Died On This Date (August 28, 2007) Hilly Kristal / Owned CBGB’s
themusicsover Hilly Kristal
September 23, 1931 – August 28, 2007
Opened in 1973, Hilly Kristal’s CBGB became the epicenter of the punk and new wave movement thanks to his early bookings of such acts as Blondie, Talking Heads, New York Dolls, Patti Smith, Television and the Ramones. After moving to New York City after serving in the Marines, Kristal became manager of the storied Village Vanguard jazz club where he booked such acts as Miles Davis. In 1968, he co-founded the Central Park’s Schaefer Music Festival which, over the next decade, hosted the likes of the Who, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, the Doors and Aerosmith. In 1973, he opened CBGB – OMFUG, which stood for “Country, BlueGrass, Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers.” He closed the club during a much publicized rent dispute in 2006. Hilly Kristal died of lung cancer at the age of 75.
DJ AM first came to prominence in the late ’90s rock band, Crazy Town, whose “Butterfly” was a radio hit in 2001. A popular DJ with celebrities, he’s been known to play parties for the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Madonna and Will Smith. In recent years DJ AM was collaborating with Travis Barker of Blink 182. The two survived a horrific private plane crash on September 19, 2008 while four others were killed. In 2005, DJ AM was engaged to Nicole Richie but the engagement was later called off. Adam Goldstein was found dead in his New York apartment on August 28, 2009. The coroner’s report later made public that Goldstein died of acute intoxication, or accidental overdose of various drugs including cocaine, Xanax and OxyContin.
Sean McCabe was the frontman for the vampire-themed hardcore punk band, Ink & Dagger. Hailing from Philadelphia, the group gained a bit of notoriaty during the mid ’90s, partly due to their outrageous stage antics. On many occasions donning face paint, the band would incorporate fake blood into their shows. Legend has it that McCabe and band once threw up all over a Christmas tree during a show. Shortly after recording what would be the band’s last album, Sean McCabe was found dead in a hotel room, having apparently choked on his own vomit. In 2006, the surviving members of the band sued Microsoft for using three of their songs without permission on their Amped snowboarding X-box game. The suit was settled with an apparent pay out to the band and McCabe’s estate.
Although he also managed among others, Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas and Gerry & the Pacemakers, Brian Epstein is best remembered as manager of the Beatles. Many give him credit for the early success of the band. Epstein first met the Beatles after the Cavern Club show on November 9, 1961. By late January of 1962, Epstein was officially the band’s manager. He helped facilitate many of the band’s earliest successes, but by January of 1966, the Beatles decided not to renew their contract which was due to expire the following year. Epstein was notoriously addicted to drugs, and on August 27, 1967, he died of what was ruled and accidental overdose. He was 32 years old. In later years, Paul McCartney claimed that “if anyone was the fifth Beatle, it was Brian.” And