Singer

Died On This Date (June 29, 1979) Lowell George / Little Feat

Lowell George
April 13, 1945 – June 29, 1979

Lowell George is best remembered as the leader of the popular country-rock band, Little Feat.  Prior to forming Little Feat, George was a member of Frank Zappa’s Mothers Of Invention.  George formed Little Feat in 1969, and due in part to his excellent slide guitar and soulful voice, the band struck a chord with fans with such albums as Little Feat, Sailin’ Shoes and Dixie Chicken.  There 1978 live album, Waiting On Columbus, is widely considered one of the greatest live albums ever released.  While on tour in Washington DC, Lowell George died of a massive heart attack.  His daughter, Inara George grew up to be a respected singer-songwriter in her own right.  She is one-half of indie-rock faves, The Bird and the Bee.

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Died On This Date (June 29, 2002) Rosemary Clooney / American Pop Vocalist

Rosemary Clooney
May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002

Rosemary Clooney was a popular jazz vocalist during the ’50s thanks in part to her hit, “Come On-a My House.”  It was during this time that Clooney was also appearing in major motion pictures including White Christmas alongside Bing Crosby, Vera Ellen, and Danny Kaye.  She also was a familiar presence on young television, making guest appearances as well as starring in her own musical variety show, The Rosemary Clooney Show.  Clooney’s career got somewhat sidetracked during the ’60s due to personal problems, but by the mid ’70s, she was back as strong as ever.  She signed with Concord Records in 1977 and released a new album virtually every year until her death in 2002.  In 1995, Clooney received an Emmy nomination for her guest starring performance alongside nephew, George Clooney on ER.    Rosemary Clooney died as a result of lung cancer at the age of 74.

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Died On This Date (June 29, 1969) Shorty Long / Gave Us “Devil With The Blue Dress On”

Frederick “Shorty” Long
May 20, 1940 – June 29, 1969

Shorty Long was a singer, songwriter and producer associated with the Motown family for many years.  His “Devil With The Blue Dress On” was the very first record to be released on Motown imprint, Soul Records.  A later cover of it by Mitch Ryder would become a rock n’ roll standard.  In 1968, he released  “Here Comes The Judge,” which became his biggest hit.  He was, incidentally,  the only Motown artist outside of Smokey Robinson that was permitted to produce his own records.  Shorty Long died in a Detroit River boating accident at the age of 29.

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Shorty Long

 

Died On This Date (June 29, 2010) Queen Jane / Popular Kenyan Singer

Queen Jane (Born Jane Nyambura)
DOB Unknown – June 29, 2010

Queen Jane was a Kandara-born benga singer.  She launched her career in 1984, and by 1991, she had her own band, Queenja Les Les and had released her debut album, Ndorogonye, on which she sang in Kikyuyu language.  Her mostly socially and politically directed songs became very popular throughout Africa and beyond over the next several years.   Queen Jane died of complications from meningitis on June 29, 2010.

 


Died On This Date (June 28, 1993) G.G. Allin / Punk Icon

Kevin “G.G.” Allin
August 29, 1956 – June 28, 1993

G.G. Allin was plain and simple, the most shocking and to many people, the most disgusting performer rock music has ever known. Recording mostly in the punk idiom, Allin was also known to leave his mark on country, spoken word and blues-influenced rock. His violent shows generally involved him rolling around in, and eventually ingesting his own feces and urine. Usually ending up naked, gouging and cutting himself on stage until he became a bloody mess. And if that weren’t sexy enough, he oftentimes coaxed audience members to perform oral sex on him. These antics obviously overshadowed his music which tended to be as raw as the sewage he left in his wake. This ultimate rock ‘n’ roll rebellion endeared him to his cult following, but also enraged local critics and police, landing him in jail no fewer than 50 times. Although barely on punk’s fringe, Allin managed to count Dee Dee Ramone, Wayne Kramer and Thurston Moore as fans. Many suspected that Allin suffered from severe mental disorders made worse by his massive consumption of drugs and alcohol. And as shocking as his on stage personality was, by all appearances, his personal life was just as noteworthy. In 1989 he was arrested for rape and torture of a woman in Michigan. Allin denied all charges, insisting that the burning, cutting and drinking of blood were mutual and consensual, and to some degree, the judge agreed, reducing the charges to felony assault for which he served about a year and a half in prison. Allin went out in as memorable a fashion as he lived. On the night of June 27, 1993, he took the stage at a club in New York City. Just two songs into the set, the club’s power went out sending Allin into the crowd where he proceeded to tear up anything in the club that he could get his hands on. As the crowd spilled out into the streets, so did Allin, only he was naked, and though covered in blood and feces, he attempted to embrace his fans who were reveling in the street. Allin ended up at a friend’s apartment where he died of a heroin overdose in the early hours of June 28. And though dead and gone, the partying friends of his buddy continued to pose for pictures with him until someone realized something was wrong and called the paramedics who pronounced him dead at the scene. He was 36.

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Freaks, F****ts, Drunks & Junkies - G.G. Allin