John Denver

Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr.

31 December 1943 in Roswell, NM

One of the most popular recording artists of the 1970s, country-folk singer/songwriter John Denver's gentle, environmentally conscious music established him among the most beloved entertainers of his era; wholesome and clean-cut, his appeal extended to fans of all ages and backgrounds, and led to parallel careers as both an actor and a humanitarian.

Born Henry John Deutschendorf in Roswell, NM, on December 31, 1943, he was raised in an Air Force family, and grew up in various regions of the southwestern U.S. As a teen, his grandmother presented him with a 1910 Gibson acoustic guitar, and while attending Texas Tech University he began performing local clubs. Adopting the stage surname "Denver" in tribute to the Rocky Mountain area he so cherished, he dropped out of college in 1964 to relocate to Los Angeles; there he joined the Chad Mitchell Trio, a major draw on the hootenanny circuit of the early '60s but in the twilight of their career at the time of Denver's arrival.

Over time, however, Denver helped resuscitate the group on the strength of his songwriting skills; signed to Mercury, the Trio recorded a number of tracks, which the label repackaged in 1974 as Beginnings With the Chad Mitchell Trio. Upon the departure of the last remaining founding member, the Chad Mitchell Trio became known as Denver, Boise and Johnson; the new group proved short-lived, however, when Denver exited in 1969 to pursue a solo career.

That same year he recorded his debut LP, Rhymes and Reasons; while not a hit, it contained one of his best-loved compositions, "Leaving on a Jet Plane," an international chart-topper for Peter, Paul & Mary. Still, neither of Denver's follow-up albums, 1970's Whose Garden Was This and Take Me to Tomorrow, launched him as a solo performer; finally, with 1971's Poems, Prayers & Promises, he achieved superstardom, thanks to the million-selling hits "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Sunshine on My Shoulders." In the years to follow, Denver also scored with "Annie's Song" (penned for his wife) and "Back Home Again," and by 1974 was firmly established as America's best-selling performer; albums like 1975's An Evening With John Denver and Windsong were phenomenally popular, and he continued to top the singles charts with efforts including "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "I'm Sorry." Additionally, his 1974 best-of collection sold over ten million copies worldwide, and remained on the charts for over two years.

At the peak of his success, Denver was everywhere -- the governor of Colorado proclaimed him the state's poet laureate, his label Windsong was responsible for hits like the Starland Vocal Band's mammoth "Afternoon Delight," and he appeared in a number of ratings-grabbing television specials. In 1977, he even moved into film, co-starring with George Burns in the comedy hit Oh, God! During this time, however, he dramatically curtailed his recording output, and after 1977's I Want to Live, issued no new material until 1980's Autograph.

The following year, he performed with opera star Placido Domingo, but as the decade progressed, Denver's popularity waned as he turned his focus more toward humanitarian work, focusing primarily on ecological concerns and space exploration; he also toured Communist-led Russia and China, and in 1987 performed in Chernobyl in the wake of that city's nuclear disaster.

While maintaining a solid cult following, by the 1990s Denver had largely fallen off the radar, and he made more news for a 1993 drunk-driving arrest than he did for records like 1991's Different Directions. In 1994, he published an autobiography, Take Me Home. Tragedy struck on October 12, 1997, when his experimental aircraft suddenly crashed, killing him instantly. Denver was 53.

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Don Mclean

Ronald McLean

October 2, 1945 in New Rochelle, NY

 Famed for -- and ultimately defined by -- his perennial "American Pie," singer/songwriter Don McLean was born October 2, 1945, in New Rochelle, New York. After getting his start in the folk clubs of New York City during the mid-'60s, McLean struggled for a number of years, building a small following through his work with Pete Seeger on the Clearwater, a sloop that sailed up and down the eastern seaboard to promote environmental causes.

Still, McLean was primarily singing in elementary schools and the like when, in 1970, he wrote a musical tribute to painter Vincent Van Gogh; the project was roundly rejected by a number of labels, although MediaArts did offer him a contract to record a number of his other songs under the title Tapestry. The album fared poorly, but Perry Como earned a hit with a cover of the track "And I Love You So," prompting United Artists to pick up McLean's contract. He returned in 1971 with American Pie; the title track, an elegiac eight-and-a-half-minute folk-pop epic inspired by the tragic death of Buddy Holly, became a number one hit, and the LP soon reached the top of the charts as well.

The follow-up, "Vincent," was also a smash, and McLean even became the subject of the Roberta Flack hit "Killing Me Softly with His Song"; however, to his credit -- and to his label's horror -- the singer refused to let the success of "American Pie" straitjacket his career. Subsequent records like 1972's self-titled effort and 1974's Playin' Favorites deliberately avoided any attempts to re-create the "American Pie" flavor; not surprisingly, his sales plummeted, and the latter release even failed to chart.

After 1974's Homeless Brother and 1976's Solo, United Artists dropped McLean from his contract; he resurfaced on Arista the next year with Prime Time, but when it, too, fared poorly, he spent the next several years without a label. McLean enjoyed a renaissance of sorts with 1980's Chain Lightning; his first Top 30 LP in close to a decade, it spawned a Top Ten smash with its cover of Roy Orbison's classic "Crying," and his originals "Castles in the Air" and "Since I Don't Have You" both also reached the Top 40. However, 1981's Believers failed to sustain the comeback, and after 1983's Dominion, he was again left without benefit of label support.

McLean spent the remainder of his career primarily on the road, grudgingly restoring "American Pie" to his set list and drawing inspiration from the country market; in addition to a number of live sets and re-recordings of old favorites, he also returned to the studio for projects like 1990's For the Memories (a collection of classic pop, country, and jazz covers) and 1995's River of Love (an LP of original material).

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Trio Los Panchos

Los Panchos (also known as the Trío Los Panchos) was an internationally famous Latin trío romántico known for its romantic ballads and boleros. History Los Panchos first met in 1944 in New York City.

The three original members were Alfredo Gil and Chucho Navarro, both from Mexico, and Hernando Avilés from Puerto Rico. All three played guitar and contributed vocally.

Los Panchos reached fame with their romantic songs, especially in Latin America where they are still regarded as one of the top trios of all time. They sold millions of records within a few years of being founded.

They also appeared in around fifty movies mostly during the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.

 Los Panchos began touring internationally in 1946 and would relocate later that same year to Mexico City, considered the world capital of Spanish-language music[citation needed]. They were welcomed with open arms and XEW-AM, the most popular radio station in Mexico City, reserved a time slot for their music. In 1951, Los Panchos launched another international tour across Latin America.

 Julito Rodríguez joined the group in 1952; he was replaced by Johnny Albino in 1958. Johnny Albino & Chucho Navarro, (Miguel Poventud and Yomo Toro were studio musicians for CBS) famously worked with singer Eydie Gorme on a series of bestselling albums in the 1960s. The Albino era was one of the most prosperous ones for Los Panchos whose classic albums are very popular among Los Panchos fans still. His departure in 1968 was a tumultuous one, as he did not leave on good terms with the group's management.

In 1971, Ovidio Hernández joined the band as lead vocalist, a part he would fulfill until his untimely passing of complications of meningitis in 1976. Following him, Rafael Basurto Lara joined as lead singer.

Alfredo Gil played with Los Panchos until his retirement in 1981 (he died in 1999) and Chucho Navarro played with the group until his death in 1993.

A characteristic instrument of Los Panchos and many more bolero trios after them is the Requinto guitar, which is smaller and tuned higher than a standard guitar, and was invented by Alfredo Gil, founding member of Los Panchos. Requinto solos are typically part of a bolero song.

Today, there are several trios claiming to be the rightful successors to the original trio. Another Trio Los Panchos also known as "Trio Los Panchos con Gabi Vargas" (Trio Los Panchos with Gabi Vargas) is currently under the musical direction of Gabriel Vargas Aguilar. , still continues to perform concerts across Mexico, Latin America, and the United States, with a newer cast of singers.

Another trio using the Los Panchos name is the Trio Los Panchos de Chucho Navarro Fundador (Trio Los Panchos of Founder Chucho Navarro) under the direction of Chucho Navarro Jr. the son of original Los Panchos member Chucho Navarro, makes presentations worldwide .

Eto yun isa sa mga plaka namin nuon na laging pinapa-tugtog ng tatay ko nuong bata ako, kapag may bisita sa bahay at may konting inuman, na kahit hindi mo nga maintindihan, wala kang magagawa kundi pakinggan at halos mamemorya mo na rin yun ibang kanta.. hehehe

Buti nakahanap pa ko ng magandang kopya nito, hindi na ito yun original na plaka namin pero andito yun mga kanta na halos mapakinggan naming mga magkakapatid, ate at mga kuya ko.. marami pa kong ipopost na mga luma, at mga kinagisnan at mga napakinggan tugtugin dahil sa tatay ko na mahilig din sa musika at mga plaka.

Sayang nga lang at hindi ko na narecover ang mga plakang yon, kaya heto kahit sa mga digitally remastered eh mabuo o makuha ko ang mga kopya ng mga plaka namin na lagi namin napapakinggan... abangan nyo na lang yun mga iba pang kasunod.. hehehe

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Bagets Movie Soundtrack

Soundtrack list

•  “Growing Up” (Gary Valenciano) 
•  “So It’s You” (Raymond Lauchengco)
•  “Farewell” (Raymond Lauchengco) 
• “Why Don’t You Care?” (Harner Brothers) 
• “High School High” (Spirit) 
•  “Telephone” (Chona Cruz) 
•  “Why Me?” (Jo Khrishner (Giorgio Moroder))
•  “This Is A House” (Spirit) 
•  “Self-Respect” (ZZYZX Band) 
•  “Baby I Lied” (Debbie Allen) 
• “Jump (For My Love)” (The Pointer Sisters) 
•  “You and I” (Kenny Rogers) 
•  “Just Got Lucky” (Jo Boxer) 
•  “Rock It” (Herbie Hancock) 

 History “Growing Up” was the main theme song of the movie which was heard in its opening and closing credits. This was always a promotional song during the rounds on the programs of the various television stations. “So It’s You” was its main love theme song particularly when the scenes about the celebration of Valentine’s Day was shown.

There was an MTV like scene which featured Raymond Lauchengco serenading Eula Valdez with this song. The two wore formal clothes and the location was the Ugarte Football Field in Makati with matching fireworks. “Baby I Lied” and “You and I” served as other love theme songs to the back stories of the characters played by Aga Muhlach and J.C. Bonnin, respectively. “Farewell” was the background song when the main characters encountered their separate heart aches and sadness because of the death of a lady love, a person he loves left for abroad for marriage and his love prospect can not return his affection because she is already married.

However, in the hearts and in the minds of the high school seniors graduating that year, this song was their graduation song. “Why Don’t You Care” was the musical score in the scene where Herbert Bautista, riding a bicycle, saw his romantic prospect played by Jobelle Salvador who was a passenger of a tricycle. This was a hilarious scene where even if the young lad learned where she lives, he found out that her father is a military man who he saw cleaning the latter’s M-16 rifle which was issued to him for official use.

The lyrics of “High School High” was about the various challenges a high school student experienced: difficult subjects to learn and to study and the several examinations to be taken to pass these subjects. This was the score when the main characters arrived at their new school during the first day of classes as high school seniors and exploring its surroundings and its people. “Telephone”, “Why Me?” and “Jump (For My Love)” were used as the background music in the Junior-Senior Prom scenes. “Just Got Lucky” was used when the main characters had their summer outing and towards the end of the movie when Bautista’s character told his love for Salvador’s character after a few funny distractions.

The young lady accepted his proposal to be his sweetheart which surprised the young man. “Rock It” was for the scene where the character of William Martinez accepted the challenge of a classmate for a drag racing without thinking of the consequence which he regretted later.

His sweetheart played by Yayo Aguila died in the car crash while he survived. “This Is A House” and “Self-Respect” were used in the other scenes where the characters were engaged in the different activities as teenagers. For the graduating high school seniors of the year 1984, the movie and the soundtrack served as souvenirs of their high school lives.

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