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Died On This Date (September 20, 2012) Robert Whitaker / British Photographer Who Took Beatles “Butcher” Image

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Robert Whitaker
1939 – September 20, 2011

Robert Whitaker was a celebrated British photographer whose shots of the Beatles are some of the most iconic images in pop music history.  Whitaker’s career in photography can be traced back to the late ’50s when he was attending college  in Melbourne, Australia.  It was while freelancing in 1964 that he had a chance meeting with Beatles manager, Brian Epstein while the band was in the midst of an Australian tour.  That lead to numerous photo sessions with the band over the next few years, including one on March 25, 1966 where Whitaker captured the infamous image that shows John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney wearing white lab coats and covered with baby doll parts, raw meat, and false teeth.  The photo was selected for the band’s Yesterday and Today cover as seen below, but Capitol records quickly recalled it, but only after several thousand got it.  The cover was changed making original copies of the “Butcher” cover extremely valuable to this day.  Away from the Beatles, Whitaker photographed the likes of Gerry & The Pacemakers, the Seekers, Mick Jagger, and Cream who used his photos of band members within the collage of their Disraeli Gears album cover.  Robert Whitaker continued to work in photography throughout the rest of his life, at times as a photojournalist for TIME and Life magazines.  He was 71 when he passed away on September 20, 2011.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus and Scott Miller for the assist.

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Musician Rock Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (February 6, 2011) Gary Moore / Blues Rock Guitar Legend

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Robert Gary Moore
April 4, 1952 – February 6, 2011

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

Gary Moore was an Irish guitarist and singer who, over a career that spanned over 40 years, became one of the most acclaimed electric blues guitarists the world has ever known.  Moore was just 14 years old when he decided to pick up the guitar, and even though he was left-handed, he quickly taught himself to play with his right.  His early influences included John Mayall, Albert King, and Jimi Hendrex, but it was Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac who first recognized his talent and tutored him whenever he came through Dublin.  In 1969, Moore joined Skid Row, a blues rock band that included Phil Lynott who would later gain fame with Thin Lizzy.  Over the years Moore played with a diverse who’s who of popular music.  That list includes George Harrison, G-Force, Ozzy Osbourne, Thin Lizzy, Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Beach Boys, and Albert Collins.  He released his first solo album in 1973 and continued making albums up until as recently as 2008.  On February 6, 2011, Gary Moore died in his sleep while on vacation in Spain.  He was 58.

Thanks to Craig Rosen for the assist

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Still Got the Blues - Gary Moore

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



 

Musician Rock Singer

Died On This Date (June 9*, 2010) Ken Brown / The Quarrymen; Credited For Formation Of The Beatles

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Ken Brown
DOB Unknown – June 9, 2010 (Presumed)

Ken Brown, standing with the Quarrymen (1959)

Ken Brown is perhaps best remembered as the guitarist in the Quarrymen who was to some, the main reason the Beatles ever formed.  While Paul McCartney and John Lennon were writing songs together, Brown was playing in the Les Stewart Quartet with George Harrison.  In the summer of 1959, Pete Best’s mother opened the Casbah Coffee Club where Brown got the group booked as the house band.  But due to a dispute over rehearsals, Stewart lost interest so Brown asked Lennon and McCartney to join the band and they quickly renamed themselves the Quarrymen.  That following October, the band found themselves in a disagreement over money, so McCartney, Lennon, Harrison and Stu Sutcluffe (who had recently joined the band) left the group, soon recruited Best, and the rest is history.  In later years, Brown could be found making music in his home studio and playing occasional reunion gigs or Casbah anniversary shows.  On June 14, 2010, Brown’s body was found in his home after a family member became concerned having not heard from him for a while.  Cause of death was not immediately released, but foul play is not suspected, and it is believed that he had been dead for several days [Ed.: I settled on June 9 as the date until I hear otherwise]. Ken Brown was 70 years old when he passed away.

Musician Rock

Died On This Date (May 30, 1980) Carl Radle / Played Bass For Eric Clapton

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Carl Radle
June 18, 1942 – May 30, 1980

Carl Radle played bass alongside some of the most influential performers in rock history. During the ’60s and ’70s, Radle could be seen and heard playing with Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Delaney & Bonnie, Joe Cocker, Dave Mason, JJ Cale, George Harrison, Leon Russell and most famously, Eric Clapton with whom he worked as part of Derek And The Dominos. Much more than just a sideman-for-hire playing on an occasional track, Radle was a significant contributor to Cocker’s Mad Dogs And Englishmen and Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh. In fact, there are probably three seminal rock concert films from the era, Mad Dogs And Englishmen Tour, The Concert For Bangladesh, and the Band’s The Last Waltz. Radle appeared in all three. Radle is also credited for bringing Clapton back into the studio and out touring after a three year hiatus which thankfully ended in 1974. He is often cited as being a “musician’s musician” and regularly appears near the top of “greatest bassists of all times” lists. And with all this talent came the trappings. Carl Radle died of a kidney failure brought on by alcohol and narcotics abuse. He was 37.

 

Manager Rock

Died On This Date (March 24, 2008) Neil Aspinall / Beatles Road Manager

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Neil Aspinall
October 13, 1942 – March 24, 2008

With Paul McCartney

Neil Aspinall is best remembered as the Beatles’ road manager, personal assistant, and later, the head of their entertainment conglomerate, Apple Corps.  A childhood friend of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, Aspinall was first brought on board to shuffle the band from show to show in a van.  As his responsibilities grew, he became an integral  part of the band’s overall marketing.  For the package design of the Sgt. Pepper’s album for instance, it was Aspinall who went out and found the photographs of the famous people who adorn its cover.  He also contributed musically to a handful of Beatles recordings.  Aspinall can be heard playing harmonica on “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” playing an Indian lute on “Within You Without You,” and singing background on “Yellow Submarine.”  Aspinall was also involved in many aspects of the Beatles well beyond their time together as a band.  In the late 2000s, he oversaw the remastering of the band’s historic catalog re-release of 2009.  Neil Aspinall was 66 when he died of lung cancer on March 24, 2008.

Thanks to Craig Rosen of Number1Albums for the assist.



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