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Val Doonican
Michael Valentine Doonican (3 February 1927 – 1 July 2015) was an Irish singer of traditional pop, easy listening, and novelty songs, who was noted for his warm and relaxed style. A crooner, he found popular success, especially in the United Kingdom where he had five successive Top 10 albums in the 1960s as well as several hits on the UK Singles Chart, including " Walk Tall", " Elusive Butterfly" and "If the Whole World Stopped Lovin.'" ''The Val Doonican Show'', which featured his singing and a variety of guests, had a long and successful run on BBC Television from 1965 to 1986. Doonican won the Variety Club of Great Britain's BBC-TV Personality of the Year award three times. Early life and career Doonican was born on 3 February 1927 in Waterford, Ireland, the youngest of the eight children of Agnes (née Kavanagh) and John Doonican. He was from a musical family and played in his school band from the age of six. When his father died in 1941, the teenage Doonican ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Munster , subdivision_type2 = Region , subdivision_name2 = Southern , subdivision_type3 = County , subdivision_name3 = Waterford , established_title = Founded , established_date = 914 , leader_title = Local authority , leader_name = Waterford City and County Council , leader_title2 = Mayor of Waterford , leader_name2 = Damien Geoghegan , leader_title3 = Dáil constituency , leader_name3 = Waterford , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = 48.30 , elevation_foot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elusive Butterfly
"Elusive Butterfly" is a popular song written by Bob Lind, released as a single in December 1965, which reached number 5 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the adult contemporary chart in the spring of 1966. In Australia, Lind's "Elusive Butterfly" entered the charts on April 10, 1966, and spent three weeks at number 2 during July of that year. Original version Bob Lind wrote "Elusive Butterfly" around sunrise while pulling an all-nighter in 1964: at that time he was living in Denver, performing at local folk clubs. Lind credits the song's inspiration as the W. B. Yeats' poem "The Song of Wandering Aengus", stating: "I wanted to write something that ike Yeats' poemhad the sense we feel of being most alive when we're searching or looking or chasing after something. That expectation is more life affirming than getting the thing you're after." The song was originally five verses long and, with the instrumental passages Lind included, its performance time approximated ten minute ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rocking Chair
A rocking chair or rocker is a type of chair with two curved bands (also known as rockers) attached to the bottom of the legs, connecting the legs on each side to each other. The rockers contact the floor at only two points, giving the occupant the ability to rock back and forth by shifting their weight or pushing lightly with their feet. Rocking chairs are most commonly made of wood. Some rocking chairs can fold. Etymology The word rocking chair comes from the verb ''to rock''. The first known use of the term ''rocking chair'' was in 1766. Purpose Rocking chairs are often seen as evocative of parenting, as the gentle rocking motion soothes infants and sends them off to sleep. Many adults find rocking chairs soothing because of the gentle motion. Gentle rocking motion has been shown to provide faster onset of sleep than remaining stationary, mimicking the process of a parent rocking a child to sleep. Rocking chairs are also comfortable because, when a user sits in one withou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yvonne Littlewood
Yvonne Mary Pearl Littlewood MBE (born July 1927) is a former British television director and producer. Born in Maidstone, Kent, her career extended over three decades. As a child, she briefly moved to King's Lynn, Norfolk, before going to Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, where she was schooled. Her father was a bank accountant in the town, and both her parents were members of the Ross Operatic and Dramatic Society. She was sent for dancing lessons at May Hatton's Academy in Hereford, and took her exams at The Royal Academy. Career Littlewood began to work for the BBC in 1944 as a typist in Portland Place, rising to business secretary, and then took a pay cut to work as a production secretary for a producer around the age of 20 at Alexandra Palace, then the base of BBC Television, intending to become one herself. She was later the first female producer in BBC light entertainment, in 1963 she directed the Eurovision Song Contest, which was broadcast live from BBC Television ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Cotton
Sir William Frederick Cotton (23 April 1928 – 11 August 2008) was a British television producer and executive, and the son of dance band leader Billy Cotton. The TV and radio presenter Fearne Cotton is related to him, as he was her paternal grandfather's cousin. Early life Following a secondary education at the independent school Ardingly College, he joined BBC Television as an in-house producer of light entertainment programmes in 1956, working on various programmes such as his father's ''Billy Cotton Band Show'' and popular music programme ''Six-Five Special''. Professional career In 1970, Cotton was promoted to Head of Light Entertainment, following the death of Tom Sloan in May. In this position, Cotton was responsible for overseeing the production of a whole series of popular variety and light entertainment shows, including '' The Morecambe and Wise Show'' (1968–77), '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (1969–74), '' The Two Ronnies'' (1971–87), '' Bruce Forsyt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunday Night At The Palladium
''Tonight at the London Palladium'' is a British television variety show that is hosted from the London Palladium theatre in the West End. Originally produced by ATV for the ITV network from 1955 to 1969, it went by its original name ''Sunday Night at the London Palladium'' from 25 September 1955 until the name was changed to ''The London Palladium Show'' from 1966 to 2 February 1969. It underwent three revivals, first from 28 October 1973 to 28 October 1974 where it retained its ''Sunday Night at the London Palladium'' title, second in 2000 under the title ''Tonight at the London Palladium'', and third from 2014 until 2015 under the title ''Sunday Night at the Palladium'', dropping ''London''. From 2016, the show is called ''Tonight at the London Palladium'' and is presented by Bradley Walsh. A one-off ''Sunday Night at the London Palladium'' was screened to mark Bruce Forsyth's 70th birthday in February 1998. History The regular hosts of the show were Tommy Trinder (195 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Val Parnell
Valentine Charles Parnell (14 February 1892 – 22 September 1972) was a British television managing director and presenter, actor and theatrical impresario. A former staple of stage production, his career in television started with the launch of the ITV network in 1955. Life and career Parnell was born in London, the son of Fred Russell, a ventriloquist, and began his theatrical career at age 13 working as an office boy for a music-hall circuit. In 1945, after George Black's death he took over as managing director of the Moss Empires music hall and variety circuit, in charge of some of London's most well-known theatres, including the London Palladium, The Victoria Palace and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He adopted a controversial, but very successful, policy of presenting high-priced, big-name American acts at the top of the bill. Among many, the list included Carmen Miranda, Judy Garland, Sophie Tucker, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, the Andrews Sisters ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eve Taylor
Eve Taylor (born Evelyn Henshall, 28 February 1915 – 31 August 1983) was a British talent manager, notable as one of the early female music managers. She managed singers Adam Faith, Sandie Shaw and Val Doonican, and composer John Barry, among others. Early life She was born in London in 1915. Her father, William Henshall, was a well-known show business impresario, and her mother, born Evelyn Taylor, was a music hall artiste. During the 1930s, Eve Henshall worked as a foil to comedian Sid Field, credited as " Sue Brett", before becoming part of a comedy and tap-dancing act. Career She married in 1941, but after the deaths of both her mother and her first husband in the early 1950s, she adopted her mother's maiden name, Eve Taylor, and moved into show business management. Together with agent Maurice Press, whom she married in 1958, they set up the talent agency Starcast Ltd. in London. Among their early clients were novelty whistler Des Lane, comedians Mike and Ber ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Variety Bandbox
''Variety Bandbox'' is a BBC Radio variety show transmitted initially in the BBC General Forces Programme, General Forces Programme and then the BBC Light Programme, Light Programme. Featuring a mixture of comic performances and music, the show helped to launch the careers of a number of leading British performers. Presented by Philip Slessor, it became a feature of Sunday evenings for more than eight years between February 1944 and September 1952. Hosting duties would later be taken over by Derek Roy (comedian), Derek Roy. Amongst those who launched their careers on the show was Frankie Howerd, who first appeared on ''Variety Bandbox'' in 1947 following a provincial tour. Howerd was to become a fixture of the show and honed his catch phrase-driven comedic style in these appearances. Tony Hancock also featured on the show early in his career. March 1950 saw the debut of a fortnightly series within the show called ''Blessem Hall'' which featured several characters voiced by a youn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anthony Newley
Anthony Newley (24 September 1931 – 14 April 1999) was an English actor, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest leading men", from 1959 to 1962 he scored a dozen entries on the UK Top 40 chart, including two number one hits. Newley won the 1963 Grammy Award for Song of the Year for "What Kind of Fool Am I", sung by Sammy Davis Jr., and wrote "Feeling Good", which became a signature hit for Nina Simone. His songs have been performed by a wide variety of artists including Fiona Apple, Tony Bennett, Barbara Streisand, Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey. With songwriting partner Leslie Bricusse, Newley won an Academy Award for the film score of ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' (1971), featuring "Pure Imagination", which has been covered by dozens of artists. He collaborated with John Barry on the title song for the James Bond film '' Goldfinger'' (19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps (United States Army), Signal Corps, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the second youngest branch of the United States Armed Forces and the fourth in order of precedence. The United States Air Force articulates its core missions as air supremacy, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance, global integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, airlift, rapid global mobility, Strategic bombing, global strike, and command and control. The United States Air Force is a military service branch organized within the United States Department of the Air Force, De ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Courtown
Courtown () is a village in County Wexford, Ireland. It was developed after Lord Courtown ordered the construction of a harbour during the Famine years, 1839–1846. The economic boost of the new harbour led to a small village developing with fishing being the primary economy of the village. Courtown is situated on the Irish Sea coast and with the recent development during the Celtic Tiger years, has merged into the adjoining village of Riverchapel. It lies on the R742 regional road. Development and amenities The name Courtown originally applied to a townland in North Wexford, 4 kilometres east of Gorey town. The townland was home to the seat of Lord Courtown during the 18th and 19th centuries. Courtown House was demolished in 1962. The remains of his private church and cemetery can still be seen in the townland. Today it is home to Courtown Golf Club and Kiltennel Church. In the late 20th and early 21st century, significant urbanisation has taken place, especially in R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
