Bob Keane died he was 87

Bob Keane died he was 87. Keane was an American musician, producer and owner of the record label Del-Fi Records. He was perhaps best known for being the producer and manager of Ritchie Valens.

(January 5, 1922 – November 28, 2009)

Bob Keane was born Robert Kuhn in Manhattan Beach, California in 1922. He was a clarinet player, and his ambition was to front a big band like his idol, Benny Goodman. He did so, and in 1938, at age 17, he was setting up to play his first show, at Glendale Junior College and was approached by an employee of KFWB, a Los Angeles radio station, who wanted to broadcast the concert on air to replace a canceled scheduled show. The next day Keane received a phone call from an agent at MCA who had heard the broadcast on KFWB, and who wanted to sign Keane to the label. MCA billed him as "The World's Youngest Bandleader".

MCA dropped Keane from the label in 1941 as they felt he was likely to be drafted. Keane decided to enlist in the Army Air Force, and was retired from active service due to a lung infection. He returned to Los Angeles and continued to play clarinet in several bands. In 1950, he was offered a job as a conductor on The Hank McCune Show, a new radio show. After the first episode, the producer approached Bob and told him that he would have to change his name, as the announcer was pronouncing Kuhn as "Coon". A band colleague suggested Keen, after a popular Woody Herman song, "Peachy Keen", to which Bob decided to add an 'e'. Later on in life he changed this to Keane.

By 1955 Keane was playing clarinet in several bars and clubs around Los Angeles, and one evening met businessman John Siamas, who persuaded Bob to set up a record label with him. The label would be known as Keen Records, with Bob working as an A&R man. He was given an acetate of two songs by Sam Cooke, who at the time using his original surname, Cook, and singing in a gospel group called The Soul Stirrers. On the acetate was "Summertime" and "You Send Me". Sam Cook was signed to a three-year contract with Keen, his surname changed just as Bob's had been, and the songs were subsequently pressed and released as the first single on Keen Records. Originally "Summertime" was intended to be the A-side, and sold moderately. It was only when a DJ played the B-side that the record took off, and by November 25 1957, it reached #1 on the Billboard chart.

At this point, despite Keen Records having earned over $1,000,000 from sales of "You Send Me", Bob only had an oral contract with Siamas. Upon asking when the corporation was to be formed and when he was likely to receive stock certificates for the company, he received a letter asking for him to invest $5000 (which, of course, he did not have) into his own company should he wish to remain a partner. He realized that he had been tricked into finding a hit record and then pushed out of the company.

While waiting for legal proceedings against Siamas to begin, Bob's wife suggested that he set up another label, and approach someone else who had also been duped by Siamas to put up the money to do so. Taking its name from Delphi, the Greek god of music and inspiration, the new label was named Del-Fi Records. The first release was "Caravan" by Henri Rose, which sold well, and led to Warner Bros. Records offering Keane $8000 for Henri Rose's contract, which he accepted, and which enabled him to buy out his business partner. Another early Del-Fi release was "Chicken Grabber" by The Nite Hawks, which although not a success at the time, was featured in John Waters' film Pink Flamingos.

In May 1958, Keane discovered Ritchie Valens performing a Saturday matinee show in a movie theatre in Pacoima and invited Valens to audition in the basement of his home, where he had set up a small recording studio. A formal contract was signed, and Valens and Keane spent hours in the basement working on songs together. Among the songs was "Come On Let's Go", which was recorded in Gold Star Studios in July 1958, and released as Valens' first single soon after. This single, and the follow-up, "Donna" b/w "La Bamba", were smash hits. Keane served as Valens' manager as well as producer, booking shows for him across America and several TV performances. In the film La Bamba, the story of Ritchie Valens, Bob Keane was played by Joe Pantoliano.

After Valens' death in February 1959, Del-Fi records continued, and one of the next signings was eden ahbez, best known for his song "Nature Boy." By this point, and totally unlike the rest of the major labels in Hollywood, Del-Fi had an "open door" policy - anybody with music they wanted to be released could approach the Del-Fi offices and get it played to Bob Keane. In an interview, he remarked "I'll listen to anyone, even if they bring 'em in on a stretcher."

Other notable artists on Del-Fi over the next few years included Chan Romero, best known for his song "Hippy Hippy Shake", Little Caesar and the Romans, Ron Holden, Johnny Crawford, Brenda Holloway, the first records released by Frank Zappa, and surf bands The Surfaris, The Lively Ones and The Centurions.

In 1964 he signed Bobby Fuller and his band, the Bobby Fuller Four, to Del-Fi, and released several singles and two albums under a subsidiary label just for the band called Mustang Records. Their biggest song, "I Fought the Law" was released in October 1965 and was a hit in the United States and the United Kingdom. The band's career was brought to an abrupt end when the corpse of Bobby Fuller, in his mother's car, was found in the parking lot of his Hollywood apartment on July 18, 1966. In 1965, Keane also set up a subsidiary label for R&B music, called Bronco, and employed Barry White as an in-house producer, musician and A&R man for the new label.

By 1967, with Del-Fi's biggest band, the Bobby Fuller Four, disbanded, Del-Fi was closed down. Keane embarked upon a career selling burglar alarm systems, mainly to celebrities, and oversaw the music career of his two sons, known professionally as The Keane Brothers.

Ritchie Valens' life and music came back into the public eye with the release of the film La Bamba in 1987, and seven years later, two of Del-Fi's surf records by The Lively Ones and The Centurions were used in the film Pulp Fiction. Del-Fi was resurrected and released numerous CDs of its original material, and signed some new acts to the label as well. In September 2003, Keane sold the Del-Fi catalog to the Warner Music Group.

Keane diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma when he was 80, and died of renal failure on November 28, 2009.^[1]

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Gene Barry died he was 90

Gene Barry died he was 90. Barry was an American actor. His 60-year career included playing the well-dressed man of action in TV series Bat Masterson, Burke's Law and The Name of the Gam

(June 14, 1919 – December 9, 2009)

Barry was born as Eugene Klass in New York City, the son of Eva (née Conn) and Martin Klass;^[1] all of his grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia.^[2] He exhibited early skills with his singing and violin playing. He married Betty Claire Barry (née Kalb; b. 12 February 1923 - d. 31 January 2003), whose stage name was Julie Carson, on October 22, 1944. She died two weeks before her 80th birthday, after more than 58 years of marriage, on January 31, 2003. Gene and Betty Claire Barry had three children - two biological sons, Michael (b. 1946) and Frederick (b. 1953), and an adopted daughter, Elizabeth.

Barry adopted his professional name in honor of John Barrymore. He was trained in violin and voice and spent two years at the Chatham Square School of Music on a singing scholarship. He made his Broadway debut as Captain Paul Duval in the 1942 revival of Sigmund Romberg's The New Moon. He returned to Broadway numerous times over the next decade, portraying Falke in Rosalinda (1942), Nova Kovich in The Merry Widow (1943), Lieutenant Bunin in Catherine Was Great (1944), Dorante and Comte De Chateau-Gaillard in The Would-Be Gentleman (1946), The Doctor in Happy as Larry (1950), and a variety of roles in the musical revue Bless You All (1950). He later returned to Broadway twice more, the role of Paul in the 1962 play The Perfect Setup and his Tony Award nominated portrayal of Georges in the 1983 musical La Cage aux Folles with George Hearn as his life partner/spouse. The latter production was based on the French film of the same name about a gay couple with a straight son. For his contribution to live theater, Gene Barry has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6555 Hollywood Blvd.

In 1950 Barry began appearing in television, initially with the NBC Television Opera Theatre. He starred in his first film, the role of Dr. Frank Addison in The Atomic City, in 1952. The prominent role of Dr. Clayton Forrester in the sci-fi classic The War of the Worlds came the following year. Barry later made a cameo appearance in Steven Spielberg's 2005 War of the Worlds, along with his 1953 co-star Ann Robinson.

Known for his suave manner, Barry was featured on television in a recurring role in Our Miss Brooks and as the star of three of his own popular TV series -- Bat Masterson, The Name of the Game, and Burke's Law. He won the 1965 Golden Globe for Burke's Law. The series, featuring homicide investigations by a millionaire police captain, returned in 1993-94 with Barry once again in the title role.

He also starred in the 1973 ITV television series The Adventurer, with Barry Morse and Catherine Schell. He recreated the role of the debonair Wild West lawman Bat Masterson for two episodes of Guns of Paradise in 1990 alongside Hugh O'Brian as Wyatt Earp and again the following year in The Gambler Returns: Luck of the Draw, also with O'Brian as Earp. His most popular role that he will forever be identified with is that of "Bat Masterson" The series continues in circulation with great durability.

Barry portrayed the murderer in the original two-hour pilot for the television mystery series Columbo, a psychiatrist who kills his wife in Prescription: Murder.

On December 10, 2009, the Washington Post reported that Barry had died on December 9, at Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital^[3] in Woodland Hills, California, aged 90.^[4] (The famed Motion Picture Home, founded in the 1940s, is scheduled to close at the end of 2009.)

Did you know that Gene Barry won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in 1965

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Kerri Lee Tucker died she was 25,

Kerri Lee Tucker–Kerri Lee Tucker aka “Miss Box Of Junk” girl on VH1 Classic’s television program “That Metal Show“, was reportedly found dead in her apartment early today. She was only 25 years of age. No further details are currently available.

Eddie Trunk, who co-hosts “That Metal Show” with Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson, writes on his web site, “Kerri was a great part of the show and we had fun with her on the days we shot. I did not know her well outside of our working relations but she was fun to have as part of ‘That Metal Show’ in seasons 2 and 3. We featured her prominently in our final skit [see video below] of season 3 which just aired and featured [original KISS drummer] Peter Criss. A fun day at Le Cirque.

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John Givens died he was 83

John Givens died he was 83. Givens was a basketball player and coach.

Givens, a native of McHenry, Kentucky^[1], played college basketball at Western Kentucky University. He was drafted by the NBA's Rochester Royals in the sixth round of the 1950. He joined the Air Force during World War II, where he also played basketball during his service years. In 1946 he attended Western Kentucky University and became a basketball star. While playing for WKU he was in the Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities. He was a professional player for Sheboygan, WI, Redskins, where he was MVP during the 1950-51 season in the All Professional League while his team won the championship that year. He later played for the Minneapolis Lakers with the great George Mikan.

He then went on to become a high school coach. His coaching career experienced 194

victories and 97 defeats as of 1967. He coached for six schools, New Albany High School, where the team went to two state finals; Marion Indiana High School; Las Vegas, NM; and Highlands University. During the 1964-65 season he was the NAIA District 7 Coach of the Year, at Highlands University; then the Kentucky Colonels Pro-American Basketball Association, where he was the first coach for the Colonels; and finished his career with Thomas Jefferson High School as athletic director and finally, Fern Creek High Schools Girls Basketball. He had influenced a number of students and athletes during his career as teacher and coach.

Givens was a starting guard on the 1950-51 Sheboygan Red Skins of the National Professional Basketball League. The Red Skins finished with the league's best record at 29-16, after which the league dissolved. Givens was one of the league's most electric performers and finished seventh in NPBL scoring with 569 points in 44 games, a 12.9 per-game average.

Givens became the first head coach of the Kentucky Colonels during the American Basketball Association's first season in 1967-1968. Givens also became the first coach in the history of the ABA to be fired, after a 5-12 start. He was replaced as head coach of the Colonels by Gene Rhodes.^[3]

Givens later coached at Thomas Jefferson High School and Fern Creek High School, both in Jefferson County, Kentucky, before he retired.^[4]

Givens died on December 8, 2009 at his home in Louisville, Kentucky.^[5]

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Willie Maxine Perry died she was 64, American mother of filmmaker Tyler Perry.

Filmmaker Tyler Perry's mother, the inspriration for his "Madea" character, passed yesterday away at age 64 according to a message Perry's website. Willie Maxine Perry died she was 64.
Feb. 12, 1945 Dec 8, 2009

Mr. Perry gained popularity over the years playing Madea, the antithesis of the sweet old granny, in a dozen stage plays and films including Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea Goes to Jail, and the recent I Can Do Bad All by Myself.

In one of his most recent efforts Mr. Perry, 40, co-produced the film Precious with Oprah Winfrey. Mr. Perry, whose films have grossed almost $400 million worldwide, will appear tonight on ABC in a pre-recorded interview with Barbara Walters as part of Walters' The 10 Most Facinating People of 2009 special.

"When my mother was trying to protect me from my father, she started taking me everywhere with her. If I made one more trip to Lane Bryant I would have just died! She took me to the hair salon, all these women would get together and have their card games ... it gave me a sense of, a different sensibility toward women," Mr. Perry tells Ms. Walters in the interview.

Al Dorow died he was 80,

Albert Richard "Al" Dorow died he was 80. Dorow was a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League and the American Football League.

(November 15, 1929 – December 7, 2009)

Dorow, a quarterback, played college football at Michigan State University and was All-American in 1951. He was drafted in the third round of the 1952 NFL Draft. After serving the required two years in the military, Dorow played for the Washington Redskins during the 1954, 1955, and 1956 seasons, and for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1957. After being released by the Eagles before the start of the 1958 season, Dorow spent two years in the Canadian Football League, playing for Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Toronto. Dorow moved to the AFL for its inaugral season, playing for the New York Titans (forerunner of the New York Jets) in 1960 and 1961, before being traded to the Buffalo Bills for the 1962 season. Dorow injured his arm in the fourth game of the 1962 season and was unable to play again.

Dorow's awards include All American in football for MSU in 1951 and Most Valuable Player in the NFL Pro Bowl of 1956. Dorow's other accomplishments include leading the AFL in most touchdowns thrown (26) in 1960. Dorow also co-holds the CFL single-game record for sacks with 7, matched by two others.

After leaving professional football, Dorow was a backfield coach for Hillsdale College in Michigan for the 1963 and 1964 seasons. He then became an assistant to Duffy Daugherty at Michigan State for the 1965 through 1970 seasons. He was the head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1971 and part of the 1972 season.

After football, Dorow worked as a salesman and manager, retiring in 1989.

Dorow died of bone cancer on December 7, 2009.

Grady Patterson died he was 85

Grady Leslie Patterson, Jr.died he was 85. Patterson was the South Carolina State Treasurer and a United States Air Force General.^[1] In Grady L. Patterson, Jr.’s thirty years as South Carolina State Treasurer, he has been responsible for many of the changes that modernized state government and protected South Carolina’s citizens. During his tenure, South Carolina transformed itself from an agricultural economy to one strong in manufacturing and technology, but certain financial truths never changed for Treasurer Patterson.

(January 13, 1924–December 7, 2009)

Born in Calhoun Falls, South Carolina, Patterson graduated from University of South Carolina. He served in World War II and was State Treasurer of South Carolina for thirty-seven years.^[2]

For years South Carolina was an innovator in the management of public funds under the guidance of Treasurer Patterson. He has always advocated common sense conservative management policies. State officials recognized Grady Patterson’s leadership, and he has often been the voice for responsible fiscal management in often-contentious policy debates.

Because of his common sense approach to state government, Patterson promoted several initiatives to keep state spending on a tight leash and to make the Treasurer’s Office more responsive to the needs of South Carolinians.

In 2006, he was defeated for reelection by Republican Thomas Ravenel.

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