John C. Gaylord (July 12, 1797 – July 17, 1874)^[1] was an early Mormon leader and member of the Presidency of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Gaylord was born in 1797, in Pennsylvania, to the family of Chauncey Gaylord. Ordained a seventy Dec. 20, 1836, by Hazen Aldrich; he was installed as one of the Seven Presidents of Seventies on April 6, 1837, by Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith. He replaced Sylvester Smith.

On January 13, 1838, Gaylord was excommunicated from the church along with several others. Gaylord was embittered over the failure of the Kirtland Safety Society. Henry Harriman took his place in the Presidency.^[2]

Gaylord rejoined with the church in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1839 and was rebaptized in 1841.^[3] He later received his endowment in the Nauvoo Temple.^[2]

In 1844 the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., the leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, led to a succession crisis where several people came forward to establish themselves as the new religious leader. Although Brigham Young led a large group of Mormons west to Utah, Gaylord followed James J. Strang in Voree, Wisconsin. After Strang's death, Gaylord became a seventy in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1858. He died near Burlington, Wisconsin in 1874 at the age of 77.^[4]

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Jenson, Andrew (1901), "GAYLORD, John", Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1, Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Company, p. 193, http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/u?/BYUIBooks,3330 .
• Jessee, Dean C.; Ashurst-McGee, Mark; Jensen, Richard L., eds. (2008), "Biographical Directory", Journals, Volume 1: 1832–1839, The Joseph Smith Papers, Salt Lake City: Church Historian's Press, p. 409, ISBN 978-1-57008-849-0 .

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Ronnie Gaylord was the name taken by Ronald L. Fredianelli (June 12, 1930-January 25, 2004), a member of The Gaylords, when he began to perform as a solo singer after entering military service in the 1950s.

Fredianelli was born in Detroit, Michigan. He formed the Gaylords (originally The Gay Lords) with Bonaldo Bonaldi and Don Rea in Detroit in 1949. For a while he used the name of Ronnie Vincent before adopting the name Ronnie Gaylord.

In the military, he was assigned to Special Services and sang with a military band. He had one hit as Ronnie Gaylord: "Cuddle Me" (1954). (Apparently, he was allowed to release it while still in the service.)

On Feb 15 1955 he was discharged from the military at Fort Carson, Colorado and rejoined The Gaylords.

In 1976, Bonaldi changed his name to Burt Holiday, at which time the group became Gaylord and Holiday. Rea had left the group by that time.

With his first wife, Ronnie had two children: Ronald Jr. and Melissa. With his second wife, Terry, he had three children: two sons (Christopher and Anthony) and one daughter (Tiffany). Three of his children (Tony, Chris, and Tiffany) went into show business.

He died in Reno, Nevada.

Johnny Ace (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), born John Marshall Alexander, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee, was an American rhythm and blues singer. He scored a string of hit singles in the mid-1950s before dying of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Career[link]

Alexander's father was a preacher in Tennessee. After serving in the navy during the Korean War, Alexander joined Adolph Duncan's Band as a pianist. He then joined the B. B. King band. Soon King departed for Los Angeles and vocalist Bobby Bland joined the army. Alexander took over vocal duties and renamed the band The Beale Streeters, also taking over King's WDIA radio show.

Becoming "Johnny Ace", he signed to Duke Records (originally a Memphis label associated with WDIA) in 1952. Urbane 'heart-ballad' "My Song," his first recording, topped the R&B charts for nine weeks in September.^[1] ("My Song" was covered in 1968 by Aretha Franklin, on the flipside of "See Saw".)

Ace began heavy touring, often with Willa Mae "Big Mama" Thornton. In the next two years, he had eight hits in a row, including "Cross My Heart," "Please Forgive Me," "The Clock," "Yes, Baby," "Saving My Heart for You," and "Never Let Me Go."^[2] In December, 1954 he was named the Most Programmed Artist Of 1954 after a national DJ poll organized by U.S. trade weekly Cash Box.^[3]

Ace's recordings sold very well for those times. Early in 1955, Duke Records announced that the three 1954 Johnny Ace recordings, along with Thornton's "Hound Dog", had sold more than 1,750,000 records.

Death[link]

After touring for a year, Ace had been performing at the City Auditorium in Houston, Texas on Christmas 1954. During a break between sets, he was playing with a .22 cal revolver. Members of his band said he did this often, sometimes shooting at roadside signs from their car.

It was widely reported that Ace killed himself playing Russian roulette.^[4][5] Big Mama Thornton's bass player Curtis Tillman, however, who witnessed the event, said, "I will tell you exactly what happened! Johnny Ace had been drinking and he had this little pistol he was waving around the table and someone said ‘Be careful with that thing…’ and he said ‘It’s okay! Gun’s not loaded…see?’ and pointed it at himself with a smile on his face and ‘Bang!’ – sad, sad thing. Big Mama ran outta that dressing room yelling ‘Johnny Ace just killed himself!"^[6]

Thornton said in a written statement (included in the book The Late Great Johnny Ace) that Ace had been playing with the gun, but not playing Russian roulette. According to Thornton, Ace pointed the gun at his girlfriend and another woman who were sitting nearby, but did not fire. He then pointed the gun toward himself. The gun went off, shooting him in the side of the head.

According to Nick Tosches, Ace actually shot himself with a .32 pistol, not a .22, and it happened only a little more than an hour after he had bought a brand new 1955 Oldsmobile.^[7]

Ace's funeral was on January 9, 1955, at Memphis' Clayborn Temple AME church. It was attended by an estimated 5000 people.^[8]

"Pledging My Love" became a posthumous R&B #1 hit for ten weeks beginning February 12, 1955. As Billboard bluntly put it, Ace's death "created one of the biggest demands for a record that has occurred since the death of Hank Williams just over two years ago." ^[9] His single sides were compiled and released as The Johnny Ace Memorial Album.

Tributes[link]

Bob Dylan and Joan Baez performed "Never Let Me Go" on the Rolling Thunder Revue Tour late in 1975.

Elvis Presley covered "Pledging My Love" on his last studio session in 1976. The song appeared on the Moody Blue album in 1977 at the time of his death.

Paul Simon wrote and performed the song "The Late Great Johnny Ace", in which a boy, upon hearing of the death of Ace, orders a photograph of the deceased singer, describing: "It came all the way from Texas / With a sad and simple face / And they signed it on the bottom / From the Late Great Johnny Ace."

David Allan Coe covered "Pledging My Love", introducing the song with his own recollections of hearing the news of Ace's death.

Johnny Ace is also namechecked by Root Boy Slim in "House Band in Hell" as well as by Dash Rip Rock in the song "Johnny Ace".^[10]

Ace's song "Pledging My Love" appears in the 1973 Martin Scorsese film Mean Streets and John Carpenter's 1983 movie Christine, based on Stephen King's novel. The song also appears in the Abel Ferrara film Bad Lieutenant. The song also appears in the movie "Back To the Future" It is playing in the background of the scene with Marty and his mother in the yellow car. It is, however not credited.

The Teen Queens song "Eddie My Love" was originally titled "Johnny My Love" and was written in Johnny's memory.

the Swiss Singer Polo Hofer and the Schmetterband wrote the Song ``Johnny Ace`` in 1985 - it was released on the album Giggerig.

Dave Alvin's 2011 release, Eleven Eleven, contains a song describing his death, called "Johnny Ace is Dead."

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Original singles issued by Duke Records

• "My Song" / "Follow the Rule" (1952)
• "Cross My Heart" / "Angel" (1953)
• "The Clock" / "Aces Wild" (1953)
• "Midnight Hours Journey" / "Trouble and Me" (1954)
• "Saving My Love For You" / "Yes, Baby" (duet with Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton) (1954)
• "Please Forgive Me" / "You've Been Gone So Long" (1954)
• "Never Let Me Go" / "Burley Cutie" [Instrumental] (1954)
• "Pledging My Love" / "Anymore" (on 78rpm) / "No Money" (on 45rpm) (1955) #1 on U.S. R&B Chart for 10 weeks, peaked at #17 on U.S. Pop Chart
• "Anymore" / "How Can You Be So Mean" (1955)
• "So Lonely" / "I'm So Crazy, Baby" (1956)
• "Don't You Know" / "I Still Love You So" (1956)

Albums[link]

Studio albums and compilations containing only/mostly Johnny Ace material

• Johnny Ace Memorial Album Duke (1955)
• Johnny Ace: Pledging My Love Universal Special Products (1986)
• Johnny Ace: The Complete Duke Recordings Geffen (2004)
• Blues & Rhythm Series: The Chronological Johnny Ace 1951-1954 Classics (2005)
• Johnny Ace: Essential Masters Burning Fire (digital download) (2008)

Notes and references[link]

• Rolling Stone, Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. New York: 1995. ISBN 0-684-81044-1
• Dafydd Rees and Luke Crampton. Rock Movers and Shakers. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1991. ISBN 0-87436-661-5
• Rock On: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock n' Roll: The Solid Gold Years: 1974, 1982: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, Harper & Row: New York, New York; ISBN 0-06-181642-6: p001.

External links[link]

• Hip-O biography
• Find-A-Grave gravestone

William Mills "Bill" Irwin (born April 11, 1950) is an American actor and clown noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. He is known for his vaudeville-style stage acts, but has made a number of appearances on film and television and won a Tony Award for a dramatic role on Broadway. He is known by children as Mr. Noodle on Sesame Street's Elmo's World.

Early life[link]

Irwin was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Elizabeth (née Mills), a teacher, and Horace G. Irwin, an aerospace engineer.^[1] He graduated from Oberlin College in 1973 with a degree in theater arts, and from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College the following year. In 1975, he helped found the Pickle Family Circus in San Francisco, California. He left the company in 1979, and decided to pursue stage work.

Career[link]

Irwin created a run of highly regarded stage shows that incorporated elements of clowning, often in collaboration with composer Doug Skinner. These works included The Regard of Flight (1982), Largely New York (1989), Fool Moon (1993), The Harlequin Studies (2003), and Mr. Fox: A Rumination (2004). Mr. Fox is a production that Irwin has worked on for years, a biography of 19th century clown George Washington Lafayette Fox that also has autobiographical elements.

Irwin adapted Molière's play Les Fourberies de Scapin as a comedy called Scapin, and has played the title role in several productions. His adaptation allowed him to interpolate his signature clowning routines into the course of the action.

In 1996, Irwin performed with The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps at the 1996 Summer Olympics, in a "band on the run" sequence where he played Dr. Hubert Peterson of the fictitious Federation of United Marching Associations of America.^[2]

Although Irwin is best known for his theatrical clown work, he has also been featured in a number of dramatic plays. Irwin appeared in 1988 on stage with Steve Martin and Robin Williams for a production of Waiting for Godot in the role of Lucky. Lucky's only lines consist of a famous 500-word-long monologue, an ironic element for Irwin since much of his clown-based stage work was silent. He appeared in 2002 with Sally Field in the replacement cast of The Goat or Who is Sylvia?. In 2005, he starred alongside Kathleen Turner as George in a revival of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. He directed the 1998 Roundabout Theatre Company production of A Flea in Her Ear. In 2009, he played Vladimir (Didi) in a Broadway revival of Waiting for Godot, and Mr. McAfee in the Broadway revival of Bye Bye Birdie.

Irwin's first featured film role was in 1980, appearing as Ham Gravy in Robert Altman's Popeye starring Robin Williams. He has appeared in over 20 films, mainly in supporting roles. Irwin's principal film roles included My Blue Heaven, a 1990 comedy with Steve Martin and Rick Moranis, and Eight Men Out, which tells the true story of the "Black Sox" gambling scandal of 1919. Irwin tap-danced in a leading role in 1991's Stepping Out with Liza Minnelli and appeared as a mime in the Paul Mazursky film Scenes from a Mall alongside Woody Allen and Bette Midler. His authentic vaudevillian skills landed him a role in the Sam Shepard film Silent Tongue in 1994, and he appeared in film adaptations of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Laramie Project and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He played an ex-brain surgeon, house salesman in the Nickelodeon show The Adventures of Pete & Pete. In 2006, Irwin played the solitary Mr. Leeds in M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water and had a small role in 2007's Across the Universe. He received critical acclaim for his role as Paul, father to Anne Hathaway's character Kym, in the 2008 drama Rachel Getting Married.

His most notable television roles have been Enrico Ballati, "The Flying Man", on the television series Northern Exposure, Mr. Noodle in the Elmo's World segment of the PBS children's show Sesame Street and the "Dick & Jane" serial killer Nate Haskell on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He has also appeared on The Cosby Show, Saturday Night Live, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Law & Order and Lights Out. In 2011, Irwin guest starred in the pilot episode of A Gifted Man. Irwin was featured in the 1988 music video of "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin (along with McFerrin and Robin Williams).

Awards and honors[link]

Irwin was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Choreographer's Fellowship in 1981 and 1983. In 1984, he was named a Guggenheim Fellow and was the first performance artist to be awarded a 5-year MacArthur Fellowship.

For Largely New York, he won a New York Drama Critics Circle Special Citation in 1988, and an Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award in 1989. This show also received five nominations for Tony Awards.

In 1992, he won an OBIE Award for his performance in Texts for Nothing. Together with David Shiner he won a special Tony Award for Live Theatrical Presentation in 1999 for their show Fool Moon. In 1993, this show already had won a Drama Desk Award for "Unique Theatrical Experience" and an Outer Critics Circle "Special Achievement" Award.

In 2005, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his appearance as George in the revival of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

2008 saw Irwin receive a CFCA Award nomination for "Best Supporting Actor" for his role in Rachel Getting Married.

In 2010, The New Victory Theater presented Bill Irwin with the first ever New Victory Arts Award. He was honored for "bringing the arts to kids and kids to the arts." Nathan Lane and Jonathan Demme spoke at the ceremony.

Bill Irwin is also on the board of The New 42nd Street, Inc.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Bill Irwin at the Internet Movie Database
• Bill Irwin at the Internet Broadway Database
• Bill Irwin, Clown Prince. Great Performances (PBS). (2004)
• The Regard of Flight from the New York Times (Registration required) (1984)
• The Harlequin Studies (2003)
• Archive film of Bill Irwin performing Post-Modern Studies in 1983 at Jacob's Pillow

Jeff Gaylord is a retired American professional wrestler who competed in North American regional and independent promotions including Bill Watts' Universal Wrestling Federation, World Class Championship Wrestling and the United States Wrestling Association during the late 1980s and 1990s, most notably as a frequent tag team partner of Jeff Jarrett. During the late 1990s, he was a member of "Psycho" Sid Vicious' The Psychos and, as Akeem Hassain, the USWA-faction of the Nation of Domination.

He also made a one time appearance in the World Wrestling Federation as The Black Knight at the 1993 Survivor Series.^[1]

Career[link]

Early life and career[link]

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Gaylord played as a defensive lineman for the Missouri Tigers while attending the University of Missouri ^[2] and eventually became an All-American in 1981.^[3]

Making his professional debut in 1985, he began wrestling in the Mid-South area for the Universal Wrestling Federation facing Timothy Flowers, Tarzan Goto and Kevin the Magnificent in February 1986.^[4] During the summer, he also feuded with the Russian Team facing Ivan & Nikita Koloff and Korstia Korchenko in a 6-man tag team match with Ken Massey and Perry Jackson as well as with Perry Jackson and Brett Wayne Sawyer against Korchenko & The Blade Runners on June 8. He also teamed with Ken Massey against Rick Steiner & Jack Victory at the Tulsa Convention Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma on August 17, 1987.^[5]

Facing Buddy Landell and The Angel of Death during the next few months, he later appeared on the UWF's Superdome Extravaganza supercard defeating Art Crews at The Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 27, 1986.^[6] He would later lose to One Man Gang in the opening rounds of the UWF/PWI Tournament the following month. During the next year, he would face Eli the Eliminator and, with Jeff Raitz, against Sting & Rick Steiner. He would later lose to Rick Steiner in a singles match at the Sam Houston Coliseum on January 23, 1987.^[7]

During 1989, Gaylord would also appear on WWF Wrestling Challenge teaming with Tim Horner against The Fabulous Rougeaus on April 16, before returning to World Class Championship Wrestling facing veterans such as Jimmy Jack Funk and Kerry Von Erich.^[8]

From Dallas to Memphis[link]

Wrestling for World Class Championship Wrestling as the masked wrestler The Hood during the late 1980s,^[9] he would become a mainstay in the area and briefly feuded with Jeff Jarrett and Bill Dundee later teaming with "Stunning" Steve Austin, Gary Young and Skandor Akbar in an 8-man Texas Tornado match losing to Jeff Jarrett, Bill Dundee, Eric Embry and Percy Pringle in early 1990.^[10]