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Celebrity Graveland is 10 Years Old!
Posted in Just Because with tags Anniversaries on February 19, 2023 by CadeRobert Reed
Posted in Memorial Park Cemetery (IL) with tags Actors, Memorial Park Cemetery (IL) on February 6, 2023 by Cade
October 19, 1932 – May 12, 1992
There is no shortage of irony in the fact that the actor portraying “America’s Dad” – beloved television character, Mike Brady – wanted to be literally anywhere but there in that iconic TV house, with his iconic TV family. Robert Reed was a classically trained Shakespearean actor who studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) and made a name for himself replacing Robert Redford in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park on Broadway. Barefoot, along with a growing handful of successful television appearances, gained him a contract at Paramount Pictures and the opportunity to star in a new, ground-breaking sitcom called The Brady Bunch.
Earl Van Dyke
Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags Funk Brothers, Motown, Musicians, Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) on January 30, 2023 by Cade
July 8, 1930 – September 18, 1992
Nicknamed “Chunk O Funk” or “Big Funk” by his session-mates, Earl Van Dyke was a piano player, keyboardist and band leader for the Motown in-house band collectively known as the Funk Brothers. Van Dyke stepped into the role when Joe Hunter left Motown in 1964 and played on hit records for artists like the Temptations, the Four Tops and Marvin Gaye. He also recorded and played his own records, many of which were Motown inspired or covers of classic Motown songs.
Judith Resnik
Posted in Arlington National Cemetery with tags Arlington National Cemetery, Astronauts, Challenger on January 23, 2023 by Cade
April 5, 1949 – January 28, 1986
Judith A. Resnik was a certifiable genius. There was evidence of her intelligence throughout her childhood, culminating with her attaining a perfect score on her SAT exam in high school. She studied electrical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and eventually obtained a PhD in the field from the University of Maryland…with honors, always. Her early career was spent with organizations like RCA and the National Institutes of Health. She helped the Navy design components for complicated radar and telemetry systems. At the urging of a friend, she also learned to pilot airplanes…getting perfect or near-perfect scores on her license exams – naturally. She was a gifted and brilliant individual and in 1978 she applied to be an astronaut at NASA.
Johnnie Mae Matthews
Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) on January 16, 2023 by Cade
December 31, 1922 – January 6, 2002
The first African American woman to own her own record label, Johnnie Mae Matthews was a hugely – if quietly – influential figure in the early 1960’s Detroit R&B music scene. A recording artist in her own right, Matthews worked early on with the likes of Otis Williams and the Distants, Jimmy and David Ruffin, Norman Whitfield, Richard Street and Berry Gordy. Gordy often cited Matthews as the one who showed him the ropes of the music business and encouraged him to start Motown records. Johnnie, under her label, Northern Recording Company, was the original manager of the Temptations when they were still known as “the Distants.”
Bill Monroe
Posted in Rosine Cemetery with tags Bluegrass, Country Musicians, Grand Ole Opry, Musicians, Rosine Cemetery on January 9, 2023 by Cade
September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996
William Smith Monroe was a hugely influential country musician. Born into a musical family in the “Bluegrass State” of Kentucky, young Bill took up playing the mandolin since his older brothers had already learned guitar and fiddle. They formed a family band, the Monroe Brothers, to play local dances and other shows and Bill (along with brother, Charley) eventually landed spots on regional and national radio programs and a recording contract with RCA Victor. Over the next several years, Bill gathered a stable of talented musicians and eventually formed the Blue Grass Boys where he leaned heavily on his Scottish roots and the music he grew up with. By the time Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys had found and fine-tuned their unique sound, an entire new genre of country music was born.
Aretha Franklin
Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags Singers, Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) on December 19, 2022 by Cade
March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018
Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1942. Her father, a Baptist minister, moved the family to Detroit when Aretha was 5 years-old to preach at New Bethel Baptist Church. After her mother died in 1952, 10 year-old Aretha found solace through singing in the church. It was immediately apparent to everyone who heard, that there was something special about her. She continued to sing and gain attention and by the time she turned 18, she signed a recording contract with Columbia records. Though her time with Columbia taught her about the business and generated a few minor hits, it would take a change for the world to finally meet Ms. Franklin. In 1966, Aretha Franklin signed with Atlantic records and exploded onto the international music landscape.
Bobbie Smith
Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags Motown, Singers, The Spinners, Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) on December 12, 2022 by Cade
April 10, 1936 – March 16, 2013
The Spinners were a popular American R&B vocal group that formed in 1954 in a housing project outside of Detroit. The group got their professional start at Tri-Phi Records, which was eventually absorbed into Berry Gordy’s Motown label. While they paid their dues alongside hitmakers like the Temptations and the Four Tops, the Spinners’ success was finally realized when they left Motown and signed with Atlantic records in the early 1970’s. Through all the highs and lows, the most consistent lead vocal was that of Robert “Bobby” Smith. Bobby – or “Bobbie” as he sometimes spelled it – led the Spinners on certified Gold singles like “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” the duet with Dionne Warwick “Then Came You” and “I’ll Be Around.” The latter – originally a B-side – was an unexpected success as DJs preferred playing it to the A-side single. It became the Spinners’ first million-selling record and their first #1 hit.
Henry Ford
Posted in Ford Cemetery with tags Ford Cemetery on December 5, 2022 by Cade
July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947
Look, history is complicated.
On one hand, Henry Ford was one of the most recognizable 20th Century names on the planet. The industrialist and businessman was largely responsible for ushering in the age of, not only mass-produced and “affordable” automobiles, but also of mass-produced goods in general. The Ford Model T began production in 1908 and opened up automobile travel to the American middle-class and changed the course of personal mobility. His formula for assembly-line production coupled with relatively well-paid workers changed American industrialism. Of course, the Ford Motor Company would go on to become one of the most recognizable brands in the world.
Lawrence Payton
Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags Motown, Singers, The Four Tops, Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) on November 28, 2022 by Cade
March 2, 1938 – June 20, 1997
Lawrence Payton spent 43 years as part of one of the most successful R&B acts of the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. That act was the Four Tops and Payton was often cited as the musical backbone of the group. He was responsible for many of the Tops’ most memorable harmonies and arrangements.
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