Tiny Tim (Born Herbert Khaury)
April 12, 1932 – November 30, 1996
Tiny Tim was a folk singer and musician who found fame during the ’60s with the release of his signature song, “Tiptoe Through the Tulips,” sung in his distinctive falsetto voice and backed only by his ukulele. Tiny Tim started his career as a street performer in and around Harvard during the early ’60s. There he built a cult following which lead to an appearance on Laugh-In which lead to a record deal with Reprise Records. He recorded three albums for Reprise and became an iconic figure thanks to numerous television appearances, like the time he married “Miss Vickie” live on the December 17, 1969 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The stunt drew an estimated audience of over 40 million. Even though he continued to release such novelties as a cover of Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” and “Earth Angel,” Tiny Tim all but vanished during the ’70s and ’80s as his popularity faded. His profile increased occasionally during the ’90s thanks to occasional appearances on the Howard Stern Show. In September of 1996, Tiny Tim suffered a heart attack while performing at a ukelele festival. And despite advice from his doctors, he peformed at a benefit just two months later. Tiny Tim was 64 when he sufffered a fatal heart attack while singing “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” at that event.
Scott Smith is best remembered as the original bassist for the Canadian rock band, Loverboy who had a string of hits during the ’80s. Learning to play the guitar as a child, Smith switched over to bass just as he was hitting his teen years. While in college in 1980, he was asked to join Loverboy. The band’s debut self titled album was a hit, selling over 2 million copies in the U.S. alone and helping the band land tours with such superstar acts as Journey, ZZ Top, and Cheap Trick. The band released a series of hit singles that included “Working For The Weekend,” “Turn Me Loose,” and “The Kid Is Hot Tonight.” The band would become synonymous with ’80s arena rock. The band broke up in the late ’80s, but reunited in 1991. On November 30, 2000, Scott Smith lost his life at sea after being swept overboard by an unexpected wave while sailing with friends off the coast of San Francisco. He was 45 years old.
Munetaka Higuchi
December 24, 1958 – November 30, 2008
Munetaka Higuchi was the founding drummer for Japanese metal band, Loudness. A talented musician from an early age, Higuchi played in several bands while still in high school. In 1981, he and friend, Akira Takasaki, formed Loudness who became the first Japanese heavy metal band to land a recording contract in the United States. Higuchi released a solo album, Destruction, while still in the band, and then left in 1992 to launch a solo career. In 1997, he released Free World, and album that included such guests as Terry Bozzio, Steve Vai, Stanley Clarke, Billy Sheehan and Ronnie James Dio. Higuchi reunited with Loudness in 2001. On November 30, 2008, Munetaka Higuchi died of liver cancer at the age of 49.
Thanks to Craig Rosen from Number1Albums for the assist.
George Harrison
February 24*, 1943 – November 29, 2001
Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF
George Harrison achieved massive fame and success as the lead guitarist for the Beatles. His post-Beatles career, whether as a solo artist or member of the Traveling Wilburys was just as critically acclaimed. Born in Liverpool, London, Harrison was still in grade school when he got his first guitar. Before long, he formed his own skiffle band, the Rebels. Another of his schoolmates, Paul McCartney had a band as well, the Quarrymen, along with John Lennon. Harrison was just 16 when McCartney heard his guitar playing and asked him to join the band. The group would soon morph into the Beatles, made up of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Pete Best, who was later replaced by Ringo Starr. Following the unexpected 1962 death of Sutcliffe, it would be Harrison along with Lennon, McCartney and Starr, who would forever change the landscape of popular music. Although Lennon and McCartney were the primary songwriters of the group, Harrison contributed such later hits as “Taxman,” “Within You Without You,” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Following the Beatles’ break-up in 1970, Harrison immediately launched a successful solo career with the release of All Things Must Pass which included his first hit, “My Sweet Lord.” Over the better part of the next two decades, Harrison released a series of critical and commercial successes which included The Concert For Bangladesh, Living In The Material World, Dark Horse, and Cloud Nine. In 1988, Harrison formed the popular “supergroup,” the Traveling Wilburys which included Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty. Harrison also found success in the film industry. In 1978, he started his own production company, HandMade Films. Over the next 15 years, his company released such hits as Life of Brian, Shanghai Surprise and Time Bandits. On December 30, 1999, Harrison was the victim of an attack that was frightening similar to the one that killed John Lennon. In the early morning hours, Harrison and his wife, Olivia Harrison, were startled to hear an intruder loudly calling out George’s name from another room in their house. When he confronted the crazed man, he was stabbed seven times in a struggle that reportedly lasted 15 minutes. The assailant was subdued with the help of Olivia who hit him numerous times with a fireplace poker. George suffered a punctured lung and head injuries. The incident caused him to all but eliminate public appearances from that day forward. In 1997, Harrison discovered he was suffering from lung cancer. He was 58 when he died of the cancer on November 29, 2001.
*Despite what is reported elsewhere, George Harrison was actually born just before midnight on February 24, 1943. The wrong date was mistakenly written on his birth certificate. It was brought to his attention later in life.
Bill Drake (Born Philip Yarbrough)
January 14, 1937 – November 29, 2008
Bill Drake was a pioneering radio programmer and disc jockey who, along with his partner Gene Chenault, developed the popular ’60s format of Boss Radio. Beginning his career during the ’50s, Drake joined up with Chenualt by the early ’60s and created a format that was more focused on the immediate hits and the hip personalities of such DJs as the Real Don Steele and Robert W. Morgan. They helped bring fun and excitement to radio with the help of boss radio jingles, less commercials, shorter DJ segments between songs, and of course, more music. Drake also introduced market research into the radio business to make sure his stations were playing what the kids wanted to hear. It was still Top 40 radio, only better for its era. The excitement of the British Invasion in 1964 only helped solidify the format and turn dying radio stations into local powerhouses. One of those stations was Los Angeles based 93 KHJ, where Drake worked until 1973. Bill Drake was 71 when he died of lung cancer on November 29, 2008.
Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.
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