Died On This Date (February 20, 2013) Cleotha Staples / The Staple Singers
themusicsover Cleotha Staples
1934 – February 20, 2013
Cleotha Staples, along with her siblings, Mavis, Pervis and Yvonne, and their father, Pops Staples, made up one of the most influential soul groups of the 20th Century. Formed in Chicago by Pops in 1948, the Staple Singers got their start singing in churches in and around Chicago. In 1957, they released their first hit single, “Uncloudy Day.” In 1970, the group signed with Stax Records and began releasing a string of hits that ran through much of the decade. Their hits included “I’ll Take You There,” “Respect Yourself,” and “Let’s Do It Again.” In 1976, they performed an epic version of “The Weight” with the Band in the latter’s legendary swan song film, The Last Waltz. In 1999, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cleotha was the oldest of the Staples sisters, and it is her beautiful soprano that can be heard on their classic recordings. She suffered from Alzheimer’s disease through most of the 2000s, and passed away on February 20, 2013. She was 78.
Magic Slim was Chicago by way of Mississippi blues man who released some 40 albums over a career that spanned seven decades. Slim initially learned to play the piano, but moved to the guitar after a cotton gin accident took one of his fingers. In 1955, he went to Chicago to check out the local scene. By the mid ’60s he was back for good and offering up a house-rockin’ good time to all who went to see him. By now he was fronting his own band, Magic Slim and the Teardrops and slugging it out at the local juke-joints. He recorded several singles throughout the ’60s and early ’70s until releasing his first album, Born Under a Bad Sign, in 1977. Over the next 35 years, he released albums for such legendary blues labels as Alligator, Wolf, and Blind Pig. During the ’90s, Slim settled in Lincoln, Nebraska where he regularly played with his son, Shawn “Lil’ Slim” Holt. Over the course of his career, Slim was recognized with Band of the Year honors at the W.C. Handy Awards six times. Magic Slim was 75 when he passed away on February 20, 2013. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Art Boerke was a Columbia, South Carolina booking agent for one-time hot spot, Rockafella’s. Opened in 1984, Rockafella’s hosted many up-and-coming touring acts before briefly shutting down and retooling in closing its doors in 1988. Boerke was soon hired on as the club’s booker, promoter and all-around public face and was responsible for bringing acts like Marilyn Manson, Jewel, and the Dave Matthews Band into the venue until it closed for good in January of 1998. Prior to his run at Rockafella’s, Boerke was a DJ at local stations, WUSC-FM, FOX-102, and K-95. In later years, he taught history at High Point University. On February 19, 2013, Art Boerke died following brain surgery after hitting his head during a fall.
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 
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.