It's January the 17th and we are celebrating because, like most days, some things happened in the past that we should remember, if only for the laughs or the brief moments of pleasure we take in recalling these signal events. For instance:
1934: On the streets of downtown St. Paul, in broad daylight, banker Edward Bremer was kidnapped. He was stuffed in the back seat of a car, flanked by two burly hooligans. The kidnapping was successful in that the family of Mr. Bremer paid $200,000.00 to secure his freedom. A couple weeks later, Bremer was found wandering the streets of Rochester, Minnesota, a bit out of sorts but unharmed. He was able to provide enough information to the police that they fingered the Barker-Karpis Gang; an unholy alliance between Ma Barker, her sons, and one Alvin "Creepy" Karpis. In less than two years, police had captured or killed all of the alleged kidnappers. Bremer Banks prospered.
Fast forward 10 years. It's 1944. WWII is raging. In Paris, which would be liberated by the Allies that summer, Fancoise Hardy was born, She became one of the great French chanteuses. I am for some unknown reason fascinated by these breathy, slightly mysterious singers.
As a decided contrast to Ms. Hardy, we come to Steve Earle, born on this day in 1955. San Antonio, Texas, has produced many fine musicians and songwriters, Steve Earle is rugged and smooth at the same time. Like this:
Which brings us finally to 1980. Gareth McLearnan was born in Belfast. He's a flautist (pronounced "flootaste" in Ireland) and composer and conductor. Enjoy!
