por un ejército de ángeles, aunque  te vas muy pronto”. Yo pienso que las cantantes que como Whitney aprenden el secreto de su arte en el interior de un templo, llegan a pensar que la música es la voz de Dios. Para recibir en tu celular esta y otras informaciones, únete a nuestras redes sociales, síguenos en Instagram, Twitter y Facebook como @DiarioElPepazo El Pepazo

[creativejamie]

Spenser Confidential / "Spenser's Justice" Explained: What’s Up With the Ending?

Pros: Alan Arkin as Henry Simoli Cons: Predictable and trivial plot; straightforward action scenes; total budget for the film Spenser Confidential / “Spenser’s Justice” Genre detective, action Directed by Peter Berg Starring: Mark Wahlberg (Spencer), Winston Duke (Hawke), Alan Arkin (Henry Simoli), Eliza Schlesinger (Cissie Davis), Bookem Woodbine (Driscoll), Michael Gaston (Captain John Boylan),…

[brassmusiccafe]

Whitney Houston: 1985 (Jermaine Jackson, Teddy Pendergrass) LP-New $39.99

The daughter of Emily (“Cissy”) Houston—whose vocal group, the Sweet Inspirations, sang backup for Aretha Franklin—and the cousin of singer Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston began singing in church as a child. While still in high school, she sang backup for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls and modeled for fashion magazines. At age 19 she signed with Arista Records, whose president, Clive Davis, groomed the…

[dstrachan]

'VIEWS FROM THE EDGE' - w/c 23rd January 2023

Betty Davis ‘FUNK.’

James Brown Is Annie ‘Funky Little Crumb’

James Brown ‘I Feel Good (I Got You)’

Universal Funk Orchestra ‘Guilty By Association’

The Family Of Funk ‘Woo Hoo (The Family Of Funk)’

All India Radio ‘Pray To The TV Funk (Left Brain Mix)’

Chris Armento & Paka Tremain ‘Funk / Tears’

USA For Africa ‘We Are The World’

The Stranglers ‘The Raven’

Animal Feelings ‘Love Cube’

King James Brown ‘Can’t Fake The Funk’

Brand New Heavies feat. Simon Bartholemew ‘The Funk Is Back’

Nina Simone ‘Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter’

Pottery ‘Texas Drums Part 1’

Lipps Inc. ‘Funky Town’

The James Gang ‘Funk #49’

Ronald MacDonald ‘Funky Scat’

Space Cadets ‘Make Me Funk (Funkin’ Straight Ahead)’

Objectz feat. Jesse Rae ‘Loch Lomond’

Jesse Rae ‘Life’s A Killer Dog’

Isaac Hayes ‘Theme From Shaft’

The Meters ‘Cissy Strut’

Gary Clail ‘False Leader’

Jesse Rae ‘Jacob’s Pillow’