DJ and TV personality Pete Murray celebrates his 100th birthday today!
This made me wonder…is Vera Lynn the only charting act to have actually made it to the age of 100? I can’t think of anyone else. Even that grizzled old punk Charlie Harper is still “only” 81.
I read on Wikipedia that Pete’s voice is on a Barclay James Harvest live LP, so this might be the closest we get for a while until Cliff gets there in 2040.
Dick Van Dyke will be 100 in December and charted on the Mary Poppins soundtrack.
Mel Brooks must also be knocking on the door. Had a bonafide hit
with It’s Good to be King and IIRC reached the US album chart
With his and Carl Reiner’s Million Year Old Man skits
“Peter Murray’s Ambrosia is exctly conj his natal Moon, rulerr of his 8th H of longevity.
Both sit in the constellation of Libra with fixed star Methusaleh. Methusaleha was the
oldest person iin the bible, as was this fixed star born during the “{big bang’ of the
universe.“
That explains it. Simples.
Willie Nelson is 92.
Bill Wyman will be 89 next month, so only 11 years to go…
A few centenarian musicians who are still alive, though outside of mike-h, duco01 and Mikethep, possibly unknown
Terry Gibbs, American jazz vibraphonist
Marshall Allen, American jazz saxophonist, member of the Sun Ra Arkestra
Ray Anthony, American bandleader and trumpeter
Marshall Allen’s solo debut coincided with his century, did it not?
Apparently so. Better known than I thought, then?
IIRC Terry Gibbs was one of those jazzers who tiptoed round the edge of the SoCal late 60s scene, the Fillmore and all that.
I saw the Sun Ra Arkestra a couple of years ago. I didn’t realise at the time how old he was, a mere 99. They were great!
I’m not sure if Captain Tom Moore counts, but his handlers did manage to squeeze a hit song out of him.
@Leffe-Gin
Plus a Cap’n Tom-branded Jim and leisure centre and many thousands of pounds in fees
Don’t get me started…
Tom branded Jim? What kind of perverted charidee racket was the old buffer into?
Dave Bartholomew, musical collaborator with Fats Domino, as celebrated in the History of Rock Music in 500 songs podcast, reached the century before pegging out.
Glynis Johns performed on musical soundtrack albums from the 50s to the 2010s, including Mary Poppins – she also got into triple figures before taking the final curtain call.
Some other deceased centenarians of the ‘no, me neither’ school of singers who made it big in the USA:
Etta Moten Barnett, Jimmie Davis, Suzy Delair, Herb Jeffries, Jane Morgan, Bea Wain
I remember Jane Morgan, the ‘The Day That The Rains Came Down’ hitmaker.
It’s not a great record, but Jane Morgan’s “Romantica” was one of my Mum’s somewhat limited number of 7” singles, so is disproportionately imprinted on my brain…
Sir David Attenborough had an album out in 2018 called “My Field Recordings from Across the Planet”.
And Sir David is, of course, 99 years old. He’s hot on the heels of Marshall Allen!
Willie Nelson could make it – eight years to go.
And Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand) only has ten years to go…
When are all these folk going to get a proper job?
Their mums have probably stopped asking them…
Elliot Carter was still composing at the age of 103.
Shortly after which, he started decomposing.
Sophia Loren .is 91 today and sang on “Goodness Gracious Me” with Peter Sellers.
Top 5 single in 1960.
In the hard-livin’, hard-druggin’ world of jazz, Yusef Lateef and Dave Brubeck did well to reach the ages of 93 and 91 respectively.
And in the rough, tough world of Estonian chamber music, Arvo “the Weird Beard” Pärt celebrated his 90th birthday ten days ago. Hurrah!
I posted a photo from I Know Where I’m Going on my Facebook page and this made me remember that Petula Clark appeared in it. Checking up I see she will be 93 in November. According to her website she was planning a concert in London this year and has an autobiography due out next month. So she appears to be pretty active.