Died On This Date (June 2, 2012) Frazier Mohawk / Helped Form Buffalo Springfield
themusicsover Frazier Mohawk (Born Barry Friedman)
December 12, 1941 – June 2, 2012
Frazier Mohawk was a man of many talents who was a prominent if not well-known figure of the Los Angeles music scene of the 1960s. One of his earliest jobs was doing publicity for radio and television host, Bob Eubanks. He quickly parlayed that into doing sound mixes for bands performing on TV. He also worked as a publicist for Ike & Tina Turner and the Troubadour nightclub in those early days as well as the Beatles‘ Hollywood Bowl performance. In 1966, while Stephen Stills was staying at his house, Mohawk was driving Stills and Richie Furay along Sunset Boulevard when they passed Neil Young and Bruce Palmer who were driving in a hearse in the opposite direction. Mohawk turned the car around and the four met and soon formed Buffalo Springfield with Dewey Martin. Mohawk took care of much of the band’s early business – including landing them a career-defining slot on the Byrds tour, before they hired on management. As a producer, Mohawk worked with Nico, Paul Butterfield, and John Cale. He went on to open and run a studio/commune that was partially funded by Elektra Records in Northern California, but it eventually closed when it became more of a hang-out than a productive recording studio. Tired of the music industry, Mohawk moved to Canada during the mid ’70s and started a traveling circus, and later, Puck’s Farm which was a recording studio surrounded by family attractions. Frazier Mohawk was 71 when he passed away on June 2, 2012. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Thanks to Henk de Bruin for the assist.
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Todd Simko was a Canadian guitarist and producer who had been part of the Vancouver music scene as far back as the early ’80s. In 1991, Simko co-founded the alternative rock band, Pure who eventually got signed to Reprise Records. The group went on to release a string of records and earned a Juno nomination for Most Promising Group in 1992. They were also recognized with a Best Alternative Video nod at the 1993 MuchMusic Video Awards. Following the band’s break up in 2000, Simko went on to play for Biff Naked and do studio work for the likes of Marcy Playground and Xavier Rudd. Todd Simko passed away on April 26, 2012. Cause of death was not immediately released.
