George McCorkle is perhaps best remembered as a founding guitarist for popular American rock band, the Marshall Tucker Band. Formed in 1972, the group found tremendous success with such albums as Searchin’ For A Rainbow, Together Forever, and their platinum seller, Carolina Dreams. Their sound – equal parts rock, country, R&B, gospel, and jazz – helped define the ’70s rock era and laid the foundation for what would become called Southern rock. Besides his instantly recognizable guitar work in the band, McCorkle’s biggest contribution came by way of his “Fire On The Mountain,” which became their first top 40 hit. After leaving the Marshall Tucker Band in 1984, McCorkle worked as a songwriter and released his own album in 1999. George McCorkle was 59 died of cancer on June 29, 2007.
Queen Jane (Born Jane Nyambura)
DOB Unknown – June 29, 2010
Queen Jane was a Kandara-born benga singer. She launched her career in 1984, and by 1991, she had her own band, Queenja Les Les and had released her debut album, Ndorogonye, on which she sang in Kikyuyu language. Her mostly socially and politically directed songs became very popular throughout Africa and beyond over the next several years. Queen Jane died of complications from meningitis on June 29, 2010.
Bill Aucoin was a highly successful artist manager who, over the course of some 30 years, represented the likes of KISS, Billy Idol, Manowar, Billy Squier, and Starz, to name a few. After studying film in college, Aucoin was heading down a road to becoming a cinematographer when, in 1973, he discovered KISS and began managing them through the first decade of their career. His vision and the fact that he funded their first tour out of his pocket helped pave the way for the band’s massive success. They parted ways in the early ’80s, but worked together again on DVD packages in later years. Bill Aucoin died of complications associated with prostate cancer on June 28, 2010. He was 66.
Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albumsfor the assist.
Kevin “G.G.” Allin
August 29, 1956 – June 28, 1993
G.G. Allin was plain and simple, the most shocking and to many people, the most disgusting performer rock music has ever known. Recording mostly in the punk idiom, Allin was also known to leave his mark on country, spoken word and blues-influenced rock. His violent shows generally involved him rolling around in, and eventually ingesting his own feces and urine. Usually ending up naked, gouging and cutting himself on stage until he became a bloody mess. And if that weren’t sexy enough, he oftentimes coaxed audience members to perform oral sex on him. These antics obviously overshadowed his music which tended to be as raw as the sewage he left in his wake. This ultimate rock ‘n’ roll rebellion endeared him to his cult following, but also enraged local critics and police, landing him in jail no fewer than 50 times. Although barely on punk’s fringe, Allin managed to count Dee Dee Ramone, Wayne Kramer and Thurston Moore as fans. Many suspected that Allin suffered from severe mental disorders made worse by his massive consumption of drugs and alcohol. And as shocking as his on stage personality was, by all appearances, his personal life was just as noteworthy. In 1989 he was arrested for rape and torture of a woman in Michigan. Allin denied all charges, insisting that the burning, cutting and drinking of blood were mutual and consensual, and to some degree, the judge agreed, reducing the charges to felony assault for which he served about a year and a half in prison. Allin went out in as memorable a fashion as he lived. On the night of June 27, 1993, he took the stage at a club in New York City. Just two songs into the set, the club’s power went out sending Allin into the crowd where he proceeded to tear up anything in the club that he could get his hands on. As the crowd spilled out into the streets, so did Allin, only he was naked, and though covered in blood and feces, he attempted to embrace his fans who were reveling in the street. Allin ended up at a friend’s apartment where he died of a heroin overdose in the early hours of June 28. And though dead and gone, the partying friends of his buddy continued to pose for pictures with him until someone realized something was wrong and called the paramedics who pronounced him dead at the scene. He was 36.
Rammellzee was a popular and influential New York City based performance artist, sculptor, graffiti artist, and hip hop singer. His vocal style, which dates back to the early ’80s, is said to have influenced the likes of the Beastie Boys and Cypress Hill. He released several records, though under different monikers, throughout his career, and had collaborated with Buckethead of Guns ‘N Roses fame. Rammellzee was 49 when he died on June 28, 2010. Cause of death was not immediately released.