Died On This Date (June 4, 2013) Joey Covington / Drummer For Hot Tuna & Jefferson Airplane

Joey Covington
June 27, 1945 – June 4, 2013

joey-covingtonJoey Covington was a journeyman drummer who is perhaps best remembered for his tenure with both Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.  Playing since the age of 10, Covington found his influence in jazz drummers of the day.  He also took a shine to the playing of the great Sandy Nelson.  By the time he was 14, he had already been playing with local polka groups for a couple of years, often chaperoned by his parents.  He soon gave his parents the slip and found work playing in strip club bands, which was fairly common for up-and-coming rock drummers during the ’50s and early ’60s.  During high school, Covington started playing with fellow students in rock bands.  When he turned 20, he went to New York City where he found work playing in back-up bands for such visiting acts as the Supremes, the Fenways, and the Shangri-Las.  He also played in the band for a Dick Clark cavalcade-of-stars type roadshow.  By the late ’60s, Covington found himself in Los Angeles and playing around with violin great and Jefferson Airplane member, Papa John Creach which lead to his relationship with the band and other musicians in their inner circle.  In 1969, Covington helped form Hot Tuna, a side project for Jefferson Airplane’s Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady who needed something to do during a break while singer, Grace Slick recovered from a surgery.  The Hot Tuna recordings that featured Covington were not released at the time.  In 1969, Jefferson Airplane hired Covington to replace Spencer Dryden. He played on Volunteers, Bark, and Long John Silver and wrote or co-wrote a number of the band’s songs including the hit, “With Your Love.”  After leaving the band in 1972, Covington formed Fat Fandango.  In later years, he participated in various Jefferson Airplane/Starship configurations called the San Francisco All-Stars.  On June 4, 2013, Joey Covington was reportedly killed when his car crashed into a wall in Palm Springs, California.  Details of the accident were not immediately released.  Covington was 67.

Thanks to Ben Anderson for the assist.

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Died On This Date (May 30, 2013) Andreas Thein / Co-Founder Of German Synth Pop Group, Propaganda

Andreas Thein
DOB Unknown – May 30, 2013

andreas-theinAndreas Thein was a co-founder of influential German electronic synth pop band, Propaganda.  Formed in 1982, the band was quickly signed to Trevor Horn’s ZTT Records who released their acclaimed 1984 debut album, A Secret Wish. The LP’s first single, “Dr. Mabuse,” was a hit in Europe, reaching #27 in the UK and #7 in Germany.  Later that year however, Thein was asked to leave the group.  He went on to play in such groups as Rififi and Kino who signed to Chrysalis Records and had a moderate hit with “Room In My Heart.” Andreas Thein was 59 when he lost his battle with cancer on May 30, 2013.

Thanks to Paul Bearer for the assist.

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Died On This Date (May 29, 2013) Mulgrew Miller / Influential Jazz Pianist

Mulgrew Miller
August 13, 1955 – May 29, 2013

mulgrew-millerMulgrew Miller was a respected American jazz pianist who, over the past three decades, was considered one of the world’s premier postbop players.  Influenced by the likes of Oscar Peterson and McCoy Tyner, Miller was still in high school when he formed his first trio.  Kicking his career into high gear during the early ’80s, Miller went on to play with Betty Carter, Woody Shaw, and Art Blakey to name a few.  Throughout his career, Miller released 16 albums on such labels as Landmark, MaxxJazz, and Novus.  In later years he served as an educator at William Paterson University and Lafayette College.  Mulgrew Miller was 57 when he suffered a fatal stroke on May 29, 2013.

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Died On This Date (May 29, 2013) Marvin Junior / Co-Founder Of The Dells

Marvin Junior
January 31, 1936 – May 29, 2013

marvin-juniorMarvin Junior was a founding member of the influential doo-wop group, the Dells. Formed initially as the El-Rays in 1952, the vocal group released one single for Checker Records before changing their name and moving on to the legendary Vee-Jay Records in 1955.  The following year, they released their first hit single, “Oh What A Night” which reached the Top 5 on the R&B charts and went on to sell over a million copies.  Rolling Stone magazine lists it at #260 on their survey of the Top 500 Songs of All Time.  The Dells went on to have several more Top 40 hits including “Stay In My Corner,” “There Is,” and “Always Together.”  For over four decades, the group continued to tour and  released more than 25 original albums which,  in many cases, helped define their individual labels’ sound.  The group recorded new material as recently as 2002’s Open Up My Heart: The 9/11 Album. In 1991, Junior and other members of the Dells worked as consultants on Robert Townsend‘s hit movie, The Five Heartbeats which was more or less inspired by them.  They continued touring up until Marvin Junior, age 77, died in his sleep on May 29, 2013.  He had reportedly been struggling from kidney failure and a weak heart.  The group’s Johnny Carter passed away in 2009.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number 1 Albums for the assist.

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Died On This Date (May 26, 2013) Clarence Burke, Jr / The Five Stairsteps; Had Hit With “O-o-h Child”

Clarence Burke, Jr.
May 25, 1949 – May 26, 2013

clarence-burke-jrClarence Burke, Jr. was the front man for the legendary soul group, the Five Stairsteps.  Formed by five siblings in 1965, the “First Family of Soul,” as they were known, is perhaps best remembered for their Top 10 single, “O-o-h Child,” which was released in 1970.  Throughout the years, the song has been covered, sampled and used in films and television countless times.  Burke was not only the lead singer of the group, but was also their guitar player, choreographer and primary songwriter.  During the mid ’70s, the Stairsteps, as they were then known, were introduced to the George Harrison by Billy Preston.   Harrison soon signed them to his Dark Horse Records who released their final hit, “From Us To You,” in 1976.  The group soon broke up so Burke formed the Invisible Man’s Band who had a minor disco hit with “All Night Thing” in 1980.  That band split up the following year after which Burke continued on as a solo artist for the remainder of his life.  Clarence Burke Jr. was 64 when he passed away on May 26, 2013.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

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