Tube City Almanac

December 26, 2006

In Passing

Category: default || By jt3y

Just a brief note this evening to acknowledge the passing within one day of each other of former President Gerald Ford and the Godfather of Soul, James Brown.

Believe it or not, they had a lot in common:

  • Ford became President in 1974; Brown took the song "Funky President" to No. 44 in 1974


  • Ford's wife opened a substance abuse clinic; Brown's wives helped him abuse substances


  • Ford was the only man ever to reach the No. 1 post in the United States without having run for national office; Brown was the only artist ever to place 46 different singles on the Billboard Hot 100 pop charts without hitting No. 1.


Of course, there is a big difference between the two --- Brown beat up several of his wives and girlfriends, was convicted on armed robbery and drug charges, and used to threaten people with a handgun, but even he wasn't crazy enough to pardon Richard Nixon.






Your Comments are Welcome!

A weird sidelight, if I may … One of America’s newspapers didn’t have the story of Ford’s passing … at all … in the edition sold this morning in the Norwin area … while the Greensburg edition of that other Pittsburgh-based newspaper had a pretty good front page spread about it. Even USA Today had a front-page item about Ford … However, Ford’s passing did make that other Pittsburgh paper’s Web site by noontime.
Does it matter? - December 27, 2006



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