Died On This Date (June 7, 2009) Hugh Hopper / Bassist For Soft Machine
themusicsover Hugh Hopper
April 29, 1949 – June 7, 2009
Hugh Hopper was a fusion bassist who is most famous for playing in British psychedelic rock band, Soft Machine from 1968 to 1972. Starting out as the band’s road manager Hopper was asked to join the band in time to record their second album. Hopper also did session work for ex-Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett. Hopper left Soft Machine in 1972, but continued to stay very active with various groups until he was diagnosed with leukemia in June of 2008. He died as a result of the disease at the age of 64.
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Stuart Cable was a Welsh TV talk show host who is perhaps best remembered as the original drummer for the British alternative rock band, Stereophonics. Formed in the early ’90s, the band were the first to be singed to Richard Branson’s post-Virgin record label, V2. Stereophonics went on to release several internationally popular albums, with five of them topping the British charts. Outside of Stereophonics, Cable also played in such bands as Nail Bombs, Stone Gods, and most recently, Killing For Company. Cable was also a familiar presence on British television and radio. He hosted the Kerrang! Awards and had a couple of programs on the BBC. He also had his own BBC radio program, Saturday Night Cable on which he interviewed popular rock musicians. In 2009, Cable released his autobiography, Demons and Cocktails: My Life With The Stereophonics. On June 7, 2010, Stuart Cable, age 40, was found dead in his home. No foul play was initially suspected.
Besides winning a Grammy for his own work, keyboardist Billy Preston made major contributions to some of the greatest names in pop music history. He can be heard playing alongside the Rolling Stones, Little Richard, 