Died On This Date (August 19, 2010) Michael Been / The Call

Michael Been
DOB Unknown – August 19, 2010

Michael Been is best remembered as the founding singer and guitarist for American rock band, the Call.  Formed in 1980, the group released a string of albums throughout the ’80s and ’90s , making them part of New Wave’s first generation which found a friend in early MTV.  The band’s biggest single and video were 1983’s “The Walls Came Down.  Their most successful album was 1986’s Reconciled, which included guests, Robbie Robertson, Peter Gabriel, and Jim Kerr.   In recent years, Been was working with his son, Robert Levon Been as a sound man for his own popular band, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.  On August 19, 2010, Michael Been suffered a fatal heart attack while backstage at a BRMC concert in Belgium.  He was 60.

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20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Call - The Call

Died On This Date (August 19, 1959) Blind Willie McTell / Influential Blues Singer

Blind Willie McTell (Born William McTier)
May 5, 1898 (or 1901 or 1903) – August 19, 1959

Blind Willie McTell was an influential blues singer and guitarist during the ’20s and 30s.  He played a form of blues that found an audience right between country and urban, or Piedmont blues.  McTell began his career by busking during the mid ’20s which lead to his being signed by RCA Victor in 1927.  During a career in which he recorded nearly 150 songs, McTell played on the road extensively and recorded for several labels, oftentimes using different names like Blind Sammie, Hot Shot Willie, or Willie Glaze.  By the late ’40s, McTell was suffering from diabetes and alcoholism and therefore not able to earn much of a living.  In 1956, he was found playing for quarters on the streets of Atlanta by a local record retailer who invited him into his shop to play into a tape recorder.  Those recordings were eventually released as his final recordings.  Blind Willie McTell died of a stroke on August 19, 1959.

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Blind Willie McTell



Died On This Date (August 19, 1979) Dorsey Burnette / Rockabilly Pioneer

Dorsey Burnette
December 28, 1932 – August 19, 1979

Dorsey Burnette was born into a musical family that included brother, Johnny Burnette.  But early on in life, the brothers pursued another dream, boxing, each becoming Golden Gloves champs.  In 1949, they met fellow pugilist, Paul Burlison who also shared an interest in music.  They soon formed the Rock and Roll Trio which would become one of the foundations of American rockabilly.  Dorsey continued to perform with the group and later as a solo artist well into the ’70s.  His music found a home with rockabilly, pop and country fans alike.  Dorsey Burnette died of a massive coronary on August 19, 1979.  He was just 46.

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Dorsey Burnette

Died On This Date (August 19, 2008) LeRoi Moore / Dave Matthews Band

LeRoi Moore
September 7, 1961 – August 19, 2008

LeRoi Moore was the saxophonist in and founding member of the Dave Matthews Band.  Moore met Matthews in 1991 and the two began to collaborate and eventually form the band.  He also wrote several songs for DMB, including the hits, “Stay (Wasting Time)” and “Too Much.”  LeRoi Moore died of pneumonia related to an ATV accident three weeks prior.  He was severely injured when he flipped an ATV on his property. Moore was 46 when he died.

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Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King - Dave Matthews Band