A word about Paco De Lucia (1947-2014)

Many years ago, I heard a great song on the radio.  It was performed in a Spanish flamenco style.  The announcer said "Paco de Lucia" and I stopped by a local classical music store and got me a copy.  I became a big fan instantly.

Paco Lucia was born on this day in 1947.   We were very heartbroken to hear that Paco de Lucia died during a vacation in Mexico in 2014.

Everyone should listen to his version of "Concierto de Aranjuez".

 P.S.  Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

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We remember Carl Wilson (1946-98) & "God only knows"

We remember Carl Wilson, one of the Wilson brothers, who formed The Beach Boys.  Carl was born on this day in 1946 and died in 1998.

Carl was the lead vocalist in "God only knows", one of the greatest love songs ever.    

 P.S.  Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

December 21, 1945: General Patton killed in accident in Germany

Guest:   Barry Jacobsen, military historian and blogger.............we will continue our series of World War II episodes...

Today we will look back at the winter of 1942-43, Manstein's Miracle in Russia, and the Rise of Patton.............

Click to listen:

 P.S.  Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

We remember Josh Gibson (1911-47)

We remember Josh Gibson who was born in Georgia on this day in 1911.  Gibson died suddenly in 1947.     

He was one of the greatest Negro League players ever.  Some estimate that he hit as many 800 home runs.    

Gibson was inducted to The Hall of Fame in 1972.

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December 1970: Elvis met President Nixon

Who would have believed this?   On this day in 1970, Elvis Presley paid a visit to President Nixon in the White House.    

As we know now, Elvis was offering his status as a celebrity to help fight the war on drugs.

Nothing happened but there are some great pictures of the meeting.

 P.S.  Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

We remember Paul Casanova (1941-2017)

We learned in August 2017 about the death of Paul Casanova, who played for the Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers) and the Atlanta Braves.

Paulino Casanova Ortiz was born on this day in 1941, in Perico, Matanzas, Cuba.  He also played for Almendares in the Cuban winter league.

Casanova broke with Washington in 1965 and ended with Atlanta in 1974.

In 1966, he hit 13 HR and 5 triples in first full season!

In 1967, Casanova made the American League All Star team as a member of the aforementioned Senators.   It was his best year in the majors, as reported on SABR:

Casanova set career highs in games played (141), plate appearances (551), and RBIs (53) in 1967. One particularly memorable game started on the evening of June 12. In Washington, the Senators and the Chicago White Sox played a 22-inning marathon. Casanova caught the whole thing, receiving 268 pitches.

As he recalled in 2012, “The reason the game went so long was because of my defense” – he wiped out a number of runners. He went 1-for-9, missing a chance to end it in the 20th inning when he hit into a third-to-home-to-first double play with the bases loaded – but his one hit was the game-winner at 2:44 A.M.”

22 innings behind the plate plus the winning hit in the 22nd frame?   That’s really something!

I met him in the 1970's and he was a very nice friendly person.   We chatted politics, baseball, and music, his other great passion.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.