HOUSTON û Houston fiddle player Cliff Bruner, a pioneer in Western swing and one of the most influential musicians in the history of Texas country music, died Friday of cancer at his home. He was 85.
Mr. Bruner played fiddle for more than 70 years. He was the fiddler for Milton Brown's Musical Brownies, the first true Western swing band, which predated even Bob Wills' Texas Playboys.
Steel guitar and fiddle player Bill Dessens described Mr. Bruner as "legendary."
"When he was about 12 years old, he decided he didn't want to pick cotton anymore. So he bought himself a fiddle," Mr. Dessens said.
"He was biggest influence. He was such an influence on every fiddle player in the country."
Mr. Gimble has played fiddle for Willie Nelson and many others. He attested to Mr. Bruner's importance. "Cliff is the guy who pioneered Texas swing fiddle," he said. "He gave me goose bumps." Mr. Bruner liked to say he didn't learn his style from anyone.
"I just like to improvise," he said, "take a tune and put a little something extra in it instead of playing it note for note."
Born in Texas City, Mr. Bruner grew up in the woods near Tomball. As a teenager he traveled around the country trying to start a band. He was asked to join the Musical Brownies in 1935, at age 20.
Two years later, in Houston, Mr. Bruner formed the Texas Wanderers.
The group also featured steel guitarist Bob Dunn, mandolin player Leo Raley, guitarist and singer Dickie McBride, pianist and singer Moon Mullican and bass player Hezzy Bryant.
The Wanderers became a top-performing attraction here. They later shifted to Beaumont, playing live three times daily on radio.
The Wanderers scored a national hit with Floyd Tillman's "It Makes No Difference Now."
Several years ago their material from 1937 to 1950 was collected for a five-CD set, Cliff Bruner and his Texas Wanderers, which is available still.
Mr. Bruner could not pursue stardom because of the illness of his first wife, Ruth. He went into the insurance business, and the two were in Amarillo when she died at 34.
He returned to Houston and remarried, to a woman also named Ruth. He worked in business while playing music on the side.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at Canon Funeral Home in Waller. Burial will be at Decker Prairie Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.
Mr. Bruner is survived by his wife, Ruth; six daughters, Norma Sue Wiley, Carol Lynn Woods, Madelyn Gresham, Peggy Gordan Rutledge, Arlene Brewer and Paula Boney Morris; 17 grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren.
- -----
Oscar-Winning Rock Composer Jack Nitzsche Dies
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rock composer Jack Nitzsche, who worked with the Rolling Stones and Neil Young and won an Academy Award for co-writing the theme song to ``An Officer and a Gentleman'' has died, his publicist said Sunday.
Nitzsche died on Friday at Queen of Angels hospital in Hollywood following cardiac arrest brought on by a recurring bronchial infection. He was 63, according to a statement issued by Susan Clary, a publicist and friend of Nitzsche's.
Nitzsche's handiwork graces many of the biggest songs and albums of the rock era. He arranged many of the songs produced by Phil Spector, including the Crystals' ``She's a Rebel'' and Ike and Tina Turner's ``River Deep, Mountain High.''
With an ambitious young talent scout named Sonny Bono, who had given Nitzsche his first job in the music industry, he co-wrote the Searchers' 1964 hit song ``Needles and Pins.''
Nitzsche worked with the Rolling Stones during the 1960s, playing keyboards on such tracks as ``Let's Spend the Night Together,'' ``Play With Fire'' and ``Paint It, Black.''
He also worked as a session man and producer for Neil Young over several decades, beginning with the 1967 Buffalo Springfield song ``Expecting to Fly.'' He was a member of the Stray Gators, the backing band on Young's biggest selling album, ``Harvest.''
His film music work included the 1970 Mick Jagger movie ''Performance,'' ``The Exorcist'' ``Starman,'' ``One Flew Over a Cuckoo's Nest,'' ``An Officer and a Gentleman,'' and the recent Sean Penn movies ``The Indian Runner'' and ``The Crossing Guard''
He received an Academy Award nomination in 1976 for his original score to ``Cuckoo's Nest.'' In 1983, he shared the best song Oscar with Buffy Sainte-Marie and Will Jennings for ``Up Where We Belong,'' the theme to ``An Officer and a Gentleman.'' His original score for ``Officer'' was also Oscar-nominated.
Nitzsche's career was frequently marked by bouts with drugs and scrapes with the law, and a statement said he once was featured on the reality TV show ``Cops.''
But his health was reportedly better than ever in recent years. In June, he visited Australia to take part in a film conference.
He is survived by son Jack Jr., born to his first wife Gracia Ann May. Nitzsche was also married to Sainte-Marie at one point. The funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles. Further details were not immediately available.
- -------
RICHFIELD, Minn. (AP) -- The creator of Lucky Charms cereal and his wife were killed in a traffic accident on their way to visit their comatose daughter, who died two days later.
John Holahan, 83, a former General Mills vice president, apparently ran a stop sign and steered into a truck's path on Wednesday, police said. His wife Rosalind, 84, died at the scene. He died four hours later.
Their daughter, Shannon Kilkenny, 51, lost her fight with liver cancer on Friday.
``That was pretty much my immediate family,'' John Holahan Jr. said Sunday. ``This is a terrible tragedy for all of us.''
The elder Holahans had been married for 60 years.
They might have taken some comfort in knowing they had died together, said the younger Holahan's wife, Midge Holahan. ``I think that they also would be very happy to know that they died before their daughter did,'' she said.
For years, John Holahan shared the story of Lucky Charms -- toasted oat cereal with marshmallow bits -- with students in his hometown of Annandale as a lesson in creativity and marketing.
He recalled stumbling upon orange marshmallow peanuts while brainstorming in 1963, cutting them up and then sprinkling them over Cheerios.
``I knew we had a winner,'' he said.
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Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 22:07:08 +0200
From: Moritz R <webmaster@derplan.com>
Subject: Re: (exotica) Caroline Now! on Marina
chuck wrote:
> Gotta say thanks to Moritz for posting the first Marina label post years ago.
...and for posting a review of this wonderful CD a few weeks ago, no? ;-)
Easy listening on the alm
Mo
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Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 13:53:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: chuck <chuckmk@yahoo.com>
Subject: (exotica) Jack Nitzsche Obit
I thrifted his One Flew Over a Cuckoo's Nest OST the other day.
Easy listening in the Big Easy
Chuck
- --- telstar <telstar@albedo.net> wrote:
> His film music work included the 1970 Mick Jagger movie
> ''Performance,'' ``The Exorcist'' ``Starman,'' ``One Flew Over a
Cuckoo's Nest,'' ``An Officer and a Gentleman,'' and the recent
Sean Penn movies ``The Indian Runner'' and ``The Crossing Guard''
He received an Academy Award nomination in 1976 for his original
Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere!
http://mail.yahoo.com/
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 23:27:49 +0200
From: Moritz R <webmaster@derplan.com>
Subject: (exotica) obit: Carl Barks
a bit off-list*... but...
is Carl Barks really famous outside Germany too? Or just so so or even
only known to a very few enthusiasts?
Mo
*although he drew some really nice tribal people and exotic scenery and
this garbage can cover that Donald turns into a tiki mask to frighten
his nephews.
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Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 17:56:56 -0400
From: nytab@pipeline.com
Subject: (exotica) [obit] Carl Barks
Carl Barks Dies at 99
by Mike Dean
posted August 25th, 2000
Carl Barks, creator of Uncle Scrooge and much of the Duckburg mythos familiar to readers of Disney-licensed comic books, died Aug. 25 at the age of 99.
Despite his advanced age and even after a diagnosis of leukemia last year, Barks remained vigorous and alert until a short time before his death. As reported in The Comics Journal #225, he chose to discontinue the medication used to treat his leukemia in May and fell into a rapid decline in recent weeks.
Though his work in Dell and Gold Key comics between 1943 and 1966 was uncredited, his style both as an artist and a storyteller was readily identifiable and a growing number of readers referred to him as The Good Duck Artist, until determined fans uncovered his identity in the 1970s. Barks, who, like Donald, tried his hand at a wide range of occupations from animation to cow-punching, did not begin working in comics until the age of 41. His work over the next three decades made such an impression on the Baby Boomers who devoured his rye observations of human nature in animal form that, regardless of superhero or videogame trends, his stories have never ceased to be lauded and reprinted.
A full obituary will appear in The Comics Journal #227, which will be a special issue devoted to Barks. Persons wishing to contribute letters or other material for the tribute should contact the Journal (tcjnews@tcj.com or 206-524-1967) before Sept. 4.
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Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 17:59:59 -0500
From: cheryl <cheryls@dsuper.net>
Subject: Re: (exotica) =?iso-8859-1?Q?Nestl=E9?= Aquarel commercial music question
Yes, Moritz, I remember - I think we also told you about the song when I
got the Simulataneous Ice Cream compilation several months later.
As for the lyrics, I can try to translate the french ones, which are
pretty clear, on the version I have, and let you know.
cheryl
Moritz R wrote:
>
> Thanks Cheryl and Martin for finally answering this question burning for a long time.
> So it's Danish. Don't you remember, Cheryl, this was the song we did the competition
> about in that Ata Tak Space Bob, when I was in Montreal. At that time you didn't know
> it's Danish. How come you know now?
>
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Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 01:28:27 +0200
From: Moritz R <webmaster@derplan.com>
Subject: Re: (exotica) =?iso-8859-1?Q?Nestl=E9?= Aquarel commercial music question
cheryl wrote:
> As for the lyrics, I can try to translate the french ones, which are
> pretty clear, on the version I have, and let you know.
Would be nice. All I think I can translate is "Timpetampetimpetum", it means
"timpetampetimpetum"... or so.
Mo
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Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 12:04:45 +1000
From: Philip Jackson <pdj@mpx.com.au>
Subject: Re: (exotica) Jack Nitzsche Obit
on 29/8/00 6:53 AM, chuck at chuckmk@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> I thrifted his One Flew Over a Cuckoo's Nest OST the other day.
>
Has a beautiful exoticish theme on this OST. Played on the musical saw and
glass harmonica I believe.
Philip
- --
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Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 20:52:57 -0700
From: Kevin Crossman <kevin@kevdo.com>
Subject: Re: (exotica) tiki drinks
nytab@pipeline.com wrote:
> Tiki Drinks
> by Adam Rocke, Shag (Illustrator)
> Light the torches and grab the tiny paper umbrellas - the handbook of delicious tiki beverages is here. In Tiki Drinks, former bartender Adam Rocke selects his favorite tropical libations. The effect of "tiki" or "boat" drinks, says the author, is to evoke the sensation of being marooned on a tropical island with a bevy of insignificant others eager to do your bidding. 50 of the best tropical drink recipes include pina coladas, daiquiris, tropical punches, margaritas, freezes, coolers, and other classics that will conjure island breezes and rolling waves. Lesser-known but equally transporting drinks include such creative variations as the Pirate's Cove, Buccaneer, Zombie, Frozen Mudslide, and Bahama Mama. In addition to serving up liquid exotica, Rocke offers tips on mixers, glasses, and serving techniques - all necessary accoutrements of the pro or amateur bartender who wants to keep the natives restless.
This one, on the other hand, looks a lot more promising. Shag's
