This morning, the Sheriff came out and did the regular celebration of birthdays. I must, alas, address the other side of the ledger:
- The LA Times is reporting the passing of Suzanne Pleshette, the delightful comic actress who made her name as the deep-voiced wife of Bob Newhart on The Bob Newhart Show. She’ll always be remembered, though, for the last scene of Bob’s following series, Newhart, when it was revealed that that entire series was just a bad dream. Her death comes less than a year after the death of her third husband, Tom Poston, and two weeks before her 71st birthday, when she was to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- CNN is reporting the death of John Stewart, a very well known songwriter from the folk and rock era. Songs written by Stewart include “Daydream Believer” (made popular by Davy Jones of the Monkees), “Strange Rivers”, and “Runaway Train”. But for me, John is best known for his work with The Kingston Trio, one of the better known folk groups from the early 1960s (others include Peter Paul and Mary, The Brothers Four, The Chad Mitchell Trio, the Weavers, the Limeliters). Although not an original member (he joined the group in 1961, replacing Dave Guard), he was heard on a number of albums. According to the KT website, he recorded over 45 solo albums following his seven years in the Kingston Trio, and it is estimated that he wrote more than 600 unique and highly personal songs. I think I’ll need to look into some of his solo work.
