Feb 1, 2019
Topics: Muhammad Ali, Rick James, Max Robinson (TV). (Bonus
Artist: hidingtobefound)
1978
1. Snap Shots
2. General News
3. Jimmy Carter is President
4. February
5. The first computer bulletin
board system (CBBS) is created in Chicago. Bulletin board
systems were in many ways a precursor to the modern form of the
World Wide Web, social networks, and other aspects of the
Internet.
6. Serial killer Ted Bundy is
captured in Florida and The Hillside Strangler of Los Angeles,
(serial killing cousins) claims a 10th and final victim.
7. April
8. Women's Army Corps (WAC)
abolished (1943-1978); women integrated into regular Army.
9. September
10. The Camp David Accords were
signed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister
Menachem Begin . The Accords led directly to the Egypt–Israel Peace
Treaty a year later. Due to the agreement, Sadat and Begin received
the shared 1978 Nobel Peace Prize. In turn, these events led to
Sadat's assassination by members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad in
1981.
11. November
12. Mass murder/suicide of 909
Americans in Jonestown, Guyana under the direction of Jim
Jones.
13. December
14. Chicago serial killer John
Wayne Gacy, who is subsequently convicted of the murder of 33 young
men, is arrested.
15. Open Comments:
16. Economic Snapshots
17. Min. wage = $2.65hr (+.35) /
$106wk / $5,512 yrly) - 2018 = $21,228yrly
18. Avg. Income per year -
$16,975
19. Avg. Cost of new house -
54,749
20. Avg. Rent - $260
21. Avg. Cost new car -
$5,405
22. Postage Stop - $0.15
23. Unemployment 6.4% vs Black
unemployment 14.5%
24. Open Comments:
25. Black Snapshots
26. February
27. Harriet Tubman is the first
African American Woman to be honored on a U.S. postage stamp.
28. Muhammad Ali loses title to
Leon Spinks
29. May
30. Ain't Misbehavin' (musical)
hits Broadway. Won 1978 Tony Award for Best Musical: Breakout Stars
was Nell Carter (sitcom Gimme a Break!) and Irene Cara (Flash
Dance: What a Feeling) and Charlayne Woodard (Janice on The Fresh
Prince of Bel Air)
31. June
32. The SCOTUS bars quota systems
in college admissions but affirms the constitutionality of programs
which give advantages to minorities.
33. July
34. ABC World News Tonight,
employing a unique three-anchor setup: Frank Reynolds serving
as lead anchor from Washington, Peter Jennings with international
news from London, and Max Robinson presenting national news from
Chicago. Robinson is noted as the first African-American broadcast
network news anchor in the United States
35. September
36. Ali defeats Spinks and
regained the WBA heavyweight title, becoming the first man to win
the World Heavyweight Championship three times.
37. Misc.:
38. Nikki Giovanni Poetry
Collections: Cotton Candy and Woman
39. Open Comments:
40. Music Snapshots
41. Record of the Year: Billy Joel
for "Just the Way You Are"
42. Album of the Year: Saturday
Night Fever Soundtrack, Various Artist
43. Song of the Year: Billy Joel
for "Just the Way You Are"
44. Best New Artist: A Taste of
Honey
45. Top Billboard Singles
1. Shadow Dancing", Andy
Gibb
2. "Night Fever", Bee Gees
3. "You Light Up My Life", Debby
Boone
46. Open Comments:
47. Movie Snapshots:
Highest-grossing films
1. Grease
2. Superman
3. National Lampoon's Animal
House
48. Open Comments:
49. TV Snapshots
1. Laverne & Shirley
2. Three's Company
3. Mork & Mindy
50. Debuts
51. September - WKRP in Cincinnati
(Featuring Tim Reid as Venus Flytrap): BEST THEME SONG
EVER!!!
52. November - Diff'rent Strokes:
The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis
Jackson, two Black boys from Harlem who are taken in by a rich
white Park Avenue businessman and widower named Phillip Drummond
(Conrad Bain) and his daughter Kimberly (Dana Plato), for whom
their deceased mother previously worked.
53. Open Comments:
54. Social Scene: Ali's Last Dance
(Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks I and II)
55. First Fight (February): THE
ONLY TIME ALI LOST HIS TITLE IN THE RING
56. Tom Gray (Ringtv.com) - "At 36
years of age, the great Muhammad Ali was on the physical descent.
The warning signs were clearly visible in prior defenses of his
heavyweight championship. Jimmy Young and Ken Norton could easily
have been given decisions against Ali in 1976. A European-level
fighter like Alfredo Evangelista could last the distance in May
1977. And power-puncher Earnie Shavers, despite falling short on
points, had inflicted 10 fights worth of damage on “The Greatest”
over 15 brain-shuddering rounds that September. Ali, who should
have been enjoying retirement, needed a very easy fight – enter
Leon Spinks. The St. Louis product was a decorated amateur star. He
had captured bronze at the World Championships in 1974, silver at
the Pan-Am Games in 1975 and gold, as a light heavyweight, at the
Montreal Olympics in 1976. Great stats, but, alarmingly, the
challenger was bringing a (6-0-1, 5 knockouts) professional record
into a heavyweight championship fight. The 24-year-old Spinks would
be the most inexperienced professional to vie for the title (in
21yrs, since "1957").
57. Spinks won a split
decision
58. The matchup would win Fight of
the Year, Round of the Year (for rnd 15), and Upset of the Year
awards.
59. Aftermath: Spinks signed for a
rematch with Ali at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans and was
stripped of his title for refusing to fight no. 1 contender Ken
Norton instead.
60. The Rematch
61. 70,000 people attended the
bout and paid a total of $6 million admission, making it the
largest live gate in boxing history at that time.
62. Ali beat Spinks in a unanimous
decision.
63. When Ali reclaimed the title,
he made history by becoming the first man to win the heavyweight
championship three times.
64. After the fight, Ali retired
from boxing in 1979 - for the first time.
65. Subsequently, Ali tried 2 more
comebacks: In 1980, against former heavyweight champion Larry
Holmes and in 1981 against Trevor Berbick
66. Both were loses, 1978 rematch
the last win of his boxing career.
67. Legacy
68. Pro Record: 61 fights / 56
wins / 5 losses [By the end of his career Ali had absorbed ~200,000
hits]
69. Time magazine named Ali one of
the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century / Sportsman of
the Century by Sports Illustrated / Named Sports Personality of the
Century in a BBC poll / The Presidential Citizens Medal by
President Bill Clinton / The Presidential Medal of Freedom from
President George W. Bush / Sports Illustrated renamed its Sportsman
Legacy Award to the Sports Illustrated's Muhammad Ali Legacy
Award. (honors former "sports figures who embody the ideals
of sportsmanship, leadership and philanthropy as vehicles for
changing the world.") / Ring Magazine, named him number 1 greatest
heavyweights from all eras / The Associated Press, No. 1
heavyweight of the 20th century / ESPN, the second greatest pound
for pound fighter in boxing history (#1 Sugar Ray Robinson) and the
second greatest heavyweights of all time, behind Joe
Louis
70. Personally: Ali and James
Brown are the only two men I think my father ever admired.
71. Open Comments:
72. Music Scene
73. Billboard Year-End Top 40
Black singles of 1978
74. #9 - "Boogie Oogie Oogie", A
Taste of Honey
75. #10 - "Three Times a Lady",
Commodores
76. #20 - "Dance, Dance, Dance",
Chic
77. #31 - "Jack And Jill",
Raydio
78. #34 - "Last Dance", Donna
Summer
79. #38 - "The Closer I Get to
You", Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
80. Number-One R&B singles of
1978
81. Jan - "Ffun", Con Funk
Shun
82. Jan - "Our Love", Natalie
Cole
83. Feb - "Theme Song from 'Which
Way Is Up'", Stargard
84. Feb - "Too Hot ta Trot", The
Commodores
85. Feb - "It's You That I Need",
Enchantment
86. Mar - "Flash Light”,
Parliament
87. Mar - "Bootzilla", Bootsy's
Rubber Band
88. Apr - "The Closer I Get to
You", Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
89. Apr - "Too Much, Too Little,
Too Late", Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
90. May - Take Me to the Next
Phase (Part 1)", The Isley Brothers
91. May - "Use ta Be My Girl", The
O'Jays
92. Jul - "Stuff Like That",
Quincy Jones
93. Jul - "Close the Door", Teddy
Pendergrass
94. Jul - "You and I", Rick
James
95. Aug - "Boogie Oogie Oogie", A
Taste Of Honey
96. Aug - "Three Times a Lady",
The Commodores
97. Aug - "Get Off", Foxy
98. Sep - "Holding On (When Love
Is Gone)", L.T.D.
99. Sep - "Got to Get You into My
Life", Earth, Wind & Fire
100. Sep - "One Nation Under a
Groove (Part 1)", Funkadelic
101. Nov - "I'm Every Woman",
Chaka Khan
102. Dec - "Le Freak", Chic
103. Vote:
104. Jan - All 'N All, Earth, Wind
and Fire
105. Feb - Saturday Night Fever
Soundtrack, Bee Gees
106. Mar - Bootsy? Player of the
Year, Bootsy's Rubber Band
107. Apr - Street Player, Rufus
featuring Chaka Khan
108. Apr - Weekend in L.A., George
Benson
109. May - Showdown, The Isley
Brothers
110. Jun - So Full Of Love, The
O'Jays
111. Jun - Natural High, The
Commodores
112. Aug - Life Is a Song Worth
Singing, Teddy Pendergrass
113. Sep - Blam!, The Brothers
Johnson
114. Oct - Is It Still Good to Ya,
Ashford & Simpson
115. Oct - One Nation Under a
Groove, Funkadelic
116. Nov - The Man, Barry
White
117. Dec - C'est Chic, Chic
118. Vote:
119. Key Artist
120. Who: James Ambrose Johnson
Jr., a.k.a. Rick James The Superfreak (@ 30 yrs old):
singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, hitmaker, performer,
producer, impresario, and pioneer in the fusion of funk groove and
rock. A flamboyant, provocative, charismatic, brilliant,
volatile, and outrageous bona fide superstar.
121. Why is he being featured:
Debut solo album, Come Get It!, with hit singles "You and I" &
"Mary Jane"
122. Short Story: Born and
raised in Buffalo, New York, he was one of eight children. His
father was abusive and abandoned the family when James was eight.
His mother was a former dancer who worked as a housekeeper, but
also was a numbers runner. Went to Catholic school and was an altar
boy, he also committed petty theft crimes, and spent some time in
juvenile detention centers. He also began doing drugs. While James
was always musically inclined, it was not until he performed in a
talent show in high school that he seriously considered a career in
music. He formed a group called the Duprees. At the same time, he
joined the Naval Reserve to avoid the draft. As he and his group
gained popularity he began to skip out on his naval duties. James
was soon drafted, but he fled to Canada. His uncle was Melvin
Franklin of the Temptations. Franklin helped his nephew get a
recording contract with Motown Records. This led to James striking
a deal with the government and serving some time in prison for
draft evasion. After his release, he began to record his first
album, which included the hits "You & I," and his ode to marijuana,
"Mary Jane." The album sold two million copies.
123. James's second album, Bustin'
Out of L Seven(1979), followed the previous album's success,
eventually selling a million copies.
124. His third album, Fire It Up
(1979) and the supporting tour led to James developing a bitter
rivalry with one of his opening acts, Prince. Rick accused Prince
of ripping off his act.
125. His fifth album, Street Songs
(1981), also proved to be a crossover success. With the Temptations
on background vocals, James released "Super Freak."
126. With the success of "Super
Freak," James began to produce for other artists. He formed an
all-girl band named the Mary Jane Girls. He also performed duets
with R&B singer Teena Marie and Smokey Robinson. He also
produced comedian Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time," which was a
hit in the mid-1980s.
127. James' on-stage persona was
one of wild debauchery. Dressed in sequins, tight leather,
high-heeled boots, and cornrows or a jheri curl, James oozed sex on
stage. Offstage, he smoked marijuana and snorted cocaine. According
to the Washington Post, he told the Detroit News in 2004, "The
biggest mistake I made is that I tried to become my alter ego. I
wanted to be Rick James, wild man, party machine, lady slayer, and
the cocaine told me I could. I forgot that I was James Johnson, a
nerdy kid who grew up reading Dante's Inferno on Saturday
nights."
128. James' spiral out of control
came to a head when he was charged with assault in 1991. He was
convicted in 1993 and served three years. He vowed to get clean and
live a more sedate life. Upon his release, he married and began
having serious health problems. James was found dead on
August 6, 2004; he was 56. His death was ruled accidental,
but nine drugs were found in his system. However, the official
cause of death was a heart attack.
129. Open Comments:
130. Movie Scene
131. The Wiz: A musical adventure
fantasy film based upon characters from “The Wizard of OZ”
featuring an all-black cast, the film was loosely adapted from the
1974 Broadway musical of the same name. It follows the adventures
of Dorothy, a shy, twenty-four-year-old Harlem schoolteacher who
finds herself magically transported to the urban fantasy Land of
Oz, which resembles a dream version of New York City. Befriended by
a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and a Cowardly Lion, she travels through the
city to seek an audience with the mysterious Wiz, who they say is
the only one powerful enough to send her home.
132. Various reviews: "...Diana
Ross, too old to play Dorothy." and ...portrayal of Dorothy was
"cold, neurotic and oddly unattractive" / "...cockamamy screenplay"
/ “the picture finished off Diana Ross's screen career" / "The Wiz
was too scary for children, and too silly for adults." / Ray
Bolger, who played the Scarecrow in the 1939 The Wizard of Oz film,
did not think highly of The Wiz, stating "The Wiz is overblown and
will never have the universal appeal that the classic MGM musical
has obtained."
133. Sean Munger - seanmunger.com
"...But, despite the fact that it was a bad movie–and it clearly
is–there’s a lot of very interesting stuff about The Wiz lurking
under the surface. You can make an argument that its failure ended
not one but two eras in cinema: the era of the glitzy big-budget
musical, and that of what is known, not entirely politically
correctly (these days), as the “Blacksploitation” boom. The Wiz
also began a professional association between two of its
participants that had an effect on popular culture of almost
inestimable magnitude: the musical pairing of Michael Jackson and
songwriter/producer Quincy Jones."
134. Open Comments:
135. TV Scene
136. Maxie Cleveland "Max"
Robinson, Jr. (@39yrs old): American broadcast journalist and
founder of the National Association of Black Journalists
137. Robinson’s first journalism
job began and ended in 1959, when he was hired to read news at a
Portsmouth, Va., television station. Although the station selected
him over an otherwise all-white group of applicants, it still
enforced a color barrier by projecting an image of the station’s
logo to conceal Robinson as he read the news. He was fired the day
after he presented the news without the logo obscuring his face. In
1965 he joined WTOP-TV in Washington, D.C., as a correspondent and
camera operator, but he moved quickly to nearby WRC-TV, where he
won awards for coverage of race riots and a documentary on life in
poor urban neighborhoods. He was hired back by WTOP as its first
African American news anchor in 1969 and stayed there until 1978.
Robinson moved to Chicago when ABC News chose him as one of three
co-anchors for ABC’s World News Tonight. The anchor arrangement
ended with the death of co-anchor Frank Reynolds in 1983. Robinson
left ABC News shortly thereafter and joined Chicago’s WMAQ-TV as a
news anchor (1984–87).
138. Clarence Page offered a final
tribute to his friend Max Robinson in Chicago: "Some journalists
are remembered for the stories they covered. Robinson will be
remembered for being the story. Like Jackie Robinson, who broke
baseball's color bar in 1947, Max Robinson won't be applauded for
his home runs, but for the fact that he ran the bases."
139. Open Comments:
140. Final Question: Biggest
legacy from 1978?