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Died On This Date (March 16, 2014) Scott Asheton / Drummer For Iggy Pop & The Stooges

Scott Asheton
August 16, 1949 – March 16, 2014

scott-ashetonScott Asheton was the drummer for Detroit group the Stooges, a garage band lead by the wildly charismatic Iggy Pop.  With the Stooges, Asheton was considered by many as ground zero for what would become known as punk rock some ten years later.  Born in Washington DC, Asheton was 14 when his family moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan where he eventually co-founded the Stooges with brother, Ron Asheton, Iggy Pop and David Alexander.  After its inception, the band quickly established itself as a must-see act in and around the Detroit area for their aggressive playing and Pop’s shocking stage antics.  It must be noted that this was still the late ‘60s, a time when such blistering noise and in-your-face singing was difficult for many of the Woodstock generation to swallow.  But the Stooges persevered and soon landed on Elektra Records who released their brilliant self-titled debut in 1969. Another album followed before some line-up changes and a third album for Columbia Records.  The band broke up in 1974, so the Asheton brothers continued on, both together and in support of other acts for the next several years. In 2003, the Ashetons and Pop reformed the group.  They released The Weirdness in 2007. In 2011, Asheton suffered a severe stroke following a show in France.  Although it forced him off the road, he contributed to the band’s 2013 release,  Ready To Die.  Scott Asheton was 64 when he died on March 16, 2014.  Cause of death was not immediately released

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

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Died On This Date (February 25, 2014) Paco de Lucía / World Renowned Flamenco Guitarist

Paco de Lucía (Born Francisco Sánchez Gomes)
December 21, 1947 – February 25, 2014

Photo by David Plastik - Click To Order Quality Prints - Discount code: 10OFF
Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

Paco de Lucía was a Spanish musician who was considered THE greatest Flamenco guitarist in the world during most of his lifetime.  Born into a musical family in Algeciras, Spain, de Lucía began learning the guitar as early as 5 years old, often practicing 12 hours a day upon his father’s strict orders.  Pretty much done with school at the age of 11 due to his family’s poverty, De Lucía began earning his keep playing on the streets of Algeciras and beyond.  By the 1960s, De Lucía, who had no formal music training, had pretty much single-handedly  reinvented Flamenco by incorporating jazz, classical and salsa into it.  During the ’70s, he began collaborating with the likes of Al Di Miola, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin and Larry Coryell much to the delight of jazz fans around the world.  His 1981 album with McLaughlin and Di Miola, Friday Night in San Francisco, is one of the most celebrated of the genre.  Throughout his 50 year+ career, de Lucía was presented with two Grammys and numerous awards and recognitions.  De Lucía all but retired during the mid 2000s, but continued to release an occasional project and perform live at special events.  While vacationing on February 25, 2014, Paco de Lucía suffered a fatal heart attack.  He was 66.

 

 

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With Al Dimeiola & John Mclaughlin Photo by David Plastik - Click To Order Quality Prints - Discount code: 10OFF
With Al Dimeiola & John Mclaughlin
Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

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Died On This Date (February 17, 2014) Bob Casale / Devo

Bob Casale
DOB Unknown – February 17, 2014

bob-casaleBob Casale was a founding guitarist for influential new wave band, Devo.  Formed with his brother, Gerald Casale, brothers, Mark Mothersbaugh and Bob Mothersbaugh, and Alan  Myers in 1972, Devo went on to become one of the most popular bands of the era thanks to such hits as “Girl U Want,” “Freedom Of Choice,” “Working In A Coal Mine,” and “Whip It.”  The latter was one of the most recognizable songs of the ’80s and helped propel the album Freedom Of Choice to Platinum in the US.  The song’s video was one of the most popular on MTV at the time.  The band continued to release album throughout the ’80s but slowed down as the public’s taste changed during the ’90s and 2000s.  In 2010, they released Something For Everybody to critical acclaim. It reached #30 on the Billboard album charts, their first charting album since 1988.  Also in 2010, Devo performed during a televised broadcast from the Vancouver Winter Olympics.  Bob Casale died of heart failure on February 17, 2014.  He was 61.

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Died On This Date (January 27, 2014) Pete Seeger / American Folk Singer and Activist

Pete Seeger
May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014

pete-seegerPete Seeger is regarded by many as the single most important figure of the American folk music revival of the late ’50s/early ’60s.  Just as important to many, he used his talent and popularity to shine a light on social injustice, poverty, environmental issues, anti-war movements, and more.  Born into a highly academic  and musical family in New York City, Seeger was exposed to music at a very young age.  Educated primarily in boarding schools, he was very well-educated and somewhat withdrawn until he found his spotlight while entertaining classmates with a ukulele he picked up on his own.  By the late ’30s, he switched over to the banjo, the instrument he would help popularize three decades later.  As the years went on, Seeger went from small festival folky to cultural hero thanks in part to his songs that would become the soundtrack to the ’60s Civil Rights Movement and beyond.  Tunes like “If I Had A Hammer” written with Weavers band mate, Lee Hays), “Turn, Turn, Turn,” and “Where Have All The Flowers Gone” have become folk standards as well as part of the fabric that is American music.  They, and many others, have been recorded by a who’s who of pop, rock and folk singers throughout the past half century.  To name just a few of his honors, Seeger has received the National Medal Of Arts, the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award, a Kennedy Center Honor, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a George Peabody Medal, and multiple Grammys, including one for Best Children’s Album in 2010.  To list those who could rightfully say “if it wasn’t for Pete Seeger…” would take days, but two in particular were Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. It was Seeger who urged Columbia’s John Hammond to produce Dylan’s first album.  Springsteen meanwhile would devote much of his career paying tribute to Seeger, including naming his 2010 album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, which ironically, included no songs penned by Seeger, but whose influence can be heard throughout.  With an astonishing career that spanned 75 years, Seeger remained active up until his final days, including a September 2013 performance at Farm Aid at the age of 94.  Pete Seeger was nearly three months shy of his 95th birthday when he passed away on January 27, 2014.

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Died On This Date (January 7, 2014) Maureen Gray / Philly Sound Singer & Songwriter

Maureen Gray
DOB Unknown – January 7, 2014

maureen-grayMaureen Gray was a beloved soul singer whose strong and impassioned voice exemplified what became known as the Philly Sound.  Born in New York City, Gray was just five years old when she made her professional debut at Carnegie Hall.   She sang just one song that night, “Steam Heat” from Pajama Game, and received her first standing ovation.  At just 12 years old, she came to the attention of Chancellor Records who released her first record, “Today’s The Day,” which became an instant hit in the Philly area, making her the envy of her classmates.   Later, she had a Billboard charting hit with “Dancin’ The Strand,” and several other marginal hits. Gary went on to be an in-demand session singer, recording with the likes of Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Bob Marley, David Bowie, George Harrison, and John Lennon.  Maureen Gray was 65 when she died of a rare bile duct cancer on January 7, 2014.

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