Falco (Born Johann Holzel)
February 19, 1957 – February 6, 1998
Falco was an Austrian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who scored four massive international hits during the ’80s. His biggest in the U.S. were 1981’s “Der Kommissar” and 1986’s “Rock Me Amadeus.” “Der Kommissar” makes Falco the first to have a German language song go to #1 in the United States. Falco was a gifted musician growing up, so he dropped out of high school at 17 to pursue his calling. In those early days, he sang in a jazz-rock band and later played bass in an Austrian punk band. Following that, Falco released a string of hits that stretched through the early ’90s. On February 6, 1998, Falco was killed when he got into an accident with a bus in the Dominican Republic. He was 40 years old.
Richard Delvy (Born Richard Delvecchio)
April 20, 1942 – February 6, 2010
Richard Delvy is best remembered as the founder and drummer for pioneering surf rock band, the Challengers. Prior to that band, Delvy played in the Belairs, a popular southern California surf band whose “Mr. Moto” was later covered by Dick Dale and the Ventures. In early 1963, the Challengers released their debut album, Surfbeat, and almost overnight, the Southern California beach culture became a craze across the U.S. That release, along with the Beach Boys’ “Surfing Sufari” and the release of Dale’s Surfer’s Choice – all within a few months of each other – are considered the flash point of surf rock. In later years, Delvy worked as a producer, owned his own publishing company, and worked at such labels as MGM and Bell. He was 67 when he passed away on February 6, 2010 following a long illness.
Piney Brown was a blues singer and songwriter who was not only known for his dynamic performances but for his skills as a songwriter. Over the years, his songs have been recorded by the likes of Little Milton and James Brown. His career spanned the better part of sixty years, and over the course of that time, he shared the stage with such greats as Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. He released several singles but never had nothing more than a regional hit or two. Piney Brown was 87 when he passed away on February 5, 2009.
Lux Interior (Born Erick Purkhiser)
October 21, 1946 – February 4, 2009
Lux Interior, lead singer of psychobilly stalwarts The Cramps died Wednesday, February 9, 2009. According to the band’s official press release, Interior passed away due to an existing heart condition in the early morning hours at Glendale (California) Memorial Hospital. Born Erick Purkhiser in Ohio, Interior eventually landed in Sacramento, California where he reportedly picked up hitch-hiking college student, Kristy Wallace. The two soon became soul mates over shared interests in obscure music and wild fashion and formed the nucleus of the Cramps. By 1975, the couple were in New York City helping define the original punk scene that also gave us the Ramones, Talking Heads and Patti Smith. But the Cramps sound was very different from the others. By combining equal elements of surf, rockabilly, camp, horror and fetish, along with Lex’s passionately reckless vocals and stage theatrics, the Cramps quickly built a legion of loyalists that would stay true to the band for decades to come. It should be noted that the Cramps are likely the only band in history who have performed at both the Napa State Mental Hospital AND on Beverly Hills, 90210.
Born in Scotland, Alex Harvey became one of the UK’s more popular performers during rock’s glam era. He and his Sensational Alex Harvey Band packed concert halls throughout Europe thanks to their dynamic live shows and Harvey’s flamboyant persona. During his those early years, Harvey was also a member of the pit band for the London production of Hair. In the mid ’70s, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band scored a couple of UK hits, “Boston Tea Party,” and a cover of Tom Jones’ “Delilah.” Alex Harvey suffered a fatal heart attack on February 4, 1982, the day before his 47th birthday.