Died On This Date (January 19, 1998) Carl Perkins / Rockabilly Icon

Carl Perkins
April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998

carl-perkinsCarl Perkins was a rockabilly icon whose early successes helped raise Sun Records to its legendary status.  He and label mates, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis were dubbed the Million Dollar Quartet.  His biggest claim to fame was of course, “Blue Suede Shoes,” but many of his other songs have been recorded by the likes of Presley, Cash, the Judds, the Beatles (collectively and individually), Brian Setzer, and Patsy Cline.  Perkins stayed busy touring, recording and appearing on radio and television through most of the ’50s and early ’60s but found his music falling out of favor at radio during the British Invasion of the mid ’60s.  In later years he collaborated with such greats as Paul McCartney, John Fogerty, Tom Petty, Bono, and Bob Dylan.  In 1992, Perkins learned he had throat cancer and was 65 when he died as a result of it on January 19, 1998.

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Carl Perkins

Died On This Date (December 10, 1999) Rick Danko / The Band

Rick Danko
December 29, 1942 – December 10, 1999

rick-danko

Rick Danko was a rock musician, singer and songwriter best known for his time spent in The Band, arguably Canada’s most celebrated band.   Around 1960, Danko found himself opening a show for Ronnie Hawkins, whose back up band, the Hawks included Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm.  Hawkins was impressed enough after hearing Danko to invite him to join his band on rhythm guitar, later switching to bass.  The Hawks eventually added Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson and split from Hawkins in 1963.  They continued on touring throughout Canada and the northern U.S. until they got a call from Bob Dylan asking them to support him on the road.   Going simply as the Band by the late ’60s, they secured a deal with Capitol Records and delivered their debut, Music From Big Pink, one of rock music’s true masterpieces.  That was followed by albums like The Band, Stage Fright, and Cahoots which only added more songs to one of rock’s finest catalogs.  Danko sang lead on many of the groups best songs.  On Thanksgiving night of 1976, the Band performed what would be their final show as that unit at San Francisco’s Winterland.  To the surprise of the audience, the Band proved to be the greatest backing band of all times as a cavalcade of the era’s most respected performers showed their own respect by joining them on stage throughout the evening.  That list included Neil Young, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, and Dylan, each arguably giving the single greatest live performance of their careers.  Fortunately, the evening was captured on film by Martin Scorsese, who released it theatrically as The Last Waltz, often noted as one of popular music’s greatest concert films.  Following the break up of the Band, Danko recorded a handful of albums that sold moderately at best.  In later years he participated in re-formed, but not complete, versions of the Band.  By the late ’90s, he was suffering from drug and alcohol addictions possibly attributed to injuries sustained in a car accident, as well as weight issues that put him in the obese range.  On December 10, 1999, Rick Danko, age 56, died in his sleep.

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Died On This Date (December 6, 1988) Roy Orbison / Rock ‘n Roll Pioneer

Roy Orbison
April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988

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Roy Orbison was one of rock ‘n roll’s true pioneers.  With his uniquely beautiful and almost operatic voice, dark and sometimes melodramatic songs, and a sound that was equal parts country and rockabilly, Orbison would directly inspire such future greats as Bruce Springsteen, Bono, John Lennon and Tom Petty.  When describing his voice, Barry Gibb once called it “the voice of God.” Orbison began learning to play the guitar his father gave him on his 6th birthday.  As he grew older, he found his biggest inspiration in the music of Jimmie Rodgers, Lefty Frizzell, and Hank Williams.  In 1956, he was offered a contract by Sun Records who released his first single, “Ooby Dooby” which sold a respectble 200,000 copies.  Over the course of the next several years, he recorded no less than 20 top 40 singles, including “Only The Lonely,” “In Dreams,” “Crying,” and of course, “Oh, Pretty Woman.”  When the British Invasion hit American soil during the early ’60s, Orbison, like many of rock’s first generation, were ironically pushed aside for the bands who found great inspiration in them.  The ’70s found Orbison’s music embraced by some of the era’s most popular musicians.  Artists like Springsteen, Linda Ronstadt, Gram Parsons and Nazereth were covering his songs either on record or in concert.  In 1987, Orbison experienced a career revival thanks to a televised tribute and live album that found him sharing the stage with Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Jeff Lynne, Jackson Browne, and Bonnie Raitt.  A year later, he was back in the studio as part of the Traveling Wilburys, a supergroup that included George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan.  Their first release sold over 3 million copies in the U.S. alone.  During that time working with the Wilburys, Orbison was also busy recording what supposed to be his comeback album, Mystery Girl.  Later that year found him making a handful of promotional dates for the Wilburys, putting the finishing touches on his album, and preparing for what he hoped would be his second shot at stardom.  But on December 6, 1988, Roy Orbison, 52, died of a heart attack at his home.  During the year that followed, Mystery Girl was released and it’s first single, “You Got It,” was a smash hit that cracked the top 10 in the U.S.  The album reached #5 in the U.S. and #2 in the UK, putting him back where he was when he started his career, on top.

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The Essential Roy Orbison - Roy Orbison

Died On This Date (December 4, 2009) Liam Clancy / The Clancy Brothers

William “Liam” Clancy
September 2, 1935 – December 4, 2009

Liam Clancy was an Irish folk singer who, along with his brothers, came to prominence during the ’60s folk revival as the Clancy Brothers.  Growing up, Clancy first gravitated toward the theater, producing, directing and starring in plays that ran in and around Dublin.  During the mid ’50s, he began performing and recording with his brothers and friend, Tommy Makem.  They soon moved to the U.S. where they became an integral part of the New York folk scene.  In 1961, the group was asked to be a last minute replacement on the Ed Sullivan Show.  After a then unheard of 16-minute performance, the Clancy Brothers were folk music’s new rising stars, landing a multi-album deal with Columbia Records.  They had a very successful career that also included album releases on the storied Vanguard Records.  No less than Bob Dylan has cited them as an influence on his career and reportedly called Liam the greatest ballad singer he ever heard.  Clancy recorded several critically acclaimed solo albums throughout his career as well.  Liam Clancy died of pulmonary fibrosis on December 4, 2009.  He was 74.

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Irish Troubadour - Liam Clancy

Died On This Date (December 2, 1982) David Blue / Greenwich Village Folk Singer

David Blue (Born Stuart Cohen)
February 18, 1941 – December 2, 1982

David Blue was a folk singer songwriter who came to prominence as part of the Greenwich Village scene that also produced Eric Andersen, Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs.  Blue’s most famous song, “Outlaw Man” was made so thanks to being covered by the Eagles on their Desperado album.   Blue turned to acting during the mid-’70s, appearing in a Wim Wenders film as well as Human Highway, directed by Neil Young.  David Blue, 41, suffered a fatal heart attack while jogging on December 2, 1982.

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