title: Rio Grande

text: During the late 1830s and early 1840s, the river marked the disputed border between Mexico and the nascent Republic of Texas; Mexico marked the border at the Nueces River. The disagreement provided part of the rationale for the US invasion of Mexico in 1846, after Texas had been admitted as a new state. Since 1848, the Rio Grande has marked the boundary between Mexico and the United States from the twin cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, to the Gulf of Mexico. As such, crossing the river was the escape route used by some Texan slaves to seek freedom. Mexico had liberal colonization policies and had abolished slavery in 1828.


title: Rio Grande

text: In 1899, after a gradual change to the river position, a channel was dug for flood control which moved the river, creating what was called Cordova Island, which became the center of the Chamizal dispute. Resolving the dispute took many years and almost resulted in a 1909 combined assassination attempt on the American and Mexican presidents.


title: Rio Grande

text: Following the approval of the Rio Grande Project by federal lawmakers in 1905, the waters of the Rio Grande were to be divided between the states of New Mexico and Texas based on their respective amount of irrigable land. The project also accorded of water annually to Mexico in response to the country's demands. This was meant to put an end to the many years of disagreement concerning rights to the river’s flow and the construction of a dam and reservoir at various location on the river between the agricultural interests of the Mesilla Valley and those of El Paso and Juárez. In the agreement provisions were made to construct Elephant Butte dam on public lands. This act was the first occurrence of congressionally directed allocation of an interstate river (although New Mexico would not achieve statehood till 1912).


title: Rio Grande

text: Following the admittance of New Mexico into the union, the increased settlement of the Rio Grande farther north in Colorado and near Albuquerque, the 1938 Rio Grande Compact developed primarily because of the necessary repeal of the Rio Grande embargo among other issues. Though both Colorado and New Mexico were initially eager to begin negotiations, they broke down over whether Texas should be allowed to join negotiations in 1928, though it had representatives present. In an effort to avoid litigation of the matter in the Supreme Court a provisional agreement was signed in 1929 which stated that negotiations would resume once a reservoir was built on the New Mexico-Colorado state line. The construction of this was delayed by the Market Crash of 1929. With negotiations remaining stagnant, Texas sued New Mexico over the issue in 1935, prompting the intervention of the president who set up the Rio Grande Joint Investigation the findings of which helped lead to the final agreement. The 1938 Rio Grande Compact provided for the creation of a compact commission, the creation of gaging stations along the river to ensure flow amounts by Colorado to New Mexico at the state line and by New Mexico to Elephant Butte Reservoir, the water once there would fall under the regulation of the Rio Grande Project which would guarantee provision to Texas and Mexico. A system of debits and credits was created to account for variations in the water provided. The compact remains in effect today, though it has been amended twice.


title: Rio Grande

text: In 1944, the US and Mexico signed a treaty regarding the river. Due to drought conditions which have prevailed throughout much of the 21st century, calls for a reexamination of this treaty have been made by locals in New Mexico, Mexico, and Texas. Texas, being the state with the least amount of control over the waterway, has routinely seen an under provision of water since 1992.


title: Rio Grande

text: In 1997, the US designated the Rio Grande as one of the American Heritage Rivers. Two portions of the Rio Grande are designated National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, one in northern New Mexico and the other in Texas, at Big Bend National Park.


title: Rio Grande

text: In mid-2001, a -wide sandbar formed at the mouth of the river, marking the first time in recorded history that the Rio Grande failed to empty into the Gulf of Mexico. The sandbar was dredged, but reformed almost immediately. Spring rains the following year flushed the reformed sandbar out to sea, but it returned in mid-2002. By late 2003, the river once again reached the Gulf.


title: Rio Grande

text: The water of the Rio Grande is over-appropriated: that is, more users for the water exist than water in the river. Because of both drought and overuse, the section from El Paso downstream through Ojinaga frequently runs dry, and was recently tagged "The Forgotten River" by those wishing to bring attention to the river's deteriorated condition.


title: Rio Grande

text: In 2022, due to increasing drought and water use, the water debt owed to Texas increased from 31,000 acre-feet to over 130,000 acre-feet since 2021, despite “very significant efforts that were done on the river this year to keep water flowing downstream.” In response, New Mexico increased its program offering to subsidize farmers who fallow their fields rather than planting crops, which uses additional water; the city of Albuquerque shut off its domestic supply diversion and switched to full groundwater pumping in 2021.


title: Rio Grande

text: Additionally, in 2022, work will begin to repair El Vado Dam, at which time it will be unavailable for storage, reducing system capacity by about 180,000 acre-feet. MRGCD has requested storage of "native water" downstream at Abiquiu Reservoir, which normally only stores waters imported into the Rio Grande watershed from the Colorado River watershed via the San Juan-Chama Project.


title: Rio Grande

text: Elephant Butte Reservoir, the main storage reservoir on the Rio Grande, was reported at 13.1% of capacity as of May 1, 2022, further decreasing to only 5.9% full by November 2021. Nearly a year later, in October 2022, the reservoir had made insignificant rebounds, resting at 6.4% of capacity.


title: Rio Grande

text: The United States and Mexico share the water of the river under a series of agreements administered by the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), US-Mexico. The most notable of these treaties were signed in 1906 and 1944. The IBWC traces its institutional roots to 1889, when the International Boundary Committee was established to maintain the border. The IBWC today also allocates river waters between the two nations and provides for flood control and water sanitation.


title: Rio Grande

text: Use of that water belonging to the United States is regulated by the Rio Grande Compact, an interstate pact between Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.


title: Rio Grande

text: Dams on the Rio Grande include Rio Grande Dam, Cochiti Dam, Elephant Butte Dam, Caballo Dam, Amistad Dam, Falcon Dam, Anzalduas Dam, and Retamal Dam. In southern New Mexico and the upper portion of the Texas border segment, the river's discharge dwindles. Diversions, mainly for agricultural irrigation, have increased the natural decrease in flow such that by the time the river reaches Presidio, little or no water is left. Below Presidio, the Rio Conchos restores the flow of water. Near Presidio, the river's discharge is frequently zero. Its average discharge is , down from at Elephant Butte Dam. Supplemented by other tributaries, the Rio Grande's discharge increases to its maximum annual average of near Rio Grande City. Large diversions for irrigation below Rio Grande City reduce the river's average flow to at Brownsville and Matamoros.


title: Rio Grande

text: For much of the time since water rights were introduced in the 1890s, the Rio Grande flowed through Las Cruces from February to October each year, but this is subject to climate change. In 2020, the river flowed only from March to September. As of January 2021, the Elephant Butte Irrigation District (Ebid) expected that water shortages would mean the river only flows through Las Cruces from June through July. The water shortages are affecting the local ecosystem and endangering species including cottonwood trees and the southwestern willow flycatcher.


title: Rio Grande

text: The major international border crossings along the river are at Ciudad Juárez and El Paso; Presidio and Ojinaga; Laredo and Nuevo Laredo; McAllen and Reynosa; and Brownsville and Matamoros. Other notable border towns are the Texas/Coahuila pairings of Del Rio–Ciudad Acuña and Eagle Pass–Piedras Negras.


title: Rio Grande

text: is Spanish for "Big River" and means "Great River of the North". In English, Rio Grande is pronounced either or .


title: Rio Grande

text: By 1602, had become the standard Spanish name for the lower river, below its confluence with the Rio Conchos.


title: Rio Grande

text: The largest tributary of the Rio Grande by discharge is the Rio Conchos, which contributes almost twice as much water as any other. In terms of drainage basin size, the Pecos River is the largest.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid is an organic acid with the systematic name ethanedioic acid and formula . It is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that forms a colorless solution in water. Its name comes from the fact that early investigators isolated oxalic acid from flowering plants of the genus "Oxalis", commonly known as wood-sorrels. It occurs naturally in many foods. Excessive ingestion of oxalic acid or prolonged skin contact can be dangerous.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid has much greater acid strength than acetic acid. It is a reducing agent and its conjugate base, known as oxalate (), is a chelating agent for metal cations. Typically, oxalic acid occurs as the dihydrate with the formula .


title: Oxalic acid

text: The preparation of salts of oxalic acid (crab acid) from plants had been known, at least since 1745, when the Dutch botanist and physician Herman Boerhaave isolated a salt from wood sorrel. By 1773, François Pierre Savary of Fribourg, Switzerland had isolated oxalic acid from its salt in sorrel.


title: Oxalic acid

text: In 1776, Swedish chemists Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Torbern Olof Bergman produced oxalic acid by reacting sugar with concentrated nitric acid; Scheele called the acid that resulted "socker-syra" or "såcker-syra" (sugar acid). By 1784, Scheele had shown that "sugar acid" and oxalic acid from natural sources were identical.


title: Oxalic acid

text: In 1824, the German chemist Friedrich Wöhler obtained oxalic acid by reacting cyanogen with ammonia in aqueous solution. This experiment may represent the first synthesis of a natural product.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid is mainly manufactured by the oxidation of carbohydrates or glucose using nitric acid or air in the presence of vanadium pentoxide. A variety of precursors can be used including glycolic acid and ethylene glycol. A newer method entails oxidative carbonylation of alcohols to give the diesters of oxalic acid:


title: Oxalic acid

text: These diesters are subsequently hydrolyzed to oxalic acid. Approximately 120,000 tonnes are produced annually.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Historically oxalic acid was obtained exclusively by using caustics, such as sodium or potassium hydroxide, on sawdust, followed by acidification of the oxalate by mineral acids, such as sulfuric acid. Oxalic acid can also be formed by the heating of sodium formate in the presence of an alkaline catalyst.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Although it can be readily purchased, oxalic acid can be prepared in the laboratory by oxidizing sucrose using nitric acid in the presence of a small amount of vanadium pentoxide as a catalyst.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Developed in the Netherlands, an electrocatalysis by a copper complex helps reduce carbon dioxide to oxalic acid; this conversion uses carbon dioxide as a feedstock to generate oxalic acid.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Anhydrous oxalic acid exists as two polymorphs; in one the hydrogen-bonding results in a chain-like structure, whereas the hydrogen bonding pattern in the other form defines a sheet-like structure. Because the anhydrous material is both acidic and hydrophilic (water seeking), it is used in esterifications.


title: Oxalic acid

text: The dihydrate .2 has space group "C"–"P"2/"n", with lattice parameters "a" = 611.9 pm, "b" = 360.7 pm, "c" = 1205.7 pm, "β" = 106°19', "Z" = 2. The main inter-atomic distances are: C−C 153 pm, C−O 129 pm, C−O 119 pm.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Theoretical studies indicate that oxalic acid dihydrate is one of very few crystalline substances that exhibit negative area compressibility. Namely, when subjected to isotropic tension stress (negative pressure), the "a" and "c" lattice parameters increase as the stress decreases from −1.17 GPa to −0.12 GPa and from −1.17 GPa to −0.51 GPa, respectively.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid's p"K" values vary in the literature from 1.25–1.46 and 3.81–4.40. The 100th ed of the CRC, released in 2019, has values of 1.25 and 3.81.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid undergoes many of the reactions characteristic of other carboxylic acids. It forms esters such as dimethyl oxalate (m.p. ). It forms an acid chloride called oxalyl chloride.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Transition metal oxalate complexes are numerous, e.g. the drug oxaliplatin. Oxalic acid has shown to reduce manganese dioxide in manganese ores to allow the leaching of the metal by sulfuric acid.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid is an important reagent in lanthanide chemistry. Hydrated lanthanide oxalates form readily in very strongly acidic solutions as a densely crystalline, easily filtered form, largely free of contamination by nonlanthanide elements:


title: Oxalic acid

text: Thermal decomposition of these oxalates gives the oxides, which is the most commonly marketed form of these elements.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid vapor decomposes at 125–175 °C into carbon dioxide and formic acid HCOOH. Photolysis with 237–313 nm UV light also produces carbon monoxide CO and water.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Evaporation of a solution of urea and oxalic acid in 2:1 molar ratio yields a solid crystalline compound ., consisting of stacked two-dimensional networks of the neutral molecules held together by hydrogen bonds with the oxygen atoms.


title: Oxalic acid

text: At least two pathways exist for the enzyme-mediated formation of oxalate. In one pathway, oxaloacetate, a component of the Krebs citric acid cycle, is hydrolyzed to oxalate and acetic acid by the enzyme oxaloacetase:


title: Oxalic acid

text: It also arises from the dehydrogenation of glycolic acid, which is produced by the metabolism of ethylene glycol.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Early investigators isolated oxalic acid from wood-sorrel ("Oxalis"). Members of the spinach family and the brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts) are high in oxalates, as are sorrel and umbellifers like parsley. The leaves and stems of all species of the genus "Chenopodium" and related genera of the family Amaranthaceae, which includes quinoa, contain high levels of oxalic acid. Rhubarb leaves contain about 0.5% oxalic acid, and jack-in-the-pulpit ("Arisaema triphyllum") contains calcium oxalate crystals. Similarly, the Virginia creeper, a common decorative vine, produces oxalic acid in its berries as well as oxalate crystals in the sap, in the form of raphides. Bacteria produce oxalates from oxidation of carbohydrates.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Plants of the genus "Fenestraria" produce optical fibers made from crystalline oxalic acid to transmit light to subterranean photosynthetic sites.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Carambola, also known as starfruit, also contains oxalic acid along with caramboxin. Citrus juice contains small amounts of oxalic acid. Citrus fruits produced in organic agriculture contain less oxalic acid than those produced in conventional agriculture.


title: Oxalic acid

text: The formation of naturally occurring calcium oxalate patinas on certain limestone and marble statues and monuments has been proposed to be caused by the chemical reaction of the carbonate stone with oxalic acid secreted by lichen or other microorganisms.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Many soil fungus species secrete oxalic acid, resulting in greater solubility of metal cations, increased availability of certain soil nutrients, and can lead to the formation of calcium oxalate crystals. Some fungi such as "Aspergillus niger" have been extensively studied for the industrial production of oxalic acid; however, those processes are not yet economically competitive with production from oil and gas.


title: Oxalic acid

text: The conjugate base of oxalic acid is the hydrogenoxalate anion, and its conjugate base (oxalate) is a competitive inhibitor of the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme. LDH catalyses the conversion of pyruvate to lactic acid (end product of the fermentation (anaerobic) process) oxidising the coenzyme NADH to NAD and H concurrently. Restoring NAD levels is essential to the continuation of anaerobic energy metabolism through glycolysis. As cancer cells preferentially use anaerobic metabolism (see Warburg effect) inhibition of LDH has been shown to inhibit tumor formation and growth, thus is an interesting potential course of cancer treatment.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid plays an key role in the interaction between pathogenic fungi and plants. Small amounts of oxalic acid enhances plant resistance to fungi, but higher amounts cause widespread programmed cell death of the plant and help with fungi infection. Plants normally produce it in small amounts, but some pathogenic fungi such as "Sclerotinia sclerotiorum" cause a toxic accumulation.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalate, besides being biosynthesised, may also be biodegraded. "Oxalobacter formigenes" is an important gut bacteria that helps animals (including humans) degrade oxalate.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid's main applications include cleaning or bleaching, especially for the removal of rust (iron complexing agent). Its utility in rust removal agents is due to its forming a stable, water-soluble salt with ferric iron, ferrioxalate ion. The cleaning product Zud contains oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is an ingredient in some tooth whitening products. About 25% of produced oxalic acid will be used as a mordant in dyeing processes. It is also used in bleaches, especially for pulpwood, and for rust removal and other cleaning, in baking powder, and as a third reagent in silica analysis instruments.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid is used by some beekeepers as a miticide against the parasitic varroa mite. Thymovar combined with an oxalic acid treatment has proved effective against the varroa mite.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Dilute solutions (0.05–0.15 M) of oxalic acid can be used to remove iron from clays such as kaolinite to produce light-colored ceramics.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid is sometimes used in the aluminum anodizing process, with or without sulfuric acid. Compared to sulfuric acid anodizing, the coatings obtained are thinner and exhibit lower surface roughness.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid is also widely used as a wood bleach, most often in its crystalline form to be mixed with water to its proper dilution for use.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid is also used in electronic and semiconductor industries. In 2006 it was reported being used in electrochemical–mechanical planarization of copper layers in the semiconductor devices fabrication process.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Oxalic acid has an oral LD (lowest published lethal dose) of 600 mg/kg. It has been reported that the lethal oral dose is 15 to 30 grams. The toxicity of oxalic acid is due to kidney failure caused by precipitation of solid calcium oxalate.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Ingestion of ethylene glycol results in oxalic acid as a metabolite which can also cause acute kidney failure.


title: Oxalic acid

text: Unless otherwise cited, all measurements are based on raw vegetable weights with original moisture content.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Jeffrey Dean Isbell (born April 8, 1962), best known as Izzy Stradlin, is an American guitarist. He was a co-founder and rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which he left at the height of their fame in 1991, and with whom he recorded four studio albums.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Following his departure from Guns N' Roses, Stradlin fronted his own rock band , before continuing to record as a solo artist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Guns N' Roses in 2012.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: His father, Richard Clyde Isbell, was an engraver and his mother, Sonja LaVern Isbell, née Reagan, worked for a phone company. They divorced when he was eight and his mother moved with Stradlin and his two younger brothers, Kevin Thomas Isbell and Joseph "Joe" Isbell to Lafayette, Indiana.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Of his hometown, Stradlin later said, "It was cool growing up there. There's a courthouse and a college, a river and railroad tracks. It's a small town, so there wasn't much to do. We rode bikes, smoked pot, got into trouble - it was pretty "Beavis and Butt-Head" actually."


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Stradlin developed an interest in music early in life; by the age of eight, his musical favorites included Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, and Led Zeppelin. His biggest musical influence was his paternal grandmother, who played drums in a swing jazz band with her friends. Inspired, Stradlin talked his parents into buying him a drum kit.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: In high school, Stradlin started a band with his friends, one of whom was singer William Bailey, later known as Axl Rose. Stradlin recalled, "We were long-haired guys in high school. You were either a jock or a stoner. We weren't jocks, so we ended up hanging out together. We'd play covers in the garage. There were no clubs to play at, so we never made it out of the garage." Despite his aversion to school, Stradlin graduated in 1980 with a D average, the only original member of Guns N' Roses with a high school diploma. Set on a career in music, he subsequently moved to Los Angeles, California.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Shortly after his arrival in Los Angeles, Stradlin joined punk band Naughty Women. During his ill-fated first show with the band, audience members began attacking the musicians; Stradlin recalled, "I just grabbed a cymbal stand and stood on the side trying to fend them off, yelling, 'Get the fuck away from me, man!' That was my introduction to the rock scene in L.A." His two-month tenure in Naughty Women was followed by a stint in punk band The Atoms, before his drum kit was stolen from his car and he switched to bass. Stradlin then joined the heavy metal band Shire, during which he took up rhythm guitar to aid his songwriting.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: In 1983, Stradlin formed Hollywood Rose with his childhood friend Axl Rose, who had moved to Los Angeles the previous year. In January 1984, the band recorded a five-song demo featuring the tracks "Killing Time", "Anything Goes", "Rocker", "Shadow of Your Love", and "Reckless Life", which were released in 2004 as part of the compilation album "The Roots of Guns N' Roses". The group disbanded in August, following which Stradlin briefly joined Sunset Strip staple London. He also formed the short-lived band Stalin with singer Eric Leach and guitarist Taz Rudd of Symbol Six. In December, he reunited with Hollywood Rose.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: In March 1985, Stradlin founded Guns N' Roses with Axl Rose and members of L.A. Guns, Tracii Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner, as a favor to L.A. Guns manager, Raz Cue, who had previously booked the act at the Troubadour. By June, the lineup consisted of Rose, guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. They played nightclubs—such as the Whisky a Go Go, The Roxy, and The Troubadour—and opened for larger acts throughout 1985 and 1986. During this period, the band wrote much of its classic material, and Stradlin established himself as a key songwriter.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: In July 1987, Guns N' Roses released their debut album, "Appetite for Destruction", which to date has sold over 28 million copies worldwide, including 18 million in the United States alone. Stradlin wrote or cowrote most of its songs, including the hits "Sweet Child o' Mine" and "Paradise City". He also wrote the hit "Patience" on the follow-up "G N' R Lies", released in November 1988 to US sales of five million copies, despite containing only eight tracks, four of which were included on the previously released EP "Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide".


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: As their success grew, so did tensions within the band. In 1989, opening for The Rolling Stones, Rose made an on-stage announcement in which he threatened to leave the band if Slash and Adler didn't stop "dancing with Mr. Brownstone," a reference to their song of the same name about heroin. After being sentenced to a year's probation for urinating in public aboard an airplane (after which the band nicknamed him "Whizzy"), Stradlin decided to attain sobriety; he returned to his house in Indiana, where he detoxed from drugs and alcohol.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: In September 1991, Guns N' Roses released the long-awaited "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II", which debuted at No. 2 and No. 1 respectively in the US chart – an unprecedented feat. Stradlin cowrote the hits "Don't Cry" and "You Could Be Mine", and performed lead vocals on "Dust N' Bones", "You Ain't the First", "Double Talkin' Jive", and "14 Years". As with their previous records, his preferred guitar during recording was a Gibson ES-175.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: By the release of the "Use Your Illusion" albums, Stradlin had become dissatisfied with life in Guns N' Roses: "Once I quit drugs, I couldn't help looking around and asking myself, 'Is this all there is?' I was just tired of it; I needed to get out." On November 7, 1991, it was announced that he had left Guns N' Roses, having played his final show as an official member on August 31 at Wembley Stadium.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Stradlin later said, "I didn't like the complications that became such a part of daily life in Guns N' Roses," citing the Riverport riot and Axl Rose's chronic lateness and diva behavior on the Use Your Illusion Tour as examples. He also objected to a contract with which he was presented: "This is right before I left – demoting me to some lower position. They were gonna cut my percentage of royalties down. I was like, 'Fuck you! I've been there from Day One. Why should I do that? Fuck you, I'll go play the Whisky.' That's what happened. It was utterly insane."


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Stradlin added that getting sober played a part in his decision to leave, saying, "When you're fucked up, you're more likely to put up with things you wouldn't normally put up with."


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Some of Stradlin's guitar playing recorded during the "Illusion" sessions appears on Guns N' Roses's 1993 covers album ""The Spaghetti Incident?"", although he was uncredited on the project.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Following his departure from Guns N' Roses, Stradlin returned to his hometown of Lafayette, Indiana, where he began working on new material. He formed the band Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds, which consisted of Stradlin on vocals and rhythm guitar, Rick Richards of Georgia Satellites on lead guitar, Jimmy Ashhurst of Broken Homes on bass, and Charlie Quintana on drums. Their self-titled debut album was released in October 1992 to positive reviews; "Rolling Stone" called it "a ragged, blues-drenched, and thoroughly winning solo debut." Ju Ju Hounds played its first show in September at The Avalon in Chicago, before embarking on a tour of Europe, Australia, and North America.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: In May 1993, Stradlin reunited with Guns N' Roses for five shows in Europe and the Middle East to fill in for his replacement, Gilby Clarke, who had broken his wrist in a motorcycle accident. After Stradlin returned to the Ju Ju Hounds, Axl Rose dedicated the Stradlin-penned "Double Talkin' Jive" to him during several shows. In September, the Ju Ju Hounds undertook a tour of Japan, where the band played its final show at the Shibuya Public Hall in Tokyo. Stradlin then took time off from music, during which he traveled extensively and dedicated much of his time to his other passion - motor racing, even building a track close to his Indiana home.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: In 1995, Stradlin began recording material for his first solo album, "117°". Released in March 1998, the album was recorded in fits and starts over a period of two years and featured his former bandmates Duff McKagan and Rick Richards, as well as former Reverend Horton Heat drummer Taz Bentley, whose work Stradlin admired. As before, Stradlin had little interest in promoting his music; he did few interviews and played no live performances. The album turned out to be his last release on his long-time label Geffen; as a result of the merge between Geffen and Interscope, Stradlin was dropped from the label's roster.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: In December 1999, Stradlin's next solo album, "Ride On", was released on the Universal Victor label in Japan. It featured the same lineup as his previous release. To promote the album, Stradlin - with McKagan, Richards, and Bentley— played four shows in Japan the following April. With the addition of keyboardist Ian McLagan, the group recorded two more albums: "River", which was released in May 2001 on Sanctuary, and a second Japan-only release, "On Down the Road", which followed in August 2002 on JVC Victor.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Stradlin was then asked by his former Guns N' Roses bandmates Duff McKagan, Slash, and Matt Sorum to join the supergroup Velvet Revolver. Although he contributed to the songwriting process while the band was in its formative stage, Stradlin ultimately declined to join due to his aversion to life on the road and his unwillingness to work with a lead singer, although he offered to share vocal duties with McKagan.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: In 2003, Stradlin recorded his sixth album, "Like a Dog", with guitarist Rick Richards, drummer Taz Bentley, and bassist JT Longoria. It was originally scheduled for a late 2003 release, with just under one thousand promo copies made. However, the album was not released until October 2005, when Stradlin — prompted by a fan petition—made it available through internet order. The following year, Stradlin re-released "Ride On", "River", "On Down the Road", and "Like a Dog" through iTunes.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: In May 2006, thirteen years after his last performance with Guns N' Roses, Stradlin made a guest appearance at the band's show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York; he played on "Patience", "Think About You", and "Nightrain". He then performed with Guns N' Roses for 13 shows during the band's summer European tour. Stradlin said, "Axl [Rose] and I connected via cell phone this year, I stopped by. It was nice to reconnect with an old friend/war buddy/fellow musician. I told him later I'd like to join the fun in some way and he said I was welcome to come and play something, so I did! Took me about three weeks to recover from the six weeks of touring!" In December, he played three shows with the group at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Stradlin released his seventh album, "Miami", through iTunes in May 2007. It again featured Rick Richards, Taz Bentley, and JT Longoria, as well as keyboardist Joey Huffman. Guitarist Richards described the album as being "a bit of a departure from "Like a Dog" but still quite a rocker." In July, a remixed version of "Miami" was released through iTunes; Stradlin called the new mix "much louder and more powerful sounding." In November of that year, he released a second iTunes-only album, "Fire, the Acoustic Album", which also featured Richards, Bentley, and Longoria.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Stradlin's next iTunes release, "Concrete", came out in July 2008. In addition to his regular collaborators, Stradlin also invited Duff McKagan to play bass on three songs, including the title track. Stradlin then released two more albums through iTunes: "Smoke", which came out in December 2009, and "Wave of Heat", which followed in July 2010 and again featured McKagan, who appears on seven tracks. Also in 2010, Stradlin appeared as a guest on Slash's first solo album, "Slash"; he performs rhythm guitar on the first track, "Ghost".


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: In April 2012, Stradlin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the classic lineup of Guns N' Roses. In a statement released through Duff McKagan's blog for "Seattle Weekly", he thanked the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame "for the acknowledgement of our works over the years," his former bandmates, and his fans for their continuing support. Known to avoid public attention, Stradlin did not attend the induction ceremony.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: In the month following the induction, Stradlin joined Guns N' Roses on stage during two shows at London's O2 Arena, where they performed a range of songs including "14 Years," which had not been performed live since his departure in 1991. He also performed with Guns N' Roses in July, at a private show in Saint-Tropez and a concert in Palma de Mallorca, and again in November, during the last two shows of the band's twelve-date "Appetite for Democracy" residency in Las Vegas. Also in November, Stradlin released the iTunes-only single "Baby-Rann"—his first release in over two years; an accompanying video was made available via YouTube.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Amidst rumors and speculation, Stradlin joined Twitter, and confirmed in a statement to "Rolling Stone" that he will not be involved with the 'reunited' Guns N' Roses lineup in 2016. He later stated that he declined because the band "didn't want to split the loot equally". In 2018, Alan Niven reported that Stradlin participated in a soundcheck with Guns N' Roses sometime in 2017, but ultimately left before guesting on the show. Stradlin also reportedly declined special guest appearances similar to the ones Adler had.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Stradlin released numerous singles in 2016, previewing samples of the songs via his Twitter account and through the YouTube channel 'classicrockstuffs'. "Sunshine" by Jonathon Edwards and "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Stealers Wheel were acoustic videos made available through YouTube, whilst "Walk N' Song", "F.P. Money" (featuring former Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum), "To Being Alive" and a cover version of the J.J. Cale song "Call Me the Breeze "featuring Jesse Aycock and Lauren Barth, were released to online music stores.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: In 2017, Stradlin played guitar on the song "Grandview" by John Mellencamp, on his album "Sad Clowns & Hillbillies". Martina McBride was also featured on the song.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: On May 29, 1995, in Indiana, Stradlin married then 31 year old Swedish biologist and environmentalist Annica Kreuter. The couple divorced in California in May 2001.


title: Izzy Stradlin

text: Izzy's grandfather's half-brother, Joseph William "Little Joe" Isbell, born in Bloomington Indiana, 1916 and died in 2008 was also a recording and touring artist, described as a "country yodeler".


title: Poseidon (film)

text: Poseidon is a 2006 American action disaster film directed and co-produced by Wolfgang Petersen. It is the third film adaptation of Paul Gallico's 1969 novel "The Poseidon Adventure", and a loose remake of the 1972 film of the same name. It stars Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas and Richard Dreyfuss with Emmy Rossum, Jacinda Barrett, Mike Vogel, Jimmy Bennett, and Andre Braugher in supporting roles. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. in association with Virtual Studios. It had a simultaneous release in IMAX format. It was released on May 12, 2006, and nominated at the 79th Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects. It grossed $181 million worldwide on a budget of $160 million; however, after the costs of promotion and distribution, it lost around $77 million for the studio.


title: Poseidon (film)

text: The "Poseidon", a luxury passenger ship, is making a transatlantic crossing. Former New York City Mayor and firefighter Robert Ramsey is traveling with his daughter Jennifer and her boyfriend Christian Sanders to New York, soon to be engaged. Also on board is former Navy submariner-turned-professional gambler Dylan Johns, architect Richard Nelson, widowed Maggie James and her son Conor, stowaway Elena Morales, waiter Marco Valentin, and Captain Michael Bradford.


title: Poseidon (film)

text: As the passengers are enjoying a New Year's Eve party, officers on the bridge see a huge rogue wave bearing down on the ship. To survive the wave, they try to steer the ship to starboard to take the wave bow-first, but she does not turn fast enough. The wave swamps and capsizes the ship, killing the bridge officers along with many passengers and crew. In the ballroom, a badly injured Captain Bradford attempts to restore order and assures the surviving passengers that help is on the way, and tries to persuade them to stay put. Unconvinced, Dylan leads Conor, Maggie, Robert, Richard, and Valentin as they make their way towards the bow, where he believes that they will have the best chance of escaping from the capsized liner.


title: Poseidon (film)

text: As they head up, they have to cross an elevator shaft, into which Valentin falls to his death before being crushed by the falling elevator. They reunite with Jennifer, Christian, Elena, and gambler Lucky Larry, who had all been in the nightclub section of the ship, and who are the only survivors out of all of the occupants in the nightclub. The group crosses a makeshift bridge across the lobby, where Lucky Larry gets crushed by an engine. The pressure from the water finally cracks the ballroom windows, drowning the occupants, including Captain Bradford. With the water rising rapidly, the group escapes through an air duct and some ballast tanks, although Elena hits her head underwater and drowns as a result.


title: Poseidon (film)

text: With the ship slowly sinking, the survivors soon find themselves in a crew lounge where they find the bow section is flooded, until an explosion of the engine room lifts it out of the water. The group enters the bow thruster room and are horrified to find the thrusters still running. With their path blocked by the propellers, and knowing that the control room is submerged in water, Robert swims away to turn off the engine. He finds the "shut off" switch to be broken, but presses the reverse button instead, before drowning.


title: Poseidon (film)

text: With the propellers now spinning in the other direction, Dylan throws an acetylene tank into it, causing an explosion that destroys the propeller, and leaving an opening for them to escape through. The group jumps out the thruster and swims to a nearby inflatable raft, and as they are getting into the raft, the ship starts to sink. As they are paddling away, the waves push the raft farther away from the sinking liner. "Poseidon" flips back over, and across the water, the survivors look on as she sinks stern-first deep into the ocean. After the survivors fire a flare, two helicopters and several ships arrive to rescue them, having tracked the location of the "Poseidon"'s GPS beacon.


title: Poseidon (film)

text: As with the 1972 "The Poseidon Adventure" film, which based many of its sets on rooms aboard the RMS "Queen Mary", the film's set designers drew inspiration for some of the spaces aboard the fictional "Poseidon" from rooms aboard the "Queen Mary 2", most notably in "Poseidon"'s ballroom, which is partly modeled on the one of "Queen Mary 2".


title: Poseidon (film)

text: On the soundstage at Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank in California, two sets for each main room were built, one right-side-up and the other upside down. The upside-down ballroom was built on top of a large water tank in the soundstage so it could be flooded and drained in a matter of hours. The interior and exterior shots of the ship rolling were constructed with computer-generated imagery.


title: Poseidon (film)

text: The primary visual effects were completed by Industrial Light & Magic and Moving Picture Company. ILM used the most advanced version of mental ray to photorealistically light and render the shots, and was responsible for all of the ship's exterior shots. The most complicated work was the opening shot of the ship, where the camera tours the ship's exterior. It lasts for two and a half minutes, and featured one of the most complex digital models ILM had ever created. For water simulations, proprietary software known as PhysBAM was used, created in collaboration with Stanford University. Harold "Howie" Weed was the film's computer graphics modeler.


title: Poseidon (film)

text: Digital interiors and water effects were created by MPC, while liquid and gaseous effects were simulated with Scanline VFX proprietary software Flowline. Other shots were done by CIS Hollywood, with water effects simulated using RealFlow.


title: Poseidon (film)

text: The soundtrack was released on May 9, 2006, and includes music composed by Klaus Badelt, as well as songs performed by Fergie, who played the character Gloria in the film, and by Federico Aubele.


title: Poseidon (film)

text: "Be Without You (Moto Blanco Vocal Mix)" (8:44) by Mary J. Blige is played in the film but was not included on the soundtrack.


title: Poseidon (film)

text: It grossed $22,155,410 on its opening weekend, for an average of $6,232 from 3,555 theaters, finishing in second place behind "". It eventually earned $60,674,817 in the United States and $121,000,000 in foreign markets, for a total gross of $181,674,817. After all costs were factored in, "Poseidon" lost around $77 million for Warner Bros.


title: Poseidon (film)

text: On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, "Poseidon" has a score of 33% based on 203 reviews, with an average rating of 5.00/10. The consensus reads, "This remake of "The Poseidon Adventure" delivers dazzling special effects. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that any of the budget was left over to devote to the script." On Metacritic, which assesses films on a score out of 100, "Poseidon" has a rating of 50 based on 36 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it an average grade "B" on an A+ to F scale. It was also nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Remake or Ripoff, losing to "Little Man". However, it was commended for its realistic use of CGI in the capsizing scenes and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, losing to "".


title: Poseidon (film)

text: The exterior shots of the ship included 181,579 individual objects, with 382 cabins, 876 portholes, 73 towels, and 681 deck chairs, all created by digital effects company Industrial Light & Magic.


title: Poseidon (film)

text: "Poseidon" was released to DVD on August 22, 2006, in both single-disc and double-disc editions as well as Full-Screen and Widescreen formats and contains a behind-the-scenes featurette and the theatrical trailer. "Poseidon" was also released on DVD the same day that "" was. The 2 disc special edition expands on two bonus features, and also includes the documentaries "Poseidon: Upside Down: A Unique Set Design Chronicle"; "A Shipmate's Diary", which covers a film school intern's experience on the set; and a History Channel documentary which explores rogue waves. Domestic DVD sales for "Poseidon" were $27,196,438.


title: Perry Como

text: Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing with the label in 1943.


title: Perry Como

text: He recorded primarily vocal pop and was renowned for recordings in the intimate, easy-listening genre pioneered by multi-media star Bing Crosby.


title: Perry Como

text: "Mr. C.", as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records and pioneered a weekly musical variety television show. His weekly television shows and seasonal specials were broadcast throughout the world. In the official RCA Records "Billboard" magazine memorial, his life was summed up in these few words: "50 years of music and a life well lived. An example to all."


title: Perry Como

text: Como received five Emmys from 1955 to 1959, and a Christopher Award in 1956. He also shared a Peabody Award with good friend Jackie Gleason in 1956. He received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1987 and was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1990. Posthumously, Como received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 and was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006. He has the distinction of having three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio, television, and music.


title: Perry Como

text: Como was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, about southwest of Pittsburgh. He was the seventh of 13 children and the first American-born child of Pietro Como (1877-1945) and Lucia Travaglini (1883-1961), who both emigrated to the US in 1910 from the Abruzzese town of Palena, Italy. He did not begin speaking English until he entered school, since the Comos spoke Italian at home. The family had a second-hand organ his father had bought for $3; as soon as Como was able to toddle, he would head to the instrument, pump the bellows, and play music he had heard. Pietro, a mill hand and an amateur baritone, had all his children attend music lessons even if he could barely afford them. In a rare 1957 interview, Como's mother, Lucia, described how her young son also took on other jobs to pay for more music lessons; Como learned to play many different instruments, but never had a voice lesson. He showed more musical talent in his teenage years as a trombone player in the town's brass band, playing guitar, singing at weddings, and as an organist at church. Como was a member of the Canonsburg Italian Band along with bandleader Stan Vinton, who was the father of singer Bobby Vinton, and often a customer at Como's barber shop.


title: Perry Como

text: Como started helping his family at age 10, working before and after school in Steve Fragapane's barber shop for 50¢ a week. By age 13, he had graduated to having his own chair in the Fragapane barber shop, although he stood on a box to tend to his customers. It was also around this time that Como lost his week's wages in a dice game. Filled with shame, he locked himself in his room and did not come out until hunger got the better of him. He managed to tell his father what had happened to the money his family depended on. His father told him he was entitled to make a mistake and that he hoped his son would never do anything worse than this. When Como was 14, his father became unable to work because of a severe heart condition. Como and his brothers became the support of the household.


title: Perry Como

text: Despite his musical ability, Como's primary ambition was to become the best barber in Canonsburg. Practicing on his father, he mastered the skills well enough to have his own shop at age 14. One of Como's regular customers at the barber shop owned a Greek coffee house that included a barber shop area, and asked Como whether he would like to take over that portion of his shop. Como had so much work after moving to the coffee house, he had to hire two barbers to help with it. His customers worked mainly at the nearby steel mills. They were well-paid, did not mind spending money on themselves and enjoyed Como's song renditions. He did especially well when one of his customers would marry. The groom and his men would avail themselves of every treatment Como and his assistants had to offer. Como sang romantic songs while busying himself with the groom as the other two barbers worked with the rest of the groom's party. During the wedding preparation, the groom's friends and relatives would come into the shop with gifts of money for Como. He became so popular as a "wedding barber" in the Greek community that he was asked to provide his services in Pittsburgh and throughout Ohio.


title: Perry Como

text: In 1932, Como left Canonsburg, moving about 100 miles away to Meadville, Pennsylvania, where his uncle had a barber shop in the Hotel Conneaut. About 80 miles from Cleveland, it was a popular stop on the itinerary for dance bands who worked up and down the Ohio Valley. Como, his girlfriend Roselle, and their friends had gone to nearby Cleveland; their good times took them to the Silver Slipper Ballroom where Freddy Carlone and his orchestra were playing. Carlone invited anyone who thought he might have talent to come up and sing with his band. Como was terrified, but his friends urged him and pushed him onto the stage. Carlone was so impressed with Como's performance that he immediately offered him a job.


title: Perry Como

text: Como was not certain if he should accept the offer Freddy Carlone had made, so he returned to Canonsburg to talk the matter over with his father. Como expected his father would tell him to stay in the barber business, but to his surprise, his father told him if he did not take the opportunity, he might never know whether or not he could be a professional singer. The decision was also made with an eye on finances; Como earned around $125 per week from his barber shop while the job with Carlone paid $28 per week. Roselle was willing to travel with her fiance and the band, but the salary was not enough to support two people on the road. Perry and Roselle were married in Meadville on July 31, 1933; four days later, Como joined Freddy Carlone's band and began working with them. Roselle returned home to Canonsburg; Como would be on the road for the next 18 months.


title: Perry Como

text: Three years after joining the Carlone band, Como moved to Ted Weems's Orchestra and his first recording dates. Como and Weems met in 1936 while the Carlone orchestra was playing in Warren, Ohio. Como initially did not take the offer to join Weems's orchestra. Apparently realizing it was the best move for Como, Carlone selflessly urged him to sign with Weems. Art Jarrett had just left the Weems organization to start his own band. Weems was in need of a vocalist; Como got a raise, as Weems paid him $50 per week, and his first chance for nationwide exposure. Weems and his orchestra were based in Chicago and were regulars on "The Jack Benny Program" and "Fibber McGee and Molly". The Weems band also had its own weekly radio program heard on the Mutual Broadcasting System during 1936–1937.


title: Perry Como

text: It was here where Como acquired polish and his own style with the help of Weems. Mutual's Chicago affiliate, WGN radio, threatened to stop carrying the Weems broadcasts from Chicago's Palmer House if Weems's new singer did not improve. Weems had recordings of some of his previous radio programs; one evening he and Como listened to them, and Como was shocked to realize that no one could make out the words to the songs he was singing. Weems told Como there was no need for him to resort to vocal tricks; what was necessary was to sing from the heart.


title: Perry Como

text: Como's first recording with the Weems band was a novelty tune called "You Can't Pull the Wool Over My Eyes", recorded for the Decca Records label in May, 1936. During one of Como's early Decca recording sessions with the Weems orchestra, Weems was told to get rid of "that kid" (Como) because he sounded too much like Bing Crosby, who also recorded for Decca. Before Como could reply, Weems spoke up, saying that Como was part of the session or it was over. By the time Como had been with Ted Weems about a year, he was mentioned in a 1937 "Life" magazine NBC Radio ad for "Fibber McGee and Molly" as "causing cardiac flutters with his crooning". The weekly radio show, "Beat the Band", which ran on NBC from 1940–1944, was a "stump the band" type musical quiz show on which Weems and his orchestra were the featured band from 1940–1941.


title: Perry Como

text: The Comos' first child, Ronnie, was born in 1940 while the Weems band was working in Chicago. Como left to be at his wife's side even though he was threatened with dismissal if he did so. Though Como was now making $250 a week and travel expenses for the family were no problem, Ronnie could not become used to a normal routine when they were able to stay in one place for a period of time. The radio program "Beat the Band" did not always originate from Chicago, but was often broadcast from other cities such as Milwaukee, Denver, and St. Louis, as the band continued to play road engagements while part of the radio program was broadcast. Como decided life on the road was no place to try raising a child, and Roselle and the baby went back to Canonsburg.


title: Perry Como

text: In late 1942, Como made the decision to quit the Weems band, even if it meant he had to give up singing. He returned to Canonsburg, his family, and his trade, weary of life on the road, and missing his wife and son. Como received an offer to become a Frank Sinatra imitator, but chose to keep his own style. While Como was negotiating for a store lease to re-open a barber shop, he received a call from Tommy Rockwell at General Artists Corporation, who also represented Weems. Como fielded many other calls that also brought offers, but he liked and trusted Rockwell, who was offering him his own sustaining (non-sponsored) Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) radio show and promising to get him a recording contract. The offers were also appealing because it meant staying put in New York with no more road tours. As Como pondered the job offer, Roselle told him, "You can always get another barber shop if it doesn't work out!" Until the radio show and recording contract offers, he did not really view singing as his true career, believing the years with Carlone and Weems had been enjoyable, but now it was time to get back to work. Como said in a 1983 interview, "I thought I'd have my fun and I'd go home to work."


title: Perry Como

text: Perry made his debut radio broadcast for CBS on March 12, 1943. Rockwell's next move was to book Como into the renowned Copacabana nightclub for two weeks beginning on June 10, 1943. One week later he signed his first RCA Victor contract and three days after that cut his first record for the company, "Goodbye, Sue". It was the beginning of a professional relationship that would last for 44 years. He became a very successful performer in theater and nightclub engagements; Como's initial two weeks at the Copacabana in June stretched into August. Sinatra would sometimes call Como and ask him to fill in for him at his Paramount Theater performances.


title: Perry Como

text: The crooning craze was at its height during this time and the "bobby soxer" and "swooner" teenage girls who were wild about Sinatra added Como to their list. A "swooners" club voted Perry "Crooner of the Year" in 1943. The line for a Perry Como Paramount performance was three deep and wound around the city block. Como's popularity also extended to a more mature audience when he played the Versailles and returned to the Copacabana, where the management placed "SRO-Swooning Ruled Out" cards on their tables.


title: Perry Como

text: Doug Storer, who was an advertising manager with the Blackman Company at the time, became convinced of Como's abilities after hearing him on his non-sponsored CBS Radio show. Storer produced a demo radio program recording with Como and the Mitchell Ayres Orchestra which he brought to the advertising agency that handled the Chesterfield Cigarettes account. Initially, the agency liked the format of the show, but wanted someone else as the star, asking Storer to obtain the release of the singer they preferred, so he would be free for their new program. Storer decided to do nothing about getting the singer released from his contract. When he was contacted by the agency some weeks later, saying they were ready to put the program on the air on NBC, Storer bluntly told them the man for their show was the man they had heard on the demo recording. The program was scheduled to make its debut in a week; the only option was to hire Como for the show. Storer then arranged for Como's release from his CBS contract. On December 11, 1944, he moved from CBS to NBC for a new radio program, "Chesterfield Supper Club".


title: Perry Como

text: The April 5, 1946, broadcasts of the "Chesterfield Supper Club" took place 20,000 feet in the air; these were the first known instances of a complete radio show being presented from an airplane. Como, Jo Stafford, the Lloyd Shaffer Orchestra and the entire "Supper Club" crew made the flights for the shows. There were two "Supper Club" broadcast flights that evening: at 6 PM and again at 10 PM for the West Coast broadcast of the show. A total of three flights were made; there was an earlier rehearsal flight for reception purposes. In addition to the instruments for the band, the plane also carried a small piano. Because the stand-held microphones were not very useful on the plane, hand-held mikes were then used, but due to the cabin pressure, they became extremely heavy to hold after a few minutes. This mid-air performance caused the American Federation of Musicians to consider this a new type of engagement and issue a special set of rates for it.


title: Perry Como

text: From 1989 until his death in 2001, Como co-hosted a weekly syndicated radio show with John Knox called "Weekend With Perry".


title: Perry Como

text: Como had not made a night club appearance in 26 years when he accepted an engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas in June 1970, which also resulted in his first "live" album, "Perry Como in Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas". Ray Charles, whose Ray Charles Singers were heard with Como for over 35 years, formed a special edition of the vocal group for his Las Vegas opening. Prior to this he had last appeared at New York's Copacabana in 1944. Como continued to do periodic engagements in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, limiting his night club appearances to Nevada.


title: Perry Como

text: Performing live again brought Como a new sense of enjoyment. In May 1974, he embarked on his first concert appearance outside of the United States, a show at the London Palladium for the Variety Club of Great Britain to aid children's charities. It was here where he discovered what he had been missing when the audience cheered for ten minutes after he walked onstage. At the show's end, Como sat in a chair, delightedly chatting back and forth with his equally delighted fans. Perry returned to the United Kingdom in November for a "Royal Variety Performance" to benefit the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund with the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in attendance. Como was invited to visit Buckingham Palace the day after the show. At first, the invitation did not extend to his associates traveling and working with him, and Como politely declined. When word reached the Palace regarding the reason for Perry's turning down the invitation, it was then extended to include all in the Como party and Como accepted this invitation. Soon after, he announced his first concert tour that began in the UK in the spring of 1975.


title: Perry Como

text: In 1982, Como and Frank Sinatra were invited to entertain Italian President Sandro Pertini at a White House State dinner when he made an official visit. President Pertini enjoyed their performance enough to join them in singing "Santa Lucia". The pair reprised this routine the next year in California as part of the entertainment for Queen Elizabeth's Royal visit. Perry was on the program by special request of the Queen.


title: Perry Como

text: The year 1984 found Como traveling the US with his 50th Anniversary tour. Having spent most of his professional life in radio or recording studios and on television soundstages, he was enjoying doing live performances. Even after his 80th birthday, Como continued the concert tours. Gone, however, were the cardigan sweaters which had been a staple of his weekly television shows, and which he had actually hated wearing. Como now performed in a tuxedo, saying, "It shows respect for the audience." The return to live appearances also provided Como with an opportunity to have a little fun with his "Mister Nice Guy" image in a song Ray Charles and Nick Perito his closest collaborator since 1963, wrote and composed for him:It doesn't take a guy equipped with ESP, to see what's cookin' with your curiosity!


title: Perry Como

text: Is "Mister Nice Guy" just a press agent's pitch? his dearest friends say he's a ...You never thought you'd see me in Las Vegas 'live' I haven't played a "club" since 1885!It's spelled out in dollar signs (you better believe it!) I can almost read your minds!


title: Perry Como

text: Como credited Bing Crosby for influencing his voice and style. Como's voice is known for its good-natured vocal acrobatics as portrayed in his novelty songs such as "Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)", but there was another side to Como. Music critic Gene Lees describes it in his sleeve note to Como's 1968 album "Look To Your Heart":


title: Perry Como

text: Despite his immense popularity, Como is rarely given credit for what, once you stop and think of it, he so clearly is: one of the great singers and one of the great artists of our time.


title: Perry Como

text: Perhaps the reason people rarely talk about his formidable attributes as a singer is that he makes so little fuss about them. That celebrated ease of his has been too little understood. Ease in any art is the result of mastery over the details of the craft. You get them together to the point where you can forget about how you do things and concentrate on what you are doing. Como got them together so completely that the muscles don't even show. It seems effortless, but a good deal of effort has gone into making it seem so. Como is known to be meticulous about rehearsal of the material for an album. He tries things out in different keys, gives the song thought, makes suggestions, tries it again, and again, until he is satisfied. The hidden work makes him look like Mr. Casual, and too many people are taken in by it—but happily so.


title: Perry Como

text: Como's Hollywood-type good looks earned him a seven-year contract with 20th Century-Fox in 1943. He made four films for Fox, "Something for the Boys" (1944), "March of Time" (1945), "Doll Face" (1945), and "If I'm Lucky" (1946). He also appeared in a single film for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, "Words and Music" (1948). Como never appeared to be truly comfortable in films, feeling the roles assigned him did not match his personality.


title: Perry Como

text: A Hollywood press agent sought to alter Como's life story by changing his previous occupation from barber to coal miner, claiming it would make for better press. Fred Othman, a Hollywood columnist, publicly stated that he believed Como the barber was just a publicity gimmick. Como gave him a shave and haircut at the Fox Studios barber shop to prove him wrong. In 1985, Como related the story of his first film role experience in "Something for the Boys". He sat ready to work in his dressing room for two weeks without being called. Como spent the next two weeks playing golf, still not missed by the studio. It was five weeks before he was actually called to the set, despite the studio's initial urgent report for work notice. When Como finally appeared, the director had no idea who he was.


title: Perry Como

text: At the time Como was signed, musical films were on the wane and he became a studio contract player, where the actors or actresses worked only when the studio needed to fill out a schedule. Though his last film, "Words and Music", was made for prestigious Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Como fared no better. Less than two weeks before the film's release, Walter Winchell wrote in his syndicated column, "Someone at MGM must have been dozing when they wrote the script for "Words and Music". In most of the film Perry Como is called Eddie Anders and toward the end (for no reason) they start calling him Perry Como." Como asked for and received a release from the remainder of his MGM contract later the same year. Quoting Como, "I was wasting their time and they were wasting mine."


title: Perry Como

text: Como's comments during a 1949 interview were prophetic, as far as his success was concerned. At the time he was doing the "Chesterfield Supper Club" on both radio and television, "Television is going to do me a lot more personal good than the movies ever have ... The reason should be obvious. On television, I'm allowed to be myself; in pictures, I was always some other guy. I come over like just another bum in a tuxedo." After he began appearing regularly on television, Como was offered some film roles that interested him, but there was just never enough time to pursue any film work.


title: Perry Como

text: Como made the move to television when NBC initially televised the "Chesterfield Supper Club" radio program on December 24, 1948. A guest on that first television show was Como's eight-year-old son, Ronnie, as part of a boys' choir singing "Silent Night" with his father. The show was the usual Friday night "Chesterfield Supper Club" with an important exception—it was also being broadcast on television. The experimental simulcast was to continue for three Friday "Supper Club" shows, but had gone so well, NBC decided to extend the televised version through August 1949. Years later, Como admitted to being scared and feeling awkward initially but somehow managed to just be himself. Said Como, "You can't act on TV. With me, what you see is what you get." While still in its experimental phase, Como and the television show survived an on location broadcast in Durham, North Carolina, on April 15, 1949.


title: Perry Como

text: On September 8, 1949, it became a weekly half-hour offering on Sunday nights, directly opposite Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town". In 1950, Como moved to CBS and the show's title was changed to "The Perry Como Chesterfield Show", again sponsored by Liggett & Myers' Chesterfield cigarettes. Como hosted this informal 15 minute musical variety series on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, following the "CBS Television News". "The Faye Emerson Show" was initially broadcast in the same time slot on Tuesday and Thursday. By 1952, it was evident that television would replace radio as the major entertainment medium. Gary Giddins, the biographer of Bing Crosby, said in 2001, "He (Como) came from this whole generation of crooners—Crosby and Sinatra, but he was the only one of them who figured out TV." Como's 15-minute television show was also simulcast on radio via the Mutual Broadcasting System beginning on August 24, 1953; while the "Chesterfield Supper Club" broadcasts were simulcast on radio and television, this was the first instance of a simulcast between two networks.


title: Perry Como

text: Como's CBS contract was to expire on July 1, 1955. The year before, he had been asked to be the master of ceremonies and narrator of the NBC Radio 35th anniversary special. That April, Perry Como signed a 12-year "unbreakable" contract with NBC. On his last CBS show, June 24, 1955, Como was in high spirits, bringing all those who worked off camera on the air for introductions. Como tried his hand at camera work, getting a picture on the air but one that was upside-down. In appreciation for the 11-year association, his sponsor, Chesterfield, presented him with all the musical arrangements used during this time as a parting gift.


title: Perry Como

text: He moved back to NBC with "The Perry Como Show", a weekly hour-long variety show featuring additional musical and production numbers, comedy sketches and guest stars premiering September 17, 1955. This version of his show was also so popular that, in the 1956 – 1957 television season, it reached ninth in the Nielsen ratings: the only show on NBC that season to land in the top ten.


title: Perry Como

text: Como's "Dream Along With Me" became the show's opening theme song, "Mr. C." received the first of many "stacks and stacks of letters" requesting him to sing a specific song. It was also here where he began wearing his trademark cardigan sweaters. The "Sing to me, Mr. C." segment with Como seated on a stool singing viewer requested songs had its roots in the first television broadcasts of "Chesterfield Supper Club". When cameras entered the "Supper Club" radio studio, they found Como and his guests sitting on stools behind music stands. The show's closing theme was, "You Are Never Far Away From Me".


title: Perry Como

text: Perry's announcer on the broadcasts, Frank Gallop, became a foil for Como's jokes. When the television show began, there was not enough room for Gallop to appear on stage; he was an invisible "voice from the clouds" until the show's 1958 – 1959 season. There was as much fun at rehearsals as on the show itself. Como's relaxed and fun-loving manner at rehearsals put many nervous guests at ease. It was common for Como to leave the Saturday-afternoon rehearsal for about a half-hour to go to confession. He managed to save some time by asking his music publisher, Mickey Glass, to wait in line for him at the confessional. Glass, who was Jewish, was most agreeable to this but wondered what to do if his turn came before Como arrived.


title: Perry Como

text: Como thoroughly enjoyed his years working in television, saying in a 1989 interview, "I got a kick out of live television. The spontaneity was the fun of it." Spontaneity and the ability to be himself came in handy for swimmer/actress Esther Williams' guest appearance of March 16, 1957. A wardrobe malfunction meant that viewers were seeing more of Esther than 1950s television considered to be in good taste; more live show mishaps followed. At the show's end, Williams was swimming in a pool specially constructed on the set for her appearance. Como simply said, "Goodnight, folks," and leaped, fully clothed, into the swimming pool.


title: Perry Como

text: On December 17, 1955, viewers were able to see first-hand what Como did for a living before he was a professional singer. Actor Kirk Douglas was one of Como's television guests; Douglas had grown a beard for his Vincent van Gogh role in "Lust For Life", which finished filming that week. Como shaved Douglas' beard live on national television. On September 15, 1956, the season premiere of "The Perry Como Show" was broadcast from NBC's new color television studio at the New York Ziegfeld Theatre, making it one of the first weekly color TV shows. In addition to this season premiere as a color television show, there was also a royal visit from Prince Rainier of Monaco and his bride of six months, Grace Kelly. Como competed with Jackie Gleason in what was billed as the "Battle of the Giants" and won. This is rarely mentioned, in part because Como commonly downplayed his achievements and because the two men were friends. The weekly ratings winner would phone the loser for some mock gloating. At the height of this television competition, Como asked Gleason a favor: to visit his home when his mother-in-law, a big Gleason fan, was there. Though Mrs. Belline spoke no English and Gleason no Italian, Roselle's mother was thrilled. Como's words to Gleason after the visit, "Anything you want, you got it. In fact, I'll even do one of your shows so the ratings will be better." Como was among those who filled in for Gleason on "The Jackie Gleason Show" in 1954 when the entertainer suffered a broken ankle and leg in an on-air fall.


title: Perry Como

text: An example of Como's popularity came in 1956, when "Life" conducted a poll of young women, asking them which man in public life most fit the concept of their ideal husband: it was Perry Como. A 1958 nationwide poll of U.S. teenagers found Como to be the most popular male singer, beating Elvis Presley, who was the winner of the previous year's poll. At one point, his television show was broadcast in at least 12 other countries.


title: Perry Como

text: Another way to judge the value of the Como show to the network can be found in the following: during sound checks at rehearsals, it was often difficult to hear Como's soft voice without having a large microphone ruin a camera shot. NBC had RCA design a microphone for the show—the RCA Type BK-10A—which was known as the "Como mic"; the microphone was able to pick up Como's voice properly and was small enough not to interfere with camera shots.


title: Perry Como

text: In 1959, Como signed a $25 million deal with Kraft Foods and moved to Wednesday nights, hosting "Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall" weekly for the next four years. Over the next four seasons, from 1963 to 1967, the series was presented as monthly specials alternating with "Kraft Suspense Theatre", "The Andy Williams Show", and finally "The Road West". Como became the highest-paid performer in the history of television to that date, earning mention in the "Guinness Book of World Records". Como himself took part in none of this; his production company, Roncom, named for son Ronald Como, handled the transaction along with all other Como business matters. Como also had control of the show which would replace his during the summer television hiatus. While "Mr. C." was having a holiday, viewers would see "Perry Presents", beginning in 1959.


title: Perry Como

text: In late 1962, after the Cuban Missile Crisis had settled well enough to permit the evacuated servicemen's families to return to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara was eager to do more for morale there. He asked Como to bring his television show to the Naval base. Como and his cast and crew were at Guantanamo when the families of the armed forces began their return. The first entertainers to visit the base since the crisis, the Como show filmed there for eight days. Some highlights of the program, which was seen in the US on December 12, 1962, included Como's shaving a serviceman with a Castro-like beard and the enthusiastic participation when Perry asked for volunteers to come on stage to do the Twist with the lovely ladies who were part of the visiting dance troupe.


title: Perry Como

text: Filming for the "Kraft Music Hall" Christmas show that was aired on December 17, 1964 began at the Vatican November 7. By special permission of Pope Paul VI, Como and his crew were able to shoot segments in the Vatican gardens and other areas where cameras had never been permitted previously. The show featured the first television appearance of the Sistine Chapel Choir, and also the first time a non-choir member (Como) sang with them. The choir performed a Christmas hymn in Latin written by their director, Domenico Bartolucci, called "Christ Is Born", as part of their presentation. Como asked his associate, Ray Charles, to write English lyrics for the song, using it many times on both television shows and his Christmas albums. The Carpenters also recorded the song on their first Christmas album, "Christmas Portrait".


title: Perry Como

text: Beginning in 1967, Como began reducing his TV appearances, gradually becoming limited to seasonal and holiday specials with the emphasis being on Christmas. Como had numerous Christmas television specials, beginning on Christmas Eve 1948, and continuing to 1994, when his final Christmas special was recorded in Ireland. They were recorded in many countries, including Israel, Mexico, and Canada, as well as many locations throughout the United States, including a Colonial America Christmas in Williamsburg, Virginia. The 1987 Christmas special was cancelled at the behest of an angry Como; The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) was willing to offer him only a Saturday 10 PM time slot for it three weeks before the holiday. Como filled the yearly gap for his fans with live Christmas concerts in various locations.


title: Perry Como

text: Como's final Christmas special was filmed in January 1994 in Dublin's Point Theatre before an audience of 4,500 people, including Irish President Mary Robinson and Como's friend, the actress Maureen O'Hara. "Perry Como's Irish Christmas" was a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) production, made by an Irish independent production company in association with RTÉ. Como, appearing aged and unwell, had the flu during the show, which took four hours to record. At the show's conclusion, Como apologized to his Dublin audience for a performance he felt was not up to his usual standards. During his visit to Dublin, Como visited a barber shop called "The Como" on Thomas Street. The owners, lifelong fans who named their business in his honor, had sent photographs of the shop and letters to Como inviting him to visit. Photos of Como with the barbers were framed in the shop. "The Como" closed in 2002, but it remains a household name in The Liberties.


title: Perry Como

text: In 1929, the 17-year-old Como met Roselle Belline at a picnic on Chartiers Creek that attracted many young people from the Canonsburg area. Como, who attended the cookout with another girl, did not spot Roselle until everyone was around the campfire singing and the gathering was coming to a close. When it came Como's turn to sing, he chose "More Than You Know", with his eyes on Roselle for the entire song. They were married July 31, 1933. They raised three children, Ronnie, David, and Terri, with traditional values. Because Como believed his professional life and his personal life should be kept separate, he declined repeated interview requests from Edward R. Murrow's "Person to Person".


title: Perry Como

text: In 1958, the Comos celebrated their silver wedding anniversary with a family trip to Italy. On the itinerary was an audience with Pope Pius XII. Como, who sat in a side wing of the Long Island church where he attended Sunday Mass in an effort to avoid attracting attention, was both puzzled and upset on returning home that photos from the visit made the newspapers throughout the world. A thorough check of both the Como and NBC publicity offices found that neither was responsible for the release of the photos to the media; it was done by the Vatican's press department. When Perry and Roselle became Knight Commander and Lady Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in 1952, it was a news item only after Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who had been honored at the same ceremony, mentioned it some time later.


title: Perry Como

text: Como suffered a debilitating fall from a stage platform in 1971 while taping "Perry Como's Winter Show" in Hollywood. X-rays showed no serious injury to his knee, but by the next morning, it was swollen to twice its normal size. Como chartered a jet back to his home and doctors in Florida, where a second exam showed it had been seriously broken. His knee was re-set and placed in a cast with a recuperation time of eight months. In 1993, he was successfully treated for bladder cancer. Roselle died suddenly on August 12, 1998, at the age of 84; the couple had been married for 65 years. Como was reportedly devastated by her death.


title: Perry Como

text: One of the many factors in his success was Como's insistence on his principles of good taste; if he considered something to be in bad or questionable taste, it was not in the show or broadcast. When a remark made by Julius La Rosa about television personality Arthur Godfrey on "The Perry Como Show" was misconstrued, Como offered an on-air apology at the beginning of his next show, against the advice of his staff. While his performance of "Ave Maria" was a tradition of his holiday television programs, Como refused to sing it at live performances, saying, "It's not the time or place to do it", even though it was the number-one request of his audiences.


title: Perry Como

text: Another was his naturalness; the man that viewers saw on television every week was the same person who could be encountered behind a supermarket shopping cart, at a bowling alley, or in a kitchen making breakfast. From his first "Chesterfield Supper Club" television show, if scripts were written at all, they were based on Como's everyday manner of speaking. Though Como was widely known for his amiability, laid-back and easygoing style, he was not devoid of a temper, and it could be seen at times as a result of the frustrations of daily life. Mitchell Ayres, his musical director from 1948 to 1963 said, "Perry has a temper like everyone else. And he loses his temper at the normal things everyone else does. When we're driving, for instance, and somebody cuts him off, he really lets the offender have it."


title: Perry Como

text: Bing Crosby once described Como as "the man who invented casual". His preference for casual clothing did not keep him from being named one of the Best Dressed Men beginning in 1946, and continuing long after Como stopped appearing on weekly television. Como also had his own line of sports/casual men's clothing made by Bucknell c. early 1950s.


title: Perry Como

text: Perry was an avid and accomplished golfer; there was always time to try getting in a game of golf. "Perry Como Putters" were sold by MacGregor, each stamped with a Como facsimile autograph. His colleagues held an annual Perry Como Golf Tournament to honor him and his love for the game. Como's guests on the October 3, 1962, broadcast were Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player. The four golfers played 18 holes for the cameras at Sands Point, New York, where the Comos made their home in the television years. Como also enjoyed fishing and he could be found out on his boat almost daily after the family moved to Florida. Perry's catches would usually turn out to be the Como family's dinners. Como also used his boat as a rehearsal hall with pre-recorded instrumental tapes sent to him by RCA Victor. Como would work on material while he was waiting for the fish to bite. Having enjoyed golfing and fishing in the North Carolina mountains for several years, Como built a vacation home in Saluda, North Carolina, in 1980. He discouraged photos of his home, as it was his private place to get away from the celebrity life.


title: Perry Como

text: Como died in his sleep on May 12, 2001, at his home in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida, six days before his 89th birthday. He was reported to have suffered from symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Como's older son, Ronnie, and his daughter, Terri, could not agree on their interpretations of Como's 1999 living will and it became a matter for the courts in the year before his death. His funeral Mass took place at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Palm Beach, Florida. Como and his wife, Roselle, are buried at Riverside Memorial Park, Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida.


title: Perry Como

text: Como received the 1959 Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male; five Emmys from 1955 to 1959; a Christopher Award (1956) and shared a Peabody Award with good friend Jackie Gleason in 1956. He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1990 and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1987. Posthumously, Como received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002; he was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Como has the distinction of having three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio, television, and music.


title: Perry Como

text: In the official RCA Records "Billboard" memorial, his life was summed up in these words: "50 years of music and a life well lived. An example to all." Composer Ervin Drake said of him, "... [o]ccasionally someone like Perry comes along and won't 'go with the flow' and still prevails in spite of all the bankrupt others who surround him and importune him to yield to their values. Only occasionally."


title: Perry Como

text: Canonsburg has always been very proud to be the birthplace of Perry Como; the local newspaper of the time, "Canonsburg Daily Notes", seems to have been the first to write an article about him. Their edition of July 19, 1934, featured a photo and the following: "A young Canonsburg boy threatens to snatch the crown from Bing Crosby's head. Perry Como, son of Mr. and Mrs. Pietro Como of 530 Franklin Ave. is said to have one of the grandest baritone voices in the country." The borough honored him three times over the course of his life. The first of these events took place September 14, 1946, when Third Street, where Perry worked in the barber shop of Steve Fragapane, was renamed "Perry Como Avenue". Perry, Roselle, and Como's mother, Lucy, attended the ceremonies and banquet held at the State Armory.


title: Perry Como

text: A second ceremony marking Perry Como Day took place August 24, 1977, but the most ambitious project began in 1997 – a statue of the singer. The planned statue had the blessing of Como's wife, Roselle, who died the year before it was unveiled on May 15, 1999. As part of the festivities, Como's stool and music stand from "The Perry Como Show" and the equipment he used at Steve Fragapane's barber shop were donated to the borough. Como was not present at the unveiling because of poor health. The inscription on the base, "To This Place God Has Brought Me", was a favorite saying of Como's; the musical feature was added in 2002.


title: Perry Como

text: The Como celebration crossed the Atlantic in August 2002. Palena, Italy, the birthplace of Como's parents, had a long-standing week-long festival in honor of the singer. A smaller version of the statue was taken to Palena by the mayor of Canonsburg, Anthony Colaizzo. Perry's son, David, and his wife were also in attendance when the town of Palena renamed a street for Como. Dating from these ceremonies, there is a marble plaque on a Palena town wall stating that Pietro and Lucia Como, parents of Perry Como, emigrated from this village to the United States.


title: Perry Como

text: Perry Como never forgot Canonsburg. One of the things he did to give a helping hand to his home town was to convince RCA to open a record-pressing plant there. Those who needed to raise funds for local projects like Boys' and Girls' Clubs found him always ready to do whatever was needed.


title: Perry Como

text: In 2007, the local McDonald's was rebuilt. The building includes memorabilia of Como and another Canonsburg native, Bobby Vinton. A children's playground in Canonsburg on Giffin Avenue is also named for Como. In downtown Canonsburg, all of the tree grates are marked with information about the records that sold a million copies and the town clock hourly plays one of the hits of Como (141), Vinton (44), or the Four Coins (7), also from Canonsburg.


title: Cornhole

text: Cornhole (also known regionally as sack toss, or bags) is a lawn game popular in North America in which players or teams take turns throwing fabric bean bags at a raised, angled board with a hole in its far end. The goal of the game is to score points by either landing a bag on the board (one point) or putting a bag through the hole (three points).


title: Cornhole

text: The game was first described in Heyliger de Windt's 1883 patent for "Parlor Quoits" displays most of the features of modern cornhole, but with a square hole instead of a round one. Quoits is a game similar to horseshoes, played by throwing steel discs at a metal spike. De Windt's patent followed several earlier "parlor quoits" patents that sought to recreate quoit gameplay in an indoor environment. His was the first to use bean bags and a slanted board with a hole as the target.


title: Cornhole

text: He sold the rights to the game to a Massachusetts toy manufacturer that marketed a version of it under the name "Faba Baga." Unlike modern cornhole, which has one hole and one size of bags, a Faba Baga board had two different-sized holes, worth different point values, and provided each player with one extra-large bag per round, which could score double points.


title: Cornhole

text: In September 1974, "Popular Mechanics" magazine published an article written by Carolyn Farrell about a similar game called "Bean-bag Bull's-eye." Bean-bag bull's-eye was played on a board the same width of modern cornhole boards (24"), but only 36" long as opposed to the 48" length used in cornhole. The hole was the same diameter (6") but was centered 8" (rather than 9") from the back of the board. Each player threw two bags, weighing eight ounces each, "in succession." The boards in bean-bag bull's-eye were placed "about 30 ft. apart for adults, 10 ft. for kids." Scoring was essentially the same as that used in cornhole (three points for a bag in the hole, one point for a bag remaining on the board) and also used cancellation scoring.


title: Cornhole

text: In the Chicago area, a similar game is referred to as "bags," but uses rectangular bags. The game spread in Chicago, Illinois, and the Northwest region of Indiana in the late 1970s and early 1980s, perhaps due to the "Popular Mechanics" article mentioned above. Cornhole as it is now known originated and gained popularity on Cincinnati's west side (near Ferguson Avenue) in the 1980s and spread to surrounding areas in Kentucky and Southeast Indiana.


title: Cornhole

text: The American Cornhole League (ACL) was founded in 2015 by Stacey Moore. According to the ACL's website, it promotes and develops cornhole as a sport on every level, and created software and apps to manage cornhole leagues, tournaments, special events, and player development.


title: Cornhole

text: The American Cornhole Organization (ACO) was established in 2005 and is headquartered in Milford, Ohio. As of August 1, 2019, the ACO claimed on its website to be the "governing body for the sport of cornhole."


title: Cornhole

text: The American Cornhole Association (ACA) is an organization whose sole mission is to help cornhole players enjoy the game of cornhole. According to its website, "[o]ne of the most important ways to achieve this goal is for people to have high-quality equipment to play on." Accordingly, the ACA is largely focused on selling cornhole-related products and equipment rather than acting as a sanctioning body of the sport; however, it does have its own rules and does sponsor events.


title: Cornhole

text: Cornhole matches are played with two sets of four bags (eight total), two boards and two, four, or eight players.


title: Cornhole

text: There are four bags to a set. Each set of bags should be distinguishable from the other, usually by using different colors. The American Cornhole League's rules call for double-seamed fabric bags measuring and weighing . Although bags used to be filled with preserved corn kernels (hence "cornhole") or dried beans, bags are now usually filled with plastic resin or other materials that will maintain a consistent weight and shape over many throws without deforming. Bags are usually dual-sided, with each side of the bag being a different material that can affect grip and react faster or slower on the board's surface. Faster bags are often preferred in humid conditions when bags will not slide as readily. Additionally, professional players may opt for different materials depending on their personal throwing styles. Players with a lower, faster throw may use more rotation and prefer a slower bag material, whereas players with higher, slower throws may use less rotation and prefer a more reactive bag.


title: Cornhole

text: Each board is , with a diameter hole. The hole's center is positioned down from the center of the top edge of the board. Each board is angled with the top edge of the playing surface above the ground, and the bottom edge above the ground. A standard court places the two boards or apart, measuring from the bottom edge of the boards. Different (usually shorter) distances may be used if space is limited or if younger players are participating. Some smaller versions of the game, with scaled-down boards, bags, and holes are available specifically for children.


title: Cornhole

text: The areas immediately to the left and right of the boards are the pitcher's boxes. The line (either drawn or imaginary) extending from the bottom edge of the board in both the left and right direction is the foul line. When throwing the bags, players cannot step past the foul line or else the throw does not count.


title: Cornhole

text: A cornhole match is separated into innings (or frames). During each inning, each player or team will throw their designated four bags. The manner in which the bags are thrown depends on which format of cornhole is being played: singles (1 vs. 1), doubles (2 vs. 2), or crew (4 vs. 4).


title: Cornhole

text: In singles (1 vs. 1), both players throw their four bags while standing on opposite sides of the same board (left vs. right pitcher's box), alternating throws between the two players. After all eight bags are thrown, both players walk to the opposite board, while remaining in their lane, to tally the score. To begin the next inning, both players turn around to throw at the other board in the same manner. The effect of this is that by always staying in their respective lane, the two players will alternate each inning throwing from the left vs. right pitcher's box.


title: Cornhole

text: In doubles (2 vs. 2), one partner from each team stands in the left pitcher's box of one board while the other partner stands in the right pitcher's box of the opposite board. Thus, each team's partners are on opposite ends, facing each other, both in the same lane. From here, gameplay is similar to singles: the two opponents at one board alternate throwing their four bags at the other board, after which a mid-inning score is tallied; then their partners at that board alternate throwing their team's four bags back at the other board, after which the final inning score can be tallied. In doubles, players may not change sides, i.e. one partner will throw from the left pitcher's box of one board and the other from the right pitcher's box of the other board for the entire game.


title: Cornhole

text: In the crew format (4 vs. 4), play is identical to doubles, but with two teammates at each of the two boards, one pair in the left pitcher's box of one board and the other pair in the right pitcher's box of the opposite board, each pair facing each other, in the same lane. Instead of each partner pitching four bags per inning (as in doubles), in crew each teammate pitches two bags per inning, again alternating throws both with the opposing team (as in singles and doubles) and with the player's teammate who is standing with them at the same board.


title: Cornhole

text: Note that in doubles and crew, the score for any inning is based on eight throws per team, as opposed to four throws per player in singles.


title: Cornhole

text: In all formats, the pitcher must throw the bag within 20 seconds. The time begins when the pitcher is inside the pitcher's box with an intent to throw. The first pitch of an inning goes to whichever player or team scored in the previous inning. If neither player or team scored in the previous inning, then whichever pitched first in the previous inning will again pitch first in the next inning. The first pitch of the first inning can be decided by a coin toss.


title: Cornhole

text: A legal pitch must be tossed while the pitcher's feet are within the pitcher's box. If the pitcher begins the throw with a foot beyond the foul line or otherwise steps beyond the foul line before releasing the bag, the pitch is a foul and does not count. A foul throw cannot be re-taken and the bag is removed from play before continuing. If a foul bag moves other bags in the field of play, those bags are returned to their prior position before continuing, including if a bag was moved into the hole. If a bag lands only partially on the board and is also touching the ground, it does not count and is removed before continuing.


title: Cornhole

text: To score points, bags must be on the surface of the board or fall through the hole. To score three points, a bag may fall directly into the hole, slide into the hole after hitting the board, or be knocked into the hole by another bag. A bag remaining on the board scores one point. A bag partially on the board and partially on the ground ("dirt bag") does not count and should be removed before the next throw.


title: Cornhole

text: In cornhole, cancellation scoring is used. When the scores are tallied at the end of an inning, whichever player or team scores higher is awarded points equal to the difference between both sides. For example, if Team A scores 12 points in an inning and Team B scores 10 points, then Team A is awarded two points (12 minus 10); whereas if Team A and Team B both score 12 points, the difference is zero, and no one scores. Play continues until one player or team reaches or exceeds 21 points at the end of an inning. By using cancellation scoring, it is only possible for one side (or neither side) to score in any inning, so match ties are impossible.


title: Cornhole

text: Different variations in scoring or house rules are sometimes used. Sometimes, a bag hanging over the hole, but which has not fallen through, is scored as two points. Other variations include requiring one team to reach exactly 21 points without going over to win. If a team exceeds 21 points after an inning (called "busting"), different punishments might be used such as automatically returning to 15 points, returning to the team's prior score, returning to the prior score minus one, etc. In some versions, if a team "busts" three times, their opponents automatically win the match.


title: Cornhole

text: Gameplay strategy varies by player and skill level. At the professional level, players can easily slide all four bags into the hole if no bag blocks the path. Defensive strategies are often employed to slow down gameplay or force opponents to make difficult decisions. Defensive plays might include throwing a blocker bag that rests in front of the hole, thereby forcing an opponent to either slide through the blocker bag to reach the hole, throw another blocker behind the bag, or attempt a risky airmail shot over the bag aiming directly for the hole without touching the board.


title: Bullfighting

text: Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations.