Rock History Deaths

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

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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.

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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