Singer

Died On This Date (April 30, 2007) Zola Taylor / The Platters

Zola Taylor
March 17, 1938 – April 30, 2007

Miss Zola Taylor had the honor of being the female member of the Platters during their most prolific years of 1954 to 1962, and thereby contributing vocals to some of the most influential songs in all of R&B.   And in one of popular music’s stranger stories, Taylor insisted she was Frankie Lymon’s second wife although she had no proof.  And many years later, she unsuccessfully sued to gain ownership of Lymon’s catalog.  The story of Frankie Lymon and his loves was made into the 1998 film, Why Do Fools Fall In Love in which Taylor is portrayed by Halle Barry.   Zola Taylor passed away from pneumonia in 2007 at the age of 69.

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The Platters

Died On This Date (April 30, 1966) Richard Fariña / Respected ’60s Folk Singer

Richard Fariña
March 8, 1937 – April 30, 1966

richard-farinaAlong with being a beat writer, Richard Fariña was a folk singer-songwriter who performed and recorded with second wife, Mimi Fariña, sister of Joan Baez.  As a counterculture author, Fariña had stories published in the Transalantic Review and Mademoiselle.  He also wrote the critically acclaimed and cult favorite novel, Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me.  Considered a protest singer, Fariña’s music career was born around 1961 in the Greenwich Village folk scene.  At the time, he was married to Carolyn Hester who introduced him to Bob Dylan, thus launching a friendship that would eventually lead him to meet Joan Baez and younger sister, Mimi.   After divorcing Hester, Fariña married Mimi and together they moved to the central coast of California where they began writing songs together.  Mimi & Richard Fariña signed to Vanguard Records who released three albums, one of which after Richard’s untimely death.  Just two days after the release of Been Down So Long, the Farinas were home celebrating Mimi’s 21st birthday.   During the party, Richard got on the back of a friend’s motorcycle for a ride.  Allegedly driving at a high rate of speed, the driver lost control of the bike on a windy road, causing it to crash.  Richard Fariña was killed instantly at the age of 29.

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Mimi and Richard Farina: The Complete Vanguard Recordings - Mimi and Richard Farina

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Died On This Date (April 30, 2010) Will Owsley / Respected Nashville Singer, Songwriter & Producer

Will Owsley
DOB Unknown – April 30, 2010

Will Owsley was a respected singer-songwriter, producer and musician who is best remembered as Amy Grant’s touring guitarist for more than 15 years.  Over the course of his career, he also worked with Shania Twain, the Neville Brothers, Faith Hill and Wynonna Judd.  Owsley also released a handful of albums under his own name, including 1999’s Owsley, which earned him a Grammy nomination for its engineering.  During the early ’90s, he formed the power pop band, the Semantics with Zak Starkey and Millard Powers.  Will Owsley died on April 30, 2010 of an apparent suicide.

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Died On This Date (April 29, 1993) Mick Ronson / Rock Guitar Great

Mick Ronson
May 26, 1946 – April 29, 1993

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

Jack of all trades, Mick Ronson was one of those sidemen that brought out the best in those he played with. Whether it was David Bowie or Ian Hunter, Ronson’s contributions to their music helped define ’70s glam rock. But he was much more than a guitar-for-hire, as he was just as adept at songwriting, producing and arranging. Ronson’s direct influence can heard be on albums he either performed on or produced by the likes of Lou Reed, Morrissey, Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, David Johansen, Van Morrison, Elton John, Roger Daltrey and John Mellencamp.  Ronson died of liver cancer on April 29, 1993 at the age of 46.



Died On This Date (April 29, 1935) Leroy Carr / Depression Era Blues Star

Leroy Carr
March 27, 1905 – April 29, 1935

Leroy Carr was a blues singer, songwriter and pianist who didn’t quite fit the old blues man stereotype of the day.  As a suave young man from Indianapolis, his style of crooning would be more Nat King Cole than Muddy Waters; more Ray Charles than Robert Johnson.  And because of (or in spite of) that, he was one of the most popular blues men of the Depression era.  Some of his most popular recordings were with Scrapper Blackwell, with whom he recorded some 100 sides.  His most famous song, “How Long Blues,” was later covered by Eric Clapton.  Carr passed away of the effects of alcohol at just 30.

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Whiskey Is My Habit, Good Women Is All I Crave - The Best of Leroy Carr - Leroy Carr