June 20, 1962 - December 31, 2000
John Edwin "Eddy" Shaver was a country-rock guitarist and son of outlaw country artist Billy Joe Shaver.
Eddy learned to play guitar at an early age, having been taught by Allman Brothers guitarist Dickie Betts. Soon Eddy was performing with his father in a duo named Shaver.
He also worked with country music greats Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Dwight Yoakam.
Eddy made plans to record his first solo album in 2001, but, on December 31, 2000, he died of a heroin overdose. He was 38 years old.
| 12/24/2000 | 73 | Nick Massi | The Four Seasons | Cancer | West Orange, New Jersey |
| 12/20/2000 | 42 | Rob Buck | 10,000 Maniacs | Liver Failure | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 12/19/2000 | 85 | Roebuck "Pop" Staples | Staples Singers | fall/concussion | Dolton, Illinois |
| 12/18/2000 | 41 | Kirsty MacColl | British singer/songwriter | Boating Accident | Cozumel, Mexico |
Kirsty MacColl
October 10, 1959 - December 18, 2000
Kirsty MacColl was a British New Wave artist and wife of producer Steve Lillywhite.
She was killed in a tragic boating accident while on vacation in Cozumel, Mexico.
Kristy and her family were scuba diving in the ocean near the Chankanaab reef when a speedboat entered the restricted zone and headed for Kristy’s son.
She pushed him out of the way but was struck and killed instantly. The boat was owned by a local supermarket millionaire,
Guillermo González Nova, who was on board with members of his family.
An onboard deckhand took the blame for the crash. He got out of a three-year prison sentence when he paid the local courts a fine of just $90.
Reportedly, he received money for taking the blame for causing the accident.
| 12/04/2000 | 45 | Joe Nanini | Wall of Voodoo, drummer | Brain Hemorrhage | Atlanta, Georgia |
| 11/30/2000 | 45 | Scott Smith | Loverboy, bassist | Drowned | San Francisco, California |
| 11/16/2000 | 26 | Joe C. | Kid Rock, diminutive rapper | Celiac Disease | Taylor, Michigan |
| 11/16/2000 | 29 | DJ Screw | Hip Hop Artist | Drug Overdose | Houston, Texas |
DJ Screw
July 20, 1971 - November 5, 2000
Robert Earl Davis, Jr., better known by his stage name DJ Screw, was an American hip hop DJ. He was an important figure in the Houston hip hop community and was the creator of the now-famous chopped and screwed DJ technique. This creation led to his nickname of "The Originator".
| 11/05/2000 | 101 | Jimmie Davis | singer/songwriter | | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
Jimmie Davis
September 11, 1899 - November 5, 2000
Jimmie Davis was Louisiana's singing governor and author of the song "You are My Sunshine". The song was prominently featured in the Coen Brothers movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou."
His songs were earlier recorded by artists like Bing Crosby, Gene Autry, Guy Lombardo and the Andrews Sisters.
Davis' story is told in this biography:
You Are My Sunshine: The Jimmie Davis Story
| 11/02/2000 | 52 | Al Grierson | folksinger | Drowned | near Luckenbach, Texas |
| 10/27/2000 | 60 | Winston Grennan | reggae musician | Bone Cancer | Nantucket, Massachusetts |
| 10/18/2000 | 74 | Julie London | singer/actress | Heart Failure | Encino, California |
| 10/03/2000 | 53 | Benjamin Orr | Cars, bassist | Pancreatic Cancer | Atlanta, Georgia |
| 09/17/2000 | 41 | Paula Yates | ex-wife of Bob Geldof | Heroin Overdose | London, England |
| 09/04/2000 | 53 | David Brown | Santana, bassist | Liver Failure |
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| 08/26/2000 | 44 | Douglas Allen Woody | Allman Brothers, bassist | Heart Attack? | New York, New York |
| 08/25/2000 | 63 | Jack Nitzsche | arranger/producer/songwriter | Heart Failure | Los Angeles, California |
| 08/02/2000 | 47 | Jerome Smith | KC and the Sunshine Band, rhythm guitarist | Construction Accident | West Palm Beach, Florida |
| 07/15/2000 | 53 | Paul Young | Sad Café | Heart Attack | Hale, Altrincham, England |
| 06/30/2000 | 51 | Michael Cub Koda | Cub Koda | Kidney Disease |
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| 06/30/2000 | | Roskilde Festival Disaster | | suffocation/crushing | Roskilde, Denmark |
Roskilde Festival Disaster
June 30, 2000
On June 30, 2000, a Pearl Jam concert at the Roskilde Festival ended in tragedy after 9 young men were crushed to death by the crowd.
Pearl Jam was playing for a rain-soaked crowd gathered at the Orange Stage of the Roskilde Festival, part of a lineup that included Lou Reed, Iron Maiden and Oasis. The annual outdoor festival drew more than 100,000 guests.
When Pearl Jam's set began around 10:30 PM, the crowd began surging, moshing and crowd surfing. In the muddy conditions, many fell and could not get up before they were trampled by others.
Nine people died, and twenty-six people were injured, three of them seriously.
Pearl Jam’s 2003 album Riot Act featured two songs about Roskilde, “I Am Mine,” and “Love Boat Captain” whose lyrics mention "lost nine friends we'll never know, two years ago today."
Johnnie Taylor
May 5, 1934 - May 31, 2000
Johnnie Taylor was a three-time Grammy-nominated American recording artist and songwriter who performed a wide variety of genres, from blues, rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel to pop, doo-wop, and disco.
Vicki Sue Robinson
May 31, 1954 - April 27, 2000
Vicki Sue Robinson was an American disco singer and actress born in Harlem, New York City. She is most famous for her 1976 hit, "Turn the Beat Around."
At the age of 16, Robinson began performing professionally when she joined the Broadway cast of the musical Hair. Robinson remained with Hair for six weeks before moving to a new Broadway production, Soon, whose cast included Peter Allen, Barry Bostwick, Nell Carter and Richard Gere.
Robinson made her recording debut as one of several Hair veterans invited to sing background on Todd Rundgren's Something/Anything? album released in 1972.
In 1973 she spent time in Japan with Itsuro Shimoda, with whom she did session work on his album Love Songs and Lamentations and toured nationally.
Robinson returned to Broadway in 1973, joining the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar.
"Turn the Beat Around" was recorded for RCA Records and topped the disco charts on March 20, 1976.
The track would earn Robinson a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
On April 27, 2000, 11 days after the release of film Red Lipstick (in which she took the role of a fairy godmother), Robinson died of cancer at her home in Wilton, Connecticut.
| 04/06/2000 | 65 | Eugene Pearson | The Drifters, baritone vocalist | Lung Cancer | New York, New York |
| 03/31/2000 | 50 | Adrian Fisher | Sparks, guitarist | Heart Attack |
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| 03/27/2000 | 57 | Ian Dury | Blockheads, singer | Colon Cancer | Upminster, London, England |
Ian Dury
May 12, 1942 - March 27, 2000
Ian Dury, lead singer of The Blockheads, has died after a long battle against colon cancer. The Blockheads were known for their hits such as "Hit Me a Rhythm Stick"
"Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll" and "Reasons To Be Cheerful".
Despite being crippled with polio as a child, Ian was always cheerful and irreverent. He continued to perform throughout his battle with cancer.
| 03/23/2000 | 70 | Ed McCurdy | folksinger | | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
Ed McCurdy
January 11, 1919 - March 23, 2000
Ed McCurdy was a folksinger most remembered for writing the anti-war anthem "Last Night I had the Strangest Dream" in 1950. The song was recorded by many of the folk artists
of the day; it appears on Simon and Garfunkel's first album,
Wednesday Morning 3 AM. It was re-recorded by Garth Brooks in 2006.
McCurdy recorded many albums in the 1950s and 60s for Elektra Records, and performed several times at the legendary Newport Folk Festival.
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
July 18, 1929 - February 12, 2000
Screamin' Jay Hawkins (born Jalacy Hawkins) was a musician and actor noted for his powerful voice and wild, theatrical performances. Hawkins often used macabre props onstage, apparently getting the idea after DJ
Alan Freed offered Hawkins $300 to emerge from a coffin onstage. He also used outlandish costumes and voodoo props, such as "Henry" - a smoking skull on a stick.
The most popular Screamin' Jay Hawkins song was his 1956 hit "I Put a Spell on You." Other hit songs included "Constipation Blues" and "Orange Colored Sky."
Hawkins died on February 12, 2000 after surgery to treat an aneurysm. He left behind many children by many women; dozens are documented, but he may have upwards of 75 children.
Joe Dan Petty
January 1, 1948 - January 8, 2000
Joe Dan Petty, bassist, vocalist and founding member of the band Grinderswitch, and a long-time Allman Brothers Band roadie and guitar technician, was killed when his private plane
crashed about a mile from the Herbert Smart Airport in Macon, Georgia. The pilot had reported fuel line problems and was attempting to land in an open field.
Grinderswitch recorded on Phil Walden's Capricorn Records and is remembered for their recording "Pickin' the Blues", which was used for many years by the disc jockey John Peel as the theme tune for his BBC radio shows.
Joe Dan Petty is pictured on the back cover of the Allman Brothers Live at Fillmore East album in a group photo taken by great Rock 'n' Roll photographer Jim Marshall.
1990s