Died On This Date (July 12, 1983) Chris Wood / Founding Member Of Traffic
themusicsover Chris Wood
June 24, 1944 – July 12, 1983
Chris Wood was not only a founding member of English rock band, Traffic, he was good enough to play alongside the great Jimi Hendrix, appearing on 1968’s Electric Ladyland. A multi-instrumentalist, Wood was known for his skills on the flute, keyboards and saxophone. He also co-wrote several of Traffic’s songs and sang back up for them. Throughout the late ’60s and ’70s, Wood lent his talents to such artists as Dr. John, Ginger Baker, Free, the Faces and John Martyn. Wood suffered from drug and alcohol abuse throughout his career but would die of pneumonia on July 12, 1983 while working on a solo album.
What You Should Own
Herman Brood was a popular Dutch rock musician, TV host, and painter who was called by at least one critic, “the Netherlands’ greatest and only rock ‘n’ roll star.” He achieved his musical fame during the ’70s and ’80s and became equally revered for his art work later in life. After tooling around in a few different bands and spending some time in jail for drug dealing, Brood started his own group, Herman Brood & the Wild Romance. The year was 1976, and Brood was quickly becoming famous – and equally infamous – for his sexually charged and drug fueled lyrics, as well as his candid and eyebrow-raising comments on those same topics in the press. Meanwhile his hard drug use was becoming legendary throughout the Netherlands. His then-girlfriend, Nina Hagen even released a song entitled “Herrmann Hiess Er” (“Herrmann Is High”) , reportedly about him. In 1979, Brood enjoyed a small bump when he toured the U.S. with the Cars, the Kinks, and Foreigner. During the ’80s and early ’90s, he recorded several albums, but soon began devoting most of his energy to visual arts. His dynamic and sometimes graffitti-inspired prints became very popular throughout Europe, while many of his murals found homes on public walls throughout Amsterdam. By the summer of 1991, Brood was apparently depressed over his inability to kick drugs and how their abuse had impared his health. On July 11, 2001, Herman Brood leaped to his death from the roof of the Amsterdam Hilton. He was 56.
Stu Sobol began his career at retail, working for Wherehouse Records in Van Nuys, California. In later years, Sobol went into artist management, establishing his solid with Spivak Sobol Entertainment and later, The Firm after the two companies merged. Over his twenty year career in management, Sobol oversaw the careers of Seether, A Perfect Circle, Yellowcard, Vanessa Carlton, and Zach de la Rocha. Sobol also served on the City of Calabasas Traffic And Transportation Commission. He died of complications from pneumonia on July 10, 2008. He was 50.
Known simply as Midnight, John McDonald was the founding lead singer of ’80s progressive metal band, Crimson Glory. Formed in 1982 in Sarasota, Florida, Crimson Glory quickly made their mark as one of the most revered metal acts in the area. Dawning full-face masks in the beginning, the band was soon earning recognition in best-of polls with Midnight being named Most Outstanding Male Vocalist at 1989’s Tampa Music Awards. During the ’90s, Midnight left the band and more or less disappeared from the scene. He died of liver and kidney failure at 47 years old on July 8, 2009.