/ Stars that died in 2023

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Loleatta Holloway, American soul and disco musician, died from heart failure she was , 64.

Loleatta Holloway  was an American singer, mainly known for disco songs such as "Hit and Run" and "Love Sensation", both of which have been sampled extensively died from heart failure she was , 64..

(November 5, 1946 – March 21, 2011)

Biography

Holloway began singing gospel with her mother in the Holloway Community Singers and recorded with Albertina Walker in the Caravans gospel group. Holloway was also a cast member of the Chicago troupe of Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope. Around this time, she met her future producer, manager, and husband Floyd Smith, and recorded "Rainbow ’71" in 1971, a Curtis Mayfield song that Gene Chandler had recorded in 1963. It was initially released on the tiny Apache label, but shortly thereafter, it got picked up for national distribution by Galaxy Records.
In the early 1970s, Holloway signed a recording contract with the Atlanta-based soul music label Aware, part of the General Recording Corporation (GRC), owned by Michael Thevis. Holloway recorded two albums for the label, both of them produced by Floyd Smith—Loleatta (1973) and Cry to Me (1975). Holloway later married Smith. Her first single from the second album, the ballad "Cry to Me" rose to #10 Billboard R&B and #68 on the Hot 100, but before the label could really establish Holloway, it went out of business.

Top Philadelphia arranger and producer Norman Harris quickly signed Holloway in 1976 for his new label, Gold Mind, a subsidiary of New York's Salsoul Records. The first release from the album Loleatta was another Sam Dees ballad, "Worn-Out Broken Heart," which reached #25 R&B, but the B-side, "Dreaming," climbed to #72 on the pop chart and launched her as a disco act. She contributed vocals to "Re-Light My Fire" for Dan Hartman, who then wrote and produced the title track of her fourth and final album for Gold Mind, "Love Sensation" (1980). Eighteen songs of hers charted on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, including four #1s. However, it was a ballad that proved to be another big R&B hit for her. "Only You" was written and produced by Bunny Sigler, who also sang with Holloway on the track, and it reached #11 in 1978.

In the early 1980s, she had another dance hit with "Crash Goes Love" (#5 on the U.S. Dance chart, #86 on the US R&B Chart). She also recorded one single, "So Sweet," for the fledgling house-music label DJ International Records. In the late 1980s, her vocals from "Love Sensation" were used in the UK #1 hit "Ride on Time" by Black Box.[1] Holloway, however, was uncredited for her vocals,[2] and both Holloway and her attorneys successfully sued the group, which lead to an undisclosed court settlement in Holloway's favor. In 1992, she also had a hit with dance band Cappella. There she appeared billed as Cappella featuring Lolleatta Holloway on the single "Take Me Away" (UK #25). Holloway's fortunes dramatically improved, however, when she had her first US #1 hit when Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch featured her vocals in the chart-topping "Good Vibrations" (1991). Holloway also performed with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch to promote the single, and she received full vocal credit and a share of the royalties
More recent dance chart entries include "What Goes Around Comes Around" (credited to GTS featuring Loleatta Holloway) in 2000, and "Relight My Fire" (credited to Martin featuring Holloway), which hit #5 in 2003. While not a single, "Like a Prayer", a Madonna cover, was a track on the Madonna tribute album Virgin Voices. "Love Sensation '06," peaked at #22 in the Dutch Top 40,[3] and reached #37 on the UK Singles Chart as well as #49 in Australia.

 Death

Holloway died aged 64 on March 21, 2011 from heart failure. She is survived by her four children.

Discography

Studio albums

  • Loleatta (Aware 1973)
  • Cry To Me (Aware 1975)
  • Loleatta (Gold Mind 1977)
  • Queen of the Night (Gold Mind 1978)
  • Loleatta Holloway (Gold Mind 1979)
  • Love Sensation (Gold Mind 1980)
  • Greatest Hits (The Right Stuff/EMI, 1996)
  • Queen of the Night: the Ultimate Club Collection (The Right Stuff/EMI, 2001)
  • Loleatta Holloway: The Anthology (Salsoul, 2005)

Singles

  • "Cry to Me" (#10 R&B, #68, US Billboard Hot 100)(1975)
  • "Worn-out Broken Heart" (#25 R&B)
  • "Only You" with Bunny Sigler (#87 US, Billboard Hot 100, #11 US R&B)
  • "Dreamin'" (US #72), (US Dance #3)(1977)
  • "Love Sensation" (#1 US Dance) (1980)
  • "Vertigo/Relight My Fire" (with Dan Hartman)
  • "Hit and Run" (#3 US Dance), (#56 US R&B)(1977)
  • "Catch Me on the Rebound" (#16 US Dance)
  • "Crash Goes Love" (#5 US Dance), (#86 US R&B)(1984)
  • "Runaway" by The Salsoul Orchestra
  • "All About the Paper"
  • "The Greatest Performance of My Life"
  • "Catch Me on the Rebound"
  • "Seconds"
  • "I May Not be there When You Want Me (But I'm Right on Time)"
  • Black Box - "Ride On Time" (#1 UK; contains vocal samples from "Love Sensation" - Holloway's vocals are also the only vocals on the track; also Britain's best selling single of 1989)
  • Marky Mark (aka Mark Wahlberg) & The Funky Bunch - "Good Vibrations" (#1 US, #14 UK; prominently features Holloway's vocals sampled from "Love Sensation." This was Holloway's only US #1 on the Billboard Hot 100)(1991)
  • Latin Swing featuring Loleatta Holloway - "Gotta Be #1" (#2, US Dance) (1992)
  • Cappella featuring Loleatta Holloway - "Take Me Away" (#25 UK; contains vocal samples from "Love Sensation") (1992)
  • "I Survived" (UK-only release, produced by Johnny Vicious) (1994)
  • Fire Island featuring Loleatta Holoway - "Shout it to The Top" (#23 UK) (1998)
  • Cevin Fisher featuring Loleatta Holloway - "(You Got Me) Burning Up" (#14 UK; contains vocal samples from "Love Sensation") (1999)
  • "Dreamin'" (remix) (#1, US Dance)(2000)
  • GTS featuring Loleatta Holloway - "What Goes Around Comes Around" (2000)
  • AgeHa featuring Loleatta Holloway & Jocelyn Brown - "A Better World" (2003)
  • "Love Sensation '06" (#37 UK) (2006)
  • "Don't Leave Me this Way - 2007" (2007 Deep Influence Mix)
  • "I-N-S-I-D-E" by CJ TOBA feat Loleatta Holloway (2009 DJ Remix of "Dreamin'," which reached success in DJ/Club Charts)

 

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Don Canney, American politician, Mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (1969–1992), died from heart failure he was , 80

Donald J. "Don" Canney was an American politician and civil engineer who served as the Mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for twenty-two years from 1969 to 1992. Canney is Cedar Rapids' longest serving mayor to date.

(October 8, 1930 – March 20, 2011)

Biography

 Early life

Canney was born on October 8, 1930, to John and Alice Mickle Canney in Iowa City, Iowa. He served as an underwater demolitions expert within the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. He received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Iowa. Canney married Gloria Frau on August 20, 1955, and remained together until her death in 2010.[3]

Career

Canney served as the Cedar Rapids streets commissioner for more than six years before becoming Mayor of Cedar Rapids in 1969.[2] Canney is credited with spearheading much of modern Cedar Rapids' infrastructure and civic development.[1] Projects credited to Canney include the U.S. Cellular Center, which opened in 1979 as the Five Seasons Center, the expansion of the The Eastern Iowa Airport, the Edgewood Road Bridge and the 5-in-1 dam.[1]
Canney resigned from office in 1992 after more than 22 years as mayor when he ws 61 years old.[4] he took a position with PMX Industries Inc., a South Korea firm which had opened a facility in Cedar Rapids, where he worked for three years before his retirement.[4] In addition to his career in engineering and politics, Canney also created his own brand of fish fillet knives, called "Canney’s Leech Lake filet knife."[2] The knives were named for a lake in which he fished during the summer.[4]
Don Canney died of heart failure in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 20, 2011, at the age of 80.[1][4] His funeral was held at the St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids.[1] Canney wife, Gloria O. (née Frau) Canney, had died on September 13, 2010.[3]
Current Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett announced the creation of commission to rename a major Cedar Rapids landmark in honor of Canney.[2] Possible choices for the memorial which have been mentioned include an airport terminal at Eastern Iowa Airport, a former federal court which is being re-purposed to become Cedar Rapids' future city hall, or the city library.[1] Corbett explained that, "We’re looking for something significant to have Don Canney’s name associated with. Don was big into public infrastructure, so it only makes sense from the standpoint also."[2]

 

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Bob Christo, Australian-born Indian actor, died from a heart attack he was , 72.


Robert John Christo, popularly known as Bob Christo, was an Indian actor of Australian origin , died from a heart attack he was , 72..

Career

Christo was a qualified civil engineer.[2] Known for his muscular physique and bald headed look, Bob Christo came to Mumbai to meet Indian actress Parveen Babi,[2] whilst awaiting a work permit to work in Muscat.[1]
He got his first break within the Bollywood film industry, as a typecasted villain in the Hindi movie Abdullah in 1980.[3] Christo decided to stay in India and appeared in over 200 movies in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.[4] His film career restricted him to be typecasted and portray stereotypical roles such as a henchman, prisoner, lead villain's sidekick or a British officer in pre-war related movies.
During later stages of his life, he worked as a Yoga instructor in Bangalore[5] and remained inactive from the Hindi movie industry from 2003. Partly due to how little is known about him and partly due to the number of movies in which he has appeared, Bob Christo apparently has a cult following of sorts, with a website dedicated to him at bollybob. On Tuesday 17 June 2008 Adil Ray officially announced as part of the BBC Asian Network's Bollywood month that he was going to search for the legend Bob, however he was unsuccessful.
The 72-year-old actor died of "rupture of left ventricle free valve" in Bangalore on 20 March 2011. Tributes were later poured all over India including a Twitter posting made by Abhishek Bachchan.

 Filmography

2000s

YearDescription: ↓
FilmDescription: ↓
RoleDescription: ↓
2003
Aman Ke Farishtey
2001
Kasam
John (white guy)
2001
Veer Savarkar

1990s

  • Hum Tum Pe Marte Hain (1999)
  • Nyaydaata (1999) .... B.C.
  • Agnichakra (1997)
  • Dhaal: The Battle of Law Against Law (1997)
  • Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997) .... Boat organiser
  • Ram Aur Shyam (1996)
  • Sarhad: The Border of Crime (1995)
  • Prem (1995) .... The British Officer
  • Paandav (1995)
  • Kismat (1995)
  • Insaaf Apne Lahoo Se (1994) (uncredited) .... Bob
  • Pathreela Raasta (1994) (as Bob Cristo)
  • Aulad Ke Dushman (1993) .... Rexon Warner
  • Hum Hain Kamaal Ke (1993) (as Bob Cristo) .... English Diamond Dealer
  • Gumrah (1993) .... Male cop in Mauritius
... aka Astray
... aka The Eyes (International: English title)
  • Tahqiqaat (1993) .... Goon who is arrested by Arun Kumar
  • Dil Aashna Hai (...The Heart Knows) (1992) .... Goverdhan's man
... aka The Heart Knows the Truth (India: English title)
  • Deedar (1992) .... Chhada's goon
... aka Seeing the Beloved's Face
  • Humshakal (1992) (uncredited) .... Rapist (2nd to be shot dead)
  • Mr. Bond (1992)
  • Tirangaa (1992)
  • Farishtay (1991)
  • Vishnu-Devaa (1991) .... Bald Fighter
  • Saugandh (1991)
  • Fateh (1991)
  • Numbri Aadmi (1991) .... Don
  • Yodha (1991) .... Christo
  • Zimmedaaar (1990) (as Bob Cristo) .... Bob (Man who beat up the press editor)
  • Doodh Ka Karz (1990) .... Engrez Master 'Gora'
  • Agneepath (1990) .... Gora
... aka The Path of Fire
  • Zahreelay (1990) .... Massena
... aka Zehreelay (India: Hindi title: alternative transliteration)
  • Aag Ka Gola (1990) .... Natwar's Man (Baldy)
  • Atishbaz (1990) .... Michael
  • Dushman (1990) .... Sadashiv's aid
  • Gunahon Ka Devta (1990) .... Bob
  • Maula Jatt (1990)

1980s

  • Shehzaade (1989) (uncredited) .... Bob
  • Jaadugar (1989) .... Bob
  • Toofan (1989) .... Mr. Goodmark, Gold Smuggler
  • Dost (1989)
  • Farz Ki Jung (1989) .... Mr. Barker
  • Sachché Ká Bol-Bálá (1989) (as Bob Cristo) .... Henchman (Baldy)
... aka Truth Will Triumph
  • Vardi (1989) .... Bob
  • Dav Pech (1989) .... Gambler
  • Guru (1989/I) .... Bob - bandit
  • Kaanoon Ki Awaaz (1989)
  • Love Love Love (1989) (uncredited) .... Man at Party
  • Sachai Ki Taqat (1989)
  • Paanch Fauladi (1988) .... Seth (Englishman)
  • Bloodstone (1988) .... Haggerty
  • Commando (1988)
  • Aakhri Adaalat (1988)
... aka The Last Judgement (International: English title: informal title)
  • Akhri Muqabla (1988) .... Tiger/Shola/Shaitan
  • Mar Mitenge (1988) .... Bob
  • Superman (1987) .... Bob
... aka The Indian Superman (India: English title)
  • Mr India (1987) .... Mr. Wolcott
  • Kala Dhanda Goray Log (1986) .... Bob
  • Allah Rakha (1986) .... Don
  • Palay Khan (1986) .... British Officer
  • Mard (1985) .... Simon
  • Geraftaar (1985) .... Ram
  • Telephone (1985/I)
  • Baadal (1985)
  • Sarfarosh (1985) .... British Man
  • Haveli (1985) (as Bob Cristo) .... Runaway prisoner (English man)
... aka The Mansion (India: English title)
  • Insaaf Main Karoonga (1985) .... Commander Bob
  • Kali Basti (1985) .... Bob Jackson
  • Karmyudh (1985)
  • Yaar Kasam (1985)
  • Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki (1984) .... Udaybhan's Assistant
  • Insaaf Kaun Karega (1984) .... Bob
  • Boxer (1984) (as Bob Cristo)
  • Jagir (1984) .... Bob - bandit
... aka Teen Murti (India: Bengali title) ... aka The Estate ... aka The Three Idols
  • Raaj Tilak (1984) .... Combatant in arena
  • Raja Aur Rana (1984) .... Bob
  • Disco Dancer (1983) .... International Hit-man
  • Jaani Dost (1983)
  • Nastik (1983)
... aka The Atheist
  • Haadsaa (1983) .... Robby's Abductor
  • Hum Se Hai Zamana (1983)
  • Taqdeer (1983) .... Bob, the gangster
... aka Luck
  • Star (1982) .... Samson
  • Ashanti (1982) .... Sampat's Man
  • Sharaabi Nar (1982) ...
  • Main Intequam Loonga (1982) .... Anthony
  • Namak Halaal (1982) .... The Hitman appointed to kill Raja
  • "Nouvelle malle des Indes, La" (1981) (mini) TV mini-series .... Le major
... aka Wettlauf nach Bombay (West Germany)
  • Kaalia (1981) .... Michael
  • Qurbani (1980)
  • Abdullah (1980) .... Magician
  • Raj Kapoor (1987) .... Himself (during funeral)
  • Meri Garmi (iSummer - 1989)

 

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Oliver Humperdink, American professional wrestling manager, died from pneumonia and cancer he was , 62.


John Sutton, better known by his ring name Oliver Humperdink, was a professional wrestling manager who worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, Florida Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation died from pneumonia and cancer he was , 62.

(January 16, 1949 – March 20, 2011)

Career

In the early and mid 1960s, John Sutton began to get to know several wrestlers while working as an usher in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[3] He eventually landed a job as a sort of security guard for the American Wrestling Association (AWA).[3] In 1973, he met Paul Vachon when he went to work at Grand Prix Wrestling (GPW) in Montreal.[3] At GPW, Sutton worked as a manager and an occasional wrestler.[3] He also refereed for a time.[3]

Sutton began managing the Hollywood Blonds after they split with their manager, Johnny Rougeau.[3]Don Jardine came up with the "Sir Oliver Humperdink" name,[3] which he thought would draw heat from francophone fans in Quebec who hated anything English.[3] Both Don Jardine and Dale Hey are credited with coming up with his new moniker.[3]
In 1974, Humperdink went to Florida Championship Wrestling and was put into an angle with Mike Graham and Kevin Sullivan.[3] Two years later, he began working with the Hollywood Blondes once again.[3]
He worked for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s Jim Crockett Promotions in the 1980s where he managed Greg Valentine, Paul Jones and The One Man Gang.[3] He left the company in 1983 but returned five years later before the company folded.[3] While still in the NWA, he formed a stable known as the "House of Humperdink".[1][3] As a singles wrestler, he held the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship and NWA Central States Television Championship.
In 1987, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) approached Humperdink and offered him a job.[3] As a part of the WWF, he managed Bam Bam Bigelow.[3] That same year, he also began managing Paul Orndorff during his feud with Rick Rude.[3] His gimmick was that of a face, but Sutton did not like the gimmick off-screen.[3] He managed the duo during the first ever Survivor Series in a match that they lost when Bigelow was pinned by André the Giant.[3] Humperdink also managed Bigelow during WrestleMania IV when he lost in the first round of a WWF Championship tournament.[3]
When he returned to the NWA in 1988, he managed The New Wild Samoans (Solofa Fatu, Samu, and the Tonga Kid).[3] He also returned to the side of Bigelow in his feud with Barry Windham in a match at Starrcade.[3]
He worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the early 1990s as "Big Daddy Dink", a biker-type gimmick.[3] In WCW, he managed the Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin).[3] Off-screen, Sutton hated his new gimmick and WCW's office politics.[3] He retired in 1993.[3]

Personal life

In the 1960s, Sutton was in a car crash and nearly died when he hit a snow bank.[3] After recovering from the incident, his health deteriorated.[3] In 2001, he went through surgery to replace his aortic valve in Key West.[3] He was equipped with a pace maker and made a full recovery.[3] The Cauliflower Alley Club helped pay for some of his medical expenses.[3] Sutton returned to the hospital in 2008 after heart troubles complicated a case of pneumonia.[3] In early 2011, it was announced that Sutton was diagnosed with cancer of the bladder.[4] He entered a hospice having refused chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
He went to the annual Cauliflower Alley Club conventions every year.[3]
Sutton never married or had children.[3] Sutton died early on the morning of March 20, 2011,[2] of complications from pneumonia at the age of 62.[5]

In wrestling

[edit] Wrestlers managed

[edit] Tag teams managed

Championships and accomplishments

 

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Johnny Pearson, British composer, arranger and pianist, died he was , 85.

John Valmore Pearson known as Johnny Pearson, was a British composer, orchestra leader and pianist died he was , 85.. He led the Top of the Pops orchestra for sixteen years, wrote a catalogue of library music, and had many of his pieces used as the theme music to television series.


(18 June 1925 – 20 March 2011)

Early years

Born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire[1] Johnny Pearson showed talent with the piano at an early age. By nine, he had won a scholarship with the London Academy of Music. Here he spent four years under English pianist, Solomon. In his teens, he would give classical recitals, but his true love at the time was jazz. His first band was the Rhythm Makers. After World War 2, he signed up and became one of the founding members of the Malcolm Mitchell Trio, before leaving in 1954. During his time with the trio, he toured England and Europe, playing the West End and theatres.
After leaving the trio, Pearson turned his talents to British radio, as well as performing in the Peter York Concert Orchestra. By 1960, he was conducting the Romance in Rhythm Orchestra.[2] He recorded two singles for Parlophone, "Waterfall" in mid 1959, and "Theme from an L shaped room" in 1962. He was then offered a solo album deal with Oriole Records, which first teamed him up with John Schroeder. The Oriole album, Piano Sweet - Piano Wild, had a single taken from it, "Ooh La La", released in 1962. After the Oriole releases, Johnny Pearson continued to perform with various concert orchestras until 1964.

Working with Cilla Black

In early 1964, Johnny Pearson took part in helping launch the career of Cilla Black, a rising singer who had been spotted by Beatles producer George Martin. She had released her first 45 single, "Love of the Loved", in 1963, but it had charted only modestly despite having being written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. A scout for George Martin had spotted the track "Anyone Who Had a Heart" after hearing the US singer Dionne Warwick's version. Originally the song was to have been recorded in the UK by Shirley Bassey, but George Martin saw the piece as being more suitable for Black's voice. Early in 1964, "Anyone Who Had a Heart" was recorded by Cilla Black at London's Abbey Road Studios, in an arrangement by Pearson which featured the use of bassoons. In February 1964, it entered the UK music charts, quickly reaching number 1 in the music charts of the U.K, Ireland and other parts of Europe. The Dionne Warwick version was also in the charts at the time, but Cilla Black's treatment used slightly different lyrics and a different arrangement.
Following the success of "Anyone Who Had a Heart", Pearson was invited to work on the next Cilla Black single, "You're My World", which was released in May 1964. This was also recorded at Abbey Road Studios, and again went to number 1 on the UK music charts. Pearson also worked on other Cilla Black tracks, some of which feature on the LP, Cilla Sings a Rainbow.

Sounds Orchestral

Sounds Orchestral was an idea by John Schroeder, who had moved from Oriole Records to become the label manager at Pye Records and was interested in producing and instrumental version of the US hit song "Cast Your Fate to the Wind". This had been suggested to him at the time by Pye staff member, Tony Reeves. As his project moved to fruition, Schroeder looked for a piano player. His efforts came about when he was reminded of Johnny Pearson from a few years earlier, after he heard him on Radio Luxembourg. Initially paid a session fee to record "Cast Your Fate to the Wind", Pearson was subsequently made a full partner in the Sounds Orchestral project.[3] "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" was a number 5 hit in the UK Singles Chart in early 1965.[4] Pearson is also known to have composed under the pseudonym 'Oscar Brandenburg', a name he shared with Neil Richardson and Alan Moorhouse. Sounds Orchestral would end up recording some seventeen albums between 1965 and 1977. Some have subsequently been reissued on CD.

Top of the Pops

Johnny Pearson first came into contact with the BBC's Top of the Pops, in early 1965. Sounds Orchestral had just charted with "Cast Your Fate To The Wind", which featured on the first Top Of The Pops show. The following year, in 1966, Pearson took charge of the Top Of The Pops Orchestra. This would be a position he would fill for the next fifteen years, finally leaving the series in late 1981.

The Carpenters

In October 1971, Johnny Pearson helped produce the BBC Television special, Carpenters: Live at the BBC, featuring the American musical duo of Karen and Richard Carpenter. It was broadcast the following month on British TV and elsewhere. In early 1973, Pearson was again contacted by Richard Carpenter to ask permission to use one of his songs, on the then forthcoming Carpenters LP, Now and Then. This track, originally titled "Autumn Reverie", first appeared on the 1968 KPM album, Gentle Sounds, and was retitled "Heather" by producer John Bettis in the Carpenters' version. Richard Carpenter apparently first heard the track as background music for a commercial for the US health food supplement maker, Geritol, and loved it straight away.[5] "Autumn Reverie" would also feature again on the 1974 Johnny Pearson LP, Touch Me in the Morning and as background music on the British television series, All Creatures Great and Small (1978-90).

Johnny Pearson and his Orchestra

As leader of the Johnny Pearson Orchestra, he reached number 8 in the UK chart in early 1972 with "Sleepy Shores", the theme from the television series Owen, M.D.[6] (1971-73). The Johnny Pearson Orchestra, which as a musical project was begun in 1972, ran side by side with his other projects. At the time, these projects included working on albums with John Schroeder for Sounds Orchestral and also providing library music to Britain's KPM Records.
Instead of the slightly jazzy sounding, Sounds Orchestral albums, Pearson was offered a project for easy listening and romance music, based on the success of his "Sleepy Shores" hit. This time he teamed up with music executive Larry Page, who wanted to move his label Penny Farthing into the easy listening genre. The albums were released outside the UK in Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA. In 1978, Larry Page decided to rename his Penny Farthing label to Rampage Records, to reflect a more modern outlook. One of the first singles and albums from the Rampage label, would be another of Pearson's international hits, the theme from All Creatures Great and Small.

Library and theme music

 In the United Kingdom

Pearson was a successful composer of theme music for television series. Examples of his work included 3-2-1, All Creatures Great and Small, Captain Pugwash, Monday Night Football, Mary Mungo & Midge and ITN's News at Ten (the last of which was titled "The Awakening", a piece otherwise known to American audiences as the main title theme to the 1964/1972 animated film Journey Back to Oz). He also wrote the Grampian Television start-up music "Sounds On" and the ATV startup theme "Midlands Montage", as well as music used during intervals between schools programmes on ITV.

 In the United States

In the United States, Pearson's best known composition is "Heavy Action", originally used as the theme to the BBC sports show Superstars, and subsequently adopted by ABC's Monday Night Football (the NFL's weekly nationally televised showcase) and the SFM Holiday Network. In 1989, Edd Kalehoff composed and recorded a new arrangement of this music for later seasons of Monday Night Football. His piece "Graveyard" was used in Ren and Stimpy. NFL Films has used many of his other compositions for its Super Bowl and other highlight films.

 In Australia

In Australia, his best known library music piece was "Power Drive," which was used as the theme for the 1969-75 police drama Division 4. This tune was also famous in the U.S. for use in some episodes of the 1967-70 cartoon series Spider-Man, as well as being the theme for Los Angeles station KNXT/KCBS-TV's afternoon movie series The Early Show for much of the 1970s and into the 1980s. The track "Sleepy Shores" was also used as incidental music in some of the courting scenes from the 1970s ABC TV drama series, Certain Women. Some of Johnny Pearson's library music was also used as background scene music for the Ten Network series, Prisoner.

In the Netherlands

In the 1970s, the Dutch TV series Sil de Strandjutter featured a title theme written and performed by Johnny Pearson and his orchestra. Pearson's composition "Heather", as performed by The Carpenters, has served as the background music to the "Plaat & zijn Verhaal"-section ("A record and its story") at Radio Veronica, in which a song's lyrics are translated into Dutch and read by the DJ.

The 1980s and later

In late 1981, Johnny Pearson's tenure at BBC's Top Of The Pops came to an end, as the show had itself undergone a major reorganisation. By that time he had been associated with the programme for sixteen years. He was credited on the milestone 900th Top Of The Pops episode, in July 1981; his last credit with the show, was in late August 1981. After this, Pearson continued to work on independent projects and in 1982, released the instrumental album On Golden Pond through Larry Page's Page One Records.
In 1984, Pearson assembled another orchestra, the Johnny Pearson Studio Orchestra, and contributed to John Paul Jones' motion picture soundtrack, Scream For Help. Following this, during 1985, he worked on producing music for the BBC TV production drama Maelstrom. Notable on the recordings for Maelstrom is the track "Camellia Waltz", which was treated to sound like an old 78rpm record. Other tracks by Pearson for the series came from his work with KPM. In 1987, together with business partner Adrian Kerridge, Pearson negotiated the purchase of CTS Studios, in Wembley.[7] In 1988, he returned to the KPM record label and the recording of two new library CDs for the radio and television industry. Both were recorded at CTS Studios in Wembley, with Adrian Kerridge.
After the 1980s, Pearson made occasional live appearances as part of a quartet. In 1996, he recorded a CD of library music, for the radio and tv industry, titled Simply Piano. This was followed in 2005 by another CD titled Simply Piano 2.

 

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Dorothy Young, American actress, assistant to Harry Houdini died she was , 103.

Dorothy Lena Young  was an American entertainer who worked as a stage assistant to magician Harry Houdini from 1925 to 1926  died she was , 103.. She left the act two months prior to his death on October 31, 1926. She appeared in the 2005 television documentary, Houdini: Unlocking the Mystery.

(May 3, 1907 – March 20, 2011)
 
After his death, Young, the daughter of a Methodist minister, appeared on Broadway in Jarnegan (1928–29), Conquest (1933), and New Faces of 1936 (1936). After leaving acting, she and her second husband, Gilbert Kiamie, toured the world as the Latin dancing team of "Dorothy and Gilbert".
She was the author of two novels loosely based on her life: Diary Without Dates and Dancing on a Dime, the latter of which was made into a feature film in 1940 by Universal Studios, as well as the booklet Touring with Houdini, published in 2003.
Young, the last surviving member of Houdini's touring show, died in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, on March 20, 2011, aged 103.[1]
Legacy

 

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Dickey Betts died he was 80

Early Career Forrest Richard Betts was also known as Dickey Betts Betts collaborated with  Duane Allman , introducing melodic twin guitar ha...