Detroit native, known for spiritual lyrics, had recently returned to group
Titus (Baatin) Glover, the Detroit rapper who co-founded the much-acclaimed Slum Village, has died.
The circumstances of his death remain unknown, associates said this afternoon. Baatin’s body was found this morning in the 14000 block of Anglin Street and is at the Wayne County medical examiner’s office, said family friend Ty Townson.
Funeral arrangements are not yet set. Friends and family members will gather for a public remembrance at 8 p.m. Sunday at Elements Gallery, 2125 Michigan Avenue in Detroit. (more…)
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Taylor family.
From the Chicago Tribune:
Koko Taylor more than once said she hoped that when she died, it would be on stage, doing the thing she loved most: Singing the blues.
She nearly got her wish. The Chicago musical icon died Wednesday at age 80 of complications from gastrointestinal surgery less than four weeks after her last performance, at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis, Tenn. There she collected her record 29th Blues Music Award, capping an era in which she became the most revered female blues vocalist of her time with signature hits “Wang Dang Doodle,” “I’m a Woman” and “Hey Bartender.”
Taylor died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital 15 days after her May 19 surgery. She appeared to be recovering until taking a turn for the worst Wednesday morning, and was with friends and family when she died.
“Koko Taylor’s life and music brought joy to millions of people all around the world and Chicago is especially honored that she called our city her home for more than 50 years,” Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley said. “The strength of her style was formed in the night clubs of Chicago’s South Side and she carried that spirit with her wherever she went. She was an ambassador for our city and truly was the queen of a kind of music that makes people think of Chicago whenever they hear it.”
Among those with her Wednesday was Bruce Iglauer, owner of Chicago-based Alligator Records, who was her producer, manager and friend since 1974.
He recalled that Taylor had a similar surgery in 2004 and was on a ventilator for nearly a month. “The doctors were very discouraged then about her coming back, and she willed herself back to life,” Iglauer said. “We were hoping she would do the same this time.”
We should all take some time out today to reflect on the true meaning of this day. The troops do a great service for all of us even when we’re not thinking about them. One charity to consider supporting is Remind.org.
Created by the Bob Woodruff Foundation, it provides resources and support to service members, veterans and their families to successfully reintegrate into their communities so they may thrive physically, psychologically, socially and economically.
As a tribute, enjoy the clip of Kenny Gamble and Patti Labelle, discussing the making of their patriotic anthem, I Am An American.
March 21st is the birthday of one of the most influential figures in hip hop, Christopher George Latore Wallace aka the Notorious B.I.G. He would have been 37. R.I.P, Biggie.
By Matt Schudel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Wayman Tisdale, who scaled the heights in two high-profile careers as a professional basketball player and a chart-topping recording star, died May 15 of cancer at a hospital in Tulsa. He was 44.
Mr. Tisdale first gained renown in the 1980s as a three-time All-American basketball player at the University of Oklahoma. As a 6-foot-9 power forward with a soft left-handed shot, he was practically unstoppable during his college career, averaging 25.6 points a game.
In 1984, he was a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic basketball team, which included Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing. Mr. Tisdale was a first-team All-American and the Big Eight Conference player of the year in each of his first three years at Oklahoma before leaving the university in 1985 to enter the NBA draft. The Indiana Pacers selected him as the second player in the draft, after Georgetown University’s Ewing. He and Ewing remain the last college basketball players to be three-time All-Americans.
Yesterday would have been the 76th birthday of James Brown. We celebrate his life, legacy and music. R.I.P.
Ride remembers the Godfather of Soul
Story Published: May 3, 2009 at 11:05 PM EDT
Story Updated: May 3, 2009 at 9:01 PM EDT
AUGUSTA, Ga. – More than one hundred motorcycle riders drove through Augusta Sunday with their bikes roaring, all to remember one of Augusta’s legendary figures.
With their loud machines, tattoos and sometimes intimidating personalities, bikers don’t always get the best reputations, but the riders of the James Brown Memorial Ride were out for a good cause—remembering the Godfather of Soul and raising money for his charities.
“We just basically came out to celebrate the life and legacy of the Godfather of Soul,” said Don Browning, one of the event’s organizers and a rider.
“It’s a fun way to remember him [and there’s] nothing like riding,” said a rider who goes by the name, Black Kat.
Escorted by police, bikers road to James Brown’s statue in Downtown Augusta and raised money for Brown’s charities like his famous Christmas toy giveaway.
NEW YORK — The Rev. Timothy Wright, the Grammy-nominated gospel singer and composer who inspired America with his up-tempo praise songs and powerful choirs, has died a year after an accident that killed his wife and grandson.
Dubbed the “Godfather of Gospel,” he “brought people together in worship, in music, and in fellowship,” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday.
Wright, 61, died Thursday at the Bronx Veterans Hospital, music agent Will Bogle said. The exact cause of Wright’s death was not released, but the accident left him paralyzed from the neck down and he has been in bad health since then.
Wright was the pastor at Grace Tabernacle Christian Center Church of God in Christ, located in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood. He released more than a dozen gospel recordings, writing many of the songs. His latest album, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, came out in 2007.
Wright left a deep mark in the life of both his city and the nation, celebrated by his Brooklyn community and top officials.
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