Died On This Date (February 1, 2012) Mike Kelley / Influential Visual Artist & Musician
themusicsover Mike Kelley
1954 – February 1, 2012
Mike Kelley was a respected visual artist as well as a founding member of Detroit underground noise rock band, Destroy All Monsters. Formed while Kelley was an art student in 1973, the band built a sizable cult following even though they never released a proper album. Kelley left the group in order to attend California Institute of the Arts in 1976. Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth released a 3-CD anthology of the band in 1994. Perhaps Kelley’s most notable contribution to popular music however, came by way of the iconic cover art he created for Sonic Youth’s 1992 album, Dirty (see below). Mike Kelley was 57 when he apparently took his own life on February 1, 2012.
What You Should Own
![Dirty (Deluxe Edition) [Remastered] - Sonic Youth](https://i0.wp.com/ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.gif?w=640){kind=icon}
Tony Tecumseh was the founder, guitarist a lead singer of influential ’60s psychedelic pop band, Afterglow. Tecumseh, who was a Modoc Indian, was a direct descendent of Winema. Formed during the mid ’60s, Afterglow recorded their self-titled debut album,in San Francisco during 1967. They were, at the time, a popular draw at parties, school dances and such throughout Northern California, and they opened for such acts as the Turtles and the Beau Brummels. Unfortunately, Afterglow broke up shortly after the release of Afterglow, which went on to become highly coveted by collectors of psych rock. The album was re-issued by Sundazed Records in 1995. The band reunited in 2007 but Tecumseh was unable to participate due to health issues, while a PBS documentary about the band is expected to air in 2012. Tony Tecumseh was 71 when he passed away on January 29, 2012.
Clare Fischer was a pianist, composer and arranger who, besides having his own respectable career as a musician, arranged music for some of pop music’s biggest stars. Fischer was still a child when he first started making music, and after graduating from college and serving in the Army, he pursued a career in music. During the late ’50s, he took on his first gig of note as the pianist and arranger for popular vocal quartet, the Hi-Los. It was his work with the group that helped establish them as a major influence on the likes of the Manhattan Transfer, Brian Wilson, and Quincy Jones. It was around that time that he also arranged music for jazz greats Cal Tjader, Donald Byrd, and 
Dick Kniss was a talented bassist who is best remembered for his tenure with both singer-songwriter,