Died On This Date (December 28, 2009) James “The Rev” Sullivan / Avenged Sevenfold

The Rev (Born James Sullivan)
February 10, 1981 –  December 28, 2009

James Sullivan was a multi-instrumentalist who went by “The Rev” and played drums for popular metalcore band, Avenged Sevenfold.  He also moonlighted as the lead singer of Pinkly Smooth, another metal band.   Formed in 1999 with Sullivan as a founding member, Avenged Sevenfold quickly built a loyal fanbase thanks in part to Sullivan’s acclaimed drumming.  The band signed with Warner Bros. Records in 2005 who shortly thereafter released City of Evil,  an album that debuted in the top 30 and went on to sell over a 1.5 million copies worldwide.  The band soon found themselves on the Ozzfest tour, appearing on MTV’s popular Total Request Live program, and receiving the Best New Artist award at the MTV Video Music Awards.  On December 28, 2009, age 28, was found dead in his home of what is believed to have been an accidental overdose.

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Died On This Date (December 28, 1952) Fletcher Henderson / Jazz Great

Fletcher Henderson
December 18, 1897 – December 28, 1952

Fletcher Henderson was a respected big band and swing jazz pianist, composer and band leader.  During a career that began in the early ’20s, Henderson lead bands that included the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Louis Armstrong, Sun Ra and Benny Carter.  As a composer, his most famous song was “Gin House Blues,” which found itself recorded by Bessie Smith and Nina Simone among others.  As an arranger, he was responsible for key recordings by Benny Goodman and others.  In 1950, Fletcher Henderson suffered a stroke that left him unable to play the piano.  He passed away two years later.



Died On This Date (December 28, 1976) Freddie King / Texas Blues Great

Freddie King
September 3, 1934 – December 28, 1976

Freddie King was a Texas blues guitarist who directly inspired no less than Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton.  He, B.B. King, and Albert King were known as the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar.”  Over a career that spanned almost 30 years, King released over a dozen albums that included such classic blues recordings as “Hide Away,” “Have You Ever Loved a Woman,” and “I Love the Woman.” Rolling Stone magazine listed King at #25 on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.  In 1973, Grand Funk Railroad honored King by namechecking him in their classic song, “We’re an American Band,” an homage to life on the road for a rock ‘n roll band.  The lyric, “Up all night with Freddie King / I got to tell you poker’s his thing / Booze and ladies keep me right / as long as we can make it to the show tonight.”  Freddie King was just 42 when he died of heart failure on December 28, 1976.

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Died On This Date (December 28, 2008) Vincent Ford / Wrote Songs For Bob Marley

Vincent Ford
1940 – December 28, 2008

vincent-ford

Vincent Ford was a longtime friend of Bob Marley and is credited as the songwriter for such Marley tunes as “Positive Vibration,” “Roots Rock Reggae,” and most famously, “No Woman, No Cry.” During the ’60s, Ford ran a kitchen in the Trenchtown ghetto of Kingston.  It was called the Casbah and it was where Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh rehearsed in their early days.  Marley also slept on a wooden table there for a while.  It has since become a museum of sorts.  It is believed that in actuality, Marley wrote the Ford-credited songs, but gave Ford the writing credits so he would have income for the rest of his life.  It has been reported that Marley did that for other close friends as well.  At the very least, Ford inspired some of Marley’s lyrics.  Vincent Ford was 68 when he passed away from diabetes and hypertension on December 28, 2008.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.



Died On This Date (December 28, 1983) Walter Scott / Lead Singer Of Bob Kuban & The In-Men

Walter Scott (Born Walter Notheis)
February 7, 1943 – December 28, 1983

Walter Scott was the lead singer of the St. Louis blue-eyed soul band, Bob Kuban & the In-Men whose 1966 hit, “(Look Out For) The Cheater,” qualifies them as a “one-hit wonder.”  Scott left the group shortly after the record’s release and mounted an unsuccessful solo career.  In later years he fronted a popular cover band.  On December 27, 1983, Scott went missing.  In the Spring of 1987,  his hog-tied corpse was found in a water tank.  He had been shot in the back of his head.  The lover and future husband of Scott’s second wife was later convicted of his murder.  The case was featured on Court TV’s Forensic Files in recent years.