Died On This Date (May 4, 2012) Adam Yauch / MCA Of The Beastie Boys
themusicsover Adam Yauch
August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012
Known on stage as MCA, Adam Yauch was a founding member of influential hip hop trio, the Beastie Boys. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Yauch taught himself how to play the bass and formed the Beastie Boys while still in high school. Initially a hardcore punk band, the Beasties began transitioning toward hip hop with their 1983 12-inch record, “Cookie Puss” – which quickly became an underground dance hit in New York City. Within a year, they were full-on hip hop. In 1986, the group released their debut full length, Licensed To Ill, which, with a little help from MTV, made them international stars. The raucous video for the album’s “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)” is one of MTV’s most popular videos of all time. Licensed To Ill went on to sell over 40 million albums worldwide and is considered one of the most influential albums of its era. The Beasties released several more charting albums over the next two decades and in 2012 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Yauch directed many of the group’s videos along with their groundbreaking concert film, Awesome, I Fuckin’ Shot That, which was released in 2006. Away from the Beasties, Yauch produced such albums as Bad Brains‘ Build A Nation. His likeness appeared in video games like NBA Street V3, Tony Hawks Proving Ground, and NBA Jam. In 2009, Adam Yauch learned began treatment for cancerous gland. He ultimately died of cancer on May 4, 2012. He was 47.
What You Should Own
Lloyd Brevett is best remembered as the longtime double bassist for the highly influential Jamaican ska band, the Skatalites. Helping to form the group in 1964, Brevett was there for the early development of ska, a form of Caribbean music that included elements of calypso, mento, American jazz, and R&B that was the foundation of reggae. The Skatalites’ biggest hit was “Guns Of Navarone.” The band broke in 1965 but reformed during the mid-’80s, instantly reclaiming their fandom. Brevett left the group in 2004. Lloyd Brevett suffered a major stroke in March of 2012 and died from complications on May 3, 2012. He was 80.
Charles Pitts was a Memphis guitarist whose style of playing has prompted many sources to include him on the list of the architects of funk and soul guitar. By the time Pitts was just 11 years he had picked up the guitar and was learning on the street corners around his Washington DC neighborhood. One of his early teachers was none other than neighbor, 
Todd Simko was a Canadian guitarist and producer who had been part of the Vancouver music scene as far back as the early ’80s. In 1991, Simko co-founded the alternative rock band, Pure who eventually got signed to Reprise Records. The group went on to release a string of records and earned a Juno nomination for Most Promising Group in 1992. They were also recognized with a Best Alternative Video nod at the 1993 MuchMusic Video Awards. Following the band’s break up in 2000, Simko went on to play for Biff Naked and do studio work for the likes of Marcy Playground and Xavier Rudd. Todd Simko passed away on April 26, 2012. Cause of death was not immediately released.