Died On This Date (January 16, 2017) Steve Wright / Greg Kihn Band
themusicsover Steve Wright
1950 – January 16, 2017
Steve Wright was a bassist and songwriter who spent many years playing in the Greg Kihn Band, the band he co-founded with Kihn in 1975. As Kihn’s writing partner, Wright co-wrote the band’s biggest hits, including “The Break Up Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em)” and “Jeopardy,” as well as other lesser known gems. “Jeopardy,” a #2 hit for the band, had the dubious honor of being parodied by Weird Al Yankovic who’s version, “I Lost on Jeopardy” became a massive hit as well thanks to heavy video play on a young MTV. The band went on to have several successful albums throughout the ’80s which afforded them to graduate from clubs to arenas around the world. Steve Wright died of a heart attack on January 16, 2017.
What You Should Own
Allan Sherman was a popular humorist, television producer and parody singer-songwriter who had a massive top 40 hit with his 1963 novelty single, “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh,” a song about a child’s rough time at summer camp. It was sung to the tune of “Dance of the Hours” by Amilcare Ponchielli. That was followed by another humorous hit, “The Twelve Gifts of Christmas.” Such songs were a direct influence on likes of Weird Al Yankovic. Sherman’s career actually began in television. From 1952 to 1967, he was the producer of I’ve Got a Secret, which was based on an idea of his. He began putting out novelty records in the early ’60s. His specialty was taking old folk songs and changing the lyrics to poke fun at his Jewish heritage. One such hit of his was “Sarah Jackman” sung to the tune of “Frere Jacques.” Sherman’s popularity was short lived though, likely due to the fickle tastes of music fans. Some have even specualted that the changing mood in America after the assasanation of John F. Kennedy lead to his decline in popularity. Sherman tended to eat and drink heavily, leading to health problems as he grew older. He suffered from diabetes and lung disease and died of emphysema at the age of 48.