Drewsky1211

62 The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – Fire 58 Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising +3 53 Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The Grapevine 53 Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World +1 41 The Rolling Stones – Jumpin´ Jack Flash 23 The Love Affair — Everlasting Love 14 Hugo Montenegro & His Orchestra – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly -6 10 Bobbie Gentry – I´ll Never Fall In Love Again

James Gandolfini died on this day 10 years ago, aged 51. - Gandolfini was the son of an Italian immigrant who bought tires from an auto shop owned by the father of John Travolta. James and John starred in five movies together. - Gandolfini began his Broadway career in 1985 as Steve Hubbell in A Streetcar Named Desire. - Gandolfini would be typecast in mobster roles, particularly in the films True Romance, Terminal Velocity, and the juror. - His typecasting led to him landing the leading role as Tony Soprano in The Sopranos, which ran from 1999 to 2007 and earned him three Emmys, a Golden Globe, and a million dollar salary for each episode in the show's final season, with the last episode ending with - Gandolfini underwent knee surgery in 2006, which delayed production of The Sopranos by several months. - Gandolfini died while on vacation in Italy from a heart attack- several factors may have led to this, with the most immediate being heatstroke (he had been outside sightseeing all day during the summer heat) and his last meal (fried foods and eight alcoholic beverages). Others include his prior abuse of cocaine in his youth and the fact that he weighed 300 pounds (136 kilos/21 stone).

Salman Rushdie is 76. 34 years and counting...

Now man's this song's reign is through Also going to leave this here:

6/18/2023 62 The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – Fire 53 Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising 47 The Rolling Stones — Jumpin’ Jack Flash 47 Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The Grapevine 46 Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World 32 Hugo Montenegro & His Orchestra – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly 23 The Love Affair – Everlasting Love 18 Amen Corner – (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice 11 Zager & Evans – In The Year 2525 +4 10 Thunderclap Newman – Something In The Air -6 7 Bobbie Gentry – I´ll Never Fall In Love Again

Vera Lynn died on this day 3 years ago, aged 103. - Lynn was born as Vera Welch, and began performing in 1924 at the age of 7. She took the stage name "Vera Lynn" when she joined Madame Harris's Kracker Kabaret Kids at the age of 11, taking the surname from her grandmother Margaret's maiden name. - Lynn's first recorded single, "It's Home", was released in 1935. - Lynn achieved worldwide fame during World War II, when she would perform for people using the London Underground as a bomb shelter. She topped a 1940 poll asking soldiers who their favorite singers/bandleaders were, and is known as "The Forces' Sweetheart". Her wartime anthems were "The White Cliffs of Dover" and her signature song "We'll Meet Again"; the latter is also known for being the song at the end of Dr. Strangelove (juxtaposed over nuclear armageddon): - Lynn would achieve a number one single in the US in 1952 with "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" (wonder how well it would do in a Kill or Save game). - In her later career, Lynn released a song celebrating British victory in the Falklands War ("I Love This Land"), sang at Buckingham Palace on the 50th anniversary of VE Day and Trafalgar Square on its 60th, and encouraged Katherine Jenkins to be her protégé. - Lynn made a total of twelve appearances on the DeathList, debuting in 2006; her highest position was spot #2 in 2017 (behind Kirk Douglas). Lynn was the tenth of the record twenty deaths of the year.

Paul McCartney is dead 81.

6/17/2023 62 The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – Fire 54 Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising 49 Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The Grapevine 45 Hugo Montenegro & His Orchestra – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly 43 Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World 35 The Rolling Stones – Jumpin´ Jack Flash -1 20 Zager & Evans — In The Year 2525 +4 19 Thunderclap Newman – Something In The Air -5 19 The Love Affair – Everlasting Love 17 Bobbie Gentry – I´ll Never Fall In Love Again 17 Amen Corner – (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice 14 Tommy Roe – Dizzy

Pope Adeodatus II died on this day 1347 years ago, aged 55. - Adeodatus was a resident of the city of Rome all his life. His father's name was Jovinianus, and before becoming pope, Adeodatus was a monk. - Adeodatus was elected pope in 672 following the death of Pope Vitalian. - Adeodatus' papacy is shrouded in mystery due to a lack of sources that have survived from the time. It is known, however, that he supported dyothelitism during the debate of monotheletism vs. dyothelitism, and refused to comment on the politics within the Byzantine Empire. Adeodatus was also known for restoring old churches that needed refurbishment. - Adeodatus died after a 4-year papacy, and was succeeded by Pope Donus.

Barry Manilow is 80.

6/16/2023 62 The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – Fire 56 Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising 53 Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The Grapevine 47 Hugo Montenegro & His Orchestra – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly 41 The Rolling Stones – Jumpin´ Jack Flash 40 Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World 24 Thunderclap Newman – Something In The Air 21 The Love Affair – Everlasting Love -2 18 Zager & Evans – In The Year 2525 +4 17 Desmond Dekker & The Aces – Israelites -4 17 Tommy Roe – Dizzy 17 Bobbie Gentry – I´ll Never Fall In Love Again 13 Amen Corner – (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice 10 Tommy James & The Shondells – Mony, Mony

Helmut Kohl died on this day 6 years ago, aged 87. - Kohl joined the Christian Democratic Union of Germany Party shortly after its formation, and quickly rose through the party ranks. In 1959, he was elected to the Rhineland-Palatinate diet. Kohl became the party chairman in 1973, remaining in the role until 1998. - Kohl was elected to the Bundestag in 1976, immediately becoming the Leader of the Opposition against Helmut Schmidt's Social Democratic Party. In 1982, Kohl would be elected Chancellor of West Germany after a vote of no confidence against Schmidt. - Kohl's tenure as Chancellor is best remembered for the reunification of East and West Germany in 1990, and the final Allied forces leaving the country in 1994 (almost 50 years after the end of World War II). - Kohl was defeated in the 1998 election against Gerhard Schroder, due to an increasing unemployment rate. Kohl would retire from the Bundestag in 2002. - Kohl had major health issues during retirement. He had a stroke in 2008, which was complicated by a fall, and left him partially paralyzed. He had surgery on his gallbladder in 2010, and on his heart in 2012. Complications from intestinal surgery in 2015 put him in critical condition. - Kohl appeared on the DeathList once, in 2015 (spot no. 23).

Simeon (II) Sakskoburggotski, the final tsar of Bulgaria, is 86.

Donald Triplett dead at 89.

6/15/2023 62 The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – Fire 56 Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising 48 Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The Grapevine 45 Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World 42 Hugo Montenegro & The Aces — The Good The Bad And The Ugly 39 Desmond Dekker & The Aces – Israelites 34 The Rolling Stones – Jumpin´ Jack Flash 26 Zager & Evans – In The Year 2525 +4 24 Thunderclap Newman – Something In The Air 23 The Love Affair – Everlasting Love 19 Tommy Roe – Dizzy 19 Bobbie Gentry – I´ll Never Fall In Love Again 18 Tommy James & The Shondells – Mony, Mony 10 Mary Hopkin – Those Were The Days -2 9 Amen Corner – (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice 0 The Archies – Sugar, Sugar -4

Casey Kasem died on this day 9 years ago, aged 82. - Kasem's first name was actually Kemal- his parents named him after Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern Turkish state. - Kasem's first radio job was covering sports at his local high school, and during his college years, had his first voice roles on radio shows such as Challenge of the Yukon. - Kasem would be drafted into the Korean War, and was a radio announcer for American troops. After the war's end, he moved to New York to pursue a stage acting career- he auditioned for the off-Broadway play Ivan Of, ultimately losing the role he auditioned for to Ed Asner. - Kasem first became a TV voice actor in the 1960s- his most famous role was as Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo franchise, a role he played from its inception in 1969 up to 2009- he took a break from voicing the character after being asked to voice the character for a Burger King commercial; he was a vegan. After his retirement, the role went to Matthew Lillard (who portrayed the character in the live-action films): Other voice acting roles Kasem was known for included Groove in The Cattanooga Cats, the titular role of Rankin/Bass' Here Comes Peter Cottontail, Robin in Super Friends, and Bluestreak and Cliffjumper in G1 Transformers. Kasem left Transformers during its third season due to a villain of the week showcasing Arab stereotypes; Kasem was of Lebanese descent. - Kasem was also famous for being the host of the American Top 40 radio program, hosting it from 1970 to 1988 and again from 1998 to 2004. - Kasem was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2007, and his family would argue whether to put him in a conservatorship. He would soon be diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, and eventually ended up bedridden- he died from sepsis that was caused by an ulcerated bedsore. - Kasem appeared on the DeathList once in 2014 at the number 41 spot. He was the third hit of the ten that year.

Courteney Cox is 59.

6/14/2023 60 The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – Fire 52 Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising 44 Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World 40 Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The Grapevine 38 Hugo Montenegro & His Orchestra – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly 36 Desmond Dekker & The Aces – Israelites 34 Zager & Evans – In The Year 2525 +4 29 The Love Affair – Everlasting Love 29 Thunderclap Newman – Something In The Air 23 The Rolling Stones – Jumpin´ Jack Flash 21 Tommy Roe – Dizzy 19 Bobbie Gentry – I´ll Never Fall In Love Again 18 Tommy James & The Shondells – Mony, Mony 16 Peter Sarstedt – Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) 15 Manfred Mann – Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo) 12 The Archies – Sugar, Sugar 12 Amen Corner – (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice 8 Mary Hopkin – Those Were The Days 8 The Beach Boys – Do It Again 6 Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich – The Legend Of Xanadu -6

Kurt Waldheim died on this day 16 years ago, aged 88. - Waldheim began his diplomatic career just after World War II. He became Austria's ambassador to Canada in 1956, and its permanent representative to the UN in 1964. - Waldheim ran for president in 1971, narrowly losing to Franz Jonas. He would then run for the UN's Secretary-General election and won, succeeding U Thant in the position. - Waldheim became the only Secretary-General to face a contested reelection in 1976, with outgoing Mexican president (the late) Luis Echeverria as his opponent. - Among the things Waldheim did during his tenure were visit North Korea, collaborate with Paul McCartney for the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, and deliver the greeting for the Voyager golden discs: - Waldheim ran for a third term as Secretary-General in 1981, losing in the first round to Tanzanian Salim Ahmed Salim. The US and China then became deadlocked in a vetoing each of then candidates, and ultimately, Javier Perez de Cuellar (zzz) was selected. The UN has since established a two-term term limit. - Waldheim was elected the President of Austria in 1986. During his term, however, he was accused of war crimes during World War II (he had served for Nazi Germany). These accusations included the transfer of civilians as slave laborers and sending them to concentration and death camps, and executing Allied POWs. Waldheim's reputation was ruined, and he did not seek reelection in 1992. - Waldheim made 11 appearances on the DeathList between 1990 and 2007, and was the second death (out of ten) of 2007.

Jesy Nelson is 32.

6/13/2023 55 The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – Fire 48 Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising 43 Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The Grapevine 42 Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World 35 Hugo Montenegro & His Orchestra – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly 32 Zager & Evans – In The Year 2525 +4 25 Desmond Dekker & The Aces – Israelites 25 The Love Affair – Everlasting Love 24 Tommy Roe – Dizzy 23 The Beatles & Billy Preston – Get Back 23 Thunderclap Newman — Something In The Air 21 Manfred Mann – Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo) 20 Amen Corner – (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice 19 Bobbie Gentry – I´ll Never Fall In Love Again 19 The Beach Boys – Do It Again 18 Tommy James & The Shondells – Mony, Mony 17 The Archies – Sugar, Sugar 16 The Rolling Stones – Jumpin´ Jack Flash 15 Peter Sarstedt – Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) 10 Mary Hopkin – Those Were The Days  9 Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg – Je T´aime... Moi Non Plus 9 The Move – Blackberry Way 7 The Equals – Baby Come Back 7 Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich – The Legend Of Xanadu -6 A better "Xanadu" song:

Benny Goodman died on this day 37 years ago, aged 77. - Goodman received his first musical training at his local synagogue, when he was ten years old. - Goodman's first recording, "He’s the Last Word", was released in 1926- this recording included fellow bandleader Glenn Miller (of "In the Mood" fame). He was known for working in several genres, particularly jazz, bebop, and swing. - Throughout the 1930s, Goodman had several top 10 singles (of a chart I don't know- it wasn't Billboard though) with compositions such as "Ain't Cha Glad?", "I Ain't Lazy, I'm Just Dreamin'", and "Riffin' the Scotch", with the latter's vocalist being Billie Holiday. He is often referred to as the "King of Swing" for his successful career. - Goodman became the leader of his own big band in 1936. He was revolutionary for the time by having it racially integrated- among its members was Lionel Hampton; he collaborated with Duke Ellington and Count Basie. - Goodman was also known for being the host of the radio shows Let's Dance and Camel Caravan. - Despite the decline of the big band following World War II, Goodman would perform up to his death- his last show was six days before he died.

Malcolm McDowell is 80.

6/12/2023 51 The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – Fire 44 Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising 42 Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World 38 Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The Grapevine 30 Hugo Montenegro & His Orchestra — The Good, The Bad And The Ugly 26 Thunderclap Newman – Something In The Air 25 The Love Affair – Everlasting Love 25 Desmond Dekker & The Aces – Israelites 25 Manfred Mann – Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo) 24 Zager & Evans – In The Year 2525 +4 24 Tommy Roe – Dizzy 24 The Rolling Stones – Jumpin´ Jack Flash 22 Peter Sarstedt – Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) 21 The Beatles & Billy Preston – Get Back 21 Bobbie Gentry – I´ll Never Fall In Love Again 21 Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg – Je T´aime... Moi Non Plus 20 The Beach Boys – Do It Again 20 Amen Corner – (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice 19 The Archies – Sugar, Sugar 18 Mary Hopkin – Those Were The Days 18 The Move – Blackberry Way 18 Tommy James & The Shondells – Mony, Mony 17 Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich – The Legend Of Xanadu -2 15 The Rolling Stones – Honky Tonk Women 10 The Equals – Baby Come Back 0 Fleetwood Mac – Albatross -4

Gregory Peck died on this day 20 years ago, aged 87. - Gregory was his middle name- his first name was Eldred. - When Peck moved to New York City, he was broke, and he occasionally slept in Central Park. - Before his acting career, Peck worked as a barker at the 1939 World's Fair, a tour guide at Rockefeller Center, and a model. - Peck's stage career began in 1941, and his film career three years later. His second film, The Keys of the Kingdom, got him the nomination for Best Actor at the 1945 Oscars, and is considered his breakout role. Peck would continue to see success by starring in Spellbound, The Yearling, Gentleman's Agreement, and Twelve O'Clock High; the latter two got him Best Actor nominations. Some of his successful films in the '50s included David and Bathsheba, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Roman Holiday, and The Big Country. - Perhaps Peck's most well-known role was as Atticus Finch in 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won the Best Actor Oscar. - Peck would turn to TV in the 1980s, portraying Abraham Lincoln in the 1982 miniseries The Blue and the Gray. - Some of Peck's last roles were as cameos in remakes of films he starred in previously. In the 1991 version of Cape Fear, he played the lawyer of Robert De Niro's Max Cady (Nick Nolte took his role as Sam Bowden), and in the 1998 Moby Dick miniseries, he was cast as Father Mapple, with Patrick Stewart taking his role as Captain Ahab. The latter was his final performance, and he won a Golden Globe Award for it. - Tim Burton had offered Peck the role of Grandpa Joe for the 2005 version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but he died before he could accept it. The role ended up going to David Kelly. - Peck appeared on the DeathList in 1997 and 2003, and was the fourth death of the (then-record) fourteen of the year. His obituary contained titles of films he had starred in (Hardy Amies had a similar obit that year with clothing puns, as well as Johnny Cash with his song titles).