Category Archives: biography

February 5, 2018

In praise of suckers and P. T. Barnum

Posted by rkcunningham
in backlist classics, biography | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on In praise of suckers and P. T. Barnum

We are now three years and one day removed from this unforgettable event: Diaper-Wearing Service Kangaroo Kicked Out of Wisconsin McDonald’s You know who else liked kangaroos? P.T. Barnum. You know who publishes his every-word-guaranteed-to-be-true* autobiography? The University of Illinois … Continue reading →

January 15, 2018

Happy Birthday Steven Soderbergh

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in biography, film | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Happy Birthday Steven Soderbergh

Born on January 14, 1963, in Atlanta, Steven Soderbergh found filmmaking in his teens. His Hollywood apprenticeship included work as a cue card holder and a director of concert films. In 1986, his film Sex, Lies, and Videotape helped launch the surge … Continue reading →

January 5, 2018

Curly Seckler RIP

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in biography, bluegrass, music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Curly Seckler RIP

During the holiday break, we received the sad news that bluegrass pioneer Curly Seckler had passed away at the age of 98. “The greatest tenor singer of all time,” said Marty Stuart, and indeed Seckler’s vocal and mandolin work with the … Continue reading →

December 11, 2017

Happy Birthday Frank Sinatra

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in biography, film, music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Happy Birthday Frank Sinatra

One hundred-and-one years ago, Francis Albert Sinatra entered the world in Hoboken, New Jersey. He proceeded to live one of the more completely lived lives this side of Casanova. Though foiled by television, Sinatra otherwise thrived across mass media, earning love … Continue reading →

August 23, 2017

Who Was Jesse W. Weik?

Posted by rkcunningham
in biography, Lincoln | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Who Was Jesse W. Weik?

Seven-year-old Jesse W. Weik was in the crowd when Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train passed through Indianapolis on its way to Springfield. Weik’s father, an immigrant baker and grocer, lifted his son to see the late president’s body. Years later, the … Continue reading →

August 16, 2017

The King and Us

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in american history, biography, music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The King and Us

This week marks the anniversary of the death (?) of Elvis Presley, a transformative cultural figure of the twentieth or any other century. If you have memories of that afternoon in 1977, you perhaps recall what you were doing when news of … Continue reading →

May 24, 2017

Backlist Bop: Soviet conspiracy unveiled!

Posted by rkcunningham
in american history, biography, radical studies | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Backlist Bop: Soviet conspiracy unveiled!

Comrades, The Press has asked me, The Bolshevik, to pause from my advice column to fill in with the popular Backlist Bop feature. And good timing it is, for today the roulette wheel of UIP books stops on Radical Studies. … Continue reading →

May 12, 2017

Hirum Cronk Remembered

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in american history, biography | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Hirum Cronk Remembered

He fought for his country at a time when Native Americans still played a major role in New York’s military conflicts. He died when film could be taken of his funeral. On May 13, 1905, the War of 1812 passed finally out of memory, … Continue reading →

April 29, 2017

200 Years of Illinois: The Artful Pose

Posted by rkcunningham
in art, biography, Getting to know Champaign-Urbana, Illinois / regional | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on 200 Years of Illinois: The Artful Pose

Today marks the birthday of famed sculptor Lorado Taft, born in 1860 in Elmwood, Illinois. A graduate of the Illinois Industrial University—forerunner of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign—Taft studied in France before returning to Chicago to make his reputation and … Continue reading →

April 4, 2017

Happy Birthday, Muddy Waters

Posted by rkcunningham
in Best of Illinois, biography, music | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Happy Birthday, Muddy Waters

Longing for that down home music? Looking for a shot of brilliance? Tryin’ to forget that you asked for water and your woman/man gave you gasoline? Then you must be celebrating the 100th birthday (or it might be the 102nd birthday) of McKinley Morganfield, … Continue reading →