Died On This Date (October 27, 1980) Steve Peregrin Took / T-Rex
themusicsover Steve Peregrin Took (Born Stephen Porter)
July 28, 1949 – October 27, 1980
Steve Took is best remembered as the original drummer in Marc Bolan’s rock band, T. Rex. After answering an ad in a 1967 London newspaper, Took met Bolan and together, they formed T. Rex as a duo. While Bolan sang and played guitars, Took played bass and percussion. The band built a strong cult following in and around the UK after releasing three albums in the late ’60s. Famed UK disc jockey, John Peel helped them land a record deal. Unfortunately, Took’s excessive drug use and abnormal behavior lead to Bolan releasing him from the band after their first U.S. tour in 1971. Took began playing with a band called the Pink Fairies, while Bolan and his band’s fame took off. He also worked as a solo artist for a couple of years before his death. Steve Peregrin Took, 31, died after a night of drug use. Official reports indicate that he died from choking on a cocktail cherry, though some believe drugs played a part.
Taylor Mitchell was an up-and-coming singer songwriter who was just beginning to build her career in her home country of Canada when her life was tragically cut short. Mitchell recorded her first EP in 2007 and released her full length debut For Your Consideration, in March of 2009 . Mitchell’s back-up band for her latest album included a cast of all-star musicians who have played with the likes of Ani DiFranco, Ron Sexsmith and Kathleen Edwards. Taylor Mitchell, 19, was hiking in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, when she was attacked by two coyotes. Mitchell died of her injuries in a Halifax hospital.
Xavier Cugat was a musician, singer, songwriter, band leader, cartoonist, and actor whose various careers ran some 65 years. Born in Spain, he moved with his family to Cuba where he was trained on the violin. In 1915, his family moved again, this time settling in New York City. His first band of note, the Gigolos, was a popular Tango band in New York. During the ’30s, Cugat became the leader of the house band at New York’s fames Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. It was around this time he got into acting, so he spent much of the next three decades flying back and forth between New York and Los Angeles to work at th hotel and make movies. He also did some time as the cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times. Cugat made several hit records during the ’40s, most of them popular Latin dance tunes of the day. Xavier Cugat died of heart failure at the age of 90.
Hoyt Axton was country singer songwriter and actor who came to prominence as a folk singer in the ’60s and then again as country singer in the ’70s. Even though he released several successful albums and acted in and performed on numerous television shows and films, it was Axton’s skills as a songwriter that separated him from the pack. Over the years, his songs were made into hits by the likes of Ringo Starr (“No-No Song”) Steppenwolf (“The Pusher”) and of course, Three Dog Night (“Never Been To Spain” and most famously, “Joy to the World” aka “Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog”). His songs have also been covered by 