but the songs live on forever

Musician

Folk Musician Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (October 10, 2012) Nils Koppruch / Popular German Singer-Songwriter

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Nils Koppruch
1965 – October 10, 2012

Nils Koppruch was a German singer-songwriter who also worked as a freelance artist.  Strongly influenced by American folk, blues, Americana, and bluegrass, Koppruch built a dedicated following as the front man for Finch from 1996 to 2006.  After Finch dissolved, Koppruch continued on as a solo artist performing in a style he called “city folk.”  He toured throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland, gaining loyal fans along the way.  Koppruch released two solo albums, The Hell Do (V2 Records) in 2007 and Caruso in 2010.  In 2012, he collaborated with Gisbert zu Knyphausen on an album entitled simply, I.  Nils Koppruch was 46 when he passed away on October 10, 2012.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus at Bob Dylan Examiner for the assist.

 

Musician Rock

Died On This Date (October 2, 2012) Big Jim Sullivan / Legendary UK Session Guitarist; Played On Over 1000 Charting Singles

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Jim Sullivan
February 14, 1941 – October 2, 2012

Big Jim Sullivan was one of the most requested and prolific session guitarists that England ever produced.  Over a career that spanned over 50 years, he played on around 1000 records that charted in the UK, more than 50 reached number one.  Legend has it that he played on upwards of 3000 records a year during the height of his career.  Sullivan was just 14 when he started learning to play the guitar, and in just two years, he was playing professionally.  In 1959, he joined a band called the Wildcats who were backing Marty Wilde at the time.  The following year, the Wildcats backed Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent on the infamous UK tour that ultimately took Cochran’s life.  Over the next two decades, Sullivan became one of the most in-demand guitarists in the business.  He also gave a young Ritchie Blackmore guitar lessons and helped convince Jim Marshall to make his now famous amps.  During this time, Sullivan was one of the earliest to make use of feedback, the fuzzbox and talkbox, which was made into more or less a household name by Peter Frampton on his classic Frampton Comes Alive album of 1976. The short list who employed Sullivan to play on their records is made up of the Kinks, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, Marianne Faithfull, David Bowie, Donovan, and Frank Zappa.  He was also a familiar face playing alongside Tom Jones on his American variety show.  Sullivan also found time to record several albums of his own as well. Big Jim Sullivan was 71 when he passed away on October 2, 2012.  He was reportedly suffering from diabetes and heart disease at the time of his death.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus at Bob Dylan Examiner for the assist.

Easy Listening Musician Pop Singer

Died On This Date (September 25, 2012) Andy Williams / Iconic American Crooner

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Howard “Andy” Williams
December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012

With 18 gold and three platinum albums, and a three-time Emmy winning primetime variety show, Andy Williams was a force to be reckoned with during the ’60s and ’70s.  Williams launched his career with six recordings for an X Records, and RCA Victor label, in 1953.  A year later he made his first of many appearances on Tonight Starring Steve Allen which led to his signing to Cadence Records and his first hits. By the mid ’60s, Williams was recording for Columbia and had purchased the Cadence master tape catalog which also included recordings by the Everly Brothers and the Chordettes.  He soon launched Barnaby Records which had hits with Ray Stevens’ “Everything Is Beautiful” and “The Streak.”  He also signed a young Jimmy Buffett to his first record deal at Barnaby. Meanwhile, Williams was quickly becoming the most popular pop vocalist of his era.  At one point during the ’60s, he was awarded the most expensive recording contract in history.  As a solo performer with 18 gold records, his award count was eclipsed by only Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis, and Frank Sinatra at the time. Williams’ many hits over the years included “Born Free,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You,” “(Where Do I Begin) Love Story,” “Butterfly,” and “Can’t Get Used To Losing You.” The Andy Williams Show, which ran between 1962 and 1971, was one of the most popular variety shows of all time.  It played host to most of the biggest names in show business, and it’s semi-annual Christmas specials set the standard. And with eight Christmas albums and a huge hit with “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year,” Williams became known around the world as Mr. Christmas.  And although he was considered a “square” by the counter culture, Williams was one of the few major stars who was very vocal against the Nixon Administration’s attempts to deport John Lennon during the early ’70s.  In May of 1992, Williams opened the Moon River Theater in Branson, Missouri.  Hosting performers like Glen Campbell, Ann-Margret,  Rich Little and David Copperfield, the theater became one of the most popular venues in the city.  Andy Williams was 84 when he passed away on September 25, 2012. He had been suffering from bladder cancer.

What You Should Own

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Moon River: The Very Best of Andy Williams - Andy Williams

Musician R&B Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (September 15, 2012) James “Sugar Boy” Crawford / New Orleans R&B Great

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James “Sugar Boy” Crawford
October 12, 1934 – September 15, 2012

James “Sugar Boy” Crawford was a New Orleans R&B musician who, in 1953, wrote a song called “Jock-A-Moe,” which eventually morphed into “Iko-Iko,” one of the Crescent City’s most beloved standards.  As a singer, trombonist, and later, pianist, Crawford began performing around 1950 when he formed the Chapaka Shawee with Doctor Daddy-O. The great Leonard Chess signed him to his Chess Records and changed their name to Sugar Boy & his Cane Cutters.  In 1965, the Dixie Cups released “Iko-Iko” which sounded enough like “Jock-A-Moe,” that Crawford was eventually awarded 25% ownership.  “Iko Iko” went on to become one of the most popular songs to come out of New Orleans and could be heard in countless movies and television shows.  It has been covered by the likes of the Grateful Dead, Cyndi Lauper, Warren Zevon and Dave Matthews.  In 1963, Crawford was pistol-whipped by the police to the point that he was laid up for two years.  The beating put him into a coma and resulted in a metal plate replacing much of his skull.  When he awoke, he had lost most of his memory and motor skills which took the best of two years to re-learn.  He retired from the music business until 1969 when he returned to singing in his church only.  Crawford resurfaced during the mid ’90s to perform on his grandson, Davell Crawford’s, album and made occasional appearances at  New Orleans festivals well into the 2000s.   James “Sugar Boy” Crawford was 77 when he passed away in hospice care on September 15, 2012.

 Thanks to Henk de Bruin for the assist.

Americana Musician Rock Songwriter

Died On This Date (September 11, 2012) Johnny Perez / Sir Douglas Quintet

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Johnny Perez
DOB Unknown – September 11, 2012

Johnny Perez is perhaps best remembered as the original drummer for one of Texas’ greatest rock bands, the Sir Douglas Quintet.  Formed by Doug Sahm in 1965, the group took a more regal sounding name in order to give the illusion they were less American during the peak of the British Invasion.  Due to their name-trickery or not, the Sir Douglas Quintet had some of the most popular home-grown rock songs of the era, including “She’s About A Mover,” and “Mendocino.”  Hardly anglo sounding, the band dished out a tamale-hot musical stew of country, jazz, cajun, blues, psychedelic and rock ‘n roll that is often credited as the birth of Americana music.  And it was Perez who provided its back beat for many years.  During the early ’70s, after the band relocated to Los Angeles, Perez opened Topanga Skyline Studios in the storied Topanga Canyon area just northwest of L.A.  Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne and T-Bone Burnett, to name a few, all recorded there at one point or another.  As a songwriter, Perez shared credit on several songs with Joe “King” Carrasco.  They co-wrote “Pachuco Hop” and “Buena,” both now considered Tex-Mex staples.  The Sir Douglas Quintet broke up in 1973, but reunited on occasion throughout the years with Perez participating.  On September 11, 2012, Johnny Perez died from complications of cirrhosis of the liver.  He was 69.

 

What You Should Own

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The Best of Douglas Sahm & The Sir Douglas Quintet (1968-1975) - Doug Sahm & The Sir Douglas Quintet

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