A politician or political leader (from Greek "polis") is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest, right of inheritance (see also: divine right) or other means. Politics is not limited to governance through public office. Political offices may also be held in corporations, and other entities that are governed by self-defined political processes.

Considered a politician

In a state, a member of the executive branch of government, or the office of Head of State, as well as the legislative branch, and regional and local levels of government.

Any person influencing group opinions in his or her favor can be termed a politician. For example, a worker participating in office politics is a politician, but only so far as the operations of his or her workplace are concerned.

Some law enforcement officers, such as sheriffs, and many judges who are elected or appointed because of their political views or popularity.

Public Choice Theory

Public Choice Theory involves the use of modern economic tools to study problems that are traditionally in the province of political science. (A more general term is 'political economy', an earlier name for 'economics' that evokes its practical and theoretical origins but should not be mistaken for the Marxian use of the same term.)

In particular, it studies the behavior of voters, politicians, and government officials as (mostly) self-interested agents and their interactions in the social system either as such or under alternative constitutional rules. These can be represented a number of ways, including standard constrained utility maximization, game theory, or decision theory. Public choice analysis has roots in positive analysis ("what is") but is often used for normative purposes ("what ought to be"), to identify a problem or suggest how a system could be improved by changes in constitutional rules. A key formulation of public choice theory is in terms of rational choice, the agent-based proportioning of scarce means to given ends. An overlapping formulation with a different focus is positive political theory. Another related field is social choice theory.

There are also Austrian variants of public choice theory (suggested by Mises, Hayek, Kirzner, Lopez, and Boettke) in which it is assumed that bureaucrats and politicians are benevolent but have access to limited information.

Criticism of politicians

Although members of governing bodies are often honored, many people today have a poor opinion of politicians as a class.

Politicians can also be criticized for becoming "career politicians." A politician who makes politics the source of their income, yet has to face re-election every few years can be less likely to make bold decisions or side with an unpopular bill. Some feel that fear of "rocking the boat" leads to a stagnant political climate, in which it becomes hard to address injustices and create change. Various measures have been taken in attempt to mitigate this effect, such as the implementation of term limits and paying them less.

Professor Paul Finn has argued that “the most fundamental fiduciary relationship in our society is manifestly that which exists between the community (the people) and the state, its agencies and officials."

Many suggest the basic problem of stopping Human Rights violations and political negligence stems from the lack of understanding by media and politicians of the laws of fiduciary control. In equity, fiduciary control suggests obligations that not only include duties of good faith and loyalty, but also include duties of skill and competence in managing the people's interests. After all, Government is a trust structure created by people to manage certain services within society with the politicians depended on by the people to do that task. Therefore the relationship between government and its politicians and the governed is clearly a fiduciary one.

Rules such as Sovereign Immunity and Crown and Judicial Immunity are now being targeted as the very tools of oppression that are preventing victims from taking action against the people controlling the country who are causing the failure of care. Originating from within the Courts of Equity, the fiduciary concept was partly designed to prevent those holding positions of power from abusing their authority.

This way of thinking suggests anyone accepting any political or government control over the interests of people should be judged by the most exacting fiduciary standards given politicians are the most important fiduciaries in any society given they hold coercive power over the people. The fiduciary relationship arises from the government and its politicians ability to control people with the exercise of that power. In effect the argument is, if politicians have the power to abolish or ignore any rights they should be burdened with the fiduciary duty to protect people's rights because the government (or others engaging politicians on their behalf) would benefit from the exercise of discretion to extinguish rights which it alone had the power to dispose of.

See also

Mandate (politics)

Party platform

Political party

Political spectrum

References

Welch, Susan, John Gruhl, John Comer, and Susan M. Rigdon. Understanding American Government. 8th ed. Belmont, USA: Thompson Wadsworth, 2006

"Merriam Webster Online Dictionary" Definition of politician 5 June 2006

External links

Current political leaders

List of American Politicians by Year Born or Died

Political heroes

* Politician|Political

Name	Rory Gallagher
Birth name	William Rory Gallagher
Born	March 02, 1948, Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland
Died	June 14, 1995, London, England, United Kingdom
Alias	Liam Rory Gallagher
Background	solo_singer
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass, mandolin, saxophone, sitar, harmonica, banjo, dobro
Genre	Blues, blues-rock, hard rock, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, jazz, folk, skiffle
Occupation	Musician, Songwriter, Bandleader, producer
Associated acts	Taste
Label	Polydor, Chrysalis, Buddah Records, Castle Records
Years active	1963–1995
Url	rorygallagher.com
Notable instruments	Fender Stratocaster

Rory Gallagher born William Rory Gallagher (2 March 1948  – 14 June 1995) ( ) was an Irish blues-rock multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and bandleader. Born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland, and raised in Cork, Gallagher recorded solo albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, after forming the band Taste during the late 1960s. A talented guitarist known for his charismatic performances and dedication to his craft, Gallagher's albums have sold in excess of 30 million copies worldwide. Gallagher received a liver transplant in 1995, but died of complications later that year in London, England aged 47.

Biography

Although Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, his family moved, first to Derry City, where his younger brother Dónal was born in 1949, and then to Cork, where the two brothers were raised, and where Rory attended the North Monastery School. Their father Daniel played the accordion and sang with the Tir Chonaill Ceile Band in Donegal, and their mother Monica was a singer and acted with the Abbey Players in Ballyshannon. The Theatre in Ballyshannon where Monica once acted is now called the Rory Gallagher Theatre. Both sons were musically inclined and encouraged by their parents. At age nine, Gallagher received his first guitar from them, and began to teach himself to play, performing at first at minor functions. After winning a talent contest when he was twelve, Gallagher began performing in his adolescence with both his acoustic guitar, and an electric guitar he bought with his prize money. However, it was his purchase three years later of a 1961 Fender Stratocaster for £100 that became his primary instrument most associated with him for the span of his lifetime. Initially playing skiffle, after hearing Lonnie Donegan on the radio, who frequently covered blues and folk performers from the United States, Gallagher began experimenting with folk, blues, and rock music. Unable to find or afford record albums, Gallagher stayed up late to hear Radio Luxembourg and AFN where the radio brought him his only exposure to the actual songwriters and musicians whose music moved him most. Influences he discovered, and cited as he progressed, included Woody Guthrie, Big Bill Broonzy, and Lead Belly. Initially, Gallagher struck out after just an acoustic sound. Gallagher stated that his ability to track down the original songwriters and performers of blues numbers which he had first heard performed by others like Lonnie Donegan took time and dedication, and had not been easy. Having no role models in Cork, Ireland, he continued to rely entirely on radio programs and television. Occasionally, the jazz programs from the BBC would play some blues numbers, and he was able to slowly find songbooks for guitar, where he found the names of the actual composers of blues pieces. While still in school, playing songs by Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran, he discovered his greatest influence in Muddy Waters. By his mid-teens, he began experimenting heavily with different blues styles.

Gallagher began playing after school with Irish showbands, while still a young teenager. In 1963, he joined one named Fontana, a sextet playing the popular hit songs of the day. The band toured Ireland and the United Kingdom, giving him the opportunity to acquire songbooks for the guitar, where he found the names of the composers of blues songs, in addition to earning the money for the payments that were due on his Stratocaster guitar. Gallagher began to influence the band's repertoire, beginning its transition from popular music, skirting along some of Chuck Berry's songs and by 1965, he had successfully molded Fontana into "The Impact", with a change in their lineup into an R&B; group that played gigs in Ireland and Spain until disbanding in London. Initially, the band was composed of Gallagher and two Cork musicians, Norman Damery and Eric Kitteringham, however, by 1968, they were replaced with two musicians from Belfast, featuring Gallagher on guitar and vocals, drummer John Wilson, and bassist Richard McCracken.

Solo Career

After the break-up of Taste, Gallagher toured under his own name, hiring former Deep Joy bass player Gerry McAvoy to play on Gallagher's self-titled debut album, Rory Gallagher. It was the beginning of a twenty-year musical relationship between Gallagher and McAvoy; the other band member was drummer Wilgar Campbell. However, despite a number of his albums from this period reaching the UK Albums Chart, Gallagher did not attain major star status. Along with Little Feat and Roger McGuinn, Gallagher performed the first Rockpalast live concert at the Grugahalle, Essen, Germany in 1977.

Gallagher collaborated with Jerry Lee Lewis and Muddy Waters on their respective London Sessions in the mid 1970s. He played on Lonnie Donegan's final album. Although the Strat was left abandoned in a ditch, in the rain, for days after being stolen, this is not believed to have caused any of the effect. All of the wear is caused by playing, not misuse.

It also had a period of time of having a replacement neck, with the original bowing due to the amount of moisture it absorbed during continuous touring. The neck was taken off the strat and left to settle, and was eventually reunited with the Strat after returning to its correct shape. Other quirks include a 'hump' in the scratch plate which moves the neck pickup closer to the neck on the bass side, and a replacement of all of the pickups, though this replacement was due to damage rather than a perception of a tonal inadequacy.

One final point of interest is that one of the clay double-dot inlays at the 12th fret fell out and was replaced with a plastic one, which is why it is whiter than the other clay inlays.

Amplifiers and effects

, during his 1978/79 Tour, in The National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland]] Gallagher used various makes and models of amplifiers during his career. In general, however, he preferred smaller 'combo' amplifiers to the larger, more powerful 'stacks' popular with rock and hard rock guitarists. To make up for the relative lack of power on stage, he would often link several different combo amps together.

When Gallagher was with Taste, he used a single Vox AC30 with a Dallas Rangemaster treble booster plugged into the 'normal' input. Examples of this sound can be heard on the Taste albums, as well as the album Live in Europe. Brian May, of the band Queen, has admitted in interviews that as a young man, he was inspired to use a Vox AC30 and treble booster setup after meeting Gallagher and asking him how he got his sound. The British company, Flynn Amps, now makes a Rory Gallagher Signature Hawk Treble Booster pedal based on Gallagher's original unit. Gallagher has also been known to use Ibanez Tube Screamers and various Boss effects.

In the early to mid 1970s, Gallagher began to use Fender amplifiers in conjunction with a Hawk booster, most notably a Bassman and a Twin, both 1950s vintage. An example of this sound can be heard on the Irish Tour '74 album. He also had a Fender Concert amplifier.

In the mid to late 1970s, when Gallagher was moving towards a hard rock sound, he experimented with Ampeg VT40 and VT22 amps. He also began using Marshall combos. During this period and beyond, Gallagher used different combinations of amps on stage to achieve more power and to blend the tonal characteristics of different amps including Orange amplification.

Death

According to sources close to Rory, including his brother Donal, Rory had a great fear of flying. He also had a great deal of trust in doctors and medicine. Combinations of prescription medication and alcohol use resulted in severe liver damage. Despite this he continued touring. By the time of his final performance on 10 January 1995 in the Netherlands, he was visibly sick. His cause of death was complications from a liver transplant, that became necessary and was nearly successful. It is suggested that a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection possibly developed. His health quickly worsened and he died in London on 14 June 1995. of Guns N' Roses, Johnny Marr of the Smiths, Davy Knowles, Janick Gers of Iron Maiden, Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest, Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard, Gary Moore and Joe Bonamassa, cite Gallagher as an inspiration in their formative musical years.

Brian May, lead guitarist of Queen, relates: "so these couple of kids come up, who's me and my mate, and say 'How do you get your sound Mr. Gallagher?' and he sits and tells us. So I owe Rory Gallagher my sound." In 2010, Gallagher was ranked #42 on Gibson.com’s List of their Top 50 Guitarists of All Time.

Tributes

, County Cork, Ireland]] On 25 October 1997 a tribute sculpture to Gallagher was unveiled in the newly renamed Rory Gallagher Place (formerly St. Paul's St. Square) in his hometown of Cork. The sculptor was a childhood friend of Gallagher, Geraldine Creedon. The two grew up together in the McCurtain Street area of the city. The band who played at the unveiling of the statue was the Dave McHugh band, who formed Ireland's first tribute to Gallagher, 'Aftertaste' in 1995.

There is a Rory Gallagher Corner at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar, Dublin, where a life-size bronze statue in the shape of his Stratocaster has been installed. Some of those who attended the unveiling include The Edge of U2 and the Lord Mayor of Dublin.

In 2004 the Rory Gallagher Music Library was opened in Cork. A street in Ris-Orangis, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, was renamed Rue Rory Gallagher. New York City-based Celtic rock band Black 47 paid tribute to Rory Gallagher on their 1996 major-label release, "Green Suede Shoes." The track titled "Rory" features vocalist/guitarist Larry Kirwan delivering a passionate and heart-felt tribute to Rory Gallagher's talent and unrealized stardom. The song lauds his musical prowess and potential greatness ("Hey Rory, you're off to London / Playing with a band called Taste ... / On your night you could even leave Hendrix in the dust"), the awe that a young Kirwan felt towards Gallagher ("Hero came back to Dublin / ... long hair flyin' / Blue denims dripping with sweat / Bolts of lightenin' in your fingers / Pride of bein' the best") and expressing dismay at the loss of such a talent. Flynn Amps manufacture a Rory Gallagher signature Hawk pedal cloned from Gallagher's 1970s pedal. On 2 June 2010, a life-sized bronze statue of Gallagher was unveiled in the town centre of Ballyshannon.

Discography

Rory Gallagher – 1971 (BPI: 100,000)

Deuce – 1971 (BPI: 100,000)

Blueprint – 1973 (BPI: 100,000)

Tattoo – 1973 (BPI: 100,000) Rolling Stone review

Against the Grain – 1975 (BPI: 100,000) Rolling Stone review

Calling Card – 1976 (BPI: 60,000) Rolling Stone review

Photo-Finish – 1978 (BPI: 60,000)

Top Priority – 1979 (BPI: 60,000)

Jinx – 1982 (BPI: 60,000)

Defender – 1987 (BPI: 60,000)

Fresh Evidence – 1990 (BPI: 60,000)

Wheels Within Wheels – 2003

See also

List of people on stamps of Ireland

List of blues musicians

References

External links

Official Rory Gallagher website

Category:1948 births Category:1995 deaths Category:Deaths from MRSA Category:Irish male singers Category:Irish rock singers Category:1960s singers Category:1970s singers Category:1980s singers Category:1990s singers Category:Irish guitarists Category:Blues guitarists Category:Blues-rock musicians Category:Sitar players Category:People from County Donegal Category:Music from Cork Category:Slide guitarists Category:Electric blues musicians Category:English-language singers Category:Resonator guitarists Category:Lead guitarists Category:Infectious disease deaths in England Category:Irish musicians Category:Irish record producers Category:Mandolinists Category:Acoustic blues musicians Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Polydor Records artists Category:RCA Records artists Category:Verve Records artists Category:Multi-instrumentalists from Northern Ireland Category:Saxophonists from Northern Ireland Category:Skiffle Category:Organ transplant recipients

Name	Jack Bruce
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	John Symon Asher Bruce
Landscape	Yes
Birth date	May 14, 1943
Birth place	Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, United Kingdom
Occupation	Musician, songwriter
Years active	1962–present
Instrument	Vocals, bass, double bass, cello, piano, harmonica, guitar, keyboards
Genre	Blues-rock, psychedelic rock, jazz fusion, hard rock, acid rock
Label	EMI, RSO
Associated acts	Cream, Blues Incorporated, The Graham Bond Organization, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Manfred Mann, West, Bruce and Laing, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, Bruce, Lordan and Trower, Kip Hanrahan, BBM
Url
Notable instruments	Fender Bass VI, Gibson EB-3, Gibson EB-1, Warwick Thumb Signature, Warwick Jack Bruce CRB

John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce (born 14 May 1943, Bishopbriggs, Scotland) is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles. Best recognized as a memorable vocalist and electric fretless bassist, Bruce has been referred to as a "World-class pioneer in his main instrument; a composer of some of the most endurable and recognisable rock songs of our time; an accomplished classical, jazz and Latin musician and one of popular music's most distinctive and evocative voices." He is also trained as a classical cellist. The Sunday Times stated "... many consider him to be one of the greatest bass players of all time."

He lives in Suffolk, England.

Biography

Bruce was born to musical parents who moved frequently, resulting in the young Bruce attending 14 different schools, ending up at Bellahouston Academy. Bruce began playing the jazz bass in his teens, and won a scholarship studying cello and musical composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, while playing in Jim McHarg's Scotsville Jazzband to support himself. The Academy disapproved of its students playing jazz, however. "They found out," Bruce told Musician correspondent Jim Macnie, "and said 'you either stop, or leave college.' So I left college."

1960s before Cream

After leaving, he toured Italy, playing double bass with the Murray Campbell Big Band. In 1962, Jack Bruce became a member of the London-based band Blues Incorporated, led by Alexis Korner, in which he played the double bass. The band also included organist Graham Bond, saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith and drummer Ginger Baker. In 1963, the group broke up and Bruce went on to form the Graham Bond Quartet with Bond, Baker, and guitarist John McLaughlin.

After he left, Bruce recorded a solo single, "I'm Gettin Tired", for Polydor Records. The complete Manfred Mann recordings with Jack Bruce are available on the 4-CD EMI box set Down the Road Apiece.

Whilst with Manfred Mann, Bruce again collaborated with Eric Clapton as a member of Powerhouse, which also featured Manfred Mann's vocalist Paul Jones. The 3 tracks were featured on the Elektra sampler album What's Shakin'. Two of the songs, "Crossroads" and "Steppin' Out", were to become staples in the live set of his next band.

Cream

In July 1966 Bruce moved on to his role as bass player, main songwriter and lead vocalist with Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton in the power trio Cream.

While with Cream, Bruce played a Gibson EB-3 electric bass and became one of the most famous bassists in rock, winning musicians' polls and influencing the next generation of bassists such as Sting, Geddy Lee and Jeff Berlin. Jack co-wrote most of Cream's single releases with lyricist Pete Brown, including the hits, "Sunshine of Your Love", "White Room", and "I Feel Free".

By 1968, Cream were hugely successful; they grossed more than the next top six live acts of the day added together (including Jimi Hendrix and The Doors). They topped album charts all over the world, and received the first platinum discs for record sales, but the old enmity of Bruce and Baker resurfaced in 1968, and after a final tour, Cream broke up.

The solo years 1970s

Collaborative efforts with musicians, in many genres - heavy rock, jazz, blues, fusion, avant-garde, world music, and R&B; - has been a continuing theme of Bruce's career. Alongside these he has produced a long line of solo albums. In contrast to his collaborative works the solo albums usually maintain a common theme: melodic songs with a complex musical structure and lyrics by Pete Brown, based around a core band. This structure is loosened on his live solo albums and DVDs, where extended improvisations similar to those employed by Cream in live performance are sometimes still used.

In August 1968, before Cream split, Bruce recorded an acoustic free jazz album with John McLaughlin, Dick Heckstall-Smith and Jon Hiseman. but it ended with Taylor's departure, and no studio album was completed.

In 1977, Bruce formed a new band with drummer Simon Phillips and keyboardist Tony Hymas. The group recorded an album, called How's Tricks. A world tour followed, but the album was a commercial failure. He has since recovered, and in 2004 reappeared to perform "Sunshine of Your Love" at a Rock Legends concert in Germany organised by the singer Mandoki.

In May, 2005, he reunited with former Cream bandmates Clapton and Baker for a series of well-received concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall, released as the album Royal Albert Hall London May 2–3–5–6 2005, and New York's Madison Square Garden.

In between the UK and US Cream dates he also played live with Gary Moore and drummer Gary Husband at the Dick Heckstall-Smith tribute concert in London.

Subsequent concert appearances were sparse due to recovery after the transplant, but in 2006 Bruce returned to the live arena with a show of Cream and solo classics performed with the German HR (Hessischer Rundfunk) Big Band. This was released on CD in Germany in 2007 to critical acclaim. In 2007, he made a brief concert appearance, opening a new rehearsal hall named in his honour at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow with Clem Clempson, keyboard player Ronnie Leahy and Husband.

In 2008, Bruce collaborated again with guitarist Robin Trower on the album Seven Moons. It also featured Husband.

In May 2008 Bruce was 65 years old and to commemorate this milestone two box sets of recordings were released. Spirit is a three-CD collection of Bruce's BBC recordings from the 1970s. Can You Follow? is a six-CD retrospective anthology released by the Esoteric label in the UK. This anthology is a wide ranging collection covering his music from 1963 to 2003 and, aside from his work with Kip Hanrahan, is a comprehensive overview of his career.

Improved health led to Bruce playing a series of live outdoor concerts across the US starting in July 2008 as part of the Hippiefest Tour. He was supported by members of the late Who bassist's The John Entwistle Band, and headlined at a tribute concert to the bassist.

In November 2008 he recorded a concert in Birmingham, England for Radio Broadcast with the BBC Big Band, where he again played the Big Band arrangements of his classic songs. In December he was reunited with Ginger Baker at the drummer's Lifetime Achievement Award concert in London. They played jazz classics with saxophonist Courtney Pine and for the first time in 40 years played the Graham Bond–Cream classic "Traintime".

The same month, Bruce, with guitarist Vernon Reid, drummer Cindy Blackman and organist John Medeski played a series of Blue Note Club tribute concerts to The Tony Williams Lifetime in Japan. These shows were broadcast High Definition on television in Japan.

In spring 2009 a series of concerts was performed with Trower and Husband in Europe. Proposed dates in the US in April were cancelled due to a further bout of ill health. Bruce recovered and the band played summer concerts in Italy, Norway and the UK during 2009. This promoted the release of the Seven Moons live CD and DVD, recorded in February during the European leg of the tour in Nijmegen, Netherlands.

During the Scottish dates of the 2009 tour Bruce was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Glasgow Caledonian University for services to the culture of Glasgow and music in general.

In August 2009, the 1983 Jack Bruce solo album Automatic was released on CD. With this release, all his solo albums from his 1969 debut Songs for a Tailor onwards have become available on CD as well. In addition, all the discs up to and including How's Tricks contain added, previously unreleased material.

The solo years 2010s

In October 2009, Bruce performed at the 50th anniversary of Ronnie Scott's Club with The Ronnie Scott's Blues Band. After garnering good reviews, three further dates at the club were added in March 2010.

Composing Himself: Jack Bruce The Authorised Biography by Harry Shapiro was released by Jawbone Press in February 2010. Shapiro has previously written biographies of Bruce collaborators Alexis Korner, Graham Bond and Eric Clapton. The book followed biographies from his Cream bandmates Clapton (Clapton 2007) and Baker (Hellraiser 2009.) His Songwriting partner, Pete Brown's, biography "White Rooms & Imaginary Westerns" was published in September 2010. They each have differing recollections of forming Cream; playing and writing together are not totally consistent, or complimentary, but considering their admitted drug use during the period in the biographies, that is hardly surprising.

In the Summer of 2010, Bruce again joined the Hippiefest tour of America with ex-members of the John Entwhistle Band. Whilst on tour, his children organised the internet release of previously unissued Bruce performances "The Lost Tapes" via CD and download from his own website.

The first release from his own website, Live at the Milkyway, Amsterdam 2001, features his Latin-based band of the time and was issued in October 2010. The album is to receive an official UK release by EMI in February 2011, and to support this release Bruce is again playing 4 dates at The London Ronnie Scott's Club with the Ronnie Scott's Blues Experience, followed by a further ten dates across the UK with the band. This is Bruce's 3rd successive year playing a series of gigs at Ronnie Scotts, and is reminiscent of Eric Clapton's annual series of Albert Hall blues concerts.

Prior to the UK dates the Lifetime Tribute Band featuring Jack Bruce which toured Japan in 2008, guitarist Vernon Reid, drummer Cindy Blackman and organist John Medeski, is reforming to play a further ten shows in high profile jazz clubs in North America. Unusually the dates have early & evening shows, something most Rock musicians stopped doing at the beginning of the 1970's.

Discography

The discographies of the individual bands and collaborations can be found in within their own profiles. Jack Bruce's solo albums are listed below

Solo album discography

{|class="wikitable" !Date !Album |- |September 1969 |Songs for a Tailor |- |December 1970 |Things We Like (recorded Aug 1968) |- |September 1971 |Harmony Row |- |November 1974 |Out of the Storm |- |(1975) |Live at Manchester Free Trade Hall '75 (2-CD released 2003) |- |March 1977 |How's Tricks |- |(1978) |Spirit- Live at the BBC 1971-1978 (3-CD released 2008) |- |(1978) |Jet Set Jewel (released 2003) |- |December 1980 |I've Always Wanted To Do This |- |January 1983 |Automatic |- |(1987) |Somethin Els (released March 1993) |- |January 1990 |A Question of Time |- |March 1994 |Cities of the Heart (live double album) |- |September 1995 |Monkjack |- |July 2001 |Shadows in the Air |- |September 2003 |More Jack Than God |- |December 2007 |Live with the HR Big Band |- |May 2008 |The Anthology - Can You Follow? (6-CD) |- |October 2010 |Live at the Milky Way |}

References

Bibliography

Brigitte Tast, Hans-Jürgen Tast „be bop - Die Wilhelmshöhe rockt. Disco und Konzerte in der Hölle" Verlag Gebrüder Gerstenberg GmbH & Co. KG, Hildesheim, ISBN 978-3-8067-8589-0.

External links

Official website

Original Smiles & Grins Jack Bruce Club

Jack Bruce at the Internet Movie Database

Category:1943 births Category:1960s singers Category:1970s singers Category:1980s singers Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Living people Category:Jazz bass guitarists Category:British blues musicians Category:British blues singers Category:Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama alumni Category:Scottish male singers Category:Scottish double-bassists Category:Scottish bass guitarists Category:Scottish heavy metal bass guitarists Category:Scottish multi-instrumentalists Category:Scottish diarists Category:People from Bishopbriggs Category:Manfred Mann members Category:John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers members Category:Cream (band) members Category:The Golden Palominos members

Name	Johnny Carson
Caption	Carson in January 1966
Birth name	John William Carson
Birth date	October 23, 1925
Birth place	Corning, Iowa
Death date	January 23, 2005
Death place	Los Angeles, California
Nationality	American
Active	1950–1994
Signature	Johnny Carson Signature.svg
Influences	Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, Fred Allen, Bob Hope, Laurel and Hardy, Red Skelton, George Burns, Milton Berle
Influenced	Ray Combs, Ellen DeGeneres, Kathy Griffin, Bill Hicks, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Bill Maher, Conan O'Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling
Spouse	Joan Morrill Wolcott (1949–1963)Joanne Copeland (1963–1972)Joanna Holland (1972–1985)Alexandra Mass (1987–2005)
Notable work	Host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

}} John William “Johnny” Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years (1962–1992). Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992, and received Kennedy Center Honors in 1993.

Although his show was already hugely successful by the end of the 1960s, it was during the 1970s that he became an American icon and the "best guest" in American homes up until his retirement in 1992. Carson is credited with molding modern television late night talk shows, transitioning the format from Ed Sullivan's era of post-war vaudeville-derived variety where the host was merely an announcer of acts, to today's more casual, conversational approach with extensive interaction with guests. Late night hosts David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Craig Ferguson and Jimmy Fallon have all cited Carson's influence on their late night talk shows, which greatly resemble Carson's show in format and tone.

Early life and career

Born in Corning, Iowa, on October 23, 1925 Carson lived in the nearby Iowa towns of Avoca, Clarinda, and Red Oak before later moving to Norfolk, Nebraska. He left college after one year to join the United States Navy, being commissioned an Ensign. He joined the U.S. Navy on June 8, 1943, as an apprentice seaman enrolled in the V-12 program, which trained Navy and Marine pilots. He hoped to train as a pilot, but was sent instead to Columbia University for midshipman training. He performed magic for classmates on the side. Commissioned an ensign late in the war, Carson was assigned to the USS Pennsylvania, a battleship on station in the Pacific. He was en route to the combat zone aboard a troopship when the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought the war to a close.

The Pennsylvania was torpedoed on August 12, 1945 and Carson reported for duty on August 14 — the last day of the war. Although he arrived too late for combat, he got a firsthand education in the consequences of war. The damaged warship sailed to Guam for repairs, and as the newest and most junior officer, Carson was assigned to supervise the removal of 20 dead sailors. He later served as a communications officer in charge of decoding encrypted messages. He recalls that the high point of his military career was performing a magic trick for United States Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal.

He began his performing career in 1950 at WOW radio and television in Omaha, Nebraska. He appeared on radio with Ken Case, an Omaha native who was later a news anchor and sportscaster in Monroe, Louisiana. Carson soon hosted a morning television program called The Squirrel's Nest. One of his routines involved interviewing pigeons on the roof of the local courthouse that would allegedly report on the political corruption they had seen. Carson supplemented his income by serving as master of ceremonies at local church dinners, attended by some of the same politicians and civic leaders that he had lampooned on the radio. The wife of one of the political figures owned stock in a radio station in Los Angeles and referred Carson to her brother, who was influential in the emerging television market in Southern California. Carson went to work at CBS-owned Los Angeles television station KNXT. He would later joke that he owed his success to the birds of Omaha.

In 1953, comic Red Skelton — a fan of Carson's sketch comedy show Carson's Cellar, which appeared from 1951 to 1953 on KNXT — asked Carson to join his show as a writer. Skelton once accidentally knocked himself unconscious an hour before his show went on the air live. Carson filled in for him.

In 1955, Jack Benny invited Carson to appear on one of his programs, during the opening and closing segments. Carson imitated Benny and claimed that Benny had copied his gestures. Benny, however, predicted that Carson would have a successful career as a comedian.

Carson hosted several shows before The Tonight Show, including the game show Earn Your Vacation (1954), and the variety show The Johnny Carson Show (1955–1956). He was a regular panelist on the original To Tell the Truth until 1962. After the prime time The Johnny Carson Show failed, he moved to New York City to host Who Do You Trust? (1957–1962), formerly known as Do You Trust Your Wife?. In 1958, he appeared as a guest star in an episode entitled "Do You Trust Your Wife" on NBC's short-lived variety show, The Polly Bergen Show. It was on Who Do You Trust? that Carson met his future sidekick, Ed McMahon. Although he saw moving to daytime as hurting his career, Who Do You Trust? was a success. It was the first show where he could ad lib and interview guests.

The Tonight Show

Carson's success on Who Do You Trust? led NBC to invite him to replace Jack Paar as host of The Tonight Show, who would leave in March 1962. Carson declined the offer, but NBC asked him again after Bob Newhart, Jackie Gleason, and Joey Bishop also refused. Carson accepted in March, but had six months left on his CBS contract, during which NBC used many guest hosts including Merv Griffin.

Although he continued to have doubts about his new job, Carson became host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in October 1962 and quickly overcame his fears. His announcer and sidekick was Ed McMahon throughout the program. McMahon's opening line, "Heeeere's Johnny" became a hallmark. Most of the later shows began with music and the announcement "Heeeeeere's Johnny!", followed by a brief monologue by Carson. This was often followed by comedy sketches, interviews, and music. Carson's trademark was a phantom golf swing at the end of his monologues, aimed stage left where the Tonight Show Band was. Guest hosts sometimes parodied that gesture. Bob Newhart rolled an imaginary bowling ball toward the audience. Johnny enjoyed what he calls the "Carson Kits," or beautiful girls to dress his show. Theona Bryant, a favorite, was a model. The other "Carson Cuties" were Phyllis Applegate, Norma Brooks, and Sally Todd.

Paul Anka wrote the theme song ("Johnny's Theme"), a reworking of his "Toot Sweet", given lyrics, renamed "It's Really Love," and recorded by Annette Funicello in 1959. Anka gave Carson co-authorship and they split the royalties for three decades.

The show was originally produced in New York City, with occasional stints in California. It was not live in its early years, although during the 1970s, NBC fed the live taping from Burbank to New York via satellite for editing (see below). The program had been done "live on tape" (uninterrupted unless a problem occurred) since the Jack Paar days.

Move to Burbank

In May 1972, the show moved from New York to Burbank, California. Carson often joked about "beautiful downtown Burbank" and referred to "beautiful downtown Bakersfield," which prompted Mayor Mary K. Shell to chide Carson and invite him to her city to see improvements made during the early 1980s.

After July 1971, Carson stopped doing shows five days a week. Instead, on Monday nights there was a guest host, leaving Carson to do the other four each week. Shows were taped in Burbank at 5:30pm (8:30 pm Eastern time) to be shown that evening at 11:30pm Eastern time. On September 8, 1980, at Carson's request, the show cut its 90-minute format to 60 minutes; Tom Snyder's Tomorrow added a half hour to fill the vacant time. Joan Rivers became the "permanent" guest host from September 1983 until 1986, when she was fired for accepting a competing show on Fox without consulting Carson. The Tonight Show returned to using rotating guest hosts, including comic George Carlin. Jay Leno then became the exclusive guest host in fall 1987. Leno stated that although other guest hosts upped their fees, he kept his low, assuring himself the show. Eventually, Monday night was for Leno, Tuesday for the Best of Carson, rebroadcasts usually of a year earlier but occasionally from the 1970s.

Carson had a talent for quick quips to deal with problems. If the opening monologue fared poorly, the band would start playing "Tea for Two" and Carson danced, to laughs from the studio audience. Alternately, Carson might pull the boom mic close to his face and announce "Attention K-Mart shoppers!"

Carson's show was the launch for many performers, notably comedians. Many got their break on the show, and it was an achievement to get Carson to laugh and be called to the guest chair. Carson was successor to The Ed Sullivan Show as a showcase for all kinds of talent, as well as continuing a vaudeville-style variety show.

In 1973, Carson had a run-in with psychic Uri Geller. Carson, a magician, wanted a neutral demonstration of Geller's abilities, so, at the advice of his friend and fellow magician James Randi, he gave Geller spoons and asked him to bend them with his psychic powers. Geller proved unable, and his appearance on The Tonight Show has been regarded as Geller's fall from glory.

Carson successfully sued a manufacturer of portable toilets who wanted to call its product "Here's Johnny".

Carson and Don Rickles

On December 13, 1976, comedian Don Rickles was a guest when comedian Bob Newhart guest-hosted. While poking fun at Newhart and improvising an "immigration" bit, Rickles stamped an imaginary passport, slamming the cigarette box Carson kept on his desk and breaking it. When Carson returned the next night and discovered this, he took a camera crew to the studio next door where CPO Sharkey, a sitcom starring Rickles, was being taped. Carson barged into the studio, shouting, "RICKLES!" He disrupted the taping, berating the embarrassed Rickles with a barrage of insults, in imitation of Rickles's act. Carson also teased CPO Sharkey's African-American actor Harrison Page by speaking to him in an exaggerated southern dialect.

Dolly Parton

However, a bit of adult humor was not beyond Carson. During an interview with Dolly Parton, in reference to her large bust, she said, "People are always asking if they're real and ... I'll tell you what, these are mine." Carson replied, "I have certain guidelines on this show. But I would give about a year's pay to peek under there." Videotape of the Parton interview survives and has been rebroadcast several times during Tonight Show retrospectives.

Rolling Stone controversy

In a 1980 Rolling Stone article, Carson caused quite a public backlash when he called the Brian Wilson-penned (Beach Boys) song "Johnny Carson" from 1977's Love You album "not a work of art". Wilson wrote the song tribute citing the fact no such song had existed previously about the 'king of late night'.

Feuds

Carson made several routine jokes at the expense of other celebrities, like Wayne Newton (after Newton had performed on Carson's show several times). Newton claimed in his 1991 autobiography, among other times including a 1989 interview with Phil Donahue, that the circumstances led to a confrontation in Carson's dressing room where Newton threatened a physical altercation if Carson didn't cease the barrage of jokes with homosexual connotations. In a November 29, 2007 interview on Larry King Live, Wayne Newton said, "I'm going to say something I've never said on television, Mr. King. Johnny Carson was a mean-spirited human being. And there are people that he has hurt that people will never know about. And for some reason at some point, he decided to turn that kind of negative attention toward me. And I refused to have it."

Another famous feud came on the heels of an appearance by author Truman Capote in 1966. The diminutive writer was already embroiled in a public feud with fellow novelist Jacqueline Susann when he told Johnny — and millions of viewers — that Susann looked "like a truck driver in drag." The remark was not censored from the broadcast, and made headlines the next day. Capote subsequently issued a public apology — to truck drivers.

Carson reportedly loathed what he felt was disloyalty among friends. The comedian was displeased when former "Tonight Show" guest hosts John Davidson and Joan Rivers got their own talk shows. Rivers' FOX show directly competed with Carson during the 1986-1987 season, and died a quick death. On June 24, 2009 following Ed McMahon's death, Rivers lauded McMahon on "Larry King Live" but stated that Carson "never again spoke to me, up to his death". Another guest host, Jay Leno, was treated coolly for being perceived as ushering Carson into retirement. Leno's agent ignited the then-false rumor in Hollywood circles that Carson's retirement was pending, and Leno was heir to the "Tonight Show". Carson vowed not to return to the show while Leno headed it, and indeed would make his final TV appearance about a year after his retirement on the competing Late Show with David Letterman.

Some of Carson's good-natured barbs were directed at his friends. Ronald Reagan's hair and Frank Sinatra's temper and mob connections were frequent topics. Carson humorously chided Nancy Reagan for falling down and "breaking her hair."

Comic characters

Carson played several continuing characters on sketches during the show, including

Art Fern, the "Tea Time Movie" announcer (always selling strange or shoddy merchandise). The character was based on late-show TV hosts who would deliver commercials throughout the movie. Carson originally played the fast-talking huckster in his own voice (as Honest Bernie Schlock or Ralph Willie), and finally settled on a nasal, high-pitched, smarmy drone reminiscent of Jackie Gleason's "Reginald Van Gleason III" character. The character, now permanently known as Art Fern, wore a lavish toupee, loud jackets, and a pencil mustache. Actress Carol Wayne became famous for her 100-plus appearances (1971–1982) as Art's buxom assistant, the Matinée Lady. While Art gave his spiel, she would enter the stage behind him. Art would react to her attractive body, wincing loudly, "Ho — leeeee!" After Carol Wayne's death in 1985, Carson kept Art Fern off the air for most of the next year, and finally hired Danuta Wesley and then Teresa Ganzel to play the Matinée Lady. Carson also used these sketches to poke fun at the intricate Los Angeles interstate system, using a pointer and map to give confusing directions to shoppers (often including points where he would unfold the cardboard map to point out, via the appropriate picture, when the shopper would arrive at "the fork in the road." Another freeway routine in the same theme centered around the fictional "Slauson Cutoff." Art Fern would advise drivers to take a series of freeways until they reached the Slauson Cutoff, and would then advise them to "Get out of your car, cut off your slauson, get back in your car," often followed by peals of laughter from the audience, led by McMahon.

Carnac the Magnificent, a turbaned psychic who could answer questions before seeing them. (This same routine had been done by Carson's predecessor, Steve Allen, as "The Question Man.") Carnac had a trademark entrance in which he always turned the wrong direction when coming onto stage and then "tripped" on the step up to Carson's desk. (In one episode, technicians rigged Carson's desk to fall apart when Carnac fell into it.) These comedic missteps were an indication of Carnac's true prescient abilities. Ed McMahon would hand Carnac a series of envelopes, containing questions. Carnac would place each envelope against his forehead and predict the answer, such as "Gatorade." Then he would read the question: "What does an alligator get on welfare?" Some of the jokes were feeble, and McMahon used pauses after terrible puns and audience groans to make light of Carnac's lack of comic success ("Carnac must be used to quiet surroundings"), prompting Carson to return an equal insult. McMahon would always announce near the end, "I hold in my hand the last envelope," at which the audience would applaud wildly, prompting Carnac to pronounce a comedic "curse" on the audience, such as "May your sister elope with a camel!" (In fact, "Carnac the Magnificent" was the stage name Johnny used in his magic act as a youth.)

Floyd R. Turbo American (with no pause between words). A stereotypical redneck wearing a plaid hunting coat and cap, who offered "editorial responses" to left-leaning causes or news events. Railing against women's rights in the workplace, for example, Turbo would shout, "This raises the question: kiss my Dictaphone!"

Aunt Blabby, a cantankerous and sometimes amorous old lady, invariably being interviewed by straight man Ed McMahon about elder affairs. McMahon would innocently use a common expression like "check out," only to have Aunt Blabby warn him, "Don't say 'check out' to an old person!" Aunt Blabby was an obvious copy of Jonathan Winters’ most famous creation, Maude Frickert, including her black spinster dress and wig.

El Mouldo, a mentalist, who would attempt to perform mind-reading and mind-over-matter feats, all of which failed. Often his tricks would include an attempt to bilk money from Ed McMahon or would end with him begging for money.

Carson uncensored on satellite

Even though Carson's program was based in Burbank, NBC's editing and production services for the program were located in New York, resulting in the requirement that Carson's program be transmitted from Burbank to New York. Beginning in 1976, NBC used the Satcom 2 satellite to do this, feeding the live taping (which usually took place in the early evening) directly to New York, where it would be edited prior to the normal broadcast. This live feed lasted usually from two to two-and-a-half hours a night, and was uncensored and commercial-free. During the commercial breaks the audio and picture would be left on, capturing at times risque language and other events that would certainly be edited out later going out over the feed.

At the same time, however, satellite ground stations owned by private individuals began to appear, and some managed to find the live feed. Satellite dish owners began to document their sightings in technical journals, giving viewers knowledge of things they were not meant to see. Carson and his production staff grew concerned about this, and pressured NBC into ceasing the satellite transmissions of the live taping in the early 1980s. The satellite link was replaced by microwave landline transmission until the show's editing facilities were finally moved to Burbank.

Business ventures

Carson was a major investor in the ultimately failed DeLorean Motor Company. Founder John DeLorean was involved in a drug scandal, causing Carson's guest Red Skelton to quip, "The DeLorean, is that a hopped-up car?"

Carson was head of a group of show business people and businessmen who purchased and operated two television stations — channel 5 KVVU-TV in Henderson, Nevada, serving Las Vegas, now owned by Meredith Broadcasting, and channel 23 KNAT in Albuquerque, New Mexico. KVVU had been the earliest Las Vegas independent station and was sort of a local in-joke for its threadbare operation and ragtag program lineup. Many thought it ironic that a leading entertainer like Carson, along with Sal Durante, Neil Simon and others, would own such a station. There was talk at the time that the station would become the NBC affiliate, as then long-time affiliate KORK-TV was in the process of being replaced by KVBC-TV, but it never happened. KNAT started at exactly the wrong time. Several new channels — 2, 9, 11, 14, and 23 — were starting up in the southwest and the competition for good syndicated shows was fierce. KNAT was later sold to Trinity Broadcasting.

Carson's other business ventures included a successful clothing line, through which his turtlenecks became a fashion trend, and a failed restaurant franchise.

Retirement

Carson retired from show business on May 22, 1992, when he stepped down as host of The Tonight Show. His farewell was a major media event, and stretched over several nights. It was often emotional for Carson, his colleagues, and the audiences, particularly the farewell statement he delivered on his 4,531st and final Tonight Show:

NBC gave the role of host to the show's then-current permanent guest host, Jay Leno. Leno and David Letterman were soon competing on separate networks.

Post-retirement appearances

in 1992]] At the end of his final Tonight Show appearance, Carson indicated that he might, if so inspired, return with a new project, but instead chose to go into full retirement, rarely giving interviews and declining to participate in NBC's 75th Anniversary celebrations. He made the occasional cameo appearance, including voicing himself on a 1993 episode of The Simpsons ("Krusty Gets Kancelled"), telephoning David Letterman on a November 1993 episode of Late Show with David Letterman, and appearing in the 1993 NBC Special Bob Hope: The First 90 Years. On May 13, 1994, Carson appeared on Late Show with David Letterman. During a week of shows from Los Angeles, Letterman was having Larry "Bud" Melman (Calvert DeForest) deliver his "Top Ten Lists" under the guise that a famous personality would be delivering the list instead. On the last show of the week, Letterman indicated that Carson would be delivering the list. Instead, DeForest delivered the list, insulted the audience (in keeping with the gag), and walked off to polite applause. Letterman then indicated that the card he was given did not have the proper list on it and asked that the "real" list be brought out. On that cue, the real Johnny Carson emerged from behind the curtain (as Letterman's band played "Johnny's Theme"), an appearance which prompted a standing ovation from the audience. Carson then requested to sit behind Letterman's desk; Letterman obliged, as the audience continued to cheer and applaud. After some moments, Carson departed from the show without having spoken to the audience. He later cited acute laryngitis as the reason for his silence. This night turned out to be Carson's last television appearance.

Letterman

Just days before Carson's death, it was revealed that the retired "King of Late Night" occasionally sent jokes to Letterman. Letterman would then use these jokes in the monologue of his show, which Carson got "a big kick out of" according to Worldwide Pants, Inc., Senior Vice-President Peter Lassally, who formerly produced both men's programs; he also claimed that Carson had always believed Letterman, not Leno, to be his "rightful successor". Letterman frequently employs some of Carson's trademark bits on his show, including "Carnac" (with band leader Paul Shaffer as Carnac), "Stump the Band," and the "Week in Review."

Personal life

Carson was born in Corning, Iowa, to Homer "Kit" Lloyd Carson, a power company manager, and Ruth Hook Carson. He grew up in southwest Iowa until the age of 8, when the family moved to Norfolk, Nebraska. There he learned to perform magic tricks, debuting as "The Great Carsoni" at 14. He attended Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, where he received V-12 officer training, and then served in the Navy from 1943-1946. He served in USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) in the final days of the war. Carson then attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln where he joined Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, wrote a thesis on the structure of Jack Benny's comedy routines, and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in radio and speech with a minor in physics in 1949.

Despite his on-camera demeanor, Carson was very shy off-camera. He was referred to as "the most private public man who ever lived". Dick Cavett recalled that "I felt sorry for Johnny in that he was so socially uncomfortable. I've hardly ever met anybody who had as hard a time as he did."

Marriages

In 1954, Carson married his high school sweetheart Joan. The marriage was volatile, with infidelities by both parties, finally ending in divorce. They had three sons. Their son Richard died in a car accident on June 21, 1991. Another son, Cory, worked as a stage manager at NBC in Burbank.

In 1963, Carson got a "quickie" Mexican divorce from Joan and married Joanne Copeland on August 17, 1963. After a protracted divorce in 1972, Copeland received nearly half a million dollars in cash and art and US$100,000 a year in alimony for life.

Joanne Copeland recently discovered 39 episodes of the debut season of The Johnny Carson Show which were originally telecast in 1955 and 1956. She then made an arrangement with Shout! Factory to produce and distribute selected programs on DVD. The two-disk DVD set contains Johnny's "top 10" episodes. Johnny's first wife Joan and the couple's three sons appear in the first episode on the DVD.

At the Carson Tonight Show's 10th anniversary party on September 30, 1972, Carson announced that he and former model Joanna Holland had been secretly married that afternoon, shocking his friends and associates. Carson kidded that he had married three similarly named women to avoid "having to change the monogram on the towels." A similar joke was made by Bob Newhart during Carson's roast by Dean Martin. On March 8, 1983, Holland filed for divorce. Under California's community property laws, she was entitled to 50 percent of all the assets accumulated during the marriage, even though Carson earned virtually 100 percent of the couple's income. During this period, he joked on The Tonight Show, "My producer, Freddy de Cordova, really gave me something I needed for Christmas. He gave me a gift certificate to the Law Offices of Jacoby & Meyers." The divorce case finally ended in 1985 with an 80-page settlement, Holland receiving $20 million in cash and property.

Carson married Alexandra Mass on June 20, 1987; Johnny was 61, Alexis 35.

Children

Carson's son from his first marriage, Richard, died on June 21, 1991, when his car plunged down a steep embankment along a paved service road off Highway 1 near Cayucos, a small town north of San Luis Obispo, California. Apparently, Richard had been taking photographs when the accident occurred. Carson was deeply shaken by his son's death. On his first show after Ricky's death, he gave a stirring tribute in the final minutes of his show as samples of his son's photographic work (and images of Ricky, himself) were displayed with the music accompaniment of Riviera Paradise by blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. In addition, the final image — as well as some "More To Come" bumpers — of Carson's last show that aired May 22, 1992 featured a photo Richard had taken.

Donations

In 1981, Carson created the John W. Carson Foundation, dedicated to supporting children, education and health services. The Foundation continues to support charitable causes.

In November 2004, Carson announced a $5.3 million gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation to support the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts' Department of Theatre Arts, which created the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. Another $5 million donation was announced by the estate of Carson to the University of Nebraska following his death.

Carson also donated to causes in his hometown of Norfolk, including the Carson Cancer Center at Faith Regional Health Services, the Elkhorn Valley Museum, and the Johnny Carson Theater at Norfolk Senior High School.

In August 2010, the charitable foundation created by Johnny Carson reported receiving $156 million from a personal trust established by the entertainer years prior to his January 2005 death. Carson's foundation was now by far the biggest of Hollywood charities. (from Smoking Gun )

Other events

Carson, an amateur astronomer, was close friends with astronomer Carl Sagan, who often appeared on The Tonight Show. The unique way Sagan had of saying certain words, like "billions" of galaxies, would lead to Carson ribbing his friend, imitating his voice and saying "BILL-ions and BILL-ions", a phrase erroneously attributed to Sagan. Carson was the first person to contact Sagan's wife with condolences when the scientist died in 1996. He owned several telescopes, including a Questar, considered at the time a top-of-the line telescope.

Also an amateur drummer, Carson was shown on a segment of 60 Minutes practicing at home on a drum set given to him by close friend Buddy Rich, who was the jazz musician with the most appearances on The Tonight Show. Writer Gore Vidal, another frequent Tonight Show guest and friend, writes about Carson's personality in his 2006 memoirs.

Death and tributes

On March 19, 1999, Carson, then 73, suffered a severe heart attack at his home in Malibu, California. Carson was sleeping when he suddenly awoke with severe chest pains. He was rushed to a hospital in nearby Santa Monica where he underwent quadruple-bypass surgery.

At 6:50 AM PST on January 23, 2005, Carson died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, of respiratory arrest arising from emphysema. He was 79 years old. Carson had revealed his illness to the public in September 2002. Following Carson's death his body was cremated, and the ashes were given to his wife. In accordance with his family's wishes, no public memorial service was held. There were numerous tributes paid to Carson upon his death, including a statement by then President George W. Bush, recognizing the deep and enduring affection held for him.

On January 24, 2005, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno paid tribute to Carson with guests Ed McMahon, Bob Newhart, Don Rickles, Drew Carey and k.d. lang. Letterman followed suit on January 31 with former Tonight Show executive producer Peter Lassally and bandleader Doc Severinsen. During the beginning of this show, Letterman said that for 30 years no matter what was going on in the world, no matter whether people had a good or bad day, they wanted to end the day by being "tucked in by Johnny." Letterman also told his viewers that the monologue he had just given had consisted entirely of jokes sent to him by Carson in the last few months of his life. Doc Severinsen ended the Letterman show that night by playing one of Carson's two favorite songs, "Here's That Rainy Day" (the other was "I'll Be Seeing You"). It had been reported over the decades of Carson's fame that he was, off-camera, so intensely private that he had never once invited McMahon to his home. After Carson's death, though, McMahon disputed those rumors and claimed that a close friendship existed. On his final Tonight Show appearance, Carson himself said that while sometimes people who work together for long stretches of time on television don't necessarily like each other, this was not the case with him and McMahon: They were good friends who would have dinner together, and the camaraderie that they had on the show could not be faked. Carson and McMahon were friends for 30 years.

A week or so after the tributes, Dennis Miller was on the Tonight Show and told Jay Leno about the first time he tried to host a talk show, and how miserably it went. He said that he got a call immediately after the first show, from Carson, telling him, "It's not as easy as it looks, is it, kid?"

The 2005 film The Aristocrats was dedicated to Carson, as well as The Simpsons episode Mommie Beerest.

References

Further reading

Accounts on work and life

Humor material collections

Johnny Carson Collection, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

External links

Official website for The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson

at Salon at The New Republic

1978 profile from The New Yorker by Kenneth Tynan

The Johnny Carson Show from USA Today

Johnny Carson biography at FilmReference.com

Posthumous Letter to Carson from Steve Martin published in The New York Times

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Johnny Carson Singing with the Ratpack in 1965 YouTube Video

Obituaries

CNN obituary

MSNBC obituary

Johnny Carson obituary by James Wolcott

Category:1925 births Category:2005 deaths Category:American game show hosts Category:American skeptics Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television talk show hosts Category:American military personnel of World War II Category:Deaths from emphysema Category:Disease-related deaths in California Category:Entertainers from Nebraska Category:University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni Category:United States Navy officers Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Peabody Award winners Category:People from Adams County, Iowa

Name	Aloe Blacc
Background	solo_singer
Origin	Orange County, California, U.S.
Genre	Soul, R&B;, jazz, hip hop
Years active	1995 – present
Label	Stones Throw Records

Aloe Blacc is an American soul singer, rapper, and musician. His first album, entitled Shine Through, was released by Stones Throw Records in 2006.

Career

He began his career in 1995 as an MC in an indie rap group called Emanon. By the end of the 1990s, Blacc was a "stowaway" on a Lootpack tour in Europe.

His music contains elements of jazz, R&B;, soul, and hip hop.

In 2010 Epic Records A&R; Jo Charrington confirmed that Blacc had signed with Epic for the UK and Ireland.

He recorded a cover version of the John Legend song "Ordinary People" in Spanish entitled "Gente Ordinaria".

His song "I Need a Dollar" is the intro song for the HBO show How to Make It in America, and was featured as the iTunes Single of the Week and he has performed the song live on 12/17/10 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. His album titled "Good Things" was released on September 30, 2010.

Discography

Solo

The Aloe Blacc EP (2003)

Shine Through (2006)

Good Things (2010)

Emanon (Aloe Blacc & Exile)

"Stretch Marx" (1995) cassette

"Imaginary Friends" (1996) cassette

"PSI, Outside looking in" (1997)

"Dawns Second Coming" (1998) cassette

"Acid 9" (1998)

"Mc's Like Me" (1999)

Anon & On (2002)

The Waiting Room (2004)

Bee (Aloe Blacc & Cradle)

Open Your Mind (2009)

References

External links

Aloe Blacc

Aloe Blacc at Stones Throw Records

RBMA Radio On Demand - Melbourne Marvels - Aloe Blacc (Stones Throw)

Short Film on Aloe Blacc

NPR interview from October 2010

Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:American soul singers Category:Musicians from California Category:University of Southern California alumni Category:Stones Throw Records artists Category:Place of birth missing (living people)