Died On This Date (March 26, 2006) Nikki Sudden / English Post Punk Singer-Songwriter
themusicsover Nikki Sudden
July 15, 1956 – March 26, 2006
Nikki Sudden was an English post-punk singer-songwriter who, along with his brother Epic Soundtracks, built a loyal following in Swell Maps and later Nikki Sudden & the Jacobites. Fans gravitated toward Sudden’s music due in part to its sound that was noticeably influenced by early Stones, Faces, T.Rex and Johnny Thunders. Sudden died after a show on March 26, 2006. He had been working on a new album which was released later that year.
What You Should Own
With Dean Torrence, Jan Berry successfully recorded as Jan and Dean, one of the true pioneers of what would become known as surf music. Along with the Beach Boys, they ruled the genre during the late ’50s through the mid ’60s. Their smash hits included “Surf City,” “The Little Old Lady From Pasadena,” and the prophetic “Dead Man’s Curve.” If being pop stars didn’t take enough time, Berry was also an exceptional college student attending both UCLA and what is now known as the UC Irvine School Of Medicine. Two years into med school, tragedy struck. While on his way to a business meeting, Berry crashed his Corvette into a parked gardener truck on a Beverly Hills road not far from the actual “Dead Man’s Curve” of Sunset Blvd. The accident left Berry with brain damage and partial paralysis from which he never fully recovered. He was able to stay productive through the ’70s and ’80s as a producer and sometime performer and was involved with several Jan and Dean reissue packages into the 2000s. Berry passed away at age 62.
Buck Owens was a country music legend who, over the course of a forty-five year career almost single-handedly popularized what became known as the “Bakersfield sound.” Drawing on traditional honky-tonk, the “Bakersfield sound” is best described as a more twangy and electrified rock ‘n roll version of country. It was the antithesis of the popular “countrypolitan” of the era. In all, Owens released nearly 40 studio albums along with 9 live albums, from which came 21 #1 singles. His most celebrated are “Act Naturally” and “I’ve Got the Tiger By the Tail.” Throughout the years, his songs have been covered by the likes of the Beatles (with Ringo Starr on lead vocals), Dwight Yoakam, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Johnny Rivers and Cake. Owens was also a popular sight on television for many years. Besides being the host for the popular variety program Hee Haw for nearly twenty years, he was a regular guest on many other television programs during the ’70s and ’80s. Owens also owned several radio stations along with the Crystal Palace, his popular nightclub/restaurant/museum in Bakersfield, California, where he made regular appearances literally up until his death. On March 25, 2006, 76-year-old Buck Owens died in his sleep just hours after one such performance. It is believed that he suffered a heart attack.
Dan Seals had a string of pop and country hits both as a solo artist and as one half of England Dan & John Ford Coley. Seals’ hits included “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” (England Dan & John Ford Coley), “Bop,” “Meet Me In Montana” (with Marie Osmond), and “Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold).” Seals was born in Texas on February 8, 1949 into a musically talented family that included brother Jim Seals (Seals & Crofts), and cousins 
Harold Melvin was one of the architects of the so-called Philadelphia Sound as leader of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. The band had several chart toppers for Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s Philadelphia International label. It was singer 