Rammellzee was a popular and influential New York City based performance artist, sculptor, graffiti artist, and hip hop singer. His vocal style, which dates back to the early ’80s, is said to have influenced the likes of the Beastie Boys and Cypress Hill. He released several records, though under different monikers, throughout his career, and had collaborated with Buckethead of Guns ‘N Roses fame. Rammellzee was 49 when he died on June 28, 2010. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Harry Mills was one-quarter of the popular vocal quartet, the Mills Brothers who scored several pop vocal hits throughout the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. They made a remarkable 2000+ recordings that sold over 50 million copies, earning them over 30 gold records. Any worthy collection of their hits should include “Dinah,” “Caravan,” “Tiger Rag,” “Paper Doll,” and “Cab Driver.” Harry Mills passed away from natural causes on June 28, 1982 although he did suffer from diabetes in his later years. He was 68 when he died.
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John Entwistle was best known as the bass player for the Who. His loud and fast style of playing was as important to the group as the voice of Roger Daltrey; the songwriting and guitar of Pete Townshend; and the sloppy but essential drumming of Keith Moon. If one of those parts were missing, the magic of the Who would have never happened. Entwistle also played the trumpet, piano, and french horn; wrote great songs and sang. Playing the bass like a lead guitar, would influence such greats as Geddy Lee, Phil Lesh, Flea, Tommy Stinson and Billy Sheehan. He even went as far as being the first known bassist to use Marshall stacks in concert, a practice normally reserved for guitarists. The Rolling Stones’Bill Wyman once described Entwistle as “the quietest man in private but the loudest man on stage.” Entwistle stayed with the Who during their 30+ year run, staying busy during band hiatuses with his own side projects or on tour with Ringo Starr. But he apparently had a difficult time managing his own money and some have said that each time the Who reunited, it was out of the love that Daltrey and Townshend had for him – their way of helping him out of financial straits. It was one day before the start of one of these tours that Entwistle was found dead in his Las Vegas hotel room. It was June 27, 2002, and John Entwistle was dead of what was ruled a heart attack caused by a relatively small amount of cocaine. It should be pointed out that the Who were such a powerful four-piece live band, that it took an added keyboardist and a second guitarist to, in later years, take the place of John Entwistle and original drummer, Keith Moon.
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Known as the “King of the Strings,” Joe Maphis was arguably one of country music’s most accomplished electric guitarists, or at the very least, one of its most exciting to watch and hear. Maphis began making a name for himself as part of the Bakersfield scene of the ’40s and ’50s. He released several records, the most successful being “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (and Loud, Loud Music).” Throughout his career, Maphis played with such luminaries as Wanda Jackson, Rick Nelson, and Rose Maddox, and is said to have been an influence on no less thanChet Atkins and Merle Travis. Joe Maphis was 65 when he passed away on June 27, 1986
Jackie Washington
November 12, 1919 – June 27, 2009
Jackie Washington was one of those artists that was referred to as both a jazz and blues singer. Born in Ontario, Canada, Washington taught himself how to play the guitar at thirteen. This helped the family during the depression as he and his brothers began performing to earn extra money for their large family. During the late ’40s, Washington became Canada’s first African American disc jockey, hosting a jazz show on a Hamilton radio station. Washington’s career as a musician kicked into high gear during the folk revival of the ’60s, becoming a regular along Canada’s folk and blues festival circuits. Besides making several albums of his own, including four excellent titles for Vanguard Records, Washington appeared on recordings by such greats as Lionel Hampton, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, and Duke Ellington. He was also an inspiration to many, including a young Bob Dylan, who liberally “borrowed” from Washington’s version of “Nottumun Town” for his own “Masters Of War.” There was even talk of Washington suing Dylan, but that never came to be. Jackie Washington died of complications from an earlier heart attack. He was 89.