This is a series of posts that will talk about my favorite songs with female vocals. See if you agree with any of these!
“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” is a 1941 World War II–era jump blues/swing novelty song written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince and introduced by The Andrews Sisters in the Abbott and Costello film Buck Privates, with the trio’s tight harmonies and upbeat, horn-driven arrangement capturing a fictional story about a top boogie-woogie trumpet player
Reporting on several guys that have recently passed.
These guys were a cartoonist and author of the comic strip Dilbert; musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead; film director, screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist and playwright, best known for his Disney work; and the bass guitarist of German rock band Scorpions.
Some more music and film stars to report on here.
These artists were guitar players and a founding member of the band KISS; a movie and TV star an actress in the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers; was a movie star in such as Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and TV like Kingdom Hospital; and a drummer in bands like Squeeze and for Jools Holland.
Some great musicians and a wonderful film star have passed.
These artists were the bassist for the Moody Blues; acted in The Godfather series of movies, Play It Again Sam, Reds, and many more; was the bassist for the Yardbirds and Box of Frogs; and was in Buddy Holly’s band the Crickets, and wrote the theme song for the Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Redford was one of the defining movie stars of the 1970s, crossing with ease between the Hollywood new wave and the mainstream film industry, before also becoming an Oscar-winning director and producer in the ensuing decades.
Charles Robert Redford Jr. was born on August 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California, to Charles Robert Redford Sr. and Martha Woodruff Redford, and he grew up in Van Nuys where he attended Van Nuys High School. After graduation he enrolled at the University of Colorado in Boulder on a baseball scholarship but left after a year and a half,
Hart rose to prominence in the mid-1960s when he partnered with Tommy Boyce.
Robert Luke Harshman, known professionally as Bobby Hart, was born on February 18, 1939, in Phoenix, Arizona, the son of a church minister. Growing up in a religious household, he taught himself piano, guitar, and Hammond B-3 organ while still in school, and he even built a small amateur radio console with turntables and microphones during his teenage years.
Going into fall of 2025 with several more to report.
They have acted in Rescue Me, The Good Wife and The Sopranos; played native American roles in many movies and TV shows, famously “Dances With Wolves”; wrote many TV shows like The Equalizer, Mystery Woman series, Kung Fu: The legend continues; and was the stuntman in many movies, famously Leatherface in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2”
Prince left behind a vast legacy that transcended genre, race, and convention.
Prince Rogers Nelson, known mononymously as Prince, was born on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents, John L. Nelson and Mattie Della Shaw, were both musically inclined—his father a jazz pianist and songwriter, his mother a jazz singer. This musical environment deeply influenced Prince from an early age.
He rose to prominence in 1962 with his chilling performance as Edwin Flagg in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Victor Charles Buono was born on February 3, 1938, in San Diego, California, to Myrtle and Victor F. Buono, the latter a former police officer who was later convicted of conspiracy and murder in 1959. Buono attended St. Augustine High School and became involved with San Diego’s Globe Theater Players, where he gained experience in Shakespearean drama. Though sometimes reported to have attended military school or Northwestern University,
Early summer of 2025 has taken 4 more rememberable people that I’ll take a look at here.
These guys were televangelist, gospel singer, and author; played Deputy Cletus Hogg on The Dukes of Hazzard; composed the music for movies like Cool Hand Luke and The Amityville Horror, and TV like Hawaii 5-0; and wrote songs and played guitar for Mott the Hoople and Bad Company.
Great Balls of Fire (1989) – Dennis Quaid (Jerry Lee Lewis) and Alec Baldwin (Jimmy Swaggart) in Great Balls of Fire (1989)
Continue reading “Jimmy Swaggart, Rick Hurst, Lalo Schifrin, and Mick Ralphs Dies”
