70’s
01.23.
TG&Y
TG&Y was a five and dime, or variety store, chain in the United States. The chain was named for its three founders: Rawdon E. Tomlinson, Enoch L. “Les” Gosselin, and Raymond A. Young. The initials were ordered according to the age of the three, with Tomlinson being the oldest. Founded in 1935, the chain was headquartered in Oklahoma City. At its peak, there were more than 900 stores.
It was acquired by McCrory Stores in 1986, when it had about 720 stores. Shortly after McCrory’s purchased TG&Y, that company cut over 8,000 employees and closed 205 stores, including 23 in its former home-state of Oklahoma. It did business under the TG&Y Family Center and later TG&Y Dollar and Aim for the Best and Dollar-T names as well.
TG&Y stores were firmly embedded in southern culture as modern-day general stores with a bit of everything, and often called by the irreverent monikers, “Turtles, Girdles and YoYos”, “Toys, Goodies and Yummies” and “Toys, Gifts and YoYos”. Near the end of its successful years, the chain used the advertising slogan, “Your best buy is at TG&Y.”
In 2001, TG&Y filed bankruptcy and all stores were eventually closed.
4 Comments01.22.
Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth, which was stored on the Moon’s far side, explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and sending it, and the 311 inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha, hurtling uncontrollably into space. The series was the last production by the partnership of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and was the most expensive series produced for British television up to that time.
3 Comments01.17.
Eazy-E
Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1963 – March 26, 1995), better known by his stage name Eazy-E who is affectionately called “The Godfather Of Gangsta Rap” was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton, California. His uncle is the singer and band member Charles Wright, who formed the Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. After dropping out of high school in the tenth grade, he supported himself primarily by selling drugs before investing in Ruthless Records and becoming a rapper. When Ruthless artists Dr. Dre and Ice Cube wrote “Boyz-n-the-Hood”, Dre, Cube, and Eazy formed N.W.A. After DJ Yella, MC Ren, and Arabian Prince joined the group, N.W.A released N.W.A. and the Posse. In 1988, they released their most controversial album, Straight Outta Compton. The group released two more albums and then disbanded after Eazy released Dr. Dre from his contract.
Eazy’s main influences included 1970s funk groups, contemporary rappers, and comedians. When reviewing Eazy’s albums, many critics noted his unique overall style, with Steve Huey of the All Music Guide summing up: “While his technical skills as a rapper were never the greatest, his distinctive delivery (invariably described as a high-pitched whine), over-the-top lyrics, and undeniable charisma made him a star.” On February 24, 1995, Eazy was admitted into Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with what he believed to be asthma, but was instead diagnosed with AIDS. On March 16 he acknowledged his condition publicly, and died due to complications ten days later.
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