The Music's Over

but the songs live on forever

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Subscribe

Archive for the ‘Songwriter’ 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

Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

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.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Posted in Musician, Rock, Songwriter, Southern Rock | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Died On This Date (August 22, 2018) Ed King / Lynyrd Skynyrd, Strawberry Alarm Clock

Died On This Date (August 16, 2018) Aretha Franklin / The Queen of Soul

Posted by themusicsover on August 16, 2018

Aretha Franklin
March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018

Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

Known around the world as “The Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin, 76, passed away in her hometown of Detroit, Michigan on August 16, 2018. She had been battling pancreatic cancer. Over the course of an astonishing career that spanned six decades, Franklin sold over 75 million records and was awarded 18 Grammys. She’s been honored countless times, including her 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the very first time for a female.  Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Franklin was living in Detroit her family by the time she was five. As a child, she famously began singing at the New Bethel Baptist Church where her father had taken over the pastorship. When she turned 18, Franklin launched her professional career, first signing with Columbia Records and then, in 1967, with Atlantic Records with whom she recorded over the next two decades.  During that time, she achieved her most success, cranking out hits like “I Never Loved A Man (Like I Love You),” “Rock Steady,” “Do Right Woman, Do Right Woman,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” and her stunning cover of Otis Redding’s “Respect.” The single shot to the top of the charts and became an empowerment anthem for women around the world. It is considered a flash point of the Civil Rights Movement.  The song is often included in discussions about the greatest pop songs of all time.  Moving over to Arista Records in the early ’80s, Franklin revisited the charts again with hits like “Freeway of Love,” “Who’s Zoomin’ Who,” and “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” with George Michael. Franklin continued to record and perform until her health sidelined her in late 2017. Her final performance was at Elton John’s 25th anniversary event for his AIDS Foundation on November 7, 2017.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Posted in Musician, R&B, Singer, Songwriter | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Died On This Date (August 16, 2018) Aretha Franklin / The Queen of Soul

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.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Posted in Musician, Rock, Singer, Songwriter | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Died On This Date (January 15, 2018) Dolores O’Riordan / The Cranberries

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

Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

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.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Posted in Musician, Rock, Singer, Songwriter | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Died On This Date (January 4, 2018) Ray Thomas / The Moody Blues

Died On This Date (December 13, 2017) Warrel Dane / Lead Singer of Sanctuary & Nevermore

Posted by themusicsover on December 13, 2017

Warrel Dane (Born Warrel Baker)
March 7, 1961 – December 13, 2017

Second from left, with Sanctuary. Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

Acclaimed American Metal singer, Warrel Dane, who fronted both Sanctuary and Nevermore, died of a heart attack while working on a solo album in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He was 56. Born in Seattle,  Washington, Dane trained as an opera singer before ultimately finding  his way to Metal. His first band of note, Sanctuary, signed with Epic Records in 1987.  Their debut album, Refuge Denied, was notable for being produced by Dave Mustaine, who was just growing into his own with Megadeth. It was released in 1988.  Although the band’s follow up, Into The Black, received some exposure via a video on MTV,  it was the early ’90s, and they fell victim to the newfound popularity of grunge. Rather than give in to label wishes for them to shift their sound toward grunge, Dane left the band in 1992 and formed Nevermore which leaned more progressive than Sanctuary’s thrash sound.  Nevermore signed with Century Media who went on to release their seven studio albums over the next 15 years.  In 2011, the band went on hiatus while Sanctuary reunited and released their most successful album to date, 2014’s The Year the Sun Died.  They went on to release two more studio albums before Dane’s passing.

Click to find at amazon.com

Posted in Metal, Musician, Rock, Singer, Songwriter | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Died On This Date (December 13, 2017) Warrel Dane / Lead Singer of Sanctuary & Nevermore