I will keep the first two brief, as the press and internet have been covering them abundantly, and I wanted to spend a little time on the third.
First, Ozzy Osbourne passed away on July 22 at the age of 76. He died just a few days after his final show with a reunion of Black Sabbath in Manchester UK. He had been battling Parkinson’s Disease, as well as having suffered a number of other ailments over the years. He was eccentric to say the least. He lived up to his nickname “Prince of Darkness” throughout his professional career. He was pretty much the ambassador of the heavy metal genre, and became a visual representation of the music when MTV was launched in the 1980s. His wife/manager Sharon help elevate his career even more through television appearances and working with his family on a reality show, The Osbournes. Add to that starting up the Ozzfest concert series, along with tons of other productions, Ozzy had his moniker on just about everything imaginable.
His passing will continue to have some controversy, as his death was not in either the US or UK, but in Sweden. All that I know is that “Paranoid” is still one of the greatest rock songs I have ever heard, and one of my go-to riffs when I pick up an electric guitar is the opening to “Crazy Train.”
Second, Hulk Hogan (born Terry Gene Bollea) passed away on July 24 at the age of 71. He was a larger than life character, bringing the world of professional wrestling entertainment to a level never before seen. Just seeing his massive muscular physique made one know that you should never mess with him. His extroverted image was just that, as he was a cordial and respectful gent when not showboating. He was a hero to so many kids in the 1980s and 90s, and could still draw a gigantic crowd of fans up until his passing just by showing up somewhere. The constant theatrical abuse throughout the years in the ring gave him tons of health issues, especially with his back and spine, which after a number of surgeries shortened his overall height by about four inches. His last major appearance was at the Republican National Convention in 2024, where he helped to nominate Donald Trump to the ticket, and motived the conventioneers with his performance just he had done with fans at the wresting arenas.
My wresting fan experience was from a generation before. My heroes were Bobo Brazil, The Mighty Igor, The Sheik, Pompero Firpo, and Dick the Bruiser. By the time the WWF/WWE/WCW came to own the cable television airwaves, I had lost much interest in the stuff. However, there was no denying that The Hulkster, along with his cohorts like Andre the Giant, Jake the Snake, and Randy “Macho Man” Savage brought professional wrestling to a level never seen before. Hulk Hogan was at the helm, and with his appearances in other television and movies, he was the reigning king of the sport.
Now, I wanted to talk about jazz musician Chuck Mangione, who passed away on July 22 at the age of 84. He was best known for his flugelhorn-laced crossover hit “Feels So Good” in 1978. His parents were jazz fanatics while he was growing up, taking him to jazz concerts and inviting many big players of the 1950s back to their house for an Italian dinner. From his experiences, he soon learned the trumpet and piano, along with his brother Gap, and they formed a jazz band in high school.
In the 1960s, he played with Art Blakey’s band, and with his own sextet. During that time, he began writing music, which caught the ear of Cannonball Adderley. He attended the Eastman School of Music, where he took an interest in the flugelhorn. He recorded a number of album during the 1960s and 70s (30 in all of his career), and won his first Grammy in 1977 for Best Instrumental Composition with “Bellavia.”
By 1978, his song “Feels So Good” gained giant recognition, reaching Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. His song “Give It All You Got” became the theme for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, performing it live at the closing ceremonies. He also composed the soundtrack for the film The Children of Sanchez starring Anthony Quinn, which won him his second Grammy. He worked for many charities, including raising over $50,000 for the St. John’s Nursing Home in his hometown of Rochester, NY from his 60th birthday concert.
He also made a number of appearances on television, including Magnum P.I., and was not afraid to laugh at himself by appearing on the cartoon King of the Hill as a spokesperson for the Mega Lo Mart store. From that work, he wrote a song in 2000 entitled “Peggy Hill” for his Everything For Love album. He pretty much retired from the music business in 2015, around the time of the passing of his wife Rosemarie. He sold his music copyrights in 2024.
When I heard “Feels So Good” for the first time in my junior high school days, I was floored. Jazz to me was either the elementary stuff they forced on school bands, or the crazy compositions that had no continuity. It was cool, something that made you slowly rock your head back and forth. I am sure high schoolers and young adults found it to be a great make-out song (I was a bit too young for that at the time). But the song carried on in my heart for a long while. I bought a number of Mangione cassettes during my younger days (which have long since died), appreciating the music even though my musical expertise and performing interests were more rock and alternative. You knew that you could throw on a Mangione album for a relaxing few minutes. Even today, hearing “Feels So Good” puts me in a very good mood, and makes me reflect back to a time when my life was a lot more innocent.
Chuck, I hope that you are in Heaven playing your music on the trumpet that Gabriel has lent you.
Chew on it and comment.
Luegra 