Died On This Date (February 12, 2015) Steve Strange / Lead Singer Of Visage
themusicsover Steve Strange (Born Steven Harrington)
May 28, 1959 – February 12, 2015
Steve Strange is perhaps best remembered as the front man for the popular ’80s new wave band, Visage. Like many young people in the UK during the mid ’70s, Strange couldn’t resist the pull of punk rock. After witnessing a Sex Pistols show in 1976, he began setting up gigs for punk bands in and around his Welsh neighborhood. Soon thereafter, he formed his own punk band, the Moors Murderers that counted future Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde and future Clash drummer, Topper Headon, as members during it’s rather short lifespan. Strange soon moved to London where he worked for Malcolm McLaren before forming Visage in 1978. The group helped pioneer the New Romantic movement which also included such acts as Duran Duran, Culture Club and Spandau Ballet. Visage’s second single, 1980’s “Fade To Grey,” was a big hit across the UK and beyond. More hit singles and albums followed until Strange closed the initial chapter on the band in 1985. During the late ’80s and early ’90s, Strange developed into a popular club DJ, helping to popularize the trance movement in its early days. In 2004, he reformed Visage which continued on in one form or another through the remainder of his life. Steve Strange passed away following a heart attack on February 12, 2015. He was 55.
What You Should Own
Popsy Dixon was the drummer and harmony vocalist for American Soul/Gospel/Blues group, the Holmes Brothers. Formed in 1978, the trio built a legion of loyal followers thanks to their heavenly harmonies and overall sound that was once described by the New York Times as “deeply soulful, uplifting and timeless.” It was Dixon’s impeccable drumming and beautiful falsetto that made the group complete. Formed in Christchurch, Virginia, the Holmes Brothers moved to Harlem during the ’80s to try their luck in the city’s blues clubs. They signed their first record deal in 1989 and went on to release 12 albums, including three that landed in the top five of the Billboard Blues Album charts. The list of artists they recorded with includes Joan Osborne, Willie Nelson, Peter Gabriel, and Van Morrison. In 2014, they received an National Endowment For The Arts National Heritage Fellowship. Popsy Dixon was 72 when he died of liver cancer on January 9, 2014.
Andrae Crouch was a Gospel music pioneer in that he almost single-handedly crossed it over to the mainstream over the course of his career. Crouch took to music at an early age, and had already written his first Gospel song by the time he was 14. In 1960, he formed his first group, the Church of God in Christ Singers, that also counted 
Little Jimmy Dickens was a much-beloved American country music singer whose career spanned an astonishing 78 years. At the time of his passing, he was the oldest member of the Grand Ole Opry, which he joined in 1948. Launching his career during the late ’30s, Dickens initially performed at a local radio station while attending West Virginia University, but decided to quit school in order to focus on his career. He went on to tour the U.S. playing at various radio stations until he caught the ear of 