Musician

Died On This Date (April 1, 2009) Duane Jarvis / Respected L.A. Singer Songwriter

Duane Jarvis
August 22, 1957 – April 1, 2009

duane-jarvisDuane Jarvis was one of those great talents that should have been more famous than they were.  Although Jarvis was born in Oregon, both Los Angeles and Nashville like to claim him as their own as well.   Much more than a superb singer and songwriter, Jarvis was also a master of the guitar, mandolin and bass.  Over the years he has worked with the Divinyls, Rosie Flores, Dave Alvin, John Prine, Victoria Williams, Dwight Yoakam, M. Ward, and Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits.  Duane Jarvis died of cancer on April 1, 2009.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.


What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com



Died On This Date (April 1, 2004) Paul Atkinson / The Zombies

Paul Atkinson
March 19, 1946 – April 1, 2004

Zombies founding member and guitarist Paul Atkinson passed away from liver and kidney disease on April 1, 2004. He was 58. While the Zombies failed to take off like so many other British Invasion bands of the early 1960s, their songs like “She’s Not There,” “Tell Her No,” and “Time Of The Season” will forever be remembered as key moments in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. And no worthy collection of psychedelic rock song is complete without “Time Of The Season,” which didn’t even become popular until long after the band had broken up in 1967. Atkinson went on to work for RCA Records as an A&R Rep where he was credited for signing Abba, Mr. Mister, Judas Priest and Bruce Hornsby.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

 

Odessey and Oracle - The Zombies

 

Died On This Date (April 1, 1917) Scott Joplin / King Of Ragtime

Scott Joplin
November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917

scott-joplinKnown as the “King of Ragtime,” Scott Joplin took banjo and piano music out of the brothels and raised it to a true art form.  Born in Texas to a former slave father, Joplin tought himself how to play on a piano of a local white family.   He was soon studying under a German instructor.  All of these experiences helped him develop a sound that was truly unique.  In 1899, his “Maple Leaf Rag” was published and went on to become one of the most popular instrumentals of all time, a true American standard.  Another of his tunes, “The Entertainer” turned a new generation on to his music and helped spark the ragtime revival of the mid ’70s.  Featured in the Paul Newman/Robert Redford film, The Sting, the song started receiving heavy airplay which helped its opening to become on of the most recognizable in pop music history.  Joplin was just 48 when he died of what has been reported as the result of syphilis.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

King Of Ragtime Writers From Classic Piano Rolls - Scott Joplin

Died On This Date (March 31, 1996) Jeffrey Lee Pierce / The Gun Club

Jeffrey Lee Pierce
June 27, 1958 – March 31, 1996

Photo by Hank Grebe

Perhaps best known as the front man for L.A. blues-infused rock band, the Gun Club, Jeffrey Lee Pierce also worked for Bomp Records, wrote for a handful of punk ‘zines, and ran the Blondie fan club.  With the Gun Club, Pierce made an influential though not commercial impact on music with their swampy blues punk sound that drew strongly from such blues giants as Charley Patton and Howlin’ Wolf.  Gun Club were a direct influence on the White Stripes, Screaming Trees and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.  By the ’90s, Pierce was struggling with personal demons and drugs, leading to a marked decline in his creative output.   He died of a brain hemorrhage on the final day of March, 1996.  He was just 37.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Fire of Love - The Gun Club

Died On This Date (March 31, 2008) Sean Levert / R&B Singer

Sean Levert
September 28, 1968 – March 31, 2008

Sean Levert was the son of O’Jays singer, Eddie Levert.  Along with his older brother Gerald Levert and friend Marc Gordon, he formed the group LeVert and scored a handful of R&B hit in the late ’80s/early ’90s,  The group earned two gold albums and received a Grammy nomination.  In March of 2008, Levert entered prison to serve a year for unpaid child support in excess of $89,000.  Within days of entering the prison, Levert was taken to a hospital suffering from high blood pressure and hallucinations.  He died in the hospital on March 31, 2008.  The cause was determined to be a combination of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, sarcoidosis and withdrawal from Xanax.  The sentencing judge claimed to have had no knowledge of his health problems prior to her ruling.

What You Should Own

Private Line - Gerald Levert