Marty Balin
Martyn Jerel Buchwald was born in Cincinnati Ohio. He is better known
as Marty Balin, who in 1965, met singer/guitarist Paul Kantner and together they
formed Jefferson Airplane, scoring a gold record with their 1966 debut LP
"Jefferson Airplane Takes Off." Marty Balin's writing included
"Today," "Share a Little Joke," and "Volunteers." Marty Balin also enjoyed
a successful solo career, scoring a Top Ten hit in 1981 with "Hearts." In
early 1975 he produced his most memorable effort with "Miracles." Balin
also contributed his vocals to the hits "With Your Love" and "Count on Me."
For more information visit:
www.jeffersonairplane.com
Marc Brown
What began as a simple family ritual of telling stories to his children, soon
grew into a full-time profession for best-selling children's author and
illustrator Marc Brown. Trained at the Cleveland Art Institute, he went on to
create more than one hundred picture books for children, including the Arthur
Adventure series. Arthur is now one of the top rated children's
television shows on PBS. Marc Brown lives in Hingham, Massachusetts and
Martha's Vineyard, with his wife, illustrator and author Laurie Krasny Brown,
and their daughter Eliza. Marc and Laurie are the creators of the
path-breaking nonfiction Dino Life Guides for Families series. For more
information, visit:
http://pbskids.org/arthur/
Phil Collins
One of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the 1980s, and
beyond, Collins' ascent to the top of the charts began with his first solo single,
"In the Air Tonight", which quickly rose to No. 2 in the U.K. and Top 20 charts
in the United States. Between 1984 and 1990, Collins released a string of 13
straight U.S. Top 10 hits. Phil Collins has collaborated with such well
known musicians as George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, Eric Clapton,
Mike Oldfield, Sting, John Cale, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel and Ravi Shankar. For more information, go to:
www.philcollins.co.uk
Norm Crosby
Norm Crosby appeared on
numerous TV variety shows in the 1960's including the Ed Sullivan Show, and
later in the 1970’s he hosted the television series, “The Comedy Shop.” He
is also well known for his TV commercials for Anheuser-Busch Natural Light Beer
in 1978. He applies a great deal of his time and effort supporting many
charities’. In 1979 he became the first national chairman for the Council
for Better Hearing and Speech. He is a tireless worker for the City of
Hope Hospital, in Duarte, California. Over the years, Norm has hosted and
played in numerous Celebrity Golf tournaments for the benefit of many worthwhile
charities and Institutions Norm Crosby serves as Jerry Lewis
Co-Host on Jerry's annual Labor Day Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy
Association. In recognition of his achievements both in Comedy and as a
humanitarian, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce installed the "Norm Crosby Star"
on Hollywood's Walk of Fame between two of his favorite performers, Jack Benny
and Red Skelton, on February 24th 1982. Read more about him at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Crosby.
Nelson DeMille
Mr. Demille has authored more than 12 bestselling novels, including "Up Country", "The
Lion's Game", "Plum Island", "The General's Daughter", "Gold Coast", and his
recent best seller "Night Fall" about the TWA Flight 800 crash off the coast of
Long Island, NY. A Long Island native who attended Hofstra
University and now lives in Garden City, Nelson DeMille often uses Long Island
as a setting in his novels. Don't miss Nelson DeMille's newest blockbuster
"The Gate House," a novel set on Long Island's plush Gold Coast (and,
naturally, the long-awaited sequel to his classic novel "The Gold Coast")! Please
find more information about this acclaimed author at:
http://www.nelsondemille.net/content/author.asp
Phyllis Diller
Comedienne Phyllis Ada Driver is also a theatre and movie actress, an
accomplished pianist, a gifted painter (her paintings have been on exhibit at
the Cincinnati Museum of Art), and a best-selling author. Her early TV
appearances were on Groucho Marx’s game show "You Bet Your Life" and "The Jack
Paar Show." Diller has also appeared as a piano soloist with 100
symphony orchestras across the country. In March, 1990, she was named
Celebrity Businesswoman of the Year by the National Association of Women
Business Owners. In 1992, Phyllis Diller received the American Comedy
Award for Lifetime Achievement. For more information read one of her best-selling books: "Phyllis Diller's Housekeeping Hints," "Phyllis Diller's
Marriage Manual," "The Complete Mother," and "The Joys Of Aging And How To Avoid
Them." She also has published an autobiography called "Like a
Lampshade in a Whorehouse, My Life in Comedy" written with Jeremy P. Tarcher.
Dion DiMucci
Dion DiMucci, better known as Dion, was born in the Bronx. He was a
singer and songwriter whose career began in popular music in the 50s with his
group known as Dion & the Belmonts. He went solo in the early 1960s and
continued to have hits with songs like "Runaround Sue", "The Wanderer" and "Ruby
Baby." His best-known song as a soloist, "Abraham, Martin & John," was a
response to the 1968 assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy. For
more information, go to:
www.diondimucci.com
Ed Lowe
Once a junior high school English teacher, Ed Lowe joined Long Island’s Newsday
as a reporter in 1969, and became a featured columnist in 1976. His column
now appears in the Long Island Press. He has co-authored two books with
New York psychotherapist Stanley Siegel ("The Patient Who Cured His Therapist"
and "Uncharted Lives,") and edited two published collections of his own work:
"Ed Lowe's Long Island," and "Not As I Do -- A Father's Report." Since
1992, Ed Lowe has appeared as a regular panelist on "Father Tom and Friends,” a
weekly cablevision show produced by Msgr. Tom Hartman of Long Island’s Telecare
channel. Ed Lowe has addressed business, trade, professional and religious
associations and has served as a Master of Ceremonies for many charity
gatherings and galas. Ed Lowe is the father of four and a grandfather of
two. He currently lives on Long Island’s south shore.
Patrick McDonnell
Early in his career, Patrick McDonnell illustrated the Russell Baker column
in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. His illustration work also appeared
in Parents Magazine (the monthly Bad Baby strip), Reader's Digest, Sports
Illustrated, Time and Forbes, among many others. In 1994 McDonnell created
the comic strip MUTTS which now appears in over 700 newspapers and 20 countries.
MUTTS has been described by Peanuts creator Charles Schulz as "one of the best
comic strips of all time." McDonnell has received numerous awards for this
strip, including the National Cartoonists Society's highest honor, The Reuben,
for Cartoonist of the Year; five Harvey Awards for Best Comic Strip; Germany's
Max and Moritz Award for Best International Comic Strip, and the Swedish Academy
of Comic Art's Adamson Statuette. McDonnell's first children's book, 'The
Gift of Nothing" which featured the MUTTS characters, quickly became a New York
Times bestseller. His fifth children's book, "South," will be released in
the Fall of 2008. Patrick serves on the national board of directors for
The Humane Society of the United States, and also serves on the board of
directors of the Charles M. Schulz Museum. For more information, visit:
www.muttscomics.com
Grace Slick
Grace Barnett Wing is better known as Grace Slick, the powerful-voiced female
singer of Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, rock bands with
which she performed in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. Grace Slick replaced
Jefferson Airplane singer Signe Anderson and joined the group in time for the
recording of its second album, Surrealistic Pillow. She brought with her
both "Somebody to Love" and her own composition, "White Rabbit.” Both
became Top Ten hits in 1967, as did the album, and Slick became the focal point
of Jefferson Airplane, participating in seven more albums by the group.
1974 saw the release of Slick's debut solo album. In 1975 came Red
Octopus, which topped the charts and sold two million copies. In 1989, she
joined a reunion of Jefferson Airplane that resulted in a tour and a self-titled
album. She retired from performing in the 1990s. In the years since
her retirement, Grace has turned to painting. Her works include portraits
of old friends such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jerry Garcia, and others.
Read Grace’s autobiography, “Somebody to Love?” published in 1998, or visit:
www.jeffersonairplane.com, or
www.jeffersonstarship.com
Noel Paul Stookey
Noel Paul Stookey will be forever famous as the "Paul" of Peter, Paul And Mary.
His tune, "The Wedding Song (There Is Love)", written for Peter Yarrow's
marriage to Marybeth McCarthy, the niece of senator and one-time presidential
candidate Eugene McCarthy, has become a nuptial classic. he trio of Peter,
Paul & Mary was the most popular singing group in the U.S. just before the
Beatles arrived, using their three-part harmony arrangements to introduce the
work of Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Gordon Lightfoot and John Denver. The trio
recorded eight million selling albums and their self-titled debut album, reached
the top of the charts and remained in the top twenty for two years. In
addition to his busy musical career, Stookey has continued to oversee a
multi-media organization that specializes in children's computer software,
television shows and music. For more info, please visit:
www.peterpaulandmary.com,
or
www.noelpaulstookey.com
Mort Walker
Beetle Bailey made his comic-strip debut as a college cutup in 1950 in a mere 50
newspapers. The feature was soon bought and syndicated by King Features
and is noted as the last strip personally approved by William Randolph Hearst.
With America's entry into the Korean conflict, cartoonist Mort Walker's star
character accidentally enlisted in the Army, and the rest is comic-strip
history. Beetle Bailey went on to become the third most widely distributed
comic strip of all time. His error proved a blessing in disguise, as
readers of more than 1,800 newspapers around the world can attest today.
In May 2000, Mort Walker was honored by the United States Army at the Pentagon
with The Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service, the highest award the
Secretary of the Army can bestow on a civilian. The Beetle Bailey cast of
characters have also been the inspiration for dozens of games, toys, puzzles,
patches, apparel and greeting cards. For more info, and to learn about
Mort’s many accomplishments, and awards, go to:
www.mortwalker.com
Eli Wallach
For more than fifty years Brooklyn native Eli Wallach has held a special place
in film and theater. Wallach has worked with such stars as
Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Marilyn Monroe, Gregory Peck, and Henry Fonda, and
his many movies include The Magnificent Seven, How the West Was Won, The Good,
the Bad and the Ugly, and, most recently, Mystic River. Wallach lives in
New York City with his wife, actress Anne Jackson, and he remains active in the
film industry but finds time to enjoy woodworking and collecting antiques. For
more information, read “The Good, The Bad, And Me” by Eli Wallach.
Peter Yarrow
Peter Yarrow is one-third of Peter, Paul & Mary which was the most popular
singing group in the U.S. just before Beatlemania. Their arrangements and
harmonies introduced the work of some of the 1960s' best songwriters. More
than 40 years later, they are still performing and recording regularly.
Their debut album, Peter, Paul & Mary in 1962 sold two million copies, with the
hit singles "Lemon Tree" and the Weavers song "If I Had a Hammer." Other
top singles included "Puff, The Magic Dragon," "Blowin' in the Wind," "Don't
Think Twice, It's All Right," "Stewball," "I Dig Rock and Roll Music," "Too Much
of Nothing," "Day Is Done," and "Leaving on a Jet Plane." By 1970, Peter,
Paul & Mary had earned eight gold and five platinum albums, along with numerous
Grammy nominations. For more info: go to
www.peterpaulandmary.com