Vince was awesome. that is sad news.

Inventor of Blue Screen process, Arthur Widmer, Passes
 

He changed the face of tv weather as we know it today.

Billy Preston Hits the Long and Winding Road
 

This is one that was near and dear to my heart. Billy Preston, legendary gospel rooted organist/keyboardist who rose to popular fame by doing session work with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and through his own hits "Outta Space" and "Will It Go Round in Circles", has died at the age of 59.

Billy will always be remembered by me for his enduring positivity, an uncanny ability to pour forth joy from his words and music. Billy Preston never played an insincere note, and he always had a big smile when he performed, as though he knew something wonderful deep down that the rest of us had overlooked.

I have a sort of up-close and personal Billy Preston story. In 1996, a group billing itself as the Northwest All Stars did a tour of small venues, and Mrs Elspode, my son and I went to see them. All Stars is a vast understatement...the group consisted of Mark Farner, Steve Cropper, Felix Cavalaire, David Santos, Wendy Moten, Lou Gramm, Liberty DeVito and...Billy Preston. Now, if you love music like I love music, being *anywhere* in the vicinity of this incredible assemblage of hitmaking talent is awe-inspiring enough, let alone standing five feet from them all...which is precisely where we were.

The closest performer to us was Mr. Billy Preston. Throughout the set, when he wasn't swinging joyously on the keys, Billy was leaning over, talking personably to the fans, signing autographs, and simply *exuding pure joy*. It was an awesome thing to be a part of. Never once did he display anything but pure pleasure at what he was doing and the people for whom he was doing it. That night, each performer did several of their hit songs, and believe me, there was a bunch. In fact, the people onstage either wrote, performed, arranged or otherwise accounted for over *200 Top Ten* songs. Simply amazing.

My son got a tiny piece of paper and handed it to Billy, and he spoke with him briefly, signed the miniscule shard, smiling all the while, handed it back to him, then ripped into a killer keyboard riff. It was a memory that my family and I will hold for many years to come.

Billy is gone, but his music and glowing spirit will remain forever. Billy...it does indeed go 'round in circles.

:bows head:

:bawling:

Again Well done Splode !!!
I heard about this on NPR today , they told about an interview he did in Rolling Stones a few years back , one statement really tells about this mans spirit , he said " My arms are open for a hug to ALL of my fans , rockers , gospel , country , black, white , EVERYBODY !! "

Bill Owen - Compo Simonite - "Last of the Summer Wine"
For some reason, his death hit me very hard.

CDB is great.

I think you are confusing this thread with the Zarquawi thread.

[/snicker]

I'm having a hard time working up much sorrow at Al-Z's passing. Sorry.

No, I meant Zip's spelling. "Splode" as in explode as in Al-Z versus Spode as in Elspode.

Has anyone mentioned Stevie Ray Vaughn? I never imagined I would see him in concert, but he performed at an out-of-the-way concert series one summer, and I did get to see him. A stroke of fate, I thought. Especially when he died 6 weeks later. What a phenomenal loss to the world of blues.

Billy Preston, the "fifth beatle", died on the sixth...

Oops. My bad. I really should read better...