Crooner who lived for love
QUESTION When she was growing up, my Argentinian mother was a great fan of a Hispanic singer with a very Anglo-Saxon name, Andy Russell. What was his story? Andy RUSSELL was the original crossover star, specialising in Big Band and Latin singing. Born in Los Angeles to Mexican immigrant parents, at 13 Andres Rabajos adapted the first name of one of his idols, Russ Columbo, to be his professional name.
Like Columbo, he started out singing and drumming with Gus Arnheim’s orchestra at the Cocoanut Grove — he was so young that Arnheim became his legal guardian to permit him to travel out of state.
With a lush baritone, Russell achieved his greatest U.S. popularity in the Forties, his good looks and penchant for smooth Latin American numbers making him a big hit with the ladies. Besame Mucho was his first millionrecord seller, followed by What A difference A day Makes, Laughing On The Outside, Magic Is The Moonlight and Amor.
Russell, married five times, was famous for a string of dalliances. He once said: ‘I fall in love wherever I go. I think being in love is the most exciting thing there is.’ His second marriage, to singer Adleina ‘della’ Russell, resulted in the ABC TV Show Andy And della Russell in 1950-51 and the hit song Who Shot The Hole In My Sombrero.
As the romantic crooner era faded in favour of rock ’n’ roll, Russell divorced della and headed to Mexico where his brand of Latin pop made him a superstar across Latin America. In the Fifties and Sixties, he starred in several films and hosted the El Show de Andy Russell on Argentine TV from 1956 to 1965.
The latter was wildly popular, attracting large sponsorship deals. In 1958, the name was changed to El Show de IKA, IKA being Argentina’s largest automobile company. It became the most expensive TV show produced in that country and featured the ballet troupe of Eber and nélida Lobato, a 50-piece orchestra conducted by Angel Gatti, and the Fanny day choir.
In 1965, Russell returned to the U.S. and became a club performer at all the major hotspots: Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, disneyland, the Hollywood Palladium etc.
He was performing right up to his death from a stroke in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 12, 1992. His gravestone, at Loma Vista Memorial park, Fullerton, Orange County, California, simply reads Andy Russell — Amor — 1919-1992.
His only regret was that he’d had to change his name to get on in life.
Marine Fallon, Margate, Kent.
QUESTION Did David Bowie ever visit Somalia, the birthplace of his wife Iman? IMAn visited Somalia shortly after marrying Bowie in 1992 to make the harrowing BBC documentary Somalia diary. She filmed her trip to show the world the famine and violence in Somalia.
On one day of filming, she and the crew followed the bus that went through the town collecting the day’s fatalities: ‘The count was 70 dead that day, and most of the bodies I saw in the sacks were children under ten.’
She visited Somalia again in 2011 in support of Save The Children, but wasn’t accompanied by her husband whose health was poor.
Bowie did visit Africa a couple of times. In 1978 he went on safari in Kenya, and there are photos of him meeting Masai warriors. In 1995, he visited Cape Town, South Africa, where he produced a series of artworks along with artist Breezy Bailey. They later featured in his exhibition new Afro/Pagan And Work 1975-1995.
Bowie met nelson Mandela, and Iman had her picture taken with the late president for Vogue magazine.
Darren Gidney, Basingstoke, Hants.
QUESTION What is the loudest birdcall? COCKATOOS are all capable of producing spectacularly loud vocalisations. In the wild they enable them to locate mates and raise the alarm when predators are spotted.
When young, they are delightfully quiet. This has led to many keeping these birds as pets unaware of what a nuisance they can become. The loudest captive bird known is the Moluccan cockatoo ( Cacatua moluccensis). These are beautiful creatures with salmon-pink feathers that comprise most of their head crest, which they will display when excited.
In the right setting their temperament is good and they make good pets. However, like most cockatoos, Moluccans are incredibly sensitive and can become neurotic and upset if neglected. This agitation can lead to spectacular bouts of squawking and shrieking. One has been recorded screeching at an incredible 135 decibels, equivalent to a jumbo jet. They routinely make vocalisations of 120db and are only recommended for professional bird keepers.
Another contender is the elusive Three Wattled Bellbird ( Procnias tricarunculatus). These congregate in the rugged Sierra de Agalta region of Eastern Honduras to feast on fruiting trees from July to September, then disperse in complex migratory movements across the depleting habitats of Central America.
The birds’ name comes from the male’s extraordinary calls that can be heard a mile away combined with the three long, prominent ‘ wattles’ that hang from the corners of the mouth and beak of the males. Males project their calls to prospective mates from the top of a tree.
The song is made up of chattering interspersed with thunderous ‘ bong’ notes, in excess of 100db. Its elusive nature has meant that scientists are unable to record one with precision in the wild.
Ralph Butler, Aberdyfi, Merioneth.
QUESTION The site of the 1929 Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre is now the parking lot of a nursing home. What mundane places mark the location of a famous historical event? FURTHER to the earlier answer, Adolf Hitler spent his final months in the Fuhrerbunker in the grounds of the Reichchancelry in 1945, before committing suicide with Eva Braun on April 30 as the Russian Army laid waste to Berlin. Their bodies were dumped in a crater and burned.
After the war, the structure above ground was levelled but large parts of the underground complex remained untouched, due to its solid construction and proximity to the Berlin Wall.
After reunification in 1989, the site was developed and much of it filled in. In 2006 a small plaque showing a schematic of the bunker was erected overlooking a car park belonging to a residential development.
Ian Chambers, Berlin.