Died On This Date (August 14, 2006) Johnny Duncan / Country Singer
themusicsover Johnny Duncan
October 5, 1938 – August 14, 2006
Johnny Duncan was a prolific country singer and guitarist who could count 14 studio albums to his name. Born into a talented family that included cousins Eddie Seals, Dan Seals and Jimmy Seals, Duncan knew early on that he wanted to be a professional singer. He got his chance while working as a disc jockey outside of Nashville when he was signed to Columbia Records. Over the years he charted over 30 singles, included several popular duets with Janie Fricke. As a writer, he had songs covered by Charley Pride, Chet Atkins, Conway Twitty and Marty Robbins. Johnny Duncan suffered a fatal heart attack on August 14, 2006. He was 67.
What You Should Own
Joe Tex was an American soul singer and songwriter who is best remembered for his four hit singles in the ’60s and ’70s. 1965’s “Hold What You’ve Got” sold over a million copies and reached #5 on the Billboard singles chart. His “Skinny Legs And All,” released in 1967 also sold more than a million copies, while 1972’s “I Gotcha” peaked at #2 on the pop charts. And 1977, Tex released “Ain’t Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman),” his last sizable hit, which went to #12 on the charts. He had a unique style of singing at the time, a preacher-style of talking over the songs – he called it “rap” and many music historians agree that it was one of the early foundations of rap and hip hop. In the mid ’60s, Tex converted to the Muslim religion and changed his name to Yusuf Hazziez, and in the ’80s, he more or less retired from music and devoted his time to his religion. Joe Tex died of after a heart attack at the age of 48.
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Allen Shellenberger was the founding drummer for Orange County alternative rock band, Lit. Formed in 1990 as Razzle, the band built a following based on their live shows and a self released EP. In 1996, the band changed its name to Lit and soon signed with major label, RCA Records. The band’s 1999 album, A Place In The Sun sold over 1 million copies thanks in part to the hit single, “My Own Worst Enemy.” In May of 2008, the band announced that Shellenberger was diagnosed with with a malignant brain tumor. He passed away as a result of the tumor at the age of 39.