Lee Atwater
Lee Atwater with President George H.W. Bush in 1989.
54th Chairman of the RNC
In office 1989–1991
Preceded by	Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.
Succeeded by	Clayton Keith Yeutter
Personal details
Born	(1951-02-27)February 27, 1951 Atlanta, Georgia
Died	March 29, 1991(1991-03-29) (aged 40) Washington, D.C.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Sally Dunbar Atwater
Children	Sarah Lee Ashley Page Sally Theodosia
Alma mater	Newberry College University of South Carolina
Profession	Political Consultant

Harvey LeRoy "Lee" Atwater ((1951-02-27)February 27, 1951 – March 29, 1991(1991-03-29)) was an American political consultant and strategist to the Republican Party. He was an advisor of U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush and Chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Childhood and early life[link]

Atwater was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Harvey Dillard, an insurance adjustor, and Alma "Toddy" Page Atwater. He had two siblings, Ann, and Joe.^[1] He grew up in Aiken, South Carolina where his childhood was marred with tragedy when his three-year-old brother, Joe, was scalded to death^[2] when he pulled a deep fryer full of hot oil on himself.

In 1970, Atwater graduated from Newberry College, a small private Lutheran institution in Newberry, South Carolina where he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.^[3] While attending Newberry, Atwater served as Governor of the South Carolina Student Legislature. Atwater earned a Master of Arts in communications from the University of South Carolina in 1977.^[1] Atwater married his wife, Sally Dunbar, in 1978 and together they had three children, Sara Lee, Ashley Page, and Sally Theodosia.^[1]

Political career[link]

Atwater rose during the 1970s and the 1980 election in the South Carolina Republican party, working on the campaigns of Governor Carroll Campbell and Senator Strom Thurmond. During his years in South Carolina, Atwater became well known for running hard-edged campaigns based on emotional wedge issues.

1980 election[link]

Atwater's aggressive tactics were first demonstrated during the 1980 congressional campaigns. He was a campaign consultant to Republican incumbent Floyd Spence in his campaign for Congress against Democratic nominee Tom Turnipseed. Atwater's tactics in that campaign included push polling in the form of fake surveys by "independent pollsters" to inform white suburbanites that Turnipseed was a member of the NAACP. He also sent out last-minute letters from Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) telling voters that Turnipseed would disarm America and turn it over to liberals and communists. At a press briefing, Atwater planted a "reporter" who rose and said, "We understand Turnipseed has had psychotic treatment." Atwater later told the reporters off the record that Turnipseed "got hooked up to jumper cables"– a reference to electroconvulsive therapy that Turnipseed underwent as a teenager.^[4]

"Lee seemed to delight in making fun of a suicidal 16-year-old who was treated for depression with electroshock treatments", Turnipseed recalled. "In fact, my struggle with depression as a student was no secret. I had talked about it in a widely covered news conference as early as 1977, when I was in the South Carolina State Senate. Since then I have often shared with appropriate groups the full story of my recovery to responsible adulthood as a professional, political and civic leader, husband and father. Teenage depression and suicide are major problems in America, and I believe my life offers hope to young people who are suffering with a constant fear of the future."^[4]

After the 1980 election, Atwater went to Washington and became an aide in the Ronald Reagan administration, working under political director Ed Rollins. In 1984, Rollins managed Reagan's re-election campaign, and Atwater became the campaign's deputy director and political director. Rollins tells several Atwater stories in his 1996 book Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms.^[5] He states that Atwater ran a dirty tricks operation against vice-presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro including publicizing the fact that Ferraro's parents had been indicted of numbers running in the 1940s. Rollins also described Atwater as "ruthless", "Ollie North in civilian clothes", and someone who "just had to drive in one more stake".

During his years in Washington, Atwater became aligned with Vice President George H.W. Bush, who chose Atwater to run his 1988 presidential campaign.

Atwater on the Southern Strategy[link]

As a member of the Reagan administration in 1981, Atwater gave an anonymous interview to political scientist Alexander P. Lamis. Part of this interview was printed in Lamis' book The Two-Party South, then reprinted in Southern Politics in the 1990s with Atwater's name revealed. Bob Herbert reported on the interview in the 6 October 2005 edition of the New York Times. Atwater talked about the GOP's Southern Strategy and Ronald Reagan's version of it:

Atwater: As to the whole Southern strategy that Harry S. Dent, Sr. and others put together in 1968, opposition to the Voting Rights Act would have been a central part of keeping the South. Now [the new Southern Strategy of Ronald Reagan] doesn't have to do that. All you have to do to keep the South is for Reagan to run in place on the issues he's campaigned on since 1964 and that's fiscal conservatism, balancing the budget, cut taxes, you know, the whole cluster.

Questioner: But the fact is, isn't it, that Reagan does get to the Wallace voter and to the racist side of the Wallace voter by doing away with legal services, by cutting down on food stamps?

Atwater: You start out in 1954 by saying, "Nigger, nigger, nigger." By 1968 you can't say "nigger" — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me — because obviously sitting around saying, "We want to cut this," is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than "Nigger, nigger."^[6][7]

1988 election[link]

Atwater's most noteworthy campaign was the 1988 presidential election, where he served as campaign manager for Republican nominee George H.W. Bush. A particularly aggressive media program included a television advertisement produced by Floyd Brown comparing Bush and Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis on crime. Bush supported the death penalty for first-degree murderers, while Dukakis opposed the death penalty. Dukakis also supported a felon furlough program originally begun under Republican Governor Francis Sargent in 1972. Prison furlough programs had been long established in California during the governorship of Republican Ronald Reagan, prior to 1980, but never allowed furlough for convicted murderers sentenced to life in prison.

In 1976, Massachusetts passed a law to similarly ban furloughs for first-degree murderers and Dukakis vetoed the bill. Willie Horton was serving a life sentence for first degree murder for stabbing a boy to death during a robbery. Horton while on weekend furlough kidnapped a young couple, tortured the young man and repeatedly raped the young woman. This issue of furlough for first degree murderers was originally brought up by Democratic candidate Al Gore during a presidential primary debate. Dukakis had tried to portray himself as a moderate politician from the liberal state of Massachusetts. The Horton ad campaign only re-enforced the public's general opinion that Dukakis was too liberal, which helped Bush overcome Dukakis's 17-percent lead in early public opinion polls and win both the electoral and popular vote by landslide margins.

Although Atwater clearly approved of the use of the Willie Horton issue, the Bush campaign never ran any commercial with Horton's picture, instead running a similar but generic ad. The original commercial was produced by Americans for Bush, an independent group managed by Larry McCarthy, and the Republicans benefited from the coverage it attracted in the national news. In reference to Dukakis, Atwater declared that he would "strip the bark off the little bastard" and "make Willie Horton his running mate."^[1] Atwater's challenge was to counter the "where was George" campaign slogan Democrats were using as a rallying cry in an effort to create an impression that Bush was a relatively inexperienced and unaccomplished candidate. Furthermore, Bush had critics in the Republican base who remembered his pro-choice positions in the 1980 primary, and the harder the campaign pursued Dukakis' liberal positions, the bigger his base turnout would be.

During the election, a number of allegations were made in the media about Dukakis' personal life, including the unsubstantiated claim that his wife Kitty had burned an American flag to protest the Vietnam War and that Dukakis had been treated for a mental illness. In the film Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, Robert Novak reveals for the first time that Atwater personally tried to get him to spread these mental health rumors.^[8]

The 1988 Bush campaign overcame a 17-point deficit in midsummer polls to win 40 states. Atwater's skills in the 1988 election led one biographer to term him "the best campaign manager who ever lived."

During that campaign, future president George W. Bush, son of Vice President George H.W. Bush, took an office across the hall from Atwater's office, where his job was to serve as "the eyes and ears for my dad," monitoring the activities of Atwater and other campaign staff. In her memoir, Barbara Bush said that the younger Bush and Atwater became friends.

RNC Chairman[link]

After the election, Atwater was named chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Shortly after Atwater took over the RNC, Jim Wright, a Democrat, was forced to resign as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and was succeeded by Tom Foley. On the day Foley officially became speaker, the RNC began circulating a memo to Republican Congressmen and state party chairmen called "Tom Foley: Out of the Liberal Closet." The memo compared Foley's voting record with that of openly gay Congressman Barney Frank, with a subtle implication that Foley was himself gay. It had been crafted by RNC communications director Mark Goodin and House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich. In fact, Gingrich had been trying to get several reporters to print it.^[9] The memo was harshly condemned on both sides of the aisle. Republican Senate leader Bob Dole, for instance, said in a speech on the Senate floor, "This is not politics. This is garbage."

Atwater initially defended the memo, calling it "no big deal" and "factually accurate". However, a few days later, he claimed he hadn't approved the memo.^[9] Under pressure from Bush, Atwater fired Goodin, replacing him with B. Jay Cooper.

Following Bush's victory, Atwater focused on organizing a public relations campaign against Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton.^[10] Atwater viewed Clinton as a serious potential threat to Bush in the 1992 Presidential election.^[10] At the time of his illness, he was supporting the bid of Representative Tommy Robinson for the Republican Gubernatorial nomination to oppose Clinton in the fall. Robinson lost the primary to former ARKLA Gas CEO Sheffield Nelson.

In 1989, Atwater was appointed as a new member of the historically black Howard University Board of Trustees. The university gained national attention when students rose up in protest against Atwater's appointment. Student activists disrupted Howard's 122nd anniversary celebrations, and eventually occupied the university's administration building.^[11] Within days, both Atwater and Howard's President, James E. Cheek, resigned.

Personal life[link]

R&B music[link]

Atwater was also a musician. He briefly played backup guitar for Percy Sledge during the 1960s and frequently played with bluesmen such as B.B. King. Atwater recorded an album with King and others on Curb Records in 1990 titled Red Hot & Blue.^[12] He once sat in with Paul Shaffer and his band on Late Night with David Letterman.

As a teenager in Columbia, South Carolina, Atwater played guitar in a rock band, The Upsetters Revue. Even at the height of his political power he would often play concerts in clubs and church basements, solo or with B.B. King, in the Washington, D.C. area. He released an album called Red, Hot And Blue on Curb Records, featuring Carla Thomas, Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore, Chuck Jackson, and B.B. King, who got co-billing with Atwater.^[12] Robert Hilburn wrote about the album in the April 5, 1990 issue of the Los Angeles Times: "The most entertaining thing about this ensemble salute to spicy Memphis-style '50s and '60s R&B is the way it lets you surprise your friends. Play a selection such as 'Knock on Wood' or 'Bad Boy' for someone without identifying the singer, then watch their eyes bulge when you reveal that it's the controversial national chairman of the Republican Party… Lee Atwater."

Illness[link]

On 5 March 1990, Atwater collapsed during a fundraising breakfast on behalf of Senator Phil Gramm.^[1] Doctors searching for an explanation to what was initially thought to be a mere fainting episode discovered a grade 3 astrocytoma, an unusually aggressive form of brain cancer, in his right parietal lobe.^[13] Atwater underwent interstitial implant radiation, a then-new form of treatment, at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, and received conventional radiation therapy at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. The treatment for the brain tumor left him paralyzed on his left side, robbed him of his tone discrimination, and swelled his face and body (from steroids). He spent the remainder of his life in a wheelchair.

Conversion to Catholicism and new outlook[link]

In the months after the severity of his illness became apparent, Atwater said he had converted to Catholicism, through the help of Fr. John Hardon^[14] and, in an act of repentance, Atwater issued a number of public and written letters to individuals to whom he had been opposed during his political career. In a letter to Tom Turnipseed dated June 28, 1990, he stated, "It is very important to me that I let you know that out of everything that has happened in my career, one of the low points remains the so-called 'jumper cable' episode," adding, "my illness has taught me something about the nature of humanity, love, brotherhood and relationships that I never understood, and probably never would have. So, from that standpoint, there is some truth and good in everything."^[4]

In a February 1991 article for Life magazine, Atwater wrote:

My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing in me: a little heart, a lot of brotherhood. The '80s were about acquiring — acquiring wealth, power, prestige. I know. I acquired more wealth, power, and prestige than most. But you can acquire all you want and still feel empty. What power wouldn't I trade for a little more time with my family? What price wouldn't I pay for an evening with friends? It took a deadly illness to put me eye to eye with that truth, but it is a truth that the country, caught up in its ruthless ambitions and moral decay, can learn on my dime. I don't know who will lead us through the '90s, but they must be made to speak to this spiritual vacuum at the heart of American society, this tumor of the soul.

This article was notable for an apology to Michael Dukakis for the 'naked cruelty' of the 1988 presidential election campaign.

Ed Rollins, however, told in the documentary Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story,^[8] that "[Atwater] was telling this story about how a Living Bible was what was giving him faith and I said to Mary (Matalin), 'I really, sincerely hope that he found peace.' She said, 'Ed, when we were cleaning up his things afterwards, the Bible was still wrapped in the cellophane and had never been taken out of the package,' which just told you everything there was. He was spinning right to the end."

Death[link]

Atwater died on 29 March 1991 of his brain tumor. Funeral services were held at the Trinity Cathedral Church in Atwater's (adopted) hometown of Columbia. A memorial service was held at the Washington National Cathedral.^[15]

Legacy[link]

Sidney Blumenthal has speculated that, had Atwater lived, he would have run a stronger re-election campaign for Bush than the President's unsuccessful 1992 effort against Bill Clinton and Ross Perot.^[16]

Atwater's political career is the subject of the feature-length documentary film Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story.^[8]

See also[link]

• Starve the beast (Policy)
• List of brain tumor patients
• Red Hot & Blue (restaurant)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Lee Atwater and T. Brewster, "Lee Atwater's Last Campaign," Life Magazine, February 1991, p. 67.
• John Joseph Brady, Bad Boy: The Life and Politics of Lee Atwater (1997), ISBN 0-201-62733-7.
• Alexander P. Lamis (editor), Southern Politics in the 1990s (1999), ISBN 0-8071-2374-9.
• Alexander P. Lamis, The Two-Party South (1990), ISBN 0-19-506579-4.
• "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 18–19. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
• "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 3, 1991–1993, pp. 37–38. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2001.

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Lee Atwater

• I'm Still Lee Atwater, Washington Post
• Atwater's Star Still Shines Brightly, www.robbaustin.com
• PBS Documentary on Lee Atwater
• Booknotes interview with John Brady on Bad Boy: The Life and Politics of Lee Atwater, February 9, 1997.
• Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story discussed on MSNBC'S Morning Joe
• Lee Atwater at Find A grave

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Stefan Forbes is an American writer and film director. His first feature film was the 2008 documentary film Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, about the life of political operative Lee Atwater. Boogie Man played at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, played in 40 U.S. cities theatrically, debuted at #8 in the nationwide box-office charts in per-screen average, and was broadcast on PBS's Frontline, the BBC's Storyville, the CBC, and other networks worldwide. It was a Critic's Pick in The Washington Post, New York Times, and London Sunday Times, and received an editorial in The New York Times on the film's relevance to the 2008 Presidential election.

The Washington Post calls it "One of the greatest political films ever" and says "There is more than one moment in this film that will likely pop your jaw open…Wow.” Rolling Stone called it "A must-see". The New York Daily News wrote "Honestly, every adult in America should see it before casting another vote." The New York Times says "This riveting film is generous in spirit and nimble in technique." Roger Ebert calls Boogie Man "a remarkable portrait...heartbreaking."

Forbes also directed the award-winning one-hour documentary One More Dead Fish, about environmentally friendly handline fishermen in Canada who seized a federal building and barricaded themselves inside for 26 days. Historian Howard Zinn called it "inspiring" and filmmaker Ken Loach says it is "an excellent film". CBC commentator Avi Lewis says it "unfolds like a thriller...a compelling film, filled with dignity, heartbreak, and hope."

With his socially-conscious production company InterPositive Media, Mr. Forbes has written and directed Emmy-nominated national PSA campaigns featuring Gwyneth Paltrow, Charlize Theron, Mike Myers, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Broderick, and others, as well as producing and directing many music videos. Formerly a cinematographer, he shot five feature films and created a look for several hit TV shows.

Boogie Man won the 2009 National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Documentary, the George S. Polk Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Chris Award at the Columbus International Film Festival, and was nominated for the 2008 WGA Award for Best Theatrical Documentary.

Forbes is a 2006 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow and serves on their Artists Advisory Board. He is a winner of the International Documentary Association's Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Filmmaker Award. He has spoken on film at many American universities and industry panels such as Digital Hollywood, and served on juries at Silverdocs, the Writers Guild of America Awards, and on the Nominating Committee for the Independent Spirit Awards.

External links[link]

• Stefan Forbes at the Internet Movie Database
• InterPositive Media

This article about a United States film director is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

William R. "Willie" Horton (born August 12, 1951) is an American convicted felon who, while serving a life sentence for murder, without the possibility of parole, was the beneficiary of a Massachusetts weekend furlough program. He did not return from his furlough, and ultimately he committed assault, armed robbery and rape.

Criminal activity and incarceration[link]

Horton was born in Chesterfield, South Carolina. On October 26, 1974, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Horton and two accomplices robbed Joseph Fournier, a 17-year-old gas station attendant, and then fatally stabbed him 19 times after he had cooperated by handing over all of the money in the cash register. His body was dumped in a trash can. Fournier died from blood loss.^[1] Horton was convicted of murder, sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, and incarcerated at the Northeastern Correctional Center in Massachusetts.^[2]

On June 6, 1986, he was released as part of a weekend furlough program but did not return. On April 3, 1987 in Oxon Hill, Maryland, Horton twice raped a local woman after pistol-whipping, knifing, binding, and gagging her fiancé. He then stole the car belonging to the man he had assaulted. He was later shot and captured by Corporal Paul J. Lopez of the Prince George's County Police Department after a pursuit. On October 20, Horton was sentenced in Maryland to two consecutive life terms plus 85 years. The sentencing judge, Vincent J. Femia, refused to return Horton to Massachusetts, saying, "I'm not prepared to take the chance that Mr. Horton might again be furloughed or otherwise released. This man should never draw a breath of free air again."^[3]

On April 18, 1996, Horton was transferred to the Jessup Correctional Institution (then called the Maryland House of Correction Annex), a maximum security prison in Jessup, Maryland, where he remains.^[4]

Democratic Presidential candidate Michael Dukakis was the governor of Massachusetts at the time of Horton's release, and while he did not start the furlough program, he had supported it as a method of criminal rehabilitation. The State inmate furlough program was actually signed into law by Republican Governor Francis W. Sargent in 1972. However, under Sargent, convicted first-degree murderers were not eligible for furlough. After the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that this right extended to first-degree murderers, the Massachusetts legislature quickly passed a bill prohibiting furloughs for such inmates. However, in 1976, Dukakis vetoed this bill arguing it would 'cut the heart out of efforts at inmate rehabilitation'.^[5] The program remained in effect through the intervening term of governor Edward J. King and was abolished during Dukakis' final term of office on April 28, 1988. This abolition occurred only after the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune had run 175 stories about the furlough program and won a Pulitzer Prize.^[6] Dukakis continued to argue that the program was 99 percent effective; yet, as the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune pointed out, no state outside of Massachusetts, nor any federal program, would grant a furlough to a prisoner serving life without parole.^{[citation needed]}

Horton in the 1988 presidential campaign[link]

The first person to mention the Massachusetts furlough program in the 1988 presidential campaign was Al Gore. During a debate at the Felt Forum sponsored by the New York Daily News, Gore took issue with the furlough program. However, he did not specifically mention the Horton incident or even his name, instead asking a general question about the Massachusetts furlough program.^[7]

Republicans picked up the Horton issue after Dukakis clinched the nomination. In June 1988, Republican candidate George H.W. Bush seized on the Horton case, bringing it up repeatedly in campaign speeches.^[7] Bush's campaign manager, Lee Atwater, predicted that "by the time this election is over, Willie Horton will be a household name."^[7][8] In April 1988, Lee Atwater asked aide Jim Pinkerton for negative research to defeat Dukakis.^{[citation needed]} Pinkerton returned with reams of material that Atwater told him to reduce to a 3×5 index card, telling him, "I'm giving you one thing. You can use both sides of the 3×5 card." Pinkerton discovered the furlough issue by watching the Felt Forum debate. On May 25, 1988, Republican consultants met in Paramus, New Jersey, holding a focus group of Democrats who had voted for Ronald Reagan in 1984. After giving the focus group the material Pinkerton provided on the index card, most of the voters switched from favoring Dukakis to favoring Bush.^{[citation needed]} These focus groups convinced Atwater and the other Republican consultants that they should 'go negative' against Dukakis. Further information regarding the furlough came from aide Andrew Card, a Massachusetts native whom President George W. Bush later named as his Chief of Staff.^[9]

Jumping the gun[link]

Although commercials about Willie Horton were not run until the fall campaign, Bush first mentioned him at the Texas Republican convention on June 9, 1988. The following week at the Illinois Republican convention in Springfield, Bush began to press the argument against Dukakis by declaring that Dukakis had let Horton loose to 'terrorize innocent people' and continued support of the furlough program until the Massachusetts legislature changed the law.^{[citation needed]} Bush again mentioned Horton at the National Sheriffs Association in Louisville, Kentucky and declared himself in favor of 'life without parole' for convicted murderers.^{[citation needed]}

Over the Fourth of July weekend in 1988, Atwater attended a motorcyclists' convention in Luray, Virginia. Two couples were talking about the Horton story as featured in the July issue of Reader's Digest. Atwater joined them without mentioning who he was. Later that night, a focus group in Alabama had turned completely against Dukakis when presented the information about Horton's furlough. Atwater used this occurrence to argue the necessity of pounding Dukakis about the furlough issue.^[9]

The fall campaign[link]

Beginning on September 21, 1988, the Americans for Bush arm of the National Security Political Action Committee (NSPAC), under the auspices of Floyd Brown, began running a campaign ad entitled "Weekend Passes", using the Horton case to attack Dukakis. The ad was produced by media consultant Larry McCarthy, who had previously worked for Roger Ailes. After clearing the ad with television stations, McCarthy added a menacing mug shot of Horton, who is African American. The ad was run as an independent expenditure, separate from the Bush campaign, which claimed not to have had any role in its production.^[10]

On October 5, 1988, a day after the "Weekend Passes" ad was taken off the airwaves, was the date of the Bentsen-Quayle debate, the Bush campaign ran its own ad, "Revolving Door", which also attacked Dukakis over the weekend furlough program. While the advertisement did not mention Horton or feature his photograph, it depicted a variety of intimidating-looking men walking in and out of prison through a revolving door.^[11] The commercial was filmed at an actual state prison in Draper, Utah, but the individuals depicted – thirty in all, including three African Americans and two Hispanics, were all paid actors.^{[citation needed]}

Attempting to counter-attack, Dukakis' campaign ran an ad about a convicted heroin dealer named Angel Medrano who raped and killed a pregnant mother of two after escaping from a federal correctional halfway house.^[12] Conservative pundit Ann Coulter argues this case was less relevant since Medrano had no criminal history of violent behavior and Bush was not running based on his work in the federal justice system.^[13] The controversy escalated when Vice Presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen and former Democratic presidential candidate and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson called the "Revolving Door" ad racist – a charge which was denied by Bush.^[12]

In 1990, the Ohio Democratic Party and a group called "Black Elected Democrats of Ohio" filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that NSPAC had coordinated or cooperated with the Bush campaign in airing the ad, which would make it an illegal in-kind campaign contribution.^[10] Investigation by the FEC, including deposition of officials from both organizations, revealed indirect connections between McCarthy and the Bush campaign (such as his having previously worked for Ailes), but found no direct evidence of wrongdoing, and the investigation reached an impasse and was eventually closed with no finding of any violation of campaign finance laws.^[10]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	United States portal
	Criminal justice portal
	Politics portal

• Revolving Door (advertisement)
• Daisy (advertisement)
• Wayne DuMond

References[link]

External links[link]

• Independent Ads: The National Security Political Action Committee "Willie Horton"
• "Willie Horton" advertisement via American Museum of the Moving Image
• Ingraham, Hannity revived claim that "Al Gore brought up Willie Horton"
• Anthony Walton's 1989 essay, Willie Horton and Me
• Willie Horton at the Internet Movie Database

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2010)

Sam Moore
Background information
Birth name	Samuel David Hicks
Born	(1935-10-12) 12 October 1935 (age 76) Miami, Florida United States
Genres	R&B
Occupations	Songwriter, Musician, Performer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1961–present
Associated acts	Sam & Dave

Samuel David Moore (born October 12, 1935) is an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues (R&B) singer who was the tenor vocalist for the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 through 1981. Sam Moore is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame (for "Soul Man"), The Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and a Grammy Award and a multi-Gold Record award winning recording artist. Sam & Dave were the most successful and critically acclaimed duo in Soul Music history. Moore has also achieved a distinguished 25 year career as a solo performing and recording artist. In 2008, based on a poll of other musicians, Rolling Stone named Sam Moore one of the 100 greatest singers of the rock era (1950s-2008).

Overview[link]

Moore is best known for his work as Sam of the soul music duo Sam & Dave, where he was the higher tenor voice. Moore has performed in concerts, ranging from the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary party in 1988, to the New Orleans Jazz Festival and the SXSW Music Industry conference in 2006. Moore has also performed in various venues ranging from the tribute for Elvis Presley in 1994, to the Grammy Awards 2006 tribute to Wilson Pickett, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2006 for Smokey Robinson. Moore has also partnered with other famous recording artists, including Conway Twitty, Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Elton John, Phil Collins, Lou Reed and others, on various live and recorded performances.

Music critic, close friend of Moore's and the editor and co-writer of Moore's book, Dave Marsh, in 2002 called Sam Moore "The Greatest Living Soul Singer." In 2006, Moore received a MOBO (Music of Black Origin) lifetime achievement award in the UK.

Sam & Dave years[link]

Sam Moore and Dave Prater were both experienced gospel music singers, having performed individually with groups the Sensational Hummingbirds and The Melionaires. They met in The King of Hearts Club in Miami in 1961, where they were discovered by regional producer Henry Stone, who signed them to Roulette Records. After modest success at Roulette,they were signed by Jerry Wexler to Atlantic Records in 1964, then being 'loaned' out to Stax Records to produce, record and release their records.

The duo's November 1965 single, "You Don't Know Like I Know," started a series of ten straight top twenty Billboard R&B hits that included "Hold On! I'm Comin'" (1966), "You Got Me Hummin' (1966), "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" (1967), "Soul Man" (1967), and "I Thank You" (1968). Most of their hits were penned by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. In most recordings, they were also backed by Hayes on piano with Booker T and the MGs and The Memphis Horns. The ending of their association with the Stax record label and their frequently volatile relationship contributed to their first break-up in 1970.

Sam & Dave performed throughout most of the 1970s through 1981, and enjoyed a brief resurgence in popularity due to The Blues Brothers's 1979 recording of "Soul Man". Their last performance together was on December 31, 1981, at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco. On 9 April 1988, Prater died in a car crash in Sycamore, Georgia.

Solo career[link]

Moore began his solo career after breaking up with Prater in June 1970, and was offered to record several singles with Atlantic Records in 1970 and 1971. These singles, along with other recordings made during that period, were to be released on an album produced by King Curtis. However, in August 1971, King Curtis was murdered, and the album was shelved. Moore got back together with Prater in August 1971 and the two performed and recorded together over the next decade.

Moore toured with other soul artists including Wilson Pickett in Europe in the spring of 1982, where he married his wife Joyce McRae. She helped Moore overcome a lengthy battle with drug addiction during this period, which the couple later discussed in detail in Moore's book "Sam & Dave - An Oral History" co-written with Dave Marsh and published in 1997. Moore not only went public with his addiction in 1983, but also became a strong anti-drug advocate and worked as a volunteer for anti-drug programs. McRae also became and is presently his business manager, and has worked together with Sam to advocate for artist's rights, royalties and pension payments.

Moore later claimed it was difficult for him to find steady performing work during much of the 1980s, because bookers wanted "Sam & Dave" and Moore wanted to be a solo artist. Additionally, Prater hired Sam Daniels in 1982 to perform the "Sam" part for the Sam & Dave act and thus, according to Moore, limited his opportunities to play as a solo artist. Moore pursued Prater legally to stop performing using his name, and was successful in getting an injunction against them performing in a few individual cities and counties. However, there is no national law prohibiting bands from disclosing whether they were original performers or not. Moore formed an organization "Artists and Others Against Imposters", and testified before Congress on the topic in 1989.

In 1984, Moore performed on the Don Henley album, Building the Perfect Beast on a song called "You Must Not Be Drinkin' Enough". In 1986, Moore re-recorded "Soul Man" with Lou Reed for the film of the same name. The song reached #30 on the UK Singles Chart. In April 1988, Moore joined the Elwood Blues Revue, which featured Dan Aykroyd and The Blues Brothers Band.

Moore appeared with Junior Walker in the 1988 film Tapeheads, which featured Moore and Walker as the legendary soul duo "The Swanky Modes". Sam appeared on David Letterman with Junior Walker later that year and performed the song "Ordinary Man" from the film. Their pairing was notable, as it was one of the few instances where performers from the Motown & Stax camps performed or recorded together.

In 1989, Moore performed at the George Bush inaugural, and also at the Smithsonian Rhythm & Blues Museum opening honoring Hayes and Porter. In 1990, Moore toured in Europe with Booker T. & The MG's, Carla Thomas and Eddie Floyd. One of these performances, from the Monacco Soul Festival, was captured on film and broadcast in France. In 1991, Moore recorded several songs on Red, Hot & Blues with Republican Party official and avid bluesman, Lee Atwater. Moore also was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm & Blues Foundation in 1991 to acknowledge his lifetime contributions.

Moore and Prater (posthumously) were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on January 15, 1992 and Moore brought Hayes and Porter onstage with him at the ceremony to recognize his former songwriting and producing partners' contributions. He also brought David Prater, Jr. (Dave's eldest son) to the ceremony to acknowledge his former singing partner. Shortly after the induction, Moore announced plans to record a solo LP, featuring duets with Springsteen, Phil Collins and others. In 1992, Moore recorded several songs with Bruce Springsteen for his Human Touch album. He also had a hit in 1994 with the Conway Twitty duet "Rainy Night In Georgia".

Moore continued to tour through the 1990s. He released "I'm a Dole Man" in 1996, with the "Soul Man" lyrics rewritten, for Presidential candidate Bob Dole to play at voter rallies. The owners of "Soul Man"'s publishing rights did not agree with the claim it was fair use of the song as a parody, and forced the campaign to stop using the song.

In 1998, Moore appeared in the movie, Blues Brothers 2000, as the Reverend Morris, fulfilling a childhood dream of being a preacher, and sang "John the Revelator". In 1999, "Soul Man" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame to recognize timeless classics.

In 2002 Moore's solo album, recorded in 1971 but never released, finally hit the record stores. Plenty Good Lovin' , produced by King Curtis and featuring Aretha Franklin on piano, garnered a four star review from USA Today.^[1]

In 2002, Moore starred in the D.A. Pennebaker directed documentary, Only the Strong Survive (Miramax). The film was a selection of both the Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals in 2002. In the film, Moore chronicles his previous drug use. ^[2]

In 2003, the Stax Museum opened in Memphis, Tennessee, and Sam & Dave are featured prominently in the film made for the Museum "Soulsville", and are honored with a permanent wall display and video display.

In December 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine named "Soul Man" as one of the 500 greatest songs of all time, and Moore was a featured guest performer at Bruce Springsteen's 2003 Asbury Park Christmas shows.

On August 29, 2006 Moore released his first solo album "Overnight Sensational," produced by Randy Jackson and features Sting, Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Fantasia and 20 other guest stars. Produced with and available on Rhino Records. The album received some positive critical reviews, most notably for the song "You Are So Beautiful", which featured Moore, Billy Preston and Eric Clapton that received a Grammy nomination.

In 2008, Moore sent a cease and desist letter to the Barack Obama campaign to stop the use of his material at rallies for Obama's presidential campaign.^[3] In January 2009, Moore performed with Sting and Elvis Costello at the Creative Coalition's Presidential Inaugural Ball for Barack Obama. In December 2008, Sam & Dave, the Original Soul Men DVD was released in the US, featuring video performances of Sam & Dave from 1966-1980.

In February 2009, Moore filed suit against Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the producers of Soul Men, a comedy starring Bernie Mac, claiming the film was based on the careers of Sam & Dave.^[4]

At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 25th anniversary concert held at Madison Square Garden on October 29 & 30 2009, Hall of Fame inductee(1992) Sam Moore performed the Sam & Dave hits "Soul Man" & "Hold On, I'm Comin' with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Holiday albums[link]

Singles[link]

Featured singles[link]

Music videos[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sam Moore's website, with videos, bio, tour schedule, press and news
• Rhino's Sam Moore page with streams of album's songs, streaming video and other items.
• about Sam & Dave's career and their dvd featuring career spanning live performances.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2010)

Billy Preston
Billy Preston visiting the White House in 1974
Background information
Birth name	William Everett Preston
Born	(1946-09-02)September 2, 1946 Houston, Texas, United States
Died	June 6, 2006(2006-06-06) (aged 59) Scottsdale, Arizona, United States
Genres	Rhythm and blues, rock, soul, funk, gospel
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, bandleader, actor
Instruments	Keyboards, organ, piano, electric piano, vocals, harpsichord, accordion, drums
Years active	1956–2005
Labels	Derby, Vee-Jay, Apple Records, Capitol, Buddah, A&M, Motown
Associated acts	Sam Cooke, The Beatles, Sly & the Family Stone, Mahalia Jackson, King Curtis, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton
Website	Billy Preston.net
Notable instruments
Hammond B3 organ Baldwin Piano Fender Rhodes Electric Piano

William Everett "Billy" Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was a musician whose work included R&B, rock, soul, funk and gospel. Preston became famous, first as a session musician with such artists as Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and was later successful as a solo artist with such hit pop singles as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from Nothing", and a string of albums.

Alongside Tony Sheridan, Billy Preston was the only other musician to be credited on a Beatles recording after he was credited on the group's number-one hit, "Get Back", with the record title listed as The Beatles with Billy Preston. Steven Stills asked Preston if he could use Preston's phrase "if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with" in a song and created the legendary eponymous hit.

Early life and career[link]

William Everett Preston was born on September 2, 1946 in Houston, Texas. At the age of three, the family moved to Los Angeles where Preston began playing piano while sitting on his mother Robbie's lap. Noted as a child prodigy, by the age of ten, Preston was playing organ onstage backing several gospel singers such as Mahalia Jackson, James Cleveland and Andrae Crouch. At twelve, he appeared in the W.C. Handy biopic starring Nat King Cole entitled, St. Louis Blues, playing W.C. Handy at a younger age. A year prior, Preston appeared on Cole's national TV show singing the Fats Domino hit, "Blueberry Hill".

In 1962, Preston joined Little Richard's band as an organist and it was while performing in Hamburg that Preston met The Beatles. In 1963, he played the organ on Sam Cooke's Night Beat album and released his first gospel album, 16 Years Soul, that same year. In 1965, he released his secular debut album, The Most Exciting Organ Ever, and that same year played organ and performed on the rock and roll show, Shindig!. In 1967, he joined Ray Charles' band. Following his exposure with Charles, several musicians began asking Preston to come to sessions, most notably The Beatles, who asked him to contribute to two of their albums, Abbey Road and Let It Be.

Relationship with The Beatles[link]

Preston is one of several people sometimes referred to by outsiders as a "Fifth Beatle." At one point during the Get Back sessions, John Lennon even proposed the idea of having him as the "Fifth Beatle" (to which Paul countered that it was bad enough with four).^[1] Preston first met The Beatles in 1962 while part of Little Richard's touring band, when their manager Brian Epstein organized a Liverpool show, at which The Beatles opened. The Washington Post explained their subsequent meeting:

Preston played with The Beatles for several of the Get Back sessions, some of the material from which would later be culled to make the film Let it Be and its companion album, during which he joined the band for its rooftop concert, its final public appearance.^[2] "Get Back", one of the album's singles, was credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston," the only time such a joint credit had been given on an official Beatles-sanctioned release (as distinct from an unsanctioned reissue of some Hamburg-era recordings on which they were the backing group for Tony Sheridan). The credit was bestowed by The Beatles to reflect the extent of Preston's presence on the track; his electric piano is prominent throughout and he plays an extended solo. Preston also worked (in a more limited role) on the Abbey Road album, contributing to the tracks "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and "Something."

In 1978, he appeared as Sgt. Pepper in Robert Stigwood's film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was very loosely based on The Beatles' album of the same name.

Post-Beatles solo career[link]

Preston singing at the piano in 1971

Signed to The Beatles' Apple Records label, in 1969, Preston released the album That's the Way God Planned It and a single of the same name (produced by George Harrison). His relationship with Harrison continued after the breakup of The Beatles; he was the first artist to record "My Sweet Lord", in his album Encouraging Words (Harrison's own version of the single hit number one in the US and the UK and was the first number one by a former Beatle after they disbanded) and he was on several of Harrison's 1970s solo albums. Preston also made notable contributions to The Concert for Bangladesh, the Harrison-organized charity concert, toured with Harrison on his 1974 tour of North America and, after Harrison's death, The Concert for George. Preston also worked on solo records by two other ex-Beatles, John Lennon and Ringo Starr. After the Encouraging Words album, Preston left Apple and signed with Herb Alpert's A&M Records.

His solo career also peaked at this time, beginning with 1972's "Outa-Space", an instrumental track that further popularized the sound of the clavinet in funk music. The song reached #2 on the US Hot 100, #1 on the R&B chart, and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in June 1972.^[3]

Over the next two years, he followed up with the #1 hits "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing From Nothing", and the #4 hit "Space Race". All three releases each sold in excess of one million copies.^[3] American Bandstand host and executive producer Dick Clark enjoyed "Space Race" so much that he used the instrumental for the mid-show break for virtually the remainder of its run.^{[citation needed]}

Preston supporting The Rolling Stones on their Tour of the Americas, July 23, 1975

After working with The Beatles, Preston played keyboards for The Rolling Stones, alongside pianists Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart. Preston appears on the Stones' albums Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street, Goats Head Soup, It's Only Rock'n Roll and Black and Blue. He toured as a support act on their 1973 European Tour and recorded his live album Live European Tour 1973 in Munich with Mick Taylor on guitar that same year. In 1974 he composed one of Joe Cocker's biggest hits, "You Are So Beautiful". On October 11, 1975, he was the first musical guest on Saturday Night Live's series premiere episode (along with Janis Ian). Also in that year, and in 1976, he again accompanied the Stones on vocals and keyboards. This time he played two of his own songs, backed by the Stones, in the middle of every concert. Preston's 1973 Do You Love Me was the basis for the Stones' Melody on their 1976 Black and Blue album. The Stones and Preston parted company in 1977, mainly due to an argument over money. He continued to play on solo records by Stones members and made appearances again on the Stones' 1981 Tattoo You and 1997 Bridges to Babylon albums.

Preston's solo career began a decline in 1976. After years with A&M Records, Preston switched labels, moving to Motown Records where, in 1980, Preston had a top ten hit duet with Syreeta Wright with the ballad "With You I'm Born Again" that reached number four on the charts in the US. When Preston failed to match its success, the musician left the label in 1984 and promptly settled on session work from then on.

Legal troubles[link]

In 1991, he was arrested and convicted for insurance fraud after setting fire to his own house in Los Angeles,^[4] and he was treated for alcohol and cocaine addictions. He also was arrested in 1991 for sexually assaulting a 16 year-old Mexican boy, after picking him up at a gathering point for day laborers.^[5] After submitting to a drug test, he tested positive for cocaine. That year, he entered no-contest pleas to the cocaine and assault charges. He was sentenced to nine months at a drug rehabilitation center and three months of house arrest.

Preston overcame his problems in the early 1990s, toured with Eric Clapton, recorded with Gary Walker, one of the vocalists in his Los Angeles based band, and worked with a wide range of other artists. He also toured with Ringo Starr and appeared on the 1990 live album Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band. He was also invited to become a member of The Band in 1991, after the death of their piano player, Stan Szelest. He completed a tour, but his above-mentioned legal problems put an end to the collaboration before they had a chance to record together in the studio.

Later work[link]

In 1997-1998, Billy Preston played organ during the choir numbers on the UPN comedy show Good News.

While touring and fighting his own health problems, Preston received the news that on 29 November 2001, his old friend George Harrison had died after a long battle with throat cancer. Preston, among many of Harrison's longtime friends, performed in the 2002 Concert for George in London, England, to play a tribute song. Preston participated in the concert at the Royal Albert Hall, and his performance of "My Sweet Lord" has received critical acclaim. Preston played the Hammond organ for the show and sang "Isn't It a Pity" and "My Sweet Lord" plus backing vocals on most of the other songs. Ringo Starr called him one of the greatest Hammond players of all time (in the theatrical version of the concert).

In 2002, he appeared on the Johnny Cash album American IV: The Man Comes Around, playing piano on "Personal Jesus" and "Tear Stained Letter".

He toured with The Funk Brothers and Steve Winwood in Europe in early 2004 and then with his friend Eric Clapton in Europe and North America.

In 2004, Preston performed as a jazz organist with a solo on Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company duets album teaming up with Charles and Norah Jones on the song "Here We Go Again"

In 2005, he recorded "Go Where No One's Gone Before", the main title song for the anime series L/R: Licensed by Royalty.

Preston played clavinet on the song "Warlocks" for the Red Hot Chili Peppers album Stadium Arcadium released in 2006. Although very ill by this point, he jumped out of his bed after hearing a tape of the song given to him by the band, recorded his part, and went back to bed.^[6] Preston's final contributions were the gospel-tinged organ on the Neil Diamond album 12 Songs, and his keyboard work on The Road to Escondido by Eric Clapton and J. J. Cale.

In March 2005, Preston appeared on the American Idol's fourth season finale. Playing piano, he performed "With You I'm Born Again" with Vonzell Solomon, who finished in third place.

Preston made his last public appearance in late 2005 at the Los Angeles press junket for the re-release of the Concert for Bangla Desh movie. He was in good spirits and talked to many in the press. Afterwards he played a three song set of "Give Me Love", "My Sweet Lord" and "Isn't It a Pity", featuring Dhani Harrison on guitar and Ringo Starr on drums for the final song only.

There still remains an unreleased CD of Beatles covers that he had been working on for several years before his death. Many tracks from this CD were previewed by him at The Fest for Beatles Fans shows in the years before his death.

Jazz musician Miles Davis was heavily influenced by Preston's music during his funk rock period of the early 1970s. The 1974 album Get Up With It features a track called "Billy Preston" in his honor.

Personal life[link]

In his autobiography Life, Keith Richards states that Preston lived an openly gay lifestyle but did not speak publicly about his sexuality.^[7][8][9]

At the age of 9, Preston was sexually abused by a man.^[10]

Death[link]

Wikinews has related news: Billy Preston dies at 59

Preston had battled kidney disease in his later years, brought on by his hypertension. He received a kidney transplant in 2002, but his health continued to deteriorate. He died on June 6, 2006 in Scottsdale, Arizona, of complications of malignant hypertension that resulted in kidney failure and other complications. He had voluntarily entered a drug rehabilitation clinic in Malibu, CA, at the suggestion of guitarist Is'real Benton and suffered pericarditis there, leading to respiratory failure that left him in a coma from November 21, 2005.^[11] His funeral was held on June 20 at the Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, California, where his remains were interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

Albums[link]