2010

Died On This Date (June 17, 2005) Karl Mueller / Soul Asylum

Karl Mueller
July 27, 1963 – June 17, 2005

Karl Mueller played bass for Minneapolis alternative rock band, Soul Asylum who came out of the same scene that gave us Husker Du and the Replacements. But while the latter were building critical and commercial success, Soul Asylum seemed to have a hard time getting out of their shadows.  But that all changed in 1992 with the release of Grave Dancers Union. The first single, “Runaway Train” became a worldwide hit thanks to a striking video that put focus on the plight of runaway teens.  The video struck a chord and suddenly, Soul Asylum became household names. The band even performed at Bill Clinton’s Inaugural Ball.  The band was on a lengthy hiatus by the end of the ’90s, and were beginning to work up new material when Mueller was diagnosed with throat cancer in May of 2004.  He would succumb to the cancer on June 17, 2005 at the age of 41.

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Welcome to the Minority: The A&M Years 1988-1991 - Soul Asylum

 

Died On This Date (June 17, 2009) Ian Loveday aka Eon / British Rave Producer

Ian Loveday (aka Eon)
September 22, 1954 – June 17, 2009

EonEon was a pioneer in the genres of techno and house music.  His 1992 Void Dweller album is considered one of the best.  He is also known for the rave hit, “Spice” from 1990.  He found his early audiences thanks to airplay on London’s pirate radio stations.  Eon died of complications from pneumonia on June 17, 2009.

Eon

Died On This Date (June 16, 1982) James Honeyman-Scott / The Pretenders

James Honeyman-Scott
November 4, 1956 – June 16, 1982

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James Honeyman-Scott is best remembered as the founding guitarist for the Pretenders.  Thanks in part to his inventive guitar playing, the Pretenders were one of a handful of new wave acts that truly transcended the genre.  In June of 1982, while on break from touring and house hunting in Austin, TX, Honeyman-Scott was called back to the UK for a band meeting with Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers.  It was there that they agreed to fire band mate Pete Farndon due to his excessive drug use.  Unfortunately it was James Honeyman-Scott that would succumb to his drug dependency.  He died of heart failure related to his cocaine use just two days after Farndon was let go from the band.  Farndon died during a heroin binge less than a year later.

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Pretenders (Remastered) - Pretenders

Died On This Date (June 16, 2010) Garry Shider aka Diaper Man / Parliament-Funkadelic

Garry Shider
July 24, 1953 – June 16, 2010

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Garry Shider is best remembered as a founding guitarist for trailblazing funk collective, Parliament-Funkadelic.  Formed by George Clinton in 1968, Parliament and its sister act, Funkadelic, quickly became one of the premier funk bands in the world.  Performing since the age of ten, Shider spent his early years singing gospel with his brothers backing the likes of The Five Blind Boys and Shirley Caesar when they’d come through town.  It was also around this time when Shider would drop by the local barbershop which happened to be owned by Clinton to play guitar and sing for the customers.  By the time he was in his late teens, Shider had moved to Canada where he co-founded a funk group, United Soul.  Clinton, who had also moved to Canada, got wind of the band and began mentoring them.  He eventually formed Parliament and brought Shider into the fold.  The group went on to record some of the most influential albums in popular music.  Such LPs as Chocolate City and Mothership Connection gave us hits like “Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (Give Up The Funk)” “Doctor Funkenstein” and “Mothership Connection (Star Child).”  The bands’ legendary live show were cosmic marriages of space and funk with Shider often wearing nothing but a diaper on stage, leading to his nickname of “Diaper Man”.  After Clinton dissolved Parliament and Funkadelic in the mid ’80s, Shider continued on in his P-Funk All Stars and of course, collaborated with countless other artists.  In 1997, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Parliament-Funkadelic.  Gary Shider was 56 when he died of cancer on June 16, 2010.

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Mothership Connection - Parliament

Died On This Date (June 16, 1994) Kristen Pfaff / Played Bass For Hole

Kristen Pfaff
May 26, 1967 – June 16, 1994

Member of the 27 Club

Kristen Pfaff was a late bloomer when it came to playing the bass.  Although she studied piano and cello in college, it wasn’t until after she graduated that she taught herself how to play the bass.  Pfaff soon co-founded Minneapolis local faves, Janitor Joe who would eventually sign to hip indie label Amphetamine Reptile Records.  While on a west coast tour with Janitor Joe, Pfaff was approached by Courtney Love and Eric Erlandson to join their band, Hole.   Pfaff reluctantly agreed and packed her bags and moved to Seattle, where she helped ignite the grunge movement.  While in Seattle, Pfaff struggled with herion addiction just as the band was becoming popular outside the Northwest.  And then in April of 1994, close friend Kurt Cobain was found dead of what was ruled a suicide and everything changed.  Pfaff packed up and moved back to Minneapolis to rejoin Janitor Joe.  Sadly, Kristen Pfaff was found dead of an apparent accidental heroin overdose.

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Live Through This - Hole