On this day in 1904, eccentric saloon-keeper, Justice of the Peace in Val Verde County, Texas, “The Law West of the Pecos”, Judge Roy Bean, died in Langtry, Texas at the approximate age of 78. Born Phantly Roy Bean, Jr. sometime in 1825 in Mason County, Kentucky. Bean named his saloon The Jersey Lilly in honor of Lillie Langtry, a British actress born on the island of Jersey. She was a renowned beauty and had a number of prominent lovers including the future king of England, Edward VII. Bean charged only $5 for a wedding, and ended all wedding ceremonies with “and may God have mercy on your souls.” A fictionalized biopic was made, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) starring Paul Newman. In Larry McMurtry’s novel Streets of Laredo (1993), a fictionalized version of Bean is killed by an outlaw.
The Final Footprint – Bean and his son Sam are interred at the Whitehead Museum in Del Rio, Texas. Bean’s grave is marked by a flat granite marker inscribed; JUSTICE OF THE PEACE / LAW WEST OF THE PECOS. Lillie Langtry recounted how she visited the area following the death of Bean in her autobiography, The Days I Knew (1925).
#RIP #OTD in 1936 stage actress, journalist for Le Figaro, leading French suffragette, newspaper owner Marguerite Durand died in Paris, aged 72. Batignolles Cemetery, Paris. The Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand was created from her collection of papers.
On this day in 1970 singer Tammi Terrell died from a brain tumor in Philadelphia at the age of 24. Born Thomasina Winifred Montgomery on April 29, 1945 in Philadelphia. Perhaps best known as a singer for Motown Records during the 1960s, most notably for a series of duets with Marvin Gaye. Terrell’s career began as a teenager, first recording for Scepter/Wand Records, before spending nearly two years as a member of James Brown‘s Revue, recording for Brown’s Try Me label. After a period attending college, Terrell recorded briefly for Checker Records, before signing with Motown in 1965. With Gaye, Terrell scored seven Top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and “You’re All I Need to Get By”. Terrell’s career was interrupted when she collapsed into Gaye’s arms as the two performed at a concert at Hampden–Sydney College on October 14, 1967, with Terrell later being diagnosed with a brain tumor.
The Final Footprint
Terrell’s funeral was held at the Janes Methodist Church in Philadelphia. At the funeral, Gaye delivered a final eulogy while “You’re All I Need to Get By” was playing. Terrell is interred in Mount Lawn Cemetery in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania.
On this day in 1975, blues guitarist, singer, songwriter T-Bone Walker died of bronchial pneumonia following a stroke in Los Angeles, at the age of 64. Born Aaron Thibeaux Walker on May 28, 1910 in Linden, Texas. He was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues and electric blues sound. Much of his output was recorded from 1946 to 1948 for Black & White Records, including his most famous song, “Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad)” (1947). Other notable songs he recorded during this period were “Bobby Sox Blues” (a number 3 R&B hit in 1947) and “West Side Baby” (number 8 on the R&B singles chart in 1948). He won a Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording in 1971 for Good Feelin’.
Walker at the American Folk Blues Festival in Hamburg, March 1972
The Final Footprint
Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. Other notable final footprints at Inglewood include; Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Grable, Etta James, Robert Kardashian, Gypsy Rose Lee, Billy Preston, Cesar Romero, Big Mama Thornton, and Syreeta Wright.
#RIP #OTD in 1998 photographer who specialized in expressive photos of ordinary people in everyday lives, Esther Bubley died from cancer in Manhattan aged 77
On this day in 2019, guitarist, The King of the Surf Guitar, Dick Dale died in Loma Linda, California at Loma Linda Hospital with his wife Lana by his side, at the age of 81. Born Richard Anthony Monsour on May 4, 1937 in Boston. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverberation. “The King of the Surf Guitar” was the title of his second studio album.
Dale worked closely with the manufacturer Fender to produce custom-made amplifiers including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier. He pushed the limits of electric amplification technology, helping to develop equipment that was capable of producing a louder guitar sound without sacrificing reliability.
Dale was married three times. First wife Jeannie in the 1970s was a Tahitian dancer in Hawaii and provided back up vocals for the 1975 release Spanish Eyes. Together they created a musical revue and toured at resorts in Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe. From the proceeds, they made successful investments in nightclubs and real estate allowing Dale to purchase his three-story 17 room dream mansion at ‘the Wedge’ located in Newport Beach at the tip of the Balboa Peninsula and mouth to Newport Harbor. Jeannie toured with Dale and his Deltones through the early 80’s up until their very public and bitter divorce in 1984 which depleted much of Dale’s accumulated wealth.
He met his second wife Jill, a veterinary assistant, at a Huntington Harbour, California party in 1986. They lived at Dale’s Sky Ranch in Twentynine Palms, California. Dale credits Jill for his transition from Surf Rock to a more raw and stripped down style that consisted of just him and two other musicians. Jill also provided back up vocals and drum tracks for Dale’s 1993 Tribal Thunder and 1996 Calling Up Spirits albums.
Dale married third wife Lana in 2011.
The Final Footprint
Dale’s final footprint is at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Other notable final footprints at Hollywood Forever include; Mel Blanc (yes, his epitaph is “That’s All Folks!”), Lana Clarkson, Iron Eyes Cody, Chris Cornell, Cecil B. DeMille, Victor Fleming, Judy Garland, Joan Hackett, John Huston, Hattie McDaniel’s cenotaph, Jayne Mansfield’s cenotaph, Tyrone Power, Dee Dee Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Virginia Rappe, Nelson Riddle, Mickey Rooney, Ann Sheridan, Bugsy Siegel, Rudolph Valentino, Fay Wray, and Anton Yelchin.
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