Died On This Date (June 6, 2015) Ronnie Gilbert / Folk Music Great; The Weavers
themusicsover Ronnie Gilbert
September 7, 1926 – June 6, 2015
Simply put, Ronnie Gilbert was folk music royalty. Along with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, and Fred Hellerman, Gilbert formed the Weavers in 1948. Based in the folk mecca of New York’s Greenwich Village, the band was arguably the most influential folk group the scene had ever produced. Artists and activists like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi & Richard Farina, and Peter, Paul & Mary were all products of the folk revival they kicked off by putting a contemporary spin on folk music. The band gained popularity, mostly by word of mouth, while their songs resonated with so-called progressive causes like civil rights and workers’ rights. Their recordings of “If I Had a Hammer,” “This Land is Your Land,” and “Goodnight Irene” – among many others – became folk music standards. During the 1950s, the Weavers became a victim of the “Red Scare,” causing them to become blacklisted from radio stations, television and beyond. Due to a lack of bookings and recording opportunities that followed, the band broke up. But in 1955, they reunited for a much-heralded performance at Carnegie Hall, which lead to renewed interest in their music. The group continued on, though with Erik Darling replacing Seeger, over the next decade before calling it quits again. Gilbert went on to enjoy a career in theater as well as as a solo recording artist. In 1980, the surviving Weavers reunited once again to a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall. Ronnie Gilbert was 88 when she passed away on June 6, 2015
What You Should Own
Nick Marsh is best remembered as the co-founder and lead singer of ’80s goth/alternative rock band, Flesh For Lulu. Formed in London in 1982, the band quickly signed to Polyder who unceremoniously dropped them after lackluster sales of the self-titled debut. After a couple more miss-starts, the band signed with Beggars Banquet who was able to place their new single, “I Go Crazy,” into the popular John Hughes film, Some Kind Of Wonderful film; the result, decent rotation on American college radio and their first tour of the United States. The momentum continued with Capitol Records soon releasing Long Live The New Flesh, which included “I Go Crazy,” as well as their second college (and MTV) hit, “Postcards From Paradise.” In 1989, they scored their biggest hit single with “Time And Space,” after which Capitol dropped them for reasons unknown. The band soon split up. During the mid ’90s, Marsh resurfaced fronting a new band called Gigantic, which failed to repeat the success of Flesh For Lulu, so they disbanded a couple of years later. In 2013, Marsh reformed Flesh For Lulu who toured clubs to the cheers of longtime fans. On June 5, 2015, Nick Marsh, 53, died of an aggressive form of throat cancer.
Ben E. King was an American R&B singer whose signature song, “Stand My Me,” is one of the few records to hit the Top 10 in two separate decades – the first being upon release in 1961, the second in 1986 when it was used as the theme song for the very popular film of the same name. In 1958, King was a member of a Harlem doo wop group known as the Five Crowns when the manager of the Drifters recruited them to replace recently fired members of the Drifters. With the Drifters, King scored several hits over the next two years. That list includes “This Magic Moment,” “Save The Last Dance For Me,” and “There Goes My Baby.” He left the group for a solo career in 1960 and went on to release some of the biggest hits of the era including, “Spanish Harlem,” “There Goes My Baby,” and of course, “Stand By Me.” Those three songs are considered to be vital parts of the foundation that shaped rock and roll. Like many R&B acts during the mid ’60s, King’s brand of music was pushed aside by the British Invasion. Even though he continued to record and tour, he wouldn’t hit the charts again until the re-release of “Stand By Me,” 20 years later. His career enjoyed even another bump when hip hop artists began sampling his songs during the ’90s and beyond. He continued to tour into his 70s. Ben E. King was 76 when he passed away on April 30, 2015. Cause of death was not immediately released