Virtual Concert Series: The Beatles Rooftop Performance
I was born in the Sixties during the height of Beatlemania. My parents played Beatles records all day long (and sometimes all night long as well). I've sucked up Beatles songs with my mother's milk and this music became imprinted on my brain forever.
The Beatles songs are not just Zuzanna's Favorite Kind Of Music, but mine as well. Along with countless millions of other people. So much has been written and re-written about the Beatles that there is really nothing new of general interest that I could possibly add.
However, for the benefit of Squidoo's Virtual Concert Series, let us roll back the time to that fateful day in 1969, when The Beatles performed live for the world for the very last time. If there was one single event in musical history I wish I could attend, this is it. This lens is focused entirely on the final live Beatles performance, commonly just referred to as "The Rooftop Concert".
Contents at a Glance
- 40th Anniversary Of The Beatles' Rooftop Concert
- A Rooftop, Of All Places...
- The Beatles - Don't Let Me Down (Live Rooftop Concert Version)
40th Anniversary Of The Beatles' Rooftop Concert
Yes, it's really been that long ago!
Can you believe it? On January 30, 2009 we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the last Beatles concert ever! Although I was too young to have a personal recollection of the event I was shocked to realize how much time had passed since then.
All the more reason to preserve this precious memory, which is what brought us here together in the first place...
The Beatles - Rooftop Performance
A Rooftop, Of All Places...
Why did the Beatles choose such an inconspicuous location for an event of such monumental, historic magnitude?In January 1969, The Beatles began a film project documenting the making of their next record, originally titled Get Back. The original concept for the film project called for the documentary to end with a live show, the first live public performance by the band since the end of their last tour (August 29, 1966, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco). Most of the performance was filmed and later included in the film Let It Be.
However, agreeing on a format for the live show proved problematic. Paul McCartney suggested playing a small club, like the Beatles had in the early days. John Lennon suggested an overseas location such as Africa (although he also expressed a sarcastic desire to perform the show in an asylum). Ringo Starr held out for staying home in England. George Harrison showed little enthusiasm for any live performance at all.
After failing to agree on any other venue, the band settled for an unannounced concert atop their own building, Apple's headquarters in Savile Row near Piccadilly Circus (London).
The 42-minute show (about half of which comprises the sensational close to the Let It Be film) was a lunchtime blast into the cold wind on a high London rooftop in January.
Much was commercially used from the 42 minutes on the roof, in the Let It Be film and on the Get Back (unissued) and Let It Be albums.
The performance and the film close with the police arriving and shutting the concert down. The rooftop concert has been a popular bootleg ever since, and was to be the final public performance by the Beatles.
(Source: Wikipedia)
The Beatles Live - Rooftop Concert
The Beatles played five songs during the rooftop performance: "Get Back" (three times), "Don't Let Me Down" (twice), "I've Got a Feeling" (twice), "One After 909", and "Dig a Pony". (The Beatles also played a brief version of the British national anthem, "God Save the Queen" and a brief rehearsal of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" while second engineer Alan Parsons was changing tapes. Those performances were omitted from the film.)
The Beatles - Get Back
The Beatles - Don't Let Me Down (Live Rooftop Concert Version)
THE BEATLES - I've Got A Feeling (Live Rooftop Concert Version)
An Insider's Eyewitness Account Of The Rooftop Concert
Ken Mansfield in an interview with Daytrippin'
The White Book: The Beatles, the Bands, the Biz: An Insider's Look at an Era
Amazon Price: $15.63 (as of 12/01/2009)
Through exclusive photos and personal stories, former US manager of Apple Records and Grammy Award winning producer Ken Mansfield offers a compelling memoir that delves into his life in the 1960s and '70s and his unique partnership with the Beatles and other musicians who orbited their world. As the former Head of Apple Records International, Jack Oliver, has said of Ken, "He is one of the few insiders left that bore witness to the highs and lows of those insane days when we ruled the world."
One chapter is dedicated entirely to the account of the Rooftop concert.
Release Date: 12/31/1969
The Rooftop As Seen By Ken Mansfield
THE BEATLES - One After 909 (Live Rooftop Concert Version)
The Beatles - Dig A Pony (Live Rooftop Concert Version)
THE BEATLES - Get Back (Live Rooftop Concert Version)
At the end Paul acknowledges the fervent applause and cheering from Ringo's wife Maureen with "Thanks, Mo" and then John, having stepped away from the microphone, returns to add, somewhat hammily, "I'd like to say 'thank you' on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we passed the audition!"
Rooftop Concert: The Slide Show
There really aren't too many photographs of this event. So I painstakingly went through the bootleg videos frame by frame to find some usable images of our Fab Four and the lucky audience.
This is fun: Not everyone was enjoying this precious gift at lunch hour though; some stern businessmen seemed rather not amused at the disruption of orderly conduct.
The Beatles Rooftop Concert on CD / DVD
Once in a while, somebody offers bootleg copies of the last Beatles performance on eBay. Grab one while you can!
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
About LET IT BE - The movie
Let It Be is a 1970 documentary film about The Beatles rehearsing and recording songs for the album Let It Be in January 1969. The film features an unannounced rooftop concert by the group, their last performance in public. Released just after the album, it was the final original Beatles release.
The film was originally planned as a television documentary which would accompany a concert broadcast. When plans for a broadcast were dropped, the project became a feature film. Although the film does not dwell on the dissension within the group at the time, it provides some glimpses into the dynamics that would lead to The Beatles' breakup.
The film has not been officially available since the 1980s, although original and bootleg copies of home video releases still circulate. A planned DVD release of the remastered film was placed on hold indefinitely, as the film and its outtakes "raised a lot of old issues."
THE BEATLES - Let It Be - The Movie
When will we get a remastered version of the original film on DVD?
The film has been out of circulation since being released on VHS video, RCA SelectaVision videodisc, and laserdisc in the early 1980s. These early video copies were considerably poorer quality than the original theatrical release of the film because of rough conversion from 8-millimetre and 16-millimetre prints. DVD bootlegs of the film are usually derived from VHS or visually superior laserdisc versions, although there are very few laserdiscs that are in pristine performance condition as a result of laser rot.
In a February 2007 interview with Neil Aspinall (the head of Apple Corps Ltd.) regarding the remastering of the film for DVD release, he stated, "The film was so controversial when it first came out. When we got halfway through restoring it, we looked at the outtakes and realized: this stuff is still controversial. It raised a lot of old issues."
This is an indication that it may be a very long time before Let It Be is ever reissued on DVD.
For fans and collectors who don't want to wait THAT long, there's always eBay...
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
The Beatles - Last Concert Ever
"I'd like to say 'thank you' on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition!"
Thank you, John, Paul, George and Ringo!
I hope you have enjoyed this little trip back in time, the Virtual Concert of the Last Beatles Live Performance Ever!
Thank you for celebrating these special memories with me. It means a lot to me that you stopped by today!
Now wipe away that tiny tear forming in the corner of your eye, and drop me a line to cheer me up, please...
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- mukunda22 mukunda22 Oct 18, 2009 @ 3:36 am | in reply to mukunda22
- Stopping by to bestow a blessing!!
####Blessed####
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- 24websurf 24websurf May 2, 2009 @ 1:53 am
- What wonderful memories! Though I too was a youngster, I began collecting the music as soon as I could. One after 909 was my favorite. I have British and German imports as well as the US releases. And then my personal most valuable Sgt Pepper's picture disc. This a great lens and thank you for the memories!
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- TanzMan TanzMan Mar 31, 2009 @ 3:23 pm
- John's classic posture when he sang ,,he was so happy in his element
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- __anton__ __anton__ Mar 14, 2009 @ 10:21 am
- Wow, what a great Lens. I think the Beatles will be remembered and listened to for a very long time. The 60's were pretty crazy times but the music that came out of that era still has such lasting influence.
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- mynameis mynameis Mar 6, 2009 @ 8:03 pm
- Soooooo bummed I missed it! booooo wish I woulda known I would have been there for sure! Great lens tho
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- vanillapud_vanillapod vanillapud_vanillapod Mar 5, 2009 @ 3:45 pm
- Thanks for this brilliant lens! Such a nice event to remember! Come and visit my lens too!
xxx vanilla pud
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- logo-design-czarina logo-design-czarina Mar 4, 2009 @ 9:23 pm
- the beatles is one of the bands i truly admire. though years had passed, the beatles boys had and would still conquer the world. :)
great lense. you just resurrected them again and again :)
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- EverythingFragrant EverythingFragrant Mar 2, 2009 @ 11:11 am
- Thank you, merci, gracias, danke, grazie, %u3042%u308A%u304C%u3068%u3046, you get the picture!
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- EverythingFragrant EverythingFragrant Feb 28, 2009 @ 2:21 pm
- Strawberry Fields Forever! Thanks for this lens.
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- deutrontechnologies deutrontechnologies Feb 28, 2009 @ 1:16 am
- Wow lovely lens
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- greensun greensun Feb 26, 2009 @ 11:12 pm
- wonderful tribute to an amazing band.
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- FISHWEN FISHWEN Feb 17, 2009 @ 8:28 pm
- Well done, fantaastic! Awesome!
I love the Beatles!
Thanks!
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- burnettsmillioniarclub burnettsmillioniarclub Feb 16, 2009 @ 9:25 pm
- Well I Put it like this very well put Together best I have seen in A Long While Absolutely fantastic Nice Old Memories
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- CherylK CherylK Feb 14, 2009 @ 5:54 pm
- Fabulous lens! Congrats on LOTD. The Beetles were without equal, that's for sure, and their music will live on forever...a very good thing!
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- Project-D Project-D Feb 8, 2009 @ 4:41 pm
- One of the best lenses I've seen yet. This lens obviously took a lot of time to pull all this information together in one place. With all the multimedia and background, I know it wasn't easy or quick. Awesome job.
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- Smartshops Smartshops Feb 7, 2009 @ 4:28 pm
- Great lens with lots of information! 5*s from your friends at Smartshops!
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- lynnee lynnee Feb 5, 2009 @ 10:44 am
- Thank you!! Sometimes we forget how wonderful they were; thank you for reminding us.
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- Frankster Frankster Feb 3, 2009 @ 4:53 pm
- Excellent lens. A great Lens of the Day. Congrats. I miss them. They are my favorite band of all time. 5 stars, favorite. Bear hugs, Frankster aka Bearmeister aka Cat-Woman
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- cheerfulmadness cheerfulmadness Feb 3, 2009 @ 7:33 am
- Wonderful lens: we talked about this recently with a friend who had seen this at the time. Congratulations on the LOTD.
All the best,
Cheerful Madness!!
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- MuddyLaBoue MuddyLaBoue Feb 3, 2009 @ 5:03 am
- Congrats on LOTD... The Beatles' music is timeless. Great job!
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- Shirley Jarrett Shirley Jarrett Feb 2, 2009 @ 12:54 pm
- A wonderful tribute to the Beates. Great job.
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- rlmjenkins rlmjenkins Feb 1, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
- Fantastic lens, I could tell quite a bit of work went into it! Congratulations on lens of the day!
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- cgrauke cgrauke Jan 31, 2009 @ 9:29 pm
- Thanks for the memories, for pulling this all together, and for sharing it. I was 25 years old in 1969, and I still have my vinyl Beatles albums. Not to mention that the Beatles are among my all-time favorites, this brings back the memories as fresh as ever.
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- PaulHassing PaulHassing Jan 31, 2009 @ 8:15 pm
- A wonderful lens benchmark. Time to lift my game. Well done! :)
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- Signhappy Signhappy Jan 31, 2009 @ 9:09 am
- This is a fabulous lens about the Fab Four. Absolutely great job.
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- MckayK MckayK Jan 31, 2009 @ 6:29 am
- A really interesting and creative lens. Thank you for taking me back to my teenage years. The Beatles still rock in my soul.
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- JohnStiles JohnStiles Jan 30, 2009 @ 7:56 pm
- Great Job! As an avid Beatles fan for over 40 years, this was truly one of the greatest concerts of all time.
Thank you for putting this lens together.
John Stiles
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- MrMarmalade MrMarmalade Jan 30, 2009 @ 7:52 pm
- Faithfully recorded and remembered Thank you for bringing our memories back
We were in New York in a book shop when they announced over the Air that one of the Beetle had been shot and killed.
You should have seen the many people starting to cry and rush and buy a Beetle record.
We did not even know who that person was as that moment.
Given you top 5 stars ***** and Fav u
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- paperfacets paperfacets Jan 30, 2009 @ 6:29 pm
- What a blast for a sixty yr old. I love now it is all in a nice tight package.
Wow! They were good on the roof top. John was always my favorite as a
singer. He had blues,rock and soul in his own way.
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- Squidster Squidster Jan 30, 2009 @ 5:49 pm
- I so enjoy reading your personal stories and memories of The Beatles! Thank you all for sharing them so generously!
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- Rob3 Rob3 Jan 30, 2009 @ 3:36 pm
- Excellent lens, brings back many memories. Congratulations on Lens of the Day, well deserved! Loved the videos too, thank you.
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- Mortira Mortira Jan 30, 2009 @ 3:07 pm
- Congrats on a much deserved LOTD!
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- boshemia boshemia Jan 30, 2009 @ 12:57 pm
- I sent this to my daughter in Germany, We loved the rooftop scene in "Across the Universe." I explained the Beatles and pop culture references through the whole movie, but that scene was our favorite by far (Next to Mr. Kite of course but that was for other reasons) - Thanks to "Across The Universe" I now have a whole new generation of Beatles fans in my house!
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- David Lindberg David Lindberg Jan 30, 2009 @ 12:08 pm
- AWESOME WORK!!! Thanks so much for this one... you definitely made my day!!!! I graduated from high school in the US in 1969 and they shaped my life and put me on a path of love of music!
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- steamtown steamtown Jan 30, 2009 @ 11:38 am
- Fantastic Lens I am a big fan of the Beatles
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- site-builder site-builder Jan 30, 2009 @ 11:03 am
- LOT D well deserved, Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
5*****
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- mbrownauthor mbrownauthor Jan 30, 2009 @ 10:56 am
- Excellent. I enjoyed this very much! Congrats to you!
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- carolkelly carolkelly Jan 30, 2009 @ 10:52 am
- My family left England in 1965. One of the things my Mom packed was her collection of Beatles records. All 45's, the old style Decca labels. She was a huge Beatles fan, and it sure rubbed on me. What a great lens! Thanks!
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- The_Health_Lady The_Health_Lady Jan 30, 2009 @ 9:47 am
- I have always been and always will be a huge Beatles fan. You did a great job reminding us why we love them so. Congrats of LOTD & a big 5*'s
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- PosterChildSmile PosterChildSmile Jan 30, 2009 @ 9:32 am
- Squidster, I great Beatles Tribute. ... Nicely done! .... LOTD. WOW! :)
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- PostRanger PostRanger Jan 30, 2009 @ 9:23 am
- Great lens...and on such a niche idea...I single moment from the Beatles' career instead of just another retrospective or overview. What an innovative approach to a lens! Clearly all anyone could ever want to know or see on the subject.
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- Michael_Gaudet Michael_Gaudet Jan 30, 2009 @ 9:03 am
- Simply marvelous, Squidster! I went to see "Let it be" the movie when it came out and of course got the album. I was and still am a huge fan, although maybe it's time I got over it. Or not! You are brave to tackle a project like this, well done!
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- mukunda22 mukunda22 Jan 30, 2009 @ 8:59 am
- Absolutely Love It!!
Congrats on lens of the day!!
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- julcal julcal Jan 30, 2009 @ 8:27 am
- Great lens!! Great memories! LOVE the Beatles. Dancing music when I was young.
congrats on LOTD! well deserved!
***** ~ Julie
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- debsgreatfinds debsgreatfinds Jan 30, 2009 @ 8:03 am
- Wow I did not know there last concert was on a roof top! great lens :)
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- mbgphoto mbgphoto Jan 30, 2009 @ 8:01 am
- Excellent lens! Congrats on Lens of the Day!
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- packman57 packman57 Jan 30, 2009 @ 7:58 am
- Great Lens! What a Flash from the past! Congrats on LOTD 5 *****
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- Jimmie Vestal Jimmie Vestal Jan 30, 2009 @ 7:44 am
- Excellent. I loved this Squiddo Lens.
The Beatles were one of my inspiratons for my own songwriting and recording style. And now, after so many years of sticking with it, my songs are on some 60,000 digital jukeboxes through TouchTunes, Rowe-AMI, Rock-Ola, and TraXess.
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- xangette xangette Jan 30, 2009 @ 7:41 am
- I just have to say Bravo! I'm brand new to Squiddo and still wondering how to go about all of this. I'm a huge Beatles fan because of my husband he's 48 and I just turned 38, but I just love them. In fact, we are attending a Last Beatles Concert at a college where I live that this group is doing. My husband is taking off work early, just so we can go! I can't wait! Congradulations on SOTD!
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- coolmals coolmals Jan 30, 2009 @ 7:38 am
- Great lens and congrats on LOTD!! 5*
- Load More
Beatlemania 2009
With the new release of remastered Beatles albums and the interactive software The Beatles: Rock Band we can experience the Fab Four like never before.
It's Beatlemania 2009!
Visit The Beatles Store on Amazon to secure your copies!
Who's twittering #Beatles?
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- DaveGrossBlues
- Today in #Rock History-1963: "I Want to Hold Your Hand," the #Beatles' 1st American single released by Capitol Records. http://ow.ly/Hp1F
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- daveschappell
- thanks for #beatles recos @dlifson - some amazon mp3 store purchases on the way - amazed they weren't already in my itunes
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- garytilleryart
- Please check out my new book THE CYNICAL IDEALIST: A SPIRITUAL BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN LENNON! Excerpts:http://bit.ly/6OrvVE #Books #Beatles
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Fun Gift For Beatles Fans
Easy - The Beatles Monopoly of course! This is a must have for any Beatles fan...
USAopoly The Beatles Monopoly Game
Amazon Price: $29.57 (as of 12/01/2009)
The Beatles Collector's Edition of Monopoly celebrates the music that revolutionized rock-n-roll in the 20th century. This completely customized game features Apple and Abbey Road Studios along with every album released by the Beatles allowing fans to create their own private music anthology. Enjoy and sing along to the timeless music that has transcended generations as you collect the White Album, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and more.
The six custom pewter tokens include: The Walrus, Here Comes the Sun, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Strawberry, Octopus's Garden, and Rocky Raccoon
"There's a certain kind of lensmaking magic going on here, and I'll tell you what it is. It's a combination of history and memoir, fact and personal story, photos and articles, videos and photos, singular opinion and reader feedback, and most of all, passion for the topic at hand."
-- Megan Casey
Credits, Thanks and Acknowlegements
On January 29, 2009, this lens was featured as Squidoo's Lens of the Day (LOTD). This has been an incredible honor and I am so glad that, as a result, the many visitors to this lens had a great time taking that trip down memory lane with me. Thank you, Megan!Originally, this lens was created to benefit the Squidoo Activists' Virtual Concert Series to Raise Funds for Charity. 10% of all proceeds of this lens will be donated to the Squidoo Charity Fund.
The material and information used herein, if not attributed otherwise, are attributed to the following sources, although I cannot be certain that these sources are the originators of the material.
Wikipedia
The Complete Beatles Chronicle
by Mark LewisohnMaccafan.net
Squidoo Rockstar: © Kirsti A. Dyer. Some Rights Reserved.
In Memoriam
John Lennon
George Harrison
9 Oct 1940 - 8 Dec 1980
25 Feb 1943 - 29 Nov 2001
621,483 | 07/29/08
by Squidster
Squidster is a Small Business Web Consultant from Southern California who loves creating Squidoo lenses for your enjoyment. She is prou...
