Obit of the Day: Playlist of the Dead 2012
It is time for Obit of the Day’s annual Playlist of the Dead. So listen to the music, read the posts, and remember some incredible talent we’ve lost over the past twelve months. (The glaring exception is the Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch, for whom I was unable to write a post, but I did put “An Open Letter to NYC” on the playlist.)
January
Fred Milano – original member of Dion and the Belmonts
Johnny Otis – “The Godfather of Rhythm and Blues”
Etta James – Grammy winning R&B legend
February
Whitney Houston - Grammy Award-winning singer
Kathryn McDonald – member of Duke Ellington’s orchestra
Billy Strange – guitarist and songwriter, part of the “Wrecking Crew”
Louisiana Red – blues guitarist
Davy Jones – lead singer of The Monkees
March
Jimmy Ellis – backup singer for The Trammps
Eric Lowen – Grammy Award-winning co-writer of “We Belong”
Earl Scruggs – Bluegrass legend
April
Barney McKenna – last of the original Dubliners
Andrew Love – saxophonist and member of the “Memphis Horns”
Levon Helm – legend of rock and folk, member of The Band
Pete Fornatele – WNEW rock DJ
May
Charles “Skip” Pitts – bass player on “Theme from Shaft”
Donna Summer – disco legend and Grammy Award winner
Robin Gibb – member of the Bee Gees
June
Herb Reed – original member of the Platters
Graeme Bell – “The Father of Australian Jazz”
July
Jon Lord – keyboardist for Deep Purple
August
Scott McKenzie – singer, “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)”
Willa Ward – member of the gospel group, The Famous Ward Singers
September
“Sugar Boy” Crawford – writer, and original singer, “Iko Iko”
October
R.B. Greaves – writer and singer, “Take a Letter Maria”
Bil Dees – co-writer, “Oh, Pretty Woman”
November
Cleve Duncan – member of The Penguins and lead singer, “Earth Angel”
December
Dave Brubeck – pianist and jazz legend
Fontella Bass – singer of 1965 hit “Rescue Me”
You should be able to find the playlist on Spotify under “Playlist of the Dead 2012” or through my account, Josh Eisenberg.
For more Obit of the Day:
Clever idea for a playlist.
This is just scratching the surface for bad 2012s.
Shockingly, people may have had a worse year than Romney tattoo guy.
This week in EW: It’s our annual Entertainers of the Year issue, starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lawrence, Joss Whedon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and even more of the people you love.
Can we call Ben Affleck the comeback kid?
This morning’s front page.
Maryland approves same-sex marriage, the DREAM act.
Nice shot, guys.
Get ready New York…
Brilliant. Such a show of quiet resiliency. Their best cover since this one.
This is a big win in that no one will be turned away on Election Day because they don’t have the new strict voter ID. The state has a large budget to spend on advertising this fact, and we want to make sure it does it.Benjamin D. Geffen, lawyer with the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia • Speaking on the decision by a Pennsylvania judge today to delay implementation of the state’s new voter I.D. law until after the election. Judge Robert Simpson ruled that identification will be requested at Pennsylvania ballots, but will not be required — it was he who’d upheld the law back in August, but the state Supreme Court ordered further hearings, narrowing the examination to whether easy access to forms of I.D. had been provided. source
CARRY OUT Pizza shop owner Scott Van Duzer lifts President Obama off the floor during a visit in Ft. Pierce, Florida. ”Scott, let me tell you, you are like the biggest pizza shop owner I’ve ever seen,” said the President. Van Duzer is a registered Republican who voted for Obama in 2008 and says he will do so again in November. ”I don’t vote party line, I vote who I feel comfortable with, and I do feel extremely comfortable with him,” he told the press pool. (Photo: AP via The Huffington Post)
To top Obama and Biden’s weekend antics, Romney and Paul should find the nearest state fair, stat.
It turns out that advancing equal opportunity and economic empowerment is both morally right and good economics. Why? Because poverty, discrimination and ignorance restrict growth. When you stifle human potential, when you don’t invest in new ideas, it doesn’t just cut off the people affected — it hurts us all.President BILL CLINTON, at the DNC. (via inothernews)
New Jersey papers like it when Christie points.
Chris Christie has an index finger, and he’s not afraid to use it.
I’m moving back to New York in a few days. Unlike past...
OMG. I got so...
In this week’s Newsweek, a little...
Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
Here’s a hidden feature that shipped in...
If you haven’t seen, this ad for the Paralympics is spectacular.
On a side note, it’s worth noting that friend of SFB and Paralympian Josh Sundquist, who competed as a skiier in 2006, is currently in London covering the Olympics for YouTube. Awesome, right? Follow his exploits here.
Follow ShortFormBlog • Find us on Twitter & Facebook
If 2010 was the year the Tea Party cost the GOP several winnable seats, then 2012 could be the year Republicans’ own candidates cost them control of the Senate.The Atlantic’s Josh Kraushaar • Commenting on the slew of weak GOP candidates running for the Senate this year. Kraushaar makes a subtle but important distinction between now and 2010, when Republicans lost several winnable Senate seats by nominating weak candidates (here are two examples). In 2010, many of the candidates in question were insurgent Tea Party types who—to the chagrin of party elites—ran against establishment Republicans in the primaries and only gathered reluctant, late support from the party. This year, however, it’s the establishment’s own hand-picked candidates who are underperforming in polls. The first candidate profiled in the piece, 31-year-old Josh Mandel, is a good case study of why being young and sharp doesn’t necessarily translate to political skill. A refreshing read for election buffs tired of presidential coverage. source (via • follow)
Copyright 2009-2013 Ernie Smith • Ask us stuff! • E-mail us • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook
