Died On This Date (August 15, 2010) Jon Bergen / Music Industry Veteran

Jon Bergen
DOB Unknown – August 15, 2010

Jon Bergen was a well-liked and respected music industry veteran who held sales and marketing positions at Mercury, Restless, Beyond, and Gold Circle Records, as well as BMG Distribution.  Throughout his career, he worked closely with the likes of Blondie, Veruca Salt, Pat Benatar, and John Waite.  After leaving the label side of the business, Bergen and partner, Bo Caldwell, formed Bender Music Group where they assisted artists and small labels in bringing their music to retail and marketing.  Bender’s clients included Young MC, Richard Butler, Howard Hewitt, and Jon Anderson.  Jon Bergen died as the result of a car accident on August 15, 2010.  He was 37.


Died On This Date (August 14, 2002) Dave Williams / Lead Singer Of Drowning Pool

Dave Williams
February 29, 1972 – August 14, 2002

Dave Williams was the original lead singer of Texas metal band, Drowning Pool.  Formed in 1996, the band built a sizable following thanks to well-received performances at Ozzy Osbourne’s early Ozzfests.  In 2001, the band released their first album, Sinner, which included the hit single and MTV staple, “Bodies.”  That exposure helped the album sell more than one million copies within the first year.   While on tour on August 14, 2002, Dave Williams collapsed and died on the band’s tour bus in Virginia.  Official reports concluded that he died of a heart muscle disease.  He was 30 years old.

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Sinner - Drowning Pool

Died On This Date (August 14, 2005) Esther Wong / The Godmother Of Punk; Owned Madame Wong’s in L.A.

Esther Wong
August 13, 1917 – August 14, 2005

Esther Wong was a Chinese immigrant who landed in Los Angeles in 1949.  By the mid ’70s, Wong and her husband were running Chinese restaurant that presented a Polynesian floor show in L.A.’s Chinatown.  When business started to slow down by the end of the decade, Wong reluctantly allowed a local promoter to start booking local punk bands on her stage.  At the time, most of the city’s venues were banning such acts.  The promoter and Wong soon parted company and Wong started bringing music she enjoyed – the more pop leaning new wave.  In 1985, the club was seriously damaged in a fire and within a few years, Wong opened Madame Wong’s West in Santa Monica where she continued building her reputation as the “Godmother of Punk.”  The list of acts that played Madam Wong’s during their early years includes Guns ‘N Roses, Black Flag, Blondie, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Oingo Boingo, Fear, the Ramones, the Go-Gos, and the Police.  Esther Wong died of emphysema on August 14, 2005, the day after her 88th birthday.



Died On This Date (August 14, 1988) Roy Buchanan / Electric Blues Great

Roy Buchanan
September 23, 1939 – August 14, 1988

Roy Buchanan was a respected blues guitarist who rose to prominence in the late ’50s thanks in part to his prowess on the Telecaster. Rolling Stone placed him at #57 in their list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time.  He got his professional start early, playing with Johnny Otis at just 15.  In the early ’60s, Buchanan began working with Ronnie Hawkins alongside Robbie Robertson who he reportedly tutored on the guitar.  In the early ’80s, Buchanan was the subject of a documentary entitled The Best Unknown Guitarist In The World, an opinion evidently shared by the likes of John Lennon and Eric Clapton.  He was soon offered a record deal with Polydor Records who released his first solo album in 1972.   Except for a four-year break beginning in 1981, Buchanan continued to record and perform until his death in 1988.   Buchanan struggled with substance abuse for many years and on August 14, 1988, he was arrested and placed in a Virginia jail for public drunkenness.  Some hours later, his lifeless body was found hanging by his shirt in his cell.  His death was officially ruled a homicide, but his family and friends have claimed there was evidence to the contrary.   He was 48 at the time of his death.

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Roy Buchanan - Roy Buchanan

Died On This Date (August 14, 2010) Abbey Lincoln / Influential Jazz Singer

Abbey Lincoln (Born Anna Marie Wooldridge)
August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010

Photo by Lee Turner

Abbey Lincoln was an actress, jazz vocalist and songwriter who used her talents to raise awareness of the Civil Rights movement and racism in general.  She was one of the earliest jazz singers who actually wrote their own songs.  As an actress, she appeared in such films as Nothing But A Man, The Girl Can’t Help It, and Mo’ Betta Blues.  During the ’60s, she was married to Max Roach and sang on his landmark recording, “We Insist – Freedom Now Suite.”  Over the course of her long career, she collaborated with most of the biggest names in jazz.  Abbey Lincoln was 80 when she passed away on August 14, 2010.

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Straight Ahead - Abbey Lincoln