Today is the birthday of Carroll Spinney; he’s 77. For more than 40 years, Spinney has been one of the most recognized performers on television. He’s won five Emmys and a National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Lifetime Achievement Award.
Carroll Spinney is the puppeteer who plays Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
Abdul “Duke” Fakir is 75 today. He is the only surviving member of the Four Tops. The quartet performed together for 43 years (1954-1997) without a change in personnel. (Lawrence Payton died in 1997.)
“The Four Tops deserve to be recognized both for their achievements and their longevity. On the latter count, the group performed for over four decades together without a single change in personnel – a record of constancy that is mind-boggling in the notoriously changeable world of popular music. As for their accomplishments, the Four Tops cut some of Motown’s most memorable singles during the label’s creative zenith, including “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “I Can’t Help Myself,” “It’s the Same Old Song,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love” and “Bernadette.” The Four Tops’ greatest records were recorded at Motown with the in-house songwriting and production team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland between 1964 and 1967.
The foursome arrived at Motown in 1963 as seasoned veterans, having already logged nearly a decade in show business. The Detroit-based vocal group – consisting of lead vocalist Levi Stubbs, first tenor Abdul “Duke” Fakir, second tenor Lawrence Payton and baritone Renaldo “Obie” Benson – began singing together as the Four Aims soon after graduating high school in 1954. …
Phil Spector is 74. He’s doing 19-to-life for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson. In 2008 I reported that Spector was 68. He’s gotten six years older in just two years. I’m guessing he had to give his real age in prison.
Phil Spector is among the greatest producers of rock and roll, and some would passionately argue that he is the greatest ever. His ambitious approach to the art of record production helped redefine and revitalize rock and roll during its early-Sixties slump. On a string of classic records released between 1961 and 1966 on his Philles label, he elevated the monaural 45 rpm single to an art form. “Little symphonies for the kiddies,” he called them, and they were indeed dramatic pop records possessed of a grandeur and intimacy theretofore uncommon in rock and roll.
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling (Righteous Brothers)
River Deep – Mountain High (Ike and Tina Turner)
Be My Baby (Ronettes)
Da Doo Ron Ron (Crystals)
Spanish Harlem (Ben E. King)
He’s a Rebel (Crystals)
Carlton Fisk is 63.
Baseball’s most durable catcher with 24 years behind the plate, Carlton Pudge Fisk caught more games (2,226) than any player in history. The 11-time All-Star hit 376 career home runs, including a record-setting 351 as a catcher, since bested by Mike Piazza. His most memorable home run came in Game Six of the 1975 World Series – a 12th inning blast off the left field foul pole at Fenway Park – giving his Red Sox a 7-6 win over Cincinnati. His tremendous pride and work ethic were respected by both teammates as well as the opposition.
Ozzie Smith is 56.
Known as “The Wizard of Oz,” Ozzie Smith combined athletic ability with acrobatic skill to become one of the game’s great defensive shortstops. In 19 seasons with the Padres and Cardinals, the 13-time Gold Glove Award winner set major league shortstop records for assists, double plays and total chances. He would develop into an offensive weapon, finishing with over 2,400 hits and 500 stolen bases. His ninth-inning home run won the fifth game of the 1985 National League Championship Series.
David Sedaris is 54 today. The Writer’s Almanac tells of Sedaris’s debut on NPR’S Morning Edition 18 years ago:
The eight-minute monologue made him famous. Suddenly his phone started to ring. He said: “I was very, very surprised. … I’ve always thought that the definition of a good life was being asleep when Morning Edition was on. I never listened to the show, so I never had a concept of anyone else listening to it, I suppose.”
IF YOU’VE NEVER HEARD THIS, IT IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST!
Mao Tse-tung was born on December 26th in 1893.
See you in 2011? Hah. You’re as addicted to writing this as we are to reading it.
You don’t know my beliefs. You don’t know when I think 2011 begins. 🙂
I had recently read this passage, but it was worth listening for 8 minutes just to hear the Billie Holliday impression. It was pretty good.