On May 15th, in 1998, we lost the original G.O.A.T. of playground basketball, Johnson C. Smith University (Char, NC) and Benjamin Franklin High School (NYC) basketball phenom, former NBA prospect, urban legend, one of the few athletes that turned down the Harlem Globetrotters, street baller, protégé of Holcombe Rucker (Rucker Park), founder of the Goat and Walk Away From Drugs Basketball Tournaments (Harlem, NYC)-Earl Manigault. The mystery that surrounds the origins of Manigault’s nickname goes back to the jazz, blues and urban youth ‘hip’ cultures and the colorful names musicians and colleagues would take on or were given. Manigault himself never claimed to be the G.O.A.T., and didn't validate that his nickname came from that in any of the interviews he’s done. Currently, people use the term 'G.O.A.T.' as an acronym to describe the greatest of all-time.
It really doesn’t matter if he knew the origin of his nickname or not. However, it's clearly evident that Manigault is majorly, if not entirely responsible for this acronym. He still holds the current scoring record for NYC junior high basketball for dropping 57 points in one game. He also did 36 reverse dunks in a row to win a $60 bet. It’s never been verified, but it’s said he could jump high enough to take quarters and dollar bills off the top of the backboard on a vertical jump (over 60 inches). It’s also been said that he could dunk the basketball, cacth it with the opposite hand, and then dunk it again, on a single jump (also unverifiable). He’s an urban legend that gave back to his community and tried to keep the youth from getting involved with drugs. He was 53 when he passed.
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On May 15th, in 2003, we lost a seminal country musician, second spouse of Johnny Cash, songwriter, harmonica player, actress, guitarist, singer, autoharpist, composer, pianist, comedian, banjo player, author, dancer, arranger, and former member of Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters-June Cash Carter (Valerie June Carter). She’s most known for her television and film performances with her then husband Johnny Cash. She’s a 5 time Grammy award winner that received accolades from CMT (Country Music Television), making their Top 40 list for the Greatest Women in Country Music (#31). She also was highly spiritual and became a member of the Christian Music Hall of Fame posthumously (2009).
She inspired generations of women that aspired to be musicians in all genres of music that came on the scene after her. Most people know that music is a largely male driven industry. June opened the doors in many sectors of the business that were largely closed to women before her. She was lighthearted and used her comedy in her home state of Virginia and neighboring states like Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware to ‘loosen up’ the crowd. She had a routine called-'Aunt Polly' where she depicted a relative that was very honest, slightly backward and extremely country. The audience loved it (pre-cursor to comedian Jeff Foxworthy’s-‘You Might Be A Redneck’ routine). She published two books as well: an autobiography (1979) and a memoir called-From the Heart (1988). She sang country, gospel and folk music. June was 73 when she passed (Music City, USA).
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On May 15th, in 2009, we lost a seminal athlete turned prolific jazz musician, bassist, 3 time college All-American power forward, composer, University of Oklahoma basketball standout, bandleader, former NBA player, member of the National Collegiate Hall of Fame (2009), Motown recording artists, the man that has the NCAA’s outstanding freshman award named after him-Wayman Tisdale. Tisdale is most known for his athletic skills while playing at the University of Oklahoma. Simply put, he dominated the paint on the boards, blocks, steals, scoring and intimidating opponents. He made the 1984 infamous USA Olympic basketball team that was coached by Bobby Knight (Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing were teammates).
He left college and played on 3 NBA teams. First the Pacers, followed by the Sacramento Kings (where he averaged 22 points per game) and the Phoenix Suns. While he was on the Kings with Mitch Richmond, he started making music as a hobby in the off season. He was heavily influenced by 70s funk and decided to play the bass. In 1994, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns and kept playing music. He got into jazz and put a band together. They started gigging locally. In 1995, he singed to Motown and released his debut LP-Power Forward. He retired from the NBA in 1997 to pursue music full-time. Tisdale released 8 LPs during his short career (1997-2009), one of which made #1 spot on the contemporary jazz Billboard-Face to Face (2001). In 202, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame-a year after Face to Face was released. He was 44 when he passed.
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HONORABLE MENTION: On May 15th, in 1948, producer, singer, saxophonist, songwriter, guitarist, sound designer, bassist, composer, keyboardist, arranger, pioneer of ambient and electronic music-Brian Eno (Brian Peter George Eno) was born in Melton, Suffolk, England. He’s most known for his work as solo artist, session musician and producer of for others. Some of the acts he’s worked with include: Peter Gabriel, Roxy Music, U2, Genesis, Devo, Brand X, David Bowie, Ultravox, John Cale, Talking Heads, Robert Fripp and Phil Collins. He also is the composer for Microsoft Windows. He’s 71 today.
On May 15th, in 1986, RUN DMC released their 3rd LP-Raising Hell. It was the first hip hop album to be certified Platinum on July 15th, 1986-2 months after it was released. Many people attribute the success of the LP to the fact that it contains the sing-Walk This Way which features Aerosmith. However, that's just one song on the album out of many. There are plenty of other truly hip hop cuts like: Son of Byford, Hit it Run, My Adidas, Peter Piper and Proud to Be Black. The LP won a Grammy and Soul Train Music Award in 1987. It was also inducted into the Library of Congress as being ‘culturally, historically or artistically significant’. Special note: the reissue has 5 bonus cuts that were not released on the original LP.
On May 15th, in 2002, a website went up called the Wu-Tang Names Generator. It essentially allowed users to put their own first and last names into the database, which then transform their name into a Wu-Tang Clan (tinged) name. Actor, comedian, activist, writer and musician-Donald Glover put his name into the system and it dubbed him: Childish Gambino. He decided to keep the name, and currently uses it as his musical moniker. You can try your own name on the system at: https://www.mess.be/inickgenwuname.php.
On May 15th, in 2015, we lost an innovative vocalist, sister of songwriter JJ Barnes, jazz singer, multi-label recording artist and opening act for numerous Motown acts during the 60s and 70s-Ortheia Barnes. She is one of the lesser known, but very prolific singers that had several releases on Detroit labels like: Mickay Records, Decca Records and Coral Records. However, she was never signed, nor did she ever release any music on the Motown imprint. Some of the acts she for were: Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Marvin Gaye. She continued to perform up to her death. She was 70 when she passed.
For more information on any musician or event reviewed in posts, or for additional information on The Wandering Eyes Blog overall, use the search bar and search the artist or event using keywords. It’s like a Google search for the site. A wide variety of information, covering several topics exists on this site going back to 2013 when it was created. PEACE