Died On This Date (March 24, 2012) Vince Lovegrove / Australian Singer, Manager & Journalist

Vince Lovegrove
1948 – March 24, 2012

Vince Lovegrove was a famous Australian artist manager, television producer, journalist, and one-time pop star himself.  As a singer, Lovegrove performed with several Perth bands during the early ’60s.  In 1966, he founded the Valentines in which he sang co-lead with future AC/DC front man, Bon Scott.  In fact, it was Lovegrove who ultimately introduced Scott to the other members of AC/DC who of course, went on to become a rock and roll dynasty.  The Valentines scored several Australian hits before disbanding in 1970.  Lovegrove went on to become a pop music journalist, writing for such magazines as Go-Set and Immedia!.  As a manager, Lovegrove, at one point or another, oversaw the careers of AC/DC, Cold Chisel, Jimmy Barnes, and the Divinyls.  During the mid ’80s, Lovegrove’s wife, Suzi Sidewinder, was diagnosed with HIV.  Prior to this knowledge, Suzi passed the virus along to their then-unborn son, Troy Sidewinder, while he was in her womb.  Suzi died of AIDS in 1987, while Troy passed away from it in 1993.  Lovegrove forged on as an HIV awareness activist, educating people that the virus was much more than a “gay disease.”  He made two very personal and critically acclaimed documentaries on the subject, Suzi’s Story, and A Kid Called Troy.  Lovegrove continued writing and performing well into the 2000s.  Vince Lovegrove was killed in an automobile accident on March 24, 2012.  He was 64.

Thanks to Henk de Bruin at 2+ Printing for the assist.

 

Died On This Date (February 16, 2012) Jon McIntire / Managed The Grateful Dead

Jon McIntire
1941 – February 16, 2012

Jon McIntire is best remembered as the two-time manager of the Grateful Dead.  It was under his watch – first in the early ’70s and again during the ’80s – that the “Deadhead” phenomenon was born, and most sources credit McIntire for making it happen.  When the band’s  Grateful Dead album (also known as Skull and Roses) came out in 1971, McIntire had a note inserted that read “Dead Freaks Unite! Who are you? Where are you? How are you? Send us your name and address and we’ll keep you informed.”  What followed was a devotion by fans around the world, the likes of which had never been seen and will likely be never seen again.  It was during the McIntire era that the band also released Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty – two of rock’s most influential albums.  He parted ways with the Dead in 1974 and went on to shepherd Bob Weir’s solo career.  He returned to manage the band in 1984 and oversaw their biggest commercial successes, In the Dark, and the “Touch of Grey” single, which was their only one to ever crack the Top 10.  Jon McIntire was 70 when he died of cancer on February 16, 2012.

Thanks to Scott Miller for the assist.



Died On This Date (January 20, 2012) John Levy / Pioneering African-American Manager

John Levy
April 11, 1912 – January 20, 2012

John Levy was a talented bassist who went on to become jazz and pop music’s first African-American artist manager of any significance.   Born in New Orleans, Levy ultimately landed in New York City, where in 1949, he was hired to play in the George Shearing Quartet.  During those early years, Levy also played with Billie Holiday, Ben Webster, and Errol Garner, to name a few.  In 1951, he moved over to artist management – he had already acted as Shearing’s road manager while playing in his band.  His client roster included such jazz luminaries as Cannonball Adderley, Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, and Ramsey Lewis.  In 2006, Levy was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.  John Levy was 99 when he passed away in his sleep on January 20, 2012.



Died On This Date (January 5, 1976) Mal Evans / Beatles Road Manager And More

Mal Evans
May 27, 1935 – January 5, 1976

malMal Evans worked as the Beatles’ road manager for many years and also appeared in minor roles on several of their records.  He also discovered and produced Badfinger.  Evans was working as a bouncer at the Cavern Club in Liverpool when, in 1963, Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, hired him to work with Neil Aspinall as the Beatles’ assistant road manager. Evans’ duties ranged from bodyguard to errand-runner for the band.  During the Beatles’ later years, Evans helped out in the studio.  He contributed an occasional lyric or two and even played on several records.  It was Evans who was manning the alarm clock during the key moment of “A Day in the Life.”  In 1968, Evans brought Badfinger to Apple Records and even though he almost no technical experience in the studio, produced several of Badfinger’s songs, including their hit, “No Matter What.”  Evans moved to Los Angeles during the early ’70s after he and his wife separated.  In December of 1976, his wife asked for a divorce and Evans reportedly fell into a noticeable depression.  On January 5, 1976, a friend went to Evans’ apartment to check on him only to find him in an agitated and confused state and in possession of an air rifle.  Police were called and demanded Evans put down what they thought was a regular rifle, but he refused.  Mal Evans, age 40, was shot and killed by the officers who felt threatened by his actions.   The shooting was ruled justifiable.


Died On This Date (January 5, 2005) Danny Sugarman / Manager Of The Doors & Author

Danny Sugarman
October 11, 1954 – January 5, 2012

If there was such a thing as a “5th Door,” Danny Sugarman would likely have been it.  Besides being the Doors’ second manager, Sugarman wrote the two definitive books on Jim Morrison and the band, No One Here Gets Out Alive (1980, with Jerry Hopkins) and Wonderland Avenue: Tales Of Glamour And Success (1989) .  Born and raised in Los Angeles, Sugarman was a rabid fan of the band, and when given the opportunity at the age of 13 to respond to fan mail on their behalf.  He quickly became a close friend and confidant of Morrison’s.  After Morrison’s death, the band and original manager, Bill Siddons parted ways so Sugarman took over managerial duties.   He also served as consultant on Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic, The Doors.  Also that year, he married Fawn Hall of Oliver North/Iran-Contra affair fame.  Besides the above-mentioned books, Sugarman authored The Doors (1983), The Doors: The Illustrated History (1983), and Appetite For Destruction:  The Days Of Guns N’ Roses (1991).  He also managed Iggy Pop at one point.  Danny Sugarman died of lung cancer on January 5, 2005.  He was 50.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus for the assist.

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