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Pierce Knox
Pierce Knox (June 1, 1921 - September 19, 1985) was a blind xylophone and marimba player who toured from coast to coast and in Canada during the 1940s and 1950s. He achieved fame by winning the $5,000 grand prize on the Horace Heidt Original Youth Opportunity television show by performing the "Second Hungarian Rhapsody" on the xylophone. Biography Born in Washington, Iowa, Pierce Knox lost his sight at the age of 4 after contracting spinal meningitis. Knox attended public schools in Iowa and for a time attended a state school for the blind where he learned to read Braille and to otherwise cope with his permanent blindness. He had a natural talent for music and experimented with the drums. When he was 12 his parents purchased a marimba for him and he was soon playing the instrument, a close cousin to the xylophone. The family relocated to California and Knox entered the public school system and graduated from high school. He became somewhat of a local celebrity playing at assemblie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xylophone
The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Each bar is an idiophone tuned to a pitch of a musical scale, whether pentatonic or heptatonic in the case of many African and Asian instruments, diatonic in many western children's instruments, or chromatic for orchestral use. The term ''xylophone'' may be used generally, to include all such instruments such as the marimba, balafon and even the semantron. However, in the orchestra, the term ''xylophone'' refers specifically to a chromatic instrument of somewhat higher pitch range and drier timbre than the marimba, and these two instruments should not be confused. A person who plays the xylophone is known as a ''xylophonist'' or simply a ''xylophone player''. The term is also popularly used to refer to similar instruments of the lithophone and metallophone types. For example, the Pixiphone and many similar toys described by the makers as xylophones have b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marimba
The marimba ( ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the marimba has a lower range. Typically, the bars of a marimba are arranged chromatically, like the keys of a piano. The marimba is a type of idiophone. Today, the marimba is used as a solo instrument, or in ensembles like orchestras, marching bands (typically as a part of the front ensemble), percussion ensembles, brass band, brass and concert bands, and other traditional ensembles. Etymology and terminology The term ''marimba'' refers to both the traditional version of this instrument and its modern form. Its first documented use in the English language dates back to 1704. The term is of Bantu languages, Bantu origin, deriving from the prefix meaning 'many' and meaning 'xylophone'. The term is akin to kongo languages, Kikongo and Swahili ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Horace Heidt
Horace Heidt (May 21, 1901 – December 1, 1986) was an American pianist, big band leader, and radio and television personality. His band, Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights, toured vaudeville and performed on radio and television during the 1930s and 1940s. Early years Born in Alameda, California, Heidt attended Culver Academies. At the University of California, Berkeley, he was a guard on the football team. A broken back suffered in a practice session caused him to give up football, leading him to turn his attention to music. He and some classmates formed a band, The Californians. Career From 1932 to 1953, he was one of the more popular radio bandleaders, heard on both NBC and CBS in a variety of different formats over the years. He began on the NBC Blue Network in 1932 with Shell Oil's ''Ship of Joy'' and ''Answers by the Dancers''. During the late 1930s on CBS he did ''Captain Dobbsie's Ship of Joy'' and ''Horace Heidt's Alemite Brigadiers'' before returning to NBC for 1937 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pierce Knox 1950
Pierce may refer to: Places Canada * Pierce Range, a mountain range on Vancouver Island, British Columbia United States * Pierce, Colorado * Pierce, Idaho * Pierce, Illinois * Pierce, Kentucky * Pierce, Nebraska * Pierce, Texas * Pierce, West Virginia * Pierce, Wisconsin * Mount Pierce (New Hampshire), a peak in the White Mountains * Pierce County (other), several places Organizations * Pierce Biotechnology, an American biotechnology company focused on protein biology * Pierce Manufacturing, an American manufacturer of fire trucks * Franklin Pierce Law Center, a law school in Concord, New Hampshire * Franklin Pierce University, a liberal arts college in Rindge, New Hampshire People * Pierce (given name) * Pierce (surname) Other uses * Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company * Pierce Washington, one of the main characters of ''Saints Row 2'' and '' Saints Row: The Third'' * Pierce oscillator, an electronic oscillator * Pierce's disease, a grape disease * Pierce Protein Ass ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Washington, Iowa
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Iowa, Washington County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,352 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Washington was founded in 1839 as the county seat of the newly established Washington County. In 1854 it became the home of a United Presbyterian College, which was dissolved in 1864. As of 2014, the town has celebrated its 175th anniversary, only 5 years behind the oldest city in Iowa, Dubuque, Iowa. In 2016, the Guinness World Book of Records certified the State Theatre (Washington, Iowa), State Theatre in Washington, Iowa, as the "world's oldest continually operating cinema theatre". Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Climate Demographics 2020 census As of the United States census, census of 2020, there were 7,352 pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ripley's Believe It Or Not
''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals with bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' feature proved popular and was later adapted into a wide variety of formats, including radio, television, comic books, a chain of museums, and a book-series. The Ripley collection includes 20,000 photographs, 30,000 artifacts and more than 100,000 cartoon panels. With 80-plus attractions, the Orlando, Florida-based Ripley Entertainment, Inc. (a division of the Jim Pattison Group) hosts more than 12 million guests annually. Ripley Entertainment's publishing and broadcast divisions oversee a number of projects, including the syndicated TV series, the newspaper cartoon panel, books, posters, and games. Syndicated feature panel Ripley called his cartoon feature (originally involving sports feats) ''Champs and Chumps'' when it premiered on D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1921 Births
Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish liner ''Santa Isabel'' breaks in two and sinks off Villa Garcia, Mexico, with the loss of 244 of the 300 people on board. * January 16 – The Marxist Left in Slovakia and the Transcarpathian Ukraine holds its founding congress in Ľubochňa. * January 17 – The first recorded public performance of the illusion of "sawing a woman in half" is given by English stage magician P. T. Selbit at the Finsbury Park Empire variety theatre in London. * January 20 – British K-class submarine HMS K5, HMS ''K5'' sinks in the English Channel; all 57 on board are lost. * January 21 – The full-length Silent film, silent comedy drama film ''The Kid (1921 film), The Kid'', written, produced, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin (in his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1985 Deaths
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a new agreement on fishing rights. * January 7 – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launches '' Sakigake'', Japan's first interplanetary spacecraft and the first deep space probe to be launched by any country other than the United States or the Soviet Union. * January 15 – Tancredo Neves is elected president of Brazil by the Congress, ending the 21-year military rule. * January 27 – The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is formed, in Tehran. * January 28 – The charity single record "We Are the World" is recorded by USA for Africa. February * February 4 – The border between Gibraltar and Spain reopens for the first time since Francisco Franco closed it in 1969. * February 5 – Australia cancels its involv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Blind Musicians
American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, people who self-identify their ancestry as "American" ** American English, the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States ** Native Americans in the United States, indigenous peoples of the United States * American, something of, from, or related to the Americas, also known as "America" ** Indigenous peoples of the Americas * American (word), for analysis and history of the meanings in various contexts Organizations * American Airlines, U.S.-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas * American Athletic Conference, an American college athletic conference * American Recordings (record label), a record label that was previously known as Def American * American University, in Washington, D.C. Sports teams S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blind Classical Musicians
Blind often refers to: * The state of blindness, being unable to see * A window blind, a covering for a window Blind may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Blind'' (1987 film), a documentary by Frederick Wiseman about the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind * ''Blind'' (2007 film), a Dutch drama by Tamar van den Dop * ''Blind'' (2011 film), a South Korean crime thriller * ''Blind'' (2014 film), a Norwegian drama * ''Blind'' (2016 film), an American drama * ''Blind'' (2019 film), an American horror film * ''Blind'' (2023 film), an Indian crime thriller, based on 2011 South Korean film of the same name * ''The Blind'' (film), a 2023 American biographical film about Phil Robertson, directed by Andrew Hyatt Music * Blind (band), Estonian rock group founded in 1994, originally Totally Blind Drunk Drivers * Blind (band), Australian Christian rock group founded in 1999 * Blind (rapper), Italian rapper Albums and EPs * ''Blind'' (Corrosion of Con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Marimbists
American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, people who self-identify their ancestry as "American" ** American English, the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States ** Native Americans in the United States, indigenous peoples of the United States * American, something of, from, or related to the Americas, also known as "America" ** Indigenous peoples of the Americas * American (word), for analysis and history of the meanings in various contexts Organizations * American Airlines, U.S.-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas * American Athletic Conference, an American college athletic conference * American Recordings (record label), a record label that was previously known as Def American * American University, in Washington, D.C. Sports teams S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
