Died On This Date (December 25, 2011) Jim “Motorhead” Sherwood / Frank Zappa’s Mothers Of Invention
Jim Sherwood
May 8, 1942 – December 25, 2011

Jim “Motorhead” Sherman was a saxophonist who spent many years playing alongside Frank Zappa in various bands. Sherwood and Zappa were still in high school when they are introduced because of their shared passion for record collecting. The year was 1956 and before long, Sherwood was playing in Zappa’s first band, the Black-Outs. When Zappa formed the Mothers Of Invention, Sherwood was first brought on as a roadie and occasional sound effect provider, but soon became a full-time member. He can be heard on such classic albums as Freak Out!, Uncle Meat, and Burnt Weeny Sandwich. He also played with Zappa-related bands like Ruben and the Jets, the Grandmothers, and Ant-Bee, as well as on several Zappa proper albums. Jim Sherwood was 69 when he passed away on December 25, 2011. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Thanks to Paul Bearer for the assist.

Jody Rainwater was a bluegrass pioneer who found his calling as a teenager, at first playing the mandolin. Before long, he and is brother were performing as Chuck and Slim, the Johnson Brothers. The boys built a local following thanks in part to their comical on stage banter. In 1937, they were hired by High Point, North Carolina radio station, WMFR to perform live every Thursday evening. By 1945, the duo were no longer together, so Rainwater enlisted in the Marines and served during WWII. Upon his discharge, he formed the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys with Woody Hauser and developed an onstage persona known as Little Jody. By the late ’40s, they disbanded, and Rainwater was soon playing bass alongside
Whop Frazier was a Washington DC blues singer and bassist who was a popular draw throughout the city and surrounding area blues clubs for many years. Over the years, he played with Carl Anderson, the Bad Influence Band and his own Whop Frazier & Friends By Choice. William “Whop” Frazier died of lung and bone cancer on December 22, 2011. He was 68.
David Gold was the founder and lead singer/guitarist for Ontario, Canada doom metal band, Woods Of Ypres. Formed as a trio in 2002, the band released a handful of critical and fan favorite albums on Gold’s own Krankenhaus Records. Their black and dark metal songs, which have been described as a “metallised Pink Floyd, helped build a legion of fans over the years. In 2010, just as rumors of the group’s demise were circulating, they signed with Earache Records who is scheduled to release their latest offering in January 2012. David Gold was reportedly killed in a car accident in Ontario, Canada on December 22, 2011. He was 31.

Barry Clayton was known to many a-headbanger as the sinister voice that opens Iron Maiden’s epic song, “The Number Of The Beast.” Released in 1982 and from the album of the same name, the song begins with Clayton hauntingly reciting an excerpt from the Book Of Revelations –