Sylvester
September 6, 1947 - December 16, 1988

12/06/1988

52

Roy Orbison

rockabilly singer

Heart Failure

Madison, Tennessee

Roy Orbison
April 23, 1936 - December 6, 1988

Roy Orbison was one of the great voices of Rock 'n' Roll. Born Roy Kelton Orbison on April 23, 1936 in Vernon, Texas; he recorded his first songs with Sun Records at the age of 20 and achieved a modest hit with his first single, "Ooby Dooby". By his mid-20s, Orbison had shifted his focus from singing to songwriting, penning the song "Claudette", which was later recorded by the Everly Brothers.

After a brief stint with the RCA label, Orbison switched to Monument Records, where he released his 1960 hit, "Only the Lonely", and his most famous song, "Oh! Pretty Woman", in 1964.

Orbison’s personal life took a series of devastating hits beginning in 1966, when his wife Claudette died in a motorcycle accident. Two years later, Orbison’s house burned to the ground, claiming the lives of two of his sons, Roy Jr. and Anthony.

Orbison had a brief comeback in the 80s, joining George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne in the star-studded band, The Traveling Wilburys. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

On the heels of his Wilburys success, Orbison recorded Mystery Girl, his first solo album in over 20 years. The album reached #5 and spawned the top ten hit "You Got It." However, Orbison did not live to see the album ride up the charts; a heart attack claimed his life in 1988 just before the album was released.

10/19/1988

86

Son House

delta blues pioneer

Cancer of the larynx

Detroit, Michigan

Son House
March 21, 1902 - October 19, 1988

10/09/1988	58	Cliff Gallup	Gene Vincent's Blue Caps, guitarist	Heart Attack
10/09/1988	64	Mona Best	club owner	Heart Attack	Liverpool, England

Mona Best
January 3, 1924 - October 9, 1988

Mona "Mo" Best is best known as the mother of Pete Best (an early member of The Beatles) and as the operator of the Casbah Coffee Club in the basement of her house. The Casbah was an early home to the Quarrymen, a precursor band that soon morphed into The Beatles.

Neil Aspinall became good friends with Pete Best and subsequently rented a room in the Bests' home. Aspinall became romantically involved with Mona, who was 17 years his senior. Aspinall fathered a child by Mona: Vincent "Roag" Best. Roag was born on July 21, 1962, and just three weeks later, on August 16, 1962, the Beatles dismissed Pete following their first recording session at Abbey Road Studios in London, hiring Ringo Starr as their drummer.

08/30/1988	57	Papa Dee Allen	War	Brain Aneurysm (on stage)	Vallejo, California
08/14/1988	43	Robert Calvert	Hawkwind	Heart Attack	Ramsgate, England
08/14/1988	48	Roy Buchanan	blues guitarist	Suicide (hanging)	Fairfax, Virginia

Roy Buchanan
September 23, 1939 - August 14, 1988

Leroy "Roy" Buchanan was a guitarist and blues musician known as a pioneer of the Telecaster sound. His work as a sideman and as a solo artist is considered to be highly influential.

Buchanan made his recording debut in 1958, accompanying Dale Hawkins and playing the solo on "My Babe" for Chicago's Chess Records. Two years later, during a tour through Toronto, Buchanan left Dale Hawkins to play for his cousin Ronnie Hawkins and tutor Ronnie's guitar player, Robbie Robertson. Buchanan plays bass on the Ronnie Hawkins single "Who Do You Love?"

In the early 1960s, Buchanan often played as a sideman with various rock bands, playing guitar in recording sessions with Freddy Cannon, Merle Kilgore, and others. At the end of the 1960s, with a growing family, Buchanan briefly left the music industry and became a barber.

Buchanan's life changed in 1971, when he gained national notice as the result of an hour-long PBS television documentary. Entitled Introducing Roy Buchanan, leading to a record deal with Polydor Records and praise from John Lennon and Merle Haggard and, allegedly, an invitation to join the Rolling Stones. He turned down the offer, earning him the nickname "the man who turned the Stones down." He recorded five albums for Polydor, one of which, Second Album, went gold, and then three more albums for Atlantic Records, one of which, 1977's Loading Zone, also went gold.

In 1985, be began recording for Alligator Records, releasing When a Guitar Plays the Blues. His second Alligator LP, Dancing on the Edge (with vocals on three tracks by Delbert McClinton), was released in the fall of 1986. He released the twelfth and last album of his career, Hot Wires, in 1987. Buchanan's last show was on August 7, 1988, at Guilford Fairgrounds in Guilford, Connecticut.

In 1988, Buchanan was arrested for public intoxication after a domestic dispute. He was found hanged from his own shirt in his Fairfax County, Virginia jail cell on August 14, 1988. His cause of death was officially recorded as suicide, a finding disputed by Buchanan's friends and family. One of his friends, Marc Fisher, reported seeing Roy's body with bruises on the head.

After his death, compilation and other albums continue to be released, including in 2004 the never-released first album he recorded for Polydor, The Prophet.

Roy Buchanan is interred at Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

07/29/1988

55

Pete Drake

pedal steel guitarist

Lung Cancer

Nashville, Tennessee

Roddis Franklin "Pete" Drake
October 8, 1932 - July 29, 1988

Pete Drake was a highly sought-after Nashville pedal steel guitarist, producer and record company founder. He played on many country and rock hits including Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay", Charlie Rich's "Behind Closed Doors" and on several of Elvis Presley's movie soundtracks.

His innovative use of what would be called the "talk box", later used by Peter Frampton, Joe Walsh and Jeff Beck, added novel effects to the pedal steel guitar.

Drake played on some of rock's most important albums: Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline, George Harrison's classic solo debut All Things Must Pass, and on Ringo Starr's 1970 album Beaucoups of Blues.

As a producer, we worked with B. J. Thomas, the Four Freshmen, and Leon Russell. He founded Stop Records and First Generation Records.

07/18/1988	49	Nico	Velvet Underground	Motorcycle Accident	Ibiza, Spain
07/02/1988	70	Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson	Blues saxophonist	Heart Failure/Cancer	Los Angeles, California
06/25/1988	26	Hillel Slovak	Red Hot Chili Peppers, guitarist	Heroin Overdose	Hollywood, California
06/22/1988	43	Jesse Ed Davis	session guitarist	Heroin Overdose	Venice, California
05/06/1988	53	Paul Wilson	The Flamingos
04/09/1988	50	Dave Prater	Sam & Dave	Car Accident	Sycamore, Georgia
04/09/1988	56	Brook Benton	singer/songwriter	Pneumonia	New York, New York

Brook Benton
September 19, 1931 - April 9, 1988

Brook Benton was a singer/songwriter who was popular during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He had hits with "It's Just a Matter of Time" and "Endlessly." He had a 1970 comeback with the ballad "Rainy Night in Georgia" written by Tony Joe White.

Weakened from spinal meningitis, Brook died of pneumonia in Queens, New York City, at the age of 56 on April 9, 1988.

03/10/1988	30	Andy Gibb	Bee Gees	Myocarditis, drug related	Oxford, England
02/24/1988	72	Memphis Slim	blues pianist	Renal Failure	Paris, France
02/13/1988	37	John Curulewski	Styx	Stroke	La Grange, Illinois

*** 1987 ***

12/09/1987	31	Will Shatter	Flipper/Negative Threat	Heroin Overdose
09/21/1987	35	Jaco Pastorius	Weather Report, bassist	Beating	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Jaco Pastorius
December 1, 1951 - September 21, 1987

Often regarded as the World's greatest Bass player, Jaco Pastorius played his fretless bass with the jazz band Weather Report and was in demand as a session player, working with Al Dimeola, Ian Hunter, Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Blood Sweat and Tears and many others.

Sadly, Jaco was almost forgotten at the time of his death. Long suffering from mental problems and drug and alcohol abuse, the music industry viewed him as a pariah. No one would hire him. His problems were dramatized at the 1984 Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. Several minutes into the show, Jaco turned up his amplifier and started improvising, playing dissonant notes. The crowd began booing loudly. One by one, his band members walked off the stage, leaving Jaco playing alone, crashing wildly about the stage, knocking over equipment. The performance ended only when the revolving stage was turned around and master of ceremonies, Bill Cosby, apologized to the crowd and introduced the next band.

Jaco died as a result of a severe beating that occurred outside the Midnight Bottle Club, an after-hours bar near Fort Lauderdale. Jaco was denied entry into the members-only club because he was drunk and abusive. The club's bouncer, Luc Havan, claimed that Jaco fell backward and hit his head on the sidewalk. Haven was charged with second-degree murder, but plea- bargained and pled guilty to the reduced charge of manslaughter. He served only 4 months in jail.

Jaco died in the hospital nine days after the beating -- a blood vessel burst in his brain.

09/11/1987

42

Peter Tosh

Wailers

Murdered during home invasion

Kingston, Jamaica

Peter Tosh
October 19, 1944 - September 11, 1987

Peter Tosh was a Jamaican reggae musician. He was a core member of the Wailers from 1963 until 1974, along with fellow members Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer. He wrote many of the Wailers best songs, including hits "Get Up, Stand Up", "400 Years", and "No Sympathy."

In 1973, Tosh was driving home with his girlfriend Evonne when his car was hit by a wrong-way driver. The accident killed Evonne and severely fractured Tosh's skull.

After Island Records president Chris Blackwell refused to issue his solo album in 1974, Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the Wailers, citing the unfair treatment they received from Blackwell. He eventually released his solo debut, Legalize It, in 1976 on CBS Records and went on to a very successful solo career.

On September 11, 1987, just after Tosh had returned to his home in Kingston, a three-man gang came to his house demanding money. They stayed at his residence for several hours and tortured him in an attempt to extort money from Tosh. Eventually, the chief thug, Dennis "Leppo" Lobban, shot Tosh in the head, killing him. The other gunmen began shooting, wounding several other people and also killing disc jockeys Doc Brown and Jeff "Free I" Dixon. Leppo surrendered to the authorities. He was sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted in 1995 and he remains in jail. The other two gunmen were never identified by name.

08/29/1987	72	Archie Campbell	musician, comedian, Star of TV's Hee-Haw	Heart Failure	Knoxville, Tennessee
08/17/1987	62	Gary Chester	studio drummer	Cancer?
08/02/1987	50	David A. Martin	Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, bassist	Heart Attack	Texas
07/10/1987	76	John Hammond Sr.	record company executive	Stroke
06/29/1987	94	Elizabeth Cotten	blues singer/songwriter		Syracuse, New York
06/08/1987	41	Gary Driscoll	Rainbow, drummer	Murdered	Ithaca, New York
06/02/1987	77	Sammy Kaye	bandleader		Ridgewood, New Jersey
05/26/1987	91	Reverend Robert Wilkins	blues guitarist		Memphis, Tennessee
05/04/1987	44	Paul Butterfield	Butterfield Blues Band	Peritonitis, drug related	Hollywood, California

Paul Butterfield
December 17, 1942 - May 4, 1987

Developing an early interest in Blues music, Paul Butterfield taught himself to play harmonica as a youth and was sitting in with the Muddy Waters Band by 1958. He played steadily in the Chicago Blues scene in the early 1960’s.

In 1964 he formed The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, one of the first integrated Chicago Blues bands, and they recorded their first album for the Elektra label in 1965. Also that year, they performed at the Newport Folk Festival and backed up Bob Dylan. Their popularity helped to spark a revival in Blues music.

They appeared in the movies "Festival", "You Are What You Eat" and recorded the soundtrack for "Steelyard Blues" in addition to performing at the Woodstock Festival.

In 1973 Butterfield put together a new band, Better Days, but failed to generate the popularity of his previous band. He was featured in the 1978 film of The Band's The Last Waltz on which he played behind Muddy Waters and Bob Dylan, as well as performing his own powerful solo of "Mystery Train." He also appeared on several TV shows, including Saturday Night Live in 1977 and again in 1979, when he played harmonica on stage with Rick Danko and actor Gary Busey.

A victim of his own overindulgence in drugs and alcohol, Paul Butterfield died of a drug-related heart failure in 1987.

04/17/1987	36	Carlton Barrett	Wailers	Murdered	Kingston, Jamaica
04/02/1987	69	Buddy Rich	jazz drummer	Heart Failure	Los Angeles, California
03/21/1987	35	Dean Paul Martin	Dino, Desi & Billy	Air Crash	San Gorgonio Mountain, California
03/20/1987	77	Kenneth Threadgill	Threadgill's Tavern, owner, friend of Janis Joplin	Pulmonary embolism	Austin, Texas
02/08/1987		Tony "Stix" Destra	Britney Fox/Cinderella, drummer	Car Accident	Pennsylvania
01/12/1987	49	Bobby M. Petersen	The Grateful Dead, poet/songwriter

Bobby M. Petersen
1936 - January 12, 1987

Petersen provided lyrics for four Grateful Dead songs; New Potato Caboose, Unbroken Chain, Pride of Cucamonga and Revolutionary Hamstrung Blues.

Robert Petersen was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon in 1936. He appears to have lived a life 'on the road' with periods hopping freights, playing jazz saxophone and in a vocational institution. He 'deposited' his poetry with Phil Lesh, Alan Trist and possibly others from the mid-1960's onward. A privately printed volume of his work, Far Away Radios, was distributed by the Grateful Dead office from 1980 onward. A collection of his poetry, Alleys Of The Heart was published in 1988.

Robert Petersen died in 1987.

01/06/1987

39

Peter Lucia, Jr.

Tommy James and the Shondells, drummer

Heart Attack

Los Angeles, California

---

*** 1986 ***

12/24/1986	29	Tommy Keiser	Krokus, bass/vocals	Suicide	?
12/10/1986	44	Kate Wolf	folksinger	Leukemia	San Francisco, California

Kate Wolf
January 27, 1942 - December 10, 1986

Kathryn Louise Allen, known professionally as Kate Wolf, was a folk singer/songwriter who had a significant impact on the folk music scene. Her best-known compositions include "Here in California", "Love Still Remains", "Across the Great Divide", "Unfinished Life", and "Give Yourself to Love".

Kate Wolf's music is celebrated each year at the Kate Wolf Memorial Music Festival, held at the Black Oak Ranch in Laytonville, California.

12/01/1986	61	Lee Dorsey	singer	Emphysema	New Orleans, Louisiana
11/05/1986	61	Bobby Nunn	The Coasters, singer	Heart Attack	Los Angeles, California
11/01/1986	88	Sippie Wallace	singer		Detroit, Michigan

Sippie Wallace
November 1, 1898 - November 1, 1986

10/23/1986	49	Esquerita	singer/songwriter	AIDS	New York, New York
10/22/1986	39	Jane Dornacker	musician/comedian/actress/traffic reporter	Helicopter Crash	New York, New York
10/19/1986	80	Moses Asch	founder of Folkways Records		New York, New York
10/01/1986		Andy McVann	The Farm, drummer	Car Accident	Liverpool, England
09/27/1986	24	Cliff Burton	Metallica, guitarist	Bus Accident	Sweden

Cliff Burton
February 10, 1962 - Sept 27, 1986

Cliff Burton was the bass guitarist for the heavy metal band Metallica. He joined the band in 1982 and performed on the band's first three studio albums, Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets.

On September 27, 1986, Burton was killed in a tour bus accident in Kronoberg County, Sweden as the band was touring in support of the Master of Puppets album. During the crash, Burton was ejected from the bus, which them rolled over and crushed him.

On April 4, 2009, Burton was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with fellow Metallica bandmates.

08/06/1986	27	Michael Rudetski	Culture Club	Heroin Overdose	London, England
06/06/1986	64	Dick Rowe	Decca A&R man who refused to sign the Beatles	Diabetes
03/31/1986	48	O'Kelly Isley, Jr.	The Isley Brothers	Heart Attack	Alpine, New Jersey
03/11/1986	74	Sonny Terry	Harmonica Player	?	Mineola, New York

Sonny Terry
October 24, 1911 - March 11, 1986

Sonny Terry (born Saunders Terrell) was a blues musician who, along with Brownie McGhee, was a fixture of the folk movement of the 1950's and 1960's. Their work included collaborations with Woody Guthrie and Moses Asch.

03/04/1986	49	Howard Greenfield	songwriter	AIDS	Los Angeles, California
03/04/1986	40	Richard Manuel	The Band	Suicide (hanging)	Winter Park, Florida
02/01/1986	65	Dick James	Beatles, publisher	Heart Attack	London, England
01/25/1986	59	Albert Grossman	manager	Heart Attack	on Concorde on route to London

Albert Grossman
May 21, 1926 - January 25, 1986

Albert Grossman made several contributions to the history of Rock 'n' Roll, and was manager for some of the biggest names in music, including Bob Dylan, Odetta, John Lee Hooker, The Band and Janis Joplin.

In 1959, Grossman joined forces with George Wein, who had founded the Newport Jazz Festival, to start up the Newport Folk Festival.

In 1961, Grossman joined Mary Travers, Noel Stookey, and Peter Yarrow together as the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary.

After Bob Dylan signed a management contract with Grossman, he invited Dylan to his Woodstock, New York home. Dylan liked the area so much he purchased a house there in 1965. The cover of Dylan's album Bringing It All Back Home was photographed at Grossman's home in Woodstock. The woman in the cover photo with Dylan, in the red trouser suit, was Albert Grossman's wife, Sally

In 1969, Grossman built the Bearsville Recording Studio near Woodstock, in upstate New York, and in 1970 he founded Bearsville Records. The label signed rock acts including Foghat.

Albert Grossman died of a heart attack while flying on Concorde to London on January 25, 1986 with a plan to sign an unknown British singer to a contract. He is buried behind his own Bearsville Theater near Woodstock, New York.

01/04/1986

36

Phil Lynott

Thin Lizzy

Heart Failure, Stroke, drug related

Ireland

Phil Lynott
August 20, 1949 - January 4, 1986

Philip Parris "Phil" Lynott was the frontman of the Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy. Their biggest hit was 1976's "The Boys are Back in Town" from the Jailbreak Album.

He collapsed at his home on Christmas Day 1985 and died of heart failure and pneumonia in a hospital intensive care unit on January 4, 1986 at age 36.

In 2005, a life-sized bronze statue of Phil Lynott was placed outside Bruxelles, on Harry Street, in Dublin, Ireland.

In 2010, a CD entitled Yellow Pearl was released. It is a compilation of Lynott's two solo albums, Solo in Soho and The Philip Lynott Album, together with rare singles, remixes and B-sides.

---

*** 1985 ***

12/31/1985

30

Andy Chapin

Steppenwolf, keyboardist

Plane Crash

DeKalb, Texas

Andy Chapin
February 7, 1951 - December 31, 1985

Andy Chapin was a member of the Ricky Nelson Band. He and his bandmates died after their plane crashed on New Year's Eve 1985 in DeKalb, Texas while en route to a performance in Dallas, Texas.

Prior to joining Ricky Nelson, Chapin had been a member of The Association and prior to that he was keyboardist for Steppenwolf. With Steppenwolf he recorded Hour of the Wolf in 1975, the band's first album without founding keyboardist Goldy McJohn. The official explanation for his departure from Steppenwolf was that he didn't like touring. He was replaced by Wayne Cook.

12/31/1985

45

Rick Nelson

Stone Canyon Band

Plane Crash

DeKalb, Texas

Ricky Nelson
May 8, 1940 - December 31, 1985

Rick Nelson, singer/songwriter and actor, perished in a plane crash on December 31st, 1985. He was on route to a New Year's Eve concert in Dallas, Texas.

Born Eric Hilliard Nelson in Teacneck, New Jersey, he starred with his family in the sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Ricky soon became known as the first "teen idol."

In 1957, Nelson recorded his first single ("I'm Walkin' b/w "A Teenager's Romance", Verve 10047X4S), debuted as a singer on the television version of the sitcom, and released the No. 1 album titled Ricky. In 1958, Nelson released his first #1 single, "Poor Little Fool", and in 1959 received a Golden Globe nomination for "Most Promising Male Newcomer" after starring in film Rio Bravo.

In 1969, he formed the Stone Canyon Band and had a surprise hit with 1972's "Garden Party."

Nelson was married once, to Sharon Kristin Harmon, from 1963 until their divorce in 1982. They had four children: actress Tracy Nelson, twin sons and musicians Gunnar and Matthew, and actor Sam.

On December 31st, 1985, Nelson died when the Douglas DC-3 he was flying on crashed into trees, poles, and electrical wires, when it attempted to make an emergency landing while in flight between Guntersville, Alabama, and Dallas, Texas, for a New Year's Eve concert.

12/22/1985	27	D. Boon	Minutemen	Car Accident	Tucson, Arizona
12/12/1985	47	Ian Stewart	Rolling Stones, keyboardist	Heart Attack	London, England
12/01/1985		Kurtis Teal	Iron Butterfly, keyboards	Heart Failure
11/24/1985	74	Big Joe Turner	The Boss of the Blues	Heart Attack	Inglewood, California

Big Joe Turner
May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985

Big Joe Turner (born Joseph Vernon Turner, Jr.) was a blues musician from Kansas City, Missouri.

Turner's had a long, productive career as a blues singer. He performed from the 1920s well into his later years, but may be best known for his 1950s era Rock 'n' Roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and Roll" in 1954. His 1950s successes came after he was spotted performing at Harlem's Apollo Theater by Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegün of Atlantic Records.

Big Joe Turner died in Inglewood, California, in November 1985, at the age of 74 of heart failure, having suffered from arthritis, a stroke and diabetes. He was buried at Roosevelt Memorial Park, in Gardena, California.

Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame posthumously in 1987.

<

10/12/1985	32	Ricky Wilson	B-52's	AIDS
10/06/1985	64	Nelson Riddle	bandleader	Cardiac and Kidney Failure	Los Angeles, California
06/24/1985	40	Jim McPherson	co-wrote Jefferson Starship's "Jane"
05/15/1985	38	Jackie Curtis	Andy Warhol Superstar	Heroin Overdose	New York, New York
04/19/1985	59	Willie Mabon	blues pianist		Paris, France
03/13/1985	65	Bob Shad	Janis Joplin, producer		Los Angeles, California
02/28/1985	38	David Byron	Uriah Heep		Berkshire, England
01/26/1985	71	Kenny Clarke	Jazz drummer	Heart Failure	Montreuil, France
01/21/1985	56	Barbara C. Cowsill	Cowsills	Emphysema	Tempe, Arizona

---

*** 1984 ***

12/28/1984	52	Eddie "Bongo" Brown	The Funk Brothers, percussionist	Heart Failure	Los Angeles, California
12/08/1984	24	Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley	Hanoi Rocks	Car Accident (Vince Neil Driving)	Redondo Beach, California
11/24/1984	36	John Angelos	Amboy Dukes, vocals	Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
10/29/1984	35	Wells Kelly	Orleans, Meat Loaf, drummer	Alcohol/drugs?	UK
09/20/1984	36	Steve Goodman	singer/songwriter	Leukemia	Seattle, Washington

Steve Goodman
July 25, 1948 - September 20, 1984

Songwriter Steve Goodman was best known for his song "City of New Orleans", which was a hit when recorded by Arlo Guthrie. Goodman had a modest recording career, critical acclaim, and a small but loyal audience. He toured often, performed at Carnegie Hall, and his songs were covered by Arlo Guthrie, Johnny Cash, and Joan Baez, among others. He believed in traditional folk music. His songwriting ranged from blues to protest, and was characterized by fine melodies and clever lyrics. Goodman won two Grammy Awards.

Goodman died of leukemia after suffering with the disease for sixteen years.

09/06/1984	70	Ernest Tubb	country singer/songwriter	Emphysema	Nashville, Tennessee
08/15/1984	57	Norman Petty	Buddy Holly and the Crickets, producer		Lubbock, Texas
08/11/1984	40	Patrick McAuley	Them	Drowned	Donegal, Ireland
08/07/1984	75	Harmonica Frank Floyd	blues harmonica	Diabetes	Blanchester, Ohio

Harmonica Frank Floyd
October 11, 1908 - August 7, 1984

Harmonica Frank Floyd was the son of poor Mississippi sharecropper parents that separated without giving him a name. He was raised by his grandparents, named himself Frank Floyd, and taught himself to play harmonica by age 10. He soon learned to play guitar as well.

Frank Floyd was a one-man band, able to play harmonica without his hands or the need for a neck brace. While also playing guitar, he perfected a technique of manipulating the harmonica with his mouth while he sang out of the other side. When performing on the medicine-show circuit he would play harmonica with his nose and thus could play two harmonicas at once!

Harmonica Frank was the first white musician to record at Sam Phillips' Sun Studios in Memphis. Phillips had the idea that a white man playing and singing black-oriented music would be successful. While the Harmonica Frank recordings didn't sell well, Phillips went on to further explore the idea and recorded Elvis Presley - thus making history.

07/25/1984	57	Big Mama Thornton	blues singer/songwriter	Heart Failure	Los Angeles, California
07/04/1984	34	Jimmie Spheeris	singer/songwriter	Motorcycle Accident	Santa Monica, California

Jimmie Spheeris
November 5, 1949 - July 4, 1984

Jimmie Spheeris was an American singer-songwriter who released four albums in the 1970s on the Columbia Records and Epic Records labels.

The liner notes on his 1971 debut album Isle of View, credit friend and fellow songwriter Richie Havens who introduced Spheeris to Columbia Records executive Clive Davis.

Spheeris died when his motorcycle collided with a van whose driver was under the influence of alcohol. Hours before his death, Spheeris finished the self-titled album, Spheeris, which was produced by Paul Delph.

06/01/1984	40	Nate Nelson	The Flamingos	Heart Failure
05/09/1984	81	Nudie Cohn	Fashion designer

Nudie Cohn
December 15, 1902 - May 9, 1984

Nuta Kotlyarenko, known professionally as Nudie Cohn, was a Ukranian born tailor who designed decorative rhinestone-covered suits, known popularly as "Nudie Suits", and other elaborate outfits, for many famous celebrities.

He designed suits for Tex Williams, Porter Wagoner, Roy Rogers, Robert Redford, Tony Curtis, Hank Snow, John Lennon, ZZ Top and many others. He crafted a $10,000 gold lamé suit worn by Elvis Presley on the cover of the "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong" album. For Gram Parsons, he created a spectacular suit featuring pills, poppies, marijuana leaves, naked women, and a huge cross. This can be seen on the cover of the Flying Burrito Brothers' 1969 album "The Gilded Palace of Sin." For Hank Williams, he created an iconic white cowboy suit with musical notations on the sleeves and music notes on the lapels.

04/26/1984

79

Count Basie

Jazz pianist

Pancreatic cancer

Hollywood, Florida

Count Basie
August 21, 1904 - April 26, 1984

William James "Count" Basie was an influential and innovative American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer.

In 1935, Basie formed his own jazz orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording. He led the group for almost 50 years, creating innovations like the use of two "split" tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, and others. Many musicians came to prominence under his direction, including the tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, the guitarist Freddie Green, trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison, plunger trombonist Al Grey, and singers Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes, Thelma Carpenter, and Joe Williams.

Count Basie died of pancreatic cancer in Hollywood, Florida on April 26, 1984 at the age of 79.

04/01/1984	44	Marvin Gaye		Murdered by his father	Los Angeles, California
02/28/1984	40	Joseph Canzano ("Joey Vann")	The Duprees	Heart Failure
01/27/1984	37	Candy Givens	Zephyr, vocals	Drowned in a Hot Tub	Boulder, Colorado

Candy Givens
1947 – January 27, 1984

Candy Givens was the singer for the noted Colorado rock band Zephyr. Zephyr also featured Candy's husband, David Givens, the late keyboardist John Faris, drummer Robbie Chamberlain and featured young guitarist Tommy Bolin who went on to further success with James Gang and Deep Purple.

Zephyr was very popular in the Colorado area, though they never achieved national commercial success. Classic Zephyr albums include "Zephyr" (known as the bathtub album, 1969), “Going Back To Colorado” (1971) and "Sunset Ride" (1972). They performed at the 1969 Denver Pop Festival, two months before Woodstock. The huge festival featured headliner Jimi Hendrix.

Zephyr broke up in the early '70s but reunited briefly around 1980, four years after the drug overdose death of Tommy Bolin.

Candy tragically drowned in her apartment's Jacuzzi tub after drinking and taking an accidental overdose of Quaaludes.

01/21/1984

49

Jackie Wilson

R&B singer

Heart Attack/Stroke/Coma

Mount Holly, New Jersey

Jackie Wilson
June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984

Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson Jr. (AKA "Mr. Excitement") was an influential American soul singer. He gained fame as a member of the R&B vocal group Billy Ward and His Dominoes before launching a solo career and releasing over 50 hit singles.

On September 29, 1975, while headlining a Dick Clark Oldies Concert, he collapsed on stage from a massive heart attack as he was singing his hit "Lonely Teardrops." On the words "My heart is crying" he collapsed on stage; audience members applauded as they initially thought it was part of the act. He subsequently slipped into a coma and remained semi-comatose for nine years until his death in 1984, at the age of 49.

Wilson was posthumously inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

01/01/1984

55

Alexis Korner

Father of the British Blues

Lung Cancer

London, England

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*** 1983 ***

12/28/1983

39

Dennis Wilson

The Beach Boys, drummer

Drowned

Marina Del Ray, California

Dennis Wilson
December 4, 1944 - December 28, 1983

Dennis Wilson was the drummer for the Beach Boys.

He drowned on Dec. 28, 1983 while diving from his yacht after drinking all day. Reportedly, Wilson trying to recover some items he had thrown overboard three years earlier.

11/19/1983

36

Tom Evans

Badfinger

Suicide (hanging)

London, England

Tom Evans
June 5, 1947 - November 19, 1983

Tom Evans, bass guitarist for Badfinger, died by his own hand in 1983.

Evans was recruited to join the band Ivey in August, 1967, replacing original rhythm guitarist and frontman Dave Jenkins. Ivey was signed to the Beatles' Apple Records label in 1968. In the summer of 1969, Ivey changed their name to Badfinger. Original bassist Ron Griffiths departed, and with the addition of guitarist Joey Molland, Evans moved to bass guitar.

Evans' body was found hanging in his back garden from a willow tree. He apparently left no note, but may have been overwhelmed by depression, and never fully recovered from the suicide of fellow bandmate Pete Ham.

During the evening of November 18, 1983, Evans argued with Joey Molland of Badfinger on the telephone, chiefly regarding ASCAP royalties from the song "Without You". ASCAP royalties accumulating for airplay of the song had been funding Evans, with other potential publishing funds being held by Apple Corps Ltd. pending resolution of debate between the group members and manager Bill Collins.

In 1993, recordings made in the early 1980s by Evans and musician friend Rod Roach was posthumously released in the UK on Gipsy Records under the title Over You (The Final Tracks).

10/20/1983

65

Merle Travis

country singer/songwriter

Heart Failure

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Merle Travis
November 29, 1917 - October 10, 1983

Merle Travis, an influential country singer/songwriter famous for penning classic songs such as "Sixteen Tons," died in Tahlequah, Oklahoma at age 65.

08/02/1983	47	James Jamerson	The Funk Brothers	Alcohol	Los Angeles, California
07/12/1983	39	Chris Wood	Traffic	Pneumonia	Birmingham, England
06/02/1983	33	Stan Rogers	folk musician	Aircraft Fire	Hebron, Kentucky

Stan Rogers
November 29, 1949 - June 2, 1983

Stanley Allison Rogers was a Canadian folksinger and songwriter known for his fine voice and traditional songs. His most famous song "The Mary Ellen Carter" is an inspirational hymn about triumphing over great odds. It tells the story of a heroic effort to salvage a sunken ship, the Mary Ellen Carter, by members of her former crew.

Rogers and 22 other passengers died of smoke inhalation on June 2, 1983, after Air Canada Flight 797 made an emergency landing at the Greater Cincinnati Airport due to an in-flight fire. Rogers was returning after performing at the Kerrville Folk Festival.

04/30/1983

70

McKinley Morganfield

Muddy Waters

Heart Failure

Westmont, Illinois

Muddy Waters
April 4, 1913 - April 30, 1983

McKinley Morganfield, better known as Muddy Waters, was born in Clarkson, Mississippi in 1913 (Some sources indicate he was born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi in 1915). He is considered the father of Chicago blues and one of the greatest bluesmen of all time.

Muddy Waters first recorded his music in the summer of 1941. Alan Lomax came to Stovall, Mississippi, on behalf of the Library of Congress, to record various country blues musicians. Lomax came back again in July of 1942. Both sessions were eventually released as Down On Stovall's Plantation on the Testament label.

In 1977, Johnny Winter convinced his label, Blue Sky, to sign Waters and release his "comeback" LP, Hard Again.

04/17/1983

43

Felix Pappalardi

Mountain

Murdered by wife

New York, New York

Felix Pappalardi
December 30, 1939 - April 17, 1983

Felix A. Pappalardi Jr. was the bassist for the rock group Mountain. He is also remembered as the producer for Cream, beginning with their 1967 classic Disraeli Gears. He also worked with the Youngbloods, Joan Baez and Tom Paxton.

He was shot and killed by his wife, Gail, on April 17, 1983 in their New York apartment. Gail claimed the shooting was an accident and managed to get the second degree murder charges reduced. She was convicted and served 16 months before being paroled in 1985. She was last reported to live in Mexico.

Incidentally, Felix and Gail wrote the Cream hit "Strange Brew" with Eric Clapton!

04/14/1983	30	Pete Farndon	Pretenders	Drug Overdose	London, England
04/05/1983	41	Danny Rapp	Danny & The Juniors	Suicide	Parker, Arizona
02/04/1983	32	Karen Carpenter	Carpenters	Anorexia Nervosa	Downey, California
02/02/1983	86	Sam Chatmon	blues guitarist
01/28/1983	42	Billy Fury	British singer	Heart Failure	Paddington, London, England

Billy Fury
April 17, 1940 - January 28, 1983

Ronald Wycherley, known by his stage name of Billy Fury. was an British Rock 'n' Roll singer most popular from the late 1950s to the mid 1960s.

He is notable for having 24 chart hits in the 1960s (equalling the Beatles), and spent 332 weeks on the UK chart, without a chart-topping single or album.

Billy Fury contracted Rheumatic fever as a child, which damaged his heart and ultimately contributed to his death at age 42.

01/21/1983

34

Lamar Williams

Allman Brothers Band, bassist

Agent-orange related Lung Cancer

Lamar Williams
January 14, 1949 - January 21, 1983

Lamar Williams was the bassist for The Allman Brothers Band and Sea Level.

Williams joined the Allman Brothers Band in late 1972 after the death of original bassist Berry Oakley. When the Allman Brothers Band took a break in 1976, Williams founded Sea Level with Jai "Jaimoe" Johnny Johanson and Chuck Leavell.

1983

35

Richard Hughes

Johnny Winter, drummer

Suicide

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*** 1982 ***

12/17/1982	79	Big Joe Williams	blues guitarist		Macon, Mississippi
12/08/1982	57	Marty Robbins	Country singer/songwriter	Heart Attack	Nashville, Tennessee
07/28/1982	28	Keith Green	Contemporary Christian Musician	Plane Crash	Garden Valley, Texas
06/16/1982	25	James Honeyman-Scott	Pretenders	Drug Overdose	London, England
06/10/1982	42	Addie "Micki" Harris	The Shirelles	Heart Failure on stage	Atlanta, Georgia
06/03/1982	36	Rusty Day	The Amboy Dukes / Cactus	Murdered	Longwood, Florida

Rusty Day
December 29, 1945 - June 3, 1982

Russell "Rusty Day" Edward Davidson was a rock vocalist and frontman, best known for his work with the bands The Amboy Dukes and Cactus.

Day joined Ted Nugent's band The Amboy Dukes in 1968, after vocalist John Drake was fired. Day himself had just quit his own band, Rusty Day & The Midnighters. Rusty stayed only for one album, 1969s Migration.

Cactus was formed by bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice from Vanilla Fudge. The initial plan was for a supergroup also including Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart as the singer in the group, but Beck had an accident and Rod Stewart joined the Faces instead of Cactus.

Day sang on three Cactus albums (Cactus, One Way...Or Another and Restrictions) before he was fired from the band in 1971.

In 1982, Day was working on an album with his band Uncle Acid & The Permanent Damage Band, as well as dealing cocaine. Day owed money to Ron Sanders, one of the guitar players in his band, after a minor cocaine deal. Monte "Mondo" Thomas, Day's lead guitarist and close friend, explained Sanders as: "...a madman, he was a millionaire and a real bad coke fiend." Thomas and Day both lived in Day's house in Longwood, Florida, along with Day's 11-year old son Russell. Thomas had agreed to drive a friend out of town, and was therefore not present when Sanders opened fire with a machine gun, shooting through the windows in Day's house, killing Day, his son Russell, and a house guest, Garth McRae. Ron Sanders shot himself six weeks later after police surrounded his house due to entirely different charges than the triple murder weeks before.

04/30/1982	33	Lester Bangs	music journalist	Accidental Drug Overdose	New York, New York
03/19/1982	25	Randy Rhoads	Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne	Plane Crash	Lakeland, Florida

Randy Rhoads
December 6, 1956 - March 19, 1982

Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was a heavy metal guitarist who formed the band Quiet Riot at age 17. In 1979, he joined with Ozzy Osbourne's new solo band and moved to the UK to help Ozzy record the LP Blizzard of Oz which contained the Hit "Crazy Train."

Randy was killed when the Beechcraft Bonanza in which they were flying clipped their tour bus and tree and then slammed into a two-story Florida mansion. The pilot Andrew Aycock, 36, and hairdresser Rachel Youngblood, 58, were also killed in the tragic crash. Apparently, the plane was buzzing the bus where other members of the tour were sleeping. Ozzy Osbourne was in the tour bus when the right wing of the plane wings clipped the bus. Ozzy escaped injury.

Randy was inducted into the Guitar Center Rock Walk (on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, California), in 2004. Embarrassingly, the original plaque placed there misspelled his name as "Rhodes"!

03/17/1982

Samuel George

The Capitols, drums & vocals

Stabbing

Detroit, Michigan

Samuel George

Samuel George was the lead vocalist and drummer for the Detroit group The Capitols, a one-hit wonder with the 1966 song "Cool Jerk." The song is still popular today and has been covered by artists including The Go-Go's and Todd Rundgren. "Cool Jerk" was used in Cool Whip commercials and in many movie soundtracks, including More American Graffiti (1979) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).

Samuel George died March 17, 1982 after he was fatally stabbed in a domestic dispute.

03/05/1982

33

John Belushi

The Blues Brothers, comedian

Drug Overdose

Los Angeles, California

John Belushi
January 24, 1949 - March 3, 1982

John Belushi was a singer for The Blues Brothers and an original cast member of the Saturday Night Live TV show.

In 1971, Belushi joined the Second City comedy troupe in Chicago, Illinois. His spot-on caricature of singer Joe Cocker's intense personality and flailing arms helped him gain the attention of National Lampoon. While performing on The National Lampoon Radio Hour, Belushi met future Saturday Night Live regulars Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Brian Doyle-Murray and Chevy Chase.

Belushi was with Saturday Night Live during their first broadcast season in 1975. Between seasons of the show, he made one of his best-known movies, 1978's Animal House.

Together with Dan Aykroyd, they created the Blues Brothers and premiered the act on Saturday Night Live with a version of Floyd Dixon's song "Hey Bartender" in the spring of 1978. This was followed with the release of the album Briefcase Full of Blues.

Died of an overdose of cocaine and heroin (a "Speedball") in Bungalow #3 of the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. The injection was administered by Cathy Smith, a former groupie for The Band. She admitted in an article in the National Enquirer, titled "I Killed Belushi", that she had been with Belushi the night of his death and had given him the fatal speedball shot. Smith was extradited from Toronto, arrested and charged with first-degree murder. A plea bargain reduced the charges to involuntary manslaughter, and she served 18 months in prison.

In one of his last TV appearances, Belushi filmed a cameo for the comedy series Police Squad! Belushi was filmed, face down in a swimming pool, dead. The footage was part of a running gag where the episodes' guest-star wouldn't make it past the opening credit sequence without meeting some gruesome end. Also, as noted in one of the commentary tracks on the DVD, John nearly drowned during the filming of the scene. The scene, of course, never aired.

02/21/1982	60	Murray the K	DJ	Cancer	Los Angeles, California
02/17/1982	64	Thelonious Monk	Jazz Pianist	Stroke	Englewood, New Jersey
02/04/1982	46	Alex Harvey	The Sensational Alex Harvey Band	Heart Attack	Zeebrugge, Belgium
01/30/1982	69	Lightnin' Hopkins	bluesman	Lung Cancer	Houston, Texas

Lightnin' Hopkins
March 15, 1912 - January 30, 1982

01/22/1982

48

Tommy Tucker

Blues singer/songwriter

Inhalation of carbon tetrachloride

Newark, New Jersey

---

*** 1981 ***

12/27/1981	82	Hoagy Carmichael	singer/songwriter/actor		Rancho Mirage, California
08/26/1981	67	Lee Hays	The Weavers	Heart Attack	Croton-on-Hudson, New York
08/02/1981	31	Alan Henry Malarowitz	Sweetwater, drummer	Car Accident	San Bernardino, California

Alan Henry Malarowitz
March 20, 1950 - August 2, 1981

Alan Malarowitz was the original drummer for the Los Angeles band Sweetwater.

Sweetwater is noted for being the act scheduled to open the Woodstock festival in 1969. When they became stuck in traffic, folksinger Richie Havens' trio opened the show instead. Sweetwater was eventually flown in to Woodstock by helicopter and performed next.

Alan Malarowitz died in a autuomobile accident after apparently falling asleep at the wheel when driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. He was 31. He is buried in Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills, California.

07/16/1981

38

Harry Chapin

singer/songwriter

Car Accident

Long Island, New York

Harry Chapin
December 7, 1942 - July 16, 1981

Born the son of a big band drummer in New York in 1942, Chapin began performing while he was in high school, singing in the Brooklyn Heights Boys' Choir and forming a band with his brothers Tom and Stephen.

Harry Chapin was signed to Elektra Records. His debut album Heads and Tales contained the six-minute song "Taxi" which enjoyed success in the US charts. In 1974, Chapin secured the US Christmas number 1 single with his evocative song "Cat's In The Cradle." With a series of albums, strongly narrative in tone, it was clear that Chapin was capable of extending himself and in 1975 he wrote the Broadway musical revue, THE NIGHT THAT MADE AMERICA FAMOUS. That same year, he also won an Emmy award for his musical work on the children's television series, MAKE A WISH. The title track to his album SEQUEL, which was a story sequel to his first hit Taxi, gave him his final US Top 30 entry.

On July 16, 1981, while traveling on the Long Island Expressway to a benefit concert, his 1975 Volkswagen Rabbit was rear-ended by a truck in Jericho, New York. The accident ruptured the gas tank and caused the car to burst into flames. The driver of the truck, and passers-by, were able to get Harry out of the car before it was completely engulfed in flames. He was helicoptered to an area hospital where doctors tried for 30 minutes to revive him.

Chapin was driving illegally. He had several tickets for speeding and moving violations, and his driver's license was revoked. An autopsy revealed that Chapin had suffered a fatal heart attack. It is unclear if the heart attack led to the accident or vice-versa, although witness reports indicate he had slowed the vehicle to 15 MPH and had activated the emergency flashers, swerving in front of the tractor-trailer truck just before it hit him.

Chapin was interred in the Huntington Rural Cemetery, Huntington, New York.
His epitaph is taken from his song "I Wonder What Would Happen to this World." It is:

Oh if a man tried
To take his time on Earth
And prove before he died
What one man's life could be worth
I wonder what would happen
to this world

07/01/1981	32	Rushton Moreve	Steppenwolf, bassist	Motorcycle Accident	Los Angeles, California
05/11/1981	36	Bob Marley	Wailers	Cancer	Miami, Florida
04/28/1981	33	Steve Currie	T. Rex, bassist	Car Crash	Portugal
04/07/1981	45	Kit Lambert	The Who, Producer	Brain Hemorrhage	London, England
04/05/1981	37	Bob "The Bear" Hite	Canned Heat	Heart Failure	Los Angeles, California
03/19/1981	77	Tampa Red	blues guitarist	Alcohol	Chicago, Illinois
03/15/1981	56	Philip Testa	mobster	Bombing	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philip Testa
"The Chicken Man"
April 21, 1924 - March 15, 1981

Philip Testa was "The Chicken Man" mentioned in Bruce Springsteen's song Atlantic City from the landmark Nebraska album: "Well they blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night / and they blew up his house too."

Testa was a mobster who briefly led a Philadelphia crime family. He was killed by a nail bomb that expoloded under the front porch of his Philadelphia home.

02/15/1981	37	Michael Bloomfield		Heroin Overdose	San Francisco, California
02/09/1981	55	Bill Haley	Comets	Heart Failure	Harlingen, Texas
02/06/1981	55	Hugo Montenegro	Soundtrack Composer	Emphysema
01/02/1981	39	David Lynch	The Platters

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*** 1980 ***

12/29/1980	39	Tim Hardin	singer/songwriter	Heroin Overdose	Los Angeles, California
12/08/1980	40	John Lennon	Beatles	Murdered by rabid fan	New York, New York

John Lennon
October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980

On the evening of December 8, 1980 John Lennon was shot and killed on the sidewalk outside his New York apartment. His murder silenced one of the most profound and important voices in Rock.

12/07/1980	22	Darby Crash	The Germs	Heroin Overdose/suicide	Los Angeles, California
10/27/1980	31	Steve Peregrine Took	T. Rex	Choked on a Cherry	North Kensington, London

Steve Took
July 28, 1949 - October 27, 1980

Took was born Stephen Ross Porter in Eltham, London, on July 28, 1949. He took his name from the hobbit Peregrin Took in J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." Steve Took formed Tyrannosaurus Rex with Marc Bolan in 1967 after answering an advertisement in Melody Maker.

"Tookie" died when he choked on a Cocktail Cherry while lounging in bed. He was high on morphine & Magic Mushrooms at the time, likely contributing to his death!

10/06/1980

54

Lincoln R. Chase

singer/songwriter

Atlanta, Georgia

Lincoln R. Chase
June 29, 1926 - October 6, 1980

Lincoln Chase was a prolific songwriter. Early recordings of his songs included "Rain Down Rain" by Big Maybelle, and "Salty Tears" by Chuck Willis (both 1952), and "Mend Your Ways" by Ruth Brown (May 1953). Major success came when his song "Such a Night" was recorded by The Drifters, featuring Clyde McPhatter, in November 1953. The song reached #2 on the Billboard R&B chart in early 1954, and was covered by Johnnie Ray, whose version reached #1 on the UK singles chart. A version recorded by Elvis Presley in 1960 also became a hit in 1964, and the song has subsequently been recorded by many other musicians.

He wrote "Jim Dandy" for LaVern Baker, but rock fans know the song as recorded by Black Oak Arkansas. With his wife, Shirley Ellis, he co-wrote well-remembered songs in the novelty genre including "Nitty Gritty" and "Name Game."

09/26/1980

49

Pat Hare

blues guitarist

Lung Cancer

St. Paul, Minnesota

Pat Hare
December 20, 1930 - September 29, 1980

Pat Hare (Born Auburn Hare in Cherry Valley, Arkansas) was a blues guitarist. He died of lung cancer while in prison for murdering his girlfriend and a policeman. He recorded, ironically, "I'm Gonna Murder My Baby" and "Bonus Pay". He worked with Howlin' Wolf, James Cotton and Muddy Waters.

09/25/1980

32

John Bonham

Led Zeppelin, drummer

Alcohol

Clewer, Windsor, England

John Bonham
May 31, 1948 - September 25, 1980

John Bonham was the drummer for rock gods Led Zeppelin.

07/23/1980

32

Keith Godchaux

Grateful Dead, keyboardist

Car Accident

Marin County, California

Keith Godchaux
July 9, 1948 - July 23, 1980

Keith Godchaux joined the Grateful Dead as their keyboardist in 1971. His first show with them was on October 19, 1971, filling in for the ailing Ron "Pigpen" McKernan. Prior to that time, Keith had been in Dave Mason's band.

Keith only wrote one song during his time with the Dead: "Let Me Sing Your Blues Away," from Wake of the Flood. It was only performed live five times in 1973.

Keith and his wife Donna Godchaux issued the mostly self-written Keith and Donna album in 1975 with Jerry Garcia as a member of their band. The couple also performed as part of the Jerry Garcia band. Later, he and his wife formed The Heart of Gold Band.

Godchaux was asked to leave the Grateful Dead in 1979; the next keyboardist to fill his role was Brent Mydland.

Godchaux died after losing control of his car in Marin County, California, at the age of 32. The position of Grateful Dead keyboardist is ill-fated; Brent Mydland also died prematurely (in 1990), as did Vince Welnick (in 2006).

06/21/1980	56	Bert Kaempfert	songwriter who hired the Beatles	Stroke	Majorca, Spain
05/30/1980	37	Carl Radle	Eric Clapton, bassist	Kidney Infection	Claremore, Oklahoma
05/18/1980	23	Ian Curtis	Joy Division	Suicide	Macclesfield, Cheshire, England
04/28/1980	30	Tommy Caldwell	Marshall Tucker Band	Car Accident	Moore, South Carolina
03/29/1980	74	Mantovani	bandleader		Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
03/29/1980	74	Kilby Snow	folksinger, autoharpist
03/26/1980	32	Jon-Jon Paulos	Buckinghams	Drug overdose	Chicago, Illinois
02/19/1980	33	Bon Scott	AC/DC	Alcohol	East Dulwich, London, England

Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott
July 9, 1946 - February 19, 1980

Bon Scott was the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980.

AC/DC continued, replacing Scott with singer Brian Johnson starting with the classic album Back in Black.

01/30/1980	61	Professor Longhair	blues singer and pianist		New Orleans, Louisiana
01/29/1980	86	Jimmy Durante	singer, pianist, comedian and actor		Santa Monica, California

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