by Peter Cates Rosa Ponselle Barbara Maurel A 1919 Columbia ten inch acoustic 78 rpm shellac has a very lovely duet of sopranos Rosa Ponselle (1897-1981) and Barbara Maurel (1889-?) performing the very well-known funeral hymn Abide With Me, which was often sung as a special number on non-funeral church Sundays by my father and […]
by Peter Cates Frederic Chopin Polish-born Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) composed his incredibly beautiful two Piano Concertos when he was 20. The first one was my favorite of the two for decades while the second didn’t particularly thrill me until more recent years. As usual with my favorite pieces, I have collected duplicates of the two […]
by Peter Cates Harry S. Truman The 33rd President Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), upon being sworn in as FDR’s vice-president, was told by his mother, “Now you behave yourself.” Like every other president since George Washington, Truman was, warts and all, a character. A highly controversial 1974 book, Plain Speaking, by Merle Miller (1919-1986) has […]
by Peter Cates Tiny Bradshaw Singer Tiny Bradshaw (1907-1958) was an important figure in the development of what came to be known as rhythm and blues. A 1951 King label (4447) ten-inch 78 rpm record features him vibrantly vocalizing two blues selections – Brad’s Blues; and Two Dry Bones on the Pantry Shelf – with […]
by Peter Cates Charles Adams Prince From August 1915, a ten-inch acoustically recorded shellac (Columbia A1882) presents Prince’s Band under the direction of Charles Adams Prince (1868-1937), Columbia’s highly-accomplished musical jack of all trades and a relative of former Presidents John and John Quincy Adams. The two marches are Under a Peaceful Sky and R.B. […]
by Peter Cates Herbert C. Hoover The 31st president Herbert Clark Hoover (1874-1964) heavily criticized FDR’s New Deal policies and increasing big government spending; he stated the dollar decimal point was “wandering around among the regimented ciphers trying to find some of the old places it used to know. ” In response, FDR launched fishing […]
by Peter Cates George Raft Having for so long equated actor George Raft (1901-1980) with his role as the Saint Valentine’s Day killer/bootlegger Spats Columbo in the 1958 comedy Some Like It Hot, I found it interesting to see him in a good guy role in the 1952 film noir Loan Shark. He portrays a […]
by Peter Cates Calvin Coolidge The 30th President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) had the kind of wife in the former First Lady Grace Goodhue Coolidge (1879-1957) who was a rarity when it came to truly being on the same page as her husband. She catered to just about every whim in him possible, although Cal had […]
by Peter Cates Sarah Orne Jewett South Berwick native Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909) advised younger writers to “Write about what you know!” Aroostook County native Helen Hamlin (1917-2004) once commented on the fascination of one’s childhood for so many: “It is only natural that a person’s childhood environment should always remain the most glamorous and […]
by Peter Cates Warren G. Harding The 29th former President Warren Gamaliel Harding (1865-1923) was born November 2, 1865, in Blooming Grove, Ohio, the son and oldest of 8 children of George Tryon Harding (1843-1928) and his wife, the former Phoebe Dickerson (1843-1910). The father was basically a jack of all trades, including farmer, teacher, […]