The First Gold Record

On this date in 1941, Glenn Miller (1904-45) recorded "Chattanooga Choo Choo" for RCA. It became the first gold record. The song was written by lyricist Mack Gordon with music by Harry Warren. It was featured as an extended production number for the 20th Century Fox film Sun Valley Serenade (1941). History indicates Miller officially "disappeared" during a flight to France in 1944. He was declared dead nearly a year later.

Shrine of Democracy

The Lakota tribe's symbolism referred to the now famous granite rock formation as "Six Grandfathers," which symbolized deities personified in six directions: north, south, east, west, above (sky), and below (earth). The mountain never had an official name until after 1877. New York attorney Charles E. Rushmore visited the Black Hills to confirm the Harney Peak Tin Company's land claims. His South Dakota guide suggested it be named after Rushmore. The carving was the idea of Doane Robinson, a historian for the state of South Dakota. The concept and design evolved during the planning stages. Robinson originally wanted the sculpture to feature American West heroes, such as Lewis and Clark, their guide Sacagawea, Oglala Lakota chief Red Cloud, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Oglala Lakota chief Crazy Horse. Regardless of the subjects, controversy would have been inevitable as the land was never returned to the Sioux Nation. As so often happens throughout history, the "elite" in society institute their own ideals on how things should be run. 

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum designed the sculpture, referred to as the Shrine of Democracy, and oversaw the project's execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum. The impressive sculpture features the 60-foot-tall heads of four United States presidents chosen to represent the nation's birth, growth, development and preservation, respectively. The original design was to include some view of the torsos (see above model), but when funding ran out, the project ceased leaving only the faces. Mount Rushmore attracts over two million visitors annually.

Television Talkers

Chuck Woolery (1941-) is an American game and talk show host,  musician and actor. Though perhaps best known as the original host of Wheel of Fortune (1975-81) he hosted a number of game shows in his career. Woolery's longest-running stint was his eleven years with Love Connection, beginning in 1983.

The Ashland, Kentucky native served as a wine consultant in Columbus, Ohio, and as a sales representative for the Pillsbury Company in his early twenties. Around this time he was part of The Bordermen folk trio, singing and playing the double bass. He later was part of the duo called The Avant-Garde, garnering a Top 40 hit with "Naturally Stoned" in 1968, adding to a long list of one-hit wonder groups. By the late 1970s, his singing career took him into the country music world for Warner Bros. and Epic Records.

Beginning in 1972, Woolery often played himself during his television acting career. His latest role was in 2009 for the series Drop Dead Diva. He has become a spokesperson for senior interests, as well as promoting investments in the gold standard.

Life in Black and White

 

On this date in 1941, American photographer, Ansel Easton Adams (1902-1984),  photographed a moonrise over the town of Hernandez, New Mexico. It would become one of the most famous images of his 1940s period. The American landscape photographer and environmentalist is known for his black-and-white images of the American West. Adams had a life-long passion in photography since being gifted with his first camera at age 12 while visiting Yosemite National Park. He developed his early photographic work as a member of the Sierra Club and was equally famous for his rich Yosemite and Grand Teton photographs.

Six Grandfathers. Four Presidents.

 

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (Lakota translation: Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills in Keystone, South Dakota. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum created the sculpture's design and oversaw the project's execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum. South Dakota historian, Doane Robinson, is credited with conceiving the idea who wished to feature American West heroes. Borglum thought it should have broader appeal and chose 60-foot heads of four presidents to represent the nation's birth, growth, development and preservation, respectively. Each president was originally to be depicted from head to waist, but lack of funding forced construction to end on the last day of October 1941.

Jackie Ward, Anonymous Alto

 

In the early to mid-1960s, Jackie Ward (Jacqueline McDonnell, 1941-) was one of the singers on The Red Skelton Show, The Danny Kaye Show, The Carol Burnett Show, and later singing on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and The Partridge Family. Ward lent her voice to numerous television commercials and to someone else's hit records. All heard but not seen. A studio musician's life. But she had her own hit record, "Wonderful Summer," as Robin Ward (taking her daughter's name) in 1963. Her voice was sped up slightly, giving it a higher, teenage sound. Perhaps best known as one of two smooth altos (the other being B.J. Baker) with the Anita Kerr Singers quartet during their 5-year Los Angeles recording period (Anita Kerr, Gene Merlino, Ward, and Bob Tebow, above). During the 1960s, she provided the singing voice for a number of famous film actresses.