Died On This Date (January 27, 2011) Henrik Ostergaard / Lead Singer For Dirty Looks

Henrik Ostergaard
DOB Unknown – January 27, 2011

Henrik Ostergaard third from left

Henrik Ostergaard was the lead singer for ’80s metal band, Dirty Looks.  Formed in San Francisco, California by way of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1984, Dirty Looks released a handful of albums before Atlantic Records took notice and signed them.  Their major label debut, Cool From The Wire included “Oh Ruby,” whose video received enough MTV airplay to help the album make the Billboard album charts.  After the band broke up in 1993, Ostergaard formed Rumbledog.  He took a break from the music business during the late ’90s, but then reunited with Dirty Looks in recent years.  On January 27, 2011 goerie.com reported that Henrik Ostergaard died earlier that day of natural causes while he was in hospice care.  He was 47.

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Cool from the Wire - Dirty Looks

Died On This Date (January 26, 2011) Charlie Louvin / Country Music Icon

Charlie Louvin (Born Charles Loudermilk)
July 7, 1927 – January 26, 2011

Charlie Louvin was a longtime country singer and songwriter who became a national treasure singing alongside his brother Ira Louvin as the Louvin Brothers.  From 1940 to 1963, the Louvin Brothers created a catalog of country and folk music that ushered in the use of close harmonies to the genres and would be a direct influence on the likes of the Byrds, the Everly Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Alison Krauss, and  the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.  Starting out as a Gospel group, the Louvin Brothers soon began singing secular songs so they could reach a larger audience.  That lead to appearances at the Grand Ole Opry and several charting singles.  The duo disbanded in 1963 and then in 1965, Ira was tragically killed in a car accident, so Charlie forged on as a solo artist.  In recent years, Louvin’s career experienced a renaissance thanks to recognition from the likes of Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Elvis Costello, and Bright Eyes to name just a few.  Outside of tributes, his songs have been recorded by Uncle Tupelo, Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, Wanda Jackson, Tammy Wynette, Hank Williams Jr., Doc Watson, and many many more. In 2003, a Grammy winning tribute to the Louvin Brothers entitled Livin’, Lovin’, Losin’: Songs Of The Louvin Brothers was released.  It included performances by Vince Gill, Dierks Bentley, Dolly Parton, Marty Stuart, and Merle Haggard, to name a few.  Louvin continued to release critically acclaimed albums and enjoy the spotlight as recently as 2010.  His final three, including 2010’s The Battle Rages On are considered three of his best.   Charlie Louvin was 83 when he died as a result of pancreatic cancer on January 26, 2011.

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The Battles Rage On - Charlie Louvin

Died On This Date (January 26, 2011) Gladys Horton / The Marvelettes

Gladys Horton
1944 – January 26, 2011

Gladys Horton was the founding lead singer of influential Motown girl group, the Marvelettes.  Formed in Detroit in 1960, the Marvelettes would go on to have 21 R&B charting hits and 23 to make Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart.  Their most popular songs were “Beechwood 4-5789,” “Too Many Fish In The Sea,” and of course, “Please, Mr. Postman,” which was Motown’s first #1 pop hit.   They were the blueprint for future hit makers like Martha Reeves & The Vandellas and the Supremes.  Horton left the group in 1967 but reunited with the group during the late ’80s.  Gladys Horton was 66 when she passed away in a Los Angeles nursing home on January 26, 2011.  She had been recuperating from a previous stroke.  Co-founding member, Georgeanna Tillman passed away in 1980.

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The Marvelettes: The Definitive Collection - The Marvelettes

Died On This Date (January 25, 2011) Buddy Charleton / Pedal Steel Great

Buddy Charleton
March 6, 1938 – January 25, 2011

Buddy Charleton was a highly respected steel guitar player who is perhaps best remembered for his days playing in Ernest Tubb’s Texas Troubadours.  Charleton was just 23 when he began playing with Tubb, and he would continue to perform live and on record with his band until 1973.  He then went on to become a sought-after instructor and session player for the likes of Garth Brooks, George Strait, and Reba McIntire.  Buddy Charleton was 72 when he passed away on January 25, 2011.  He had been battling lung cancer.

 



Died On This Date (January 24, 2011) Bhimsen Joshi / Highly Regarded Indian Vocalist

Bhimsen Joshi
February 4, 1922 – January 24, 2011

Bhimsen Joshi was a respected Indian singer who sang in the Hinduist classical genre.  He was revered for his takes on devotional music.  Joshi was 19 when he first began performing live, and within a year he released his first album.   Over a career that spanned some seven decades, Joshi marveled audiences and critics alike at his concerts due to his remarkable vocal strength and command of his voice as an instrument.  In 2008, he received India’s highest civilian honor.  Bhimsen Joshi was 88 when he passed away on January 24, 2011.  Cause of death was not immediately released.