On May 16, 1980, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Earvin
“Magic” Johnson stepped in for injured center Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar and scores 42 points, leading the Lakers
to a four games-to-two series win over the Philadelphia
76ers for their first championship since 1972.
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. will be 66 on August 14th.
On May 12, 1957, race car driver A.J. Foyt (1935- ) scored his
first professional victory, in a U.S. Automobile Club (USAC)
midget car race in Kansas City, Missouri.
In 1989, Foyt became the first driver inducted into the brand-
new Motor Sports Hall of Fame in Novi, Michigan.
He practiced at the Indy 500 track in 1993, but retired on the
first day of qualifying races. Apart from auto racing teams,
Foyt’s later business interests have included car dealerships,
funeral homes, oil investments and thoroughbred racehorses.
Comedian Carol Burnett played both dramatic and comedic roles
on stage and screen. She has received numerous awards and
accolades, including seven Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy
Award, seven Primetime Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards,
and a Tony Award.
Burnett was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom
in 2005.
Dave "Baby" Cortez (86) (David Cortez Clowney) is a pop and R&B
organist and pianist, best known for his 1959 hit, "The Happy
Organ.” He is the oldest living performer to have a solo #1 hit
on the Billboard Hot 100.
Cortez had another Top Ten hit in 1962 with "Rinky Dink" on Chess Records. This record became well known in the UK as the signature
tune of the Saturday afternoon program Professional Wrestling.
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
In 2011, after a 38-year hiatus from recording, Cortez
returned with a album on Norton Records backed by
Lonnie Youngblood and His Bloodhounds, including underground luminary Mick Collins of the Dirtbombs
and the Gories.
Oscar-winning actor Christopher Walken is noted for offbeat performances in films like "The Deer Hunter" and "Pulp
Fiction."
Walken has earned him numerous accolades including an
Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild
Award, as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy
Awards and two Tony Awards. His films have grossed
more than $1.6 billion in the United States alone.
