Died On This Date (April 17, 1960) Eddie Cochran / Rock and Roll Pioneer

Eddie Cochran
October 2, 1938 – April 17, 1960

Eddie Cochran was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who was one of the early foundations on which rock and roll was built.  He played a raved-up union of country and rock that was dubbed rockabilly.  To many, he was the flash point of the genre.    In 1956, Cochran performed “Twenty Flight Rock” in the film The Girl Can’t Help It.    The song continues to be a staple for many of today’s rockabilly performers.  Other classic recordings by Cochran include “C’mon Everybody,” and “Nervous Breakdown,” but it was his “Summertime Blues” that will always be remembered as his signature song.  Rolling Stone ranked it #73 in their list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  Covered by countless acts, its most famous versions by Blue Cheer and the Who.  Sadly, Eddie Cochran died when the taxi he was riding in crashed into a lamp-post while on tour in the UK. He was just 21 years old.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Eddie Cochran

Died On This Date (March 2, 1942) Charlie Christian / Jazz Guitar Great

Charlie Christian
July 29, 1916 – March 2, 1942

charlie

Charlie Christian was an influential jazz guitarist who, with his electric guitar prowess, helped pave the road for cool jazz, bebop, and ultimately, rock ‘n roll.  Christian became a household name, at least in the jazz world, during the swing era and has since been called the greatest improviser of that time.  His influence stretched far beyond jazz, earning him such disciples a  T-Bone Walker, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran and Jimi Hendrix.  By doing so, he was named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence in 1990.  During the late ’30s, Christian was diagnosed with tuberculosis, causing his health to quickly deteriorate.  Charlie Christian was just 25 when he died of the disease on March 2, 1942.



Died On This Date (October 12, 1971) Gene Vincent / Rock ‘n Roll Pioneer

Gene Vincent (born Vincent Craddock)
February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971

Gene Vincent was one of rock ‘n roll and rockabilly’s early pioneers.  After what he thought was going to be a life long career in the U.S. Navy, Vincent turned his sights on music after a motorcycle accident shattered his leg and left him unable to continue to serve.  In 1956, he and his Blue Caps released his first and biggest hit, “Be-Bop-A-Lula,” a song that Rolling Stone magazine placed at #102 on their list of the 500 Greatest Rock and Roll Songs of All Time.   While touring Europe in 1960, the driver of a cab in which he and Eddie Cochran were traveling crashed into a pole.  Vincent suffered serious injuries, but Cochran died the next day.   Vincent was never able to recapture his glory after the British Invasion even though he tried to connect with folk rock and country rock fans in later years.  While visiting his father in California on October 12, 1971, Gene Vincent died from a ruptured stomach ulcer at the age of 36.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Gene Vincent - Capitol Collectors Series - Gene Vincent

Died On This Date (October 12, 2009) Dickie Peterson / Blue Cheer

Dickie Peterson
1948 – October 12, 2009

dickieBorn into a musical family, Dickie Peterson knew from an early age that he wanted to be a professional musician, so he picked up the bass at thirteen and never looked back.  In 1966, he helped form Blue Cheer, a San Francisco based psychedelic blues rock band that is considered by many to to be the first “heavy metal” band.  Peterson played bass and sang lead in the band.  In 1968, they released a heavy electric blues version of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues.”  It has been called the very first heavy metal song. The song made it into the top 15 on the Billboard singles chart, making it their only hit.  The band stayed together, all be it in different configurations, into the ’90s, with Peterson being a constant figure.  They parted ways in 1994, reunited in 1999, and have been together ever since.  Dickie Peterson died of liver cancer on October 12, 2009.  He was 61 years old.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Good Times Are so Hard to Find: The History of Blue Cheer - Blue Cheer