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Showing posts from August, 2021

Post on the Summer Reading Wall -- Win Dairy Queen!

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We hope everyone had a great summer! Did you read? Let us know. Come down to the ARC to fill out your Summer Reading Card and post it on the wall -- Teak Godzilla or Team Kong. Then, we will randomly choose several cards in our Dairy Queen raffle!  Come down today!
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Charlie Watts, 1941 - 2021

By Bruce Janu -
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Charlie Watts was more than just the drummer for the Rolling Stones. He was a man of many genres. The Rolling Stones, of course, were rooted in Blues music. That was what brought Mick Jagger and Keith Richards together to form the band in the first place. Charlie Watts worked in advertising at the time and had a degree in artistic design.  And he loved Jazz music. Poiseon Bild & Text (press photo by a photographer of the consulting company Poiseon AG in St. Gallen, Switzerland)), CC BY 2.0  via Wikimedia Commons His addition to the Rolling Stones line-up was what gave the band their unique sound. Always on the back beat, Charlie Watts' drum kit was never extensive. Unlike other rock and roll drummers, Charlie kept his equipment simple. Yet nothing he did was simple. Charlie Watts was, arguably, the best drummer in rock and roll. Stones' guitarist Ron Wood said it best in 2003:  “Charlie’s the engine. And we don’t go anywhere without the engine.” He wasn't your typical r
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ARCLight Podcast: S1E01 "A Librarian's Confession"

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The new episode of the ARCLight Podcast is now available! In this season opener, Hersey's new librarian, Bruce Janu, recounts a time when he was a student at Hersey. In 1986, he took a book from the library and ended up keeping it for 35 years. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Check out the ARC display case. There you will find the infamous book that was missing for 35 years. Plus, you can read an article about the Jack the Ripper killings from an original September 1888 issue of The London Times .  This month, we are featuring books about Victorian London --- check them out in the ARC.
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Artist of the Month: Elvis Presley

By Bruce Janu -
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Elvis Presley, 1958 Uncredited, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Forty-four years ago, on August 16, 1977 Elvis Presley was found dead in his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis got his start in 1956 and became a sensation after appearing on several televisions shows, most notably The Milton Berle Show in April, The Steve Allen Show in July and The Ed Sullivan Show in October. Each time he appeared on TV, the ratings for the shows shot up. He was censored because many thought the way he danced was obscene.  He became known as "Elvis the Pelvis" and on subsequent shows, he was only filmed from the waste up. The police chief of San Diego announced that if Elvis ever performed in his city, he would have him arrested for disorderly conduct. Elvis in 1973 RCA Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Over the course of his career, Elvis moved from a teenage rock star to a movie star to a unique, Vegas-style performer, complete with elaborate sequined jumpsuit
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Summer Reading Book #6: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

By Bruce Janu -
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Alright. I've said this before. And I will say it again. This may be my favorite book so far this summer. (Sorry Pride ) To be honest, I haven’t read too many books like this---a book written in verse. And I loved how it looked on the page. I loved the cadence of it. It “sounded” good in my head, if that makes sense.  The Poet X is the story of Xiomara Batista, the daughter of Dominican immigrants. She lives in Harlem in a cramped apartment with her parents and twin brother, Xavier. She finds refuge in her poetry, and keeps her thoughts and poems secret in a journal.  Her poetry reveals a sensitivity and vulnerability that is absent from her tough exterior:  The other girls call me conceited. Ho. Thot. Fast.  When your body takes up more room than your voice  you are always the target of well-aimed rumors,  which is why I let my knuckles talk for me.  Which is why I learned to shrug when my name was replaced      by insults.  I’ve forced my skin to be as thick as I am. 
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Artists of the Month: Jerry Butler and Betty Everett

By Bruce Janu -
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My first exposure to Jerry "The Iceman" Butler came from a K-Tel commercial for an album called Superbad   in 1973 that I saw when I was a kid. I didn't know much about him at the time.  It wasn't until I was much older that I became a fan. Although Jerry Butler was born in Mississippi, he moved with his family to Chicago in 1941, and grew up in the  Cabrini Green housing projects. It was in church where he met Curtis Mayfield. Together, in 1958, they joined with three other singers to form "Jerry Butler and the Impressions." After leaving the group a couple of years later, Jerry Butler went solo and received the moniker "The Iceman" from a Philadelphia DJ, to highlight his cool, baritone voice. The name stuck. Betty Everett, too, was born in Mississippi. At the age of 18, she moved to Chicago in 1957 to pursue a music career. In 1964, she produced a hit single. You probably know it, because it has been covered by many people including Linda Ronsta
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"Race Music" and the Beginning of Rock and Roll

By Bruce Janu -
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Last month we highlighted Elvis Presley. He may have been the “King of Rock and Roll,” but in no way did he invent the music. In fact, he merely copied the music that had been invented and played in the Black community for years.   Not to diminish the importance of Elvis, though. He would eventually develop his own style. But more importantly, he introduced Rock and Roll to a whole new audience. Billboard , January 1, 1949 Public Domain Like Blues and Jazz before it, Rock and Roll music was developed by Black musicians in Black communities. But it was not known as Rock and Roll, however. It was, at the time, called “rhythm and blues,” or “R & B.” Which, according to Little Richard , stood for “real Black.” To White America, however, it was called “Race Music.” Major record labels refused to record it. White-owned establishments did not put the music in their juke boxes. White performers did not record the music, either. At least, not yet. This was a pattern that had played out i
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Summer Reading Book #6: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

By Bruce Janu -
Image
Alright. I've said this before. And I will say it again. This may be my favorite book so far this summer. (Sorry Pride ) To be honest, I haven’t read too many books like this---a book written in verse. And I loved how it looked on the page. I loved the cadence of it. It “sounded” good in my head, if that makes sense.  The Poet X is the story of Xiomara Batista, the daughter of Dominican immigrants. She lives in Harlem in a cramped apartment with her parents and twin brother, Xavier. She finds refuge in her poetry, and keeps her thoughts and poems secret in a journal.  Her poetry reveals a sensitivity and vulnerability that is absent from her tough exterior:  The other girls call me conceited. Ho. Thot. Fast.  When your body takes up more room than your voice  you are always the target of well-aimed rumors,  which is why I let my knuckles talk for me.  Which is why I learned to shrug when my name was replaced      by insults.  I’ve forced my skin to be as thick as I am. 
Read more