A musical genius has passed away. BURT BACHARACH was born 94 years
ago in Kansas City and passed away 2 days ago in his home in Los Angeles.
I guess, most of us music lovers, knew him best through countless – more
than 1000 – artists who recorded/performed the songs he wrote for them.
He composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s,
many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. He’s a six-time Grammy Award
winner and three-time Academy Award winner. His legacy is massive and will
live on as long as there is music. R.I.P.
TOM VERLAINE, born Thomas Miller in Denville, New Jersey
73 years ago died yesterday following a brief illness.
He began studying piano at an early age but switched to saxophone in middle school after hearing a record by Stan Getz. Verlaine initially was unimpressed with the role of the guitar in both rock music and jazz but was inspired to take up the instrument after hearing the Rolling Stones’ “19th Nervous Breakdown” during his adolescence.
In 1973 he went to New York and formed groundbreaking new-punk-wave TELEVISION with Richard Hell as a one-time member. Verlaine‘s guitar play
was astounding and defined the band’s electrical sound.
They only recorded/released 2 LPs. Their innovative 1977 debut Marquee Moon and follow-up Adventurea year later. They split up shortly after but reunited later,
1991–1993 / 2001–present.
Verlaine had a successful solo career too with several
albums and collaborated with numerous other artists.
Iconic voice/performer JANIS JOPLIN with her unique hoarse voice would
have celebrated her 80th birthday today (born 19 January 1943). Happy 80!.
If you never heard of her you must be living on Mars, I guess.
Unfortunately, she partied too hard and messed up her young life with heroin.
On 4 October 1970, after an accidental overdose she passed away, only 27, joining
the sad 27-club (Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, blues pioneer Robert Johnson/. Joplin was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame in 1995.
“All of a sudden, someone threw me in front of this rock and roll band.
I decided then and there that was it. I never wanted to do anything else.“
Let’s remember her with these two classics ‘Piece Of My Heart‘
and ‘Me And Bobby McGee‘ are two of her most famous songs.
JEFF BECK, one of the genuine and pioneering guitar heroes in rock, passed away
2 days ago at 78, after suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis. The news was made public yesterday evening. The exceptional musician was born Geoffrey Arnold Beck in East Essex, UK in 1944.
He started his career with 60s blues beat band The Yardbirds (who also had Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton in their changing line-ups). In 1967 he started his own band The Jeff Beck Group originally with Rod Stewart as the singer and Ronnie Wood on guitar. The JBG recorded 3 albums.
On the Letterman Show in 1999
As a solo artist Beck released 11 LPs with Loud Hailer as the most recent
one that came out in 2016. He also recorded with many other artists.
On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss. pic.twitter.com/4dvt5aGzlv
JET BLACK, drummer and co-founder of new-post-punk-wave
heroes THE STRANGLERS has passed away, aged 84.
Press statement: “Jet Black, born Brian John Duffy, passed away peacefully
at home on Tue 6th Dec. A founding member of iconic British new-wave rock band The Stranglers, Jet helped the band achieve a prolific 23 top 40 singles and 19 top 40 albums in the official UK charts.
As the ‘elder statesmen’ of the group, Jet was already a successful businessman in the Guildford area when The Stranglers formed in 1974. Jet owned a fleet of ice cream vans,
one of which, as many fans will fondly remember, was used to tour the UK in the early years. Jet also owned an off license, the upstairs apartment of which doubled as ‘Stranglers HQ’ in the early days.
Jet retired from performing live with The Stranglers in 2015 having suffered with respiratory health issues since childhood. Despite difficulties in performing towards the end of his career, Jet’s charismatic charm resonated with fans who would endlessly chant his name as he took his place at the drums.
As a drummer in jazz bands during the 60s, Jet’s playing style
helped shape The Stranglers’ unique sound.
On reaction to the news, bassist and co-frontman JJ Burnel said “The welcoming committee has doubled. After years of ill health Jet has finally been released. He was a force of nature. An inspiration. The Stranglers would not have been if it wasn’t for him. The most erudite of men. A rebel with many causes. Say hi to Dave for me.”
I’ll never forget the very first time I saw WILKO JOHNSON play. I was a teenager
(yes I always was a music junkie and gig addict, actually from I was 6 and discovered The Beatles) and went with mates to London in 1976.
He blew me away with his manic, never-heard-before guitar style while running like
a madman with a stare from left to right and back on the stage of Hammersmith Odeon with rhythm & blues legendsDr. Feelogood. They just scored a no 1 hit with their awesome fuzz and buzz live album Stupidity.
Wilko (born John Peter Wilkinson in 1975 in Canvey Island, Essex, England ) was a feelgood doctor for 3 years (1974-1977) before starting his solo journey. He recorded several LPs with his band and played gigs until his last breath. Also on his shelf is the longplayer he canned with The Who‘s Roger Daltrey (‘Going Back Home‘ – 2014)
In 2013 he broke the news that he had terminal cancer and went on a farewell tour.
But after a couple of gigs, he had to call it a day due to his devastating condition.
Sometime later Johnson announced that he was cured and cancer-free and (there must
be a rock God?) and he returned with what his heart and soul and his guitar did for a very longtime: entertaining countless fans with his razzle-dazzle rock ‘n roll music until 2 days ago.
Via his Twitter account, just today, we got the dreadful news: “This is the announcement we never wanted to make, & we do so with a very heavy heart: Wilko Johnson has died. He passed away at home on Monday 21st November. Thank you for respecting the family’s privacy at this very sad time. RIP Wilko Johnson.
Paul Weller once said: “Wilko may not be as famous as some other guitarists, but
he’s right up there. And there are a lot of people who’ll say the same. I can hear Wilko
in lots of places. It’s some legacy.”
Three great Wilko moments.
– Live with Dr. Feelogood –
– The Wilko Johnson Band –
Live on Later With Jools Holland – 2011
TURN UP THE VOLUME 