Died On This Date (December 4, 1976) Tommy Bolin / Rock Guitar Great
themusicsover Tommy Bolin
August 1, 1951 – December 4, 1976
Tommy Bolin was an up-and-coming rock guitarist in his early 20s when he got the call to play in the post-Joe Walsh James Gang. Up until that point, he had be playing around with various musicians in the Denver area, most prominently, in a band called Zephyr. After two albums with the James Gang, Bang! and Miami, Bolin left to do session work. In 1975, Bolin recorded his first solo album which found him backed with by a stellar line up of musicians. That list included Phil Collins, Glenn Hughes, David Sanborn and Jan Hammer. It was around that time that he got the call to join yet another band, Deep Purple. The end of 1975 found the release of both Bolin’s first album, Teaser, and his Deep Purple album, Come Taste the Band. Bolin soon hit the road with Deep Purple, but reports began surfacing that his growing dependency on heroin was hindering his guitar playing. Following the Deep Purple tour, Bolin went to work on his second album, Private Eyes. What followed was a tour that found him opening for Peter Frampton and Jeff Beck. On December 3, 1976, Tommy Bolin performed one last show in front of Beck. The next morning, his lifeless body was found in his hotel room. Cause of death was presumed to be the result of heavy drug and alcohol usage causing his throat muscles to close up, thereby suffocating him. He was just 25.
What You Should Own
Liam Clancy was an Irish folk singer who, along with his brothers, came to prominence during the ’60s folk revival as the Clancy Brothers. Growing up, Clancy first gravitated toward the theater, producing, directing and starring in plays that ran in and around Dublin. During the mid ’50s, he began performing and recording with his brothers and friend, Tommy Makem. They soon moved to the U.S. where they became an integral part of the New York folk scene. In 1961, the group was asked to be a last minute replacement on the Ed Sullivan Show. After a then unheard of 16-minute performance, the Clancy Brothers were folk music’s new rising stars, landing a multi-album deal with Columbia Records. They had a very successful career that also included album releases on the storied Vanguard Records. No less than Bob Dylan has cited them as an influence on his career and reportedly called Liam the greatest ballad singer he ever heard. Clancy recorded several critically acclaimed solo albums throughout his career as well. Liam Clancy died of pulmonary fibrosis on December 4, 2009. He was 74.
Paul Bryant was a respected jazz keyboardist who played a key role in the development of the west coast jazz sound. His talent earned him the nickname of the “Central Avenue Kid.” L.A.’s Central Avenue was the epicenter of the local jazz scene during the ’50s and ’60s. Over the course of his career, he released eight albums on such respected labels as Pacific Jazz, and toured the world. On December 4, 2009, Paul Bryant passed away at the age of 76.