Jane Mallory Birkin OBE who died yesterday was a British and French singer and actress. She attained international fame and notability for her decade-long musical and romantic partnership with Serge Gainsbourg. She also had a prolific career as an actress, mostly in French cinema. A native of London, Birkin began her career as an actress, […]
Harlem Nocturne
“Harlem Nocturne” is a jazz standard written by Earle Hagen (music) and Dick Rogers (lyrics) in 1939 for the Ray Noble orchestra, of which they were members. It was released by Noble and His Orchestra featuring Jack Dumont on Alto Sax. In its musical sojourn, “Harlem Nocturne” became one of those classic and timeless instrumentals […]
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot often referred to by her initials B.B., is a French animal rights activist and former actress, singer, and model. Famous for portraying sexually emancipated characters, often with hedonistic lifestyles, she was one of the best known sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s. She had acted in 47 films, performed in several musicals, […]
Charles Laughton
I few days ago I was re-watching one of my very favourite old movies ‘Hobson’s Choice’ starring Charles Laughton. Laughton originally a Yorshireman born in Scarborough made an impressive career in Hollywood in a number of well regarded movies such as Mutiny on the Bounty and Witness for the Prosecution. He was married to another […]
Caterina Valente
Caterina Valente is a born Italian, naturalized French multilingual singer, guitarist and dancer. She speaks six languages and sings in eleven. Her brother—Italian musician, singer and film actor Silvio Francesco – performed with her, sang many duets, danced, and played the clarinet in the shadow of his famous sister. While she is best known as […]
The 1960’s Dance Crazes 2
The Watusi is a solo dance that enjoyed brief popularity during the early 1960s. It was one of the most popular dance crazes of the 1960s in the United States. “Watusi” is a former name for the Tutsi people of Africa, whose traditions include spectacular dances. The naming of the American dance may have been […]
The 1960’s Dance Crazes
The Twist is a dance that was inspired by rock and roll music. From 1959 to the early sixties it became a worldwide dance craze, enjoying immense popularity while drawing controversies from critics who felt it was too provocative. Having seen teenagers in Tampa, Florida doing the dance, Hank Ballard wrote “The Twist”, which became […]
The Commitments
The Commitments is a 1991 musical comedy-drama film based on the 1987 eponymous novel by Roddy Doyle. It was directed by Alan Parker from a screenplay written by Doyle, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. Set in the Northside of Dublin, the film tells the story of Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins), a young music fanatic […]
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock) was an American-born Swiss singer. Known as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before launching a successful career as a solo performer. Turner began her career with Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm in 1957. […]
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals,keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, keyboards, vocals), and Russel Hobbs (drums). Their universe is presented in media such as music videos, interviews, comic strips and short cartoons. […]