Died On This Date (October 20, 2010) Ari Up / Lead Singer Of The Slits
themusicsover Ari Up (Born Ariane Forster)
January 17, 1962 – October 20, 2010
Ari Up was the lead singer for the British punk band, the Slits. Born in Germany, Up was exposed to the rock music world at a very young age by her mother, Nora Forster, who was friends with Jimi Hendrix, Chris Spedding, and later married John Lydon of the Sex Pistols. By the late ’70s, the Forster home was somewhat of a halfway house for starving punk musicians, with Up taking it all in, even learning to play the guitar from Joe Strummer. In 1976, Up, who was just 14 at thetime, formed the Slits with Palmolive (Paloma Romero). The band built a solid following thanks to its reggae and dub leaning punk sound, which was heavily influenced by the Clash, and Up’s energetic live performances. In 1979, the band released its debut album, Cut, on Island Records to some controversy as the cover featured the women dressed only in loin cloths and covered in mud. Even though it was never considered a “hit,” the album generally appears in “best of” lists to this day. Following the break up of the Slits in 1981, Up all but retired from music, moving to the jungles of Indonesia and Belize with her husband and children to live amongst the indigenous people. She made music occasionally and resurfaced in 2005 to release her first solo album, Dread More Dan Dead. The following year, Up reformed the Slits and released an EP and toured the world. Since then she has appeared on albums by the likes of Lee “Scratch” Perry, the Jammyland All Stars, and Mark Stewart. Ari Up passed away on October 20, 2010 at the age of 48. Cause of death was not immediately released, but she apparently had been suffering from an undisclosed illness.
Thanks to Mike Woodford for the assist.
What You Should Own
Norman Johnson, known professionally as General Johnson, was as Grammy-winning songwriter, as well as a producer and the lead singer of popular late ’60s/early ’70s soul group, Chairmen of the Board. Johnson was just 16 when he made his first recordings for the storied Atlantic Records. In those early days he fronted his own group, the Humdingers, and shortly thereafter, the Showmen. It was with the latter that Johnson first started cracking the R&B singles chart with such records as “39-21-40 Shape.” After a short and less fruitful run as a solo artist, Johnson formed the Chairmen of the Board. The year was 1967, and it was with that group that he went on to release such hits as “(You’ve Got Me) Dangling On a String,” “Pay the Piper,” and “Give Me Just a Little More Time,” which sold in excess of one million copies. In 1970, Johnson won a Grammy as the songwriter of the mega hit “Patches” as recorded by Clarence Carter. 
Solomon Burke was a beloved and influential singer-songwriter who built a sizable following due to his powerful gospel, soul, and blues voice. Burke ‘s first adult profession was a preacher, and went on to become a popular gospel radio host and then a singer. Signed to the prestigious Atlantic Records in 1960, went on to release several critically acclaimed secular records, his most famous perhaps was “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love,” which was covered by the likes of the Rolling Stones, 
Steve Lee was the founding lead singer of Swiss metal band, Gotthard. Formed in 1992, the band has sold over two million albums and has seen 11 of their releases reach #1 on the Swiss charts. By most accounts, they are one of the most successful rock bands in Switzerland’s history, the other of course, being Krokus. Gotthard’s sound has been compared to that of Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, and Deep Purple, while Lee’s voice was as strong as any ’80s and ’90s power balladeer. While on a holiday motorcycle tour of the United States, Lee and his group pulled off a Nevada highway to change into rain gear. Shortly thereafter, in what was ruled an accident by local authorities, a truck driver lost control of his vehicle which then crashed into one of the parked bikes, sending it direclty into Lee. Steve Lee died from injuries sustained in the accident. He was 47.