Hughie Thomasson
August 13, 1952 – September 9, 2007
Best known as the founding guitarist and songwriter for southern rock legends, the Outlaws, Hughie Tomasson gave us such classic rock songs as “Green Grass And High Tides,” “There Goes Another Love Song,” and “Hurry Sundown.” He later joined Lynyrd Skynyrd as a guitarist and songwriter. Hughie Thomasson died of a massive heart attack while napping on September 9, 2007. He was 55.
Warren Zevon was one of rock’s greatest songwriters. He could write a better song title than most can write full songs. He first gained prominence as part of the same ’70s Los Angeles rock community that spawned the Eagles, Jackson Browne, and Linda Ronstadt, Zevon crafted songs that were beautifully ironic and at times, darkly humorous. He was, as the saying goes, a songwriter’s songwriter. Over the years he gave us such classic tunes as “Send Lawyers, Guns and Money,” “Werewolves Of London,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” “Hasten Down The Wind,” and “Carmelita.” Throughout most of the ’80s and ’90s, Zevon could be seen from time to time filling in for Paul Shaffer on Late Night With David Letterman. In 2002, Zevon was diagnosed with a cancer that has been linked to asbestos. Instead of seeking traditional treatment, Zevon set out to create his final masterpiece, The Wind. The album featured a list of friends paying him back for the impact he had had on them. That list included Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Tom Petty, Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris and more. A brilliant VH-1 documentary was made of the sessions. October 30, 2002, David Letterman paid an unprecedented gesture to Zevon by devoting that entire one-hour show to his dear friend. Warren Zevon died on September 7, 2003, just 12 days after the release of The Wind which went on to be certified gold and earn five Grammy nominations, winning two.
Tom Fogerty is best remembered as the founding guitarist for Creedance Clearwater Revival alongside his younger brother, John Fogerty. Prior to his days in CCR, Fogerty had a group, Spider Webb & The Insects that were signed to Del-Fi Records, but broke up before they could release any records. In the mid ’60s, Fogerty joined up with his brother in the Golliwogs who eventually changed their name to Creedance Clearwater Revival. CCR went on to become one of America’s most popular rock bands, releasing such huge hits as “Bad Moon Rising,” “Proud Mary” and “Fortunate Son.” Over the course of just five years, the band released a series of albums that are now considered classic rock staples. In spite of the band’s success, Fogerty quit the band in 1971 partly due to his strained relationship with his brother. Fogerty’s solo debut album of 1971 was a minor hit which reached #78 on the Billboard charts. Tom Fogerty died of AIDS at the age of 48. He had been infected with HIV from a blood transfusion.
Ernest Tubb was one of country music’s greatest pioneers. With a career that spanned almost 50 years, Tubb ushered in what would be called “honky tonk” with his 1941 hit, “Walking The Floor Over You.” The son of a sharecropper, Tubb spent much of his youth working the fields of Texas, learning to sing and play the guitar during his off hours. His early music jobs consisted of singing at radio stations in San Antonio and San Angelo, Texas. In the mid ’30s, he struck up a friendship with the widow of Jimmie Rodgers, one of his all-time idols. It was she that helped him get his first deal with RCA Records. Tubb was never accused of having the best singing voice, but he certainly put together some of the greatest bands country music has ever known. 1n 1947, Tubb opened Ernest Tubb Record Shop in downtown Nashville. That store, along with locations in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Fort Worth, Texas are still thriving businesses, catering mostly to the classic country fan. Ernest Tubb died of empysema at the age of 70.
Alan Wilson was the co-founder, lead singer and guitarist for blues rock band, Canned Heat. Formed in 1965 by Wilson and and fellow record junkie, Bob Hite, Canned Heat played an electrified boogie version of the great blues recordings they had collected. Canned Heat endeared themselves to both psychedelic rock fans and the blues crowd by not only kicking ass at the Woodstock AND Monterey festivals, but by producing and recording with John Lee Hooker on the outstanding, Hooker ‘n’ Heat. Alan Wilson died of a drug overdose on September 3, 1970. He was 27 years old.