Posted on 06/23/2022 12:34:20 PM PDT by nickcarraway
James Rado, co-creator of the influential hippie-era rock musical Hair, has died at age 90.
Publicist Merle Frimark, Rado’s longtime friend, confirmed the news to The New York Times, saying the Broadway legend died on Tuesday in Manhattan from cardio-respiratory arrest.
Rado was born in Venice, Calif., but raised in Rochester, N.Y., and Washington, D.C. Following a two-year Navy stint, he moved to New York, studying acting and writing music. The '60s were his breakout decade: In 1963, he landed a part in the Broadway play Marathon ’33 and took a role in The Lion in Winter three years later, playing Richard opposite Christopher Walken.
But he made his most lucrative connection while performing in the October 1964 off-Broadway musical Hang Down Your Head and Die, meeting Gerome Ragni. After moving into an apartment in New Jersey, the duo began collaborating on what became Hair: An American Tribal Love-Rock Musical. crafting a book and lyrics that explored the decade’s blooming counterculture and sexual liberation amid the Vietnam War. (Composer Galt MacDermot wrote the music.)
Hair made its off-Broadway debut in October 1967 and premiered on Broadway six months later. The musical was greeted with widespread controversy, including church pickets and outrage over the show’s use of profanity, sexual references and, most notably, a nude scene during the song "Where Do I Go?"
But the musical also became a cultural phenomenon — even spawning a successful cast recording and a handful of hit singles, including the 5th Dimension’s chart-topping "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In," Three Dog Night’s "Easy to Be Hard" and Oliver’s "Good Morning, Starshine."
Rado continued to work in the musical medium following Hair’s initial run, including less famous titles like The Rainbow Rainbeam Radio Roadshow and Sun (Audio Movie), the latter a reunion with Ragni. But his most popular project still endures. "Hair had a spiritual message," Rado told the Associated Press in 1993. "And it has a mystical message I hope is coming through — there's more to life than the way it's been devised for us, explained to us, taught to us."
As well as the title tune, "Hair," recorded by the family group, the Cowsills (in a slightly cleaned up version).
It is the twilight of the Age of Aquarius.
Loved that music, played it in our HS dance band.
Loved the bass lines. I have the CD of the broadway cast, the female vocalist on Aquarius is terrific. I know that one of the people who did that song, either on Broadway or on the record was like 17 years old.
"Hair had a spiritual message," Rado told the Associated Press in 1993.Sad if he actually believed that.
You couldn’t get away with songs like White Boys and Black Boys nowadays. They were too fun.
Now racial references have to be filled with hate.
.....Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golding living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind’s true liberation .....
Oh, yeah...just around the corner..
I suppose the mystic crystal revelation could be referring to how crystal meth reveals how messed up humans are.
I think there was a movie in the 70s called Hair starring Treat Williams and John Savage.
The opening "Aquarius," Ronnie Dyson, 18 years old. Terrific phrasing.
My mistake, and 18 year old guy, kid really. His timbre and phrasing have a female soul sound.
I saw Hair in San Francisco. When a group swung out on [I don’t remember] her top came off. Boy was she embarrassed.
Did he write “Colored Spade?”
Wow... I thought all that Up With People, Hair, Godspell, and a few others were spazzy and square... the soundtracks didn’t hit my turntable either. I really didn’t care for the Beatles. I was out if synch I guess, or my older siblings had saved me from that square pop culture drivel. The Cowsills... milk... spare me.
Well.. I’m a colored spade a ....
If you don’t watch out the boogie man will get you.
Boo!
Never to be heard again.
I met both James Rado and Gerome Ragni when they dropped in on my college radio station in 1967. Rado was a nice guy, but Ragni was an antagonistic asshole. The fact that I was in my ROTC uniform set Ragni off.
Okay. Bye.
My high school choir performed the song “hair” in the late 70s. It was really fun.
My favorite song.
We all had more hair back then.
Good Morning, Starshine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAOTxAGJUug
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