I'm reading a 2009 book from Orange Frazer Press in Wilmington, Ohio. It's written by Michael A. Banks and titled "Before Oprah: Ruth Lyons, the Woman Who Created Talk TV".
I grew up on Ruth Lyons. My mom and most women liked her for her spunk. My dad and most men didn't because they thought she talked too much. But Ruth Lyons was an ever-present figure and force on live regional radio and television in Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Indianapolis every Monday through Friday from noon until one-thirty.
Ruth was spontaneous, fearless, independent, empathic, generous, loyal, and someone you didn't cross because of her immense popularity. She was also very intelligent and talented, yet humble, using her common touch to connect with her audiences. Miss Lyons was "Mother" to those who worked for her, a loyal friend to her employees, co-workers, and associates, as well as a superb networker.
Ruth's audience was never sure who might show up on stage. But every show felt like a special occasion . Ruth always lived up to her opening theme "Let Me Entertain You" with music, jokes and humor with her sidekicks and audience, prizes, commercials that didn't seem like commercials, and Ruth holding forth on whatever topic struck her fancy that day. And unlike today's commentators, who often get in trouble for what they say, Ruth's "50-50 Club" shows were all live and rarely taped; so any mistakes she made were forgotten because they couldn't be played back. That might be a good idea for today's commentators, eh?
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
"Today, Father, Is Father's Day"
Whenever I think of Father's Day, the first thing that comes to mind is a song written by Harry Ruby and sung by Groucho Marx on "The Dick Cavett Show" back around 1969 or 1970. It was titled "Father's Day" and began "Today, Father, Is Father's Day". Of course, no one could sing a Harry Ruby song like Groucho.
But what is the history of Father's Day? A complement to Mother's Day, Father's Day began in Fairmont, West Virginia on Sunday, July 5, 1908. It was organized by Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton, whose father and 209 other fathers had been killed in the Monongah Mining disaster in Monongah, West Virginia the previous December 6th. Yet because of unrelated city events, wasn't able to register her holiday honoring the lives of those fathers with the state of West Virginia.
A year later, Sonora Louise Smart of Spokane, Washington got an idea for a special day honoring fathers after hearing a sermon on Mother's Day, and wanted to honor her father, William Jackson Smart. The local YMCA and the Spokane Ministerial Association supported her idea. So the first Father's Day was registered and celebrated on Sunday, June 19, 1910.
Many resolutions were proposed to make it a national holiday. These included attempts in 1913, 1916(by President Woodrow Wilson), 1924(by President Calvin Coolidge), and others, all defeated by a U.S. Congress afraid of commercialization the proposed holiday might bring.
In 1957, Margaret Chase Smith, the U.S. Senator from Maine, wrote a proposal accusing the U.S. Congress of ignoring fathers for four decades while honoring mothers. In 1966, President Lyndon Baines Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation for a national day honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. This became a permanent national holiday in 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed it into law.
Father's Day is celebrated all over the world, but at different times of the year depending on the country. In addition, International Men's Day is celebrated in many parts of the world on November 19th. This holiday also honors fathers.
But what is the history of Father's Day? A complement to Mother's Day, Father's Day began in Fairmont, West Virginia on Sunday, July 5, 1908. It was organized by Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton, whose father and 209 other fathers had been killed in the Monongah Mining disaster in Monongah, West Virginia the previous December 6th. Yet because of unrelated city events, wasn't able to register her holiday honoring the lives of those fathers with the state of West Virginia.
A year later, Sonora Louise Smart of Spokane, Washington got an idea for a special day honoring fathers after hearing a sermon on Mother's Day, and wanted to honor her father, William Jackson Smart. The local YMCA and the Spokane Ministerial Association supported her idea. So the first Father's Day was registered and celebrated on Sunday, June 19, 1910.
Many resolutions were proposed to make it a national holiday. These included attempts in 1913, 1916(by President Woodrow Wilson), 1924(by President Calvin Coolidge), and others, all defeated by a U.S. Congress afraid of commercialization the proposed holiday might bring.
In 1957, Margaret Chase Smith, the U.S. Senator from Maine, wrote a proposal accusing the U.S. Congress of ignoring fathers for four decades while honoring mothers. In 1966, President Lyndon Baines Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation for a national day honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. This became a permanent national holiday in 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed it into law.
Father's Day is celebrated all over the world, but at different times of the year depending on the country. In addition, International Men's Day is celebrated in many parts of the world on November 19th. This holiday also honors fathers.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Zee Avi-Rising Songbird-Songwriter From Malaysia
Zee Avi's new album "ghostbird" is coming out in stores August 23rd.
"Ghostbird" is a good way to describe the Zee Avi sound. With a uniquely soft singing voice that sounds like a ghostbird in the wind, an excellent command of guitar and ukulele, and her songwriting ability, Zee Avi expresses her voice in the songs she composes, writes, and sings.
Born in 1985 in Miri, a small town in the state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo in Malaysia, Izyan Alirahman, who later shortened her name to Zee Avi, grew up in a natural tropical paradise and a loving, encouraging household. Her father was the owner of an energy consultancy, and educated Zee to become an attorney. Yet her paternal grandfather's music playing on double-bass, violin, accordion, and guitar was closer to her heart. So at seventeen, Zee learned how to play guitar, locking herself in her room for hours on end so nobody could interrupt her.
Avi put that aside for four years when she attended university in London, England where she studied fashion design at the American Inter Continental University there. Upon her return to Kuala Lumpur, the nation's capital where her family had lived since she was twelve, she picked up the guitar again and began composing songs and playing local gigs with a band. As Zee later explained on LP33.tv, a friend of hers had missed her first local show, and "I really wanted his feedback on one of my first songs, 'Poppy'." So she took a ten dollar webcam, recorded the song, showed it to him, "and was about to delete it right after he saw it. He just said 'Why don't you let it just nest there for a little bit. I said 'OK, we'll see what happens.' And I started getting more feedback."
She posted more videos on YouTube under the name KokoKaina. A lot of people, talented and average, post things on YouTube, and I post comments on YouTube under the name "renaissancegene". But her songs struck a cord with a steadily growing audience, including Kris Rowley, a British singer-songwriter, and Raconteurs' drummer Patrick Keeler. The latter showed her "No Christmas For Me" video to Ian Monotone of Monotone Records.
Things started to happen after Zee Avi posted "No Christmas For Me", a bittersweet holiday song she intended as her "last video", about three years ago. Her listening audience had snowballed over the past year or so. But now she received three thousand e-mails and a bunch of record label offers. One was from Ian Monotone, who had seen her YouTube clip and her talent. Monotone flew her to Los Angeles, California, signed her, recorded her at Brushfire Records' Solar Powered Plastic Plant, and released "No Christmas For Me" on the holiday charity album, "This Warm December, A Brushfire Holiday, Vol. 1". Her "Zee Avi" debut album hit the stores the following May, and she has been on the ascent ever since, touring the world.
"Ghostbird" is a good way to describe the Zee Avi sound. With a uniquely soft singing voice that sounds like a ghostbird in the wind, an excellent command of guitar and ukulele, and her songwriting ability, Zee Avi expresses her voice in the songs she composes, writes, and sings.
Born in 1985 in Miri, a small town in the state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo in Malaysia, Izyan Alirahman, who later shortened her name to Zee Avi, grew up in a natural tropical paradise and a loving, encouraging household. Her father was the owner of an energy consultancy, and educated Zee to become an attorney. Yet her paternal grandfather's music playing on double-bass, violin, accordion, and guitar was closer to her heart. So at seventeen, Zee learned how to play guitar, locking herself in her room for hours on end so nobody could interrupt her.
Avi put that aside for four years when she attended university in London, England where she studied fashion design at the American Inter Continental University there. Upon her return to Kuala Lumpur, the nation's capital where her family had lived since she was twelve, she picked up the guitar again and began composing songs and playing local gigs with a band. As Zee later explained on LP33.tv, a friend of hers had missed her first local show, and "I really wanted his feedback on one of my first songs, 'Poppy'." So she took a ten dollar webcam, recorded the song, showed it to him, "and was about to delete it right after he saw it. He just said 'Why don't you let it just nest there for a little bit. I said 'OK, we'll see what happens.' And I started getting more feedback."
She posted more videos on YouTube under the name KokoKaina. A lot of people, talented and average, post things on YouTube, and I post comments on YouTube under the name "renaissancegene". But her songs struck a cord with a steadily growing audience, including Kris Rowley, a British singer-songwriter, and Raconteurs' drummer Patrick Keeler. The latter showed her "No Christmas For Me" video to Ian Monotone of Monotone Records.
Things started to happen after Zee Avi posted "No Christmas For Me", a bittersweet holiday song she intended as her "last video", about three years ago. Her listening audience had snowballed over the past year or so. But now she received three thousand e-mails and a bunch of record label offers. One was from Ian Monotone, who had seen her YouTube clip and her talent. Monotone flew her to Los Angeles, California, signed her, recorded her at Brushfire Records' Solar Powered Plastic Plant, and released "No Christmas For Me" on the holiday charity album, "This Warm December, A Brushfire Holiday, Vol. 1". Her "Zee Avi" debut album hit the stores the following May, and she has been on the ascent ever since, touring the world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)