Ken Russell was a celebrated British director who courted controversy in both film and television for his use of sexuality and the church within his themes and imagery. Russell made a huge mark on popular music as well with his 1975 rock film Tommy, based on the Who’s album of the same name. The landmark movie starred the band’s Roger Daltrey as Tommy, Pete Townshend, Keith Moon, and John Entwhistle, along with Ann-Margret, Jack Nicholson, Oliver Reed, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, and Elton John. The film earned Margaret a Golden Globe as well as an Academy Award nomination, and Townshend an Academy Award nomination for the film’s score and adaptation. It’s most memorable scenes include Turner as the Acid Queen, John as the Pinball Wizard, and of course, Margaret writhing erotically in a pool of baked beans. The movie spent a record 14 weeks at number one and continued to be a box office draw for well over a year. Following Tommy, Russell again directed Daltrey in Lisztomania, which portrayed 19th century composer, Franz Liszt as the first classical pop star. The film also features Ringo Starr and Rick Wakeman who composed the score. Other notable films by Russell include Altered States, The Devils, and Women In Love for which he won an Oscar. Ken Russell passed away on November 27, 2011. He was 84.
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John Entwistle was best known as the bass player for the Who. His loud and fast style of playing was as important to the group as the voice of Roger Daltrey; the songwriting and guitar of Pete Townshend; and the sloppy but essential drumming of Keith Moon. If one of those parts were missing, the magic of the Who would have never happened. Entwistle also played the trumpet, piano, and french horn; wrote great songs and sang. Playing the bass like a lead guitar, would influence such greats as Geddy Lee, Phil Lesh, Flea, Tommy Stinson and Billy Sheehan. He even went as far as being the first known bassist to use Marshall stacks in concert, a practice normally reserved for guitarists. The Rolling Stones’Bill Wyman once described Entwistle as “the quietest man in private but the loudest man on stage.” Entwistle stayed with the Who during their 30+ year run, staying busy during band hiatuses with his own side projects or on tour with Ringo Starr. But he apparently had a difficult time managing his own money and some have said that each time the Who reunited, it was out of the love that Daltrey and Townshend had for him – their way of helping him out of financial straits. It was one day before the start of one of these tours that Entwistle was found dead in his Las Vegas hotel room. It was June 27, 2002, and John Entwistle was dead of what was ruled a heart attack caused by a relatively small amount of cocaine. It should be pointed out that the Who were such a powerful four-piece live band, that it took an added keyboardist and a second guitarist to, in later years, take the place of John Entwistle and original drummer, Keith Moon.
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Jack of all trades, Mick Ronson was one of those sidemen that brought out the best in those he played with. Whether it was David Bowie or Ian Hunter, Ronson’s contributions to their music helped define ’70s glam rock. But he was much more than a guitar-for-hire, as he was just as adept at songwriting, producing and arranging. Ronson’s direct influence can heard be on albums he either performed on or produced by the likes of Lou Reed, Morrissey, Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, David Johansen, Van Morrison, Elton John, Roger Daltrey and John Mellencamp. Ronson died of liver cancer on April 29, 1993 at the age of 46.
Raymond “Boz” Burrell
August 1, 1946 – September 21, 2006
Boz Burrell is best remembered as a singer for King Crimson during the early ’70s and as the bassist for Bad Company from 1973 until 1999 (on and off). But before all that, Burrell was pegged to replace the Who’sRoger Daltrey when the other band members decided to fire him in the mid ’60s. That never came to be, and Burrell went on to record several singles on his own. Boz Burrell suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 60.