Died On This Date (February 14, 2014) Tim Dog / Popular East Coast Rapper

Tim Dog (Born Timothy Blair)
January 1, 1967 – February 14, 2013

tim-dogStraight outta the Bronx, Tim Dog was not shy about proclaiming his disdain for West Coast rap with his 1991 hit, “Fuck Compton.”  The popular N.W.A.-targeting “diss” song appeared on his 1991 debut, Penicillin on Wax and sparked wax responses from the likes of DJ Quik, Compton’s Most Wanted, and Dr. Dre among others.  The song ultimately landing on XXL Magazine’s Top 25 Diss Tracks Of All Time. Dog followed up with Do Or Die two years later along with two other albums in the mid 2000s.  Earlier in his career, Dog recorded with Ultramagnetic MCs as well as Ultra with Kool Keith.  On the business side, Dog held high-ranking positions at Rap Legends Recordings, Our Turn Records, Big Xity Entertainment, and BMC Management.  In 2012, Dog was the subject of a Dateline NBC episode due to his 2011 involvement in an online dating scam for which he was sentenced to five years probation.  On February 14, 2013, Tim Dog died from a seizure reportedly triggered by a long battle with diabetes.  He was 46.

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Died On This Date (May 1, 2012) Charles “Skip” Pitts / Prominent Guitarist On “Shaft”

Charles Pitts
April 7, 1947 – May 1, 2012

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 Redding who 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.

Thanks to Paul Bearer for the assist.

 



Died On This Date (March 15, 2011) Nate Dogg / Popular West Coast Rapper

Nate Dogg (Born Nathaniel Hall)
August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011

Nathaniel Hall, who was more commonly known by his stage name, Nate Dogg, was a popular rapper and singer who got his start on the same Long Beach, California streets as Snoop Dogg and Warren G.  His smooth voice was one of the greatest to come out of the G-Funk era of hip-hop.  Hall began singing in his church choir when he was a child, then dropped out of high school to join the U.S. Marines where he served for three years.  After his return to the Long Beach area, Hall joined up with fellow Rollin 20 Crips gang members, Snoop Dogg and Warren G to form a rap group, 213.  Together they recorded their first demo at a local record store, and when Dr. Dre heard it, he offered Hall a slot to sing on his now legendary The Chronic album.  From there, Hall got signed to Dre and Suge Knight’s Death Row Records.  Over the next several years, he released a handful of albums and was nominated for four Grammys.   Either singing on his own records or guesting on others, Hall appeared on the Singles chart over 40 times.   In December of 2007, Hall suffered a stroke which reportedly left the left side of his body paralyzed.  He suffered a second stroke in September of 2008 but was expected to make at least a partial recovery with physical therapy.  On March 15, 2011, Nate Dogg suffered yet another stroke and died.  He was 41.

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Died On This Date (September 24, 2010) Dick Griffey / Founder Of SOLAR Records

Dick Griffey
November 16, 1938 – September 24, 2010

Dick Griffey is best remembered as the founder of influential R&B label, SOLAR (Sound Of Los Angeles Records).  Formed in 1977, the label was one of the most successful R&B labels outside of Motown.  Griffey launched his music career during the ’60s when he became part owner of a Los Angeles nightclub, Guys and Dolls which played host to shows by the likes of Ike & Tina Turner and Isaac Hayes.  He soon went on to work as a talent scout for the influential TV dance program, Soul Train.  That lead to a partnership with show creator, Don Cornelius with Soul Train Records.  For some reason, the label folded within two years, so Griffey built SOLAR from its ashes.  The label was one of the most influential urban labels during the late ’70s and ’80s thanks in part to Griffey’s ability to find talent that were much more than the majority of one-dimensional disco and dance acts of the era.  The label roster included the Whispers, Klymaxx, Midnight Starr, Lakeside, and the Deele.  The latter featured a young Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and Antonio “L.A.” Reid.   Griffey was also a successful concert promoter for a time, setting up tours for the likes of Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Michael Jackson, and Aretha Franklin.  During the ’90s, Griffey had a part in the birth of Death Row Records, the label founded by Suge Knight and Dr. Dre.  On September 24, 2010, Dick Griffey passed away while recuperating from heart surgery.  He was 72.



Died On This Date (May 17, 1996) Johnny “Guitar” Watson / Legendary Electric Guitarist

Johnny “Guitar” Watson
February 3, 1935 – May 17, 1996

Johnny “Guitar” Watson was a dynamic electric guitarist whose profound influence can be heard in blues, rock, soul, R&B, funk and hip-hop. Given his first guitar at eleven, Watson would soon be called a “prodigy” and would be exchanging licks with Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and Albert Collins. And this all before he turned 15. By his late teens, he was living in Los Angeles and making a name for himself throughout the Southern California juke joints. The crowds quickly grew as music lovers gathered to catch a glimpse of this fancy dresser with the showy aggressive style of guitar playing. And apparently that guitar playing wasn’t his only source of income, respected author Peter Guralnick has claimed that Watson was an actual pimp. Watson’s influence can readily be heard throughout the hip-hop community through samples on tracks by the likes of Snoop Dogg, Redman, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and Mary J. Blige. Watson suffered a fatal heart attack on May 17, 1996 while on stage in Japan.

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