Died On This Date (December 30, 1998) Johnny Moore / The Drifters
themusicsover Johnny Moore
December 14, 1934 – December 30, 1998
Johnny Moore is best remembered as the lead singer for famed doo-wop vocal group, the Drifters. He was asked to join the group in 1951 but was soon drafted and had to leave the group. In 1964, he rejoined after the group’s singer, Rudy Lewis had recently died. Moore recorded the lead vocal of what would become the Drifters’ biggest hit, “Under the Boardwalk.” He also sang on such records as “Come on Over to My Place” and “Saturday Night at the Movies.” Johnny Moore stayed with the group until he passed away in 1998.
Tim Hardin was an American folk singer and songwriter who is best remembered for his “If I Were a Carpenter” and “Reason to Believe.” After serving a tour of duty as a marine in Vietnam, Hardin moved to New York City where he became immersed in the local folk scene. In 1963, he moved to Boston where he was signed to a recording contract with Columbia Records. Unfortunately, Columbia didn’t quite understand what they had in Hardin, so he was dropped from the label before any records were released. He was soon snapped up by Verve who began releasing a series of albums that are considered milestones of the folk movement. His songs have been made into hits by the likes of 
Dennis Wilson was the founding drummer of the Beach Boys. It was Dennis who originally approached brother, Brian Wilson to form a band to write and perform songs about the beach life. And if any member of the group best exemplified that lifestyle, it was carefree Dennis, who in fact, was the only one who actually surfed. Although he primarily played the drums and sang back-up for the group, Dennis occasionally sang lead and would play the guitar and piano on his later solo albums. For the Beach Boys, Dennis sang “Do You Wanna Dance?” and “This Car of Mine.” In 1971, Dennis flirted with movie stardom by co-starring with Warren Oates and James Taylor in the now cult-classic film, Two-Lane Blacktop. During the late ’70s, Dennis released Pacific Ocean Blue, which although it didn’t sell terribly well, was a critical success and built itself a cult following in later years. Until it’s reissue in 2008, copies of it could fetch over $100 on eBay. Dennis suffered from personal demons most of his adult life, and with that came struggles with alcohol. On December 28, 1983, an apparently drunk Dennis drowned while diving to recover lost personal items at the marina where his old boat had once been docked. He was 39. Dennis’ father, 
James Sullivan was a multi-instrumentalist who went by “The Rev” and played drums for popular metalcore band, Avenged Sevenfold. He also moonlighted as the lead singer of Pinkly Smooth, another metal band. Formed in 1999 with Sullivan as a founding member, Avenged Sevenfold quickly built a loyal fanbase thanks in part to Sullivan’s acclaimed drumming. The band signed with Warner Bros. Records in 2005 who shortly thereafter released City of Evil, an album that debuted in the top 30 and went on to sell over a 1.5 million copies worldwide. The band soon found themselves on the Ozzfest tour, appearing on MTV’s popular Total Request Live program, and receiving the Best New Artist award at the MTV Video Music Awards. On December 28, 2009, age 28, was found dead in his home of what is believed to have been an accidental overdose.
Freddie King was a Texas blues guitarist who directly inspired no less than 