2011 Inductee – Charlie “Yardbird” Parker – Kansas City, MO – 1min30sec

2011 Inductee – Charlie “Yardbird” Parker – Kansas City, MO – 1min30sec – Childhood — Charlie Parker was born in Kansas City, Kansas and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, the only child of Charles and Addie Parker. Charles, an alcoholic, was often absent. Parker attended Lincoln High School. He enrolled in September 1934 and withdrew in December 1935 about the time he joined the local Musicians Union. Parker displayed no sign of musical talent as a child. His father presumably provided some musical influence; he was a pianist, dancer and singer on the TOBA circuit, although he later became a Pullman waiter or chef on the railways. His mother worked nights at the local Western Union. His biggest influence however was a young trombone player who taught him the basics of improvisation. Parker began playing the saxophone at age 11 and at age 14 joined his school’s band using a rented school instrument. One story holds that, without formal training, he was terrible, and thrown out of the band. Experiencing periodic setbacks of this sort, at one point he broke off from his constant practicing. Early career — It has been said that, in early 1936, Parker participated in a ‘cutting contest’ that included Jo Jones on drums, who tossed a cymbal at Parker’s feet in impatience with his playing. However, in the numerous interviews throughout his life, Jones made no mention of this incident. At this time Parker began to practice with great diligence and rigor, learning the blues, “Cherokee” and “rhythm changes” in all twelve keys. In this woodshedding period …

Are fans responsible for Jovan Belcher?

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I'm not going to focus on what happened in Kansas City beyond saying that if you cannot see this weekend's awful events fitting into a larger pattern of football-associated tragedies (Chris Henry and Junior Seau came to mind very quickly) then you are …
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Concussions a Real Risk: BU Researchers Reveal 28 Cases of Brain Damage …

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Kansas City Chief linebacker Jovan Belcher shot himself in front of his coach and general manager early Saturday, shortly after killing his girlfriend. Friends and teammates have claimed Belcher suffered from football-related head injuries, admitting …
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