Died On This Date (February 25, 2010) David Soyer / Cellist For Guarneri String Quartet
themusicsover David Soyer
February 24, 1923 – February 25, 2010
David Soyer was a brilliant cellist who formed the respected Guarneri String Quartet in 1964. He played until his retirement in 2001, after which, the group continued on for another eight years. Soyer launched his musical life at the age of nine when he took up the piano, but he switched to the cello two years later. Outside of the Guarneri String Quartet, he played in the Army band during WWII and the NBC Studio Orchestra. Soyer was also a faculty member at such prestigious music schools as Julliard and the Manhattan School of Music. David Soyer passed away on February 25, 2010, the day after his 87th birthday.
Webb Pierce was a popular country singer whose career spanned the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Based on chart success, he was the most popular country performer of the 1950s. His biggest hit, “There Stands The Glass” is considered one country music’s greatest songs and has been recorded by the likes of Willie Nelson, Wanda Jackson, Van Morrison, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Up until his retirement in 1982, Pierce charted 96 singles. Besides, “There Stands The Glass,” his most popular were “In The Jailhouse Now,” and “Why Baby Why.” Pierce was just as well-known for his lavish lifestyle as he was for his music. He drove two Cadillacs that were lined with silver dollars, wore elaborate Nudie suits, and had a $30,000 swimming pool fashioned after a guitar. Webb Pierce was 69 when he died of pancreatic cancer on February 24, 1991.
Johnnie Ray was a pop singer, songwriter and pianist who helped R&B, jazz and blues transition into rock ‘n roll during the early ’50s. Ray made his first recordings in 1951, and by the following year, he scored his first hit with “Cry.” The record sold over 2 million copies, almost instantly turning him into one of rock ‘n roll’s first teen heart throbs. Ray released several more hits throughout the rest of the decade, helping him a superstar, not only in the U.S., but throughout most of Europe as well. Ray’s popularity dwindled during the ’60s and ’70s, but he experienced a small renaissance thanks to a reference in Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ 1982 hit, “Come On Eileen,” and use of his image in its video. An apparent heavy drinker, Johnnie Ray died of liver failure on February 24, 1990. He was 63 years old.
Larry Norman has been called “The Father of Christian Rock.” Before jumping into the Christian music arena, Norman was part of the Bay Area scene where he was afforded the opportunity to open for both 