Died On This Date (February 3, 1967) Joe Meek / Successful Producer and Songwriter
themusicsover Robert “Joe” Meek
April 5, 1929 – February 3, 1967
Joe Meek was a legendary English record producer who played a key role in the development of British rock ‘n roll during the early ’60s. Many of his records are considered the foundation of the punk and garage movements of later years. His earliest claim to fame was 1962’s “Telstar” by the Tornados. It was the first record by a British group to top the U.S. singles chart. The seemingly endless list of artists that Meek produced during those early years includes Screaming Lord Sutch, Gene Vincent, Billy Fury, Tom Jones, the Honeycombs and Shirley Bassey. Perhaps more famous than the bands he worked with, were those on whom he passed. That list includes the Beatles, Rod Stewart and David Bowie. During the final years of Meek’s life, he suffered from severe depression and paranoia. Perhaps because of that, he was not getting much work and his finances were drying up because of it. He was also the victim of at least one blackmail plot and had been accused of plagiarism. On February 3, 1967, Joe Meek unexplicably shot and killed his landlady and then turned the shotgun on himself. He was dead at 37 years old. It should be noted that he died on the eighth anniversary of the death of Buddy Holly, Meek’s biggest hero.
What You Should Own
Papito Serguera was the head of the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television during the late ’60s and early ’70s. It was a time when the Communist authorities were carrying out strict bans throughout the Cuba. One of the most famous victims of Serguera’s airlay embargoes were the Beatles. The ban on their songs however, didn’t last long, and in later years, Seguera joked that he was actually a fan of their music during those days. Papito Serguera was 76 when he passed away on February 3, 2009.
Cornelius Bumpus is best remembered as the saxophonist for the Doobie Brothers and later, Steely Dan. In 2000, he won the Best Album Grammy for his work on Steely Dan’s Two Against Nature. As an in-demand session player, Bumpus has performed or recorded with the likes of Michael McDonald, Jeff Lorber, Lacy J. Dalton, Patrick Simmons, Phoebe Snow, Ambrosia and Boz Scaggs. While flying from New York to Los Angeles for a gig, Bumpus suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 58.
Tom Brumley was an accomplished steel guitarist who played with two of California’s most beloved recording artists,