Frank Beacham's Journal

The 1969 Isle of Wight Music Festival began 52 years ago

It’s the 52nd anniversary of the 1969 Isle of Wight Music Festival.

The festival took place over the course of three days, from August 29th through the 31st.

It attracted 150,000 concert goers and featured Bob Dylan, The Band, The Who, The Moody Blues, The Pretty Things, Tom Paxton, Aynsley Dunbar, Free, Richie Havens, Joe Cocker, Blonde on Blonde, Family, Gypsy, Julie Felix, The Nice, Pentangle, Third Ear Band, Blodwyn Pig, Edgar Broughton Band, Fat Mattress and the Bonzo Dog Dooh Dah Band.

The festival drew George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Liz Taylor, Jane Fonda, Charlie Watts and Richard Burton.

Tickets cost $3 each.

Photo by Rudy Herzog

Huey Long was born 128 years ago

Huey Long was born 128 years ago.

Nicknamed “The Kingfish,” Long was an American politician who served as governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a member of the United States Senate from 1932 until his assassination in 1935.

A Democrat, he was an outspoken populist who denounced the rich and the banks and called for "Share the Wealth." As the political boss of the state, he commanded wide networks of supporters and was willing to take forceful action. He established the political prominence of the Long political family.

Long is best known for his Share Our Wealth program, created in 1934 under the motto "Every Man a King." It proposed new wealth redistribution measures in the form of a net asset tax on corporations and individuals to curb the poverty and homelessness endemic nationwide during the Great Depression.

Long was shot a month after announcing that he would run for president. On the day of the shooting, September 8, 1935, Long was at the State Capitol attempting to oust a long-time opponent, Judge Benjamin Henry Pavy.

Judge Pavy's son-in-law, Dr. Carl Weiss, had been at the State Capitol waiting to speak to Long. He tried to see him three times to talk to him but was brushed off each time in the hallway by Long and his bodyguards.

At 9:20 p.m., just moments after the house passed the bill, Weiss approached Long for the third time and, fired a handgun at Long from four feet away, shooting him in the abdomen. Long's bodyguards returned fire, hitting Weiss 62 times and killing him.

Long, then 42 years old, was rushed to the hospital, but died two days later on September 10, 1935.

The "hotline," a vestige of the Cold War, began operating on this day in 1963 — 58 years ago

In the movies, the famous hotline between the United States and Russia was a red telephone. But, as might be expected, that was just myth.

The real hotline, a vestige of the Cold War, began operating with a test message on this day in 1963 — 58 years ago.

It was put in place to cut the risk of nuclear war through miscalculation, after the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 put the world on the brink of disaster. At the time, messages between President John F. Kennedy and the Soviet leader, Nikita S. Khrushchev, had taken hours to be delivered through regular diplomatic channels.

The famous hotline was actually a Teletype machine that transmitted 60 words a minute. The cable lines went through networks in the Pentagon and the Soviet Defense Ministry that could hook into the White House and the Kremlin.

The first message from Washington contained all the letters of the alphabet as well as digits: “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog’s back 1234567890.” The Russians sent a poetic description of Moscow’s sunset.

In 1984, the hotline was upgraded to a fax system, so that maps, charts, texts and photographs could be viewed. Today, it’s a computer network with a secure email system.

Since then, the hotline, which has been used several times, has been expanded to other nations, including China.

Thanks New York Times!

The real hotline in 1963

John Phillips was born 85 years ago today

The Mamas and the Papas

John Phillips was born 85 years ago today.

Known as Papa John, Phillips was a member and leader of the singing group, The Mamas & the Papas. He was a singer, guitarist, songwriter and promoter — most notably of the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.

He was the father of Jeffrey, Mackenzie, Chynna, Tamerlane and Bijou Phillips.

Born in Parris Island, South Carolina, Phillips father was a retired Marine Corps officer who won an Oklahoma bar from another Marine in a poker game on the way home from France after World War I.

His mother, a Cherokee Native, met his father in Oklahoma. Phillips grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, where he was inspired by Marlon Brando to be "street tough.” From 1942 to 1946, he attended Linton Hall Military School in Bristow, Virginia, where he formed a group of teenage boys who sang doo-wop songs. He played basketball at George Washington High School, where he graduated in 1953.

Phillips longed to have success in the music industry and traveled to New York to find a record contract in the early 1960s. His first band, The Journeymen, was a folk trio, with Scott McKenzie and Dick Weissman. They were fairly successful, putting out three albums and several appearances on the 1960s TV show, Hootenanny. All three albums, as well as a compilation known as "Best of the Journeymen," were reissued on CD.

He developed his craft in Greenwich Village, during the American folk music revival, and met his future The Mamas & the Papas band mates, Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot, in the Village around that time. Lyrics of their song,” Creeque Alley,” describe this period.

While touring California with The Journeymen, he met the woman who would become his second wife, the teenage Michelle Gilliam, with whom he had an extramarital affair. Their affair forced the dissolution of his first marriage, and he married Michelle in 1962 and would stay with her until 1970. The couple had one child together, Chynna Phillips, vocalist of the 1990s' pop trio, Wilson Phillips.

Phillips was the primary songwriter and musical arranger of The Mamas & the Papas. Early in the band's history, John and Michelle were responsible for writing most of the band's songs. John would often come up with a melody and some lyrics and Michelle would help him complete the lyrical portion of the song.

John Phillips also wrote "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" in 1967 for former The Journeyman band mate, Scott McKenzie. "San Francisco" is widely regarded as emblematic of 1960s American counterculture music.

Phillips also wrote the oft-covered, "Me and My Uncle,” which was a favorite song cover frequently performed by The Grateful Dead.

He also helped promote and played in The Monterey International Pop Music Festival held June 16 to June 18, 1967 in Monterey, California. The festival was planned in just seven weeks and was developed as a way to validate rock music as an art form in the way jazz and folk were regarded. It was the first major pop-rock music event in history.

The Phillips family became Hollywood celebrities, living in the Hollywood Hills and socializing with stars such as Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty and Roman Polanski. The group broke up largely because Cass Elliot wanted to go solo and because of some personal problems among Phillips, Michelle and Denny Doherty.

John Phillips died on March 18, 2001 in Los Angeles of heart failure at the age of 65.

In September, 2009, John's daughter, Mackenzie Phillips, stated in a memoir, High on Arrival, that she and her father had a ten-year incestuous relationship. She said that the relationship began when she was 19-years-old in 1979, after Phillips raped her while they were both under the influence of heavy narcotics on the eve of her first marriage.

Geneviève Waïte, John's wife at the time the abuse allegedly occurred, denied the allegations and said they were totally opposite of his character. Michelle Phillips, John's second wife, also stated that she had "every reason to believe [Mackenzie's account is] untrue."

Here, The Mamas and the Papas sing “California Dreamin’” at the 1998 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony

Molly Ivins was born 77 years ago today

Molly Ivins was born 77 years ago today.

A Texas newspaper columnist, populist, political commentator, humorist and author, Ivins’ writings often employed irony and satirical humor to make a very serious points. She enjoyed telling stories about the Texas Legislature, which she simply called "The Lege,” calling it one of the most corrupt, incompetent and funniest governing bodies in the nation.

In 2003, she coined the term, "Great Liberal Backlash of 2003," and was a passionate critic of the 2003 Iraq War. She is also credited with applying the nicknames "Shrub" and "Dubdub" to George W. Bush.

An example of her writing, from her 1993 essay, "Taking a Stab at Our Infatuation with Guns," she begins by saying:

“Let me start this discussion by pointing out that I am not anti-gun. I'm pro-knife. Consider the merits of the knife. In the first place, you have catch up with someone in order to stab him. A general substitution of knives for guns would promote physical fitness. We'd turn into a whole nation of great runners. Plus, knives don't ricochet. And people are seldom killed while cleaning their knives.

“As a civil libertarian, I of course support the Second Amendment. And I believe it means exactly what it says: ‘A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.’

“Fourteen-year-old boys are not part of a well-regulated militia. Members of wacky religious cults are not part of a well-regulated militia. Permitting unregulated citizens to have guns is destroying the security of this free state. I am intrigued by the arguments of those who claim to follow the judicial doctrine of original intent. How do they know it was the dearest wish of Thomas Jefferson's heart that teen-age drug dealers should cruise the cities of this nation perforating their fellow citizens with assault rifles?”

In 1999, Ivins was diagnosed with stage III inflammatory breast cancer. The cancer recurred in 2003 and again in late 2005. In January, 2006, she reported that she was again undergoing chemotherapy.

Ivins died at her Austin home in hospice care on January 31, 2007 at age 62.

On her illness, she wrote: “Having breast cancer is massive amounts of no fun. First they mutilate you; then they poison you; then they burn you. I have been on blind dates better than that."

Robert Crumb, or R. Crumb, is 78 years old today

Robert Crumb, or R. Crumb, is 78 years old today.

An artist, illustrator and musician, Crumb is recognized for the distinctive style of his drawings and his critical, satirical, subversive view of the American mainstream. Crumb was a founder of the underground comix movement and is regarded as its most prominent figure.

Though one of the most celebrated of comic book artists, Crumb's entire career has unfolded outside the mainstream comic book publishing industry. One of his most recognized works is the "Keep on Truckin'" comic, which became a widely distributed fixture of pop culture in the 1970s. Others are the characters Devil Girl, Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural.

Crumb has frequently drawn comics about his musical interests in blues, country, bluegrass, cajun, French Bal-musette, jazz, big band and swing music from the 1920s and 1930s.

In 2006, he prepared, compiled and illustrated the book R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country, with accompanying CD, which derived from three series of trading cards originally published in the 1980s.

Crumb was the leader of the band R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenaders, for which he sang lead vocals, wrote several songs and played banjo and other instruments. Crumb often plays mandolin with Eden and John's East River String Band and has drawn three covers for them: 2009's Drunken Barrel House Blues, 2008's Some Cold Rainy Day and 2011's Be Kind To A Man When He's Down on which he plays mandolin.

Crumb has released CDs anthologizing old original performances gleaned from collectible 78-rpm phonograph records. His That's What I Call Sweet Music was released in 1999 and Hot Women: Women Singers from the Torrid Regions in 2009. Crumb drew the cover art for these CDs as well.

Crumb was inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1991.

Above, R. Crumb, self portrait, 2001

R. Crumb produced a series of trading cards for heroes of the blues, jazz and country, originally published in the 1980s

Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited album was released on this day in 1965 — 56 years ago

Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited album was released on this day in 1965 — 56 years ago.

Released by Columbia Records, Dylan used rock musicians as his backing band on every track of the album, except for the closing 11-minute ballad, "Desolation Row." He combined driving, blues-based music with the subtlety of poetry to create songs that captured the political and cultural chaos of contemporary America.

Leading with the hit single, "Like a Rolling Stone," the album features songs that Dylan has continued to perform live over his long career, including "Ballad of a Thin Man" and "Highway 61 Revisited."

The album was named after the major American highway which connected his birthplace, Duluth, Minnesota, to southern cities famed for their musical heritage, including St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans and the Delta blues area of Mississippi.

Highway 61 Revisited is ranked as one of best rock era albums. "Like a Rolling Stone" was a Top 10 hit in several countries and has become a rock classic, as have "Desolation Row" and "Highway 61 Revisited."

Then 20 years old, bass player Harvey Brooks was called to play on the album.

Here’s his part one of his account of that recording session. And the second part of his account of the recording “Highway 61 Revisited”

Harvey’s book, View from the Bottom, has a detailed account of making the historic album.

Bob Dylan recording the album

The Face of War, 1940

Painting by Salvador Dali

Charlie Parker was born 101 years ago today

Opening night at Birdland, the New York club on Broadway named for Charlie Parker, December 16, 1949

From left to right, Max Kaminsky on trumpet, Lester Young on sax, “Hot Lips” Page on trumpet, Charlie Parker on alto sax and Lennie Trastano on piano.

Photo by New York Times

Charlie Parker was born 101 years ago today.

Known as “Yardbird” and “Bird,” Parker was an accomplished American jazz saxophonist and composer. He acquired the nickname "Yardbird" early in his career and the shortened form, "Bird,” which continued to be used for the rest of his life.

His nickname inspired the titles of a number of Parker compositions, such as "Yardbird Suite,” "Ornithology,” "Bird Gets the Worm" and "Bird of Paradise."

Parker was a highly influential jazz soloist and a leading figure in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique and improvisation. He introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords and chord substitutions.

His tone ranged from clean and penetrating to sweet and somber. Many Parker recordings demonstrate virtuosic technique and complex melodic lines, sometimes combining jazz with other musical genres, including blues, Latin and classical. Parker was an icon for a hip subculture and the Beat Generation, personifying the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual, rather than an entertainer.

Born in Kansas City, Kansas, and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Parker began playing the saxophone at age 11. At age 14, he joined his school's band using a rented school instrument. His father, Charles, was often absent but provided some musical influence. He was a pianist, dancer and singer on the T.O.B.A. circuit.

In the late 1930s, Parker began to practice diligently. During this period, he mastered improvisation and developed some of the ideas that led to bebop. Bands led by Count Basie and Bennie Moten undoubtedly influenced Parker.

He played with local bands in jazz clubs around Kansas City, where he perfected his technique, with the assistance of Buster Smith, whose dynamic transitions to double and triple time influenced Parker's developing style. In 1938, Parker made his professional debut with Jay McShann's territory band.

As a teenager, he developed a morphine addiction while in the hospital, after an automobile accident, and subsequently became addicted to heroin. He continued using heroin throughout his life, which ultimately contributed to his death.

In 1939, Parker moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. He held several other jobs as well. He worked for nine dollars a week as a dishwasher at Jimmie's Chicken Shack, where the pianist, Art Tatum, performed.

In 1942, Parker left McShann's band and played with Earl Hines for one year, whose band included Dizzy Gillespie, who later played with Parker as a duo. Unfortunately, this period is virtually undocumented, due to the strike of 1942–1943 by the American Federation of Musicians, during which time few recordings were made.

Parker joined a group of young musicians, and played in after-hours clubs in Harlem, such as Clark Monroe's Uptown House and Minton's Playhouse. These young iconoclasts included Gillespie, pianist Thelonious Monk, guitarist Charlie Christian and drummer Kenny Clarke.

One night in 1939, Parker was playing "Cherokee" in a jam session with guitarist William "Biddy" Fleet when he hit upon a method for developing his solos that enabled one of his main musical innovations. He realized that the twelve tones of the chromatic scale can lead melodically to any key, breaking some of the confines of simpler jazz soloing.

Early in its development, this new type of jazz was rejected by many of the established, traditional jazz musicians who disdained their younger counterparts. The beboppers responded by calling these traditionalists "moldy figs.”

However, some musicians, such as Coleman Hawkins and Benny Goodman, were more positive about its development, and participated in jam sessions and recording dates in the new approach with its adherents. It was not until 1945, when the recording ban was lifted, that Parker's collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Bud Powell and others had a substantial effect on the jazz world.

One of their first (and greatest) small-group performances together was rediscovered and issued in 2005: a concert in New York's Town Hall on June 22, 1945. Bebop soon gained wider appeal among musicians and fans alike.

On November 26, 1945, Parker led a record date for the Savoy label, marketed as the "greatest Jazz session ever." The tracks recorded during this session include "Ko-Ko" and "Now's the Time.”

Parker's chronic addiction to heroin caused him to miss gigs and lose work. He frequently resorted to busking on the streets, receiving loans from fellow musicians and admirers, and pawning his saxophones for drug money. Heroin use was rampant in the jazz scene and the drug could be acquired easily.

Parker died in the suite of his friend and patron, Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, at the Stanhope Hotel in New York City while watching The Dorsey Brothers' Stage Show on television. The official causes of death were lobar pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer, but Parker also had an advanced case of cirrhosis and had suffered a heart attack.

The coroner who performed his autopsy mistakenly estimated Parker's 34-year-old body to be between 50 and 60 years of age.

Here, Parker and Dizzy Gillespie perform “Hot House” on television in 1951

Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie

Dinah Washington was born 97 years ago today

Dinah Washington was born 97 years ago today.

A pianist, blues, R&B, gospel, pop and jazz singer, Washington has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s” and called "The Queen of the Blues.”

Born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Washington moved to Chicago as a child. She became deeply involved in gospel and played piano for the choir in St. Luke's Baptist Church while she was still in elementary school. She sang gospel music in church and played piano, directing her church choir in her teens and being a member of the Sallie Martin Gospel Singers.

Washington’s involvement with the gospel choir occurred after she won an amateur contest at Chicago's Regal Theater where she sang, "I Can't Face the Music.” She made her recording debut for the Keynote label that December with "Evil Gal Blues,” written by Leonard Feather and backed by Hampton and musicians from his band, including Joe Morris (trumpet) and Milt Buckner (piano).

Both that record and its follow-up, "Salty Papa Blues,” made Billboard's "Harlem Hit Parade" in 1944. She stayed with Hampton's band until 1946 and, after the Keynote label folded, signed for Mercury Records as a solo singer. Her first record for Mercury, a version of Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin’,” was another hit, starting a long string of success.

Washington was at once one of the most beloved and controversial singers of the mid-20th century — beloved to her fans, devotees and fellow singers. She was controversial to critics who still accuse her of selling out her art to commerce and bad taste. Her principal sin, apparently, was to cultivate a distinctive vocal style that was at home in all kinds of music, be it R&B, blues, jazz, middle of the road pop.

Hers was a gritty, salty, high-pitched voice, marked by absolute clarity of diction and clipped, bluesy phrasing.

Early on the morning of December 14, 1963, Washington's seventh husband, Lane, went to sleep with his wife, and awoke later to find her slumped over and not responsive.

Dr. B. C. Ross came to the scene to pronounce her dead. An autopsy later showed a lethal combination of secobarbital and amobarbital, which contributed to her death at the age of 39.

Here, Washington performs “All of Me”