Died On This Date (May 6, 2009) Ean Evans / Lynyrd Skynyrd; The Outlaws

Ean Evans
September 16, 1960 – May 6, 2009

ianEan Evans was most recently the bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd, having joined the band in 2001, replacing Leon Wilkeson who had recently passed away.  Evans started playing the guitar at 15 and in no time he was gigging around the southeast in various cover bands.  He later switched to bass.  In 1988 he was asked to join the Outlaws by Hughie Thomasson.  Thomasson eventually folded the group to join Lynyrd Skynyrd.  Wilkeson followed in 2001.  He was diagnosed with cancer in late 2008  and died of the disease on May 6, 2009.

Thanks to Ed Maxin for the assist.

Died On This Date (May 6, 2009) Randall “Poodie” Locke / Beloved Roadie For Willie Nelson

Randall “Poodie” Locke
1952 – May 6, 2009

poodiePoodie Locke worked as Willie Nelson’s stage manager for the past 34 years.  According to all reports, Locke was loved by all who met him due to his warm personality, bigger-than-life presence,  and bear-like hugs.  Besides being one of the brightest and strongest stars in the Willie Nelson world, Locke owned his own Austin-area bar and had his own line of barbecue sauces.  Locke first met Nelson when he was just twelve years old and went on to work for him after he did a stint as a roadie for B.W. Stevenson.   Poodie Locke died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 56.

Died On This Date (May 6, 2009) Viola Wills / Disco Diva

Viola Wills (Born Viola Wilkerson)
December 30, 1939 – May 6, 2009

v3Viola Wills was already a mother of six when she was discovered by Barry White in 1965.  In her early career, Wills mostly worked as a back up singer for White as well as Joe Cocker and Smokey Robinson.  In 1979, Wills began a streak of disco hits that included “Dare To Dream,” “Gonna Get Along Without You Now,” and “Stormy Weather.”  Her chart success lead to her being dubbed “Disco Diva,”  and that was during a time when “diva” wasn’t thrown around as much as it is these days.  For disco, she was a bit of an anomaly in that she wrote many of her own songs.  Wills passed away after a long illness on May 6, 2009.  She was 69.

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Died On This Date (May 6, 2009) Rocky Benton / Texas Blues Musician

Harold “Rocky” Benton
DOB Unknown – May 6, 2009

rocky-bentonRocky Benton was a favorite in and around the Corpus Christi blues scene for many years thanks in part to his outstanding harmonica playing.  Blind since childhood, Benton gravitated toward music early, first learning to play the harmonica at age six and later, keyboards and drums.   By ten, he was singing and drumming in a jazz band while attending the Texas School For The Blind in Austin.  By the early ’90s, Benton was living in Corpus Christi where he became a fixture in the city’s music scene, sharing the bill with the likes of Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, B.B. King and others.   In 1993, Benton released his one and only album, and in 2007, he earned a spot on the South Texas Music Walk of Fame.  He died of heart failure on May 6, 2009 at the age of 57.

Died On This Date (May 6, 1969) Don Drummond / The Skatalites

Don Drummond
1943 – May 6, 1969

don-drummondAs a respected Jamaican trombonist, Don Drummond was one of the original foundations on which ska was built.  Drummond started his career in the mid ’50s with Eric Dean’s All Stars, and in 1964, he helped form the legendary Skatalites.   Besides being one of the world’s best trombone players, Drummond was an extremely prolific songwriter, penning over 300 songs over his very short career.   On January 1, 1965, Drummond was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, exotic dancer Anita “Margarita” Mahfood, who he stabbed to death in his apartment.  At his trial, he was found to be legally insane and was committed to Bellevue Hospital where he died of an apparent suicide on May 6, 1969.   Family and friends however, insist Drummond died at the hands of either a Jamaican government targeting the Kingston music scene, or the mob as revenge for the death of Mahfood.

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