Tim Carr was a songwriter, producer, and A&R executive who made perhaps his biggest mark on the music business while at Capitol, Dreamworks and Geffen Records. While at Capitol, Carr was instrumental in signing such bands as the Beastie Boys and Megadeth to the label. Throughout his career he also worked with such acts as Lush, Babes In Toyland, David Byrne, and Information Society. Prior to his record company work, Carr, who was living in Minneapolis, wrote music reviews for the local press and put on a local music festival. During the early 2000s, he moved to Thailand where he was worked with local rock singer, Sek Loso. He was also working on a music documentary. According to various sources, Carr’s body was discovered in his home by his landlord with at least one apparently fatal stab wound to the chest. Other circumstances surrounding his death were not immediately released. Tim Carr was 57 when he passed away.
Charles Pitts was a Memphis guitarist whose style of playing has prompted many sources to include him on the list of the architects of funk and soul guitar. By the time Pitts was just 11 years he had picked up the guitar and was learning on the street corners around his Washington DC neighborhood. One of his early teachers was none other than neighbor, Bo Diddley, who offered the boy tips on how to play. His other early sources of inspiration came from the likes of James Brown and Otis Reddingwho he saw perform at the Howard Theater which sat next door to a hotel his uncle owned. Pitts eventually became a session player for Stax Records, playing on records and/or performing live with Wilson Pickett, Gene Chandler, the Isley Brothers, and Rufus Thomas, to name s few. In 1971, Pitts came up with the iconic “wah wah” guitar sound that helped make Isaac Hayes‘ “Theme From Shaft” one of the most iconic songs of all time. He went on to play with Hayes for nearly 40 years. In later years, his riffs were been sampled by the Beasite Boys, Eazy-E, Massive Attack, and Dr. Dre. Charles Pitts died of cancer on May 1, 2012. He was 65.
David Hammer, known professionally as Shizuo was a Digital Hardcore recording electronic musician. Hammer first got noticed during the ’90s as the engineer for digital hardcore group, Atari Teenage Riot. In 1997, Hammer released his sole full length, Shizuo Vs. Shizor which was critically acclaimed for its unique marriage of punk rock and electronic. The album was released in the U.S. by the Beastie Boys’ label, Grand Royal. David “Shizuo” Hammer died reportedly from a drug overdose on May 28, 2011. He was 38.
Sean “The Captain” Carasov was a respected music industry executive who launched his career in the mid ’80s. In those early years he acted as the Beastie Boys’ road manager and more – working for Russell Simmons at the time – on the inaugural tour. If there was ever a “fourth Beastie,” by all accounts, it might very well have been Carasov. An expert on and lover of hip-hop, he had no difficulty landing A&R gigs at such labels as Jive, Atlantic and Mammoth just as the genre was starting to explode. His successes include signing A Tribe Called Quest and curating the popular Menace II Society soundtrack. Carasov also contributed numerous articles to music magazines from France to Japan. In later years, he handled music supervision for the film, American Pimp and was did A&R for ARTISTdirect Records. Sean Carasov was 48 when he took his own life on October 30, 2010.
Rammellzee was a popular and influential New York City based performance artist, sculptor, graffiti artist, and hip hop singer. His vocal style, which dates back to the early ’80s, is said to have influenced the likes of the Beastie Boys and Cypress Hill. He released several records, though under different monikers, throughout his career, and had collaborated with Buckethead of Guns ‘N Roses fame. Rammellzee was 49 when he died on June 28, 2010. Cause of death was not immediately released.