Died On This Date (March 23, 2012) Eric Lowen / Celebrated Singer-Songwriter; Lowen & Navarro
themusicsover David Eric Lowen
October 23, 1951 – March 23, 2012
Eric Lowen is perhaps best remembered as one half of the much beloved duo, Lowen & Navarro. Formed with Dan Navarro first as a songwriting team during the early ’80s, Lowen and Navarro went on to pen songs for the likes of David Lee Roth, the Bangles, Dave Edmunds, the Four Tops, and the Temptations. Their biggest hit as tunesmiths came in 1984 with Pat Benatar’s Grammy-nominated version of their beautiful song, “We Belong.” In the early ’90s, Lowen & Navarro made the transition from songwriting to performing and recording together. Many of their songs became staples of what would later be called Triple A radio while their intimate performances wowed audiences around the world. In 2004, Lowen learned he was suffering from ALS, or as it’s commonly know, Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Rather then give in to the disease, the duo made three more albums, including 2004’s All The Time In The World, which is, by most accounts, their best. They also went on to perform upwards of 200 shows over the next five years, culminating in their final performance together on June 6, 2009. After that, Navarro forged on alone while Lowen kept the duo’s legacy alive online and by overseeing the release of archival performances. Eric Lowen ultimately died of complications from ALS on March 23, 2012. He was 60.
Thanks to Tracy Bachman for the assist.
What You Should Own
Micky Jones was the founding lead singer and influential guitarist for ’70s Welsh rock band, Man. They were one of the acts that helped popularize what became known as British “pub rock,” a back-to-basics trend in rock that was also being cultivated by the likes of Brinsley Schwarz, Graham Parker, and Dave Edmunds. As time passed, Man’s sound grew more psychedelic, often drawing comparisons to the Grateful Dead or Quicksilver Messenger Service. In fact, it could be argued that they were the world’s first jamband. Though relatively unknown in the U.S., the band had several moderate hits in the U.K. and were very popular concert draws. The original group split up in 1976, but Jones reformed a variation of it in 1980 and continued to make a solid living along the pub rock circuit through the ’90s. In 2005, Micky Jones was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which lead him to permanently leave the group for treatment. The cancer ultimately took his life on March 10, 2010. He was 63.
Jim Ford was an American singer songwriter who some have called the “Godfather of Pub Rock,” a back-to-basics form of rock ‘n roll that popped up in the UK during the late ’70s. Ford’s mix of soul, country and folk was an influence on the likes of Graham Parker, Dave Edmunds and Brinsley Schwarz. Ford’s songs have been recorded by Schwarz, Edmunds, Bobby Womack, Nick Lowe, Aretha Franklin, Ronnie Wood, and onetime girlfriend, Bobbie Gentry. By all accounts, Ford seems to have fallen into obscurity after the ’70s only to resurface in 2004. After a deluxe re-issue of his 1969 Harlan County album in 2007, new interest in Ford’s music lead to talks of a new album to be produced by the legendary 
