Died On This Date (April 19, 2012) Greg Ham / Men At Work
themusicsover Greg Ham
September 27, 1953 – April 19, 2012
Greg Ham was an Australian musician who made an indelible mark on pop music by way of his flute work with popular ’80s new wave band, Men At Work. It is Ham’s flute riffs that can be prominently heard in the band’s mega hit, “Down Under.” The album from which it came, 1982’s Business As Usual, topped the charts in both the US and Australia as it sold upwards of 15 million copies worldwide. Formed in 1978 by Colin Hay, the band brought Ham on shortly thereafter to handle saxophone, flute, and keyboard duties. He remained with the outfit until 1985 but then rejoined in 1996. He continued to play with the band until recently. Away from Men At Work, Ham worked as an actor on the Australian television series, While You’re Down There. He also taught guitar at a Melbourne primary school. On April 19, 2012, Greg Ham was found dead in his home. Cause of death was not immediately released. He was 58.
Thanks to Anne Bentley for the assist.
What You Should Own
Dick Clark was a world-famous radio and television pioneer who, because of his longtime championing of pop music, along with his youthful good looks, was dubbed “America’s Oldest Teenager.” Clark was just 17 when he took his first job in the music business – as a sales rep for a New York radio station. By the early ’50s, he was hosting his own radio program, Caravan of Music at WFIL in Philadelphia. In 1956, he took over the station’s TV affiliate’s teen music program, Bob Horn’s Bandstand. Within a year, ABC brought the show, now American Bandstand, into living rooms across the United States. Over the next four decades, American Bandstand, with Clark as host, presented new records and “live” performances by hundreds if not thousands of famous and not-so-famous pop acts the world has ever known. The program, which aired until 1989, became the blueprint for teen music television programming, but none of its followers (except perhaps Soul Train) were ever able to come close to matching its cultural impact. Despite Clark’s clean-cut persona, he was a tireless supporter of the music he presented – whether he was speaking out against censorship, or choosing to play the original R&B records by their Black performers over the “sanitized” versions by White artists which were popular in his early days of radio. In 1972, Clark launched Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve which rang in the new year from Times Square in New York City with a program filled with performances from popular music acts of that particular year. Even after suffering a significant stroke in 2004, Clark returned in 2006, albeit with less screen time, as co-host of the program with Ryan Seacrest. Over the years, Clark ran several other ventures as well – game shows, award shows, restaurants, and live theaters. On April 18, 2012, Dick Clark died after suffering a heart attack. He was 82.
Ritchie Teeter was a rock drummer who made is mark playing behind the Dictators during some of the band’s glory years. With a sound and vibe that was not that far removed from the Ramones, MC5, the Stooges, or the New York Dolls, the Dictators built a dedicated following that remains loyal to this day. Teeter joined the band following the release of their first album, Go Girl Crazy, and can be heard playing on 1977’s Manifest Destiny and 1978’s Bloodbrothers. Both are considered essential for any respectable early New York punk collection. Teeter went on to play in Twisted Sister in late 1980/early 1981, but never appeared on any of their albums. He did participate in later Dictator reunion shows, though not much is known about his more recent life. It appears that Teeter retired from the business some time ago, or he at least kept a very low profile. Ritchie Teeter was 61 when he died of esophageal cancer on April 10, 2012.
