mar's Desk

marcoujor: Musical Musings and an Announcement

4/27/2016

When the news came about that Prince had died last Thursday, I had a musical meltdown. The year 2016 has seen one iconic loss after another in the world of music. With each death comes an avalanche of memories that these legends joined from my early childhood until present day.

Whether country, funk, rap, rock, or soul, each of these artists left a mark - a legacy - and a boatload of musical treasures that will long live on.

I'm limiting myself to sharing one song from each of these nine masters (linked in their name) - the song that gets to me every time I hear it. What a difficult task, by the way... please take a moment and share your favorites with us in the comment section.

And if you listen very, very closely...you'll hear the heavenly band that has welcomed these shining stars with open arms:

❧Natalie Cole died on December 31st, 2015 and was 65-years-old.

❧David Bowie died on January 10th, 2016 and was 69-years-old.

❧Glenn Frey, the singer, guitarist and founding member of The Eagles, died on January 18th, 2016 and was 67-years-old.

❧Paul Kantner, founding member of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, died on January 28th, 2016 and was 74-years-old.

❧Maurice White, founder of Earth, Wind, and Fire, died on February 3rd, 2016 and was 74-years-old.

❧Malik Taylor, also known as Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest, died on March 23rd, 2016 and was 45-years-old.

❧Merle Haggard died on his 79th birthday on April 6th, 2016.

❧Prince Rogers Nelson, better known as Prince, died on April 21st, 2016 and was 57-years-old.

❧Billy Paul, hailing from Philadelphia, PA, died on April 24th, 2016 and was 81-years-old.

An Announcement

Click the pic to get it from amazon.com

I'm proud to announce that a Spanish version of Kylie's Blossoms was recently published and is available on Amazon.

The original version was published in the Fall, 2012 - dedicated to my great niece, Kylie Samantha, in memory of her great grandmother (and my mother), Miss Sammie.

The Spanish translation was undertaken due to the inspiration of Jamilyn Clark Larsen, a MSW student who has developed a bilingual children's book section in the Learning Center of her local homeless shelter for women and children in Rock Hill, South Carolina. For Jamie, this has become more than a MSW project for school - it is an awareness of how books and reading can help bilingual families in a variety of ways!

Thanks to Michael Friedman, who is responsible for Kylie and Teddy's original illustrations, the Mockingbird Books Publication of both versions. I appreciate his never ending supply of good-humored patience with me.

Thanks also to Paula Jamison-Michalek, who has shared her language expertise in this Spanish translation. Any errors which remain are my own.

I'm looking forward to working with my friend, Martie Coetser Pozyn of Martie's Foyer, over the next year in the translation of an Afrikaans edition of Kylie's Blossoms. I want young Kylie to travel the globe in sharing her universal life lessons.

As usual, I'll keep you all posted.