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A - B
Johnny Ace
Johnny Ace was a singer during the fifties who was done in by his
own hand. Christmas eve of 1954 he was scheduled to perform at the
City Auditorium in Houston Texas. At some point backstage he was dared
into a game of Russian Roulette. He picked up a revolver, loaded a
bullet into the chamber, spun the cylinder, pulled the trigger and
blew his brains out. He was 25 years old.
Thomas "Papa Dee" Allen
Thomas "Papa Dee" Allen was the conga player for the group "War".
In 1970 "War" chalked-up a top ten single with the hit "Spill The
Wine" featuring Eric Burdon from the "Animals" on lead vocals. After
releasing the double album set "The Black Man's Burden", Eric left
the band. The band went on to release a string of hit singles that
appealed to both rock and r & b FM radio formats. Some of their
popular songs include "Slippin' Into Darkness","The Cicso Kid","Low
Rider","Me and Baby Brother","Why Can't We Be Friends","All Day
Music","Summer" and "The World Is A Ghetto". In concert they would
stretch songs out into extended jams. On August 30th of 1988 "Papa
Dee" suffered a massive heart attack while performing on stage which
proved fatal.
Luther Allison
Luther Allison was a bluesman known for his slide guitar playing
and soulful singing. He was the first blues act signed to Motown
Records. He jammed on Chicago's West Side with blues legends Magic
Sam, Otis Rush and Freddie King. After the 70's he moved to Paris,France
where he became a European blues superstar. In 1994 he mounted a
US comeback, recording several albums for Alligator Records and
touring extensively. He won many awards including "Blues Entertainer
of The Year". In July of 1997 he was diagnosed with inoperable lung
cancer and brain tumors. He died on August 12th, 1997 at the age
of 57.
Duane Allman
Duane Allman is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all
time, right along side the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.
As a matter of fact, Duane was invited to play on Clapton's immortal
classic "Layla" by "Derek and the Dominoes". Known as a master of
the slide guitar, Duane and his brother Greg virtually defined southern
rock. Duane was also a session guitarist at "Muscle Shoals" recording
studios and did session work with artists such as Clarence Carter,
Aretha Franklin, Boz Scaggs,and Wilson Pickett. Duane and Greg were
raised by their mother in Daytona Beach, Florida and by 16 years
old Duane was an accomplished guitarist. With brother Greg on keyboards
and vocals they formed a series of short-lived bands thru out the
sixties. In 1967 as "The Hourglass" they were signed by Liberty
records and recorded two unmemorable albums which died a quick death.
This was all to change however when Dickey Betts entered the picture.
After a series of extensive jams "The Allman Brothers Band" was
born. In 1969 they released "The Allman Brothers Band" and in 1970
"Idlewild South". Although popular in the South and garnering more
and more FM airplay neither album established the band as a national
act. This was all to change with the release of "Live at the Fillmore
East" in 1971. A double album set featuring extended versions of
"Whipping Post", "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and a blistering
version of "Statesboro Blues" featuring Duane's stinging slide guitar
riffs finds the "Allman Brothers" at their finest. A must for any
serious guitar player "Live at the Fillmore East" remains a classic.
However, The Allman Brothers good fortune was about to take a turn
for the worse. On October 29th of 1971 after laying down some tracks
for a new album, Duane took off on his motorcycle.A truck hauling
Peaches pulled out in front of him and he crashed into it. Duane
died after hours of emergency surgery at the age of 24. The Allman
Brothers would never be the same without him. The album "Eat a Peach"
was released shortly after his death. A tragic end to one of rock's
greatest gutarists. UPDATE: Contrary to popular belief, the truck
that pulled in front of Duane was actually hauling steel cable and
rods. The working title of the album was actually "The Kind They
Grow Down South". Butch Trucks suggested an alternative title from
something that Duane had stated "I play a lick now and then, and
whenever I'm in Georgia, I eat a peach for peace." The title was
changed to Eat a Peach for Peace, then shortened. (special thanks
to Brian Love for clearing that up that rock myth)
Hoyt Axton
Hoyt Axton was "folkie" guitar singer-songwriter best known for
his ballads. Some of his best known works include "The Pusher","The
No No Song","Joy To The World", "Never Been To Spain" and "Snowblind
Friend". He dabbled in acting having starred in "Gremlins" and other
films as well as television. His mother "Mae" Axton achieved fame
as the writer of Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel". He was left
severely disabled due to a stroke and eventually packed it in on
October 10th, 1999 at the age of 61.
John Belushi
What began as a skit on Saturday night live turned into one of the
most popular movies of all time , million selling albums and provided
a Halloween costume for years to come. In 1978 John Belushi had
the blues, he formed a super tight band with original members of
the MG's (the Stax recording studio house band) Steve Cropper and
Duck Dunn. The songs the "Blues Brothers" recorded breathed new
life into the blues, with choreographed stage routines, a crack
horn section and Belushi's energetic vocals. Talks were in the works
about a sequel when he was found dead on March 5th, 1982 in a Hollywood
Bungalow at the age of 33. He had a myriad of track-marks on his
arms and was speed-balling (a mixture of cocaine and heroin). Kathy
"Silverbag" Smith who allegedly administered the final lethal dose
while Belushi was already unconscious was tried and convicted on
a reduced manslaughter charge and served 6 months of an 18 month
sentence.
The Big Bopper
See Buddy Holly
Mike Bloomfield
Mike Bloomfield was another white boy with the blues who played
lead guitar for "The Paul Butterfield Blues Band" . Mike Bloomfield
was considered the top guitarist in the industry until Eric Clapton
came along . Bloomfield stayed with Butterfield for only two albums,
afterwards he formed the short-lived "Electric Flag" with Al Kooper
and Buddy Miles. Bloomfield is also best known for his lead guitar
work on Bob Dylan's classic album "Highway 61 Revisited". He also
did an album with Al Kooper and Steven Stills entitled "Super Sessions".
Along with Butterfield he gradually faded from view . He died February
15th, 1981 at the age of 37 from a medical condition contributed
to drug abuse. Marc Bolan
Mark Bolan was the frontman of the popular group T.REX who enjoyed
their biggest success in the early seventies. In the late sixties
the group was known as Tyrannosaurus Rex. In England the group commanded
a fanatical following reminisent of Beatlemania but in the states
they were relatively unknown. In 1971 Bolan shortened the name to
T.REX, overhauled the group's sound and released "Electric Warrior".
"Bang-a-gong(Get it on)" with it's reference to "cars and hubcap
diamond-starred halos" was a top ten smash. In 1972 "The Slider"
was released and T.REX became the darlings of glitter rock. In 1973
they released "Tank" and fell off the charts into rock-n-roll obscurity.
Regarding his rock and roll lifestyle he once said "I was living
in a twilight world of booze, drugs and kinky sex". Bolan's comeback
attempt was cut short when on September 16th of 1977 he was killed
in an auto accident. Apparently he had been arguing with his girlfriend
who decided to get the last word in by crashing into a tree, gone
at the age of 30.
Tommy Bolin
Tommy Bolin died in a Miami hotel room December 4th, 1976 at the
age of 25 while on tour. Tommy Bolin was a multi dimensional guitarist
adept in jazz, fusion and rock. Bolin fronted the group "Zephyr"
whose records could be found in the cut-out bins. He joined "The
James Gang" after Dominic Trojano left to join the Guess Who. In
1975 he joined "Deep Purple" after the departure of Richie Blackmore.
He went solo and was steadily gaining in popularity with his second
release "Private Eyes". He eventually developed a substance abuse
problem which began to concern those close to him. He had just finished
the first night of the tour opening for Jeff Beck in Miami and was
hosting a small party in his hotel room. He consumed the usual booze
coke and big H. Somwhere during the evening he entered the bathroom
and someone injected him with heroin. Much of this is speculation
but this seems to be the most pausable according to most accounts.
When he passed out while talking on the phone his entourage called
the hotel doctor who advised to take him to the hospital. Fearing
bad press Tommy's people figured he'd sleep it off since thev'e
seen him like this before. Bad call, he suffocated to death in his
sleep. The Miami Herald reported he was found dead in the shower
stall. This does not seem to be the case. Although he may have been
placed in the shower in an attempt to revive him he was found in
his bed. The Herald also falsely reported that this was his first
fling with the big H but those close to him say he was snorting
it for sometime. As for his frequency for injecting it remains unclear.
4 fresh puncture marks where found in his arm. A tragic end to a
talented guitarist whose future was cut short. But we've heard all
this before, haven't we?
Graham Bond
Graham Bond was an early purveyor of the swinging London scene in
the mid sixties. He followed the typical blueprint of the English
bands of that time: skiffle to blues to rock. He lived in an English
mansion and claimed to have Satanic ties to Alexter Crowely who
was a distant relative. His financial management was so bad every
band he formed lost money. On May 8th of 1974 at the age of 36 he
was found dead under the wheels of a stationary train.
John Bonham
John Bonham was the stalwart backbeat to Led Zeppelin. Many considered
him the ultimate definition of a rock drummer. Also the ultimate
rock drinker, he died in his own vomit after consuming 30 some-odd
shots of Vodka at the age of 32 on September 25th, 1980. Led Zeppelin
refused to go on without him and disbanded.
Sonny Bono
Born Salvatore Bono, "Sonny" Bono started out as a songwriter. He
wrote "Needles and Pins" which became a big hit for "The Searchers"
during the British rock invasion of the mid-sixties. He met up with
"Cher" and recognized her talent as a singer. He formed the duo
"Sonny and Cher" and in 1965 hit it big with the number one world
wide smash "I Got You Babe", a song they would milk for the rest
of their career. Although Sonny was a poor singer, Cher's strength
as a singer and cool silky sexy-sheik persona coupled with Sonny's
lovable mop-top image, they pulled it off. In 1967 they hit the
charts again with "The Beat Goes On". By the end of the sixties
there hits had dried-up. In the early seventies they hosted a variety
show which was very successful. They would close the show by singing
"I Got You Babe" to their daughter Chastity Bono. Cher eventually
grew tired of Sonny's slave-driving demands and wanted out of the
marriage. She finally wrangled a divorce out of Sonny and "went
on with the show" but the gig fell apart a short time later. Cher
went on to a successful music and film career while Sonny got involved
in politics. He was elected mayor of Palm Springs, California and
eventually congressman. On January 5th of 1998 while skiing in Heavenly
, Nevada he crashed into a tree and was killed. Sonny Bono was 62
years old.
Roy Buchannan
Roy Buchannan was one of rock's great guitarists. He started out
as a session player for various fifties groups and co-wrote "Suzie-Q"
with Dale Hawkins. In the seventies he fronted a blues band and
remained successful in the blues circuit. On August 13th of 1988
he was arrested for drunk-driving. The following morning he was
found hanging inside his jail cell. Gone at the age of 48.
Tim Buckley/Jeff Scott Buckley
The first "family plot" entry into the rock-n-roll graveyard, father
and son went out under dubious circumstances. Tim Buckley was a
folk-rock singer of the sixties and seventies known for his haunting
melodies. On June 29th of 1975 while partying at a friends house
he snorted what he believed to be cocaine but was actually heroin
and overdosed. He was 28 years old. His son Jeff Scott Buckley followed
in his father's footsteps, however, a little too closely. Jeff's
music ranged from folk to rock to funk and critics compared his
voice to that of Van Morrison. In 1994 he released the album "Grace"
which yeilded the alternative hit "Last Goodbye" which reached #19
on the Billboard charts. On May 29th of 1997, Jeff was in Memphis
to record a new album when he disappeared while swimming in the
Mississippi River. His body was found floating in the "Old Miss"
six days later, dead at 30. UPDATE: Tim Buckley did indeed intentionally
snort heroin. He was drunk and coming back from a gig and he rousted
a buddy out of bed who gave him too much...when he got home he started
lurching around the room so his wife plopped him down in the living
room and put a pillow under his head. When she woke up he turned
blue, much like the tiddy bowl man.
Cliff Burton
Cliff Burton was the bass player for Metallica. He fell victim to
a "turn of an unfriendly card". On September 27th, 1987 while traveling
thru Europe on their tour bus, their tour manager decided to stop
the constant bickering over the sleeping arrangements by drawing
cards. Cliff Burton drew high card , the Queen of Spades, and chose
the "Master Suite". That very same day the bus slid off an icy road
onto its side. While trying to climb out the window, the bus toppled
over and crushed him to death. He was 25 years old. UPDATE: Cliff
Burton did not try to climb out the window. He was found crushed
underneath the bus. In fact the crane that lifted up the bus dropped
it down back on him, so someone wanted to make sure he was dead,
Sorry Cliff, you really got screwed
Paul Butterfield
Paul Butterfield was a white harmonica player from the south side
of Chicago. Paul Butterfield was considered the premier harmonica
player of his time. In 1965 "The Paul Butterfield Blues Band" was
released and remains a classic to this day. Caught up in sixties
flower-power, subsequent releases strayed from the blues format
and lacked the power and intensity of their debut album. The band
also appeared at Woodstock, and their song "Love March" is featured
on the soundtrack album. His death on May 4th, 1987 at the age of
44 was contributed to alcohol and drug abuse.
Glen Buxton
Glen Buxton played lead guitar in Alice Cooper's band. He co-wrote
a number of their popular tunes. "Alice Cooper" broke new ground
as one of the first shock-rock groups. Their first two albums ,
"Easy Action" and "Pretties For You" generated little interest.
On the album cover for "Easy Action" they were all dressed in skirts.
Although mild by today's standards the name "Alice" (real name Vincent
Furnier) caused quite a "stir". In 1971 they released their breakthough
album "Love It To Death" which included the hit single "I'm Eighteen".
The album boasted a wild looking cover with Alice sticking his thumb
out thru the zipper like a penis. (Later releases had the thumb
airbrushed out) Late that year they released perhaps their greatest
album "Killer". This album spawned the hit "Be My Lover". It also
had a tune entitled "Dead Babies". The album ended with a mock hanging
, but in concert for the "Killer" tour , Alice would actually walk
up the gallows and get hanged. It was a sight to behold. The master
of shock rock was at his finest. In 1972 they released "School's
Out". The theme of course , centered around school and it's trials
and tribulations with a "West Side Story" rip-off of the "Sharks
and The Jets" gang fight. The original album cover folded out to
a school desk and came complete with a pair of panties around the
record made of handi-wipe material. 1973 the group released "Billion
Dollar Babies" which yielded "Elected" and "No More Mr. Nice Guy".
Although he claimed not to do drugs , Alice was pounding down the
Budweiser in record porportions. By 1974's "Muscle of Love" it was
clear that something was wrong. The album came in a plain cardboard
box ! No snakes, no wild mascara around the eyes, no babies, no
nothing. The record failed to yield a single also !!!! This was
the end of the original band. Alice's later releases lacked the
biting guitar the original band created. It also marked the beginning
of the end for Alice who would end up in a sanitarium. Glen evenually
turned away from music and spent his last years as a farmer in Mason
City , Iowa. Glen Buxton died of pneumonia on October 19th, 1997
at the age of 49.
David Byron
See Gary Thain
Go to Index
C - G
Toy & Tommy Caldwell
Toy Caldwell was the driving force behind "The Marshall-Tucker Band".
Known for his blazing guitar licks on the Les Paul, Toy helped keep
southern rock alive after the demise of the Allman Brothers and
Lynyrd Skynyrd. Toy's brother Tommy, was bass player for the group.
They hailed from Spartanburg, South Carolina and in 1972 were signed
by Phil Walden's Capricorn records. The band was named after a blind
piano tuner named Marshall Tucker whose name the band stumbled upon
by accident in the rehearsal hall one day. The group's debut album
"The Marshall Tucker Band", released in 1973, became a staple of
FM radio and spawned the classic's "Take The Highway","Can't You
See" and "Ramblin", the album went gold shortly thereafter. In 1974
the band released "A New Life" and "Were We All Belong" . The latter
was a two record set, half studio , half live. The live set should
of been declared a fire hazard because once played the intensity
was so hot it could burn down the house ! Toy Caldwell burns thru
a blistering version of "Everyday (I Have The Blues)", yet to be
equaled. In 1975 the band released "Searching For a Rainbow" which
yielded the hit single "Fire On The Mountain". (Originally intended
for Charlie Daniels "Fire On The Mountain" album). Their biggest
song however was 1977's "Heard It In a Love Song" from "Carolina
Dreams". By 1978 the constant touring, coupled along with substance
abuse problems were taking their toll and the band began to unravel.
Although they were determined to stay together, the "Grim Reaper
of Rock" was about to deal them a crippling blow. On April 28th
of 1980 , Tommy Caldwell passed away from injuries he received in
a jeep accident a week earlier. He was 30 years old. The band tried
to go on without him but couldn't cope with the void. By 1984 Toy
Caldwell and two other band members called it quits. On February
25th, 1993 at the age of 45, Toy Caldwell suffered a fatal heart
attack and died in his sleep. "The Marshall Tucker Band" with original
singer "Doug Gray" continues to tour as a nostalgia act.
Randy California
Randy California drowned off the coast of Molokai, Hawaii, January
2nd, 1997 at the age of 45 when he was sucked into a riptide after
he pushed his 12 year old son out of harms way. Randy was just 14
years old when his 34 year old stepfather suggested they form a
group. In 1966 Randy went to New York to play rhythm guitar for
a local group named "Jimmy James & the Blue Flames" whose lead
guitarist happened to be none other then Jimi Hendrix. After Hendrix
was carted off to London by Chas Chandler, Randy returned to L.A.
but with a few more "guitar tricks" in his bag. In 1967 Ed and Randy
formed "Spirit" and in 1968 their debut album was released. The
single "Mechanical World", "Uncle Jack" and the jazzy "Fresh Garbage"
put them on the charts. In 1969 they released "The Family that plays
together" which yielded the #25 hit single "I've got a line on you".
In October of 1969 "Clear Spirit" was released. The group's crowning
acheivement though came with their concept album "Twelve Dreams
of Dr. Sardonicus" released in 1970. "Nature's Way", "Mr. Skin","Animal
Zoo" and "Nothing to Hide" all became staples of FM radio airplay.
The original line-up broke-up shortly thereafter. "Spirit" continued
to release records but never matched the success of their first
four albums.
Eric Carr
Eric Carr answered an ad in the "New York Times" and wound up in
the group "Kiss". The group was known for it's outrageous stage
act complete with Gene Simmon's blood dripping foot-long tongue.The
group was never seen in public without it's trademark make-up. They
chalked-up some FM airplay with tunes like "Strutter" and their
signature tune "I Want To Rock-n-Roll All Night (and party everyday)".In
1976 they released the classic two-album set "Kiss Alive". The group
made somewhat of a comeback with the M-TV generation X'ers sans
make-up. Eric Carr died of cancer on September 24th,1991 at the
age of 41.
Johnny Cash
Known as the man in black Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland Arkansas
February 26th , 1932.The son of a Southern Baptist sharecropper
he began performing as early as age 12. In 1955 he began recording
for Sam Phillips "Sun" records. Known as "Johnny Cash and the Tennessee
Two" (guitarist Luther Perkins and bassist Marshall Grant) his first
single was "Cry Cry Cry" which reached #14. The follow-up was "Folsom
Prison Blues" which reached number #5. The following year he released
his most enduring song that would establish him as a superstar.
The million selling copy "I Walk The Line". He left Sun records
in 1958 because Sam Phillips wouldn't let him record a gospel album.
He signed with Columbia records where he would remain until the
label dropped him in 1986. The sixties began his "wild-man" period
where he ran rampant hopped-up on booze and uppers. He then met
June Carter of the famous Carter Family who got him off the drugs(hhmmm....bummer)
, although there would be relapses. She also wrote "Ring Of Fire"
which became another big hit for Cash. I had the original 45rpm
on red vinyl but I smashed it up when I turned 15 and got my first
Alice Cooper album.The two were married in 1968 and released a series
of duets together : "Jackson","If I Were a Carpenter" and Dylan's
" It Ain't Me Babe". The highlight of his career was his two live
albums, 1968's "At Folsom Prison" and 1969's "Johnny Cash: At San
Quentin" which was Cash's best selling album staying number one
on the charts for 4 weeks and contained the hit single "A Boy Named
Sue" (#2). In June of 1969 ABC launched "The Johnny Cash Show" which
lasted 2 years. At this point's Cash's popularity began to wane
although he was still revered by country and rock alike. In 1985
Cash resurfaced with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon
Jennings as "The Highwaymen". They recorded 4 albums together. In
1996 Tom Petty produced his "Unchained " album. By now health problems
began to plague Cash though he continued to record. His last album
is considered a masterpiece "American III: Solitary Man". In May
of 2003 his wife of 35 years "June Carter Cash" cashed it in. Some
say this zapped his will to live. On September 12th , 2003 Johnny
Cash died in Nashville at the age of 71 due to complications from
Diabetes. Johnny Cash remains a legend, a country and rock pioneer
and a symbol of the undying American spirit. "The Man in Black"
was buried in a black coffin.
Chas Chandler
Chas Chandler was the bass player for the Animals. In 1964 they
had a number one hit with "House of the Rising Sun" with Eric Burdon
on lead vocals. They had a handful of follow-up hits such as "Don't
Bring Me Down","It's My life","Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", "We
Gotta Get Out Of This Place" and "See See Rider". In 1966 the original
Animals broke-up and Chandler went on to become Jimi Hendrix's manager.
He died of a heart attack at the age of 58 on July 17th, 1996.
Harry Chapin
Harry Chapin was a folk-rock balladeer best known for his song "Taxi".
He enjoyed moderate success during the seventies. On July 16th of
1981 while on his way to a benefit concert in New York City on the
Long Island expressway when he was involved in a traffic accident
that proved fatal. He was driving a VW Beetle and rear-ended a tractor
trailor and fried to death. Some say he had a heart attack others
say he was alive and couldn't get the seat belt off and turned Crispy
Critter. Harry Chapin was 38 years old.
John Cippolina
John Cippolina was lead guitarist for "The Quicksilver Messenger
Service" , an original sixties acid-rock band from the San Francisco
Bay area. Although they never were quite as popular as their contemporaries
"The Grateful Dead" and "The Jefferson Airplane", "Quicksilver"
were masters of the improvisational jam. The band frequently played
the Fillmore and stretched songs upwards from 20 to 30 minutes while
LSD'ed out Hippie Chicks danced in the aisles. John had been troubled
with health problems from birth suffering mainly from asthma. He
eventually succumbed to emphysema on May 29th, 1989 at the age of
45.
Gene Clark / Michael Clarke
Both Gene Clark and Michael Clarke were members of the group "The
Byrds". Along with David Crosby and Roger McGuinn their version
of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" released in 1965 signaled the end
of surf music and the birth of folk-rock (although McGuinn was the
only member of group to actually play on the single). They started
the whole trend of covering Dylan's tunes. They had a couple of
more hits such as "Eight Miles High","Turn Turn Turn","My Back Pages","So
You Want To Be A Rock-n-Roll Star" and "Mr. Spaceman". By 1968 most
of the original members had left. Gene Clark died on May 24th, 1991
at the age of 49 of natural causes. Michael Clarke went on to play
drums for "Firefall" who enjoyed brief success in 1976 thru 1978.
He died from a medical condition on December 19th, of 1993 also
at the age of 49.
Steve Clark
Known as "the riff master", Steve Clarke shared lead guitarist duties
with Phil Collen for "Def Leppard". In January 1983 "Pyromania"
hit it big and established the band as superstars. However the band
began losing it parts. The drummer lost his arm in an auto accident
and was temporarily sidelined. Their follow up album "Hysteria"
took four years in the making and featured now a one-armed drummer.
For some reason Steve was a very unhappy rock star. He hit the juice
hard and was found more then once face down in the pavement out
cold. The group gave him some time off to regroup hoping he would
snap out of it. After a night of heavy alcohol comsumption combined
with prescription drugs Steve was found dead on the floor, On January
8th,1991 dead at 30.
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain was the creative force behind "Nirvana", one of the
first and most popular Seattle-based alternative music groups that
came to be known as "grunge rock". More importantly, the mysterious
circumstances surrounding his death. Kurt came from a broken home
and soon found the drums as an outlet for his emotional frustrations.
He soon switched to guitar, playing left handed formed a series
of groups. Kurt was known for smashing his drummer's drum kit when
they didn't live up to his expectations. In 1989 Nirvana's first
release "Bleach" on the Sub-pop label garnered attention, but the
labels failure to provide adequate distribution of the Cd caused
Kurt and company to seek another label. They were eventually signed
by Geffen records and began to work on their next album. In 1991
"Nevermind" stormed the charts and Kurt became an instant rock star
as "Nevermind" sold over 50 million copies. Around this time he
was seduced by "Courtney Love" and the two began a stormy romance.
"Courtney" had her own apsirations of being a rock star with her
group "Hole". Increased drug comsumption, mainly heroin, bitter
arguments, the controversy over Courtney's interview in Vanity Fare
where the interviewer deduced she was pregnant when she did heroin,
all detracted from Kurt's ability to just be a member in a rock
group and write songs. While Courtney wanted a Lexus, Kurt was content
to drive a 1965 Dodge Dart. With the press constantly hounding them
the two became rock and roll's soap opera. After awhile those close
to the band realized that Courtney was calling the shots and band
members began to refer to her as Yoko. Courtney convinced Kurt to
demand more of a percentage of royalities for writing the material.
This threatened to derail the band but they agreed to do a follow-up
as Geffen had a lot of dollars riding on it. By this time Kurt was
completely strung out on heroin and most realized that the follow-up
was not going to match "Nevermind". According to those present at
the studio, the sessions were constantly hampered by Courtney barging
in and ranting and raving. Kurt wanted to call the album "I Hate
Myself and Want To Die". Some say it was a joke, most don't. The
Cd was eventually released as "In Utero" and deemed a lifeless follow-up.
While in Italy Kurt was rushed to the hospital for overdosing on
two bottles of champagne and a handful of the prescription drug
"Rohypnol". The Cobain camp denied a suicide attempt. "Nirvana"
completed an "unplugged" concert for M-TV which was quite successful
and showcased Cobain's guitar skills and unique vocals. Recorded
on November 18th 1993 it would be released posthumously. By late
March of 1994 Kurt's drug habit was so out of control, fearing for
his life an intervention was required. After a couple days in a
California rehab Kurt jumped a six foot fence and headed back to
Seattle . Courtney, in Los Angeles promoting the new "Hole" album
"Live Through This" , hired private investigator Tom Grant to track
down Kurt. Meanwhile Kurt bought a shotgun and a box of shells.
He had his friend buy it "because the police were always confiscating
his firearms and he needed it for protection" and didn't want it
in his name. Grant searched for Kurt but to no avail. On the morning
of April 8th a worker installing an alarm at Courtney and Kurt's
Seattle estate noticed a body in the "Green Room". (The "green house"
above the garage) Police confirmed it was the body of Kurt Cobain
and that he had been dead for at least 3 days establishing the date
of his death April 5th, 1994. According to the homicide unit the
shotgun was placed in Cobains mouth and discharged and laid across
his chest. But the tragedy does not end here, after investigators
labeled it and open and shut case of suicide things began not to
add up. First, the amount of heroin found in Kurts body was so great
that if he injected himself he would not of been able to pull the
trigger. Did someone get him drugs watch him OD and then fake a
suicide, or did someone kill him and them inject him with drugs?
The so called suicide note has been analyzed by handwriting experts
and is said to be altered and forged in certain areas. More puzzling,
the note is claimed to refer to Kurt wanting to leave Seattle and
the music business behind and mentions nothing of him ending his
life. And what about "El Duce" who claims Courtney offered him $50,000
to kill Kurt ? Before "El Duce"'s claims could be validated he was
mysteriously killed by a moving train. What about Kurts canceled
credit card that was used at a store to buy flowers two hours before
his body was discovered on April 8th even though he had been dead
since April 5th ? There are also allegations that Kurt was comtemplating
divorce and had an unsigned will which supposively excluded Courtney,
were she would lose out on millions. Also the 4 fingerprints found
on the shotgun were illegible as if someone attempted to wipe them
off. All of this adds up to rock's greatest mystery. Was Kurt Cobain
murdered or did he commit suicide ?
KURT COBAIN PHOTO GALLERY
Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran was a seminal figure in rock-n-roll and wrote many
classics such as "Summertime Blues", "20 flight rock", "C'mon Everybody",
and "Cut Across Shorty". Eddie picked-up the guitar at an early
age and by 15 was an accomplished guitarist. He played jazz and
the current music of the time but his favorite artist was Chet Atkins.
By 1956 he was recording his own songs and in four years had 15
hits. On April 17th of 1960 while traveling to the London airport
he was killed in an auto accident. His current song on the charts
was "Three Steps to Heaven". Eddie Cochran was only 21 years old
at the time of his death.
EDDIE COCHRAN PHOTO GALLERY
Albert Collins
Albert Collins was known as "The Master of the Telecaster". (Telecaster
is a Guitar manufactured by Fender). A Bluesman from way back Albert
had a unique style which incorporated a D-minor open tuning and
a capo up around the seventh fret. He could blow your eardrums out
with the screaming thrilling notes he banged out of that thing.
He was also featured in the movie "Adventures in Baby-sitting".
He died in Las Vegas on November 24th, 1993 at the age of 61.
ALBERT COLLINS PHOTO GALLERY
Allen Collins
Allen Collins was one of the original members of Lynyrd Skynyrd
and survived the plane crash that killed two other band members.
He went on to form the short-lived Rossington-Collins Band with
the other remaining members of the group. Allen composed the music
to the seventie's rock anthem "Freebird". After a car crash in 1986
confined him to a wheel-chair, his health gradually deteriorated
and he died from pneumonia on January 23rd, 1990 at the age of 37.
LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTO GALLERY
Brian Connolly
Brian Connolly was lead singer for the British rock group "Sweet"
who enjoyed moderate success during the mid to late seventies. Their
first hit was the FM bubble-gumish "Little Willie" released in 1973,
followed by "Ballroom Blitz" in 1975. "Fox on the run" also hit
in 1976. They overhauled their sound and came out with the #8 world-wide
smash "Love is Like Oxygen" in 1978. This was their musical peak
and the group eventually fell from popularity. Brian was known to
hang out with Keith Moon and the two did quite alot of partying
together. After years of over indulgence in the "rock-n-roll lifestyle".
The liver gave out and after a series of heart attacks he passed
away at the age of 52.
Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke started out as a gospel singer with "The Soul Stirrers".
He went solo after being kicked-out and turned to mainstream pop.
Sam wrote and recorded classics such as: "Twisting the night away
", "Another Saturday Night", "You Send Me", "Wonderful World", "Only
Sixteen" and "Chain Gang". On December 11th of 1964 he was shot
dead by a motel owner who claimed he was trying to break into her
room while dressed in only boxer shorts. He was 33 years old.
Johnny Copeland
Johnny "The Texas Twister" Copeland was a long-time blues guitar
player who recorded his first songs in the 1950's. His career was
re-vitalized in 1981 when he signed with Rounder Records and released
the explosive "Copeland Special". 1986 he recorded the triple threat
classic "Showdown" with Robert Cray and Albert Collins. He closed
the 1993 Chicago Blues Festival and brought down the house. By the
mid-nineties the old ticker was beginning to go. After a succession
of open-heart sugeries he received a heart transplant on New Years
Day 1997. He did a few more gigs and in July made a stop in the
hospital to repair a leaky heart valve when the "Grim Reaper of
Rock" came to call. He died on the operating table July 3rd, 1997
at the age of 60.
Jim Croce
Jim Croce was a talented singer-songwriter folk guitar player. Jim
hailed from Philadelphia PA and showed an interest in music at an
early age. He married his high school sweetheart in 1963 and together
they formed a duo which was unsuccessful. He became a master of
the acoustic guitar and played alot for spare change and at college
partys. After he graduated from college he became a disc jockey
for a short time before deciding to pursue music as a full time
career. To supplement his income he took a job as a trucker. It
was his experiences as a truck driver that would provide the lyrical
fuel for his later songs. By 1970 Jim had hit rock bottom with his
music career going nowhere. In addition to this, he had signed a
very bad record deal and was contemplating giving up music. The
turning point in his life came when his wife told him she was pregnant.
He got down to business and in one week wrote most of the material
for his first album. "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" was released
to rave reviews and Jim began the cycle of constant touring. "Life
and Times" released in 1973 spawned the lounge-act classic "Bad
Bad Leroy Brown". Although by now he was a big success he received
very little income from his record sales. (His wife would eventually
win control of his music after his death). Vowing to quit touring
Croce hit the road for one last time, it was a fateful decision
that would cost him his life. Jim Croce died September 20th, 1973
when his tour plane crashed into a tree upon take-off. His "I've
Got a Name" album was released posthumously and contained the hit
song of the same name. "Time in a Bottle" from his first album was
released as a single after his death and hit number one. Jim Croce
was 30 years old.
THE JIM CROCE PHOTO GALLERY
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin was born as Walden Robert Cassotto on May 14th 1936
in The Bronx, New York. During his childhood he contracted rheumatic
fever resulting in damage to his heart. As a teenager Darin taught
himself to play guitar, drums and piano but it was his on stage
presence behind the mic were he excelled the most. In 1958 at the
age of 22 Bobby Darin reportively walked into a recording studio
and in twenty minutes wrote "Splish-Splash" which became a big hit
in 1958 and established him as a teenage idol. In 1959 he scored
his only number one hit with the cool sauve jazzy "Mack the Knife".
His other big hit was "Dream Lover". He became a top attraction
in Las Vegas and paled around with Wayne Newton. As a matter of
fact, "Danke Scheone" was going to be his follow-up to "Mack the
Knife" but he gave his arrangement of the song to Wayne Newton.
Bobby Darin was also shocked to find out that his sister was really
his mother, some say he never fully recovered from this. Always
having a bad ticker it finally caught up with him. On December 20th
of 1973 he underwent heart surgery to repair damaged valves and
died on the operating table at the age of 37. His body was donated
to "medical science".
THE BOBBY DARIN PHOTO GALLERY
Rick Danko
Rick Danko was a canadian-born musician who sang, played Bass and
acoustic guitar for the band. He sang lead on such rock classics
as "The Weight" and "Stagefright"'. Although popular with the rock
critics. A big hit with fellow musicians but never the record buying
public, "The Band"'s albums sold moderately.The band's first album
"Music from Big Pink" contained the song classics "Chest Fever"
and "The Weight". Bob Dylan painted the album cover. The next album
was simply entitled "The Band" and contained the classics "Rag Mama
Rag", "Up on Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie
Down". The latter becoming a big hit in 1971 for Joan Baez. In 1972
they released the 2 record live set "Rock of Ages" which is considered
by most their strongest recording. Internal tensions within the
band began to mount and subsequent releases sold poorly. In 1976
they recorded their swan song "The Last Waltz" which featured a
myriad of guest artists including Bob Dylan and then broke-up for
good. "The Band" was also famous for backing Bob Dylan and the bootlegged
"Basement Tapes". (which since has been released on CD). Danko fell
into the role of the declining rock star. He formed a series of
bands, did a couple of solo projects, toured the classic rock circuit
and then died in his sleep on December 10th, 1999 at the age of
56.
Cyril Davies
Cyril Davies was a seminal figure in British Blues. In the early
sixties he formed "Cyril Davies and the All-Stars" where he played
the blues harp. The band became a "training ground" for quite a
number of British musicians who went on to bigger and better things.
He died of Leukemia on January 7th , 1964 at the age of 31.
Rusty Day
Rusty Day was a singer from the detroit area and in 1969 he was
asked to join the The Amboy Dukes led by Ted Nugent. Coming off
the highly successful album "Journey to the center of the mind"
, the follow-up "Migration" with Day at vocals was considered a
disappointment." The next album "Marriage on the rocks / Rock bottom"
was a critical dud but got some airplay. I thought it was good after
two hits of orange sunshine but thats me. After that Day got the
boot, Nugent took over the band and stripped it down and released
"Survival of the fittest in 1970. Which personally I thought was
there best effort till 75's Ted's solo album on Epic.In late 69
Day teamed up with ex "Vanilla Fudge'er's Carmen Appice and Tim
Bogert. They then added Jim Mc Carthy who suggested Day. They got
ther name "Cactus" from a drive in theatre located in Tucson Arizona.
The first Cactus album was released in 70 to good reviews. With
a combination of boogie, blues and good old rock and roll. The band
had a good rep and was opening for some major shows. The second
album was a little mellow, maybe they were coked up. After Mc Carthy
left in 72 they gave Day the boot. Although Cactus released a live
abum, Appice and Bogert teamed up with Jeff Beck and Cactus crumbled.
In 1975 Day moved to Orlando put back together Cactus and did the
Florida band circuit. On June 3rd, 1982 both Day and his son were
killed in a drug deal gone bad.
John Denver
Born Henry John Deutschendorf, John Denver took his name from the
city that would eventually become his home; "Denver, Colorado".
In 1967 while Denver was part of "The Mitchell Trio" he wrote "Leaving
On a Jet Plane" which became a number one hit for "Peter, Paul &
Mary" in 1969. After the demise of "The Mitchell Trio" he signed
with RCA records and by the end of 1970 released three solo albums:
"Rhymes and Reasons", "Take Me To Tommorow",and "Whose Garden This
Was". Each album produced a bigger flop then the previous and failed
to establish him as a recording artist. In March of 1971 RCA released
"Poems,Prayers and Promises" which included a song added at the
last minute that would set the course of his musical career. "Take
Me Home, Country Roads" reached #2 on the Billboard charts (The
album went gold shortly thereafter) and became known as his signature
tune. In late 1972 he hit again with "Rocky Mountain High" which
reached #4. In 1975 he was voted "Country Music Entertainer of the
Year". In 1977 he starred with George Burns in "Oh God". His other
popular songs included : "Annie's Song","Calypso","Thank God I'm
a Country Boy" ,"Fly Away","Grandma's Feather Bed","Back Home Again"
and "Sunshine On My Shoulders". As the 80's cranked on his marriage
ended in divorce and RCA dropped him. He took an interest in flying
and perhaps he should of found a safer hobby. On October 12th of
1997 he was flying an experimental "kit-built" fiberglass single-engine
plane which crashed into Monterray Bay killing him instantly. At
the time of his death Denver had amassed a total of 14 gold records,
8 of which were ranked platinum. The album "John Denver's Greatest
Hits" is still one of the largest selling records in the history
of RCA records. John Denver was 53 years old.
Willie Dixon
Aside from Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon was perhaps the greatest
blues songwriter ever known. Schooled in the Delta Blues, Willie
Dixon wrote a bunch of blues standards that have been covered by
such artists as Johnny Winter, Cream , Led Zeppelin , Jeff Beck,
The Doors , Allman Brothers , Steppenwolf and a host of others.
He also was a session musician playing the stand-up "dog house"
bass and recorded with the likes of Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf and
Johnny Winter. He released the classic blues album on Columbia entitled
"I Am The Blues". He wrote such classics as "Built For Comfort"
, "Hoochie Koochie Man" , "Spoonful", "I Ain't Superstitous", "You
Shook Me", "I Can't Quit You Baby", "Backdoor Man", "Little Red
Rooster", "The Same Thing" and "Wang Dang Doodle". He died in poverty
of natural causes at the age of 76 on January 29th , 1992.
Lonnie Donegan
Lonnie Donegan was England's rockabilly version of Elvis. Donegan's
roots were buried in American folk, country and blues tunes from
the 20's and 30's. His reworking of Leadbelly's (Huddie Ledbetter)
"Rock Island Line" caused a sensation with the teenage populus of
England and gave birth to a style of music known as "skiffle". "Skiffle"
music was rudimentary, all that was needed was an acoustic guitar,snare
drum, jugs, washboard and broom stick bass and the knowledge of
two or three chords. "Rock Island Line" spent 22 weeks on the British
charts and broke into the top 20 in America. Soon teenagers all
over England were forming "Skiffle" groups, including John Lennon
and Pete Townsend. Lonnie Donegan would soon fall from popularity
but was revered by English musicans. In 2000 Donegan received the
"Member of the Order of the British Empire" award. After a series
of heart attacks he passed away on November 3rd, 2002 at the age
of 71.
Ian Dury
Ian Dury was a punk-rocker from England with a distinctive cockney
vocal style. Signed to "Stiff Records" as "Ian Dury and the Blockheads"
they released "New Boots & Panties" in 1978 which yielded the
punk classic "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll". He wasn't your typical
punker having been afflicted with polio and walked with a cane.
At 35 he also was a little older then your typical punker. Nevertheless,
"Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll"'s success gave him the money to
buy some of each. The follow-up album contained his biggest single
"Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick". He gradually faded from the charts
although he still remained active in England. He succumbed to colon
and liver cancer on March 27th, 2000 at the age of 57.
"Mama" Cass Elliot
The fat one in The Mamas and Papa's , Mama Cass was known for her
rich voice and outgoing personality. Rock legend has it that she
could never hit the high notes until she was whacked on the head
with a lead pipe while tripping on acid in the Virgin Islands. In
1966 the group released their debut album which featured their biggest
hits, "Monday, Monday","California Dreamin" and "Go Were You Wanna
Go". Unfortunately none of the band members could keep their hands
off of each other. Drugs,booze and free-for-all fests eventually
destroyed the band. After the "Mama's and Papa's" broke-up she embarked
on a sucessful solo career. In the early seventies she recorded
an album with Dave Mason which bombed. She then had a hit single
with a remake of the 1932 song "Dream a Little Dream for Me". While
performing in England she died in London July 29th, 1974 at the
age of 32 after supposivedly choking on a ham sandwich. Family members
insist the "ham sandwich" theory is hogwash. They maintain this
was assumed by the London authorities because a half-eaten ham sandwich
was found on the nightstand. An autopsy later revealed the cause
of death to be heart failure brought on by bouts of obesity and
rapid weight loss.
THE MAMA CASS PHOTO GALLERY
John Entwistle
John Entwistle was born on October 9th, 1944. Known as "The Ox",
John Entwistle was one of rock's greatest bass players. Usually
stationary and exhibiting little flash on stage he let his fingers
do the "rocking". He met up with school chums Roger Daltrey and
Pete Townsend in 1964 and formed "The Detours". When they discovered
another band with the same name they changed their name to "The
Who". Keith "Moon the Loon" completed the lineup when he smashed
up the Who's previous drummers drum kit.When management came along
he had their name changed to "The High Number's" and adopted a"mod"
image. "The High Number's" recorded two songs and tanked. Management
was sacked and the original name "The Who" was reinstated. "The
Who" then took control of their own musical direction and were signed
by Decca Records. In 1965 they released the single "I Can't Explain"
which cracked the top forty. This song is still covered today and
remains a classic. They released a string of albums which sold moderately
in the US. Another popular single released during this period was
the teenage rock-anthem "My Generation" which included the classic
line "hope I die before I get old". In 1967 "The Who" released "I
Can See For Miles" which was a top ten hit in the states. Around
this time they set a rock precedent by smashing up their equipment
at the end of their set. They performed a high-powered set at the
Monterray Pop Festival but still superstardom eluded them. In 1968
they appeared on "The Smothers Brother's" variety show and true
to form smashed up their equipment. Keith Moon capped off the show
by blowing up his drum kit. (causing Townsend permanent hearing
damage). They even grabbed Tommy Smother's acoustic guitar and smashed
it up handing it back to him in little pieces. "The Who's" fortunes
were soon to change. Townsend began work on new project that would
again set a new precedent in rock music . In 1969 "The Who" released
the two record set "Tommy", the first rock opera. Instantly hailed
as a masterpiece "Tommy" followed the form of the traditional opera
complete with an "Overture" and "Underture". This album produced
"Pinball Wizard" , "I'm Free", and "Were Not Gonna Take It". In
August of 1969 "The Who" appeared at Woodstock making it on to both
the "Woodstock" movie and the accompanying 3 record soundtrack.
By the end of the 60's "The Who" had finally acheived the superstardom
they were long overdue. In 1970 they released the hard rocking "Live
at Leeds" with a 14 minute version of "My Generation" infused with
parts of "Tommy" and a thundering version of "Magic Bus". They also
reworked an old single called "Substitute" and a few covers, most
notetably "Summertime Blues". By now "The Who" had stopped destroying
their equipment, a lot of "Gibson SG's" were quite relieved. In
early 1971 they released the single 'Join Together" followed by
the album "Who's Next". Considered by most rock critics as there
finest album , "Who's Next" yeilded "Baba O' Reily","Won't Get Fooled
Again" and "Behind Blue Eyes". Entwistle sang lead on "My Wife".
Also released in 1971 was a collection of their older singles grouped
into a package called "Meaty,Beaty Big and Bouncy. In 1973 they
released another two record set rock opera "Quadrophenia". Not quite
the impact as "Tommy", yet "Quadrophenia" produced another handful
of Who classics, "Love Reign Over Me","The Real Me","5:15" and "Bell
Boy". In 1974 a collection of outtakes were released as "Odd's and
Sod's" which contained "Long Live Rock" and "The Naked Eye". In
1975 a full length feature film of "Tommy" was released. Directed
by Ken Russell and starring Ann Margaret and Oliver Reed it also
included appearences by Elton John, Eric clapton, and Tina Turner
as "The Acid Queen". Also in 1975 "The Who by Number's" was released
, this is generally considered a lackluster album but did contain
"Slip Kids" and the FM hit single "Squeeze Box". In 1976 MCA released
"The Who's Greatest" which contained the song "The Relay". By now
Moon's alcoholism and bizarre behavior was starting to affect the
band and they embarked on a period of inactivity after the "By Number's"
tour. In 1978 "Who Are You" was released and was more true to "Who"
rocking form with the title track "Who Are You","Trick Of The Light"
and "Sister Disco". The Who's fortunes were about to take a nose
drive. On September 7th, 1978 Keith Moon died in his sleep from
a mixture of booze and hemvarine, a prescription drug meant to curb
his alcoholism. (See Keith Moon for further information) "The Who"
would never be the same and the future of "The Who" was in limbo.
Townsend was devestated and moon's death sent him into a downward
spiral of heavy drinking. In the interim a documentary film of the
Who resulted in the two record soundtrack "The Kids Are Alright"
released in 1979. After passing out frequently for the next couple
of years Townsend woke-up one morning and decided to put out another
album. They recruited "Kenny Jones" for drummer. No one in the band
liked Kenny's drumming but still they released "Face Dances" in
1981 and "It's Hard" in 1983. The record's had some bright spots,
"You Better You Bet","Another Tricky Day","Athena" and "Emmenence
Front", but the "Who" magic was gone. The Who embarked on a farewell
tour , released an uneven live album "Who's Last" and then called
it quits. Entwistle released a number of solo albums over the years,
most notably 1971's "Smash Your Head Against The Wall" and 1973's
"Rigormortis Set's In". He released solo efforts well into the 90's.
The "Who" however could never call it quits and resurfaced in 1988-89
with a reunion tour featuring the rock opera "Tommy". In 1996 they
embarked on a tour which featured "Quadrophenia". Again in 2002
another reunion tour was planned. By now John was suffering from
a heart condition. His hearing by this time was so impaired he required
two hearing aids to hear normal conversation. He was staying at
"The Hard Rock Hotel" in Las Vegas scheduled to perform the following
night when he was found dead in his hotel room on June 27th, 2002
at the age of 57. Another end to one of rocks greatest legends.
The remaining members of "The Who", Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend
went on without him. "John would of wanted it that way"
THE WHO PHOTO GALLERY
Peter Farndon
See James Honeyman-Scott
Mickey Finn
Mickey Finn was the bongo player for T.REX fronted by Marc Bolan.
He took Steve Took's place in 1970. From 1970 to 1975 T.REX enjoyed
their biggest success. After T.REX's popularity began to wane Finn
left the group. Bolan once stated "He can't sing, but he looks superb".
Suffering from kidney and liver problems he died in the hospital
on January 11th, 2003 at the age of 55.
Tom Fogerty
Tom Fogerty was the rhythm guitarist of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
He took back seat to his brother John Fogerty who was the bands
creative force, writing all the material, handling all vocals, and
providing all the lead guitar work. Tom took a beating with the
critics too, who usually gave all the credit to John. Tom quit Creedence
in 1971 and later on released a solo album and then faded into rock-n-roll
obscurity. A much desired Creedence reunion never materialized and
Tom passed away September 22nd of 1990 at the age of 49 due to complications
from AIDS aquired during a blood transfusion.
Bobby Fuller
Bobby Fuller is best known for two things: the hit single "I Fought
the Law" and the bizarre way in which he met his demise. In 1966
"The Bobby Fuller Four" reached the top ten with "I Fought the Law"
(written by Sonny Curtis,lead guitarist for "Buddy Holly and the
Crickets"). In July of 1966 at the age of 22, he was found dead
in his car outside a Los Angeles apartment complex. His body had
been doused with gasoline and an autopsy revealed gasoline in his
lungs. To this day his death is surrounded by mystery. The coroner
ruled it a suicide, some sources say auto accident, while friends
maintain he was murdered by organized crime.
Cassie Gaines
Steve Gaines
See Ronnie Van Zant
Rory Gallager
Rory Gallager was Ireland's greatest blues guitarist. He picked
up the guitar at 15 and a formed a power trio called "Taste". Although
revered by fellow musicians 'Taste" failed to sell many records
and broke-up in 1970. Rory mainly gigged around London with frequent
tours into Hamburg Germany. He recorded a number of albums, usually
recorded live and released in the states on the Polydor label with
little promotion. He does a manicial version of "Bullfrog Blues".
He never quite hit it big in the states and lived the life of a
journeyman guitarist, usually as an opening act. Still, he was a
respected blues musician and gave his beat-up Sratocaster a good
thrashing. He died June 14th,1995 from complications following a
liver transplant. He was 47 years old.
Jerry Garcia
A rock-n-roll original, Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead commanded
a loyal cult-like following of "Deadheads" from generation to generation
and no one could quite figure out why. The Dead were one of the
top concert attractions throughout the nineties up until Jerry Garcia's
death on August 9th, 1995. The Grateful Dead were one of the first
acid-rock bands of the sixties flower-power generation and it seemed
they would go on forever. They released their first album in 1967
simply entitled "The Grateful Dead" and followed that with "Anthem
of the Sun" and "Aoxomoxoa". In 1970 they embarked on what was to
be their most productive year, with the release of "Live Dead","American
Beauty", & "Workingman's Dead", most of which became staples
of FM radio airplay and their most widely identified tunes. They
muddled thruout the rest of the seventies with a few decent live
albums and mediocre studio albums. In the mid-eighties Jerry lapsed
into a coma which almost proved fatal. After surviving this close
brush with death, the "Dead" saw this as a rebirth and in 1987 released
"In The Dark". With the release of the single "Touch of Grey" and
accompanying video on M-TV the Dead were back on the charts and
popular as ever. Jerry managed to survive thru LSD experimentation,
Marijuana use, cocaine and other "fringe" benefits of the rock-n-roll
lifestyle, but it was his use of heroin that contributed to his
death at the age of 53. Ironically, their last studio release was
entitled "Built to Last".
GRATEFUL DEAD PHOTO GALLERY
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye had just returned to the charts with "Sexual Healing"
when he got into an argument with his father who shot him dead on
April 1st of 1984 at the age of 45. Marvin Gaye was a product of
"Motown" and scored a number of hits typical of the pre-formulated
"Motown Sound" of the early to mid-sixties. In 1968 he hit it big
with "I heard it thru the grapevine" which was unlike anything he
had previously recorded. His breakthough album though came in 1971
when he released "What's Going On". Mostly composed by Gaye as a
"homage to God", "What's Going On" was an international smash with
hit singles "What's Going On","Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" and
"Inner City Blues". Marvin hit again in 1973 with "Let's Get It
On", after that his career took a nose dive until "Sexual Healing"
revitalized his career.
Lowell George
Lowell George was a singer-songwriter guitarist for the moderately
successful band "Little Feat". He also did a stint with Frank Zappa
but got thrown out after writing the song "Willin". In 1978 "Little
Feat" enjoyed their biggest success with the release of "Waiting
For Columbus" , a two-record live set. Comprised mostly of previous
album cuts, the songs were performed in a renewed vigor and sounded
better then the original studio versions. On July 29th of 1979 he
suffered a drug-induced heart attack. He was friends with Jackson
Browne who wrote a song about him after his death called "Of Missing
Persons". Lowell was 34 years old.
Andy Gibb
Andy Gibb was the younger brother of Robin, Maurice and Barry Gibb,
better known as "The Bee Gees". In 1977 "I Just Want To Be Your
Everything" became a #1 hit and established him as a teenage heart
throb. He fell victim to drug and drink which took a toll on his
health. He contracted Myocarditis, a viral infection which affects
the heart muscle and died in his doctors office on March 10th ,
1988 at the age of 30.
Maurice Gibb
Maurice Gibb was born December 22nd, 1949 on the "Isle of Man" in
England and was the twin brother of Robin Gibb. Along with older
brother Barry Gibb they started preforming as early as 1955. In
1958 the whole tribe moved to Brisbane, Austrailia where the boys
were regular's in the Australian pop scene and hosted a TV show.
Their big break came in 1967 (now known as "The Bee Gee's" for brother's
Gibb) when they hit number one with "Spics and Specks". Robert Stigwood
picked them up and they relocated to England were they recorded
their 1st album entitled (very creatively) as "The BeeGee's 1st
" which yiedled "New York Mining Disaster 1941 ", "To Love Somebody",
and "Holiday". From then on up until 1969 they released a string
of melodic ballad-type top 40 hit singles featuring mainly Barry
on lead vocals with Robin occassionly tweaking a tune. Some of their
hits during this period included "I've just gotta get a message
to you","I started a joke","Massachusetts and "Words". Then in 1969
the BeeGee's released a two record-set entitled "Odessa". The album
was made out of red velvet, and yielded the dismal "First of May".
The album was in the cutout bins for 5 years before I bought it
for two bucks. After this Robin temporarily leaves the group and
the other two bro's release "Cucumber Castle" which ends the "BeeGee's
60's hit-making era. In 1970 the BeeGee's bounced back with "Lonely
Days'" and in 1971 with the megahit "How can you mend a broken heart".
In 1973 they released "Life in a tin can" which kills them out.
The boys relocate to Miami and kick-back to get a sun tan and to
figure out what went wrong as the rest of the U.S. jams on Alice
Cooper, Zeppelin and "The Doobie Brothers". In 1975 the "BeeGee's"
found themselves on top again with their comeback album "Maincourse"
with the hits "Jive Talkin',"Nights on Broadway" and "Fanny Be Tender
with my Love". Around this time more "dance singles" were being
released and the 70's nightclub scene was in full swing" (Get Down
tonight..K.C. and the Sunshine Band"?) Stigwood then asked the boys
for 4 songs for a movie soundtrack. The resulting movie 1977's "Saturday
Night Fever" becomes a global phenomenon selling over 30 million
copies and three BeeGee hits: "Staying alive",""How deep is your
love" and "Night Fever". The BeeGee's rode the top of the disco
wave, unfortunately they suffered the most from the anti-disco backlash,
and were forever labeled as a "Disco" puke band. However they were
brilliant songwriters and a legitamate talent. They continued to
release albums with mixed results. On January 12, 2003 Maurice Gibb
was rushed to Mount Sinai hospital suffering from a "strangulated
hernia" were he died after emergency surgery at the age of 53. An
investigation is pending into what exactly went wrong at the hospital.
THE BEEGEE'S PHOTO GALLERY
Keith Godchaux
Ron "Pigpen" Mc Kernan
Brent Mydland
These guys all had one thing in common, they were all keyboard players
for the Grateful Dead. Apparently a tough assignment. Ron "Pigpen"
McKernan , one of the original members died from cirrhosis of the
liver March 8th, 1973 at the age of 27. Keith Godchaux died in a
car crash on July 23rd, 1980 at the age of 32 after leaving the
band. (Deadheads in the know maintain he and his wife donna was
asked to leave). Brent Mydland was found dead on the floor of his
home July 26st,1990 at the age of 38 from a "speedball" overdose.
UPDATE: Deadheads have been up in arms about certain inaccuracies
in my write-up. Here's the juicy tid-bits worth noting: The Godchaux's
were indeed ask to leave. Donna had a good voice but was constantly
off key. Keith would pass out on the keyboards after over consuming
southern comfort. Brent's keyboard bench was 10 years old. It smashed
into a a hundred peices when someone else tried to use it after
his death.
GRATEFUL DEAD PHOTO GALLERY
Steve Goodman
Steve Goodman was a singer-songwriter folk guitar player best known
for his song "The City of New Orleans" which he wrote when he was
following Edwin Muskie around during the 1972 Democratic presidental
campaign. Goodman wrote a number of songs most of which showcased
his unique sense of humor. He wrote the country standard "You Never
Even Call Me By My Name". He also hung around Jimmy Buffett who
recorded a number of Goodman penned tunes, namely "Banana Republics","Door
Number Three","This Hotel Room" and "Where's the Party". Diagnosed
with Leukemia since the late sixties he eventually passed away from
the illness on September 20th,1984 at the age of 36.
Jim Gordon
UPDATE: Jim Gordon has been removed from due to recent reports that
he is still alive. All you ers adjust your information accordingly
! Sorry Jim !
Ric Grech
Ric Grech was a member of the British group "Family". His biggest
claim to fame was when he joined the much-hyped so-called super
group "Blind Faith" as bass player. "Blind Faith" was made-up of
Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker from "Cream" and Stevie Winwood of
"Traffic". The band started together as an informal jam session
and played small clubs around Northern Europe. They launched a seven
week tour of America debuting at Madison Square Garden July 12th,
1969 in front of 20,000 people. The tour was marred by riots and
mayhem. Clapton became chummy with their opening act "Delaney and
Bonnie" spending more time with them than the members of "Blind
Faith". Clapton left "Blind Faith" shortly after the tour and then
recruited "Delaney and Bonnie" band members for his solo album.
(Clapton also guested on Delaney and Bonnie's live album entitled
"Delaney and Bonnie on Tour with Eric Clapton". Delaney and Bonnie
then scored a minor FM hit "Never ending love for you" and then
tanked). Back to "Blind Faith".By late August 1969 the "Blind Faith"
album went gold but the group was soon defunct. The original album
cover featured a topless teenager holding a jet, which was pulled
and replaced with a photo of the band. As Clapton put it "We were
nudged into a recording studio, nudged out on the road and I nudged
out". Little was heard from Grech since. He died on March 17th of
1990 from a drug overdose at the age of 44.
Go to Index
H - K
Bill Haley
Bill Haley is credited with the first rock-n-roll record. On April
12th 1954, "Bill Haley and his Comets" recorded "Rock Around the
Clock". The song did not become a hit until a year later when it
was featured in the movie "Blackboard Jungle". He followed this
up with "See Ya Later Alligator" and "Shake,Rattle and Roll". Gradually
the group fell from popularity and in later years found itself as
a nostalgia act. Bill Haley died February 9th, 1981 at the age of
55.
Pete Ham
Pete Ham was a member of the group "Badfinger". Paul McCartney gave
them a song to use for the soundtrack to "The Magic Christian" which
featured Ringo Starr and Peter Sellers. The song "Come and Get It"
became a hit. They had a few more hit singles, "No Matter What"
and "Baby Blue" before breaking-up. He also wrote the song "Without
You" that became a number one hit for Nilsson. Pete committed suicide
on April 24rd of 1975 at the age of 27.
George Harrison
Known as the quiet Beatle, George Harrison received his first guitar
at the age of 10. (Which is now on display at the rock and roll
hall of fame) He practiced till his fingers bled and was a natural
guitar player. George Harrison teamed up with John Lennon and Paul
McCartney at the age of 15. After the legendary Hamburg tours in
1960 and now known as "The Beatles" the boys honed themselves into
a top act .By the end of 1963 "The Beatles" were the most popular
group in England. By February1964 they had conquered America owning
the top five hit singles on the pop charts. George was considered
the most accomplished guitar player of the group and played most
of the leads, although John tweaked a string or two. George sang
occassional lead vocal and contributed to the Beatles trademark
harmonies. By the time "The Beatles" were writing mostly all of
the material for their albums George usually contributed one or
two tracks. Whether this was on purpose or he was just not as productive
as Lennon and McCartney has been debated. Some of his self-penned
songs include "Taxman","If I Needed Someone","While My Guitar Gently
Weeps","Something", Within Without You","For You Blue","I Me Mine","Think
For Yourself","Love You To", "Long,Long,Long,","Savory Truffle","Don't
Bother Me","I Need You","You Like Me Too Much","Here Comes The Sun"
(composed while walking thru Eric Claptons garden after the rain),"Northern
Song", "Old Brown Shoe","Blue Jay Way", "Not Guilty" (which was
left off the white album). Around late 65-66 after the influx of
LSD he got into the sitar and eastern religion. He studied sitar
under the tutalage of Ravi Shankar. The first sitar tinged Harrsion
composition was "Love You To" and appeared on the Revolver album.
Although I think "Norwegian Wood" on Rubber Soul had a sitar melody.
(Up until Sgt. Pepper's the English and American releases had a
different line-up of songs on each record). In the summer of love
(1967) the Beatles, Mick Jagger , Dovovan and the other popular
freaks of the times visited the Maharishi in India to study T.M.
By 1968 the others had pretty much given up on the venture but Harrison
remained devout. George stayed pretty much out of the limelight
but acquirred many fellow musician friends. In December of 1968
Harrison released a solo album called "Wonderwall Music" which was
a non rock-n-roll experimental album, but it was listenable provided
one had consumed the proper amount of LSD. After the official breakup
of the Beatles in 1970 George began work on a solo album. Most of
the songs were compositions John and Paul axed from potential Beatle
albums. The studio line-up included a tour-de-force of musicians
including Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Ringo and the whole Delaney
and Bonnie Leon Russell tribe. Produced by Phil Spector incorporating
his famous wall of sound "All Things Must Pass" was released in
November 1970 as a 3 record set and contained such masterpeices
as "My Sweet Lord","What Is Life","If Not For You","Isn't It A Pity",
"All Things Must Pass", "Beware Of Darkness","Wah Wah","Apple Scruffs"
and more. "My Sweet Lord" was a number one hit. The third record
was entitled "Apple Jam" and contained extended jam sessions featuring
Eric Clapton. The album also included a poster of Harrison with
hair as long as "Cousin It" (see the Adams Family reruns) surrounded
by gnomes. Out of all the solo albums released by the former members
of the Beatles "All Things Must Pass" ranks as one of, if not, the
greatest. In 1971 he put together one of the first benefit concerts,
"The Concert for Bangladesh". Again this featured a tour-de-force
of musicians comprised mostly of the "All Things Must Pass" sessions,
plus Bob Dylan & Eric Clapton . A couple of the highlights included
Leon Russell's version of "Jumping Jack Flash/Youngblood" were Leon
jumps on top of his grand piano and wails on the Les Paul guitar,
a Bob Dylan nasal blast solo medley, an Eric Clapton tune and Billy
Preston's "That's The Way God Planned It" and Ringo Starr's "It
Don't Come Easy" (where he forgets the words) . Released in December
1971 "The Concert For Bangladesh" produced a documentary film ,
another three record album and the studio recorded "Bangladesh"
which was released as a single. Although one whole side on "The
Concert For Bangladesh" is Ravi Shankar on sitar and his Tabla buddies,
a couple hits of orange sunshine made it listenable. (I made it
through on some 4-way window pane but my right eye was red for a
year) After that Harrison basically slowly retreated from the public
eye and recorded less and less. His 1973 "Living in the Material
world" was dissappointing but made the top 5 anyways. Through out
the seventies and eighties he released records with mixed results.
After Lennon's death he released a tribute song to Lennon in 1981
entitled "All Those Years Ago". In 87-88 Harrison then teamed up
with Jeff Lynne (of ELO) who helped Harrison produce and record
the extraordinary album "Cloud Nine". This was to be Harrison's
finest release since "All Things Must Pass" and produced the hit
single "I've Got My Mind Set On You". Around the same time he teamed
up with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan,Roy Oribson, and Jeff Lynne and recorded
an album under the name of "The Traveling Wilburys".The single "Handle
With Care" released from the album made the top ten.George was on
the charts and M-TV and pretty much back at the top of his game
at this point. Talks were under way of a tour when Orbison suddenly
died of a heart attack at the age of 52. This devestated Harrison
and he again retreated into a reclusive life style. In 1995 George
got together with the remaining Beatles who put vocals and tracking
behind an old John Lennon demo that Yoko handed over. Released on
the Beatles anthology series "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love" were
the last new recordings the Beatles released. On December 30th,
1999 he was then stabbed in the chest by a deranged fan who broke
into his home. Early into the new century George Harrison revealed
that he had be suffering from throat cancer. He underwent surgery
and seemed to have beat it. Shortly afterward he was discovered
to have lung cancer. The cancer eventually spread to his brain and
developed a brain tumor. He underwent extensive treatment but to
no avail. He died on November 29th, 2001 at the age of 58, leaving
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr as the last remaining Beatles. It
is rumored that George Harrison recorded a secret album before his
death.
GEORGE HARRISON PHOTO GALLERY
Dan Hartman
Dan Hartman was a struggling musician until he won a spot as bass
player in Edgar Winter's new band, which also featured Ronnie Montrose
on guitar and Chuck Ruff on drums. The combination worked and in
1972 the Edgar Winter Group released "They Only Come Out At Night".
Originally slated as a B-side , the synthesizer entrenched "Frankenstein"
became a huge hit. They followed this up with the Hartman-penned
tune "Free Ride" which also became a hit. Montrose then left to
form his own band and was replaced by Rick Derringer who had played
with both Johnny and Edgar Winter on previous albums. Johnny Winter
also covered some of Hartman's compositions. Most notably, "Can't
You Feel It" on Winter's "Still Alive and Well" in 1973, and "Rollin'
Across The Country" on 1974's "Saints and Sinners". Expectations
were high for the next record and "Shock Treatment" released in
1974 fizzled-out. With the magic gone the group broke up. Hartman
embarked on an unsuccessful solo career while Edgar got on some
flipped-out jazz binge and released "Jasmine Nightdreams". Neither
would taste the success again of their first release. Hartman did
have a hit in 1985 with "I Can Dream About You". Although he did
the song, the video would feature a black hip-hop dance troupe.
He spent the remainder of his career doing session work for various
artists. Dan Hartman died of cancer on March 22nd, 1994 at the age
of 44. UPDATE: Dan Hartman died of AIDS, not cancer
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix was born "James Marshall Hendrix" November 27th, 1942.
His father was black and his mother a full blooded Cherokee Indian.
Considered by most as the greatest rock guitarist ever and most
influential , Jimi Hendrix took the world by storm with his dazzling
guitar pyrotechnics, use of feedback and LSD induced lyrics. After
a stint in the Army cut short by injury Jimi decided to make music
a full time career. It wasn't too long before Hendrix was backing
the likes of "Little Richard", "The Isley Brothers" and "Sam Cooke".
By 1966 Jimi was performing on his own at the "Cafe Wha?" as "Jimmy
James and the Blue Flames" when he was spotted by Chas Chandler
formerly of the "Animals". Chandler immediatley recognized Jimi's
talent and whisked him off to England with promises of making him
a star. Chandler teamed Jimi up with two english musicians Noel
Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums. After a series of high
powered jams "The Jimi Hendrix Experience" was born. Jimi's versatility
as a guitarist was unlike any before him. He could play with his
teeth, behind his back, between his legs. Armed with just a 50 watt
Fender twin Reverb, a fuzz box, and ear shattering volume Jimi soon
took the English club circuit by storm. All the top English groups
came to see him, even Eric Clapton was blown away. Clapton once
stated : "After seeing Jimi perform I felt like packing up my guitar
and never playing again'. Jimi was also a master of a relatively
new effects pedal called the "Wah-Wah Pedal" and played it better
then anyone before or after him to this day. Although the Beatles
were considered the first to use feedback during the opening notes
of "I Feel Fine" , Jimi used feedback as a full frontal assault
with precise control and deafening volume. Also he was the fastest
guitarist on leads anyone had ever seen. He released 'Hey Joe" in
December 1966 and then released a full lp only available in England.
There are a few film clips that exist from his London club performances
that illustrate just how great he was. Although by now the hottest
act in England he was still relatively unknown in the states. In
August of 1967 Reprise released "Are You Experienced", Although
different from the English release, it contained 13 mind-blowing
tracks and is considered one of the greatest rock albums ever. Containing
classics like "Purple Haze","Fire","Foxey Lady","Hey Joe","The Wind
Cries Mary" and "Are You Experienced". At Paul McCartney's insistance
he was inivited to play at the Monteray pop festival organized by
"Papa" John Phillips. (See Papa John Phillips for a detailed account
of Jimi's legandary performance) Mickey Dolenz of the Monkee's then
recruited Hendrix for their opening act. The teeny boppers boo'ed
Hendrix and he soon dropped out of the tour. However the "Are You
Experienced" album was selling like hotcakes. Jimi's second album
"Axis:Bold as Love" was released in January 1968 to a receptive
Hendrix buying public. Although not as "heavy" as the first it is
still a classic containing the widely covered song "Little Wing"
and "If Six Was Nine". (Which was featured on the soundtrack to
the film "Easy Rider") . Hendrix then began pumping money into building
a new recording studio which was to be called "Electric Ladyland".
Hendrix then began work on his third album. By now Jimi was developing
new ground in the studios experimenting with new sounds and effects.
Hendrix toured and worked on the new record. Hendrix was spending
a lot of time in the studio and the results were to become Hendrix's
crowning achievement. Released in October of 1968 "Electric Ladyland"
was a two record acid trip on vinyl. The lyrics , the guitar work
and effects, and the quality of the songs were astounding. Jimi's
version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" blew every teenagers
mind in America, including Dylans. There were two versions of Voodoo
Chile, one a slow bluesy saxophone entrenched version and a total
freaked out "delta blues on acid" version called "Voodoo Chile (Slight
return). "Electric Ladyland" was probably the most "Wah-wah" pedal
entrenced Hendrix album released. There was also a song called "Rainy
Day" that started out slow and then hit hard with the wah wah pedal.
This song was divided into two parts. The first was on record one.
The second with the first song on side 4 and was called "Still Raining
Still Dreaming". The record also contained another Hendrix hit song
"Crosstown Traffic". There's a lot on this record not mentioned
but it hits on most areas of Hendrix's vast talent. By now Hendrix
was a bonified superstar and considered the greatest guitarest to
ever strap on a Stratocaster. (Jimmy was left handed and usually
played a white Fender Sratocaster strung upside down). By now Jimi
was feeling the pressures of super stardom, dealing with managers,
contractual obligations and getting burn't out from the touring.
Noel Redding wasn't happy with his limited role in the band and
tensions began to mount. On July 1st, 1969 the original experience
broke up. Mitch Mitchell for the most part stayed on. In 1969 Reprise
released "Smash Hits" which contained four songs that were released
in England but never released in the states "Can You See Me","Remember",
"Red House" and "Stone Free". (Red House was one of Jimi's favorite
blues tunes and he played it at most of his concerts). Jimi then
began spending a lot of time jamming at "The Record Plant" recording
studio in New York. In August of 1969 Jimi was scheduled to perform
at Woodstock. He would be closing the show. He shacked up somewhere
near the Woodstock site in upstate New York and began a series of
jams with mostly unknown musicians. however Mitch Mitchell would
still be on drums and Billy Cox on Bass. Jimi introduced the group
as "Gypsy's, Sun and Rainbows" and then launched into his set, a
little uneven with the new musicians but the music was all Jimi
Hendrix and he pulled it off igniting the crowd. Jimi was the highest
paid performer at Woodstock receiving $12,000. Woodstock was an
historic event, the apex of the 60's movement with overtones of
"brotherhood, peace and love". Jimi's Woodstock performance would
resurface in various incarnations for years to come. First, Jimi
was in the Woodstock documentary film released in 1970. His version
of the star spangled banner is continually played to this day. The
Woodstock album (a 3 record set) which was released in 1970 contained
a stripped down edited version of part of his show. In 72 still
trying to cash in on the Woodstock tapes , Woodstock II was released
which contained another favorite Hendrix concert tune "Here My Train
a cumin". In the 1994 a digitally remastered version of "Hendrix
at Woodstock" was released as a 25th anniversary edition. Again
the sequence of the songs were rearranged but contained most of
the material from the concert. As if that wasn't enough the original
movie "Woodstock" was also remastered and released in dolby digital
surround sound and contained added footage of Hendrix's performance.
Then around 1998 a 2CD set of the entire Woodstock set was released
in original "song set order". Ok, back to 1969. With Woodstock behind
him Jimi retreated into the studio and continued to jam with tape
machines constantly rolling. Rumor has it that Jimi was also being
pressured by "The Black Panthers" to create music more geared to
black audiences, but Jimi's fan base was predominantly white. Whatever
the case may be he was under contract to release an album and was
way overdue. Along with Billy Cox, he recruited Buddy Miles on drums
and formed "Band of Gypsy's". New Year's Eve 1969 they played the
Fillmore East. In March of 1970 "Hendrix - Band of Gypsys" was released.
It contained such gems as "Who Knows" and "Machine Gun". Cox and
Miles both had stints on the vocals. The sound had more of a soulful
syncopation to it and differed from the previous Experience albums.
Still it had the trademark Hendrix feedback and sold well. With
most of his problems behind him Hendrix viewed 1970 as a new start.
He again spent alot of time in the studio jamming and working on
another 2 record set that was to be entitled "First Rays of the
New Rising Sun". Another "Hendrix album" was released from the Monteray
tapes. "Otis Redding and Jimi Hendrix - two great experiences together".
One side featured Otis Redding, the other Jimi Hendrix. By now Hendrix
was racking up debt and began concentrating on the new album. Still
countless hours of studio time were being eaten up by Hendrix, all
night jam sessions and hundreds of reels of tape. At a private party
he debuted a finished song called "Freedom" which was a strong back-in-form
Hendrix tune. By summer 1970 the album was nearly complete and Hendrix
had a few more tunes to wrap up and a little polishing to do. He
flew to England to play the "Isle of Wight" festival on August 30th,
1970. The performance was also filmed but it was to be Jimi's last.
There are many different accounts of Jimi's last days , this is
my account from my research. Jimi was anxious to get back to the
states. He had been staying at one of of his girlfriends flat in
london. On the night of September 17th he left his girlfriends flat
and called the states to discuss his ideas for the upcoming album
cover. He came back and ate some of her sleeping pills, vesperax.
According to accounts he ate a total of 9 pills and went to sleep.
When the girl woke up in the morning she noticed some vomit around
Jimi's mouth and she immediatley called for help. But it was too
late, Jimi Hendrix, the greatest guitar player ever was dead. The
date was September 18th, 1970.Jimi was 27. The world was stunned.
The establishment press viewed this as another rock star drug overdose.
Contrary to what people want to believe Hendrix was not into heavy
drugs and never to known to do heroin. He did smoke pot and experimented
with LSD during the flower-power era. Recently a report had surfaced
that a witness saw Jimi sitting up in the ambulance breathing oxygen.
This has never been substaniated. LIFE AFTER HENDRIX - Jimi's stamp
on rock and roll seems to be eternal. Even after Jimi's death the
record moguls were determined to cash in on Jimi's legacy. With
Jimi no longer in control of his music the duties were left to Alan
Douglas to stretch whatever unreleased Hendrix material existed.
They chopped up Hendrix's 2-record set he was working on and cut
it down to one album. March of 1971 Reprise released what was hyped
as Hendrix's last album, "The Cry Of Love". It contained "Freedom"
and "Straight Ahead " and most of the best material from the sessions.
The album cover sucked though, I don't think Jimi would of approved.
Reprise wanted to ekk out another album from the sessions. In October
of 1971 the record company released "Rainbow Bridge" which contained
"Dolly Dagger" and a studio version of "Star Spangled Banner". Some
of the material was weak but it was still Hendrix. In February of
1972 the live album "Hendrix In The West" was released. This was
a decent album, first it contained a blistering version of "Johnny
B. Goode" and a 13 minute version of "Red House" which I consider
his finest version of that song. Then they ran to the outake pile
and in 1972 released "War Heroes". I believe most of this stuff
came from sessions recorded in England. It did contain an excellent
song called "Highway Chile". It also contained "Stepping Stone"
a song that would resurface later in diferent versions. In June
of 1973 a documentary movie of Hendrix was released with an accompaning
2 record set. This looked like the end of the Hendrix material.
1974 the release of "Loose Ends", a collection of outtakes. Later
on miles of recorded reels of tape were discovered by Alan Douglas
and he began to piece together an album. 8 songs where selected
and in March of 1975 "Crash Landing" was released. He came up with
a few gems "Come Down Hard On Me","Somewhere over the Rainbow" and
"Crash Landing", the rest were extended jams and different versions
of previously released songs. Delving into the newly discovered
tapes material was chosen for "Midnight Lightning" released in November
1975. The material was weak and was be to the last Hendrix release
for awhile. In July 1978 "The Essential Jimi Hendrix volume one"
was released as part of an anthology package and in April of 1979
"The Essential Jimi Hendrix - volume two" was released. Again mostly
peviously released material this album did contain one gem worth
buying the album for. It came with a EP record of a 7 minute blow-up
of Hendrix doing a version of "Gloria". Probably recorded during
the early london sessions , Hendrix went into orbit on this one,
wailing feedback, jammimg and clowning around, worth the price of
admission. During the 80's once CD's became popular a lot of the
older material was being digitally remastered and were selling again.
Realizing the amount of money to be made the Hendrix Family sued
for rights to Jimi's music. I'm not sure when this started or ended
but they eventually won the rights to Jimi's music. Again Alan Douglas
was called on to put out a new CD.Released as "Kiss The Sky" in
October 84 the CD came with the standard packaged Hendrix hits plus
a few gems. First of all there was the version of "Killing Floor"
Jimi recorded at monteray which was Jimi just wailing, why it was
never released before is beyond me. Also a different version of
"Stepping Stone" recorded with the "Band of Gypsy's", a live version
of "I don't live today" and an unedited version of Jimi's studio
version of "Red House". Also "Are You Experienced" was made into
a video and frequently shown on M-TV exposing Hendrix to a whole
new generation of rockers. Finally in February of 1986 the entire
"Jimi Plays Monteray" concert was released. Since every Hendrix
note ever played was recorded the hunt was continually on for releasable
material. Again Alan Douglas reached into his bag of tricks and
in May of 1987 released "Jimi Hendrix Live at Winterland" , an excellent
CD it contains the only known live version of "Manic Depression".
Another gem was the 1989 release Jimi Hendrix RADIO ONE recorded
for the "Radio One" and "Top Gear" British radio show and has alot
of unreleased Hendrix tunes running the gauntlet from blues,rock
and scorching instrumentals. This captures Hendrix raw and uninhibited
having a good time and playing like only he does to a small but
receptive radio station VIP members. The next Jimi Hendrix endeavor
was to capture Jimi's adeptness in the blues. After extensive research
enough material was discovered to create a "blues" CD. Some recordings
were found in Denmark. There was an old reel to reel tape discovered
that a photographer had of Jimi doing an acoustic version of "Here
My Train a Cumin'. a lot of the material were flawed but digitally
glitches and unwanted noises were eliminated. On April 8th, 1994
"Jimi Hendrix - Blues" was released. Probably one of the finer releases
of the posthumously Hendrix era this sucker wailed. If you want
to see just how good a blues guitarist Hendrix was this is a must
have. There are also a couple of tunes from the "Electric Sky Church"
, another informal group Hendrix named.. To capitalize on the success
of the 1994 releases of "Jimi at Woodstock" and "Blues", on June
7th , 1995 "Voodoo Soup" was released. Hendrix Family Productions
rebounded in 1997. They decided to compile Hendrix's last album
together the way he intended it and on April 22nd, 1997 released
"First Rays of the New Rising Sun" This was Jimi , the chopping
of his last works into two albums resulted in two mediocre albums.
The "Rising Sun CD" put together in it's intended order recaptures
the magic and has much more power then "The Cry of Love" and "Rainbow
Bridge". (The two records management released that was all supposed
to be on "First Ray's"). Captializing on the success of "First Rays
of the New Rising sun" on October 7th, 1997 "South Saturn Delta"
was released. It contained a song called "The Stars That Play with
Laughing Sam's Dice" is a gem. Released in England I don't think
it was ever available in the states. Again a couple of new tunes
unearthed as well as some previous material. Last but not least
"Live at the BBC " was released June 2nd 1998 and captures more
of the Hendrix magic. Some of the remastered CD's contain bonus
tracks such as "Smash Hits" which contains "51st Anniversary", the
flip side of the 1966 English release of "Hey Joe". A great song
never available in the states till now. IN CONCLUSION. I've tried
to encompass most of the quality releases that were pressed after
Hendrix's death. There are many more compilations out there,especially
in the UK. There's probably some songs I've yet to hear. There is
also a lot of good stuff on the internet never before available.
For example I found an excellent version of "Roomful of Mirrors"
with Chris Wood and Dave Mason of Traffic that goes on for about
10 minutes. Also some live stuff recorded in Atlanta. There are
also many bootlegs, some of dubious quality. I have one of Hendrix,
Johnny Winter and Jim Morrison. Of course Morrison was so drunk
he could only shout out obscenitys into the mic. Another gem is
"I woke up this morning and found myself dead'. Let's see what someone
can unearth on Hendrix next, you've think by now they exhausted
the supply, after all he's been dead for 32 years.
JIMI HENDRIX PHOTO GALLERY
Bob "The Bear" Hite
Known as "The Bear" for his 300 pound plus frame, Bob "The Bear"
Hite shared vocal duties with Alan Wilson of "Canned Heat". Bob
and Alan Wilson started the band in 1965. Both avid blues collectors
their contrasting styles made "Canned Heat" a double-edged sword.
Bob churning out the gruff gravel voiced blues rockers and Alan's
falsetto churning out harmonica-laced delicate blues. After the
death of Wilson, Bob tried to keep the band together but posthumous
Wilson releases failed to sell. Thru out the 70's "The Bear" kept
various incarnations of the band together and toured the blues circuit
to make a buck. By the early 80's Bob was a broken and bitter man
and was heavily involved in drugs. On April 5th of 1981 after doing
a gig in Venice Beach, California he suffered a drug and alcohol
induced heart attack and died at the age of 36.
CANNED HEAT PHOTO GALLERY
Randy Jo Hobbs
Randy Jo Hobbs was a bass player for Edgar Winter, Montrose and
for the most part, Johnny Winter. He appears on all of Johnny Winter's
albums from 1971's "Johnny Winter And....Live" thru 1976's "Johnny
Winter Captured Live". He acquirred a drug habit that he could not
break. Down and out , he was found dead in a Dayton, Ohio motel
room from a drug overdose at the age of 45 on August 5th, 1993.
Buddy Holley
The Big Bopper
Richie Valens
Perhaps the most tragic rock-n-roll plane crash of all time. Buddy
Holley, 22, The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson) 28, and Richie Valens,
17, all perished when they boarded a plane in Clear Lake Iowa and
in a blinding snow storm crashed shortly after take-off on February
3rd, 1959. It is also the most widely debated plane crash as to
the exact details of the circumstances of how all three ended up
on the plane. Needing money Buddy reluctantly signed on for the
"Winter Dance Party Tour". Traveling by bus the trip was marred
with frequent mechanical breakdowns and a heater that didn't work.
After what was to be their final concert in Clear Lake Iowa, a plane
was chartered to the next gig. Buddy wanted to get his laundry done
and claimed a seat on the plane. Legend has it that Waylon Jennings
gave up his seat to a persistent Buddy Holly. Waylon jokingly told
Holly, "I hope you crash", Something that has haunted Waylon ever
since "the day the music died". Richie Valens fate was decided by
a coin toss. Agruing over the remaining seat with Holly band member
Tommy Allsup they flipped a coin. Valens called "heads"! The coin
came up heads and Valen's took the ill-fated last seat in the plane.
It has also been claimed that Allsup was not on the tour and that
Jennings was involved in the coin toss. However pictures collected
from the winter tour show Allsup present in the band. The Big Bopper
camp claims that "Big Bopper" was sufering from the flu and needed
to see a doctor and because of this Waylon gave his seat to the
bopper. And on and on it goes with varying accounts from site to
site, book to book, rock and roll historian to rock and roll historian.
One thing is for sure, the plane took off in a blinding snowstorm
and crashed shortly after takeoff into a cornfield and came to rest
on a barbed wire fence. The cause of the crash : The pilot was relatively
inexperienced and new instruments had recently been installed in
the control panel. With no clear visibility the pilot would need
to rely on the gauges to properly pilot the plane. After the crash
the plane was hauled in for investigation. No evidence of mechanical
failure was found. The final conclusion was determined to be pilot
error. After analyzing the gauge positions on the instrument panel
it was determined that the pilot misread the altimeter gauge, thinking
he was actually ascending he was actually descending and crashed.
The reference to the plane being christened "The American Pie",
immortalized in the Don McClean song, is also claimed to be false.
Records show the aircraft was unamed.
THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED PHOTO GALLERY
James Honeyman-Scott
Peter Farndon
The Grim Reaper of Rock got a two for one special on "The Pretenders".
Fronted by Chrissy Hynde the band burst on the music scene in 1980.
Their debut album really rocked and "Brass In Pocket" became a hit.
They followed this up with "Pretenders II" and then the singles
"Talk Of The Town","My City Was Gone" and "Back On The Chain Gang".
By the time of "Middle of the Road" Hynde and the drummer Martin
Chambers were parents together and two of the band members were
dead. Lead guitar player James Honeyman-Scott was found dead from
a drug overdose on June 16th, 1982 at the age of 25. Bassist Peter
Farndon followed him ten months later on April 14th, 1983 at the
age of 30.
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was born outside Clarksdale Mississippi on August
22nd, 1917 in the heart of the delta. The son of a sharecropper
he discovered the delta blues at an early age. He learned guitar
from his stepfather Will Moore who played along the likes of Charlie
Patton and Blind Lemon Jefferson. He left home at 14 and made his
way up to Memphis Tennesee working odd jobs and honing his technique.
He eventually landed a factory job in Detroit and played in clubs
at night. T-bone Walker gave him his first electric guitar. In 1948
he recorded "Boogie Chillen' which sold over a million copies. This
song was to become the blueprint for most of his later recordings.
Some of his better known songs were "Boom Boom","one bourbon,one
scotch,one beer","I'm in the mood","crawling king snake" and "dimples".
Hooker invented what was to be coined as the "Boogie-woogie riff".
This riff can be most identified with ZZ Top's "La Grange" and Canned
Heat's "Hockey Boogie". He was revered by rock musicians who covered
his tunes. George Thorogood, The Allman Brothers, The Animals, The
Doors and a host of other groups all had a hooker tune in their
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