Andy Hummel was an American bassist who is best remembered as a founding member of Big Star. Formed with Alex Chilton, Jody Stephens, and Chris Bell in 1971, Memphis, Tennessee’s Big Star set out out to make music that took the best pop elements of the British Invasion but added a dash of Memphis soul. In 1972, Big Star released #1 Album which, although it was a commercial failure, was highly influential to the Replacements, R.E.M., Wilco, Whiskeytown the Flaming Lips, and Teenage Fanclub. After the release of the band’s Radio City, Hummel left the group to pursue his education and focus on a more “traditional” life. In March of 2010, Hummel reunited with the surviving member of Big Star and several others that they influenced at the South By Southwest music conference to pay tribute to Chilton who had recently passed away. On July 19, 2010, Andy Hummel died after a long bout with cancer.
William “Lefty” Frizzell
March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975
Lefty Frizzell was a country singer and songwriter, popular in the 1950s and one of the leaders of the honky tonk movement. His singing and playing style were a major influence on the likes of George Jones, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. Frizzell kept very busy throughout most of the ’50s, either recording or touring the honky tonk circuit, and even as rock ‘n roll was dominating the Ameican phsyche by 1959, Frizzell was still scoring hits with his traditional country sound, including the Grammy nominated “Long Black Veil.” By the ’70s, Frizzell had moved to Bakersfield, California and became the first Country artist to perform at the Hollywood Bowl. But unfortunately, Frizzell’s battle with alcohol was starting to catch up with him, both physically and by damaging his business and personal relationships due to his heavy mood swings and angry tirades. Lefty Frizzell died on July 19, 1975 after suffering a stroke.
Pound for pound, Bobby Fuller’s remarkable output could stack up against any of his peers even though it was cut tragically short after just two years. Songs like “I Fought The Law,” “Let Her Dance,” and “Another Sad and Lonely Night” are just a few of his classic rock ‘n roll recordings that have either been covered by major artists or cited as major influences. Growing up, Fuller idolized fellow Texan, Buddy Holly, and at an early age decided he wanted to be a rock ‘n roll singer as well. Starting in the early ’60s, Fuller began to make a name for himself in the El Paso area clubs, and by 1964, he was living in Los Angeles, chasing his dreams. It was while in Los Angeles, he formed the Bobby Fuller Four and convinced legendary producer Bob Keane to sign them to Mustang Records. Keane’s other claim to fame was discovering a young Ritchie Valens. With a sound that was equal parts Buddy Holly, Tex Mex, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Elvis, Little Richard and the Ventures, Fuller began putting out such instant hit records as “Let Her Dance,” “Love’s Made A Fool Of You,” and of course, the great “I Fought the Law.” And then, almost as quickly as it started, it all came to a tragic and mysterious end. In what the incompetent police ruled a “suicide,” Fuller was found with multiple wounds to his body, covered in gasoline, and left for dead in a parked car outside his apartment. The scene, not only unsecured by police, was never dusted for fingerprints. Fuller’s mother claimed that the police told her that he had been dead for two hours, even though she had been with him just 30 minutes prior. And one witness even came forward claiming they saw a police officer discard a gas can into a nearby dumpster. But the case was never solved. Many speculate that the perpetrators fled the scene before they were able to burn the car and body. And adding to the mystery, the LAPD case files remain lost to this day. A 2002 novel entitled The Dead Circus by John Kaye further fuels the fire by including a “fictional” subplot that has Frank Sinatra ordering the hit on Fuller because he did not like him dating his daughter.
Nico (Born Christa Päffgen)
October 16, 1938 – July 18, 1988
Nico was a German-born singer, actress and model who is best remembered for her work with Velvet Underground as well as Andy Warhol. As a young adult, Nico worked as a model, appearing in such magazines as Vogue and Elle. After landing the lead in the 1963 French film, The Strip-Tease, Nico recorded the Serge Gainsbourg produced theme song. In 1965, Nico recorded her first single with the help of Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. It was around this time that Nico began working with Andy Warhol who managing the Velvet Underground at the time. The band reluctantly agreed to let Nico sing lead on three songs on their 1967 debut, The Velvet Underground & Nico, considered one of the most influential albums of the era. The partnership soon dissolved with Nico moving on to a critically acclaimed solo career. She recorded and performed into the 1980s. On July 18, 1988, Nico fell from her bicycle after suffering a minor heart attack. Unconscious, she was taken to a hospital where she was misdiagnosed with heat stroke. She died the next day of a cerebral hemorrhage from the fall.
Mimi Fariña (Born Margarita Baez)
April 30, 1945 – July 18, 2001
Mimi Fariña was a folk singer-songwriter who came of age during the ’60s folk revival in America. A few years younger than sister, Joan Baez, Fariña performed at many of the same clubs and festivals, including the legendary Newport Folk Festival. In 1963, she met writer and singer-songwriter, Richard Fariña, and within a year, they were married. Together the recorded a couple of noteworthy albums as Mimi & Richard Fariña for revered label, Vanguard Records, also home to Morgana Kennedy. On the night of Mimi’s 21st birthday, Richard left the party on his motorcycle only to be killed in an accident. Vanguard released a third album of “rarities.” By the ’70s, Fariña was performing and recording but her attention turned more toward activism. In 1974, she founded Bread and Roses, an organization that puts together free concerts for people bound to hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons. Over the years she’s had such artists as Bonnie Raitt, Odetta, Pete Seeger and Carlos Santana perform at such shows. By the ’80s, Fariña was rarely performing or recording as she becoming more and more involved with Bread And Roses and other human rights organizations and events. Mimi Fariña passed away of neuroendocrine cancer in 2001. She was 56.