Died On This Date (February 18, 2013) Damon Harris / The Temptations
themusicsover Damon Harris (Born Otis Harris, Jr.)
July 17, 1950 – February 18, 2013
Damon Harris was a 3-time Grammy Award winning member of the legendary Motown group, the Temptations. At just 20 years old, Harris was the youngest member of the outfit when he took Eddie Kendrick’s place in 1971. He had previously sang in a popular Temptations cover band called the Young Tempts who actually scored a minor hit with their version of “I’ve Been Good to You.” It was under the moniker, the Young Vandals however, after Motown filed an injunction over their name. During his four years with the Temptations, Harris sang on such hits as “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone,” “Masterpiece,” and “Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are),” among others. He also sang lead on “Love Woke Me Up This Morning” from 1972’s All Directions. After leaving the Temptations in 1975, Harris reformed the Young Tempts, but this time as Impact, who charted with a handful of R&B and disco records through the latter part of the ’70s. In 1978, he released Silk, the only album under his own name. Harris retired from music in order to go to college during the ’80s, but by the ’90s he was back fronting a Temptations revival group and briefly touring with a reunited incarnation of the actual group. During the late ’90s, Harris learned he was suffering from prostate cancer so turned his life’s focus on the fight against the disease by forming The Damon Harris Cancer Foundation. Damon Harris ultimately died from the cancer on February 19, 2013. He was 62. Fellow Temptations Paul Williams, David Ruffin, Ali-Ollie Woodson, and Melvin Franklin have passed away as well.
Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number 1 Albums for the assist.
A fixture of the New York metal scene, Pat Egan was a beloved music industry veteran who spent the past 10 years at iconic Metal label, Relapse Records. He was, most recently, their Director of Retail Sales and Marketing. In his capacity at Relapse, Egan was directly involved in the successes of Mastodon, Baroness, and High On Fire, to name a few. His passion for the job and metal music in particular made him a favorite within the retail community as well as with artists and management companies. Egan began his music career at Long Island retail giant, Looney Tunes where he ultimately served as store manager. He later worked at the Pavement, KOCH and Energy labels before landing at Relapse. Most, if not all who came in contact with Egan praised him. Pat Egan was hospitalized in late 2012 with pneumonia, but never fully recovered before passing away on February 18, 2013.
Kevin Ayers was an English musician who was largely responsible for the birth of the British psychedelic movement of the ’60s. Born in Kent, Ayers was in college when he immersed himself in the storied Canterbury scene where a collective of progressive rock, avant-garde and free jazz commingled to create something new and exciting. He soon found himself playing alongside Robert Wyatt in the Wilde Flowers. In 1966, the band morphed into Soft Machine with Ayers starting out on bass and shared vocals but later switching to guitar. Soft Machine quickly grew a strong local following, often performing with 