Died On This Date (May 28, 2011) Mick Fisher / Bassist For Flannelette
themusicsover Mick Fisher
DOB Unknown – May 28, 2011
Mick Fisher was the bassist for up-and-coming Brisbane, Queensland band, Flannelette. Formed in 2010, the hard rock group had been building a regional following thanks for their dynamic live shows and recently self-released EP. The band members were driving home from a gig on the Gold Coast when their van was reportedly struck by a semi-trailer as they were attempting to pull off the road after experiencing engine trouble. Mick Fisher (age 30), guitarist Tyler Gunn (age 24), and a female companion died as a result of their injuries. Singer/guitarist Matt Campbell, who was reportedly driving the van, survived the accident.
Thanks to Anne Bentley for the assist.
David Hammer, known professionally as Shizuo was a Digital Hardcore recording electronic musician. Hammer first got noticed during the ’90s as the engineer for digital hardcore group, Atari Teenage Riot. In 1997, Hammer released his sole full length, Shizuo Vs. Shizor which was critically acclaimed for its unique marriage of punk rock and electronic. The album was released in the U.S. by the Beastie Boys’ label, Grand Royal. David “Shizuo” Hammer died reportedly from a drug overdose on May 28, 2011. He was 38.
Gil Scott-Heron was an American poet, musician, and author who has been called the “Godfather of Rap” due to the social and political commentary of his work as well as the vocal delivery with which he presented his songs. Had there been such a word during the early ’70s, his spoken word over a jazz backdrop would have been called “rap.” These early recordings were the foundation on which rap, hip-hop, and neo-soul were built. In 1970, he released a song/poem entitled “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” which many consider the exact moment at which hip-hop was born even though we wouldn’t know it for at least another 10 years. Throughout the late ’70s and ’80s, Scott-Heron lent his voice to political and social causes like the 1979 No Nukes Concert and 1985’s Artists United Against Apartheid’s Sun City benefit album. Scott-Heron spent a good part of the 2000s in jail due to various drug related charges, but in 2010, his career experienced a renaissance when he was signed to hip independent label, XL Recordings, home to such artists as Adele, the XX, Vampire Weekend, and Sigur Ros. His label debut, I’m New Here, which was his first album in 16 years, turned him on to a whole new generation of both hip-hop fans and hipsters alike. On May 27, 2011, it was announced that Gil Scott-Heron, age 62, passed away in a New York City hospital earlier that day. Cause of death was not immediately released.
John Kulhken was an accomplished musician who took up the drums when he was just 8 years old. Born and raised in the San Diego, California area, Kulhken joined the Air Force after graduating from high school and later earned a Journalism degree from San Diego State University. A true journeyman drummer, Kulhken played in many local bands including the MacAnanys, the Nards, the Rugburns, and Sara Petite and the Sugar Daddies. A 10-year survivor of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma for which he received a bone marrow transplant, Kulhken was hospitalized after not feeling well on May 20th only to learn he was suffering from a blood infection that ultimately took his life several hours later. John Kuhlken was 49 when he passed away on May 20, 2011.
Bob Flanigan was the founder and lead singer of influential jazz vocal group, the Four Freshmen. Formed in 1948 while they were still students at Butler University, the group went on to release numerous hit records and perform in front of sold-out audiences the world over. They would be cited as direct influences on the likes of the Manhattan Transfer, the Lettermen, and most notably, Brian Wilson who often gave credit to the group’s vocal harmonies for guiding his vision of the Beach Boys sound. It was Flanigan’s distinctive high pitch that could be heard above the others on most of the group’s recordings. He was also an accomplished trombonist and bass guitarist, in fact all the original members played instruments, which separated them from other vocal groups of the era. Upon retiring in 1992, Flanigan retained the rights to the group’s name and was involved in selecting new members. Bob Flanigan was 84 when he died of congestive heart failure on May 15, 2011. Co-founder, 