Died On This Date (July 1, 2008) Mel Galley / Whitesnake Guitarist
themusicsover Mel Galley
March 8, 1948 – July 1, 2008
Mel Galley is best remembered as a guitarist for David Coverdale’s Whitesnake. Galley joined the band in 1982, contributing to their most fruitful years. His guitar can be heard on such hits as “Here I Go Again” and “Crying In The Rain.” Galley later had to leave the group due to a bad arm injury made worse by a botched surgery. For a time, he likely could never play the guitar again, but was able to come back thanks to a device he had fitted over his hand. Prior to his stint with Whitesnake, Galley played alongside Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes in a band called Trapeze. Galley died of esophagus cancer at the age of 60.
Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.
What You Should Own
David Taylor was the lead vocalist for ’80s hard rock band, Drive. Formed in Houston, Texas by Rick Chavez and Mercy Valdez, Drive soon found their voice in a young David Taylor, just barely out of his teens. In the mid ’80s, the band moved to Los Angeles, which was quickly becoming the epicenter of the ’80s metal scene. Winning a radio contest with their song “I Need The Nights,” Drive landed on the Best Of The West compilation that was released on Rampage Records. Rampage soon signed the band, and in July of 1988, released their debut, Characters In Time. The album received tremendous reviews from the industry’s top hard rock press, including the coveted 5 “K” rating from Kerrang magazine. The album also received solid airplay from hard rock stations around the country, including Los Angeles powerhouse, KNAC. What separated Drive from the “hair” bands of the Sunset Strip, was their intelligent lyrics, intricate musicianship, and of course, Taylor’s supurb voice that fell somewhere between 
