Died On This Date (August 4, 2007) Lee Hazlewood / Country Music Great

Barton Lee Hazlewood
July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007

Lee Hazlewood was a country singer, songwriter, musician and producer whose work with Nancy Sinatra during the ’60s are essential records of the era.  Hazlewood settled in Arizona as a disc jockey after being leaving the military in the early ’50s.  He soon partnered with Duane Eddy as a songwriter and producer on such hits as “Peter Gunn.”  During the mid ’60s, he began working with Nancy Sinatra, writing and producing “These Boots Are Made For Walking,” and many more.  Hazelwood all but retired from music during the ’70s, but his songs lived on having been covered by such unlikely artists as Megadeth, Beck, Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch and the Tubes.  He died of renal cancer at the age of 78.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

Died On This Date (June 2, 2006) Vince Welnick / The Tubes, Grateful Dead

Vince Welnick
February 21, 1951 – June 2, 2006

Vince Welnick first rose to fame as the keyboard player for the cult fave rock band, the Tubes during the ’70s and ’80s. With the Tubes he played on such FM staples as “Don’t Touch Me There,” “White Punks On Dope,” and the more commercially successful, “Talk To Ya Later” and “She’s A Beauty.” In the early ’90s, Welnick successfully auditioned to replace Brent Mydland in the Grateful Dead. Mydland had just died from a drug overdose, following a tragic path of Grateful Dead keyboardists who preceded him. Original player Ron McKernan and then Keith Godchaux died unexpectedly at young ages while playing for the band. Welnick remained as the group’s keyboard player until Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995, which is when the group disbanded. Welnick participated in a couple of the splinter groups that formed in the ashes of the Grateful Dead, but apparently nothing felt right. He attempted suicide six months after Garcia’s death, reportedly in part due to the depression he was suffering from the loss. He went on to form his own group called Missing Man Formation, but sadly committed suicide on June 2, 2006 at the age of 55.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

The Tubes - The Tubes