Steve Albini performs at ATP vs. the Fans, Minehead, England, May 2007 via wikimedia
As reported by Nina Corcoran and Jazz Monroe in Pitchfork, Steve Albini, a true rock legend, passed away from a heart attack at 61.
Born in Pasadena, California, Albini’s musical journey began in high school when he learned to play bass, inspired by bands like the Ramones, Pere Ubu, and Devo. In 1981, he co-founded the influential band Big Black, followed by Shellac, both leaving an indelible mark on the underground rock scene.
Transitioning from performer to renowned recording engineer – a title he preferred over producer – Albini amassed an impressive portfolio of over 1500 albums. He famously recorded seminal works including Nirvana’s In Utero, Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, among others.
Outside of music, Albini pursued diverse interests. He maintained a cooking and food blog and was a skilled and highly ranked competitive poker player.
Steve Albini’s impact on the music industry was profound, not only through his groundbreaking recordings but also as a vocal critic of exploitative industry practices. His untimely passing comes as Shellac was preparing to tour their first album in a decade, To All Trains.
Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF
Tom Petty, the iconic American singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer passed away peacefully following a massive heart attack he had suffered earlier in the day. He was 66. Born in Gainesville, Florida, Petty, like many kids his age, had his first rock and roll moment after witnessing Elvis Presley. But unlike other future rock stars, it wasn’t The King’s appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show that changed his life forever – it was a more personal encounter. Turns out Petty’s uncle was working on the Presley film, Follow That Dream that was filming nearby, and he invited the 10-year-old down to the shoot. Petty was able to watch Presley up close and in person doing what he did best, albeit in an entirely different arena. He soon traded his slingshot to a buddy for some Elvis 45s, and he was on his way. Petty’s first band of note – that would reform for kicks in 2007 – was Mudcrutch, which he put together in 1970. Six years later, they morphed into Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. During the next several years, they released a series of hit singles and albums that appealed equally to the fans of the current “heartland rock” movement led by Bob Seger and Bruce Springsteen, and the punk and new wave movements which were grabbing hold on the east and west coasts, as well as in the UK. Over the next four decades, Petty, both with the Heartbreakers and solo, sold upwards of 80 million albums, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. Throughout his career, Petty collaborated with many of the biggest names in music, perhaps most famously, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and George Harrison as the Traveling Wilburys. This “supergroup” recorded two well-received albums together, 1988’s Vol. 1 and 1990’s Vol. 3. Others of note with whom Petty had memorable collaborations with were Stevie Nicks, Johnny Cash, Dwight Twilley, and Del Shannon, whose career he revived in 1982 with the album, Drop Down and Get Me. In 2002, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame while November, 2015 saw the much-lauded release of the best-seller, Petty: The Biography, by Warren Zanes. Around that time he partnered with SiriusXM on Tom Petty Radio, a channel devoted entirely to his music and the music he loved. By all accounts, he was very hands-on with it, making sure the content would be loved by his fans. On Monday, September 25th, 2017, the band played their last of three spirited shows at the Hollywood Bowl in their adopted hometown of Los Angeles, to cap off the hugely successful 40th Anniversary Tour – their longest in 15 years. One week later, Top Petty was gone.
Photo by Roger Pistole. Courtesy of Moraine Music Group
Mark Otis Selby, who made a big mark on music with a string of hits he co-wrote with Kenny Wayne Shepherd and with his own wife, Tia Sillers, passed away at home on Monday, September 18, 2017 from cancer. The Nashville-based recording artist, songwriter, session guitar player and producer released albums on Vanguard Records and his songs have been recorded by a wide array of artists. With Shepherd, his co-writes include “Deja Voodoo,” “Slow Ride,” “Last Goodbye,” and “Blue on Black,” which was #1 for 17 weeks and Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Song of the Year. He also wrote the Dixie Chicks’ first Number One single “There’s Your Trouble” and had his songs recorded by many other artists including Wynonna, Little Big Town, Trisha Yearwood, Johnny Reid, Jo Dee Messina, Lee Roy Parnell andKeb’ Mo’. A highly-regarded session player, Selby played on recordings by the likes of Kenny RogersandWynonna Judd. Born and raised in Oklahoma, Selby spent his youth harvesting wheat and playing in bands throughout the Midwest before moving to Hays, Kansas to attend Fort Hays University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music. Selby was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to MusicCares in memory of Mark. grammy.com/musicares/donations
Pete Overend Watts May 13, 1947 – January 22, 2017
Top row center, with Mott the Hoople.
Pete Overend Watts was the founding bassist for British glam rock band, Mott the Hoople. The band, which featured Ian Hunter on lead vocals during their “classic years,” had originated as the Buddies, made a few more name changes, until finally settling on Mott the Hoople when Hunter joined in 1969. After failing to find a large audience after the release of four albums, the band was on the verge of disbanding when David Bowie stepped in and convinced them to give it another go with him producing. The resulting album, All The Young Dudes and the Bowie-penned single of the same name kicked the band into overdrive and helped solidify their place as deities of the glam rock movement of the mid-’70s. West continued to play in different incarnations of Mott the Hoople through 1981 and then again for two reunions during the 2010s. He also worked as a producer, most famously for Hanoi Rocks. Pete Overend Watts died of throat cancer on January 22, 2017. He was 69.
Mike Kellie was an English drummer who found acclaim with, primarily, Spooky Tooth and the Only Ones. Born in Birmingham, England, Kellie was self-taught and began playing in the St. Michael’s Youth Club Band while in his teens. It wasn’t long before he was asked to join Wayne and the Beachcombers, his first “real” band. In 1967, Spooky Tooth was launched with Kellie on drums. Although it would change line-ups throughout the years, at the time it included Gary Wright, Greg Ridley and Keith Emerson. The band’s second album, Spooky Two is considered a classic rock staple and spawned their most popular songs, “Waiting For The Wind,” “Evil Woman,” and “Feelin’ Bad.” In 1976, Kellie joined the Only Ones, an influential power pop/new wave band that was a far cry from the more proggy sounds of Spooky Tooth. The band released three studio albums for CBS Records. Their most famous record was 1978’s “Another Girl, Another Planet.” The song has since been heard in numerous movies and commercials, and has been recorded by Blink-182, the Lightning Seeds, and the Replacements to name a few. Throughout the balance of his career, Kellie was on board for a reunion or two by Spooky Tooth and the Only Ones, while being in demand as a session player. He can be heard drumming on records by the likes of Johnny Thunders, the Who, Joe Cocker, Peter Frampton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Traffic and George Harrison. Mike Kellie was 68 when he passed away on January 19, 2017. Cause of death was not immediately released.
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