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Leslie Green and Larry Graham

“Dig a little deeper”

As you may recall, my sister Leslie had a terrible bicycle accident on June 4, 2018. In case I had forgotten, she recently sent me a picture of her, taken about day 12 of her month-long stay in the hospital.

After a few more operations and treatments, she is well on the road to recovery. She’s not 100%, but she is SO much better.

Besides the accident being all sorts of scary, that narrative all but obliterated the great time she and her daughter Rebecca Jade had just a couple week earlier. Rebecca was touring on a fortnight of cruises with Dave Koz and his band throughout Scandinavia, starting in Copenhagen.

Leslie participated in the “So You Think You Can Jam” talent contest. She has been singing about as long as I’ve known her, from the MAZET Singers in AME Zion Church in Binghamton, to various school choirs, to the Green Family Singers. She performed in a bunch of gigs in the Northeast – Crystal Ship! – and then for over a half dozen years in Puerto Rico.

She STILL sings in church and occasional local gigs. Every interview that Rebecca Jade has done, she’s rightly credited her mom to get her to sing harmonies as well as the melody.

When Leslie and Rebecca got to jam with Larry Graham, that was very cool. Larry, in case you didn’t know, was the bass player for Sly and the Family Stone. Then he fronted his own group, Graham Central Station.

So, for Leslie’s XXth birthday, I thought I’d link to some Larry Graham music. Happy birthday, sis. Enjoy the tunes.

Sly and the Family Stone

Dance to the Music, #8 pop, #9 RB in 1968 – “I’m gonna add some bottom”
Everyday People, #1 for four weeks pop, #1 for two weeks RB in 1969
Sing A Simple Song, #89 pop, #28 RB in 1969 – “I’m walkin’, walkin’ walkin’, walkin’, walkin’ in the street”
I Want to Take You Higher, #38 pop in 1970, #24 RB in 1969 – “Music’s gettin’ longer too”

You Can Make It If You Try – “Dig a little deeper”
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), #1 for two weeks pop, #1 for five weeks RB in 1970
Everybody Is a Star, b-side, 1970 “‘Til the sun that loves you proud When the system tries to bring you down”
Family Affair, #1 for three weeks pop, #1 for five weeks RB in 1971

Graham Central Station

We’ve Been Waiting
Can You Handle It, #49 pop, #9 RB in 1974

Chart action per Billboard; RB = R&B/soul

From the New York island to California

PUT the statehood IN ORDER: OK, CA, NE

California Continuing with US states, Canadian provinces and territories of both. The letter is C.

CA California – first two letters. The tradition abbreviation was Calif., though Cal. and Ca. were also used. Capital: Sacramento; largest city: Los Angeles. In fact, the state has three of the ten largest cities in the country: LA (#2), San Diego (#8) and San Jose (#10).

Famously, gold was discovered in Sutter’s Mill in Coloma. This lead to the migration known as the California Gold Rush. The National Football League team, the San Francisco 49ers, was named for this phenomenon.

When I was on JEOPARDY! in 1998, there was a clue in the category PUT ‘EM IN ORDER, in which we had to put the elements of the clue in chronological order. The choices of Oklahoma statehood, California statehood, Nebraska statehood. I knew that California rapidly became eligible, and in fact, became a state in 1850. Nebraska became a state in 1867, Oklahoma not until 1907.

BASEBALL

The United States population has been moving south and west for a number of years. But in 1957, all 16 Major League Baseball teams were in the Northeast and Midwest: MA: Boston (AL); PA: Philadelphia (NL) and Pittsburgh (NL); MD: Baltimore (AL); Washington, DC (AL); OH: Cincinnati (NL), Cleveland (AL); MI: Detroit (AL); IL: Chicago (AL and NL); WI: Milwaukee (NL); MO: Kansas City (AL), St. Louis (NL).

Plus there were three teams in New York City. The New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers were in the National League, while the New York Yankees were in, and usually dominated, the American League. The Giants and Dodgers stagger the sports world by relocating to California – to San Francisco and LA, respectively – “where growing metropolises greet them with record-breaking attendance figures…while millions back in New York City are numbed with betrayal.”

CO Colorado – first two letters. The traditional abbreviation was Colo. or Col. Capital and largest city: Denver.

CT Connecticut – first and last letter. the traditional abbreviation was Conn. ot Ct. Capital: Hartford; largest city: Bridgeport.

For ABC Wednesday.

Serling Fest 2019: Twilight Zone at 60

appearing live via satellite, BILL MUMY

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of The Twilight Zone’s 1959 debut, the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation presents: SERLING FEST 2019: The TZ @ 60, a three-day celebration in Rod Serling’s adopted hometown of Binghamton, New York on the weekend of October 4-6, 2019.

I don’t usually do advertisements for ventures with which I’m not involved in this blog. It must be a function of hometown pride – New “BING” Getting Cooler By the Day, which is true. It’s also my close, personal relationship with the late writer/host; yup.

GUESTS

“Confirmed guests include Rod’s daughter, Anne Serling (author of AS I KNEW HIM: MY DAD, ROD SERLING); Mark Olshaker (co-author of MINDHUNTER, inspiration for the acclaimed Netflix series); Mark Dawidziak (author of EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE); Nicholas Parisi (author of ROD SERLING: HIS LIFE, WORK, AND IMAGINATION); and Martin Grams, Jr. (author of TWILIGHT ZONE: UNLOCKING THE DOOR TO A TELEVISION CLASSIC).

Also attending Serling Fest, “Arlen Schumer (author of VISIONS FROM THE TWILIGHT ZONE); Reba Wissner (author of A DIMENSION OF SOUND: MUSIC IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE); Amy Boyle Johnston (author of UNKNOWN SERLING); and Tony Albarella (editor of AS TIMELESS AS INFINITY: THE TWILIGHT ZONE SCRIPTS OF ROD SERLING).

“And appearing live via satellite (Saturday, October 5th), BILL MUMY (star of ‘It’s a Good Life,’ ‘In Praise of Pip,’ ‘Long Distance Call’ and LOST IN SPACE).” I saw It’s a Good Life in the past six months; it’s still startling.

VENUES

“On Friday, October 4th, the event will be held at various locations in Binghamton – to be announced. On Saturday, October 5th, the event will be at the Broome County Forum Theatre, and on Sunday, October 6th, go to the Helen Foley Theatre at Binghamton High School.

Ah, Binghamton High School, which was Binghamton Central back in my day. And Helen Foley, who was Serling’s drama teacher, was my public speaking teacher. I’m giving serious thought to attending at least part of this.

Fly me to the blue moon of Kentucky

Piano Sonata No. 14

christmas 2015 full moon In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, some songs about earth’s natural satellite. There are a LOT of songs about the moon. Here’s a list from Ranker.

I decided to just pick the songs I knew and which came to mind, by the artists I most associate with performing them. Many folks covered Moon River and Blue Moon, e.g.

Dancing in the Moonlight – King Harvest, #13 in 1973; couldn’t remember the group’s name
Moondance – Van Morrison, #92 in 1977; this was overplayed in my listening circle, to Stairway to Heaven proportions, but it’s a great song
Moonshadow – Cat Stevens, #30 in 1971. Now going by Yusuf/Cat Stevens
Walking on the Moon – Police
Moon River – Andy Williams. I used to watch his variety show in the 1960s. This track from Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer was his signature song

Fly Me to the Moon – Frank Sinatra; he also recorded Full Moon and Empty Arms (1946); and The Moon Was Yellow (1962)
Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater revival, #2 in 1969. CCR also had #2 hits with Proud Mary, Green River, Travelin’ Band, and Lookin’ Out My Back Door. But the band never had a Billboard #1 hit single.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress – Judy Collins
Blue Moon of Kentucky – Bill Monroe
C Moon – Paul McCartney and Wings

Old Devil Moon – Frank Sinatra; he also did songs featuring the sun and the stars; what celestial guy
Moonlight in Vermont – Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Man on the Moon – REM, #30 in 1993 from the movie about the late comedian Andy Kaufman
Blue Moon – the Marcels, #1 for three weeks pop, and #1 for two weeks soul in 1961
It’s Only a Paper Moon – Nat King Cole

Moonlight Sonata – Piano Sonata No. 14 -Beethoven
Moonlight Mile – Rolling Stones, from Sticky Fingers, my RS album of my college years
Moonlight Seranade – Glenn Miller. I can hear the announcer’s voice, even now.
Moonlight Bay – Doris Day
Kiko And The Lavender Moon – Los Lobos. I had this on a future Saturday list, but opted for it here.

Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing

Apollo 1 in 1967 was devastating

moon landing.apollo 50 I was eight on May 25, 1961, which must have been just the right age. When I heard the news that President Kennedy had proposed that the US “should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth,” I was ecstatic.

Yet I was mystified too. How does one DO that? A moon landing felt like science fiction.

I followed the Mercury flights starting with Alan Shepherd’s trip, albeit a few weeks after the Soviet’s Yuri Gagarin. John Glenn went to orbit! Missions grew longer by both countries.

Sidebar: I loved the revelation of the movie Hidden Figures (2016), “the story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.”

I thought the naming of the Gemini program, with two astronauts, was mighty clever. Edward White did a space walk in June 1965, albeit nearly three months after the USSR’s guy. The rendezvous of Gemini 6 and 7 in December 1965 I found to be particularly cool.

I was devastated when I learned that White, Gus Grissom, and Roger Chaffee were killed in a fire aboard the Apollo 1 on January 27, 1967. Not only was the human toll tragic, I thought that this was the end of making JFK’s deadline. Little did I know…

Apollo 8 famously brought us pictures of earth at Christmastime 1968, which helped propel the environmental movement. Apollo 9 and 10 were dress rehearsals for the Apollo 11 moon landing by Armstrong and Aldrin, as Collins remained in the Command Module.

This year, I’ve watched/read virtually every story about that era. Most especially, I’ve appreciated the rebuilding of the Apollo Mission Control Center in Houston.

Sidebar: I realized that Apollo 13 (1995) was a great movie when I sat on the edge of my seat wondering if the astronauts would get back, even though I KNEW how it turned out.

Here’s some moonfoolery from Apollo 16. But after Apollo 17 in December 1972, with a total of 12 men walking on the surface of the moon, that was it?

There would be other manned flights, starting with Skylab and the space shuttles. But I started seeing them as routine fare until the Challenger disaster in January 1986.

Now there’s a plan for the United States to finally go back to moon, with the ultimate goal of reaching Mars. This is interesting idea.

I watched Jordan Klepper interview Scott Kelly. The astronaut said that he has no problem with Bezos or Musk or some other billionaire helping fund the trip and bypassing some NASA bureaucracy.

I guess I’m “on board” with this new mission, though I’ve lost some of that youthful enthusiasm.