Paralympian Ellie Simmonds, competitor in Strictly Come Dancing 2022
It's the 30th anniversary of the International Day of Persons with Disabilties today, dear reader, so I thought I'd bring a bit of class into proceedings by featuring three of the most accomplished disabled perfomers of classical music:
But what of the geniuses-who-happened-to-be-disabled who hit our charts? There are obvious candidates such as Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles [both blind, like Sr. Feliciano], John Cougar Mellencamp [born with spina bifida] and many, many artists on the autistic [such as Susan Boyle or Courtney Love] or bipolar [like Adam Ant, Sia or Ray Davies] spectrum, but in my opinion, the singer with the most defiant, in-yer-face, "who the fuck do you think you're looking at" attitude of 'em all is worthy of "pride of place" on this day:
Crikey, I haven't heard Hit Me for ages! An excellent selection, Jon.
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It is a timeless song. Nobody even came close... Jx
DeleteSo much talent. And Ian Dury and The Blockheads. Memories.
ReplyDeleteScary thought. We are further away in time from Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick as it itself was from the the rise of the Nazis in Germany, Roosevelt's New Deal, and the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. Jx
DeleteYes, very scary thought.
DeleteJust as Ms Scarlet said.
ReplyDelete...but in a deeper voice. Jx
DeleteA lesson for us all. a disability need not be an obstacle to talent
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Jx
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