Died On This Date (July 13, 2004) Arthur “Killer” Kane / New York Dolls

Arthur Kane
February 3, 1949 – July 13, 2004

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Arthur “Killer” Kane was the original bassist for the New York Dolls, the ’70s glam proto-punk band that unknowingly launched thousands of bands in their fiery wake.  Just after graduating high school, Kane joined Actress, a group that consisted of future Dolls, Billy Murcia, Johnny Thunders and Rick Rivets.  When Thunders grew tired of being lead singer, David Johansen came on board and the band was rechristened, New York Dolls.   Sylvain Sylvain soon followed.  Influenced equally by American R&B, punk, early Rolling Stones and the Detroit rock of the Stooges and MC5, the Dolls, delivered a sonic blast of primitive rock ‘n roll and a dynamic stage show fronted by the wild antics of Johansen.  And as in-your-face as Johansen was, Kane stood stoic by his side, earning the tagline, “the only living statue in rock-and-roll.”  In 1975, Thunders and Nolan left and Kane was fired, leading to the break-up of the band.  Not really able to get much going post-Dolls, Kane moved to Los Angeles and for the most part, moved on from music. In the late ’80s, Kane became a Mormon and eventually found work in their Family History Center at their Los Angeles temple.  In 2004, Morrissey offered the surviving Dolls (Kane, Sylvain, and Johansen)  a slot at the Meltdown Festival in London.  The band reunited, for the show and went on to record their first album in over 30 years.  Sadly, just three weeks after the Meltdown show, Kane went to a Los Angeles hospital believing he caught the flu on the trip.  He learned he actually had leukemia and was dead within a few hours.  A fascinating and heartfelt documentary entitled New York Doll chronicles Kane’s post Doll’s life and his reunion with the band.

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Died On This Date (April 23, 1991) Johnny Thunders / New York Dolls

Johnny Thunders (Born John Genzale Jr.)
July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991

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Born in Queens, NY, Johnny Thunders formed his first band while in high school.  At the time, he went by the name Johnny Volume, and that band was Johnny and the Jaywalkers.   By the late ’60s he was hanging out down around Bleeker Street where he hooked up with Arthur “Killer” Kane and Billy Murcia.  Their first band together was called Actress, but when David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain came on board a couple of years later, the name was changed to New York Dolls, Johnny Volume became Johnny Thunders, and the rest is history.  The Dolls released two albums that were virtually ignored by the public (including most of those that now claim to have been fans back in the day…you know, just like the Ramones).  By 1975, the band had broken up, but they would continue to strongly influence bands like the Sex Pistols and Guns ‘n Roses, and whatever crawled out of the gutter in between.  Thunders went on to form the Heartbreakers with former Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan and Richard Hell.  They recorded on and off until 1984, at one point moving to London where they were very popular with the up-and-coming punk bands.  Thunders also recorded a few solo albums during this time, including the awesome So Alone, which featured a stellar cast of allegedly drug-fueled guests including Phil Lynott, Steve Marriott, Paul Cook, Steve Jones, and Chrissie Hynde.  The album featured the beautifully sad and perhaps autobiographical  “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory.”  All the while, Thunders himself was falling deeper into the clutches of heroin abuse.  In 1991, while in New Orleans, Johnny Thunders was found dead in his hotel room.  Although the cause of death was never stated in the autopsy, it was widely assumed that he died of a methadone abuse.  Not without controversy, others have sworn that foul play was involved, pointing to strong evidence that he was killed perhaps by drug dealers who were after his large stash of methadone.  It was also reported that the autopsy revealed he was suffering from advanced stages of leukemia.  Whatever the case,  local police never bothered to open a criminal investigation.

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Died On This Date (January 12, 2010) Brian “Damage” Keats / Drummer For The Misfits

Brian Damage (Born Brian Keats)
February 11, 1963 – January 12, 2010

Brian Damage was a rock drummer who once played with Glenn Danzig in his band, the Misfits.  Prior to that, Damage played with Genocide and Verbal Abuse.  He joined the Misfits in 1983, but his first show ended up being the band’s farewell concert. And Damage didn’t even complete that show,  as reports indicate, he was so drunk that the other band members physically removed him from the stage mid-show and continued on with another drummer.  Following his brief tenure with the Misfits, Damage landed several studio and live gigs with many other artists.  That list includes Raging Slab, Princess Pang, Sylvain Sylvain, Low Pop Suicide, Susannah Hoffs, Billy Idol, and the Fuzztones.  Brian Damage died of cancer on January 12, 2010.  He was 46 years old.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.



Died On This Date (November 6, 1972) Bill Murcia / New York Dolls

Bill Murcia
1954 – November 6, 1972

Billy Murcia, 2nd From Left
Bill Murcia, 2nd from left

Bill Murcia was the original drummer for the legendary New York Dolls.  Alongside David Johansen, Rick Rivets, Johnny Thunders and Arthur “Killer” Kane, Murcia helped lay down the foundation of what would be called punk rock.   Rivets was soon replaced by Sylvain Sylvain.  Following the completion of their debut album, the band embarked on their inaugural tour of England.  Sadly, Murcia died after ingesting a deadly mixture of drugs and alcohol.  He was later  replaced by Jerry Nolan.

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