Died On This Date (December 27, 2015) Stevie Wright / The Easybeats
themusicsover Stevie Wright
December 20, 1947 – December 27, 2015
Stevie Wright was an English-born singer and songwriter best remembered as the lead singer of Sydney, Australia’s Easybeats. The band, and Wright in particular, are widely regarded as Australia’s first international pop stars. Formed in 1964, the Easybeats quickly rose to the top of the heap of local bands that were direct byproducts of the British Invasion. In fact, the group first found its footing in a tiny hangout in pub basement that was dubbed Beatle Village. Within a year, the Easybeats were signed to Parlophone Records and quickly built a sizable following throughout Australia. By the end of 1965, they were playing to sell-out crowds and sparking their own Beatlemania-like hysteria coined, “Easyfever.” The band’s hits included “She’s So Fine,” “Come And See Her,” “Sorry,” and most notably, “Friday On My Mind,” their only true international hit. After the band split up in 1969, Wright fronted a handful of other bands and launched a solo career. In 1972, he performed as Simon the Zealot in the Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1986, Wright reunited with the Easybeats for a brief Australian tour. He ultimately retired in 2009. On December 27, 2015, Stevie Wright died of pneumonia. He was 68.
What You Should Own
Born and raised in Georgia, Billy Joe Royal was a pop and country singer who had a string of hits during the ’50s and ’60s and ’80s. His biggest hit came by way of 1965’s “Down In The Boondocks,” which reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and helped define the soft rock sound of its day. Hits like “I Knew You When,” “Hush,” and “Cherry Hill Park” followed. During the ’70s, Royal experienced a comeback of sorts when his “Heart’s Desire” found fandom along the UK Northern Soul circuit. During the ’80s, Royal became one of the first pop stars to successfully crossover to country. He had several Top 10 hits including “I’ll Pin A Note On Your Pillow” and “Tell It Like It Is.” Billy Joe Royal was 73 when he died in his sleep on October 6, 2015. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Charanjit Singh was a multi instrumentalist from Mumbai, India, who, during the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, found his calling playing guitar and synthesizer on numerous Bollywood soundtracks. In 1982, he released Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat to little fanfare. But when it was reissued in 2010, it was embraced by the acid house community who acknowledged Singh as a pioneer of the genre. The sound he created clearly had an influence on the likes of Aphex Twin and Ceephax. Charanjit Singh was 75 when he died in his sleep on July 5, 2015.
