Died On This Date (June 4, 2001) John Hartford / Influential Folk & Bluegrass Pioneer

John Hartford (Born John Harford)
December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001

Photo by Jerry Brendle

John Hartford was a beloved folk singer-songwriter who was also proficient in several stringed instruments.  He is probably mostly associated with the banjo and fiddle.   Hartford mastered those instruments while still in his mid teens, and by the time he was in college, he had already built a name for himself throughout the St. Louis music scene.  Hartford released his first album, Looks At Life, on RCA Records in 1966.  A year later, he put out its follow-up album, which included the song, “Gentle On My Mind.”  Soon made into a pop hit by Glen Campbell, the tune earned Hartford two Grammys.  It has also been covered by Elvis Presley, R.E.M., Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, and Dean Martin, to name a few.   During the ’70s, Hartford released a string of albums that would lay the foundation for the “newgrass” movement to follow – a more electrifying form of bluegrass, sometimes even incorporating drums.   His 1976, Mark Twang earned Hartford another Grammy while his contributions to the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack of 2000 landed him yet another.  Hartford battled Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma for the better part of the the last 20 years of his life, finally forcing him to retire from the road in 2001.  It wasn’t long after that he died as a result of the disease on June 4, 2001.  He was 63.

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John Hartford

 

Died On This Date (June 4, 1973) Murry Wilson / Beach Boys Manager

Murry Wilson
July 2, 1917 – June 4, 1973

murryMurry Wilson was a songwriter, musician, record producer, and most importantly, the father of Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.  Wilson began as a songwriter during the ’50s, having a couple of his songs covered but never gaining much success.  All the while, he was teaching his own sons how to write, sing and play music.   The brothers eventually added cousin Mike Love and schoolmate, Al Jardine to become the Beach Boys.  The Beach Boys would soon become one of the most popular bands in rock history by almost single-handedly defining a musical genre.  While managing the boys’ career, Murry was known to be a fierce negotiator, and was reportedly just as ruthless at home.  He and his sons had a tough relationship that may have actually fueled their creativity and drive.  Murry Wilson died following a heart attack at the age of 55.

Died On This Date (June 3, 2009) Koko Taylor / Queen of the Blues

Koko Taylor (Born Cora Walton)
September 23, 1928 – June 3, 2009

koko1Known as the Queen Of The Blues, Koko Taylor wowed audiences with her powerful voice for almost 50 years.  Born on a sharecropper’s farm in Tennessee, Taylor moved to Chicago with her husband in the early ’50s.  She began singing around town and was soon discovered by no less than Willie Dixon.  Dixon’s approval helped her land more gigs and a recording contract with the legendary Chess Records.  Her first single was the Dixon penned “Wang Dang Doodle” which hit #4 on the R&B charts and went on to sell over one million copies.   Taylor continued to record critically acclaimed blues albums for the next 3 decades including more than a dozen for blues label giant, Alligator Records.  Among her countless awards, Taylor has been nominated for several Grammys (winning one for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1995), and won a record-setting 25 WC Handy Blues Awards.  Taylor continued to perform as many as 70 shows a year until her final years.  Koko Taylor died two weeks after a gastrointestinal surgery.  She was 80 years old.

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What It Takes: The Chess Years - Koko Taylor

Died On This Date (June 3, 1990) Stiv Bators / Dead Boys; Lord Of The New Church

Stiv Bators (Born Steven Bator)
October 22, 1949 – June 3, 1990

Stiv Bators burst onto the punk scene as a member of the Dead Boys and later Lords Of The New Church. It was Bators’ sound and image that helped define the punk genre. After the demise of the Dead Boys, Bators found himself in the UK where he formed Lords Of The New Church with ex members of the Damned and Sham 69. The Lords achieved moderate success in Europe and the US due in part to their wild live shows. Bators was reported to have hung himself during a show in a stunt that went terribly wrong and was pronounced dead before being revived several minutes later. By the early ’80s, Bators was landing small parts in such cult classic films as Polyester and Tapeheads. And in 1988, the Lords broke up due to an injury Bators sustained to his back. In the early summer of 1990, an intoxicated Bators wandered into a Paris street and was struck by a taxi. He was taken to a hospital but apparently grew tired of waiting to see the doctor so he left. Bators died in his sleep later that night from what was ruled a concussion.

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Killer Lords - Lords of the New Church

Died On This Date (June 3, 1975) Ozzie Nelson / Popular Band Leader & TV Star

Ozzie Nelson
March 20, 1906 – June 3, 1975

OzzieOzzie Nelson was a popular radio and television personality and band leader.   By the early ’30s, Nelson was fronting his Ozzie Nelson Band who had a hits with “Over Somebody Else’s Shoulder” and “It’s Gonna Be You.”  In 1935, Nelson married the band’s singer, Harriet Hilliard and together they had two sons, David and Ricky Nelson, who went on to have successful music career himself.  In the mid-’40s, Nelson created a radio program, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriett, and when he moved it over to television in 1952, David and Ricky took over the roles that had been previously played by actors on radio.  Throughout the show’s run, Nelson helped groom Ricky’s music career by having the budding heart-throb perform his early rock n’ roll songs on the air.  Ozzie Nelson died of liver failure on June 3, 1975.

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Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra (50 Songs) - Ozzie Nelson