Died On This Date (July 27, 2008) Graeme Crallan / White Spirit; Tank
themusicsover Graeme Crallan
1958 – July 27, 2008
Graeme Crallan was a British heavy metal drummer who first came to prominence during the New Wave of British Metal of the mid ’70s. In 1975, he and future Iron Maiden guitarist, Janick Gers formed White Spirit who released one Deep Purple influenced album in 1980. They parted ways about a year later. A few years later, Crallan joined another metal band, the more aggressive Tank who’s fate was not much different from that of White Spirit’s. Graeme Crallan died of head injuries he sustained when he collapsed and fell while walking along a London street. The cause of his collapse is unknown.
What You Should Own
Brent Mydland was the keyboardist for the Grateful Dead for an eleven year period that would see the band’s highest charting successes. Born a military child in Munich, Germany, Mydland moved with his family to San Francisco as an infant. As a child, Mydland learned to play the flute, accordion and piano. After graduating from high school in 1971, played in bands in and around the Bay area, ultimately landing in the Bob Weir Band in 1978. A year later he replaced 
Mary Wells was an American R&B singer whose voice helped usher in the Motown sound with such earl hits as 1964’s “My Guy.” Although Wells’ only #1 hit, it will go down in history as the song that broke the Beatles’ 1964 chart-topping streak. After a few moderate hits, Wells left Motown in 1965 and made a comparatively small amount of recordings until she all but retired in 1970. The late ’80s found Wells launching a much-welcomed comeback, releasing a couple well-received albums. But then in 1990, Wells was diagnosed with larynx cancer for which she had to spend what was left of her money on treatment. Thankfully friends and fans like Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, Martha Reeves, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart and more donated large sums of money to help her out. On July 26, 1992, while in a hospital getting treated for pneumonia, Wells passed away from the effects of the cancer at the age of 49.
