Died On This Date (August 17, 1993) Phil Seymour / Dwight Twilley Band

Phil Seymour
May 11, 1952 – August 17, 1993

Phil Seymour was a singer, songwriter and musician who gained a following during the new wave era thanks to such power pop classics as “Precious To Me” as well as “I’m On Fire” from his days fronting the Dwight Twilley Band.  Seymour grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he met Dwight Twilley, another aspiring musician at a 1967 screening of the Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night.  The struck up a friendship and a musical partnership that would eventually get them signed to Shelter Records who in 1975, released their first single, “I’m On Fire” which reached #16 on the Billboard singles chart.  They would record just two classic albums together before Seymour went of on his own.  Before the release of the first of his two solo albums, Seymour did session work, playing drums on power pop icons 20/20’s debut album, as well as singing backing vocals on Tom Petty‘s “American Girl” and “Breakdown.”  During the early ’80s, Seymour released two albums, Phil Seymour (featuring “Precious To Me”) and Phil Seymour 2 before the death of label head, Neil Bogart derailed his record company as well as Seymour’s career.  In 1984, he joined the Textones, a Los Angeles band fronted by Carla Olson that was alt-country twenty years before the genre had a name.  Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with lymphoma not long after recording an album and touring with the band.  Phil Seymour died as a result of the cancer at the age of 41.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Phil Seymour - Phil Seymour

Died On This Date (August 17, 1973) Paul Williams / The Temptations

Paul Williams
July 2, 1939 – August 17, 1973

Paul Williams was a founding member of the great ’60s R&B act, the Temptations.  Forming the group in 1960 with David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Otis Williams, and Melvin Franklin, Williams was part of what would later be called “The Classic Five,” the unit that was responsible for some of modern music’s greatest songs ever.   Although the group was achieving tremendous fame and success, Williams was apparently quite miserable, suffering from sickle-cell disease as well as other personal and financial problems.  He had also developed alcohol dependency.  Tragically, Williams was found dead by his car in a deserted parking lot on August 17, 1973 by what was ruled a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.  Although he was battling depression at the time, there are many friends and family who have valid reasons to believe that the fatal gunshot was anything but self-inflicted.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

The Definitive Collection: The Temptations - The Temptations

Died On This Date (August 17, 1990) Pearl Bailey / Iconic American Vocalist

Pearl Bailey
March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990

The great Pearl Bailey was a singer and actress who went from the vaudeville stage to television and Broadway, eventually winning an Emmy and Tony award.  She began her career as a teenager singing and dancing in clubs in the Philadelphia area.  By the early ’40s she was entertaining troops with the USO.  Upon her return to the states, Bailey settled in New York where she performed with the likes of Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway.  In 1952, Bailey married jazz great, Louis Bellson who died in 2009, just five months before the passing of their daughter, singer Dee Dee Bellson .   She made her Broadway debut in a 1954 production of Carmen Jones, and later starred in an all-black production of Hello Dolly!, for which she won a Tony.  She recorded popular singles and albums through much of her professional life.  During the ’70, Bailey was a familiar face on television, appearing on countless variety programs as well as hosting her own.  She also voiced animated features including Disney’s The Fox And The Hound in 1981.  Pearl Bailey died of heart disease on August 17, 1990 at the age of 72.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Pearl Bailey Sings Porgy & Bess and Other Gerswhin Melodies - Pearl Bailey