Rock

Died On This Date (April 30, 2010) Will Owsley / Respected Nashville Singer, Songwriter & Producer

Will Owsley
DOB Unknown – April 30, 2010

Will Owsley was a respected singer-songwriter, producer and musician who is best remembered as Amy Grant’s touring guitarist for more than 15 years.  Over the course of his career, he also worked with Shania Twain, the Neville Brothers, Faith Hill and Wynonna Judd.  Owsley also released a handful of albums under his own name, including 1999’s Owsley, which earned him a Grammy nomination for its engineering.  During the early ’90s, he formed the power pop band, the Semantics with Zak Starkey and Millard Powers.  Will Owsley died on April 30, 2010 of an apparent suicide.

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Died On This Date (April 30, 1999) Darrell Sweet / Nazareth Drummer

Darrell Sweet
May 16, 1947 – April 30, 1999

darrell-sweetAt the time of his death of a heart attack in 1999, Darrell Sweet was co-founder and drummer for the Scottish hard rock band, Nazareth. By the 1975 release of Hair Of The Dog, Nazareth were bona fide international superstars. And as if the title track weren’t great enough, Hair Of The Dog also begat rock’s definitive version of “Love Hurts,” perhaps the greatest power ballad of its generation.  On April 30, 1999, Darrell Sweet died of a heart attack he suffered at the New Albany Amphitheater where the band was scheduled to perform later that evening. He was 51.

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Hair of the Dog - Nazareth

Died On This Date (April 29, 1993) Mick Ronson / Rock Guitar Great

Mick Ronson
May 26, 1946 – April 29, 1993

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Jack of all trades, Mick Ronson was one of those sidemen that brought out the best in those he played with. Whether it was David Bowie or Ian Hunter, Ronson’s contributions to their music helped define ’70s glam rock. But he was much more than a guitar-for-hire, as he was just as adept at songwriting, producing and arranging. Ronson’s direct influence can heard be on albums he either performed on or produced by the likes of Lou Reed, Morrissey, Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, David Johansen, Van Morrison, Elton John, Roger Daltrey and John Mellencamp.  Ronson died of liver cancer on April 29, 1993 at the age of 46.



Died On This Date (April 28, 1980) Tommy Caldwell / Marshall Tucker Band

Tommy Caldwell
November 9, 1949 – April 28, 1980

Tommy Caldwell was best known as the bassist the Marshall Tucker  Band from 1973 until his death in 1980.   The charismatic performer was the crowd-pleaser of the band.  He also sang backup and wrote some of their songs, including “Melody Ann,” their only song on which he sang lead.  His final performance with the band came on the night of April 19, 1980 which was later released as Live On Long Island.  Caldwell died just ten days later from injuries he suffered in a jeep accident.

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The Marshall Tucker Band: Greatest Hits - The Marshall Tucker Band

Died On This Date (April 28, 2008) Roger Waters’ PIG

Pig
January 23, 1977 – April 28, 2008

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The now-infamous flying Pig that was mistakenly unleashed during Roger Waters’ Coachella Music Festival set is dead. In typical rock star fashion, the once bloated Pig’s life came to a tragic end near the grounds of his favorite desert oasis, the Hideaway Country Club. Rumors that the Hideaway Country Club is actually a detox facility have been squashed by local caddies. In one of the most horrific deaths in rock ‘n’ roll history, Pig’s body was mysteriously severed in two by an unknown assailant in what appeared to be a horrific Holiday Feast fashion. Though reminiscent of the Black Dahlia murders of late ’40s Los Angeles, no word yet if James Ellroy has been brought in to investigate. Parts of Pig’s butchered body were discovered and tossed into the dumpster by a Steve Stoltz (La Quinta) who later gathered the remains in order to collect the $10,000 and 4 Coachella tickets for life offered by the festival. In a shocking testament to Pig’s bloated condition at the end of his life, wife Susan Stoltz told Reuters, “We didn’t even know what it was then, but that’s all I hear about now.” In a startling twist, neighbor Judy Rimmer (La Quinta) found additional remains in her driveway. And even though the reward specified the “safe return” of Pig, both parties will share the prize.  Born with the 1977 release of Pink Floyd’s Animals, Pig led a storied life. He lent backing vocals to and appeared on the cover of the Animals album, and later graced the front of subsequent remix and anniversary packages, t-shirts, DVDs and key chains. He even spent some time as a body-paint model, once posing for a painting that famously appeared on the back of a nude woman (see below). And although Pig was celebrated at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, his biggest honor came when he appeared on the April 19, 1996 episode of The Simpsons. But times got hard on Pig when Pink Floyd went their separate ways, forcing him to live off the fat he collected during his glory years of the ’70s, ’80s and early ’90s. Years of drugged out swinging with that inflatable teacher from The Wall was soon replaced by a life of avoiding the inevitable luau. But the new millennium saw things pick up for Pig as Roger Waters began introducing him to a brand new audience. Theater shows became arena shows. Then came his triumphant Hollywood Bowl show in June of 2007. Pig was back. And less than a year later, Waters was ready to take him to the next level…the super-alternative rock festival in the desert of California, the mecca that is called Coachella, where the world’s alterna-youth come together to celebrate all that is music. It is a culture that is a far cry from Pig’s lazy days of floating over the dilapidated factories of England. And sadly it was too much too fast, so Pig did like so many aging fat rock stars before him, he sought the solace of the one place he didn’t fit in, the golf course. It was here that Pig’s revived dreams came crashing down to earth as this noble beast was deflated like the ego of a once great rock star. He was 31.

 

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Animals (Remastered) - Pink Floyd