Died On This Date (January 15, 1994) Harry Nilsson / Iconic Singer-Songwriter

Harry Nilsson
June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994

Harry Nilsson was a critically and commercially successful singer-songwriter who came to prominence during the 1970s.  He is best remembered for his hits, “Without You” (actually written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger)  and “Everybody’s Talkin'” from the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack.  Nilsson began his career as a songwriter in the early ’60s and by 1964, he was working for Phil Spector.  During those early years, his songs were being recorded by the likes of the Monkees, Glen Campbell, the Shangri-Las and the Yardbirds.  He began releasing records under his own name in 1966.  Nilsson’s profile was significantly raised when he was embraced and touted by Paul McCartney and John Lennon as their favorite American artist.  During the ’70s, Nilsson had a flat in London where he’d stay from time to time.  It is notorious for being the location where both Cass Elliot and Keith Moon died four years apart.  Nilsson began to slow his career down by the ’80s.  After Lennon was murdered in 1980, he devoted much of his time and effort to raising money for gun control organizations.  Harry Nilsson suffered a massive heart attack in 1993 and died of heart failure on January 15, 1994.  He was 52.

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Nilsson Schmilsson - Harry Nilsson

Died On This Date (September 7, 1978) Keith Moon / The Who

Keith Moon
August 23, 1946 – September 7, 1978

Keith Moon was one of rock’s greatest drummers.  Playing behind  the Who, Moon’s sloppy yet spectacular playing fueled some of the greatest songs in rock history.  Moon began playing the drums at the age of 12, and at 16 he was asked to join the Who after Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and John Entwistle witnessed him nearly destroy his drum kit at the audition.  That lead to the band doing the same to their instruments at the end of their early shows, a practice that has been imitated by rock bands ever since.  Moon was also just as destructive off stage as many a hotel manager can attest to.  Legend has it that he was banned for life from Holiday Inn, Sheraton and Hilton Hotel chains.   Keith Moon died of an accidental overdose on September 7, 1978, just two weeks after the release of the classic Who Are You album.  The drug he overdosed on was prescribed to help him in his battle against alcoholism.  He died in a flat owned by Harry NilssonMama Cass Elliot died in the same room of that flat four years earlier.

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Tommy (Deluxe Edition) - The Who