A Brief History Leon Russell was born on April 2, 1942 as Claude Russell Bridges.  He is but one of a number of rock and rollers to have changed their names!  This article celebrates thirteen great performances in rock and roll history by stars who changed their names! Digging Deeper 13. Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz) 12. Freddy Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) 11. Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian) 10. Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges) 9. Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey) 8. Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone) 7. Conway Twitty (born Harold Lloyd Jenkins) 6. Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier)…

A Brief History On April 2, 1992, John Gotti’s Teflon coating wore thin and numerous charges stuck, enough to convict him of murder and a host of other crimes! Digging Deeper Gotti was born in New York City growing up in the criminal underground there, eventually rising to become the boss of the Gambino crime family. Moving up the Mafia ladder, Gotti found himself in position to seize the top job by killing his boss, Paul Castellano.  More than just a power grab, Gotti had Castellano murdered partly in self defense, as he feared Castellano would have Gotti himself executed…

A Brief History Recent news programs were flush with news about the 2016 Presidential race, and Rafael Eduardo (“Ted”) Cruz was featured in a couple of these videos, much to his embarrassment. Digging Deeper Bad enough the National Enquirer ran a story about Cruz having 5 “secret mistresses,” something that is extremely difficult for Cruz to disprove other than to deny the story, but a video of Cruz at age 18 talking about his ultimate goal of “world domination” is impossible to deny. Video embarrassment for Cruz continued with a film clip showing the Senator attempting to give his young…

A Brief History In Italy, France, Belgium, and French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Canada, a 1st April tradition dating back to at least 1508 is often known as “April fish” (poissons d’avril in French or pesce d’aprile in Italian).  This tradition includes attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim’s back without being noticed.  Such fish feature prominently on many late 19th- to early 20th-century French April Fish Day postcards.  So, in honor of April Fish Day, we present a list of funny fish names! Digging Deeper Cichlisoma preposterosa- The Ridiculous Cichlid Pterophylum scarie- Also known as Melbie’s Angel…

A Brief History In a startling April Fools prank, the BBC program Panorama aired on April 1, 1957 and showed an astonished British audience farmers growing spaghetti on trees in Switzerland! Digging Deeper We all know people that just wait each year for April 1st to play their pranks on us, but a reputable and serious television show? Spaghetti was not in wide use in Britain in the 1950’s, so many British people were unaware of how spaghetti noodles are made, which of course is like all other noodles, with wheat flour, water and other ingredients. Seeing Swiss farmers seemingly…