Died On This Date (March 6, 2013) Alvin Lee / Ten Years After

Alvin Lee (Born Graham Barnes)
December 19, 1944 – March 6, 2013

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Alvin Lee was an English rock musician who is best remembered as founder and lead singer of the influential blues rock band, Ten Years After.  Considered one of rock’s greatest guitarists, Lee began playing at age 13.  In 1962, he formed his first band, the Jaybirds, who haunted the same Hamburg clubs that had recently hosted the pre-fame Beatles.  By the late ’60s, the Jaybirds morphed into Ten Years After who quickly built a sizable following throughout Europe and scored a record deal with Deram Records.  Finding their way to the San Francisco airwaves, songs from their self-titled debut caught the ear of Bill Graham who invited them to tour the US in 1968.  The following year, they played the Woodstock Festival and appeared in the iconic film documentary of the event.  Soon, the band found themselves playing arenas and stadiums all over the world, and Lee’s remarkable talent as a guitarist could not be denied.  After recording 10 albums with the group, Lee decided to move on in 1974.  What followed were a series of solo albums and collaborations with the likes of George Harrison, Mylon LFevre, Bo Diddley, and Jerry Lee Lewis.  He reunited with Ten Years After for a couple of albums and tours during the late ’70s.  Lee continued recording and touring until the release of his final album, 2012’s Still On The Road To Freedom.  Alvin Lee died unexpectedly on March 6, 2013.   According to a post on his website, he “unexpectedly passed away early this morning after unforseen complications following a routine surgical procedure.”  He was 68.

Thanks to David Plastik of eRockPhotos for the assist.

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Died On This Date (December 16, 2011) Jennifer Miro / The Nuns

Jennifer Miro (Born Jennifer Anderson)
May 3, 1957 – December 16, 2011

Jennifer Miro was a keyboardist and singer who played in the pioneering San Francisco punk band, the Nuns.  Formed in 1975, the band, which included Alejandro Escovedo and Jeff Olener, brought on Miro who had grown tired of playing in a local Doobie Brothers cover band.  The band quickly found its audience with the Bay Area’s underground punk lovers, and on January 14, 1978, they found themselves opening for the Sex Pistols‘ final concert at the legendary Winterland Ballroom.  For a brief time, the Nuns were managed by Bill Graham, but they parted ways due to Graham reportedly taking offense to their song, “Decadent Jew.” After the Nuns broke up in 1979, Miro played with the VIPs and later moved to Los Angeles to pursue a solo career.  She also worked with Narada Michael Walden and later found some success as a fetish model.  The Nuns reunited a couple of times during the ’80s and late ’90s.  On December 16, 2011, Jennifer Miro died from complications of liver and breast cancer.  She was 54.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number 1 Albums for the assist.



Died On This Date (January 12, 2009) Gary Kurfirst / Respected Manager and Label Veteran

Gary Kurfirst
July 8, 1947 – January 13, 2009

Gary Kurfirst was a respected artist manager, label executive and concert promoter.  Kurfirst got his first taste of the music industry when he began promoting dances while still in high school.  In 1967, he launched New York City’s Village Theater which soon became world famous as Bill Graham’s Fillmore East.  The following year, he created the New York Rock Festival which featured the likes of the Doors, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.  It has been said that the idea of Woodstock came to be thanks to the New York Rock Festival.  By the ’80s, Kurfirst was a well-established artist manager.  Over the course of his career, he guided the careers of the likes of the Peter Tosh, Toots & the Maytals, Talking Heads, the Ramones, Blondie, Jane’s Addiction, the Eurythmics and the B-52s.  Gary Kurfirst was 61 when he died suddenly of an undisclosed cause while vacationing in the Bahamas.

Thanks to Craig Rosen from Number1Albums for the assist.



Died On This Date (October 25, 1991) Bill Graham / Legendary Concert Promoter

Bill Graham (Born Wolodia Grajonca)
January 8, 1931 – October 25, 1991

Bill Graham was a world famous concert promoter who played a key part in the growth of ’60s American rock ‘n roll.  As a Jewish child born in Berlin, Graham barely escaped the Nazis by being placed in an orphanage by his mother.  Fortunately, that orphanage relocated him to France before the Halocaust.  Graham moved to New York City where he received his schooling after which he served in the Korean War and eventually ended up in San Francisco.  In 1965, he landed his first show businees job, managing the San Francisco Mime Troupe which lead to him booking and promoting shows at the Fillmore Auditorium.  Graham had a knack for finding acts that appealed to the city’s growing counter-culture scene and in doing so helped the scene itself grow.  Some of the acts he featured in those early years were Janis Joplin, Country Joe & the Fish, the Fugs, Jefferson Airplane and of course, the Grateful Dead.   By the late ’60s, Graham was the most popular rock concert promoter in the country.  Besides the Fillmore and Winterland in San Francisco, he was booking the Fillmore East in New York City.  He also promoted tours by the Rolling Stones as well as such concert events as Live Aid and Human Rights Now tour for Amnesty Now.  On October 25, 1991, 60-year-old Bill Graham was flying home after a Huey Lewis concert in nearby Concord, California.  The helicopter he was in crashed shortly after takeoff, killing Graham, his girlfriend, and the pilot.  Reports indicate that less-than-ideal weather caused the pilot to crash into an electrical tower.