Died On This Date (March 15, 2013) Hardrock Gunter / Rockabilly Pioneer
themusicsover Sidney “Hardrock” Gunter Jr.
February 27, 1925 – March 15, 2013
Hardrock Gunter was an American country singer, songwriter and guitarist whose rave-ups are considered to be the earliest examples of rock ‘n roll and rockabilly. After playing in a few bands during his teens, Gunter took a shine to television and became a local TV personality for a bit. In 1950, he cut his self-penned “Birmingham Bounce” which came out a year before “Rocket 88,” the song that is generally credited as being the first rock ‘n roll song ever. More records followed, including “Sixty Minute Man” which was one of the first country songs to cross over to R&B. Gunter continued to record and perform until he retired from music during the ’60s to get into the insurance business. During the mid ’90s, he returned to the stage to perform at festivals and rockabilly events throughout Europe and the U.S. Hardrock Gunter was 88 when he died of pneumonia on March 15, 2013.
What You Should Own
Clive Burr is best remembered as Iron Maiden‘s first drummer. After playing in another legendary British metal band Samson for a year or two, Burr joined Iron Maiden. Replacing Doug Sampson in 1979, Burr was on board for the band’s first three albums, Iron Maiden, Killers, and their international breakthrough, Number Of The Beast. As a songwriter, Burr contributed “Gangland” and “Total Eclipse” to the Iron Maiden discography. After leaving the band in 1982, Burr played with such outfits as Trust, Alcatrazz, Dee Snyder‘s Desperado, and his own band, Stratus. In 1994, Burr was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, prompting Iron Maiden to launch the Clive Burr MS Trust Fund and staged a series of benefit concerts to help offset his mounting medical bills. In 2005, his drum kit went on display in the London Hard Rock Cafe. Clive Burr passed away in his sleep on March 12, 2013. He was 56.
Claude King was a popular country singer throughout the ’60s and ’70s. Born near Shreveport, Louisiana, King was just 12 years old when he picked up the guitar. During the ’50s, he became a regular on the widely popular radio program, Louisiana Hayride, often sharing the bill with the likes of 
Once called “The Architect Of Progressive Music,” Peter Banks was the original guitarist for prog rock pioneers, Yes. Raised in North London, Banks first learned the guitar when his father gave him an acoustic one as a child. By his teens, he was also playing the banjo. The first band of note he played in was the Syn, which also counted future Yes members, Chris Squire and Steve Howe as members. The band’s biggest claim to fame was opening for 
Paul deLay was a Portland, Oregon blues treasure. Over a career that he launched during the early ’70s, deLay dazzled blues fans throughout the western United States and beyond. After starting out in a band called Brown Sugar, deLay formed the Paul deLay Blues Band in 1976. During the early ’90s, he spent a few years in prison on drug related charges, but that didn’t stop the music. He shined as part of the Walla Walla prison band until he was released and able to re-join his own band who had forged on without him as the No deLay Band. DeLay released several albums throughout his long career, with his 2007 effort, Last Of The Best hitting the Top 10 of the Billboard blues chart. He also received a 