"Old Photograph" By Warren Wiebe

From a commenter:

Well, if truth be told, for years I thought Christopher Cross was the guy singing at the end of "Voices That Care" and for some reason I must have been looking at that video on youtube where his name was mentioned somewhere in the uploaders comments or something and I was immediately on the move to find more stuff by him. This is when I learned of his death, the history and some of the artists he performed for and with. This happened about a year and a half ago. Believe it or not, I have 77 songs (some live performance stuff included) that he has done. I know there is more out there and my quest continues. I am envious of you having been able to see him perform live...how cool!! I feel a sense of loss and somehow robbed of him in that there will be no more music from him. He was truly a gifted vocalit and it's like I almost fall in love with him when I hear him sing. Kinda weird, but it's honestly how I feel.

I know lots of people that have confused Warren with Christopher over the years. But like you said, I was blessed to know his voice in a particular fashion having heard him night after night at the Forum in Inglewood for years and years. Also, being raised in a musical family, I CAN distinguish between say, Jack Jones and Steve Lawrence (laughing). So I do know the difference in sound between Warren and Christopher, just from my own life in music.

But, like I posted and commented, that year, when he wasn't in his regular season seat for the first few games, and he didn't sing the opening song before the games, the rumors started ... "he died" and then morphed into "he killed himself" and man, oh man, the sadness that enveloped the Forum that October was intense.

I like the website they have maintained for him, but I am bummed that they will not allow embedding of videos. I also do not have nearly as many songs as you.

My favorite is this -- "Old Photograph." Hope you enjoy.

Voices That Care -- Warren Wiebe

Since I am on a Warren Wiebe moment, and his relationship with David Foster ... enjoy. (pssst, he's at the end)

Warren Wiebe, Amazing Grace ...

As those that have been reading my blog know by now, I've been on an Amazing Grace marathon search.

I found this Warren Wiebe piece. No embedding allowed, but I will link to it because I am a huge Wiebe fan. He committed suicide which still astounds me, because he had so much going for him.

As a hockey fan, Warren was a Kings regular and he sang America The Beautiful at most of our home games. I have missed his voice for years, now.

I Still Hear Your Voice, Warren Wiebe

Today is the tenth anniversary of the death of Warren Wiebe. I've written enough about him that he has his own label for posts.

I really wish that more people heard him sing, although, judging by his book of work, most people have heard him sing, albeit unaware as he sang back up to more famous artists like Celine Dion and Gloria Estefan.

I ran a search for newer YouTube videos, but most of what has been recently posted has the embedding disabled by the user, which means I cannot actually put it on my blog, I can only direct you to the YouTube URL.

Also, as many of my regular readers know, he sang at the Los Angeles Kings' hockey games, but instead of performing the traditional Star Spangled Banner, he sang America, The Beautiful, always ending the last verse with his right index finger pointed skyward, above his head. He was a tenor, and a protege of David Foster (think Josh Groban, if you have no clue who David Foster is -- interestingly enough I found some "blog" apparently attributed to Foster, and today's posts, duh, are about Warren).

Warren committed suicide, and for the life of me, no matter how many sites I Google, I have never, in ten years, found out how he did it (not that it matters). You know though, how people wonder, about suicides, and what manner the person chose to go out. Me, personally, only if I am diagnosed with Alzheimer's would I even consider taking my own life, and trust me, I have about as much talent as Warren had in his little finger, so I have no clue what would make someone with so much to offer, opt to end it.

The link takes you to a rather poorly taped video of a fundraiser, but the vocals are impeccable. Enjoy.

We miss you, Warren. I hope you are tearing up the joint with the rest of my heroes.

Golly, Gee, We DID Use White Phosphorous In Fallujah! My Bad!

FALLUJAH, Jun 12 (IPS) - Babies born in Fallujah are showing illnesses and deformities on a scale never seen before, doctors and residents say.

The new cases, and the number of deaths among children, have risen after "special weaponry" was used in the two massive bombing campaigns in Fallujah in 2004.

After denying it at first, the Pentagon admitted in November 2005 that white phosphorous, a restricted incendiary weapon, was used a year earlier in Fallujah.

Just reconfirming what we in the real world knew, oh, about three years ago. Emphasis added by me.



Falluja pictures.

Who's Reading Carrie's Blog?

It's always fun to review the data obtained by Site Meter for the blog. Those that post know that you leave a trail at each site that gives your IP address, the city you are in, the referring link and what the search words were. I am always amazed that I get hits from Asia, of all places, that find me using the search words Warren Wiebe, on whom I did a post.

The ones that really give me the willies, though, are the government IP addresses. Like the one last night from Alexandria, VA, using a pentagon.mil IP address! The search words? Opinion Research Business. You remember them. They are the group that polled and published the report that everything in Iraq is just rosy, that Iraqis prefer the now to the then under Sadaam, etc., which poll I debunked here.

I have had hits from senate.gov, which is still not quite as scary as from pentagon.mil!

UPDATE: Another hit from the same pentagon.mil, with the same search words. That's two days in a row. Should I be nervous?

From Spain to Sweden

How's this for a coincidence: Within an hour of each other, someone in Madrid, Span and someone in Sweden check my blog, with the search words "Warren Wiebe."

Who Remembers Wild Orchid?

I never really put two and two together with this group and Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas. I can't find any video of the late great Warren Wiebe singing the national anthem at the Los Angeles Kings' hockey games, but I can find this one!

Love Lights Up The World

For those of us that were Los Angeles Kings fans back in the days of Gretzky and the Fabulous Forum, knew Warren Wiebe. He sang the national anthem before many games, chosing to sing America The Beautiful instead of the tradtiional Star Spangled Banner, ending the song with his right index finger pointing upward high above his head.

Being a tenor, he sang in a key that I could also sing along with. The Star Spangled Banner is a tough sing, but America The Beautiful is easy, harmony included. I always felt patriotic singing America The Beautiful at those games.

Sadly, as the 1998-1999 hockey season started, rumor ran rampant through the Forum late October that Warren had died by his own hand.

On October 25, 1998, Warren Wiebe committed suicide.

I shall forever miss that wonderful tenor, who was a favorite of David Foster. Someone has maintained a great website dedicated to his memory, and it is very informative and worth a look. I do not understand what it takes for someone to decide this life is not worth living, especially someone who possess such obvious talent. As the following videos indicate, and show, Warren had the chops and he was well connected.

Here's thinking of you still, Warren.




The original was "removed" due to terms of service violations, whatever. I found this badly filmed version, but it is one of the rare Warren pieces -- Warren performed at Celine Dion's wedding.

Love lights up the world, Warren. We miss your light.


On an aside, the David Foster tour featured the "Seawind horns." If you've never heard of Seawind, you've not participated in the "funk fusion" revolution of jazz. That's for another post, for I was a regular on Monday nights, back in the mid 1970's, at the Baked Potato on Cahuenga Blvd., where the band held court.