Janis Joplin

Posted in Cremated with tags , , , on July 8, 2015 by Cade

joplin1January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970

“The Queen of Psychedelic Soul”

Janis Lyn Joplin worked her way through the 1960’s Haight-Ashbury scene with her Blues-influenced power-rock voice. Her love for Blues standards helped her make a name for herself in San Francisco and her native Texas. She was asked to join the psychedelic rock band Big Brother and Holding Company which, with Janis on lead vocals, collectively impressed the crowd at 1967’s Monterrey Pop Festival. Record labels came calling and Janis spent the next year on the road and in the studio with Big Brother. Audiences and critics couldn’t get enough of her unique power as a performer. Her public persona surpassed the band and she quickly went solo. During her brief time on top of the music world, she recorded dozens of songs including hits like “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Mercedes Benz.”

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Jesse James

Posted in Mount Olivet Cemetery (MO) with tags on May 26, 2015 by Cade

james2

September 05, 1847 – April 03, 1882

There are those who achieve legendary status through their infamous life. And then there is Jesse James.

Jesse Woodson James is, perhaps, the most famous American outlaw of the late 19th Century. Along with his brother, Frank – and more than a few versions of his famous gang – James parlayed his unscrupulous days as a Confederate guerrilla (AKA, “bushwhacker”) during the Civil War into a career of robbing banks and trains for more than a decade during the vulnerable Reconstruction period. The James gang was responsible for robberies and murders stretching from Mississippi to Minnesota. His reputation grew and grew as he evaded justice at every turn all while writing to the public in open letters published in the Kansas City Times newspaper. Continue reading →

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Charlie “Bird” Parker

Posted in Lincoln Cemetery (MO) with tags , on April 24, 2015 by Cade

parker1
August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955

“You can tell the history of jazz in four words: Louis Armstrong. Charlie Parker.” – Miles Davis

Charlie Parker, known throughout the musical world simply as “Bird,” was an influential jazz musician whose style and creativity helped pioneer the Bebop movement. Born in Kansas City, KS, Parker left school at an early age to pursue music – specifically, the saxophone. He moved to New York where he played with the likes of greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis. Continue reading →

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Little Jimmy Dickens

Posted in Woodlawn Memorial Park (TN) with tags , , on January 4, 2015 by Cade

dickens1December 19, 1920 – January 2, 2015

James Cecil “Little Jimmy” Dickens stood just 4’11”. But the persona he left behind loomed much, much larger. Dickens was known for his outlandish, rhinestone-laden outfits and novelty hits such as “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose.” He was a member of both the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Continue reading →

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Denny Doherty

Posted in Gate of Heaven Cemetery (NS) with tags , , , on August 4, 2014 by Cade

doherty1November 29, 1940 – January 19, 2007

The story of the eventual creation of the Mamas & the Papas reads like a laundry list of formations, break-ups and reorgs – just listen to their song “Creeque Alley” for a little insight. There are no fewer than a dozen band names that finally led to the group that famously charted Top 10 hits all throughout the late 1960’s. All you need to know here is that Denny Doherty of the Halifax, Nova Scotia band The Colonials (aka, The Halifax Three,) met Cass Elliot while touring the folk circuits. Denny seemed to always be there to fill in when Elliot or John Phillips needed help with a new lineup or a lost group member. Eventually, Doherty landed a permanent spot in The Magic Cyrcle…which became the Mamas & the Papas.

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L.M. Montgomery

Posted in Cavendish Cemetery with tags , on August 3, 2014 by Cade

montgomery1November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942

How much power and influence can one woman have? In Lucy Maud Montgomery’s case, enough to single-handedly transform a 19th Century idyllic seaside farm town into the Canadian version of Branson, Missouri – complete with amusement parks, go-karts and a Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Thanks to Montgomery’s classic “Anne of Green Gables” book series, the titular house and the surrounding area have become Prince Edward Island’s top tourist attraction and stand in stark contrast to the rest of the still-mostly-rural island province.

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Lizzie Borden

Posted in Oak Grove Cemetery with tags on June 28, 2014 by Cade

borden1July 19, 1860 – June 01, 1927

In one of the most infamous “unsolved” murders in American history, Lizzie Andrew Borden became the late-19th century version of every present-day why-exactly-is-CNN-covering-this-trial/famous-only-for-doing-something-terrible “celebrity” we now see all the time. The facts were these: Lizzie’s father, Andrew, and step-mother, Abby, were brutally murdered in their Fall River, MA home by a hatchet wielding killer. Lizzie was accused of said wielding. Lizzie was acquitted. Lizzie lived out the rest of her life defiantly in the little community that was now – verdict aside – pretty terrified of her. Continue reading →

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Amy Winehouse

Posted in Cremated with tags , , , on June 4, 2014 by Cade


winehouse1September 14, 1983 – July 23, 2011

<insert “Rehab” joke here>

An eclectic and immensely talented singer, Amy Jade Winehouse stormed onto the British music scene in 2003 with her debut album, Frank. But, it was her sophomore effort, 2006’s Back to Black that made her an international sensation. Combining old-school genres like jazz and soul with her distinctive style and sultry voice, Amy blew through the Grammys that year collecting five awards. Her singles “Rehab” and “You Know I’m No Good” were Billboard chart mainstays for months. As troubled as she was talented, Winehouse struggled with drugs and alcohol throughout her career. Add to this her meteoric rise to stardom and (allegedly) poor grasp on moderation and self-control…well, you know where this is going or you wouldn’t be reading this blog. Continue reading →

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Alan Ladd

Posted in Forest Lawn Glendale with tags , , on May 22, 2014 by Cade

Disclaimer: The last time I visited Forest Lawn Glendale and the Freedom Mausoleum, this blog wasn’t even a thought in my mind. So, there were a number of graves I visited but didn’t photograph. I hesitated to write a post about these celebrities, but, in the end, figured “why not?”. This is one of those posts.

 

ladd1September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964

Alan Walbridge1 Ladd was an athletic young man who struggled to catch a break in the film industry (due, largely, to his lack of height.) But, once he did, he came to personify the genres in which he worked. After a bit part in a small film called Citizen Kane, Ladd found steady work in westerns and gangster movies throughout the 1940’s and ’50’s. It was the former that landed him his most iconic role, that of the titular drifter in Shane. Alan often costarred with the beautiful – and equally diminutive – Veronica Lake. The pair made seven films together. Many of which are Film Noir classics. Continue reading →

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Natasha Richardson

Posted in Saint Peter's Episcopal Cemetery with tags , , , on May 8, 2014 by Cade

richardson1May 11, 1963 – March 18, 2009

“Darling. I’ve taken a tumble in the snow.”

Natasha Jane Richardson was born into an incredibly famous and talented family. Her mother is actress Vanessa Redgrave and her father director Tony Richardson. Her great-grandfather, maternal grandparents, aunt and sister are all in the business. Of course, she was going to be an actor. Natasha’s career spanned 5 decades. She is perhaps best known for her films The Parent Trap, Maid in Manhattan and Nell and for her Tony-winning performance as Sally in the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret.Richardson was married twice, most notably to Irish actor, Liam Neeson.

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