THRILLER

MY FAVORITE

Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall. Thriller explores similar genres to those of Off the Wall, including pop, soul, R&B, rock and post-disco music.

Recording sessions took place between April and November 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, with a production budget of $750,000, assisted by producer Quincy Jones. Jackson wrote four of Thriller's nine tracks. In just over a year, Thriller became—and remains as of 2010—the best-selling album of all time, with sales estimated by various sources as somewhere between 65 and 110 million copies worldwide, and is tied with Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) as the best-selling album in the United States. Seven of the album's nine songs were released as singles, and all reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards at the 1984 Grammys.

Thriller cemented Jackson's status as one of the prominent pop stars of the late 20th century, and enabled him to break down racial barriers via his appearances on MTV and meeting with President Ronald Reagan at the White House. The album was one of the first to use music videos as successful promotional tools—the videos for "Thriller", "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" all received regular rotation on MTV. In 2001, a special edition issue of the album was released, which contains additional audio interviews, a demo recording and the song "Someone In the Dark", which was a Grammy-winning track from the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook. In 2008, the album was reissued again as Thriller 25, containing re-mixes that feature contemporary artists, a previously unreleased song and a DVD.

Thriller ranked number 20 on Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2003, and was listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers at number three in its Definitive 200 Albums of All Time. The Thriller video was preserved by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry, as it was deemed "culturally significant".

THE BLOB

I remember when this movie came out. I was 13 years old and my girlfriend and I went to the local theater to see it. We screamed and screamed along with everyone else watching this movie.

Looking at this now, I did not realize Steve McQueen was the leading star. I love Steve McQueen!

I look back now and find it pretty silly but at the time it was the scariest thing ever.

The Blob is an independently made American horror/science-fiction film from 1958 that depicts a giant amoeba-like alien that terrorizes the small community of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. It was not until star Steve McQueen became famous with the TV series Wanted: Dead or Alive that the film became a hit at the drive-in theatres.

The film was Steve McQueen's debut leading role, and also starred Aneta Corsaut. The film's tongue-in-cheek theme song, "Beware of the Blob" (recorded by studio group the Five Blobs—actually singer Bernie Nee overdubbing himself^[1]), was written by Burt Bacharach and Mack David and was a nationwide hit in the U.S.

Teenager Steve Andrews (Steve McQueen) and his girl Jane Martin (Aneta Corsaut) are out parking and see a falling star. They drive out to try to find where the meteor landed. An old man (Olin Howland) has heard the meteor crash near his house. He finds the meteor and pokes it with a stick. The rock breaks open to reveal small jelly-like blob inside. This blob, a living creature, crawls up the stick and attaches itself to his hand. The man runs hysterically onto the road, where he is seen by Steve, who takes him to see the local doctor, Doctor Hallen.

They reach the clinic when Doctor Hallen is about to leave. Hallen anesthetizes the man and sends Steve back to the crash site to gather more information. Hallen decides he must amputate the man's arm which is being consumed by the blob, calling in his nurse. However, the blob completely consumes the old man. Now an amorphous creature, it eats the nurse and the doctor while increasing in size.

Steve and Jane return to the office and Steve witnesses the doctor's death. They go to the local police and return to the clinic with the kindly Lt. Dave and cynical Sgt. Burt. However, there is no sign of the creature or the doctor, and the police dismiss Steve's story. Steve and Jane are sent home with their fathers but sneak out and retrieve Steve's friends and successfully enlist their help warning the town.

In the meantime, the blob has consumed a mechanic, the janitor in Mr. Andrew's grocery store and a bar room of late-night drinkers. Investigating, Steve and Jane are confronted by the blob in the grocery store and seek refuge in the walk-in refrigerator. The blob starts to ooze in under the door but then retreats. Steve and Jane escape and set off the town's fire and air-raid alarms. The whole town gathers and demands to know what is going on. As the townspeople and police angrily confront Steve, the blob enters the Colonial Theater, engulfing and eating the projectionist before oozing into the cinema seating area. The patrons run screaming out of the theater alerting the assembled townspeople to the danger. The blob leaves the theatre, but Jane's little brother appears from the crowd to confront the blob with his cap gun before running into the adjacent diner. Jane and Steve run in after him but become trapped along with the owner and a waitress.

The Blob – now an enormous mass – engulfs the diner and begins to ooze in through the windows while the occupants seek refuge in the cellar. The police try to kill the Blob by dropping a power line onto it, but this fails and only sets the diner ablaze. Defending themselves inside, the diner's owner uses a CO₂ fire extinguisher attempting to put out the fire, which also causes the approaching blob to recoil. Steve remembers the blob recoiled from the refrigerator, too, and tells Lt. Dave that the Blob cannot stand cold. Jane's father, Mr. Martin, takes Steve's friends to the high school to retrieve fire extinguishers which are used to freeze the blob. Dave requests an Air Force jet to transport the blob to the North Pole to keep it frozen. A military plane is shown dropping the blob into an Arctic landscape. The film ends with the words "The End", which then morph into a question mark, suggesting that the Blob may return.

Did you see this movie and did you scream and scream?

THE WOLFMAN

Lon Chaney, Jr. Biography

( 1906 – 1973 )

Lon Chaney, Jr. was born Creighton Tull Chaney on February 10, 1906 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Chaney, Jr.'s destiny might have seemed apparent at birth: his father was an actor and his mother was a singer who performed in road shows with her husband. Chaney Jr.'s childhood was troubled, however, as a result of his parents' unhappy marriage. His mother made a public suicide attempt in Los Angeles, which prompted their divorce in 1913. From that time until 1916, Lon Chaney,Jr. lived in various homes and boarding schools.

When his father, now finding fame on the big screen, remarried Hazel Hastings, young Lon, Jr. moved back home. However, he tried to avoid his famous father's shadow and Lon Chaney, Sr. discouraged his son from pursuing an acting career. As a young man, Lon Chaney, Jr., found success with a Los Angeles appliance company.

After his father's death, Chaney, Jr., acted in his first movie; an uncredited role in Girl Crazy (1932). He acted under his birth name until 1935, when he adopted the name Lon Chaney, Jr., which was eventually shortened to, simply, Lon Chaney. 1939's Of Mice and Men brought him his first brush with stardom and critical acclaim. His role in The Wolf Man in 1941 typecast him for the rest of his career and he played the Wolf Man in several movies, Frankenstein's monster in others, mummies in still others, and Dracula in Son of Dracula. He is the only actor to bring to life all four of the major monsters: Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster, the Mummy, and Dracula. This was the height of Chaney's career; when he left Universal, he often played character roles in smaller films, due to typecasting and his battles with alcoholism. Eventually, he took to playing mute or taciturn characters given his battle with throat cancer, which had killed his father. Producer Stanley Kramer began casting Chaney in supporting roles in his classics such as High Noon, Not as a Stranger, and The Defiant Ones.

Lon Chaney, Jr. was married twice and fathered two children: Lon Ralph Chaney and Ronald Creighton Chaney. He died on July 12, 1973, of liver cancer in San Clemente, California.

BOO-OGRAPHY

Do you remember the movie Frankenstein?

Boris Karloff Biography

( 1887 – 1969 )

Actor. Film star Boris Karloff, whose name became synonymous with the horror genre, was born William Henry Pratt in London, England, on November 23, 1887. He studied at London University, then went to Canada and the United States, aiming become a diplomat like his father, and became involved in acting.

Karloff spent 10 years in repertory companies, went to Hollywood, appearing in forty five silent films for Universal Studios, among them The Last of the Mohicans, Forbidden Cargo and an installment in the popular Tarzan series. When Bela Lugosi refused to take a role in which he would have his face hidden by makeup and have no lines, the role of The Monster in 1931's Frankenstein went to Karloff. His tender, sympathetic performance received enormous critical praise and he became an overnight sensation.

Apart from a notable performance in a World War I story, The Lost Patrol (1934), his career was mostly spent in popular horror films. His performances frequently transcended the crudity of the genre, bringing, as in Frankenstein, a depth and pathos to the characterization.

He is also well known for providing the voice to the 1966 cartoon version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Karloff was known within the film industry for his great kindness and gentleness of manner; he was also central to the foundation of the Screen Actors Guild. After battling emphysema for a number of years, Boris Karloff died at his home in England on February 2, 1969.

THE BIOGRAPHY OF DRACULA

Vampire. A fictional character based on the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker. Though Stoker did not invent the character of Dracula, he popularized it through his Victorian work, which was written as a series of diary entries and letters. Stoker had named the character after the notoriously brutal Vlad III Tepes, also known as Vlad the Impaler, a ruler of Walachia (now southern Romania), whose epithet was Dracula (“Son of the Dragon”). Vlad was said to have put to death 20,000 men, women, and children by impaling them upright on stakes. Historically, the name Dracula is believed to have been derived from a secret fraternal order of knights called the Order of the Dragon.

As the legend goes, Dracula lived under the guise of an aristocratic count who would lure unsuspecting victims to his castle in Transylvania, Romania. Once he captured his prisoners, Dracula would consume their blood and drain their life force. His prey would not die in the process, but rather become zombie-like creatures of the night.

Over the years, the character of Dracula reached wide renown in the horror genre, portrayed with varying degrees of sympathy and repulsion thanks to a starring role in more than 160 films, most notably in the 1930s and 1940s by Universal Studios

PUMPKIN FACTS

- Pumpkins are fruits. A pumpkin is a type of squash and is a member of the gourd family (Cucurbitacae), which also includes squash, cucumbers, gherkins, and melons.

- The largest pumpkin pie ever baked was in 2005 and weighed 2,020 pounds.

- Pumpkins have been grown in North America for five thousand years. They are indigenous to the western hemisphere.

- In 1584, after French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence region of North America, he reported finding "gros melons." The name was translated into English as "pompions," which has since evolved into the modern "pumpkin."

- Pumpkins are low in calories, fat, and sodium and high in fiber. They are good sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, potassium, protein, and iron.

- The largest pumpkin ever grown was 1,689 pounds. It was grown by Joe Jutras of North Scituate, Rhode Island.

- Pumpkin seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June. They take between 90 and 120 days to grow and are picked in October when they are bright orange in color. Their seeds can be saved to grow new pumpkins the next year.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS ?

Ever since ancient times, the folklore of most cultures around the world has been rich with ghost stories--tales of spirits who return from the dead to haunt the places they left behind. Certain places seem to be particularly susceptible to hauntings, while some of the most famous ghostly sightings have been of historical personalities--from queens to politicians to gangsters--who attained a good degree of fame or notoriety in life and died early, often violent deaths.

What Is a Ghost?

The concept of a ghost, also known as a specter, is based on the ancient idea that a person's spirit exists separately from his or her body, and may continue to exist after that person dies. Because of this idea, many societies began to use funeral rituals as a way of ensuring that the dead person's spirit would not return to "haunt" the living.

Places that are haunted are usually believed to be associated with some occurrence or emotion in the ghost's past; they are often a former home or the place where he or she died. Aside from actual ghostly apparitions, traditional signs of haunting range from strange noises, lights, odors or breezes to the displacement of objects, bells that ring spontaneously or musical instruments that seem to play on their own.

Early Ghost Sightings

In the first century A.D., the great Roman author and statesman Pliny the Younger recorded one of the first notable ghost stories in his letters, which became famous for their vivid account of life during the heyday of the Roman Empire. Pliny reported that the specter of an old man with a long beard, rattling chains, was haunting his house in Athens. The Greek writer Lucian and Pliny's fellow Roman Plautus also wrote memorable ghost stories.

Centuries later, in 856 A.D., the first poltergeist--a ghost that causes physical disturbances such as loud noises or objects falling or being thrown around--was reported at a farmhouse in Germany. The poltergeist tormented the family living there by throwing stones and starting fires, among other things.

Does your body have a spirit? Does it come back to haunt after you die?

There is usually a reasonable explanation.

Interesting though isn't it?

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?

WINNER OF MY FALL GIVEAWAY

Lori Garbarino of

Out Of The Mouth Your Heart Speaks

Go check out her blog. She is an interesting blogger

Congratulations Lori


Your package will be mailed out on Tuesday.


I want to see what you do with all this stuff!!

THIS WEEKS DIGITAL WHISPER CHALLENGE

Very different kind of challenge . Way out of my element but it was fun!

This is an ATC created for my swap partner at Blissful ATC Swap
The orange lady is from a collage last year and the scary lady is one of the 7 Sutherland Sisters :)

These were both fun and the challenges only make me a better artist.

DO YOU LIKE SPIDERS ?

I hate spiders and it looks like they have opened a spider condo in my apple tree!
Just in time for Halloween right? Eeeeek!





Shooo spider, Shooo.......

PUMPKIN FACTS

In the United States, pumpkins go hand in hand with the fall holidays of Thanksgiving, and, of course, Halloween.

The pumpkin is a nutritious and versatile plant; the flowers, seeds and flesh are all edible and rich in vitamins. The flesh of the pumpkin is used to make soups, pies and breads, and many Americans include pumpkin pie in their Thanksgiving meals.

The practice of carving jack o'lanterns actually originated in Ireland hundreds of years ago, but they were not the carved pumpkins commonly used today; the original jack o'lanterns were carved from large turnips or potatoes. When Irish immigrants arrived in America they brought the jack o'lantern tradition with them, but soon discovered that the American pumpkin was larger and easier to carve, and a new Halloween tradition was born.

Pumpkin carving is a popular part of modern America's Halloween celebration. Come October, pumpkins can be found everywhere in the country from doorsteps to dinner tables. Despite the widespread carving that goes on in this country every autumn, few Americans really know why or when the jack o'lantern tradition began. Or, for that matter, whether the pumpkin is a fruit or a vegetable.

What do you think?

SOME HISTORY ON HALLOWEEN

Halloween, celebrated each year on October 31, is a mix of ancient Celtic practices, Catholic and Roman religious rituals and European folk traditions that blended together over time to create the holiday we know today.

Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity and life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. Halloween has long been thought of as a day when the dead can return to the earth, and ancient Celts would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these roaming ghosts.

The Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day and the Roman festival of Feralia all influenced the modern holiday of Halloween. In the 19th century, Halloween began to lose its religious connotation, becoming a more secular community-based children's holiday.

Although the superstitions and beliefs surrounding Halloween may have evolved over the years, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people can still look forward to parades, costumes and sweet treats to usher in the winter season.

SCROLL DOWN AND SIGN UP FOR MY FALL GIVEAWAY

The drawing will be the 15th of October

OTHER FAMOUS WOMEN WITH LONG HAIR

Colette:

Sidonie Gabrielle Colette (1873 – 1954), or simply Colette, was a famous French writer. The author of “Gigi”, “The Vagabond”, “Cheri” and other novels is well-known for her novels and short stories on the French life of La Belle Epoque. But she was also the owner of a 1,58 m long plait (“long enough to lower a bucket down a well…“) until she cut it off at the age of 29.

This is a famous photo of her at fifteen with her two blond braids swirling around her like “whips”. This photograph here shows her at about twenty (1893). when she moved to Paris as the wife of Henri Gauthier-Villars - a morose provincial schoolgirl with a long golden braid flapping at her heels. Seven years later her first “Claudine” novel was published.

Colette as a young woman dressed in Renaissance costume. She liked to let her hair flowing down a brocade dress. For a woman often means a change of her hairstyle a change in her life. When Colette decided to cut her magnificent hair in the autumn of 1902, she pioneered the fashion for short hair that was to cause a revolution. And she lived the revolution after the divorce of her husband as a dancer at the variety in the circle of her scandalous friends: among of them the well-known Nathalie Barney, the Polaire, even Mata-Hari. And Evalina Palmer, a childhood friend of Nathalie Barney.

HALLOWEEN STORIES # 1

Since it is October and Halloween is just around the corner....even though I do not care for Halloween I have decided to post some spooky stories for you to enjoy, if you are into that sort of thing that is.

The Last Ride
by Paul Melniczek

She lifted up her head and peered outside through the frosted window. Wrinkled eyes gazed into the bright sky, and a smile came over the old woman’s face when she saw the full moon, shining away in all it’s harvest glory, a perfect background setting for All Hallow’s Eve.

A loud purring reached her ears as a black cat leaped up on the table next to the rocking chair she was sitting in.

"Yes, my sweets. Isn’t that a pretty night we have in store for us? Old man moon looks down on us with a wink in his eye tonight."

The cat stared at her with deep green eyes, attention fixed on every word.

"You know what this night means, don’t you, Trickster?" The cat let out a soft meow, listening to his master.

"It is the passing of an age, that is what. Many long years, happy memories, but there is an ending to every story, good and bad. Ol’ Madge here has seen it all, yes I have."

The old woman pushed herself up from the chair, one gnarled hand stroking the silken fur of Trickster. There was a creaking noise as old bones cracked within the ancient body, stiff joints groaning in protest at the effort made by her to straighten up.

"Ah, this craggy old girl ain’t what she used to be. Need a dose of the ointment before I go, that’ll fix me for a little while."

Madge walked over towards a large oaken trunk that was filled with an assortment of herbs, spices, animal parts, jarred collections of insects, packaged powders, and numerous other odds and ends. They were the tools of her trade.

Rummaging through the contents, she found a sachet containing some brown colored leaves, and when she opened it a sweet odor wafted outwards.

"Hmm, this will do fine." The crone went over to a wooden cabinet which had vials of liquid scattered about the shelves. She grabbed a tube with a bubbly fluid inside with a purple tinge to it, and then poured the leaves in.

Wispy curls of vapor rose up, and the old woman drank deeply.

A look of revulsion crossed her face at the bitter taste, but she shook it off.

"Not the fountain of youth, but it bestows on me a glimmer of strength, and that is all I need." She smacked her dry lips together, and smiled with glee.

Madge hobbled over to the great stone fireplace that warmed the cottage, and a black cauldron was resting above the burning flames. A green liquid boiled away in a frenzy, fat bubbles oozing from the surface. She stirred the mixture with a metal ladle.

"Double, bubble, toil and trouble!"

"Double, bubble, toil and trouble!’

Cackling with delight, the old woman churned the foul broth with renewed vigor. The cauldron hissed in answer, and the brew began to fizzle over.

"Ha ha, that’s it. A ghastly potion for a ghostly night!"

Madge nodded to herself, and the flames danced before her, casting lurid shadows on the walls of the cottage.

The image behind the cat grew in size, reaching the proportions of a great beast which was many times the feline’s actual body shape.

Trickster growled, his dark mane bristling. The master made a gesture in the air, and the front door burst open as the black cat sprang into the night, the transformation beginning to take place. A howl echoed from the woods outside, and Madge shouted in response, the language old and archaic.

"Rejoice in the wild, my pet. The night calls. Until the sun comes up, when you must return."

A gust of wind blasted against the cottage, slamming the door shut with a loud crash. The old woman’s wizened face had a trace of sadness on it, and she let out a deep sigh.

"It is almost time, must make haste."

Madge opened the closet and reached inside, tenderly bringing out a worn garb, black as the night. A tear trickled from the corner of an eye, moistening the callused cheek beneath.

"So many years, where have they all gone? How will I be able to face the next one, knowing that my time is done?"

She pulled the raiment tightly about herself, cherishing the feel of the familiar outfit. The cloak gave her comfort and security.

"Such little time, and too many things to fill it with, ‘tis a pity."

There was an upper shelf inside the closet, and from this she brought out a rumpled black hat, pointed at the top in the shape of a narrow cone.

"Hee hee hee," she chuckled. "A pointed cone for a crooked crone." She set the hat on her head, and brushed back the strands of silver hair that lay tangled down to her shoulders. She began to feel much younger and stronger, but it was only wishful thinking. Potions could give her a teasing of both, but that was it.

Madge crossed to the other side of the room, wooden floor boards creaking underneath her musty black boots. The heels clicked softly with her passing.

A reading desk sat in the corner, and a dusty tome sprawled along the top. Strange words and symbols were etched onto the crinkled pages, the lettering written in blood. She leafed through until she found the proper incantation, then closed the book with a snap.

"Long ago, I could recite nearly every line of verse in half that script. But now....." The old woman shook her head, again being overcome with remorse.

"More’s the pity, old hag, I’ve had my turn. The wheels of time roll on without stopping, and my moment has arrived to step aside. Only fond memories, no regrets."

The old woman’s gaze wandered the trappings of the cottage, her domain for countless years. Yes, fate had treated her well, there was no denial.

"And now, my friend, who has served me so well these many years. Will you answer the summons yet again, on this night of all nights?

Madge spread her arms wide in appeal, pale yellow eyes closed in concentration. The wind picked up outside, and tree branches scratched against the window panes, bent stick arms moving in wooden animation, responding to the surge of dark power that was building within the cottage.

There was a flash of brilliance radiating from a section of stone next to the fireplace, and a secret panel was revealed. From the compartment emerged a long broom, stark in opaque blackness, levitating towards the old woman.

"Ha ha ha, come to me! It is our time again. The sisters await!"

The broom continued floating, and it came within the crone’s eager grasp as it throbbed with power, pulsating with diabolical energy.

Madge held the broom up triumphantly, and opened the front door. A strong breeze was blowing, and fallen leaves covered the mossy earth. Sinister figures crouched within the surrounding shadows, lurking among the trees.

It was Halloween night, and spirits of the nights had awakened in unholy celebration.

Madge sat astride the enchanted broom, and up she flew to meet with her fellow sisters of the coven. This was her last time as the coven leader, and a new one would be sworn in this Hallow’s Eve.

She gazed up at the awaiting sky, spotting others of her wicked brethren. It was Halloween night, and for the last time, into that magical night, rode the form of the witch, on her last moonlight ride.

The End

THIS WEEKS DIGITAL WHISPER CHALLENGE

This is the image we were give to use for the challenge last week

This is what I did with it. Using brushes and photos taken by Nadine Archer Allen of flowers.
I combined them and then used the posterized filter.

I think this will make a great card.

This is the image that we were given in the DW Blog Challenge last week

This is what I did with it. I added the image of the girl sitting by the door and then used a brush called desert grass and a brush called swirl around the moon which I put an image of Christ and then used brush called star on top of the tower. I called this "He sees all that you do"

This week we were given this photo of the Eiffel Tower.

This is what I did with it using all brushes.
Click on the image to take a closer look

It is said that a young man took his girlfriend to the top of the tower with the intention of proposing marriage to her, but she turned him down and he threw her from the tower to her death. Visitors to the tower at night have reported hearing a girl laughing and saying NO, followed by a scream, then silence....

or course there are some who say.... No, the Eiffel Tower is definitely NOT haunted. In fact, with lights switched on all day and night, how would the spirits dare to go near that majestic structure?


You be the judge!!!

THE SUTHERLAND SISTERS

Have you ever heard of these ladies? I found them online when I was looking for a photo to use in my next collage. Interesting...wanted to share it with you.
The Seven Sutherland Sisters, a group of singing ladies from Lockport/ Niagara, N.Y., were famous for their long hair, which they showed off in a sideshow of Barnum & Bailey’s from about 1882 to 1907. On such group photos the sisters were always placed in such a way that it seemed all of the sisters had hair reaching the floor.

One of Niagara County’s historical attractions apart from the Falls is really not an attraction at all, but more like a family sensation. Calling Cambria, New York their home, The Seven Sutherland Sisters were world-famous for their incredible hair, which reportedly had a collective length of 37 feet. It is said that the siblings’ mother, Mary Sutherland, applied an ointment on the young girls' hair to stimulate growth. Their classmates often complained of the offensive odor.

The Sutherland children were all musically inclined and performed around New York State as the "Sutherland Concert of Seven Sisters and One Brother." In 1881, they entertained at the Atlanta Exposition in Georgia. Around 1884, when the Sisters were traveling with Barnum and Bailey's “Greatest Show on Earth,” their father, Fletcher Sutherland, realized that crowds flocked to see the girls' long hair more than their singing talents. He mixed together a liquid concoction that he called “The Seven Sutherland Sisters Hair Grower.” He sent a bottle to a chemist for an analysis and received the following testimonial: "Cincinnati, Ohio, March, 1884: - Having made a Chemical Analysis of the Hair Grower prepared by the Seven Long Haired Sisters, I hereby certify that I found it free from all injurious substances. It is beyond question the best preparation for the hair ever made and I cheerfully endorse it. -- J.R. Duff, M.D., Chemist."

The Seven Sutherland Sisters Corp. bottled and distributed the Hair Grower from New York City and sold $90,000 worth of product the first year. They soon added a Scalp Cleanser, a Seven Sutherland Sisters Comb and eight shades of Hair Colorators. After achieving world-wide fame in 1893, the Sutherland Sisters spared no expense when building their new mansion on the Ridge Road just west of Warrens Corners. The house had 14 rooms, a marble lavatory with hot and cold running water, a turret, cupola and peaked gables, beds imported from Europe, black walnut woodwork, hardwood floors, massive chandeliers, as well as an attic room for the cook and maids.

On January 24, 1938, the mansion burned to the ground, taking many relics of The Sisters’ glory days with it. The Sutherland family lived lives of extreme excess, and even though they earned millions of dollars in their lifetimes, they all died destitute of their riches.

Sarah Sutherland of “The Seven Sutherland Sisters”. Her hair wasn’t very long, only 3 feet, but wavy and thick. She was the one who founded the singing group. But the most impressive thing for the audience wasn’t the singing but the hair.

All seven sisters were born in the town of Cambria, near the city of Lockport, Niagara County, N.Y.

(Photo: The Niagara County Historical Society).

Grace Sutherland with her five feet long, auburn mane. All of her life she was very proud of it. She never married and lived until 1946.

Grace. The sisters spent much of their time traveling from city to city: in 1882 with W.W. Coles Colossal Show, by 1884 with “Barnum and Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth”, also posing in drug store windows or hotels lobbies. It was always a good chance to advertise their hair tonic.

Mary Sutherland. Her heavy, dark brown hair was six feet (180cm) long. Much of her life she suffered mental problems.

Mary completely enveloped in her hair.

(Photo: The Niagara County Historical Society)

Dora Sutherland.

(Photo: The Niagara County Historical Society)

Victoria Sutherland was the most beautiful lady of the seven sisters and the one with the longest hair, which reached seven feet (210cm). When she was 45 years old she married a young man of 19 years.

Isabella’s hair was six feet long (180cm). She married twice.

Naomi Sutherland. She had the most massive hair of all the sisters, which enveloped her whole body as with a garment. When she upbraided her four inches thick braid, her 5 feet and a half long hair (167cm) completely covered her body. Naomi was married to Henry Bailey, son of the partner of Barnum. He formed the Sutherland Sisters Corporation to sell a special hair tonic.

Anna Louise Roberts, a mysterious substitute who

traveled with the Sisters for a couple of years after Naomi’s death in 1893. The young lady from Carbondale/ Pennsylvania had actually tresses nine feet long (2,70 meters)!