ANN & NANCY WILSON OF HEART TO BE HONORED WITH STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME

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WHO:      Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart                 Emcee: Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, President/CEO Leron Gubler                 Guest speakers: Alice and Chains’ Jerry Cantrell and Mike Inez and Rita Wilson
WHAT:    2,481st Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Category of RECORDING
WHERE:  6752Hollywood Boulevard in front of The Musician’s Institute
WHEN:   September 25, 2012 at 11:30 a.m.                 This ceremony will be live video-streamed at www.WalkofFame.com
COMMENTS:

           Ann and Nancy Wilson will be honored with their star on the Hollywood Walk ofFame on Tuesday, September 25, at 6752 Hollywood Boulevard. Their star will beunveiled in front of the Musician’s Institute. “This location is a covetedspot for many Rock n’ Rollers and these ladies will join the likes of bandsJourney and Motley Crue who also have stars on that property. We are thrilledwith this latest  star addition as many young, aspiring female rockerslook up to these legendary ladies of Rock n’ Roll”, stated Ana Martinez,Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremonies.              Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson first showed the world that women can rockwhen their band, Heart, storming the charts in the ‘70’s with hits like “Crazyon You,” “Magic Man,” “Barracuda,” “Straight On,” and so many more.  Notonly did the Wilson sisters lead the band, they wrote the songs and played theinstruments, too, making them the first women in rock to do so.  Heartcontinued topping the charts through the ‘80’s and ‘90’s with huge hits like“These Dreams,” “Alone,” “What About Love,” “If Looks Could Kill,” “Never,” anda string of other hits that showcased the sisters’ enormous talents asmusicians and singers.            Nearly 35 years after their first big hit, Ann and Nancy Wilson were back inthe Billboard Top 10 in 2010 with Heart’s “Red Velvet Car” album, and a Top 5DVD (“Night at Sky Church”). As individuals, the sisters have also achievedsignificant success.  Ann sang on songs that were both chart successes andmotion picture themes, like “Almost Paradise” from Footloose, “Best Man in theWorld” from Goldenchild, and “Surrender to Me” from Tequila Sunrise, whileNancy composed and performed the scores to a half dozen motion picturesincluding the award winning “Jerry Maguire” and “Almost Famous.”           Although they got their start in Seattle, Heart is a worldwide phenomenon, andHeart singles, albums and videos have achieved chart success in virtually everymajor territory.           Along the way, music by Ann and Nancy Wilson and their band Heart has sold morethan 35 million albums, sold out arenas worldwide, and found its way into thesoundtrack of American life through radio, motion pictures, television, andassociations with branded sponsors.  Today, songs made famous by Heart areheard in every aspect of contemporary culture.           2012 is a big a year for Heart: Their 50+ city tour kicked off on June 29.They recentlyreleased their first-ever box set Strange Euphoria on June 5, and theirfirst-ever book “Kicking & Dreaming” will be released by Harper Collins onSeptember 18, and their brand new studio CD, “Fanatic” being released by SonyMusic on October 2^nd.   SelectDiscography:                                                     ·    Dreamboat Annie (1976) – 100 weeks on chart, multi-platinum selling·    Little Queen (1977) – 41 weeks on chart, multi-platinum selling·    Magazine (1978) – 25 weeks on chart, platinum selling·    Dog & Butterfly (1978) – 36 weeks on chart, multi-platinum selling·    Greatest Hits Live (1980) – 25 weeks on charts, multi-platinum selling·    Heart (1985) – 92 weeks on charts, five times platinum selling, Grammy nominated·    Bad Animals (1987) – 50 weeks on charts, three times platinum, two Grammynominations·    Brigade (1990) – 49 weeks on the charts, multi-platinum selling, Grammynominated·    Greatest Hits 1985-1995 (2000) – platinum selling·    Essential Heart (2002) – platinum selling·    Red Velvet Car (2010) – Top 10 entry in Billboard Magazine, September 6Honors &Achievements:Four GRAMMYnominationsLifetimeAchievement Award – GRAMMY Foundation Northwest ChapterLifetimeAchievement – VH1 Rock HonorsImage Award:Lifetime Achievement for Excellence in Songwriting – ASCAPRock & RollHall of Fame Museum – ExhibitElectric MusicProject Museum - ExhibitPhilanthropicInvolvements & Contributions:Race to Erase MS,Make a Wish Foundation, Covenant House, Alzheimer’s Association, Barbara DavisMultiple Sclerosis Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Seattle, Neil Young’sBridge School, National Breast Cancer Foundation, TJ Martell Foundation,Matthew Sheppard Foundation, Lily Claire Foundation, MusiCares, American HeartAssociation, Larry King Cardiac Foundation, ASPCA, Humane Society, Susan BKomen Foundation, AIDS Walk Los Angeles, Guitars Not Guns, Busted Foundation,Jewish Family Services of Los Angeles, Electronic Music Project Museum, Rock &Roll Hall of Fame Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame Museum, Will Geer’sTheatricum Botanicum Community Theater, Amnesty International, Help a Pet,Clear Channel Relief Fund, Union Rescue Mission, Coalition for the Homeless,Planned Parenthood, St. Nicholas Home for Animals, Heal the Bay, SoroptimistInternational of the Verdugos, Self-Realization Fellowship, Midland/OdessaEducational Foundation, Foundation for the Greater Good, The Perkins ElementarySchool Fund, Hurricane Katrina Relief, American Red Cross, Noah’s Wish, StandUp 2 Cancer, We are the World Foundation, Grammy Museum Los Angeles “Night WithHeart,” Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum

For moreinformation and to view who shares a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, visit www.walkoffame.com

FIRST EVER JOHN LENNON DOUBLE FANTASY BERMUDA TRIBUTE CHARITY CONCERT SEPTEMBER 21

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The Event FeaturingHeather Nova, Maxi Priest, and Roy Young, Also is the Multi-Media Launch of The Book and CD ‘LennonBermuda’ and a Double Fantasy Sculpture by BermudianArtist Graham Foster, CommemoratesThe Ex-Beatle’s 1980Summer Trip to Bermuda, WhichInspired the Songs ofHis Landmark ‘Double Fantasy’ Album
Thirty two years after John Lennon’s sailingtrip to Bermuda sparked the creative renaissance that inspired the final albumreleased in his lifetime; the island celebrates the late legend’s enduringspirit and vision with the “John Lennon Double Fantasy Bermuda Tribute,” anall-star charity concert named for that landmark recording.

The show, which takes place at the BermudaBotanical Gardens on Friday, September 21 at 8 p.m., will feature a wide arrayof performers, including Heather Nova, Maxi Priest, Biggie Irie, Judie Tzuke,Roy Young, Chewstick, Rachel Brown, Joy Barnum, Paul Muggleton, Bailey &Tallula Tzuke, Robert "Sai" Emery, Christina Frith, Jonathan Frith,Bailey Outerbridge, Steve Easton, Michael Cacy and others. Net proceeds fromthe concert will benefit Bermuda Charities
Since 1982, the world has celebrated September21 as the “International Day of Peace.”The event also marks the release of severalcommemorative multi-media items, including the star-studded Lennon BermudaCD and launch of a Lennon Bermuda book.
The double CD includes 32 Lennon andLennon-McCartney classics by many of the artists participating in the concert,in addition to Paul Carrack and Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono. The project, whichretails for $20.00 and will also be available on the Lennon Bermuda website (www.doublefantasybermuda.com), includes a bonusvideo of “All You Need Is Love.”
Visitors to the John Lennon Double FantasyBermuda Tribute are also invited to view the new Lennon sculpture (also called“Double Fantasy”) outside the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda in the BermudaBotanical Gardens. It was created by Bermudian artist Graham Foster, who isbest known for his huge mural “The Hall of History” inside the Commissioner'sHouse at the Bermuda National Museum in Dockyard. The two-story, 1000 squarefoot interior mural depicts five centuries of Bermudian history and tookapproximately 7000 hours (over 3 years) to complete. On November 25th 2009, HerMajesty The Queen, officially opened the Hall of History mural and on thisoccasion was presented with a painting by the artist.
The sculpture was unveiled in May as part of themuseum’s “Imagine The Art of John Lennon” art exhibit.  Foster’s iconicimage of Lennon also appears on the Double Fantasy Bermuda T-shirt, availablefor $20 at the event and in the shop section of the website. 
On August 22, PRS For Music, the collectingsociety representing 90,000 songwriters, composers and music composers, becamean official sponsor of the Bermuda tribute concert. PRS for Music has beenpresent in Bermuda for a number of years promoting the value of copyright andraising awareness about the importance of music licensing which ensures thatcreators of musical works can earn a living. A team from PRS for Music areworking with government departments, business leaders, music users,broadcasters and key stakeholders to discuss copyright issues, listen toconcerns and understand what work needs to be done to improve the awareness ofthe requirement for music licenses in Bermuda and to highlight the continuedimportance of the Bermudan music industry.
Karen Buse, Director of International from PRSfor Music, says, “We are delighted to be supporting such a fantastic event andtribute to one of the greatest musicians and British songwriters the world hasever known and enjoyed. We felt this was a great opportunity to be involved insomething special which brings local and international music talent togetherand puts live music in Bermuda on the world map.”
The Lennon-Bermuda story is a remarkable chapterin the singer’s final year. In June 1980, Lennon left Newport and became apassenger on the Megan Jayne for a five  day sailing voyage to Bermudathat would change his life. Prior to his adventure to Bermuda, fans the worldover had begun to worry about Lennon, as his drive for writing and creativitylacked vigor. The pressure to produce quality music, the pressure of his familyand troubles got the best of him and his creative energy for songwritingsuffered. Eventually the pressure and the reclusive lifestyle led to aself-imposed hiatus—a period he chronicled on Double Fantasy songs like“Watching the Wheels.”
During this time, Lennon started to furtherexplore his lifelong fascination with sailing. Lennon immersed himself in theculture of sailing, learning the ropes and even acquiring a small boat forhimself. After consulting with Takashi Yoshikawa, then the leading authority onKi, Lennon was told to sail to the southeast to overcome the negative shadowscasting over him.
After agonizing days at sea with twenty-footthrashing waves, forceful winds and ultimately facing the threat of life ordeath, Lennon arrived in Bermuda a different man from the one who left Newport.From seasickness to being the captain at one point and the uncertainty of life,Lennon later cited the journey to Bermuda as a life altering and inspirationalexperience that was a major part of the catalyst for the end of his five yearsong writing block.
Arriving to Bermuda felt like an accomplishment,and spotting land was like seeing the gates finally open before him and leavingthe journey behind them. The combination of the prospect of death with the sunand the sand inspired new music and lyrics that marked the revival of Lennon’screative spirit. Lennon spent the following weeks with passion and enthusiasmas he wrote his final songs. Double Fantasy, his first recording in fiveyears, was named after a flower he observed in Bermuda. He returned home notonly with new songs but with a new vision and enthusiasm for life itself.
John Lennon’s legacy has been honored numeroustimes by musicians throughout the world, but the Double Fantasy BermudaTribute—the concert, statue, book and CD--is the first official celebration ofhis intimate connection to the famous island.
For more information please visit the officialwebsite:  http://doublefantasybermuda.com

A Mexican Immigrant's Badge of Honor

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Great story at the New York Times at this link.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/14/a-mexican-immigrants-act-of-honor/

It is about a Mexican immigrant to the then Arizona territory who was a successful business person and was loyal to the United States of America even though the Confederate sympathizers confiscated all his property when he refused to pledge loyalty to the Confederacy.

I think it will be a great story for Cinco de Mayo.

See my earlier blog on Cinco de Mayo here:

http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2012/02/cinco-de-mayo-as-anti-confederate.html

Finished Reading Dr. Hayes-Bautista's "Cinco de Mayo"

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I just finished reading "El Cinco de Mayo: An American Tradition," by Dr. Hayes-Bautista of UCLA. It is a good read. It provides some background of the history of Latinos in California as context for the development of Cinco de Mayo as a holiday in California.

Cinco de Mayo was developed in California, though over time it has been picked up by other regions.

Its origins come from the Civil War where Latinos saw fighting the Confederacy and the French invaders of Mexico as part of one common struggle for democracy and against slavery, for the republican form of government and against aristocracy and oligarchy and racism.

In the original Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the 19th century pictures of Lincoln and Juarez were carried in processions. The American flag and Mexican flag were always paraded together as symbolic of the struggle for freedom in both countries.

Hayes-Bautista also explains how the meaning of Cinco de Mayo was lost as subsequent immigrant groups adopted it as a popular holiday but weren't connected to its past tradition in the past when there wasn't a developed body of Latino intellectuals as today.

The concluding paragraph of the book is very interesting as Hayes-Bautista speculates what a future Cinco de Mayo might be like. I quote as follows:

"It is interesting to speculate about what form future celebrations of the holiday might take, should its true origins and heritage become better understood. Naturally, the blatantly commercial aspects will not disappear; by now, virtually no American holiday has escaped some degree of commercialization. But future celebrations might also include California mission-era songs, dances, and costumes; uniformed Civil War reenactments featuring the Native California Cavalry and the unofficial Latino militias; images of Abraham Lincoln, Benito Juarez, and Ignacio Zaragoza; and of course liberal displays of American and Mexican flags side by side. Likewise, there might be uniformed reenactors of the French Intervention, including the Californios and Latino immigrants who traveled to fight for freedom and democracy in Mexico. In addition to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," one might hear Mexican soldiers' songs of the 1860s, such as "Adios, Mama Carlota" or "Batalla del Cinco de Mayo.' It might be fitting as well to remember the Latinos who, in the same spirit, fought for the United States in the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and subsequent conflicts. As in the nineteenth century, there might be speeches and pageants recalling these historical events, reminding listeners of the motivating values they share, showing the continuing relevance of those events to modern-day issues."

Such a Cinco de Mayo would have revolutionary impact in Texas. Also, would the Jefferson Davis highway be able to persist in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas with such a historical consciousness amongst the Latinos in those states?

Cinco de Mayo Civil War Exhibit Pictures

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When I was at the Cinco de Mayo celebration at the La Plaza de Arte y Cultura in Los Angeles I had the opportunity to see the exhibition which was being shown at the museum at that time about Cinco de Mayo and the Civil War. I took some pictures with my cell phone camera. This exhibit is running from April 15th to October 15th 2012. This is the link to the museum's online article with photos about the exhibit. http://lapca.org/content/cinco-de-mayo-latinos-california-respond-civil-war At the webpage there is a video where Dr. Bautista-Hayes explains the history of Cinco de Mayo. I am allowing the youtube window to be truncated so you can better view the display, but if you wish just open the video in a new window and full screen.




 The history of the Civil War was explained with maps with bilingual text. Unfortunately with the lighting and using a cell phone camera these pictures lack the sharpness you would want. For all the photos I recommend opening them up in a new window and enlarging them. There was a whole series of these maps explaining the history of the controversy over slavery in the United States.






The issue of slavery as being the central issue of the Civil War is also explained bilingually. Enlarge these photos to read some of the texts with the exhibition.



The two panels below are the following where the panel in English notes, "What California was conquered by a country that loudly proclaimed freedom for all but allowed slavery to exist, Latinos could not help but note the obvious discrepancy between word and action."



What was really interesting was these historical time lines with the Civil War and the French invasion of Mexico portrayed as interrelated parallel time lines, with the Union and the defenders of Mexico group together in opposition to the Confederacy and the French invaders.




  The exhibition noted the assassination of Lincoln.    Cinco de Mayo will be the first holiday in the United States with a distinctly anti-Confederate identity. I suppose the Sons of Confederate Veterans will recruit Latinos who will defend the Confederacy, H.K. Edgerton will have his Latino counterparts.  However, besides African Americans there will be another large ethnic group in the United States with a view point which will be entirely against the Lost Cause interpretation of the Civil War. It will be interesting how this will play out in the former states of the Confederacy, in particular Texas. In New Mexico, I wonder how long the Jefferson Davis Highway monuments will be permitted to be at the New Mexico state rest stops along Highway 10.     

Phil Vassar - "Don't Miss Your Life"

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Jared and I were watching the Country Music channel the other day and this song came on. It is so great. I said to Jared, "He is a great song writer." Well that is how he started. Enjoy this video and don't miss your life!
 
Phil Vassar  is an American country music artist. Vassar made his debut on the country music scene in the late 1990s, co-writing singles for several country artists, including Tim McGraw ("For a Little While", "My Next Thirty Years"), Jo Dee Messina ("Bye, Bye", "I'm Alright"), Collin Raye ("Little Red Rodeo"), and Alan Jackson ("Right on the Money"). In 1999, he was named by American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) as Country Songwriter of the Year. (Source)

Sunny Sweeney - From A Table Away

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Sunny Michaela Sweeney is an American country music artist. She is signed to the Republic Nashville label. Her debut album, Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame, was issued in 2007. Although it produced three singles in "If I Could", "Ten Years Pass" and "East Texas Pines", none of these singles have charted. In June 2010, the lead-off to her second studio album, "From a Table Away," became her first single to chart. (Source)
 I didn't know she was who sang this song. I decided to look her up today because her picture was on my cereal box.