Son Seals
Chicago bluesman Son Seals has died from complications due to diabetes. He was 62. Seals helped redefine Chicago blues for a new audience in the 1970s.
He was known for his intense, razor-sharp guitar work, gruff singing style and his
charismatic stage presence.
Frank "Son" Seals was born in Osceola, Arkansas on August 14, 1942.
He became an accomplished drummer by the time he was 13. By the age
of 18, Son had put down the drumsticks and was leading his own band
as a guitarist. He moved to Chicago in 1971 and began playing regular
weekend gigs at The Expressway Lounge and other clubs on Chicago's
South Side, regularly jamming with legends like Hound Dog Taylor,
Junior Wells and Buddy Guy.
Son's 1973 debut recording, The Son Seals Blues Band, was released on the fledging
Alligator Records label and made an immediate impression due to his distinctive vocal and guitar style.
His recordings helped establish Alligator as a major blues label.
He toured widely, despite the loss of a leg to diabetes. Late in his career he opened several shows for the jam band Phish, who covered his song "Funky Bitch."
Darrell Abbott
Heavy-metal guitarist Darrel 'Dimebag' Abbott was shot to death as he took the stage at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio. Abbott was a founding member of Pantera and Damageplan guitarist.
Abbott, 38, and his brother, Vinnie Paul Abbott, 40, formed Damageplan after the breakup of Pantera in 2003.
Damageplan's debut album,
"New Found Power," was released in February 2004. The other band members are Patrick Lachman (vocals) and Bob Zilla (Bass guitar).
| 12/07/2004 | 93 | Jerry Scoggins | country singer | Natural Causes | Los Angeles
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Jerry Scoggins
Jerry Scoggins sang "The Ballad of Jed Clampett", the theme song used to introduce episodes of the TV series and the movie
"The Beverly Hillbillies."
Bluegrass superstars Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs played guitar and banjo on the song while Scoggins sang the lyrics. The song was written by Paul Henning
and goes like this:
Come 'n listen to my story 'bout a man named Jed
Poor Mountaineer barely kept his family fed
An' then one day, he was shootin' at some food,
An' up thru the ground came a bubblin' crude.
Oil that is! Black gold! Texas tea!
Well, the first thing ya know, Jed's a millionaire
Kin-folk said, "Jed, move away from there." Said
Californy is the place y'oughta be, so they
loaded up the truck, and they moved to Beverly.
Hills that is! Swimmin' pools, Movie stars!
Ol' Jed bought a mansion. Lawdy it was swank
Next door neighbor was pres'dent of the bank,
Lotsa folks objected, but the banker found no fault,
'Cause ol' Jed's millions was a-layin' in the vault
Cash, that is! Capital gains, Depletion money!
Well now it's time to say goodbye to Jed and all his kin
An' they would like to thank you folks fer kindly droppin' in.
You're all invited back again to this locality,
T'have a heapin' helpin' of their hospitality.
Hillbilly, that is! Set a spell, Take your shoes off!
Y'all come back, here!
Terry Melcher
Terry Melcher, son of actress Doris Day, has died after a long battle with cancer.
He was a pioneer of the California surf sound, and a founding member of the Rip Chords,
who had a 1964 hit "Hey Little Cobra". He worked with the Beach Boys on their landmark
Pet Sounds album, co-wrote their hit "Kokomo",
and was later a record producer who helped bring the Byrds to fame. He produced their hit versions of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn, Turn, Turn" and later recordings like the "Ballad of Easy Rider."
Melcher was a tangential figure in the 1969 Charles Manson murders. He once rented the home where Sharon Tate was murdered.
(The house on Cielo Drive, incidentally, was demolished in 1994 to make way for a larger mansion).
There was speculation at the time that Mr. Melcher, who knew Charles Manson, was the intended target. He had turned down Manson's request for a recording contract.
During his career, Mr. Melcher worked with many trend-setting artists including Paul Revere and the Raiders, Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, Glen Campbell, Gram Parsons and the Mamas and the Papas, among others.
| 11/01/2004 | 61 | Terry Knight | Radio Personality | Murdered |
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Terry Knight
April 9, 1943 - November 1, 2004
Terry Knight (born Richard Terrence Knapp), was an American rock and roll music producer , promoter , singer , songwriter and radio personality . Born in Lapeer, Michigan , Knight's career began as a Detroit DJ in 1964. Arguably the first American DJ to air the Rolling Stones , he hosted a legendary late night show from high-powered CKLW, bringing the British Invasion to the Northern states. He was awarded the honorary title of "The Sixth Stone" for his early support of the Stones.
Around 1965, Knight fashioned his own songwriting and performing career in Flint, Michigan , as the front man for Terry Knight and the Pack. With his band, Knight recorded a handful of regional hits for local Lucky 11 Records, including his self-penned generation gap anthem "A Change On The Way," as well as scoring two national hits, a tasteful cover of the Yardbirds ' "Mister, You're A Better Man Than I" and his ultra-lounge reading of Ben E. King 's "I (Who Have Nothing)." TK&TP left behind two long-playing garage classics before breaking up in 1967. (Brownsville Station honored TK&TP with a cover of the Knight-penned "Love, Love, Love, Love, Love" on their '73 album Yeah!) In '67, Knight attempted a solo career as a singer and staff producer with the terminal Cameo-Parkway label, with limited success. He produced and wrote a handful of tracks by other artists, including garage legends ? & the Mysterians and the easy-listening International Pop Orchestra. He also scored music for the 20th Century Fox noir classic The Incident. In '69, Knight secured a contract with Capitol Records where he released a 45, "Saint Paul," which contributed to the "Paul Is Dead " hoax. Although his version failed to rise above Billboard's Hot 100 , the song provided New Zealand singer Shane the best-selling single of the 1960s in his native land.
From there, Capitol retained Knight as the manager and producer of Grand Funk Railroad , the largest-selling rock band of 1970. His Beatlesque production on GFR's "Closer To Home" transformed the raucous concert attraction into an acclaimed recording group and radio staple. He also discovered and produced Bloodrock , who hit the Top 40 in 1971 with the unlikely death anthem "DOA."
Between 1970-72, Knight was the most successful - and controversial - promoter in the rock business, racking up an unprecedented eight gold albums while simultaneously waging a war of words with Rolling Stone.
In 1972, both Grand Funk Railroad and Bloodrock severed their professional relations with Knight, the former quite acrimoniously. He was dropped from Capitol soon after, and began his own label, Brown Bag Records, releasing albums and singles by Mom's Apple Pie, John Hambrick, Wild Cherry and Faith. None of them found commercial success and, in late 1973, Knight retired permanently from show business. He associated with super model Twiggy and raced cars with film star Paul Newman in the mid-70s before succumbing to the cocaine addiction that claimed his later years.
Terry Knight was murdered at the age of 61, found stabbed to death in his apartment in Temple, Texas . On November 26, 2005, his killer was sentenced to life in prison. Terry's daughter, Danielle, survives him.
| 10/25/2004 | 65 | John Peel | Radio Personality | Heart Failure | Cuzco, Peru
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John Peel
John Peel, the BBC disc jockey who was a champion of innovative and independent music for nearly four decades, suffered a fatal heart attack in his hotel room while on vacation in Cuzco, Peru. He was 65.
Born John Ravenscroft, Mr. Peel began his radio career in the early 1960's, working at a number of stations including WRR in Dallas. When he returned to England in 1967, he went to work for Radio London,
a pirate station that broadcast from a ship outside British territorial waters.
Peel had been on the BBC's Radio 1 since its inception in 1967 and had a reputation for playing cutting-edge music from around the world.
He was known for the extraordinary range of his taste in music and famed for his "Peel Sessions" broadcasts in which Mr. Peel invited groups into the studio for live performances.
| 10/01/2004 | 58 | Bruce Palmer | Buffalo Springfield, Bassist | Heart Failure | Belleville, Ontario
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Bruce Palmer
Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer has died of an apparent heart attack at age 58.
Born in Canada in 1946, Palmer was an early collaborator with Neil Young, first in the Mynah Birds, a band that also featured Rick James, who died two months earlier. The
group broke up after James was sent to prison for going AWOL from the military. Palmer and Young moved from Ontario to Los Angeles in the spring of 1966, making the
journey in Young's black hearse. The pair soon joined forces with Stephen Stills, drummer
Dewey Martin and singer/guitarist Richie Furay to form Buffalo Springfield. Hit songs included "For What It's Worth" and "Mr. Soul".
Palmer exited Buffalo Springfield in January 1968, in part due to Palmer's ongoing difficulties with U.S. immigration, which sought to deport him for a pair of marijuana-related convictions. He was replaced by
Jim Messina, but the band split up shortly thereafter. He went on to release a 1971 solo album for Verve,
"The Cycle is Complete," featuring Rick James on percussion and vocals.
Skeeter Davis
Grand Ole Opry star Skeeter Davis died September 19th in Nashville after a long struggle with cancer. She was 72.
Davis, who was born Mary Frances Penick, was nicknamed Skeeter by her grandfather who said she was so active she buzzed around like a mosquito.
In the 1950s, while still in high school, she teamed up with Betty Jack Davis (no relation) to form a musical duo. On Aug. 2, 1953,
the Davis Sisters were involved in a head-on car crash that killed Betty Jack and seriously injured Skeeter. For a brief period,
the duo continued with Betty Jack's sister, Georgia, substituting. The act never recovered its momentum and eventually Davis moved to
Nashville to record for RCA as a solo act with Chet Atkins as her producer. She later toured with Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones.
In 1973, she was suspended from the Opry for more than a year for protesting the arrest of "Jesus freaks" at a Nashville-area mall.
Her autobiography, Bus Fare to Kentucky, was published in 1993.
Johnny Ramone
Johnny Ramone, Guitarist and original member of the Ramones, has died at his home in Los Angles. He was 55.
Johnny has been suffering for several years from prostate cancer.
Born John Cummings, in 1974 he teamed with Joey Ramone, bassist Dee Dee Ramone and drummer Tommy Ramone to form the seminal punk band the Ramones. The band the group started out in legendary New York clubs like CBGB's and Max's Kansas City
and went on to influence a generation of rockers. The Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
Johnny Ramone was surrounded at his death by friends, including Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, singer Rob Zombie and others. Other friends who gathered at his Los Angeles home included Lisa Marie Presley, Pete Yorn, Vincent Gallo and Talia Shire.
Johnny was cremated at a private ceremony.
Joey Ramone, whose real name is Jeff Hyman, died in 2001 of lymphatic cancer. Dee Dee Ramone, whose real name is Douglas Colvin, died from a drug overdose in 2002.
Kenny Buttrey
Drummer Kenny Buttrey, who recorded hits with Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Jimmy Buffett has died. He was 59.
Buttrey provided the percussion for works including Dylan's "Nashville Skyline" and "Blonde on Blonde,"Young's "Harvest" and Buffett's "Margaritaville".
Laura Branigan
Laura Branigan, a pop singer best known for her 1982 platinum hit “Gloria,” has died. She was 47.
Branigan died in her sleep in her New York home of an apparent brain aneurysm.
“Gloria,” from her debut album “Branigan,” stayed on the pop charts for 36 weeks and earned her a Grammy nomination for best female pop vocalist. She
also appeared on television, including guest spots on “CHIPS,” and in the films “Mugsy’s Girls” and “Backstage.” Her songs also appeared on soundtracks for the films “Flashdance” and “Ghostbusters.”
In 2002 she starred as Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway musical “Love, Janis”.
| 08/22/2004 | 81 | Al Dvorin | announcer | Auto Accident | Ivanpah, CA
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Al Dvorin
Al Dvorin, a concert announcer who made famous the phrase “Elvis has left the building,” was killed in an auto accident in California. He was 81.
The night before his death, Dvorin performed his signature closing line at an Elvis impersonator concert.
A former bandleader and talent agent in Chicago, Dvorin was with the King from his early days as a performer until Elvis' last tour in 1977.
| 08/06/2004 | 56 | Rick James | funk singer | Heart Attack | Los Angeles, CA
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Rick James
Born Feb 1, 1948 as James A. Johnson Jr. in Buffalo, NY
Died Aug 6, 2004 at home in Universal City, CA
Funk legend Rick James, best known for the 1981 hit "Super Freak", died alone in his sleep at his California home. He was 56.
In the 1960's, long before James' long hair was styled in his trademark Jheri Curls, he formed the band Mynah Birds with Neil Young,
Goldie McJohn (later of Steppenwolf) and Bruce Palmer (later of Buffalo Springfield).
Rick James was also the cousin of Temptations member Melvin Franklin.
James had success in the 70's and 80's, but drugs and declining health slowed his career. In
1991, he and his girlfriend restrained and attacked a young woman, burning her with a hot crack pipe and forcing her to perform sex acts.
In 1992, he was free on bail when a second assault occurred in a hotel room. James spent two years in Folsom Prison.
Ray Charles
Born Sept 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia
Died June 10, 2004 at home in Beverly Hills, CA
| 06/08/2004 | 79 | Bill Lowery | music publisher | Cancer | Atlanta, Georgia
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| 06/05/2004 | 61 | Robert Quine | Guitarist | Heroin Overdose | New York City
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Robert Quine
Born Dec 30, 1942 in Akron, OH
Died June 5, 2004 in New York
Punk rock guitarist heavily influenced by the Velvet Underground, often
making bootleg recordings of their San Francisco concerts.
Robert Quine (rhymes with "wine") performed with Richard Hell & the Voidoids, and was in demand as a session player.
His guitar work also appears on Lou Reed's "Blue Mask" (1982), Tom
Waits' "Rain Dogs" (1985) and Marianne Faithfull's "Strange Weather"
(1987). In 1989, he began an association with Matthew Sweet; he also
worked regularly with Lloyd Cole.
Robert died of a heroin overdose in his New York apartment. He was
depressed about the recent passing of his wife. He was 61.
| 05/18/2004 | 75 | Elvin Jones | Jazz drummer | Heart Failure | Englewood, New Jersey
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Elvin Jones
Innovative jazz drummer Elvin Jones, noted for his rhythmic style, has died from Heart Failure at age 75.
Jones, the youngest of ten children, was born in Pontiac Michigan on September 9th, 1927. He entered Detroit's jazz scene in the 1940's. After moving to New York and recording for Charles Mingus,
In 1960, he became a member of John Coltrane's quartet. Jones briefly played with Duke Ellington and formed the Elvin Jones' Jazz Machine.
Elvin Jones was a favorite of Doors drummer John Densmore, who eulogized him in the November 20004 issue of "Utne Reader".
| 04/15/2004 | 53 | Ray Condo | Rockabilly Revivalist | Heart Attack | Vancouver Canada
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Ray Condo
Ray Condo, a popular Canadian rockabilly singer, died on April 15 from an apparent heart attack. He was 53.
Born Ray Tremblay, Condo was raised on the music of Elvis and Hank Williams. At 16, he released his first album as a member of the British Invasion group, the Peasants. He performed with the punk band,
The Secret Vs, before finding his niche in rockabilly and western swing music.
Condo spent 11 years playing with the hillbilly garage band, Ray Condo & His Hardrock Goners. The group became a staple in Montreal clubs, and was known as Canada's premier rockabilly act.
In the 1990s, the singer, guitarist and saxophone player moved to Vancouver and formed Ray Condo & The Ricochets. The Ricochets released several albums and toured all over the world.
| 04/01/2004 | 58 | Paul Atkinson | Zombies, guitarist | Liver Failure | Santa Monica, CA
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Paul Atkinson
Paul Atkinson, founding member and guitarist for The Zombies, has died after losing his long battle with liver and kidney disease. He was 58.
The Zombies recorded their psychedelic masterpiece, Odessey And Oracle, in 1967 -- then broke up. Al Kooper (ex-Blood, Sweat & Tears), urged Columbia records to release the LP,
which went on to produce a huge hit with "Time of the Season".
After The Zombies, Atkinson stopped performing and took on a career as an A&R man.
In that role, he went on to sign bands including ABBA, Judas Priest, Mr. Mister and Bruce Hornsby.
| 03/26/2004 | 62 | Jan Berry | Jan & Dean | Seizure | Los Angeles
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Jan Berry
Jan Berry, founding member of the duo Jan & Dean that had 10 gold records with 1960s surf-music hits such as “Deadman’s Curve” and “Little Old Lady from Pasadena,” has died. He was 62.
Berry’s hit-making career with high school friend Dean Torrence was interrupted in 1966 when Berry’s speeding Corvette hit a parked truck and he suffered severe brain damage, leaving him partially paralyzed and unable to talk.
His recovery was slow, but eventually he was able to resume singing and writing songs. He died at UCLA Medical center after he had a seizure and stopped breathing at his Brentwood home.
JJ Jackson
John 'J.J.' Jackson, who helped usher in the music video era as one of the first MTV on-air personalities, has died. He was 62.
Jackson, a longtime radio station disc jockey, died of an apparent heart attack while driving home from dinner in Los Angeles.
After five years at MTV, Jackson returned to radio in Los Angeles, including a stint hosting a nationally syndicated show on the Westwood One Radio Network. Most recently, he was hosting an afternoon slot at KTWV.
| 03/11/2004 | | Dave Blood | Dead Milkmen, bassist | Suicide | Westchester, NY
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Dave Blood
Dave Blood, bassist for '80s punk band the Dead Milkmen, has committed suicide. Blood's mother died in January 2004, and in a post on the band's message board, the bassist's sister wrote, "Inner peace seemed to elude him for the last many years. Maybe David just had had enough."
Blood was a founding member of the band, which formed in 1983 and made a name for itself with novelty hits like "Bitchin' Camaro" and "Punk Rock Girl." The Dead Milkmen broke up in 1995.
In recent years, Dave had stopped playing bass due to extreme tendonitis in his hands. In the mid 1990s, he enrolled at Indiana University to study Yugoslavian culture, and spent nearly a year in the country between August 1998 and April 1999. In
an E-mail interview late last year with journalist Mark Prindle, he expressed interest in returning to the country in the near future.
| 03/11/2004 | 47 | Edmund Sylvers | The Sylvers, singer | Lung Cancer | Richmond, VA
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Edmund Sylvers
Edmund Sylvers, the lead singer on "Boogie Fever" and "Wish That I Could Talk To You" for the 1970s funk-soul group The Sylvers, died March 11 of lung cancer. He was 47.
The singer died after a 10-month illness, according to his niece, Tyava Sylvers.
Sylvers was 15 when he started singing with six other members of his family on their self-titled debut album in 1972. His high tenor voice was the centerpiece of such songs as "Fool's Paradise."
From five albums, other songs by the group included "Cotton Candy," "That's What Love Is Made Of" and "High School Dance."
Sylvers made a solo album, "Have You Heard," in 1980 that included the single "That Burning Love."
| 02/12/2004 | 59 | Bob Greenlee | King Snake Records | pancreatic cancer | Sanford, Florida
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Bob Greenlee
Bob Greenlee, founder of independent blues label King Snake Records, died at his home after a 2-year battle with cancer. During the 80's and 90's, Greenlee helped revitalize the careers of talented,
often overlooked musicians like Rufus Thomas, Lazy Lester, Lucky Peterson, Kenny Neal, Bill Wharton, Ace Moreland, Floyd Miles, Dr. Hector & the Groove Injectors,
harmonica master Raful Neal and saxophonist Noble 'Thin Man' Watts.
Greenlee attended law school at Yale, where he was captain of the Yale football team. He also
was a fourth-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins in 1967. Music, however, overwhelmed the lure of these other careers.
Greenlee made his first national splash as bassist with the outrageous Root Boy Slim & the Sex Change Band. He later
played bass in the Central Florida blues band the Midnight Creepers.
2003