Died On This Date (February 23, 2003) Howie Epstein / Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
themusicsover Howie Epstein
July 21, 1955 – February 23, 2003
Before Howie Epstein became a member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers he was playing behind John Hiatt in the ’70s (Slug Line, Two Bit Monsters), and Del Shannon in the ’80s. It was while working on a Petty-produced Del Shannon album, that Epstein was offered a spot in Petty’s band. He jumped at the chance and made his live debut alongside Petty on September 1, 1982. Four days later, he was playing in front of one of the biggest rock crowds in history at the legendary US Festival in Southern California. In 1988, Epstein met and began a romantic and professional relationship with Carlene Carter who was the daughter of June Carter and Carl Smith, and recently divorced from Nick Lowe. Epstein helped revive Carter’s career which included a Grammy nomination in 1991. Epstein was also building a solid reputation as a producer, even earning a Best Contemporary Folk Album Grammy for John Prine’s The Missing Years. Epstein died on February 23, 2003 from the effects of drug abuse, although not from an overdose.
Tony Williams was an influential jazz drummer who is generally remembered for his early work with 
John Fahey was an influential folk and blues guitarist who is revered for his minimalistic steel string finger-picking style of play. Fahey bought his first guitar at the age of 13, and by the time he was 20, he was making his own recordings. Besides his amazing guitar skill, what separated Fahey from most other musicians at the time, was that he started his own record label, Takoma Records through which to release while he was still just a teenager. Through all this, Fahey continued his education, eventually earning a Master’s degree in folklore from UCLA. As a musicologist, Fahey tracked down the long forgotten blues great, 
Ian Wallace was an accomplished session rock drummer who is most often remembered for his short stint in King Crimson during the early ’70s. He can be heard playing on Islands and their live album, Earthbound. Throughout the years, Wallace played with a who’s who of rock music. He played on such albums as Bob Dylan’s Street Legal and At Budokon, Bonnie Raitt’s Nine Lives, Don Henley’s Building A Perfect Beast, Rodney Crowell’s Houston Kid, Stevie Nicks’ Wild Heart, and many more. He released just one album, 2003’s Happiness With Minimal Side Effects. Ian Wallace was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in August of 2006, and subsequently died of it on February 22, 2007. He was 60.
Calvin Owens was a respected jazz and blues trumpeter and band leader from Houston, Texas. He started learning to play the trumpet at the age of 13, and after graduating from high school, he turned professional by touring with a vaudeville act. In 1953, Owens began working with B.B. King, eventually becoming his bandleader. He played with him until 1957, when he landed a job at Peacock Records as a session player. Owens went on to play with the likes of 