The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 18

A22 OBITUARIES confirmed. At 4, Boyd started playing the guitar. He grew up on a ranch near the San Fernando Valley. While at a country- western dance in a Colton barn, the 7-year-old was called on stage to sing with Texas Jim troupe. Boyd was soon regularly appearing with the band in shows that were broadcast on the radio.

After winning a talent contest on KLAC-TV Channel 13, Boyd appeared on Frank Sinatra and was signed to a recording contract with Columbia. His first recording success was with a country song, Angels immy Boyd, a singer best known for recording the Christmas novelty hit Saw Mommy Kissing Santa 1952 when he was 13, died Saturday. He was 70. Boyd, who also was a child actor, died of cancer at a Santa Monica convalescent hospital, said Eleanor Pillsbury, a longtime friend. Three weeks after the yuletide kiss-and-tell was released, the song was No.

1 on the Billboard charts. It sold 2million records in less than 10 weeks. Tens of millions of copies of the much-covered song written by TommieConnors have been sold over the decades, according to the All- music online database. It has been interpreted by such artists as the Jackson 5, John Mellencampand Amy Winehouse.Molly Bee was also 13 when she laterhad a hit warbling about the unlikely pair kissing the mistletoe last Bee died last month at 69. Although it came to be regarded as a holiday classic, the ditty about a child who understand why Mommy is cheating on Daddy with Santa Claus caused controversy in some quarters when the original featuring childish treble was released.

The Catholic Church condemned the song for implying even a tenuous link between sex and the religious holiday, and radiostations in several markets banned it. The ban was lifted after the 13-year- old Boyd appeared before church leaders to talk about the lyrics. Recorded at the urging of Columbia record executive Mitch Miller, the tune made of an overnight national musical of the vocalist, a who lived in Van Nuys, Time magazine reported in 1952. Lyrics such as see me the stairs to have a up to the the magazine huffed. Even the young singer was surprised by the success.

like it Boyd told Time, I think anyone would buy He was born dirt-poor in a shack in McComb, on Jan. 9, 1939, to Leslie and Winnie Boyd. His was a carpenter from a big musical family grandfather was known in Mississippi as Fiddler Bill and had 21 children, Pillsbury Are Lighting) Little His recording career essentially lasteduntil 1967 and encompassedsuch hits as the sung with Rosemary several duets with Frankie Little Boy and the Old Little Piggy and Me a On television, Boyd made several appearances on Ed Sullivan in the early 1950s and moved into acting. From 1958 to 1961, he portrayed Howard Meechim, the high school boyfriend on a sitcom that starred John Forsythe and Noreen Corcoran.He also played the teenage nephew of Betty character on with the late-1950s sitcom. In 1960, Boyd appeared as abiology student in the Spencer Tracy and, the same Yvonne Craig, an actress he met while making the Bing Crosby film Craig would go on to play Bat- girl in the 1960s TV series Their marriage ended after two years.

Soon after marrying, Boyd was drafted into the Army and later performed in two USO shows in Vietnam. For several years, he toured the U.S. in his own music and comedy show. He was an avid tennis player until he discovered sailing, Pillsbury said, and for years lived in Marina del Rey on a sailboat he named Unplugged. He is survived by a son, Devon James Boyd, 28.

valerie.nelson@latimes.com JIMMY BOYD, 1939 2009 Child star sang Kissing Santa Valerie J. Nelson Los Angeles Times PERFORMER At 13, Jimmy Boyd recorded the Christmas song that became a sensation. His acting career included TV and movie roles, including a part alongside Spencer Tracy in the ountry singer Hank Locklin, whose smooth tenor voice on hits including Me the Pillow You Dream and Help Me marked a career that spanned half a century, has died. He was 91. Locklin died Sunday at his home in Brewton, Grand Ole Opry publicist Jessie Schmidt said in Nashville.

She said the cause of death was not being released. Aperformer on the Grand Ole Opry for 47 years, Locklin helped usher in Nashville that gave country music a more lush feel. been blessed to have hit songs that are timeless and appeal to the he said in 2001. Born Lawrence Hankins Locklin in 1918 in timber-rich Panhandle, as a teenager he played guitar and sang on radio stations across the South, including the on KRLD in Dallas and Louisiana in Shreveport, La. He scored his first top 10 country hit with Same Sweet in 1949 and scored another chart-topper with Me Be the in 1953.

recording of his song Me the Pillow You Dream crossed over from country to U.S. and British pop charts and became a standard for many performers, including Johnny Tillotson, Dean Martin, Dwight Yoakam and Dolly Parton. His recording of Help Me spent 14 weeks at the top of the country music charts in 1960, the same year hejoined the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. His last performance at the Opry was in September 2007. That piano style became signature, and his version was featured on the soundtrack of the 1993movie Perfect directedby Clint Eastwood.

In the 1970s, Locklin was host of TV shows in Houston and Dallas. His other hits included Me Be the Baby, and a Little More Like Locklin was widely credited as one of the pioneers of the themed concept album with recordings Tribute to Roy Acuff, King of Country and Songs Country which led to tours in England and Ireland. In 2001, he recorded in which featured Parton and Vince Gill. His 65th album, the Grace of was a collection of gospel songs that was released in 2006. Lord gave me a good voice and I can still he said in 2001.

Information on survivors and funeral arrangements was not immediately available. news.obits@latimes.com HANK LOCKLIN, 1918 2009 Country singer helped usher in John Partipilo Tennessean Hank Locklin performed with the Grand Ole Opry for 47 years and had numerous hits. Times Wire Reports latimes.com obituaries For more photographs of Jimmy Boyd, visit The website. foreign minister arrived in Tehran on Monday for a long-scheduled economic summit amid speculation that his government could help open diplomatic contacts between Iran and the United States. Foreign Minister Ali Baba- canarrived in the Iranian capital to attend the annual Economic Cooperation Organization summit just days after discussing Iran with U.S.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. term is used at Babacan told reporters in Ankara, the Turkish capital, before departing for Iran, according to the Turkish newspaper Sabah. will only be realized if a concrete request is made by both sides. We could contribute to the furthering of relations between the two nations to a positive Turkey has been flexing its diplomatic muscle and reemerging as a potent force on the landscape of the Middle East after orienting itself toward the West for much of the 20th century. Ankara, under the rule of moderate Islamists after being dominated for 80 years by secular nationalists close to the military, mediated indirect talks between Israel and Syria that were suspended late last year after the Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip.

The U.S. hopes to reach out diplomatically to leadership as a way of convinc- ing the Iranians to redirect their nuclear program away from potential military uses and to stop their support for militant opponents of Israel. Clinton told Kanal Dtelevision last week that the Obama administration welcomed any Turkish efforts to help sway the Islamic Republic. know the Iranians better than we she said. have shared a border for I think I was told over 350 or so years.

So we are going to ask for your help in trying to influence Iranian relations with neighboring Iran have blossomed since the emergence of the moderately Islamist Justice and Development Party as dominant political force early in the decade. Trade between the two countries totaled $10 billion last year, up from 2007. Turkey is the only country Iranians can visit without obtaining a visa. Some experts believe Turkey could use its rising clout with Iran to influence its poli- cies or serve as a mediator as it did between Syria and Israel. sees Turkey as a gateway to the said Emrullah analyst specializing in Turkish affairs at the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington think tank.

role in such talks would be acritical By playing such a role Turkey would bolster its status as a regional power to be reckoned with as well as enhance its trade ties. Turkey is planning to get out of any deal between Israel and Syria, or Iran and the U.S., is more stability and more economic growth for he said. But others said involvement of Turkey or any other third party could hamper rather than help talks between Iran and the U.S. Iranians and Americans both know how to contact each other, how to communicate to one said Mohammad Marandi, the head of the North American studies department at Tehran University. do not really need a third party to During the Israeli-Syria talks, representatives from each country were in different rooms of the same hotel as Turkish officials relayed messages back and forth.

The Israelis have for decades wanted apeace deal with Syria, which in turn has wanted the return of the Golan Heights, a highland seized by Israel during the 1967 Middle East War. Analysts said such a negotiating mechanism could be risky when discussing an immediate concern like nuclear enrichment program, which is advancing steadily. Iran and the U.S. also need to quickly build up trust after decades of hostility. the sensitivities here, I think the U.S.

would want to start with a direct dialogue with lower-level officials on issues that are less controversial, like said F. Stephen Larrabee, a European and Middle East security expert at Rand Corp. U.S.-Turkey-Iran talks envisioned term is says an Ankara envoy now in Tehran, after discussions on the subject with Clinton. Borzou Daragahi reporting from beirut Ramin Mostaghim reporting from tehran Atta Kenare Images WARM WELCOME: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, greets U.N. official Miguel Brockmannin Tehran, where an economic summit is being held this week.

la paz, bolivia Evo Morales on Monday ordered a U.S. diplomat to leave the country, alleging he was conspiring with opposition groups. The leftist leader also expelled the U.S. ambassador six months ago. Morales said that had determined that the U.S.

second secretary, Francisco Martinez, in permanent contact with opposition The U.S. government had no immediate comment, although an embassy official said Martinez was a career diplomat whose portfolio was political affairs. The official was not authorized to discuss the expulsion and spoke on condition of anonymity. Last week, Morales publicly accused Martinez of with a Bolivi- an police officer whom he accused of infiltrating the state oil company on behalf of the CIA. The oil company has been plagued by a corruption scandal that landed its president, a close Morales ally, in jail.

The U.S. government last week called the accusation baseless and accused Morales of using the United States as a scapegoat in domestic politics. understand how the president can assure us that he wants better relations with the United States and at the same time continue to make false Denise Urs, an embassy spokeswoman, said last week. In September, Morales expelled U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg, alleging he was inciting the political opposition.

The move followed bloody rioting between Morales supporters and pro-autonomy activists in wealthier eastern lowlands. Bolivian leader expels another U.S. diplomat associated press mogadishu, somalia Four youths were publicly whipped in the Somali capital Monday after an Islamic court found them guilty of gang rape, underscoring the inability to administer justice in the war-ravaged nation. Judge Abdul Haq insisted that the punishment would deter other would-be rapists, but two of the youths smiled and laughed as they were punished. The lashing was administered over the clothes of the accused and did not break their skin.

In October, a 13-year-old who said she had been raped was sentenced to death in the city of Kismayo after Islamic militants accused her of adultery. She was stoned to death in front of 1,000 spectators. Most of the judges have links to the Is- lamist insurgency and base their judgments on interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law. They are one of the few institutions left in a shattered country that has not had a functioning government since 1991. Few people have any faith in the often predatory police force, going instead to the courts, which issue rulings about once a month and can dispatch armed men to enforce them if necessary.

Islamic court in Somalia has 4 youths flogged for rape associated press CMYK.