Died On This Date (April 7, 1994) Lee Brilleaux / Dr. Feelgood

Lee Brilleaux
May 10, 1952 – April 7, 1994

Photo by Bob King

Lee Brilleaux was the lead singer and sometime slide-guitarist for the British pub rock band, Dr. Feelgood. Formed in 1971, Dr. Feelgood worked non-stop until Brilleaux’s death in 1994, never straying far from the basic hard-punching rock ‘n’ roll that endeared them to a strong core of loyalists. Their live shows become something of legend thanks in part to  Brilleaux’s passionate singing. Their first few albums were downright smashes in the UK, but failed to catch on in the US. The core of the group was done by the early ’80s as their style of music was pushed aside for punk, but Brilleaux soldiered on, casting new members into the band. By this point he had given up on making it big as a recording artist and devoted his energy to the club circuit. Dr. Feelgood continued to draw large audiences in their homeland up until Brilleaux was diagnosed with cancer in the early ’90s. He passed away on April 7, 1994 at the age of 41.

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Dr. Feelgood



Died On This Date (April 6, 1998) Wendy O. Williams / The Plasmatics

Wendy O. Williams
May 29, 1949 – April 6, 1998

Wendy O. Williams was the dynamic lead singer of shock-punk band, the Plasmatics. Williams was considered one of the most frighteningly controversial singers of her, and most generations due in part to her near nudity and simulated sexual antics on stage. If that got boring, you could always count on exploding gear and chain-sawing of guitars to heat things up. After a young life that included working as a macro-biotic cook, performing in a gypsy dance troupe, stripping, doing live sex shows, and then working in porn, Williams decided to clean up her act and moved to New York where she answered a casting call that lead to the formation of the Plasmatics.  The group exploded on to the New York underground scene in 1978.  The band’s following continued to grow as they toured the world, causing an uproar in most locales, sometimes leading to arrest on indecency charges. By 1984, Williams had gone solo, her first album, W.O.W being produced by Gene Simmons was virtually a KISS album with all members performing on it in one form or another. The album earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Female Performance. A couple of B-movie bit parts followed, with Williams all but retiring by 1991.  In spite of her reckless persona, Williams was deeply devoted to her health, animals and vegetarianism. After her run in show business, she worked as an animal rehabilitator and natural foods activist.  On April 6, 1998, the 48 year-old Wendy O. Williams walked into the woods near her house and died of what authorities ruled a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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New Hope for the Wretched / Metal Priestess - Plasmatics



Died On This Date (April 6, 2004) Niki Sullivan / Buddy Holly & the Crickets

Niki Sullivan
June 23, 1937 – April 6, 2004

Niki Sullivan will always be remembered as the original guitarist in Buddy Holly & the Crickets. His back-up vocals and guitar playing can be heard on many of Holly’s biggest hits. But just as the band was breaking big, Sullivan suddenly left the group, just two years after he helped form it. He apparently disliked life on the road although his official reason for quitting the band has always remained a mystery. He all but retired from the music business in 1966 and went on to work for Sony in the electronics division. Sullivan died suddenly of a heart attack on April 6, 2004 at the age of 66.



Died On This Date (April 6, 2010) Vinnie Chas / Bassist For Pretty Boy Floyd

Vinnie Chas
DOB Unknown – April 6, 2010

Vinnie Chas is best remembered as the original bassist for popular Los Angeles glam metal band, Pretty Boy Floyd.  The band was one of the top draws along Hollywood’s storied Sunset Strip during a time when bands like Guns ‘N Roses, Ratt and Poison also played the same clubs.  Signed by MCA Records during the late ’80s, the band released the moderately successful Leather Boyz With Electric Toyz in 1989. The band broke up in 1991 and Chas went on to play in a band called Rattlin’ Bones.  In 2007, Chas and other former members of Pretty Boy Floyd began working together on new band material.  Vinnie Chas passed away unexpectedly on April 6, 2010.  Cause of death was not immediately released.



Died On This Date (April 6, 1981) Bob “The Bear” Hite / Canned Heat

Bob Hite
February 26, 1943 – April 6, 1981

Just the fact that he worked in a record store as a teen is enough for Bob Hite to get honored here, but he was also the lead singer of blues rock band, Canned Heat. In the early ’60’s, “The Bear” and fellow record junkie Alan Wilson got together and formed a band to play an electrified boogie version of the great blues albums they had collected. Canned Heat endeared themselves to both the psychedelic rock fans and the blues crowd by not only kicking ass at Woodstock AND Monterey, but by producing and recording with John Lee Hooker. The result was Hooker ‘n’ Heat. Although he was an intimidating hulk of a man, Hite couldn’t be nicer to his friends, fans and strangers. He had absolutely no problem with fans coming up to him on the street and sometimes even made the first move toward them to say hello. And that good-heartedness carried on to the stage as well, making Canned Heat concerts some of the most fun during the ’60s and ’70s. Hite suffered a fatal heart attack just before a show on April 6, 1981.

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Hooker 'n' Heat - John Lee Hooker & Canned Heat