Edward Lawrence Robinson DOB Unknown – March 23, 2013
Larry Robinson was a beloved San Diego-area singer-songwriter who, over the course of his career, released six albums, three of which as a member of the Dorados during the ’90s. Americana in vein, Robinson’s songs spoke of a California that unfortunately, many are too young to have known. During the ’60s, he played in the band, Things To Come who once shared the Whiskey A Go-Go stage with the Byrds. On March 22, 3013, 64 year old Larry Robinson was bound and severely beaten during a robbery of Pete’s Music Store where he worked part-time in Temecula, California. He died of his injuries the next day . His assailant or assailants remained unidentified in the weeks following his death.
For more on Larry Robinson, please visit Easy Ed’s blog at nodepression.com
Ravi Shankar (Born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury) April 7, 1920 – December 11, 2012
With George Harrison
Ravi Shankar was and Indian musician and composer who is widely considered the most well-known musician India has ever produced. As a master of the sitar, Shankar heavily influenced the later music of the Beatles, and in particular, George Harrison, with whom he collaborated during the ’70s. Learning to play music as a child, Shankar was barely in his teens when he began playing behind a dance group that featured his brother. The group toured Europe and the United States during the ’30s, exposing Shankar to western culture and music. By the dawn of the ’60s, Shankar was finding fans of his music the world over, and while recording in Los Angeles, he was overheard by members of the Byrds, who went on to incorporate Indian sounds into their music. That lead to an introduction to Harrison, who ultimately exposed the sitar to many by way of “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” on the Beatles’Rubber Soul album. Soon, other rock musicians began adding the sitar to their music, resulting in the sub-genre of rock known as raga. “Within Without You” on the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is another fine example of Shankar’s influence on their sound. In 1967, Shankar performed at the Monterey Pop Festival, and in 1969, at Woodstock, but he soon decoded to distance himself from the hippie movement. In 1971, Shankar performed at the Harrison-organized Concert For Bangladesh. The resulting album went on to top most of the charts around the world and was named Album of the Year at the 1973 Grammys. Shankar continued to collaborate with Harrison including a 1973 tour of North America which included a stop at the White House and a visit with President Gerald Ford. Over the course of his career, Shankar sold millions of albums, won three Grammys, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his music featured in the film, Gandhi. In December of 2012, he was nominated for yet another Grammy to be awarded in 2013. His children include musicians Norah Jones, Annapurna Devi, Shubhendra “Shubho” Shankar, and Anoushka Shankar, with whom he toured well into his final years. Ravi Shankar was 92 when he passed away on December 11, 2012.
Frazier Mohawk (Born Barry Friedman) December 12, 1941 – June 2, 2012
Frazier Mohawk was a man of many talents who was a prominent if not well-known figure of the Los Angeles music scene of the 1960s. One of his earliest jobs was doing publicity for radio and television host, Bob Eubanks. He quickly parlayed that into doing sound mixes for bands performing on TV. He also worked as a publicist for Ike & Tina Turner and the Troubadour nightclub in those early days as well as the Beatles‘ Hollywood Bowl performance. In 1966, while Stephen Stills was staying at his house, Mohawk was driving Stills and Richie Furay along Sunset Boulevard when they passed Neil Young and Bruce Palmer who were driving in a hearse in the opposite direction. Mohawk turned the car around and the four met and soon formed Buffalo Springfield with Dewey Martin. Mohawk took care of much of the band’s early business – including landing them a career-defining slot on the Byrds tour, before they hired on management. As a producer, Mohawk worked with Nico, Paul Butterfield, and John Cale. He went on to open and run a studio/commune that was partially funded by Elektra Records in Northern California, but it eventually closed when it became more of a hang-out than a productive recording studio. Tired of the music industry, Mohawk moved to Canada during the mid ’70s and started a traveling circus, and later, Puck’s Farm which was a recording studio surrounded by family attractions. Frazier Mohawk was 71 when he passed away on June 2, 2012. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Doug Dillard was a world-renowned banjo player and founding member of the Dillards. Formed in 1962, the pickers eventually added electric guitars, drums and keyboards to the mix which in turn, laid the foundation for country rock to come in the early ’70s, and newgrass in the ’80s and ’90s. Artists who have taken a cue for the Dillards include the Flying Burrito Brothers, the Eagles, New Grass Revival, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Sam Bush, String Cheese Incident, Ricky Skaggs, and the Byrds. The Dillards made their mark on television as well. During the ’60s, they had a recurring role as the Darlings, a bluegrass band that performed on the Andy Griffith Show. The group continued to release albums well into the ’90s. Outside of the Dillards, Doug also performed alongside the Byrds‘ Gene Clark as the Dillard and Clark Band. Throughout his career, he either performed or recorded with the likes of Elton John, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, and Linda Ronstadt. Doug Dillard was 75 when he passed away on May 16, 2012.
Jim Dickson was a recording engineer, producer, and eventual manager of the Byrds. He is often cited as one of the foundations of the ’60s folk-rock movement, particularly that which was coming out of Southern California. During his early years, Dickson produced records by the likes of Hamilton Camp, David Crosby, and the Dillards. He soon began managing a new band formed by Crosby and Chris Hillman who at first went by the Beefeaters and then the Jet Set. It was their desire to become Los Angeles’ answer to the Beatles. In 1964, Dickson was sent a demo of Bob Dylan’s then-unreleased “Mr. Tamborine Man,” which the band, now known as the Byrds, recorded and released. It would became one of the era’s definitive songs and helped launch a sound that inspired countless other musicians. To help the band build a following in those early days, Dickson enlisted the help of such famous friends as Jack Nicholson and Albert Grossman to champion them. After Dickson split with the group in 1967, he went on to manage and produce the Flying Burrito Brothers which included Hillman, Michael Clarke, and Gram Parsons. He later worked with Parsons on his solo albums as well as Gene Clark and eventually retired to Hawaii where he became a competitive sailor. Jim Dickson was 80 when he passed away on April 19, 2011.