Died On This Date (January 18, 2013) Steve Knight / Keyboardist For Mountain

Steve Knight
1935 – January 18, 2013

Steve Knight at far right
Steve Knight at far right

Steve Knight is best remembered as the original keyboardist for American hard rock band, Mountain.  Formed in 1967 by bassist and famed Cream producer, Felix Pappalardi, the band, which also included singer and guitar great, Leslie West,  went on to have one of the era’s most familiar songs, “Mississippi Queen.”  Climbing!, their debut album from which it came, reached #17 on the Billboard charts and achieved Gold status.  Their two follow-up albums failed to produce any hit singles but did achieve Gold status as well.  In 1969, Mountain was one of the highlights of Woodstock with just their fourth live performance ever.  Although they can be heard on the album, they did not appear in the legendary film of the event.  After Mountain broke up in 1972, Knight returned to his first love, traditional jazz.  He enjoyed a long musical career as a sound engineer, author, songwriter and session player.  He was known to pop up on stage with West from time to time as well.   During the mid 90s, Knight settled in Woodstock, New York, where he was active in local politics, serving two terms on the Woodstock Town Board.  Steve Knight died of Parkinson’s disease on January 18, 2013.

Thanks to David Plastic from erockphotos.com for the assist.

What You Should Own

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Click to find at amazon.com




Died On This Date (January 15, 2013) Andrew Mazzone / Respected Boston Musician

Andrew Mazzone
DOB Unknown – January 15, 2013

andrew-mazzoneAndrew Mazzone was a respected journeyman bass player who was a fixture of the Boston music scene for many years.  A gifted musician from an early age, Mazzone found work during the ’70s as part of the backing band of a traveling variety show that featured Tiny Tim, Smokin’ Joe Frazier & the Knockouts, boxer Jake LaMotta and Sherman Hemsley of The Jeffersons fame.  In later years, he played with such Boston area acts as Robin Lane, the Twinemen, and Laurie Sargent.  He also toured with Mary Chapin Carpenter and Kim Richey. Mazzone also found time to study law.  As a lawyer, he helped many fellow musicians, and within that capacity, played a significant role in the creation of the Center for Arts at the Armory (Somerville, MA), and Hi-n-Dry Records and studio.  Andrew Mazzone was 57 when he died of melanoma on January 15, 2013.

Thanks to Steve Cabrel for the assist.


Died On This Date (January 10, 2013) Claude Nobs / Founder Of The Montreux Jazz Festival

Claude Nobs
February 4, 1936 – January 10, 2013

Photo by Lionel Flusin
Photo by Lionel Flusin

Claude Nobs will be fondly remembered as the man who created the historic Montreux Jazz Festival.  Born in the Swiss city that later hosted his annual event, Nobs organized the first installment while working for the Tourism Office of Montreux in 1967.  The inaugural one included sets from the likes of  Jack DeJohnette, Charles Lloyd, and Keith Jarrett.  The festival was quickly recognized as a premier gathering of jazz greats from the world over.  Nobs also made a mark on rock and roll as well.  As it turns out, Nobs was present when the Montreux Casino infamously burned down during a Frank Zappa concert. He heroically rescued several people who were taking cover in the casino. Deep Purple memorialized the event in song which included a lyrical cameo by Nobs – “Funky Claude was running in and out pulling kids out the ground.”  That song is “Smoke on the Water.”   During the ’70s, Nobs worked for the local branch of Warner, Elektra and Atlantic Records.  While the festival expanded to include musical acts beyond the jazz world, it swelled to over 200,000 attendees.  It is considered one of the most prestigious music festivals in the world today.  On December 24, 2012, Claude Nobs suffered a skiing accident that left him in a coma.  He was 76 when he died from those injuries on January 10, 2013.

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

 

Died On This Date (January 10, 2001) Bryan Gregory / The Cramps

Bryan Gregory
February 20, 1951 – January 10, 2001

bryan-gregoryBryan Gregory is best remembered as the founding guitarist for influential psychobillyists, the Cramps.  Formed while he and lead singer, Lux Interior worked together at a New York City record store, the band were instrumental in the development of the early punk scene whose centerpiece was the CBGB’s club.  The band in those days also included lead guitarist, Poison Ivy and Gregory’s sister, Pam Balaam on drums.  It was Gregory’s unique guitar sound and crazy stage antics that endeared him to early fans.  He played on the band’s first two albums, Gravest Hits and Songs The Lord Taught Us before leaving in 1980.   Gregory spent the next few years in a band called the Beast before playing a zombie in George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and moving to Florida where he ran an adult book store.  The early ’90s found him in Los Angeles where he formed the Dials and played in Shiver.  Bryan Gregory was 49 when he suffered “multiple systems failure” after driving himself to a Southern California hospital emergency room.  He had reportedly been in ill-health after previously suffering a heart attack, but official cause of death was not released.

What You Should Own

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

Songs the Lord Taught Us - The Cramps

Died On This Date (January 8, 2013) Tandyn Almer / ’60s Singer-Songwriter; Wrote “Along Comes Mary”

Tandyn Almer
July 30, 1942 – January 8, 2013

tandyn-almerTandyn Almer was a mysterious Minneapolis-born singer-songwriter whose biggest contribution to popular music came by way of his “Along Came Mary,” a 1966 Top Ten hit as recorded by the Association.  Just a teenager when the music of John Coltrane and Miles Davis caught his ear, Almer, a future member of Mensa, decided to quit high school and move to Chicago to become a jazz musician.  By the ’60s, he found himself in Los Angeles, where he set his sights on rock music.  Over the next few years, he collaborated, as a songwriter or producer, with such acts as Dennis Olivieri, the Purple Gang, and the Garden Club.  During the ’70s, he wrote songs for A&M Records where he co-wrote the Beach Boys‘ “Sail On Sailor,” and “Marcella.”  Outside of music, Almer invented the Slave-Master water pipe which was called “the perfect bong” by at least one how-to manual.  By the ’80s, Almer was all but out of the music business, and living in Washington D.C. where he wrote songs for an annual comedy review put on by Hexagon, a D.C. based non-profit organization.  In recent years, Almer was reportedly in ailing health – suffering from heart and lung disease, until he passed away on January 8, 2013.  He was 70.

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