Singer

Died On This Date (June 14, 1995) Rory Gallagher / Irish Blues Rock God

Liam Rory Gallagher
March 2, 1948 – June 14, 1995

Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

Rory Gallagher was an Irish blues rock guitar great who sold more than 30 million albums and is considered one of the greatest musicians Ireland has ever produced. Gallagher first began making waves with his mid ’60s blues rock trio, Taste.  The band began building a solid reputation in London and soon found themselves opening for such bands as Cream and Blind Faith.  By the early ’70s, Taste had broken up and Gallagher was now leading a trio under his own name, making some of his best and most popular albums.  In 1972, the trend-setting Melody Maker magazine named him Top Musician Of The Year.  It was during this period that Gallagher was being strongly considered for the Rolling Stones, Deep Purple AND Canned Heat.  By the ’80s however, Gallagher was falling deeper into drug and alcohol addiction, and his musical output suffered from it.  He made his final performance in January of 1995, and was in such bad health, he soon needed a liver transplant.  Unfortunately, an infection developed following the surgery, and he died at the age of 47.

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Irish Tour (Live) - Rory Gallagher

 

Died On This Date (June 14, 1969) Wynonie Harris / Jump Blues Singer

Wynonie Harris
August 24, 1915 – June 14, 1969

Wynonie Harris was popular jump blues and R&B singer during the late ’40s, earning himself fifteen Top 10 hits during a six year span from 1946 to 1952. He is generally credited for helping lead jazz and blues into rock ‘n roll.  Influenced early on by singers, Big Joe Turner and Jimmy Rushing, Harris started making a name for himself during the Great Depression.  In 1940, he moved to Los Angeles where he began to be known as “Mr. Blue.” Harris stayed active both recording and performing into the mid ’60s.  He died of esophageal cancer on June 14, 1969.



Died On This Date (June 4, 1980) Charles W. Miller / War

Charles W. Miller
June 2, 1939 – June 4, 1980

Photo courtesy of Harold Brown
Photo courtesy of Harold Brown

Charles Miller is best remembered as an original member of one of the premier ’70s funk bands, War.  Raised in the Los Angeles area, Miller began playing a variety of instruments while still in high school, eventually settling on the saxophone and flute.  While in college he began finding local gigs, even landing a recording sessions with Ray Charles and live performances with Brenton Wood.  He eventually hooked up with Harold Brown, Papa Dee Allen, and Howard E. Scott and formed a band called Night Shift, which would soon be re-christened War by Eric Burdon and include Lee Oskar.  War’s fusion of jazz, funk, R&B and Latin coupled with the raw British vocals of Burdon made a hit out of their 1970 single, “Spill the Wine.”   In 1975, the band, sans Burdon, released Why Can’t We Be Friends? which included the Miller sung hit, “Low Rider,” one of the most popular songs to come out of the era.  Charles Miller was murdered in a botched robbery just two weeks before his 41st birthday.  The crime has never been solved.

Special thanks to Harold Brown, Howard E. Scott, & Lee Oskar



Died On This Date (June 13, 2010) Jimmy Dean / Country Singer, Actor, and Sausage Merchant

Jimmy Dean
August 10, 1928 – June 13, 2010

Jimmy Dean was a country music legend, television personality, and part-time actor who used his fame to pitch his own successful Jimmy Dean sausage products for many years.  After dropping out of high school in the mid ’40s, Dean chose his path as an entertainer while serving in the United States Air Force.  He eventually became host of his own local radio program where future stars like Roy Clark and Patsy Cline got their starts.  In 1961, Dean had a country hit of his own, the wildly popular and influential “Big Bad John” which earned him a Best Country Recording Grammy and sold over a million copies.  He followed that with several more hits, the biggest being 1976’s “I.O.U.,” another million seller.   During the ’60s, Dean became a familiar face on television, often filling in as host of The Tonight Show and later hosting his own prime time variety show, one of the few national programs during that time to regularly feature country acts.  Around this period, Dean took up acting, with his most memorable roles being on television’s Daniel Boone and in the James Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever.    Throughout the ’70s, Dean again became a familiar face to a new generation, this time however, as the down home pitchman of the pure pork sausage that wore his name.  He eventually furthered his fortune by selling the company to what would become Sara Lee.  He remained the face of the products up until his passing.  Jimmy Dean was 81 when he died of natural causes on June 13, 2010.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.

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Jimmy Dean's Greatest Hits - Jimmy Dean

 

Died On This Date (June 13, 1993) John Campbell / Celebrated Modern Blues Guitarist

John Campbell
January 20, 1952 – June 13, 1993

Often compared to Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Campbell was a Shreveport-born blues singer, songwriter and guitarist that played and sang with such fury that he left most audiences awestruck.  After moving to Texas as a child, Campbell picked up the guitar at the age of eight, and by the time he hit his teens, he was sharing the stage with the likes of Son Seals, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, and Albert Collins.  Campbell was eventually signed by Elektra Records who released just two albums before he suddenly died of a heart attack while he slept on June 13, 1993.

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Howlin Mercy - John Campbell