Liberace

Greatly Appreciated

LIBERACE
 
 
Liberace  (born Władziu Valentino Liberace; May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor.  A child prodigy and the son of working-class immigrants, Liberace enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordings, television, motion pictures, and endorsements.  At the height of his fame, from the 1950s to the 1970s, Liberace was the highest-paid entertainer in the world, with established residencies in Las Vegas, and an international touring schedule.  Liberace embraced a lifestyle of flamboyant excess both on and off stage, acquiring the sobriquet “Mr. Showmanship”.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 

Though there are other prominent openly gay and lesbian celebrities – Ellen DeGeneres comes immediately to mind, plus any number of actors and actresses – I am aware of no other household names among active rock musicians.  While Melissa Etheridge and Elton John remain beloved performers, the same could be said of Liberace back in the 1950’s (though of course, he was not openly gay).  Most other lesbian and gay rockers are well outside the mainstream – not that there is anything wrong with that. 

 

(January 2014)

 

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But before I get into all of that, let me share this appreciation for Prince that was posted by Nick Gillespie on reason.com as part of the best commentary on the PMRC that I have been able to find online. It is quite a bit more barbed than the mainstream accolades that you and I have been reading of late. 
“In the wake of the social progress of the past several decades, it’s hard to recapture how threatening the Paisley One once seemed, this gender-bender guy who shredded guitar solos that put Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton to shame while prancing around onstage in skivvies and high heels. He was funkier than pre-criminality Rick James and minced around with less shame and self-consciousness than Liberace. Madonna broke sexual taboos by being sluttish, which was no small thing; but as a fey black man who surrounded himself with hotter-than-the-sun lady musicians, [Prince] was simultaneously the embodiment of campy Little Richard and that hoariest of White America boogeymen, the hypersexualized black man.” 
(June 2016)
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One of the hallmarks of the bandmembers in early punk rock bands is picking new names for themselves.  Not everyone did that, and most musicians perform under their own names.  For the record, as best I can tell, Frank ZappaFats DominoMajor LanceKris Kristofferson, and Stonewall Jackson are using their real names (with Fats being a nickname, though Major and Stonewall are not).  Grace Slick is her married name; she was born Grace Wing.  Most though not all of the one-name performers are also using one of their real names, with slight spelling changes and anglicizing here and there:  MadonnaPrinceJewel, CherBjörkEnyaBeckDonovanMorrissey,  LiberaceSadeSealShakiraRihannaAdeleDidoMelanie, Beyoncé, etc. 
 
(March 2017)
 
Last edited: March 22, 2021