This week we have on offer a musical mystery from the tune-trivia tyrant himself, Gavin Edwards. Delivered to Wombat HQ by electric unicycle and decoded only moments ago by the duty cryptographer, the maestro's challenge to you all reads as follows (once all the demonic cackling has been edited out):
What major musical figure was named after the 21st president of the United States, and born in the 20th State?
First correct answer posted to comments wins a rare Paul Wolfowitz bobble-head doll from Mr. Edwards' personal collection. He insists that there be no Googling, no Lexis-ing or Nexis-ry, no frantic emails to the librarians at Eastman, and get your hands off of that Who's Who. One single guess per comment, please; but you may comment as frequently as you like.
Posted by BT at November 14, 2003 10:03 AMChet Atkins?
A jazzy guess...but no.
Posted by: BT on November 14, 2003 10:38 AMArther Fiedler?
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 10:41 AMOr, better yet ArthUr Fiedler?
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 10:42 AMArthur Lee, or someone else by that name.
Posted by: deSelby on November 14, 2003 11:28 AMSting!
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 11:30 AMRat Scabies!
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 11:31 AMThe Bass Clef!
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 11:31 AM(Urg, sorry folks. Some sort of blood sugar thing. I'm on top of it, though. But because I'm actually listening to him now, and despite his not really being major, I'll guess. . .)
Chet Baker.
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 11:32 AMAl B. Sure!
Posted by: deSelby on November 14, 2003 11:35 AMHintsville...the musician in question became famous using a nom de tune that he maintained was a childhood nickname.
Posted by: BT on November 14, 2003 11:37 AMChesty Morgan
Posted by: teenidol on November 14, 2003 11:39 AMChester "Boy" George!
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 11:41 AMSnoop Doggy Dog's real name is Calvin something. Although the above guesses lead me to believe that cool Cal isn't the right president.
Posted by: terry on November 14, 2003 11:56 AMSpike Jones
Posted by: deSelby on November 14, 2003 11:57 AMI think this guy is actually from Ohio -- a co-worker was there recently. Very normal from the outside, garden gnomes a plenty, though apparently once you're inside, you get the leopard wallpaper and so forth . . .
Bootsy Collins!
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 11:58 AMChetland Pony.
(There at his house near Cincy, I mean.)
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 11:58 AMterry,
no, but cool Cal came from the same great state as our 21st.
Chesterfield Kings
I think the dee-ow-double-gee's born name is Calvin Broadus. An inspired, if off-center choice -- and in a couple of interesting ways not unconnected with the man we seek.
Posted by: BT on November 14, 2003 11:59 AMsorry - dee-OH-double-gee...
Posted by: BT on November 14, 2003 12:02 PMArt Blakely?
Posted by: bootsy on November 14, 2003 12:10 PMThough I have no idea what his connections to Snoop might be, though they would certainly be interesting, based on era and likely possession of a nickname, I will guess my homey Duke Ellington.
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 12:12 PMFollowing up on Duke E., it turns out he was, with considerable prescience, named after the senior Senator from Massachusetts.
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 12:14 PMDee Snyder.
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 12:15 PMHintsville, yet again: The 8th annual festival in his honor was held this August in his hometown of West Point.
Posted by: BT on November 14, 2003 12:18 PMCan't stop me now, unless you can:
Cab Calloway.
possibly spelled incorrectly due to the Gin and Juice.
Bix Beiderbecke
Posted by: deSelby on November 14, 2003 12:34 PMPink Floyd
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 01:11 PMChubby Checker?
Posted by: Garthmeister J. on November 14, 2003 01:22 PMHow about Dizzy Gillespie?
Posted by: Garthmeister J. on November 14, 2003 01:23 PMAnd while I have the floor I choose to nominate Miles Davis.
Posted by: Garthmeister J. on November 14, 2003 01:24 PMHell, I can keep doing this for a while... Buddy Holly.
Ooo wee ooo, I look just like Buddy Holly,
Oh oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore.
(Please note - I am not nominating Mary Tyler Moore, thus sticking to the one guess per post rule).
Posted by: Garthmeister J. on November 14, 2003 01:26 PMAnd since I mentioned Buddy Holly, I must mention the Big Bopper. Though I somehow doubt he had a musical festival in West Point in his honour.
Posted by: Garthmeister J. on November 14, 2003 01:27 PMFour Jacks and a Jill
Posted by: teenidol on November 14, 2003 01:27 PMArty Shaw
Posted by: teenidol on November 14, 2003 01:30 PMBuddy was born Charles Hardin Holley somewhere in Texas -- Lubbock? An odd tribute to old Chet Arthur, indeed. I think Miles was born Miles.
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 01:30 PMJuice Newton
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 01:46 PMArt Garfunkel -- named after the famous president, Mr. Garfunkel
Posted by: teenidol on November 14, 2003 01:53 PMA little more hinting: the figure we're looking for became famous -- almost overnight -- only in his forties, after he had relocated to a big city in which there is now a statue of the man, and the West Point of his origin is not the one where the kids dress in gray and say "huah!" He passed away in VA hospital in 1976.
Posted by: BT on November 14, 2003 02:19 PMTime to just start tossin' out blues guy nicknames:
Howlin' Wolf
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 02:26 PMMuddy Waters
"Blind Lemon" Jefferson
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 02:28 PMA toss does it -- Chester Arthur "Howlin' Wolf" Burnett (1910-1976), the favorite son of West Point, Mississippi, is the immortal whom we seek.
"Blind Lemon Jefferson" Airplane
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 02:29 PMHooray, I'm the top tosser!
Posted by: Scott on November 14, 2003 02:30 PMYou the POO, Scott.
Posted by: teenidol on November 14, 2003 02:55 PMYou suggest that Mr. Wolf and Mr. Dogg are related in more than one way--whatcha got beyond the canine connection?
Posted by: terry on November 18, 2003 06:25 PMI was thinking that they were (are) both bad-boyish, famed and influential African American popular music artists who also happen to share the initials CB -- Chester (Arthur) Burnett and Calvin Broadus.
Posted by: BT on November 19, 2003 09:03 AMStop talkin' 'bout me!
Posted by: Snoop Dogg on April 16, 2005 10:41 AM