Singer

Died On This Date (June 9*, 2010) Ken Brown / The Quarrymen; Credited For Formation Of The Beatles

Ken Brown
DOB Unknown – June 9, 2010 (Presumed)

Ken Brown, standing with the Quarrymen (1959)

Ken Brown is perhaps best remembered as the guitarist in the Quarrymen who was to some, the main reason the Beatles ever formed.  While Paul McCartney and John Lennon were writing songs together, Brown was playing in the Les Stewart Quartet with George Harrison.  In the summer of 1959, Pete Best’s mother opened the Casbah Coffee Club where Brown got the group booked as the house band.  But due to a dispute over rehearsals, Stewart lost interest so Brown asked Lennon and McCartney to join the band and they quickly renamed themselves the Quarrymen.  That following October, the band found themselves in a disagreement over money, so McCartney, Lennon, Harrison and Stu Sutcluffe (who had recently joined the band) left the group, soon recruited Best, and the rest is history.  In later years, Brown could be found making music in his home studio and playing occasional reunion gigs or Casbah anniversary shows.  On June 14, 2010, Brown’s body was found in his home after a family member became concerned having not heard from him for a while.  Cause of death was not immediately released, but foul play is not suspected, and it is believed that he had been dead for several days [Ed.: I settled on June 9 as the date until I hear otherwise]. Ken Brown was 70 years old when he passed away.

Died On This Date (June 9, 1993) Arthur Alexander / Country Soul Singer

Arthur Alexander
May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993

arthurAlthough he was probably the most important figure from the country-soul scene of the ’60s and ’70s, Arthur Alexander was by no means a house hold name.  But as a songwriter, he DID have some heavy weight fans in the Beatles, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones, being the only artist to have songs covered by all three.  Alexander’s songs have also been recorded or performed live by George Jones, Johnny Paycheck, the Hollies, Esther Phillips, Humble Pie, Joe Tex,  and even Pearl Jam, to name a few.  Alexander all but retired from the music business in the ’80s, finding work as a bus driver.  Thanks to renewed interest in his songs during the early ’90s, Arthur Alexander mounted a comeback, but suffered a fatal heart attack within a few months of signing a new record deal.

What You Should Own

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Died On This Date (June 9, 2008) Nick Sanderson / The Gun Club, Earl Brutus

Nick Sanderson
1961 – June 9, 2008

Nick Sanderson, was the one-time drummer for seminal rock band, the Gun Club as well as the singer in the highly influential Earl Brutus,  but his carer started in the Manchester industrial band, Clock DVA in 1983.  About a year later, Sanderson was backing then-former Gun Club singer, Jeffrey Lee Pierce, who would later invite him to join a re-formed Gun Club.  Following Pierce’s death in 1997, Sanderson joined Earl Brutus as singer.  In recent years, he was playing in a band called Freeheat alongside Jim Reid of the Jesus and Mary Chain.   Nick Sanderson died of lung cancer in 2008.

Died On This Date (June 8, 2010) Crispian St. Peters / Had Pop Hit With “The Pied Piper”

Crispian St. Peters (Born Robin Smith)
April 5, 1939 – June 8, 2010

Crispian St. Peters was a popular English pop singer-songwriter who is perhaps best dismembered for his two mid ’60s, “You Were On My Mind” and “The Pied Piper.”  St. Peters launched his music career in during the late ’50s, at first performing as part of various groups until finally going out under his own name and signing with Decca Records in 1965.  “The Pied Piper” was a Top 5 hit in the U.S. and quickly became his signature song.  He continued to stay active for the better part of the next three decades until a stroke in 1995 resulted in his retirement.  Crispian St. Peters was 71 when he passed away on June 8, 2010.

Thanks to Ed Hardy for the assist.

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The Best Of Crispian St Peters - Crispian St Peters

Died On This Date (June 7, 2009) Kenny Rankin / Popular ’70s Singer-Songwriter

Kenny Rankin
February 10, 1942 – June 7, 2009

rankinKenny Rankin was one of America’s most popular soft rock singer-songwriters during the 1970s.  Frequently appearing on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, Rankin released his debut album in 1967.  That album, Mind Dusters, included the hit, “Peaceful” which not only became his signature song, but was also hits for Helen Reddy and Georgie Fame.  His “On And On” would later become a huge hit for Stephen Bishop.  Rankin had such fans in Paul McCartney and John Lennon, that in 1987, they asked him to represent them when they were elected into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame.   Kenny Rankin died of lung cancer on June 7, 2009.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.

What You Should Own

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Silver Morning - Kenny Rankin