Died On This Date (January 7, 2013) Kent Abbott / Guitarist For Somehow Hollow & Grade
themusicsover Kent Abbott
1981 – January 7, 2013
Kent Abbott was a guitarist who is best remembered for his tenure with Canadian pop punk bands, Grade and Somehow Hollow. Abbott joined Grade just after the band released what would become their final album, 2001’s Headfirst Straight To Hell. The group disbanded the following year. They have since been recognized as one of hardcore’s influential bands. Although Somehow Hollow formed in 2000, it wasn’t until the break up of Grade that Abbott committed to them full-time. They released Busted Wings And Rusted Halo on Victory Records in 2003, but called it quits in 2004. In later years, Abbott played with the .45 Goodbye. Kent Abbott was 32 when he died on January 7, 2013. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Thanks to Henk de Bruin for the assist.
What You Should Own
Sammy Johns was a folk and country-rock singer-songwriter who scored a major ’70s pop hit with 1975’s “Chevy Van.” Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Johns was just nine when he picked up the guitar. By the time he was a teenager, he was fronting his own band, the Devilles. After a few records with the Devilles, Johns moved to Atlanta and signed a solo deal with General Records who released his self-titled debut in 1973. The album’s “Chevy Van” took about a year or so to catch on, but when it did, it became one of the biggest singles of the ’70s. Reaching #5 on the Billboard pop charts, the record sold more than 1 million copies in the US alone. It was later covered by Eric Church, Sammy Kershaw, and 
Patti Page was an American singer who has been called the biggest selling female singer of the ’50s. Born into poverty in Oklahoma, Page began singing professionally after she graduating high school in 1945. Her first appearance of note was a 15-minute segment on KTUL radio in Tulsa. That lead to a touring gig with the Jimmy Joy Band who ultimately settled in Chicago where she met 
Mike Auldridge was a much respected master of the resophonic guitar, or as it is more commonly known, the dobro. Born in Washington, DC, Auldridge began playing the guitar at the age of 13. He eventually transitioned to the dobro, but didn’t began playing music full-time until he was around 40, when the Washington Star-News closed its doors. He had had been earning his living as a graphic artist for the paper. In 1971, Auldridge co-founded the Seldom Scene with a handful of musicians he jammed with each week. The band, much to the chagrin of traditionalists, married bluegrass with jazz, folk, and rock. By doing so, they were pioneers of progressive bluegrass, or what they called “acid grass,” which has been popularized by such jam bands as String Cheese Incident. As an in-demand session player, Auldridge played on records by 
Fontella Bass was a beloved R&B singer who is best remembered for her hugely popular hit of 1965, “Rescue Me.” Born into a music family – her mother was Martha Bass of the Clara Ward Singers – Bass began playing piano and singing in the church choir at a very young age. By the time she was nine, she was accompanying her mother on tours of the U.S. As a teenager, Bass began earning her living by singing in local clubs and such. Having grown up on St. Louis, Bass cut a several early records there, with some being produced by 