Died On This Date (October 4, 2014) Paul Revere / Paul Revere & The Raiders
themusicsover Paul Revere Dick
January 7, 1938 – October 4, 2014
Paul Revere was the founder, keyboardist and iconic face of late ’60s/early ’70s rock and roll band, Paul Revere & the Raiders. Formed in Boise, Idaho in 1958 as the Downbeats (with Mark Lindsay on lead vocals), the band scored its first regional hit in 1961 with “Like, Long Hair.” The song eventually found enough of a national audience to crack the Top 40 of the national charts. By the mid ’60s, the group, now known as the Paul Revere & the Raiders, relocated to Los Angeles and began working with producer, Terry Melcher. What followed was a string of future garage rock classics that positioned the band as America’s answer to the British Invasion. Records like “Just Like Me,” “Hungry,” “Good Thing,” and “Kicks” became radio staples throughout the second half of he 1960s. For at least the year of 1967, the band was Columbia Records’ biggest-selling rock band. The early ’70s found the Raiders’ style of music falling out of fashion, so they responded with 1971’s socially conscious “Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)”, a #1 hit that went on to sell over six million copies. The album from which it came, Indian Reservation, reached #19 on the album charts. It was the band’s final appearance of any significance on the charts. In 1976, Revere announced his retirement, only to return to the stage with a new Raiders lineup in 1978. He continued to perform in front of cheering crowds along the oldies circuit until his second retirement in August of 2014. In recent years, Paul Revere & the Raiders enjoyed a resurgence in popularity thanks to carefully curated reissues and Hall of Fame type accolades. Paul Revere was 76 when passed away on October 4, 2014. Cause of death was not immediately released.
What You Should Own
Jimi Jamison is perhaps best remembered as a lead singer of ’80s rock band Survivor. Raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Jamison began singing and playing the guitar and piano as a child. By the time he hit middle school, he was already playing in a band. During the early ’80s, Jamison became the lead singer of a band called Cobra, and a few years later, he was invited to front Survivor after original lead vocalist (and “Eye Of The Tiger” singer) Dave Bickler left due to serious issues with his vocal cords. Jamison’s first recording with the group was the hit, “The Moment of Truth,” for the Karate Kid soundtrack. That was quickly followed by the Vital Signs album which went Platinum and reached #16 on the US album charts. The album spawned the hits, “High On You,” “The Search Is Over,” and “I Can’t Hold Back.” Its follow-up, When Seconds Count, also cracked the Top 50 on the US album charts powered by several radio-friendly pop-rockers. The list of hit songs that Jamison sang lead on include “Burning Heart” from the Rocky IV soundtrack, and “I’m Always Here,” the theme song of the popular Baywatch television series. He was also an in-demand session singer, having recorded with the likes of Joe Walsh and ZZ Top, whose Billy Gibbons often referred to him as the fourth member of the group. Jamison continued to record and perform as a solo act, and upon occasion, with Survivor well throughout the rest of his life. His most recent solo album, Never Too Late, was released in 2012. Jimi Jamison was 63 when he died of a heart attack on August 31, 2014.
Thomas Erdelyi, later to be more widely known by his stage name, Tommy Ramone, was the founding drummer for the highly influential rock band, the Ramones. Until he passed away, Erdelyi had been the last surviving member of the original foursome. Formed with former high school classmates, Douglas Colvin (