Died On This Date (April 6, 2016) Merle Haggard / Country Music Icon
themusicsover Merle Haggard
April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016
Merle Haggard was a country music legend who, along with Buck Owens, created the blueprint for what would become known as the “Bakersfield Sound,” a reaction to the slickly produced pop leaning country records that were coming out of Nashville at the time. Developed in local honky-tonks, the sound was built around the foundation of traditional country, the twang of a Telecaster, and the rough edge of vocals like Haggard’s. Haggard also came to represent all that became “outlaw country.” Songs like “Skid Row,” “They’re Tearing the Labor Camps Down,” “Okie From Muskogee,” “The Bottle Let Me Down,” “The Fightin’ Side of Me,” and “White Line Fever” found a huge audience with fans who could personally identify with the lyrics. Over the course of a career that spanned five decades, Haggard scored nearly 40 #1 hit singles, a combined total of 25 ACM and CMA awards, three Grammys, and numerous other accolades. His most recent album, 2015’s Django & Jimmie, with Willie Nelson, hit #1 on the Country charts and #7 on the Top 200. Not bad for an album that was recorded in just three days. Merle Haggard passed away on April 6, 2016, his 79th birthday. Cause of death was not immediately released although he had been battling pneumonia.
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Patty Duke was an American stage, film and TV star who is perhaps best remembered for her leading role in the 1960s sitcom, The Patty Duke Show, which originally ran for three seasons on ABC. Prior to that, she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work in The Miracle Worker. At the age of 16, she was, at the time, the youngest to do so. Duke was also a successful recording artist who performed on television numerous times and released six albums. Her hits included, “Don’t Just Stand There” (which reached #8 on the pop charts), “Say Something Funny” (#22), and “Donna Donna.” Patty Duke was 69 when she passed away on March 29, 2016. Cause of death was attributed to sepsis from a ruptured intestine.
George Martin was a classically trained musician, record producer, and talent scout who most famously took a chance on the Beatles after they had been turned down by most other British record labels at the time. What followed was a collaboration that changed not only the musical landscape of the era, but also what would become popular music and pop culture for decades to come. With Martin as producer (and so much more) on the Beatles’ original albums, they scored 30 #1 singles in the UK and 23 in the US – and millions in sales, of course. Of the list of Beatles collaborators who were referred to as “the Fifth Beatle,” it was Martin who actually deserved the title. That alone on a person’s resume is enough to cruise through the rest of his or her life, but not Martin. Over the next six decades, he had a big hand in the success of the likes of Elton John, Dire Straits, Cheap Trick, ELO, and Celine Dion, to name a few. Martin also worked extensively in film, either arranging, scoring or producing. Two of the most famous songs he produced for films were Shirley Bassey‘s “Goldfinger” for Paul McCartney‘s “Live and Let Die” from the James Bond movies of the same name. He’s been recognized with six Grammys, an Academy Award, and countless other accolades. George Martin was 90 when he died in his sleep on March 8, 2016.
Maurice White was the founder and co-lead singer of the highly influential R&B band, Earth, Wind & Fire. Formed in Chicago in 1969, the band went on to sell over 100 million albums, making them one of the most successful bands of the 20th century. For over four decades, the group dazzled audiences around the world thanks in part to their dynamic horn section and energetic live shows. White was born in Memphis, Tennessee and gravitated toward music at an early age along with childhood friend, Booker T Jones. As a teenager, White moved to Chicago where he found work as a session drummer for the legendary label, Chess Records. He played on numerous records by the likes of 
Paul Kantner was the original lead guitarist for influential ’60s counterculture rock band, Jefferson Airplane. Although the group was founded by singer, Marty Balin, Kanter quickly took over running things, and when Balin left, he lead its new incarnation, Jefferson Starship to even greater heights. Formed in San Francisco in 1965, Jefferson Airplane was arguably the flash point of what would become known as psychedelic rock – rock music that was created to help enhance the experience of acid, and in particular, LSD. Along with bands like the Grateful Dead the 