goodfellowsmansfield.com

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Country music singer-songwriter icon and 1996 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Buck Owens has passed away at his Bakersfield, California residence. He was 76.

Family spokesman Jim Shaw made the announcement.

Considered by many the original rhinestone cowboy, Owens was responsible for over 20 number one hits including his first, “Act Naturally,” in 1963, “Together Again,” and “I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail”. Most of his biggest hits were released from the mid 1960’s to mid 1970’s. Among the numerous recording artists who recorded his songs were Emmylou Harris, the Beatles, who recorded “Act Naturally”, and Dwight Yoakam, who had a 1988 duet with Owens on “Streets of Bakersfield”. Many of these artists made hits for themselves as well with his songs. He was mentioned in cameo-passing during the Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Lookin’ Out My Backdoor”.

He transformed country music with his honky-tonk “Bakersfield Sound”, so named for the town of his residence 100 miles north of Los Angeles where he moved in 1951. With Roy Clark, he co-hosted the long-running popular television comedy country-themed musical variety show Hee-Haw from 1969-1986. Owens’s memorable red, white and blue guitar became his visual performance trademark.

Owens had throat cancer surgery in 1993 and was hospitalized with pneumonia in January 1997.

Born Alvis Edgar Owens on August 12, 1929 outside Sherman, Texas, he was the son of a sharecropper, and moved with his family to Arizona during the Great Depression at age 8, and by age 16 was playing music in taverns.

His first wife Bonnie sometimes performed with him, later becoming a lead back-up singer after their 1953 divorce. One of their two sons, Alvis Alan Owens, became a singer under the stage name Buddy Alan and had a 1968 top 10 hit “Let the World Keep on a -Turnin”, and sang many duets with his father.

His two other sons, Michael and John, survive him.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Fifteen people were killed and twelve were injured after an eight hour hotel fire in Tuguegarao City, Northern Philippines, however police and firefighters managed to save many guests. Reports suggest the deceased sought cover in bathrooms where they were burnt beyond recognition.

After entering the building firefighters were left in tears after finding the charred bodies of guests on the upper floors. “It’s so close to Christmas, we wept when we saw their bodies,” said fire investigator Daniel Abana. Nine of the deaths were confirmed to be nursing students from a nearby university. The students were in the city to take nursing exams. Nursing college instructor, Romeo Opido, told authorities that 36 nursing students from nearby provinces were at the hotel. Tuguegarao City counselor said, “It is very unfortunate that this happened just when they were about to take their exams.”

The other deaths were the hotel owner’s and their family, including three children. The cause of the fire is still undetermined although it is known that the fire started on the ground floor and was energized by car tires and other combustible materials. It is also believed that paint cans were still in the building following a recent make over.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

A Nigerian airplane crashed in the city of Port Harcourt yesterday, resulting in several minor injuries.

The plane was supposed to be taking part in a mock rescue exercise, and was carrying 30 members from the National Emergency Management Agency and other emergency workers, when it slid off the runway and into some bushes after landing at Port Harcourt International Airport.

The rescue workers on the ground, intended to participate in the emergency drill, instead had to deal with a real emergency; however, only a few people on board the aircraft sustained minor wounds.

A spokeswoman for the police, Rita Inoma-Abbey, commented today that “[n]o life was lost, but the aircraft was severely damaged.”