Beatles – Page 5 – The Music's Over

Died On This Date (February 28, 2008) Mike Smith / Dave Clark Five

themusicsover February 28, 2010 0 Comments

Mike Smith
December 6, 1943 – February 28, 2008

Mike Smith was the lead singer of the Dave Clark Five, the second British Invasion group to hit U.S. shores during the early ’60s. They would be the only competition for the Beatles until the Rolling Stones reared their ugly head and music lovers suddenly saw a whole new side to British pop music. After the Dave Clark Five disbanded in 1970, Smith continued to record and produce throughout the eighties and nineties and then enjoyed modest success on the oldies circuit through the early years of the 21st century. In 2003, Smith seriously injured his spinal cord in a fall at his home. The fall left him paralyzed from the waist down and in his arms. He passed away from complications of that fall in 2008, just two weeks shy of being inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Dave Clark Five.

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Musician Rock Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (November 19, 1983) Tom Evans / Badfinger

themusicsover November 19, 2009 4 Comments

Tom Evans
June 5, 1947 – November 19, 1983

Tom Evans is best remembered as founding guitarist and sometime vocalist for British rock band, Badfinger. Evans had been Liverpool when, in 1967, he was asked to join the Iveys, a Welsh band fronted by Pete Ham. Within a year the band was signed to the Beatles’ Apple Records. The Evan’s penned “Maybe Tomorrow” was the band’s first single and cracked the US top 100. In 1969, the band changed its name to Badfinger to record The Magic Christian which included “Come and Get It,” written by Paul McCartney. Evans sang lead on the track which became a top 10 single around the world. One of Badfinger’s follow-up singles was “No Matter What,” another instantly recognizable hit. As a session player, Evans played or sang on John Lennon’s Imagine, George Harrion’s All Things Must Pass, and Ringo Starr’s “It Don’t Come Easy.” Perhaps Evans’ most famous song as a songwriter was the huge Harry Nilsson hit, “Without You,” co-written with Ham. In 1975, Pete Ham committed suicide, putting an end to the original Badfinger. Evans continued on performing in other bands, including a couple of new versions of Badfinger. On November 19, 1983, Tom Evans, 36, took his own life by hanging from a tree in his yard. It has been speculated that he was overwhelmed by disputes over royalties and legal action that could have potentially destroyed him financially.

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Early Rock Musician Rock Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (October 21, 1965) Bill Black / Played Bass For Elvis Presley

themusicsover October 21, 2009 0 Comments

Bill Black
September 17, 1926 – October 21, 1965

At Right With Scotty Moore and Elvis Presley

As if Bill Black’s remarkable career as the leader of his own rockabilly band, the Bill Black Combo weren’t enough, he also played bass Elvis Presley’s original recording of “That’s Alright Mama” at Sun Studios. Black’s stand-up bass can be heard on several of Presley’s records, such as “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Mystery Train,” and “Hound Dog.” After parting ways with Presley in the late ’50s, Black joined a band that eventually evolved into his Bill Black Combo, with whom he’d score several pop and R&B hits that were described as “dancable shuffles” that were a “mix of pop, country, blues and rock.” They were favored by jukebox operators as they kept the dance floors jumping. Black learned he had a brain tumor in the early ’60s, and even though his band was chosen to open for the Beatles during their historic 1964 US tour, Black was too ill to take part. He died of that tumor at the age of 39. In the late ’70s, Linda McCartney acquired Bill Black’s stand-up bass and gave it to her husband, Paul McCartney for his birthday.

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Easy Listening Pop Singer

Died On This Date (October 21, 1995) Maxene Andrews / The Andrews Sisters

themusicsover October 21, 2009 0 Comments

Maxene Andrews
January 3, 1916 – October 21, 1995

Maxene Andrews at left

Maxene Andrews, along with her two younger sisters, LaVerne and Patty were better known as the Andrews Sisters, the best selling female vocal group in pop music history. Over their career, the Andrews’ recorded over 600 sides that sold over 75 million copies in all. They had 113 charted hits, 46 of which landing in the top 10, a feat that surpassed even Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Maxene died of a heart attack on October 21, 1995.

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Died On This Date (October 19, 2009) Colin Burn / Longtime UK Music Exec

themusicsover October 19, 2009 2 Comments

Colin Burn
DOB Unknown – October 19, 2009

Colin Burn was an executive with EMI Records UK for a quarter of a century, starting there during the years following World War 2. Over the course of his career, he worked directly with the likes of the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Supremes. After ascending to the point of General Manager, Burn left the company in the early ’80s and went to work with the Rolling Stones. Colin Burn was 76 when he passed away on October 19, 2009.

Died On This Date (February 28, 2008) Mike Smith / Dave Clark Five

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Died On This Date (November 19, 1983) Tom Evans / Badfinger

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Died On This Date (October 21, 1965) Bill Black / Played Bass For Elvis Presley

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Died On This Date (October 21, 1995) Maxene Andrews / The Andrews Sisters

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Died On This Date (October 19, 2009) Colin Burn / Longtime UK Music Exec

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