Died On This Date (April 14, 2005) Tom Payne / The Leonards
themusicsover Tom Payne
July 4, 1960 – April 14, 2005
Tom Payne was the original bassist for Los Angeles based garage rock band, the Leonards. Originally from the Detroit area, Payne and the band migrated to L.A. in the late 80s to try to get noticed. However, with a sound closer to the Replacements than Ratt, the group struggled to get noticed along the Sunset Strip. But they persevered, building a loyal fan base that they can still count on to this day. In 2004, Tom Payne discovered he had cancer, so he left the band and moved back to Michigan to be with his family. He died as a result of the cancer on April 14, 2005
Thurston Harris was an American R&B singer who fronted the South Central Los Angeles vocal group, the Lamplighters in the early ’50s. He later became what many call a “one-hit wonder”, but what a hit it was! His recording of “Little Bitty Pretty One” shot to #6 on the American pop charts and is considered to this day one of the most popular records of the era. Listen to it below; you’ll likely recognize it from a film or television program. Harris scored a couple other minor hits at the end of the ’50s, “Do What You Did,” and “Runk Bunk.” He passed away of a heart attack in 1990 at the age of 58.
Jim Price was a much respected twenty-year veteran of the music retail industry. He started his career as a store director for the legendary Peaches chain in Ft Lauderdale, FL. Most recently he was the Director of Purchasing for the Alliance Entertainment Corporation, or AEC where he was considered a mentor to his co-workers. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Joe Markowski was a respected drummer who is perhaps best remembered for playing with Twisted Sister for about a year starting in 1981. Markowski was also an in-demand drum teacher who, over the course of his career, tutored the likes of Bobby Rondinelli who played for Black Sabbath and Rainbow, and Joe Franco of Twisted Sister. Joe Markowski was 57 when he passed away on April 14, 2010. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Johnnie Johnson was a jazz and blues pianist who joined forces with Chuck Berry with whom he spent over twenty years collaborating on such rock ‘n’ roll classics as “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” and “Nadine,” even though he never received song-writing credits or royalties. It has been reported that “Johnnie B. Goode” was actually inspired by Johnson. After his run with Berry, Johnson was all but retired from music and working as a bus driver in St. Louis until he heard the praise being given him by the likes of Keith Richards. That motivated him to get back into music and record his first album in 1987 which lead to him sharing the stage with such luminaries as Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Bo 
