Died On This Date (September 20, 1973) Maury Muehleisen / Died With Jim Croce
themusicsover Maury Muehleisen
January 14, 1949 – September 20, 1973
Maury Muehleisen was a songwriter and guitarist best known as the recording and performing partner of Jim Croce. Muehleisen had already released an album on Capitol Records when me met Croce in 1970. They began working together, and the magic was immediate. Muehleisen and Croce had a way of bettering each other both in the studio and on stage. Upon the release of Croce’s debut solo album, his career took off, and he took Muehleisen with him. Together the mounted a seemingly never ending dates on television and on tour. But then on September 20, 1973, Muehleisen and Croce boarded an ill fated flight from Louisana to Texas. Just after takeoff, the small commercial plane clipped a tree just beyond the runway. The plane crashed, killing Muehleisen and Croce instantly. The cause was officially ruled as pilot error, but some early reports indicated that the pilot may have suffered a heart attack.
The son of romance writer Danielle Steele, Nick Traina was the lead singer of ska punk band, Link 80. Traina joined Link 80 when he was just sixteen, after fronting a band that he formed at just thirteen. Traina suffered much of life with mental issues, being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and manic depression in later years. He also suffered from drug abuse and had tried to take his own life on three seperate occasions before sadly succeeding on the fourth try. He was just 19 years old.
Ben Webster was a prominent saxophonist who made his mark playing swing. He is considered one of the most important players of the idiom. He got his start in the Young Family Band alongside the great, 
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