On March 2nd, 1971, rapper, actor, comedian, TV personality, and member of The Wu-Tang Clan-Method Man (Clifford Smith) was born in Hempstead, Long Island, New York. Meth spent most of his childhood years between his mother’s place in the Park Hill Projects on Staten Island, and his father’s place on Long Island. He rhymed, hustled, and hung out with most of the Clan before they became a group in his early and mid teens (mid to late 80s). Once the Clan made their group official and dropped their first single Protect Ya Neck, Meth blessed the public with a solo cut on the b-side called Method Man.
From the beginning, Method Man was on just about every song. He was also one of the few Clan members to have his own solo cut on the collective LP. Meth became one of the most recognizable, and consistently present rappers of the group. This allowed him to record a solo LP Tical in 1994, and be featured on the albums of many prominent rappers: Notorious B.I.G. (The What), 2Pac (Got My Mind Made Up), Showbiz & A.G. (Got The Flava), and Redman (Do What You Feel). The latter rapper listed became on-screen movie & television partners with Meth from the late 1990s thru 2010. Red & Meth appeared in movies together, had a TV series, and still perform together. Method Man is 48 today.
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On March 2nd, 1942, jazz icon, electric guitar legend, hall of fame jazz swing-era musician, sideman, inspiration to Les Paul & Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian (Charles Henry Christian) passed away on Staten Island, New York. Christian was a native Texan/Oklahoma City raised artist most known for making the guitar-specifically the electric guitar (a staple instrument in jazz compositions). Raised by his blind father, he & his two brothers learned guitar early on from their ‘old-man.’ The brothers would go to well-to-do neighborhoods to perform on the streets as singers, guitarists, and dancers. It proved to be a lucrative hustle that raised cash quickly for the family.
Charlie started off as a dancer, but originally wanted to play the saxophone during his childhood. The only available instrument however, following his father’s death, were the guitar or trumpet. Since he didn't want to mess his grill up, he chose the guitar-and by the time he was 20, he had become well-known on the national music scene. Benny Goodman picked him up in 1939, and Christian solidified the guitar as an official jazz instrument by 1940. He was elected to The Metronome All-Stars in 1940, and reigned supreme on the swing jazz guitarists' polls. The posthumously inducted DownBeat Jazz (1966) and Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame (1990) guitarist was 25 when he died. Imagine what his musical legacy would’ve been had he lived 25 more years…
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On March 2nd, 1991, post-WWII pop culture icon, pianist, songwriter, bassist, painter, poet, guitarist, screenwriter, clavinet player, actor, accordion player, composer, director, bandleader, harmonica player, film score composer, and vocalist-Serge Gainsbourg (Lucien Ginsburg) passed away in Paris, France. Gainsbourg learned piano from his father Joseph, who was a classically trained musician, that played for cabarets and casinos in Russia. Gainsbourg was a Jewish immigrant (from Russia to France). While Germany occupied the country, he was forced to wear the yellow star. He escaped to a free zone in Europe until the war ended. Upon returning to France, he got a job teaching music and art in local schools outside Paris.
He changed his name, which he felt was too feminine, from Lucien to Serge. The last name came from a painter he admired, named Thomas Gainsborough. Serge started recording and playing with others in the early 1950s; and by the late 50s, he was composing, recording, and performing his own works. During the 1960s, and up to the 1980s, Serge scored over 40 movies-and heavily influenced the sound of music in Europe. His compositions have appeared in a number of films, TV shows, and videos that he did not score for directly. His overall ‘sound’ has been sampled and imitated by many. His graphic art is also tight, and very worthy of praise. Serge Gainsbourg was 62 years old when he passed away.
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HONORABLE MENTION:
On March 2nd, 2003, singer, dancer, songwriter, arranger, bandleader, and former James Brown affiliate-Hank Ballard (John Henry Kendricks) passed away in Los Angeles, California. Ballard is typically considered a pop and R&B singer, but he is most noted for penning the original version of the seminal Rock ‘n’ Roll hit-The Twist. The Twist was covered by Chubby Checker, while The Isley Brothers and Sam Cooke made spin off songs to answer it (Twist & Shout and Twistin’ The Night Away). When Ballard got with James though, he made one of the funkiest songs ever-From The Love Side. Hank Ballard was 75 at the time of his passing.
On March 2nd, 2003, singer, dancer, songwriter, arranger, bandleader, and former James Brown affiliate-Hank Ballard (John Henry Kendricks) passed away in Los Angeles, California. Ballard is typically considered a pop and R&B singer, but he is most noted for penning the original version of the seminal Rock ‘n’ Roll hit-The Twist. The Twist was covered by Chubby Checker, while The Isley Brothers and Sam Cooke made spin off songs to answer it (Twist & Shout and Twistin’ The Night Away). When Ballard got with James though, he made one of the funkiest songs ever-From The Love Side. Hank Ballard was 75 at the time of his passing.
On March 2nd, 1974, both Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight & The Pips cleaned up at The Grammys. Stevie became a formidable threat in the 70s, when it came to The Grammys (based on sales and radio play). The only year he didn’t win a Grammy was in 1976, when he didn’t release an LP. In ’74, he won four: Best Pop Vocal (You Are The Sunshine Of My Life), Best R&B Song (Superstition), Best R&B vocal (Superstition) and Best LP-Innervisions. Gladys & The Pips won two: Best Pop Performance By A Duo or Group for Neither One Of Us, and Best R&B Vocal by a Group for Midnight Train To Georgia.
Basketball and Soul music-specifically Funk, and later Hip Hop, are directly correlated with one another. They both shape one another from a cultural standpoint. Musicians reference ball players in their lyrics, and ball players typically coin themselves and their style of play with musical terms-and/or listen to the musicians that are referencing them before, during, and after games. With that being said, on March 2nd, 1962, Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain scored 100 points (the all-time record for points In a game). Since then, several lyrical references in all types of genres are sung in songs. The 7-footer was on The 76ers (then Philadelphia Warriors) when he dropped a bill on The Knicks. As of yet, no player has ever matched or surpassed that feat.
On March 2nd, 1955, one of the first Hard Rock songs ever recorded was taking place at Universal Studios in Chicago, Illinois. Infamous Bluesman Bo Diddley, who’s named after a single string African instrument called a Diddley Bo, recorded his classic self-titled tune Bo Diddley. It’s a fast upbeat number, with the lyrical delivery reminiscent of a nursery rhyme. The song took about three months to reach the top of the Billboard R&B Singles Chart (June, 1955); but it helped expand the possible rhythms and sounds that could be used to create Rock ‘n’ Roll.
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 myriad of information, covering several topics exists on this site going back to 2013 when it was created. PEACE