Storm Thorgerson February 28, 1944 – April 18, 2013
Storm Thorgerson was a renowned graphic artist whose catalog includes some of rock music’s most famous album covers. Born in Middlesex, England, Thorgerson went to high school with Syd Barrett and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame. He eventually joined a graphic arts collective called Hipgnosis which created many popular album cover designs until closing shop in 1983. He then went on to form his own design house, Storm Studios. Arguably, Thorgerson’s most famous cover is the one he designed for Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Often surreal in nature, his canon of work includes the covers of most of the Pink Floyd albums; the Cult‘s Electric; Led Zeppelin‘s Presence and In Through the Out Door; Peter Gabriel‘s three self-titled albums; as well as visually stunning covers for Muse, Phish, Megadeth, Catherine Wheel, Black Sabbath, the Cranberries, Genesis, Alan Parsons and many more. Thorgerson also directed popular videos by the likes of Bruce Dickinson, Nik Kershaw, Paul Young, David Gilmour, and of course, Pink Floyd. He suffered a stroke in 2003 but recovered and went back to work. Sometime later, he was diagnosed with cancer and ultimately died from it on April 18, 2013. Storm Thorgerson was 69 when he passed away.
Andy Johns was an English record producer and engineer whose resume reads like an encyclopedia of rock. Still in his teens, Johns hit the ground running working as Eddie Kramer‘s second engineer on recordings by the likes of Jimi Hendrix. Over the next four decades, Johns left his mark on such iconic albums as Led Zeppelin‘s IV, Physical Graffiti, and Houses Of The Holy; the Rolling Stones‘ Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main St., and Goat’s Head Soup; Free‘s Highway; and Television’s Marquee Moon. He also produced or engineered albums for Van Halen, Humble Pie, Ron Wood, L.A. Guns, Cinderella, Chickenfoot, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Steve Miller, Mott The Hoople, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, and many more. Albums on which he worked have reportedly sold more than 160 million copies in all. He was the younger brother of the equally impressive producer and engineer, Glyn Johns. Andy Johns was 61 when he died on April 7, 2013. Cause of death was not immediately released.
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Jon Lord was an influential English keyboardist who, as co-founder of Deep Purple, has been recognized for pioneering the use of baroque and classical elements in rock music. Lord was just 5 years old when he began studying classical piano. As he grew older, he started gravitating toward the raw organ sounds coming from American blues artists like Jimmy Smith and Jimmy McGriff. After settling in London during the late ’50s, Lord did session work (he can be heard on the Kinks‘ “You Really Got Me”) and played in various jazz and blues groups. In 1968, he and drummer, Ian Paice formed Deep Purple. Lord went on to play in all variations of the group through 2002. With worldwide hits like “Hush,” “Smoke On The Water,” and “Highway Star,” – all prominently featuring Lord’s iconic organ sounds – Deep Purple, along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, are considered the flash point of heavy metal. They would go on to sell over 100 million albums are were even recognized as the “Globe’s Loudest Band” by Guinness Book Of World Records. In 1978, Lord joined up with one-time Deep Purple band mate, David Coverdale in his new group, Whitesnake. Although more a hired-gun than a full-time member, Lord’s tenure with Whitesnake lasted until 1984. The collaborators with whom he worked throughout his career seems endless. He also made several albums of his own. During the early months of 2012, Lord was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer which ultimately contributed to his death by pulmonary embolism on July 16, 2012. John Lord was 71 when he passed away.
John Larson was a trumpet who is perhaps best remembered for his tenure in the ’60s rock band, the Ides of March, and more specifically, for his performance in their hit song, “Vehicle.” Larson joined his fellow Chicago-area classmates in the band in 1968 and immediately contributed to their horn-driven sound which was not dissimilar to that of fellow rock band, Chicago, but with perhaps a bit more dirty soul. When “Vehicle” came out in 1970, it quickly shot to #2 on the Billboard singles chart, and to this day is considered one of the greatest rock songs of its era. The band’s fan base quickly grew and so did interest in them on the road. They went on to tour with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Janis Joplin, to name a few. They also toured Canada as part of the legendary Festival Express which was filmed and made into a documentary of the same name in 2003. The group split up in 1973, but reunited in 1990, with Larson on board for their entire run, until his final gig in 2010. John Larson died of cancer on September 21, 2011. He was 61.
Hilly Kristal
September 23, 1931 – August 28, 2007
Hilly Kristal with Little Steven
Opened in 1973, Hilly Kristal’s CBGB became the epicenter of the punk and new wave movement thanks to his early bookings of such acts as Blondie, Talking Heads, New York Dolls, Patti Smith, Television and the Ramones. After moving to New York City after serving in the Marines, Kristal became manager of the storied Village Vanguard jazz club where he booked such acts as Miles Davis. In 1968, he co-founded the Central Park’s Schaefer Music Festival which, over the next decade, hosted the likes of the Who, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, the Doors and Aerosmith. In 1973, he opened CBGB – OMFUG, which stood for “Country, BlueGrass, Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers.” He closed the club during a much publicized rent dispute in 2006. Hilly Kristal died of lung cancer at the age of 75.
Storm Thorgerson was a renowned graphic artist whose catalog includes some of rock music’s most famous album covers. Born in Middlesex, England, Thorgerson went to high school with Syd Barrett and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame. He eventually joined a graphic arts collective called Hipgnosis which created many popular album cover designs until closing shop in 1983. He then went on to form his own design house, Storm Studios. Arguably, Thorgerson’s most famous cover is the one he designed for Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Often surreal in nature, his canon of work includes the covers of most of the Pink Floyd albums; the Cult‘s Electric; Led Zeppelin‘s Presence and In Through the Out Door; Peter Gabriel‘s three self-titled albums; as well as visually stunning covers for Muse, Phish, Megadeth, Catherine Wheel, Black Sabbath, the Cranberries, Genesis, Alan Parsons and many more. Thorgerson also directed popular videos by the likes of Bruce Dickinson, Nik Kershaw, Paul Young, David Gilmour, and of course, Pink Floyd. He suffered a stroke in 2003 but recovered and went back to work. Sometime later, he was diagnosed with cancer and ultimately died from it on April 18, 2013. Storm Thorgerson was 69 when he passed away.
Andy Johns was an English record producer and engineer whose resume reads like an encyclopedia of rock. Still in his teens, Johns hit the ground running working as Eddie Kramer‘s second engineer on recordings by the likes of 
John Larson was a trumpet who is perhaps best remembered for his tenure in the ’60s rock band, the Ides of March, and more specifically, for his performance in their hit song, “Vehicle.” Larson joined his fellow Chicago-area classmates in the band in 1968 and immediately contributed to their horn-driven sound which was not dissimilar to that of fellow rock band, Chicago, but with perhaps a bit more dirty soul. When “Vehicle” came out in 1970, it quickly shot to #2 on the Billboard singles chart, and to this day is considered one of the greatest rock songs of its era. The band’s fan base quickly grew and so did interest in them on the road. They went on to tour with 
