Posted by themusicsover on July 15, 2010
Rick Garberson
DOB UNK – July 15, 1979
Rick Garberson was the drummer for Akron, Ohio based post-punk band, the Bizarros, who formed in early 1976. Hailing from the city that gave us Devo, Pere Ubu and Chrissie Hynde, the Bizarros were an integral part of the scene and were in fact, the first local band to be signed by a national label, Mercury imprint, Blank Records. Garbeson died of carbon monoxide poisoning on July 15, 1979.
Posted in Musician, New Wave, Rock | Tagged: Chrissie Hynde, devo, Pere Ubu, Rick Garberson, the bizarros | Leave a Comment »
Posted by themusicsover on June 16, 2010
James Honeyman-Scott
November 4, 1956 – June 16, 1982
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James Honeyman-Scott is best remembered as the founding guitarist for the Pretenders. Thanks in part to his inventive guitar playing, the Pretenders were one of a handful of new wave acts that truly transcended the genre. In June of 1982, while on break from touring and house hunting in Austin, TX, Honeyman-Scott was called back to the UK for a band meeting with Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers. It was there that they agreed to fire band mate Pete Farndon due to his excessive drug use. Unfortunately it was James Honeyman-Scott that would succumb to his drug dependency. He died of heart failure related to his cocaine use just two days after Farndon was let go from the band. Farndon died during a heroin binge less than a year later.
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Posted in Musician, Rock, Singer, Songwriter | Tagged: Chrissie Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott, Martin Chambers, Pete Farndon, The Pretenders | Leave a Comment »
Posted by themusicsover on April 23, 2010
Johnny Thunders (Born John Genzale Jr.)
July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991
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Born in Queens, NY, Johnny Thunders formed his first band while in high school. At the time, he went by the name Johnny Volume, and that band was Johnny and the Jaywalkers. By the late ’60s he was hanging out down around Bleeker Street where he hooked up with Arthur “Killer” Kane and Billy Murcia. Their first band together was called Actress, but when David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain came on board a couple of years later, the name was changed to New York Dolls, Johnny Volume became Johnny Thunders, and the rest is history. The Dolls released two albums that were virtually ignored by the public (including most of those that now claim to have been fans back in the day…you know, just like the Ramones). By 1975, the band had broken up, but they would continue to strongly influence bands like the Sex Pistols and Guns ‘n Roses, and whatever crawled out of the gutter in between. Thunders went on to form the Heartbreakers with former Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan and Richard Hell. They recorded on and off until 1984, at one point moving to London where they were very popular with the up-and-coming punk bands. Thunders also recorded a few solo albums during this time, including the awesome So Alone, which featured a stellar cast of allegedly drug-fueled guests including Phil Lynott, Steve Marriott, Paul Cook, Steve Jones, and Chrissie Hynde. The album featured the beautifully sad and perhaps autobiographical “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory.” All the while, Thunders himself was falling deeper into the clutches of heroin abuse. In 1991, while in New Orleans, Johnny Thunders was found dead in his hotel room. Although the cause of death was never stated in the autopsy, it was widely assumed that he died of a methadone abuse. Not without controversy, others have sworn that foul play was involved, pointing to strong evidence that he was killed perhaps by drug dealers who were after his large stash of methadone. It was also reported that the autopsy revealed he was suffering from advanced stages of leukemia. Whatever the case, local police never bothered to open a criminal investigation.
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Posted in Musician, Punk, Rock, Singer, Songwriter | Tagged: Actress, Arthur Killer Kane, Billy Murcia, Chrissie Hynde, David Johansen, Guns N Roses, Heartbreakers, Jerry Nolan, Johnny and the Jaywalkers, Johnny Thunders, Johnny Volume, New York Dolls, Paul Cook, Phil Lynott, Ramones, Richard Hell, Sex Pistols, Steve Jones, Steve Marriott, Sylvain Sylvain | Leave a Comment »
Posted by themusicsover on April 14, 2010
Pete Farndon
June 12, 1952 – April 14, 1983
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Pete Farndon was the founding bassist of the Pretenders. In 1978, Farndon became the first member of the band to be recruited by Chrissie Hynde. He was soon followed by guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and drummer Martin Chambers. Together they created a sound that fell somewhere between punk and new wave, giving them equal parts respect and commercial success. Farndon’s heavy bass and tough image only complimented Hynde’s bad ass image, helping her become rock royalty. After two back-to-back successes with The Pretenders and The Pretenders II , Fandon’s professional relationship with the band began to sour due to his exsessive drug use. He was asked to leave the band in 1982. But it was Honeyman-Scott who died of drug-related causes just two days after Farndon was let go. Less than a year later, while Farndon was putting together a band with former Clash drummer, Topper Headon, he drowned in his bathtub after an apparent heroin binge. He was just 30.
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Posted in Musician, Rock, Singer, Songwriter | Tagged: Chrissie Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott, Martin Chambers, Pete Farndon, The Clash, The Pretenders, Topper Headon | Leave a Comment »