"In the early 1970s in the USSR, electric guitars, amplifiers and drums were rare to find so at school we were playing self-made instruments," Vorobyev explained. Vorobyev wasn’t always a fan of horn bands, and as a teenager gravitated to the hard driving guitar-based sounds of the Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Deep Purple and Grand Funk Railroad. "We have only audio records and videos (to help us learn Chicago songs)." "Chicago has never been in Russia and none of us have attended their concerts," said Leonid Vorobyev, a multi-instrumentalist who is the band’s leader. He is survived by four ARCHIVAL OBITUARIESįrom the Archives: Walter O’Malley, Owner of Dodgers, Dies at 75įrom the Archives: Ossie Davis, 87 Actor Played a Powerful Role in Civil Rights Gainsįrom the Archives: Kim Hunter, 79 Won Oscar for ‘Streetcar’įrom the Archives: Ex-Sen.In just three short years, Leonid & Friends has blown the minds of legions of fans with their uncanny ability to capture the spirit, musicality and fire of American supergroup Chicago.Īnd what is even more stunning is that Leonid & Friends hasn’t seen Chicago perform live, yet replicates the band’s complex arrangements amazingly note for note. The tough-guy hero and villain cried when he won his star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame.Ĭonnors was married and divorced three times. Nixon’s San Clemente White House, when then-Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev gave him a bear hug. He had an episode in personal diplomacy in 1973 at former President Richard M. His reasoning was that “being around so many politicians, I became a little cynical about politicians in general.” “My whole ability to make a living is derived from the fact that I was ‘The Rifleman.’ ”Ī close friend of former President Ronald Reagan, Connors demurred when friends suggested that he run for political office. “It’s no problem at all for me,” he said in 1983. He was nominated for an Emmy for his role as the lustful slave owner Tom Moore.Ĭonnors had major roles in television movies, including “Nightmare in Badham County” in 1976, “Standing Tall” in 1978 and “The Tourist Trap” in 1979.īut Connors had no doubt he was best remembered for his “Rifleman” role. In addition to his half-dozen television series, Connors also appeared in well-received miniseries, including Alex Haley’s “Roots” in 19. His films in the 1960s included the title role of “Geronimo” in 1962, “Flipper” and “Move Over, Darling” in 1963, “Synanon” in 1965 and “Ride Beyond Vengeance” in 1966.Ĭonnors preferred Western and action films, but he often mixed those with satirical comedy, such as “Support Your Local Gunfighter” in 1971 and “Airplane 2: The Sequel” in 1982. So when I’m acting I have to be batting 1.000.”Ĭonnors became far more marketable, however, after the 1958-63 television series. “In acting, if I mess up a scene, if I strike out on a speech, they re-shoot it. In 1959, he told The Times that acting was a snap compared to baseball. He went on to make the films “Target Zero” in 1954, “Hold Back the Night” in 1956 and “The Big Country” in 1958. 259 the previous season, Connors predicted that he had only a couple of seasons left and said his career in baseball had “reached the twilight stage.” To the greatest game in the world I shall be eternally in debt.”Īfter batting only. Baseball made my entrance to the film industry immeasurably easier than I could have made it alone. I owe it all that I have and much of what I hope to have. “Baseball has been my whole life since boyhood. “It has not been an easy decision to make,” he continued in the letter, which was published by The Times. “After long and careful deliberation I have decided to retire from professional baseball in favor of a career in motion pictures,” he wrote Angels President Don Stewart. In Hollywood, he picked up occasional roles in films, and he formally changed careers in 1953 after the success of “Pat and Mike,” in which he appeared with Spencer Tracy and Kathryn Hepburn in 1952.
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