Died On This Date (February 19, 2013) Art Boerke / South Carolina Club Booker & Disc Jockey

Art Boerke
DOB Unknown – February 19, 2013

art-boerkeArt Boerke was a Columbia, South Carolina booking agent for one-time hot spot, Rockafella’s.  Opened in 1984, Rockafella’s hosted many up-and-coming touring acts before briefly shutting down and retooling in closing its doors in 1988.  Boerke was soon hired on as the club’s booker, promoter and all-around public face and was responsible for bringing acts like Marilyn Manson, Jewel, and the Dave Matthews Band into the venue until it closed for good in January of 1998.  Prior to his run at Rockafella’s, Boerke was a DJ at local stations, WUSC-FM, FOX-102, and K-95.  In later years, he taught history at High Point University.  On February 19, 2013, Art Boerke died following brain surgery after hitting his head during a fall.

Thanks Joey Savitz for the assist.

Died On This Date (July 26, 2010) Ben Keith / Steel Guitar Legend; Played With Neil Young

Ben Keith (Born Bennett Schaeufle)
March 6, 1937 – July 26, 2010

Ben Keith was a successful Nashville session player, producer, and singer-songwriter who is perhaps best remembered for his many collaborations with Neil Young.  Keith first began making a name for himself in Nashville during the ’50s and ’60s when he played on numerous country and early rock ‘n roll hits.  That list includes his steel guitar on Patsy Cline’s “I Fall To Pieces.”  During the early ’70s, Keith was invited to play on Young Harvest album that went on to become the most successful album of 1971 and spawned such rock staples as “Old Man” and “Heart Of Gold,” both of which featured Keith’s playing.   That was the beginning of a nearly 40-year musical partnership that found Keith playing on over a dozen Young albums and in countless concerts.  Over the course of his career, Keith also collaborated with a group of some of popular music’s most beloved artists.  That list includes Waylon Jennings, Jewel, Warren Zevon, Willie Nelson, the Band, Johnny Cash, and Ringo Starr.  He also released a handful of his albums.  Ben Keith passed away on July 26, 2010 at the age of 73.  Cause of death was not immediately released.