Ike Turner and Dan Fogleberg Leave The Stage

[SouthwestRanger]

Ike Turner's memorial: moving, musical By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer
Fri Dec 21, 9:02 PM ET



GARDENA, Calif. - Ike Turner's funeral was part memorial service, part rock concert.



The nearly three-hour remembrance Friday at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena featured Turner's eight-piece band, the Kings of Rhythm, which performed rollicking renditions of some of the musician's greatest hits, including "Nutbush City Limits" and "Proud Mary." The songs brought the crowd of hundreds to its feet.

"Daddy wouldn't want any of us crying," said Turner's daughter, Mia Turner. "He would want us to throw a party."

Among those eulogizing Turner, who died Dec. 13 at age 76, were music producer Phil Spector and rock 'n' roll pioneer Little Richard, who described his friend as "one of the greatest musicians I have ever met in my life."

Richard said that Turner's breakthrough rock 'n' roll hit, "Rocket 88," "shook my soul."

"I took that same introduction and made `Good Golly, Miss Molly,'" he said. "I took that same thing and made a huge hit."

Turner was responsible for a string of hits throughout his career, including 1959's "A Fool in Love" and 1970's "Take You Higher," but his musical legacy was forever tarnished by his image as the drug-addicted, brutally abusive former husband of Tina Turner, who did not attend Friday's funeral. When Ike Turner died, a spokeswoman for Tina said she hadn't had contact with him in 35 years and would not comment.

Ike Turner knew that his personal problems threatened to overshadow his musical accomplishments, said Rob Johnson, producer of Turner's Grammy-winning 2001 album "Here and Now."

"He understood, as a very sensitive artist, the challenge that would be involved in stepping up and moving forward and reinitiating the contribution of his genius, of his music, and giving that gift that God gave him back to society," he said. "How much courage that took for him. It could have been real simple to sit under a rock and let life go by, but he didn't accept that."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071222/...ner_funeral_17

[SouthwestRanger]

Hits include "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne"



Entertainment NewsNEW YORK -- Dan Fogelberg, the singer and songwriter whose hits "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne" helped define the soft-rock era, died Sunday at his home in Maine after battling prostate cancer. He was 56.

His death was announced in a statement released by his family through the firm Scoop Marketing, and it was also posted on the singer's Web site.

"Dan left us this morning at 6:00 a.m. He fought a brave battle with cancer and died peacefully at home in Maine with his wife Jean at his side," it read. "His strength, dignity and grace in the face of the daunting challenges of this disease were an inspiration to all who knew him."
Fogelberg discovered he had advanced prostate cancer in 2004. In a statement then, he thanked fans for their support.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?se...ent&id=5840370


SR: Once again however the news media quickly turned its attention away from the passing of these two musical craftsmen to concentrate on the fact the Britney Spears kid sister managed to get a bun in the oven and pontificate over that [img]frown.gif[/img] [img]mad.gif[/img]