Songwriter

Died On This Date (February 12, 2015) Steve Strange / Lead Singer Of Visage

Steve Strange (Born Steven Harrington)
May 28, 1959 – February 12, 2015

steve-strangeSteve Strange is perhaps best remembered as the front man for the popular ’80s new wave band, Visage.  Like many young people in the UK during the mid ’70s, Strange couldn’t resist the pull of punk rock.  After witnessing a Sex Pistols show in 1976, he began setting up gigs for punk bands in and around his Welsh neighborhood. Soon thereafter, he formed his own punk band, the Moors Murderers that counted future Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde and future Clash drummer, Topper Headon, as members during it’s rather short lifespan. Strange soon moved to London where he worked for Malcolm McLaren before forming Visage in 1978.  The group helped pioneer the New Romantic movement which also included such acts as Duran Duran, Culture Club and Spandau Ballet.  Visage’s second single, 1980’s “Fade To Grey,” was a big hit across the UK and beyond.  More hit singles and albums followed until Strange closed the initial chapter on the band in 1985.  During the late ’80s and early ’90s, Strange developed into a popular club DJ, helping to popularize the trance movement in its early days.  In 2004, he reformed Visage which continued on in one form or another through the remainder of his life.  Steve Strange passed away following a heart attack on February 12, 2015.  He was 55.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.ocm
Click to find at amazon.ocm


Died On This Date (January 15, 2015) Kim Fowley / American Musician, Producer & Manager

Kim Fowley
July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015

Photo by Nikki Kreuzer
Photo by Nikki Kreuzer

Kim Fowley was an American producer, musician, singer, songwriter, manager, disc jockey, music publisher, and film maker who is perhaps best remembered for forming and managing the Runaways.  And legend has it that he was the one who created the phenomenon of lighting one’s match/lighter at a concert.  Born in Los Angeles, Fowley got into the music business during the ’60s, initially producing and publishing novelty hits like “Alley Oop” by the Hollywood Argyles (which was basically just Fowley with mostly anonymous studio musicians) and  “Popsicles and Icicles” by the Murmaids.  The list of artists he either produce or write/co-write songs reads like a who’s who of ’70s rock and pop. That list includes Gene VincentKISS, Warren Zevon, Cat Stevens, Helen Reddy, Alice Cooper, the Byrds, and Kris Kristofferson.  In 1975, he met Joan Jett who was looking to put an all-girl band together. A couple of weeks later, he met Sandy West outside of The Rainbow Bar and Grill on Sunset Blvd.  Fowley gave Jett’s phone number to West, and the Ruaways were born.  In 2010, Fowley was portrayed by Michael Shannon in the film, The Runaways.  During his final years, he could be heard sharing his vast knowledge of pop music and pop culture via his regular program on Little Steven’s Underground Garage on SiriusXM.  Kim Fowley was 75 when he died of bladder cancer on January 15, 2015.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus at Bob Dylan Examiner for the assist.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com


Died On This Date (January 8, 2015) Andrae Crouch / The Father of Modern Gospel Music

Andrae Crouch
July 1, 1942 – January 8, 2015

andrae-crouchAndrae Crouch was a Gospel music pioneer in that he almost single-handedly crossed it over to the mainstream over the course of his career.  Crouch took to music at an early age, and had already written his first Gospel song by the time he was 14.  In 1960, he formed his first group, the Church of God in Christ Singers, that also counted Billy Preston as a member.  That lead to the Disciples which lasted until 1979, when Crouch went on to his successful solo career.  His best known songs are “My Tribute (To God Be the Glory),” “Soon and Very Soon,” and “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power.”  Over the years, Crouch collaborated with the likes of Elton John, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Madonna (to name just a few).   He also contributed original music to several films and television shows, most notably,  The Lion King and The Color Purple,  for which he earned an Academy Award nomination.  Throughout a career that spanned nearly 50 years, he won seven Grammys, four Dove Awards, and numerous other accolades.  Andrae Crouch was 72 when he died on January 8, 2015 while in the hospital after suffering a heart attack five days earlier.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus at Bob Dylan Examiner for the tip.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com


The Music’s Over – The Most Best Albums of 2014

Happy Holidays! Please enjoy some NEW music for a change here on The Music’s Over. Presenting the most best as well as the greatest albums from 2014.

1.  Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey / Going Back Home

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

2.  Jimmer / The Would-Be Plans

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

3.  The Strypes / Snapshot

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

4.  Various Artists – Ronnie James Dio: This Is Your Life

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

5.  Spanish Gold – South Of Nowhere

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

 6.  Bruce Springsteen / High Hopes

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

 7.  Sturgill Simpson / Metamodern Sounds In Country Music

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

8.  Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings / Give The People What They Want

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

9.  Mastodon – Once More Round The Sun

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

 

10.  U2 / Songs of Innocence

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

11.  Nikki Lane / All Or Nothin’

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

12.  The Gaslight Anthem – Get Hurt

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

13.  Bob Seger – Ride Out

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

14.  The Reverend Horton Heat / Rev

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

15.  Dwight Twilley / Always

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

16.  Ex Hex / Rips

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

17.  Future Islands / Singles

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

18.  String Cheese Incident / Song In My Head

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

19.  Imelda May / Tribal

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

20.  Marianne Faithfull / Give My Love To London

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

21.  Joe Louis Walker / Hornet’s Nest

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

22.  Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Hypnotic Eye

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

23.  Drowners – Drowners

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

24.  Cocktail Slippers – People Talk

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

25.  Angaleena Presley – American Middle Class

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

26.  Supersuckers – Get The Hell

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find on amazon.com

27.  Billy Joe Shaver – Long In The Tooth

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

28.  The Whigs – Modern Creation

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

29.  Jerry Lee Lewis – Rock & Roll Time

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

30.  Benjamin Booker / Benjamin Booker

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com


Died On This Date (December 21, 2014) Joe Cocker / Iconic English Rock Singer

John “Joe” Cocker
May 20, 1944 – December 21, 2014

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

Joe Cocker was a much-beloved English singer-songwriter who, over a career that spanned over 40 years, gave us some of the rock era’s most memorable songs. That list includes, “Feeling Alright,” “Up Where We Belong,” “Cry Me A River,” “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window,” “You Are So Beautiful,” “Unchain My Heart,” and “With A Little Help From My Friends.”  With a gravelly voice and uniquely passionate live delivery, Cocker can only be described as one of a kind. In many cases, his interpretations of other superstars’ recordings were arguably better than – or at least equal to – the originals.  Born in Sheffield, England , Cocker gravitated to the music of Ray Charles and Lonnie Donegan at an early age He was just 12 years old when his older brother first brought him up on stage to sing with his skiffle band. Within a couple of years, he formed his first group, the Cavaliers.  Over the next four decades, Cocker released 23 studio albums and toured the world numerous times.  His most recent studio album, Fire It Up, was released in 2012.  Joe Cocker lost his battle with lung cancer on December 21, 2014.  He was 70 years old.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com