Songwriter

Died On This Date (April 18, 1996) Bernard Edwards / Chic

Bernard Edwards
October 31, 1952 – April 18, 1996

bernard-edwardsBernard Edwards was a bass player and prolific producer.  In the mid ’70s, Edwards formed Chic, a disco group that had a massive hits with “Le Freak” and “Good Times.”  Edwards went on to produce hits for some of pop music’s biggest names throughout the ’80s and ’90s.  That list includes Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Power Station, Robert Palmer, Debbie Harry, Johnny Mathis, and Duran Duran.   While in Tokyo for a concert in 1996, Edwards became ill.  He was found dead in his hotel room.  Cause of death was determined to be pneumonia.

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Chic

Died On This Date (April 17, 2008) Danny Federici / Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

Danny Federici
January 23, 1950 – April 17, 2008

Danny Federici was one of the foundations of Bruce Springsteen’s legendary E Street Band.  Backing Springsteen, his organ fills can be heard in many of popular music’s greatest songs.  He has been by Springsteen’s side both live and on record since the late ’60s.  But it was Federici who actually gave Springsteen one of his earliest jobs when he asked him to join his band, Child.  Springsteen later, of course, asked Federici to join his own band which would eventually become the E Street Band.   Federici made a handful of his own albums during the E Street Band hiatus of the ’90s.  In November of 2007, it was announced that Federici would be taking a medical leave from to band to pursue treatment for melanoma.  He passed away because of the cancer on April 17, 2008.  Longtime E Street Band mate Clarence Clemons died on June 18, 2011 following a stroke.

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The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle - Bruce Springsteen

 

Died On This Date (April 17, 1960) Eddie Cochran / Rock and Roll Pioneer

Eddie Cochran
October 2, 1938 – April 17, 1960

Eddie Cochran was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who was one of the early foundations on which rock and roll was built.  He played a raved-up union of country and rock that was dubbed rockabilly.  To many, he was the flash point of the genre.    In 1956, Cochran performed “Twenty Flight Rock” in the film The Girl Can’t Help It.    The song continues to be a staple for many of today’s rockabilly performers.  Other classic recordings by Cochran include “C’mon Everybody,” and “Nervous Breakdown,” but it was his “Summertime Blues” that will always be remembered as his signature song.  Rolling Stone ranked it #73 in their list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  Covered by countless acts, its most famous versions by Blue Cheer and the Who.  Sadly, Eddie Cochran died when the taxi he was riding in crashed into a lamp-post while on tour in the UK. He was just 21 years old.

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Eddie Cochran

Died On This Date (April 17, 1987) Carlton Barrett / Bob Marley & The Wailers

Carlton “Carly” Barrett
December 17, 1950 – April 17, 1987

carlton-barrettCarlton Barrett was a reggae drummer and songwriter as well as brother of Aston “Family Man” Barrett.  The Barrett brothers started out together, forming a session band first called Soul Mates, then Rhythm Force and finally the Hippy Boys that featured Max Romeo on vocals.  By the early ’70s, the Hippy Boys were officially the house band for the great Lee “Scratch” Perry who renamed them the Upsetters.  Barrett played behind Perry on some of reggae’s greatest instrumentals, such as  “Clint Eastwood” and “Cold Sweat.”  It was around this time that Barrett brothers met Bob Marley who had formed a trio with Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh.  Carlton and Aston were hired to play on several early tracks and soon became permanent members of the Wailers.  Carlton stayed in the Wailers until Marley’s death in 1981.   Carlton Barrett was shot to death outside his home on April 17, 1987.  His wife, her then lover, and another man were implicated in the murder.   She ended up serving just one year for conspiracy.



Died On This Date (April 17, 1983) Felix Pappalardi / Producer For Cream, Bassist For Mountain

Felix Pappalardi
December 30, 1939 – April 17, 1983

Felix Pappalardi wore many hats during his music career.  As a producer,  he worked with the likes of Joan Baez, the Youngbloods, and most famously, Cream.  As an arranger, he worked on albums by Tom Paxton and Fred Neill.  As a musician, he played bass for Mountain.  And as a songwriter, he co-wrote one of Cream’s biggest hits, “Strange Brew.” It has been reported that Pappalardi had to retire early because he became partially deaf due to the loudness of Mountain shows.  On April 17, 1983, Felix Pappalardi was gunned down by his wife, Gail, in what she claimed was an accident.  She was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide.

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Climbing! - Mountain