Died On This Date (January 7, 1964) Cyril Davies / British Blues Musician

Cyril Davies
January 23, 1932 – January 7, 1964

Cyril Davies was one of the pioneers of the British blues movement of the 1960s.  He began his career during the ’50s when he actually played the banjo in an acoustic skiffle group.  He soon switched to the harmonica, eventually becoming Britain’s first Chicago blues style player.  In 1962, he and fellow musician, Alexis Korner, opened the popular Ealing Club.  It was there that they founded Blues Incorporated, a highly influential electric blues band that counted Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Charlie Watts as members over the years.   The club became hangout for up-and-coming musicians like Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Eric Burden who generally ended up jamming together by the end of the night.   Cyril Davies was 31 when he died on January 7, 1964.  Cause of death was either leukemia, lung cancer or pleurisy, depending upon your source.


Died On This Date (July 22, 2010) Harry Beckett / Respected British Trumpeter

Harry Beckett
May 30, 1935 – July 22, 2010

Over a career that spanned over 40 years, Harry Beckett has been recognized as one of Europe’s leading jazz trumpet players.  He has also been noted as one of the leaders of the British free jazz scene.  Throughout his career, he’s played with the like of Charles Mingus, Phil Manzanera and Charlie Watts.  Beckett recorded several of his own albums as well, the latest being 2008’s The Modern Sound Of Harry Beckett.  He died of a stroke on July 22, 2010.



Died On This Date (June 4, 1997) Ronnie Lane / The Small Faces

Ronnie Lane
April 1, 1946 – June 4, 1997

Photo by Craig Petty

Ronnie Lane was born in the east end of London, and from an early age, he wanted to be a musician. Meeting drummer Kenney Jones at 16, Lane formed his first band, the Outkasts with him initially on guitar, but quickly switching to bass. Lane soon met Steve Marriott and together with Jones and Jimmy Winston, they formed the Small Faces in 1965. In 1972, Lane broke from the Small Faces to embark on a solo career. During that time, he hooked up with Pete Townsend to record an album called Rough Mix that was released in 1977. It was during the Rough Mix sessions that Lane discovered he was suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, which barely slowed him down for a bit as he continued to tour and record. In fact he spent most of those days as a gypsy minstrel, traveling the highways of England playing acoustically along the way. In 1983, Lane’s then girlfriend, Boo Oldfield helped arrange an MS benefit concert (A.R.M.S Concert) that featured performances by Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Jones and Andy Fairweather-Low. Joe Cocker and Paul Rodgers were added to a US tour. Suffering from the effects of MS, Lane moved to the better climate of Austin TX, where he continued to work with the likes of Alejandro Escovedo. Since he wasn’t earning royalties from his days with the Small Faces, friends like Jimmy Page and Rod Stewart generously helped with the medical bills. Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan were able to arrange Small Faces royalty payments to Lane, before he died of pneumonia as a result of the MS on June 4, 1997.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Small Faces

 

Died On This Date (January 1, 1984) Alexis Korner / Founding Father Of British Blues

Alexis Korner
April 19, 1928 – January 1, 1984

Alexis Korner has been rightfully called the “Founding Father of British Blues.”  In 1955, Korner and fellow blues enthusiast and musician Cyril Davies opened the London Blues and Barrelhouse Club so there would be a place in town for American blues artists to play.  It would be the first exposure to American blues music that many young Londoners ever  had.  Korner and Bond soon formed Blues Incorporated, an electric band whose ever-changing roster included Charlie Watts, Ginger Baker, Long John Baldry, Graham Bond, and Jack Bruce.  Future greats like Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, John Mayall, and Jimmy Page and Brian Jones were all fans and occasionally sat in with the band.  By 1966, Blues Incorporated was over and Korner moved over to British television where he was an entertainment news correspondent for a children’s program.  The ’70s and ’80s found Korner working in a few different jazz- and blues-centric groups.  He died of lung cancer on January 1, 1984 at the age of 55.

Died On This Date (December 12, 1985) Ian Stewart / Co-founder of Rolling Stones

Ian Stewart
July 18, 1938 – December 12, 1985

ian-stewartIan Stewart was a Scottish boogie-woogie piano player who, in 1962, was the first to respond to Brian Jones’ ad looking for musicians to form a band.  Dick Taylor, Tony Chapman, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were soon to follow, and the original unit of the Rolling Stones was born.   Within a few months, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman replaced Taylor and Chapman.  In early 1963, the band’s manager convinced the others that Stewart’s burly physique just didn’t fit in with the image the band was developing, so he was relegated to road manager and studio keyboardist.  He played on all but one Stones album between 1964 and 1983.   Over the years, Stewart played keyboards on Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” and “Boogie With Stu” (named for Stewart), as well as George Thorogood’s Bad To The Bone and Howlin’ Wolf’s London Sessions albums.   On December 12, 1985, Ian Stewart, 47,  went to a local hospital to have an ongoing respiratory problem checked out.  While in the waiting room, he suffered a fatal heart attack.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Exile On Main St. (Deluxe Version) [Remastered] - The Rolling Stones