Died On This Date (November 17, 2011) Joe Gracey / Austin Radio Legend
themusicsover Joe Gracey
DOB Unknown – November 17, 2011
Joe Gracey was an Austin, Texas radio disc jockey who, since the early ’70s, championed what was then called progressive country on KOKE-FM. Also referred to as alt country, Americana, outlaw country, redneck rock, or simply Texas music, this hybrid of country, blues, rock, and folk found its home outside the mainstream. And it was Gracey who helped make many of its practitioners – like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kinky Friedman, Townes Van Zandt, Asleep at the Wheel, and Jerry Jeff Walker, household names throughout Texas and beyond. After being named “Radio Trendsetter of the Year” by Billboard magazine in 1974, Gracey helped launch the popular music program Austin City Limits and was the show’s first talent coordinator. He later opened his own recording studio where he recorded Stevie Ray Vaughan. In 1978, he married fellow Texas musician, Kimmie Rhodes for whom he also played and recorded. Other artists with which he collaborated were Willie Nelson, Ray Price, and Calvin Russell, to name a few. Joe Gracey died of cancer on November 17, 2011. He was 61.
Thanks to Harold Lepidus for the assist.
Jimmy Savile was an English disc jockey and pioneering television personality who, since the dawn of the 1960s, was a familiar face on such music related television programs as Top Of The Pops, Pop Go The Sixties, and New Music Express. He, in fact, hosted the very first edition of Top Of The Pops on January 1, 1964, and again its finale on July 30, 2006. Savile also presented several popular radio programs throughout the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s on both Radio Luxemburg and the BBC Radio. Over the course of his long career, Savile became arguably as popular – at least throughout the UK, as the countless pop stars whose careers he helped launch. Jimmy Savile was 84 when he died of pneumonia on October 29, 2011.
Known professionally as DJ Mehdi, Mehdi Faveris-Essadi was a prominent French DJ and producer who has been praised throughout the underground hip-hop scene for his skills at combining elements of hip-hop and electronica. During his early professional years, Faveris-Essadi was a DJ or producer for such acts as Different Teep, Ideal J, and 113. He also worked on several French film soundtracks. As his reputation grew, Faveris-Essadi began collaborating with the likes of Chromeo, Daft Punk and Asian Dub Foundation. Faveris-Essadi released a handful of his own critically albums as well, beginning with 2002’s The Story of Espion. On September 13, 2011, DJ Mehdi Faveris-Essadi died in a tragic mishap that resulted in his falling through the roof his house. He and friends had reportedly been on the roof celebrating his birthday.
Jevon Hollywood was a popular radio disc jockey, most recently heard on Detroit top-40 station, WDTW-FM (106.7 The Beat). In his early days at the station, Hollywood built a following as an intern for on-air personality, Lisa Lisa. He eventually landed his own program, the “Late Show,” which aired from 10pm to 1am throughout the week. He was also a popular draw at station events around town. Early reports indicated that Hollywood was walking along the shoulder of a Novi, Michigan-area road (just northeast of Detroit) near his home around 5:30 am, when he was struck by a 61-year-old driver. The apparent accident occurred on July 28, with Hollywood ultimately dying of his injuries on August 1, 2011. He was 34.