On this day in music, March 12, 1955, saxophonist Charlie Parker, considered the father of modern jazz, died at the age of 34 in New York City. Nicknamed “Bird,” Parker was born in Kansas City and, in the mid-1940s, became the main instigator of a revolutionary and highly influential new jazz style called bebop. In addition to penning a variety of jazz standards (including “Yardbird Suite,” “Confirmation,” and “Scrapple from the Apple”), Bird was revered for his innovative approach to phrasing and rhythm.
In 2013, Bob Dylan was voted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was the first rock star to be admitted as a member of the elite institution, joining the likes of writer Ezra Pound and jazz musician Duke Ellington. Unsure of whether to acknowledge him for his words or music, the academy elected to recognize him as an honorary member, as they did with earlier inductees Martin Scorsese and Meryl Streep.
In 1967, the Velvet Underground & Nico released their self-titled debut. Though now regarded as a landmark album that launched art-rock, it was initially ignored by the critics, shunned by radio stations, and sold poorly.
In 2022, Stereophonics scored their eighth UK No.1 with their 25th-anniversary album, Oochya!. The feat tied them with Oasis, R.E.M., and Taylor Swift for the most chart-topping albums on the chart.
In 1969, The Temptations became the first Motown act to win a Grammy Award with “Cloud Nine.” An early example of “psychedelic soul,” the song (which won for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance) peaked at No. 2 on the US charts and marked the debut of lead singer Dennis Edwards, who replaced David Ruffin.
In 1988, Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” began a two-week run at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The British singer’s debut single also topped the UK pop chart.
In 2001, Judy Garland’s “Over The Rainbow” was voted the Song Of The Century in a US-based poll.
BORN ON MARCH 12
1917: Leonard Chess (Co-founder of Chess Records)
1940: Al Jarreau
1946: Liza Minnelli
1948: James Taylor
1949: Bill Payne (Little Feat)
1969: Graham Coxon (Blur)
1979: Pete Doherty (The Libertines/Babyshambles)
The Grove City Area CARE “We Care About You” Health Expo will be held on March 19th from 9-to-11:30 a.m. in the Trinity Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall in Grove City. There will be a free continental breakfast, door prizes, and lots of vendors with health-related information.
Rosie Dilley says there will be over 30 vendors with a wide variety of information from health, to the Let’s Go Fishing program, and the Sheriff with information about scams affecting seniors.
Dilley says there is a great group of volunteers and donors who will help to make the Health Expo possible, and they get attendees from all over the area. She says if anyone has questions, they may call 857-2274.
Meeker County Commissioner Steve Schmitt says many of the vendors who will be at the health expo are organizations and businesses that Grove City Area CARE interacts with throughout the year. He says the CARE program is a great program for keeping seniors living safely in their own homes and cutting down on health and human service costs.
Schmitt says the Grove City Area CARE program is not just for residents of South Grove, but for seniors all around the community. He encourages people to attend the We Care About You senior health expo next Wednesday – March 19th – from 9-to-11:30 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Grove City.
Litchfield Community Education is getting ramped up for spring activities. Registration for summer programming is also just around the corner.
Litchfield Community Education Director Grant Solem says offerings for youth this spring will include track, flag football, mine craft, dance and softball. He says they are opening up registration for Dragons Kids Club for the summer at the end of this week.
Solem says there are some great trips planned for adults including “37 Postcards” on April 25th, a Green Lake boat cruise later in May, the Church Basement Ladies at the Plymouth Playhouse and then a couple of fall theater trips to the Twin Cities. He says tickets for “Annie Jr.” April 10th through the 13th are already on sale at Litchfield Community Education. For more details, call 693-2354.
Historical Events
1976 – South African troops leave Angola
1981 – Stephen Sondheim’s musical revue “Marry Me a Little” premieres in NYC
1985 – Larry Bird scores Boston Celtic record 60 points
1987 – David Robinson scores 50 points in a NCAA basketball game
1995 – 36th SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament: Kentucky beats Arkansas, 95-93 (OT)
2012 – “The Hunger Games” directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Jennifer Lawrence premieres in Los Angeles
Famous Birthdays
1647 – Victor-Maurice, comte de Broglie, French general (d. 1727)
1911 – Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, Mexican politician (President of Mexico 1964-70), born in San Andrés Chalchicomula, Mexico (d. 1979)
1922 – Jack Kerouac, American novelist and poet of the Beat Generation (On the Road, Mexico Blues), born in Lowell, Massachusetts (d. 1969)
1929 – Francisco Pulgar Vidal, Peruvian musicologist and composer, born in Huánuco, Peru (d. 2012)
1948 – Dana Walden, American RandB keyboardist (Champaign – “How ‘Bout Us”), born in Champaign, Illinois
1952 – Naomi Shihab Nye, Arab-American poet (Yellow Glove; Red Suitcase), novelist (Habibi), and songwriter, born in St. Louis, Missouri
Famous Deaths
1608 – Koriki Kiyonaga, Japanese warlord (b. 1530)
1721 – Jan Luyts, Dutch physicist and mathematician, dies at 65
1989 – Maurice Evans, British actor (Planet of the Apes; Bewitched), dies at 87
1992 – Barbara Morrison, British actress (Project Moonbase; From Here To Eternity), dies of heart failure at 84
1992 – Salvatore “Salvo” Lima, Italian politician (Mayor of Palermo, 1958-63 and 65-66; Member of European Parliament, 1979-92) assassinated by the Mafia at 64
1992 – Ida Oosterbaan, Dutch founder (Women Action Committee), dies
WASHINGTON, March 11, 2025 – Today, following the inaugural meeting of the Make America Healthy Again Commission, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced their continued work on the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Guidelines).
Originally reported by the USDA.
Originally reported by the USDA.