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Archive for the ‘Rock’ Category

Died On This Date (August 22, 2018) Ed King / Lynyrd Skynyrd, Strawberry Alarm Clock

Posted by themusicsover on August 22, 2018

Ed King
September 14, 1949 – August 22, 2018

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Ed King, a founding member of Strawberry Alarm Clock and two-time guitarist and bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd passed away on August 22, 2018. While his cause of death was not immediately released, Rolling Stone has pointed out that King  was suffering from lung cancer prior to his passing. He was 68.  Born in Glendale, California, King helped form Strawberry Alarm Clock (then The Sixpence) in 1967.  A psychedelic rock band, they scored a #1 hit with “Incense and Peppermints” that same year. In all, the band produced five charting singles during their run. In early 1968, an early version of Lynyrd Skynyrd opened a few shows for Strawberry Alarm Clock, and four years later, King was invited to join them on bass. He eventually moved over to guitar as the band was developing their soon-to-be famous three-lead-guitar style. Besides adding his guitar skills, King co-wrote some of the band’s most famous songs, including “Working For The MCA,” “Saturday Night Special,” and “Sweet Home Alabama.”  He left the band in 1975 – two years before the infamous plane crash that took the lives of Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, and road manager, Dean Kilpatrick, which sent the band on an indefinite hiatus. When Skynyrd reformed in 1987, King came back to the group to a much larger role, only to be forced to leave again due to heart issues in 1996.

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Died On This Date (June 27, 2018) Steve Soto / Bassist For The Adolescents & Agent Orange

Posted by themusicsover on June 27, 2018

Steve Soto
August 23, 1963 – June 27, 2018

Photo Credit: Punxskaoc via Wikimedia

Steve Soto, best known as the co-founder of influential Southern California punk bands, Agent Orange and the Adolescents, has passed away.  The 54-year-old musician died in his sleep on June 27, 2018 – reportedly of natural causes.  A multi-instrumentalist, Soto played bass in both bands – first in Agent Orange, which formed in 1979, then in the Adolescents, which he helped form the following year. Along with Social Distortion and the Vandals, Soto and his groups would emerge as the most influential punk bands, hardcore or otherwise, to come out of Orange County during the early ’80s. Members of the OffspringGreen Day and Rancid have since noted Soto’s direct influence on them. Signed to the legendary independent label, Frontier Records in 1981, the Adolescents released eight studio albums and several EPs, live albums and singles throughout their career.  Over the band’s 38 on-and-off years of existence, Soto was the only constant through the break-ups and reunions.

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Died On This Date (June 22, 2018) Vinnie Paul / Drummer for Pantera, Damageplan, Hellyeah

Posted by themusicsover on June 22, 2018

Vinnie Paul (Born Vincent Paul Abbott)
(March 11, 1964 – June 22, 2018)

The original uploader was Mjfelker at English Wikipedia. – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by DingirXul., CC BY-SA 3.0.

Vinnie Paul, founding drummer for the highly influential metal band, Pantera, reportedly died in his sleep on June 22, 2018. He was 54. According to TMZ: “Vinnie’s family tells TMZ … he died in his sleep at his home in Las Vegas. His body’s been turned over to the medical examiner to determine a cause of death, and after that he’ll be flown back to his home state of Texas to be buried between his mom and brother.”

Born in Abilene, Texas, Paul’s first introduction to music likely came from his father, Jerry Abbott, a country music songwriter and producer who went on to helm Pantera’s early records. Formed in 1981, Pantera counted Paul’s brother, Darrell Abbott (later known as Dimebag Darrell) among its ranks.  Pantera went on to become one of the biggest names in metal during the ’90s, selling over 60 million albums combined. After Pantera disbanded in 2003, Paul formed nu-metal band, Damageplan with his brother. Their only album, New Found Power, debuted at #38 on the Billboard charts.  Before the band could pick up real steam however, tragedy struck when Dimebag was shot and killed along with four others when an assailant climbed the stage and began firing with no apparent motive.  After taking an 18-month hiatus, Paul joined metal supergroup, Hellyeah, in 2008.  The band went on to release five albums before Paul’s passing.

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Died On This Date (January 15, 2018) Dolores O’Riordan / The Cranberries

Posted by themusicsover on January 15, 2018

Dolores O’Riordan
September 6, 1971 – January 15, 2018

Photo by By Alterna2 http://www.alterna2.com – The Cranberries en Barcelona Uploaded by Amarvudol, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9773026

Dolores O’Riordan, who fronted the popular Irish alternative rock band, the Cranberries, died unexpectedly in a London hotel on January 15, 2018.  Cause of death of the 46-year-old was not immediately released.  Born in County Limerick, Ireland, O’Riordan was just five years old when she began singing, and by the time she was in her teens, she was writing her own music.  In 1990, O’Riordan responded to an ad by a band called The Cranberry Saw Us who were looking for a new singer following the departure of their original one. She got the job and the band soon changed its name to the Cranberries and signed to Island Records.  They went on to find critical and commercial success throughout the ’90s with such albums as Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We, No Need To Argue, and To The Faithful Departed.  After the band went on hiatus in 2003, O’Riordan recorded two solo albums and collaborated with the likes of Zucherro, Jam & Spoon, and Jah Wobble.

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Died On This Date (January 4, 2018) Ray Thomas / The Moody Blues

Posted by themusicsover on January 4, 2018

Ray Thomas
December 29, 1941 – January 4, 2018

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Ray Thomas, a founding member of the English rock band, the Moody Blues passed away on January 4, 2018 at the age of 76.  Cause of death was not immediately released.  Thomas was just nine years old when his father taught him to play the harmonica, and by the time he was 16, he had already quit school by two years and had set his music career in motion.  He had also taken up the flute, later, his primary instrument, by that time as well.  His first band of note was called El Riot and the Rebels who opened a gig for the Beatles in 1963.  The following year, he and fellow band mate, Mike Pinder recruited Denny Laine, Graeme Edge and Clint Warwick, and the Moody Blues was born.  The band’s first album, The Magnificent Moodies was released in 1965.  Having a Merseybeat/R&B sound then, which was very popular in the UK, the album produced a #1 UK hit and #10 US hit with the band’s cover of “Go Now.”  Warwick and Laine soon exited, and in 1966, a new era for the band was born with the addition of John Lodge and Justin Hayward.  The group’s sound became more orchestral and complex.  The first resulting album was 1967’s Days of Future Passed, which propelled the band to fame across Europe and North America.  Songs like “Tuesday Afternoon,” and in particular, “Nights in White Satin,” laid the foundation for what would be called Prog Rock. Thomas’ flute solo in “Nights in White Satin” is considered a watershed moment for the genre. He was later nicknamed “The Flute,” for obvious reasons. Health concerns and the Moody Blues’ move into more of a synth sound during the ’80s lead to Thomas’ retirement in 2002, but he did show up on a recording here and there in later years.  In 2013, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. And December 13, 2017 – less than a month before Thomas passed away, it was announced that the Moody Blues would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Class of 2018.

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