January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States. Born in a log cabin. Mostly self-educated. Became a lawyer. He was basically Abraham Lincoln lite. Well, not exactly. Fillmore was sort of haphazardly elected as Vice-President in 1848 and assumed the Presidency when Zachary Taylor ate some bad cherries in July of 1850. He was the last member of the Whig party to hold the office. Continue reading
February 3, 1943 – February 1, 2018
Dennis Edwards, Jr. was an R&B vocalist who rose to fame in the Motown Records machine of the 1960s Detroit scene. After a brief stint in the military, Edwards signed on retainer with Motown Records. He became the lead vocalist for the Contours, who traveled with, and opened for, the Temptations, with whom he became friends. In 1968, the Temptations fired “Classic 5” lead singer, David Ruffin, and asked Edwards to take his place. Continue reading
February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003
Tony and Emmy award-winning dancer, singer and actor, Gregory Hines, was always on the stage. From a young age, Gregory (along with brother, Maurice, and sometimes their father) would entertain audiences in nightclubs throughout their native New York City. Especially adept at tap dancing, young Gregory eventually headed to Hollywood and found work as a musician and actor. Continue reading
December 23, 1971 – March 10, 2010
Once a “Lost Boy”…
1980’s teen heartthrob, Corey Haim, got into acting at a young age when he was discovered at one of his sister’s auditions. By the time he was 15, he was already playing lead roles (Lucas, Stephen King’s Silver Bullet), but it was 1987’s vampire teen classic, The Lost Boys, that launched Haim – and a fair number of other young stars – into the limelight. It was on the set of Boys where Haim met his lifelong on-and-off-screen friend, Corey Feldman. The two Coreys would dominate the teen box office together for the next several years, churning out hits like License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream. And dream, they did. Continue reading
March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008
Jeff Healey’s place in pop-culture extends well beyond the fact that he was a talented blues-rock guitarist and singer who had one really great year. His eponymous trio, The Jeff Healey Band, had a monster hit in Canada and the U.S. with 1989’s “Angel Eyes” and he dominated the Toronto club scene in the mid-to-late 1980s. After the success of their first single and album, The JHB went on to record four more albums over the ensuing dozen or so years. But, Jeff didn’t just front his blues-rock band. Continue reading
Celebrity Graveland 