but the songs live on forever

Singer

Bluegrass Musician Singer

Died On This Date (May 8, 2012) Everett Lilly / Bluegrass’ The Lilly Brothers

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Everett Lilly
July 1, 1924 – May 8, 2012

Photo by Michael Keller

Everett Lilly was a respected mandolin picker who, along with his brother, Bea Lilly, were known to the bluegrass world as the Lilly Brothers.  The Lilly Brothers got started singing on their local Appalachia radio stations during the 1940s, and folks took to their sound which has been likened to that of the Blue Sky Boys and the Monroe Brothers.  In 1952, they moved to Boston and are largely credited to bringing bluegrass to New England.   They quickly became a popular draw at area folk clubs, coffee houses, and festivals.  The Lilly Brothers went on to record several albums for such labels as Folkways and Prestige.  Prior to going off with his brother, Lilly played and sang for Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, and performed on the Grand Ole Opry as part of their Foggy Mountain Boys.  He also played on several of their early records.   In recent years, Lilly performed alongside his sons in the Lilly Mountaineers.  Everett Lilly was 87 when he passed away on May 8, 2012.

Thanks to Amy Cool Dorsey for the assist.

 

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Blues Musician Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (May 6, 2012) Michael “Iron Man” Burks /Arkansas Blues Man

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Michael Burks
July 30, 1957 – May 6, 2012

Photo by Paul Natkin

Born in Milwaukee, WI,  Michael “Iron Man” Burks was an exceptional electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.  By the time he was just five years old, Burks was already making beautiful noise on his guitar standing alongside his father who once played with Sonny Boy Williamson II.  During the early ’70s, Burks moved with his family to Camden, Arkansas where his father opened a juke joint.  Before he knew it, Burks was fronting the house band who played behind numerous visiting blues greats.  After the club closed during the ’80s, Burks all but left the music business altogether to earn a better living at Lockheed.  He eventually returned to making music full-time, releasing his debut album, From The Inside Out, in 1997.  Over the next two decades, Burk released three more albums for the esteemed Alligator Records while entertaining blues lovers around the world.  Upon returning from a European tour on May 6, 2012, Michael “Iron Man” Burks collapsed at the Atlanta International Airport and ultimately died from what was reported to have been a heart attack.  He was 54.

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I Smell Smoke - Michael Burks

R&B Singer

Died On This Date (May 5, 2012) Sweet Joe Russell / The Persuasions

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Jesse “Sweet Joe” Russell
September 25, 1939 – May 5, 2012

Photo by Susana Millman

Sweet Joe Russell was an influential vocalist who, for the better part of five decades, sang with the a capella group, the Persuasions. Formed in Brooklyn in 1962, the Persuasions first found an audience on local street corners.  In 1970, after hearing them sing over the telephone, Frank Zappa signed them to his Straight Records and released their debut record, A Capella.  They went on to release numerous albums and record or tour with the likes of the Grateful Dead, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Joni Mitchell, and Liza Minnelli.  And it was Russell, with his sweet tenor, who was called “the voice of the Persuasions.”  Sweet Joe Russell died on May 5, 2012, after a long battle with diabetes.  He was 72.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus for the assist.

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Acappella - The Persuasions

Hip Hop Musician Producer Rap Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (May 4, 2012) Adam Yauch / MCA Of The Beastie Boys

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Adam Yauch
August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012

Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

Known on stage as MCA, Adam Yauch was a founding member of influential hip hop trio, the Beastie Boys.  Born in Brooklyn, New York, Yauch taught himself how to play the bass and formed the Beastie Boys while still in high school. Initially a hardcore punk band, the Beasties began transitioning toward hip hop with their 1983 12-inch record, “Cookie Puss” – which quickly became an underground dance hit in New York City.  Within a year, they were full-on hip hop. In 1986, the group released their debut full length, Licensed To Ill, which, with a little help from MTV, made them international stars.  The raucous video for the album’s “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)” is one of MTV’s most popular videos of all time.  Licensed To Ill went on to sell over 40 million albums worldwide and is considered one of the most influential albums of its era.  The Beasties released several more charting albums over the next two decades and in 2012 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Yauch directed many of the group’s videos along with their groundbreaking concert film, Awesome, I Fuckin’ Shot That, which was released in 2006.  Away from the Beasties, Yauch produced such albums as Bad Brains‘ Build A Nation.  His likeness appeared in video games like NBA Street V3, Tony Hawks Proving Ground, and NBA Jam.  In 2009, Adam Yauch learned began treatment for cancerous gland. He ultimately died of cancer on May 4, 2012.  He was 47.

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Paul's Boutique (20th Anniversary Remastered Edition) - Beastie Boys

Musician Rock Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (April 23, 2012) Chris Ethridge / International Submarine Band; Flying Burrito Brothers

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Chris Ethridge
1947 – April 23, 2012

Chris Ethridge was an American musician who is best remembered for playing in the International Submarine Band and the Flying Burrito Brothers.  Born in Meridian, Mississippi, Ethridge was already playing in local bands by the time he moved to Los Angeles at 17.  It was there that he joined the International Submarine Band, playing alongside with Gram Parsons.  The year was 1967, and Ethridge played on that year’s release, Safe At Home.  Parsons left ISB the following year and Ethridge followed suit.  He worked with Parsons on solo projects even co-writing several of his songs.  In 1968, Ethridge co-founded the Flying Burrito Brothers with Parsons, Chris Hillman, and Sneaky Pete Kleinow. Although Ethridge played on just the band’s first album, The Gilded Palace Of Sin before leaving in 1969, it can’t be denied that he played a role in the birth of country rock while influencing the likes of the Eagles, Wilco, and Ryan Adams.  In 1975, he participated in a reformed version of the Burrito Brothers for the recording of Flying Again.  Over the course of his career, Ethridge played on records by such acts as Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Randy Newman, and Ry Cooder.  He also spent more than seven years playing in Willie Nelson’s live band. Chris Ethridge was 65 when he passed away on April 23, 2012. He was 65.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

Thanks to Bruce Kilgour at Slipped Disc Entertainment for the assist.

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The Gilded Palace of Sin and Burrito Deluxe - The Flying Burrito Brothers

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