Died On This Date (June 15, 2007) Richard Bell / Played With Janis Joplin & The Band
themusicsover Richard Bell
March 5, 1946 – June 15, 2007
Richard Bell was a Canadian pianist and guitarist who played Janis Joplin’s Full Tilt Boogie Band in the late ’60s, and in the ’90s incarnation of the Band. But more remarkably, Bell began playing the piano at the age of four. As a session player, Bell has worked with such greats as Bob Dylan, Paul Butterfield, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Walsh, John Sebastian, and Bruce Cockburn. Richard Bell died of a form of cancer at the age of 61.
Matthew Fletcher was the drummer and primary songwriter for late ’80s British pop band, Talulah Gosh, which morphed into twee punk band, Heavenly in 1989. Both bands had solid fan bases thanks in part to their “Ramones meets Ronettes” sound. Heavenly released three albums for the hip label, Sarah Records, and were about to release their fourth when Sarah closed. Matthew Fletcher committed suicide shortly before the release of that album. He was just 25.
Esbjorn Svensson was a contemporary Swedish jazz pianist and leader of his own Esbjorn Svensson Trio, or E.S.T. Svensson was born into a musical family, to a classical pianist mother and a jazz loving father. A rock fan, Svensson first took a stab a playing in a couple of garage bands before settling into a life of jazz. By 16 he was taking lessons at a music college before studying at Stockholm University. He formed the E.S.T in 1993 and soon recorded their first album. Their fan base continued to grow, and by 1999 they were on the international stage thanks to their breakthrough album, From Gagarin’s Point Of View. In May of 2006, E.S.T. became the first European jazz combo to grace the cover of America’s DownBeat Magazine. Tragedy struck on June 14, 2008 when after vanishing during a scuba diving excursion outside of Stockholm, his friends found him unconscious on the seabed. He later died at a hospital from injuries he sustained during the mishap.