Died On This Date (September 10, 1999) Beau Jocque / Acclaimed Zydeco Performer

Beau Jocque (Born Andrus Espree)
November 1, 1953 – September 10, 1999

Beau Jocque was a Zydeco singer and accordion player who came to prominence in Louisiana during the ’90s.   With his band, the Zydeco Hi-Rollers, Jocque injected rock and funk into the Zydeco sound, endearing him to fans throughout the local clubs.  A big man, standing 6′ 6″ and weighing in at nearly 275 pounds, Jocque died of a fatal heart attack at the age of 46.

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Pick Up On This! - Beau Jocque and The Zydeco Hi-Rollers

 

Died On This Date (September 9, 1996) Bill Monroe / Bluegrass Icon

Bill Monroe
September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996

Bill Monroe was a  bluegrass pioneer who more or less invented the genre whose name itself was  derived from the moniker of his own band, the Blue Grass Boys.  Born on the family farm in Kentucky, each of Monroe’s parents passed away by the time he was 16, so he spent the next two years living with his fiddle-playing uncle whom he often accompanied on mandolin at local gigs.  When he was 18, Monroe formed the Monroe Brothers with his brother Charlie Monroe and two friends.  The friends eventually left and the brothers continued as a duo, signing with RCA Victor in 1936.  In 1940, Monroe formed the Blue Grass Boys which soon included banjo great, Earl Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt.  Now on Columbia Records, Monroe recorded a series of songs that would become the foundation of bluegrass music.  Those songs included “My Rose Of Old Kentucky” and “Blue Moon Of Kentucky” a cover of which became a signature song for Elvis Presley.   By the ’50s, bluegrass suffered from the coming of rock ‘n roll and the Nashville Sound of country music.  Things began to turn around thanks to the folk revival of the ’60s when Monroe’s music found an audience with young people who began embracing him as the “father of bluegrass.”  Bill Monroe passed away at the age of 84 on September 9, 1996.   He was elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence the following year.

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Bill Monroe: Anthology - Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys

Died On This Date (September 9, 2007) Hughie Thomasson / Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Outlaws

Hughie Thomasson
August 13, 1952 – September 9, 2007

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Best known as the founding guitarist and songwriter for southern rock legends, the Outlaws, Hughie Tomasson gave us such classic rock songs as “Green Grass And High Tides,” “There Goes Another Love Song,” and “Hurry Sundown.”  He later joined Lynyrd Skynyrd as a guitarist and songwriter.  Hughie Thomasson died of a massive heart attack while napping on September 9, 2007.  He was 55.

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Best of The Outlaws - Green Grass and High Tides (Remastered) - The Outlaws

Died On This Date (September 7, 2003) Warren Zevon

Warren Zevon
January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003

Warren Zevon was one of rock’s greatest songwriters.  He could write a better song title than most can write full songs.  He first gained prominence as part of the same ’70s Los Angeles rock community that spawned the Eagles, Jackson Browne, and Linda Ronstadt, Zevon crafted songs that were beautifully ironic and at times, darkly humorous.  He was, as the saying goes, a songwriter’s songwriter.  Over the years he gave us such classic tunes as “Send Lawyers, Guns and Money,” “Werewolves Of London,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” “Hasten Down The Wind,” and “Carmelita.”  Throughout most of the ’80s and ’90s, Zevon could be seen from time to time filling in for Paul Shaffer on Late Night With David Letterman.  In 2002, Zevon was diagnosed with a cancer that has been linked to asbestos.  Instead of seeking traditional treatment, Zevon set out to create his final masterpiece, The Wind.  The album featured a list of friends paying him back for the impact he had had on them.  That list included Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Tom Petty, Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris and more.  A brilliant VH-1 documentary was made of the sessions.  October 30, 2002, David Letterman paid an unprecedented gesture to Zevon by devoting that entire one-hour show to his dear friend.  Warren Zevon died on September 7, 2003, just 12 days after the release of The Wind which went on to be certified gold and earn five Grammy nominations, winning two.

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The Wind - Warren Zevon

Died On This Date (September 6, 2007) Luciano Pavarotti / Crossover Opera Legend

Luciano Pavarotti
October 12, 1935 – September 6, 2007

Luciano Pavarotti was an immensely popular operatic singer who successfully crossed over to pop music during the 1990s.  In the early part of the decade, he joined Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras to perform and record as The Three Tenors.  Their album together went on to become the biggest selling classical album in history.  Over the years he has sung with such pop acts as U2, Vanessa Williams and Mercedes Sosa.  He is the only opera singer to ever perform on Saturday Night Live.  Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer while in the midst of his “farewell tour” of 2006.  He died of the disease on September 6, 2007.

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Pavarotti's Greatest Hits - London Philharmonic Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti & Zubin Mehta