Died On This Date (September 20, 1984) Steve Goodman / Influential Singer-Songwriter
themusicsover Steve Goodman
July 28, 1948 – September 20, 1984
Steve Goodman was a two-time Grammy winning singer songwriter who made his mark on popular music with “City of New Orleans” which has been widely covered, but most notably by Arlo Guthrie in 1972. Goodman learned he had leukemia in 1969, the dawn of his music career. He worked through it for the next 15 years of his life. Sadly, Goodman’s two Grammys came after his death; in 1984 thanks to Willie Nelson’s recording of “City Of New Orleans, and again in 1988 when his posthumous album, Unfinished Business won in the Best Contemporary Folk catagory. Chicago Cubs fans may recognize Goodman for another song, “Go Cubs Go” which is played at Cubs games. Steve Goodman was 36 when he finally succumbed to leukemia.
What You Should Own
The son of romance writer Danielle Steele, Nick Traina was the lead singer of ska punk band, Link 80. Traina joined Link 80 when he was just sixteen, after fronting a band that he formed at just thirteen. Traina suffered much of life with mental issues, being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and manic depression in later years. He also suffered from drug abuse and had tried to take his own life on three seperate occasions before sadly succeeding on the fourth try. He was just 19 years old.
Gram Parsons was a highly influential singer-songwriter who helped launch what would later be called country rock and then alt-country or Americana. Parsons began playing the guitar as a teenager to escape a less than ideal home life. The first group he played with, the Shilohs, were a folk band in the tradition of the Kingston Trio. When the band broke up, he and other Boston area folk musicians formed the International Submarine Band with whom he began to develop a sound the borrowed the best from country, folk and rock. They enjoyed moderate success, primarily getting airplay on the up-and-coming progressive radio stations. In 1968, Parsons was asked to join the Byrds as a replacement for David Crosby and Michael Clarke. He started on keyboards but soon switched to guitar, helping guide the group down a more country rock path. Parsons left the Byrds in the summer of 1968. He joined back up with the Byrds’ Chris Hillman soon after to form the Flying Burrito Brothers whose debut, The Gilded Palace of Sin would be a direct influence on the likes of the Eagles, Dwight Yoakam and later, Wilco and Ryan Adams. By the early ’70s, Parsons was working as a solo artist while recording and performing with good friend, Emmylou Harris. It was during this period that Parsons’ inner demons were taking control in the form of substance abuse. He was also spending more and more time in an area he had become fond of, Joshua Tree National Monument in the desert outside of Los Angeles. He liked to go there and take LSD while searching for UFOs. It was during one of these trips that Gram Parsons apparently overdosed on morphine and alcohol and died at the age of 26.
Red Foley was one of country music’s most popular performers during the ’40s and ’50s. He sold upwards of 25 million records during his career, and his “Peace In The Valley” was the first gospel record to be certified a million-seller. Known as Mr. Country Music, Foley became part of the Grand Ole Opry’s radio program in 1946, and a decade later, he successfully transitioned to television. After performing during two Grand Ole Opry shows in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Red Foley died of heart failure in his sleep later that night. He was 58 years old.
