Christy Brown (5th June 1932 - 6th September 1981) was an Irish author, painter and poet, born in Crumlin, Dublin. One of thirteen surviving children, he suffered from cerebral palsy and was considered mentally disabled until he famously snatched a piece of chalk from his sister with his left foot. His autobiography, 'My Left Foot', was later expanded into the novel 'Down All The Days' and became an international bestseller, with translations into fourteen languages. 'My Left Foot', a film version of his autobiography, was filmed by Jim Sheridan in 1989, with Daniel Day-Lewis starring as Christy. The Pogues paid tribute to Christy Brown with a song titled 'Down All the Days', from their 1989 'Peace and Love' album.
Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay), a three-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, was crowned 'Sportsman of the Century' by Sports Illustrated in 1999.
George Best, among the greatest footballers ever, played for Manchester United as a winger between 1963 and 1974, helping them to win the Football League Championship in 1965 and 1967, and the European Cup in 1968. He was named European Footballer of the Year and Football Writers' Association Player of the Year in 1968. Born in Belfast, he was regrettably never able to display his unique talent on the world stage with Northern Ireland. Best had a rare combination of pace, blistering acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring prowess and the ineffable ability to run through entire defences. His drinking problem, which developed while he was still a player, contributed to his early retirement from top-level football.
George Best would give a young Ian sweets when he and his friends hung around the Manchester United star's boutique in Manchester. In 2005, Ian paid tribute to the recently deceased star at a M.E.N. Arena performance in 2005. Click here to view the clip.
Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister and American political activist, was the spearhead of the American civil rights movement until his assassination in 1968. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Jimmy Carter in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004. In 1986, Martin Luther King Day was established in his honour.
Click here for more information on Ian's interest in King.
Bruce Lee posters adorned the young Ian Brown's room (an interest he developed from his uncle) and he was inspired to learn karate to one level short of the highest possible, training for seven and a half years; he gave up two months before his black belt at the age of 17. Bruce Lee is widely regarded as one of the most influential martial artists ever and a key figure of modern popular culture. His pioneering efforts paved the way for future martial artists and martial arts actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Chuck Norris, bringing martial arts films and actors to the mainstream. Many see Lee as a model blueprint for acquiring a strong and efficient body as well as developing a mastery of martial arts and hand to hand combat skills.
Rosa Lee Parks was an African American seamstress and civil rights activist whom the U.S. Congress dubbed the "Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement". Parks' refusal on 1st December 1955 to obey bus driver James Blake's demand to give up her seat to a white passenger led to her arrest and trial for what was deemed an act of civil disobedience. This triggered the Montgomery Bus Boycott, one of the largest and most successful mass movements against racial segregation in history, notable for bringing Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the organizers of the boycott, to the forefront of the civil rights movement. See Daybreak.
Paul Robeson was a political activist on behalf of oppressed peoples for almost fifty years. His admiration for many aspects of Soviet culture and society, as well as his publicly stated belief that black Americans should not wage war on behalf of their own oppressors (the U.S. government) against the Soviet Union raised suspicion in a Cold War climate of paranoia. His U.S. passport was revoked from 1950 until 1958 and he was blacklisted by the U.S. government (and was subject to lengthy harassment from the FBI and CIA, among other agencies) and entertainment industry. He was prevented from performing again until 1957. See Let Robeson Sing.
Northern Soul figure Geno Washington released five albums with The Ram Jam Band between 1966 and 1969 before embarking on a solo career in the mid-1970s. He was an integral figure in Ian's path to becoming the frontman of The Stone Roses. See Superstar. Washington was a US serviceman stationed in East Anglia who became so well known as an impromptu performer in London's clubs that he was asked by Pete Gage, guitarist of The Ram Jam Band, to front his new band in 1965. And so, on his release from the US Airforce, Washington became a professional singer. The Ram Jam consisted of Geno Washington (vocals), Pete Gage (guitar), Lionel Kingham (saxophone), Buddy Beadle (saxophone), Jeff Wright (organ), John Roberts (bass guitar) and Herb Prestidge (drums).
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Paul McAuley
http://www.thisisthedaybreak.co.uk
Email: Paul@thisisthedaybreak.co.uk
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