In Memory Of: Jim Brown (1936 - 2023) | Sports Legend, Civil Rights Activist, and Actor

James Nathaniel Brown aka "Jim Brown" was a legendary American football player, civil rights activist, and actor.  Jim Brown Dead: Football Champion and 'Dirty Dozen' Actor Was 87 - Variety.

Image credit:  Wikimedia Commons

This is a very short tribute.

He was very popular but since I did not like football, I can't say much about his sports career. Nevertheless, I knew his name because everybody in my neighborhood knew who Jim Brown was.

I am proud that he used his celebrity status to work with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to promote civil rights.

Also, I enjoyed his movies. I will always remember him for these 2 movies: The Dirty Dozen AND 100 Rifles.

• In the movie The Dirty Dozen (1967), he had a support role. He was part of a team of 12 men (a dozen) who had to sneak behind enemy lines during World War II and blow up the Germans.

• In 100 Rifles (1969), he and Raquel Welch had a steamy interracial love scene. Forget what the movie was about. The only thing people remember is that scene with Jim Brown and Raquel Welch making out. It wasn't even X-rated but it caused quite a stir.

Sadly, the iconic Raquel Welch (1940 - 2023) is also no longer with us. Raquel Welch, Actress and ’60s Sex Symbol, Is Dead at 82 - The New York Times

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Other Blog Posts in the "In Memory Of" Series:

Billie Holiday (1915 - 1959)

Prince (1958 – 2016)

Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) 

Chadwick Boseman (1976–2020)

Nichelle Nichols (1932 - 2022)

Harry Belafonte (1927 - 2023)

In Memory of: Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) | Music Legend, Icon and the Queen of Soul

The incomparable "Queen of Soul", Aretha Franklin, crossed over on August 16, 2018.  Another music legend has succumbed to cancer.

Aretha Louise Franklin was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the "Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With global sales of over 75 million records, Franklin is one of the world's best-selling music artists. Wikipedia

Born: March 25, 1942, Memphis, TN

Died: August 16, 2018, Detroit, MI

Ms. Franklin set the standard for all the soul sisters who would come after her and influenced many female singers and musicians such as sweet little soul sister Esperanza Spalding. Ms. Spalding was once asked to name the 5 songs by Aretha Franklin that she considered “Essential”. These were her picks:

“Day Dreaming”
“Spanish Harlem”
“Respect”
“Spirit in the Dark”
“All the King’s Horses”

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These are the 5 songs that embody my memory of “The Queen Of Soul”.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Natural Woman
Chain of Fools
Spanish Harlem
I Knew You Were Waiting for Me (collaboration with the late George Michael)

Do you have a fave 5?

Original source

In Memory of: Billie Holiday (1915 - 1959) | Jazz and Blues Lovers Will Always Love Lady Day

My late mother loved gardening. She had a way of arranging flowers in the front yard of our home, based on the season of the year. Do you remember back in the day when neighbors used to visit each other and sit outside and talk?  Well, I have a memory of one evening when my mom and some of her friends were sitting outside talking.  I don't know what season of the year it was, but when I came outside there was a wonderful scent in the air. I had to interrupt the adult conversation and ask my mom what was that delightful odor I was smelling. She told me it was the gardenias she had planted and that in the evening was the best time to smell their fragrance.

Image credit:  Amazon.com

Later on in life (in my teens), I learned about a jazz singer named Billie Holiday and she loved using gardenias to adorn her hair. I must say that she looked quite stylish. I wanted to copy her style so I bought fake flower hair ornaments. Sharing an image of the late Billie Holiday.  She was a great jazz vocalist but she had a really sad life. They did a movie about her life and Diana Ross played her part.  The movie was called “Lady Sings the Blues” (1972).  Some say a lot of the bio details are not accurate.  But don't most movies about famous people change details in the name of “artistic license”?  The film was adapted from a book, her autobiography by the same name, published by Doubleday in 1956.  Anyway!  Entertainment-wise, it was a really good film.  It's listed at TCM (Turner Classic Movies).  Even if you don't watch the movie, you should listen to music.  The soundtrack is pretty awesome!

• In Memory Of:  Eleanora Fagan Gough (1915-1959).  She chose the stage name “Billie Holiday” and was nicknamed “Lady Day” by Lester Young, a saxophonist in the Count Basie Orchestra.  The two worked together in nightclubs on New York's 52nd St.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Billie Holiday: the highs and lows of Lady Day | Jazzwise

Lady Sings the Blues (1972) - Turner Classic Movies

‘Lady Sings The Blues’: Diana Ross Plays Billie Holiday | uDiscover

100 facts about Billie Holiday's life and legacy | USAToday

Why Do Gardenias Smell More at Night? | Home Guides | SF Gate

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In Memory of Billie Holiday (April 7, 1915 - July 17, 1959) 

In Memory Of: Chadwick Boseman (1976–2020)

Today is August 29, 2020, and I was not expecting this shocking news.  A brilliant talent has departed this life far too soon. Chadwick Boseman (1976–2020). He chose his acting roles carefully. No doubt he will be remembered for being the first black superhero portrayed in American films. He was Black Panther.

Other roles he played he chose likely because they were people he admired and praised: 

• Thurgood Marshall (first African-American Supreme Court justice), 
• James Brown (known as the hardest working man in show business and the godfather of soul), and 
• Jackie Robinson (first African American to play in Major League Baseball).  

Mr. Boseman suffered quietly for 4 years but in the end, lost his life to colon cancer. "Deaths from colorectal cancer. In the United States, colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and in women, and the second most common cause of cancer deaths when men and women are combined. It's expected to cause about 53,200 deaths during 2020." (Source: Colorectal Cancer Statistics | How Common Is Colorectal Cancer?)  

As expected tributes to this young man are pouring in via Twitter.

Chadwick Boseman quote worth remembering:  "press on with pride and press on with purpose.”

pic.twitter.com/aZ2JzDf5ai

— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) August 29, 2020

During his commencement speech at our beloved Howard, my friend Chadwick Boseman said, "press on with pride and press on with purpose.”

In his name, let’s keep fighting. pic.twitter.com/HU8Q6yQaJ4

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 29, 2020