Died On This Date (July 15, 2007) Kelly Johnson / Girlschool

Kelly Johnson
June 20, 1958 – July 15, 2007

Kelly Johnson was, most famously, lead guitarist and sometime lead singer for Girlschool, arguably the first major all-female heavy metal band.  Formed in 1977 out of the ashes of London’s Painted Lady, Girlschool released a series of classic metal albums and played in front of huge crowds alongside the likes of Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Saxon and the Scorpions.   Having recorded on four albums, Johnson left Girlschool in 1983 to move to Los Angeles.  She reunited with the band in 1993 and stayed through 2000, around the time she learned she had spinal cancer, of which she died in 2007.

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Died On This Date (July 1, 2008) Mel Galley / Whitesnake Guitarist

Mel Galley
March 8, 1948 – July 1, 2008

Mel Galley is best remembered as a guitarist for David Coverdale’s  Whitesnake.  Galley joined the band in 1982, contributing to their most fruitful years.  His guitar can be heard on such hits as “Here I Go Again” and “Crying In The Rain.”  Galley later had to leave the group due to a bad arm injury made worse by a botched surgery.  For a time, he likely could never play the guitar again, but was able to come back thanks to a device he had fitted over his hand.  Prior to his stint with Whitesnake, Galley played alongside Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes in a band called Trapeze.  Galley died of esophagus cancer at the age of 60.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.

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Died On This Date (June 14, 1995) Rory Gallagher / Irish Blues Rock God

Liam Rory Gallagher
March 2, 1948 – June 14, 1995

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Rory Gallagher was an Irish blues rock guitar great who sold more than 30 million albums and is considered one of the greatest musicians Ireland has ever produced. Gallagher first began making waves with his mid ’60s blues rock trio, Taste.  The band began building a solid reputation in London and soon found themselves opening for such bands as Cream and Blind Faith.  By the early ’70s, Taste had broken up and Gallagher was now leading a trio under his own name, making some of his best and most popular albums.  In 1972, the trend-setting Melody Maker magazine named him Top Musician Of The Year.  It was during this period that Gallagher was being strongly considered for the Rolling Stones, Deep Purple AND Canned Heat.  By the ’80s however, Gallagher was falling deeper into drug and alcohol addiction, and his musical output suffered from it.  He made his final performance in January of 1995, and was in such bad health, he soon needed a liver transplant.  Unfortunately, an infection developed following the surgery, and he died at the age of 47.

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Irish Tour (Live) - Rory Gallagher

 

Died On This Date (May 16, 2010) Ronnie James Dio / Rock God

Ronnie James Dio (Born Ronald Padavona)
July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010

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Ronnie James Dio was one of the greatest heavy metal  vocalists of all time.  While the rest of us can only wish to front just one great legendary rock band, Dio could claim Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Elf, Heaven & Hell, and of course, Dio.  And unlike most, if not all metal singers, during Dio’s early years, he fronted a rockabilly band, Ronnie & the Red Caps.  By the early ’70s, Dio was moving into the blues rock world with his next band, Elf who would find its audience by touring with the likes of Deep Purple.   A few years later, guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple and formed Rainbow, inviting Dio to sing lead in the group.  His albums with Rainbow include Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Rainbow Rising, and Long Live Rock and Roll.  In 1979, Dio was hired to replace Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, with whom he recorded the classic Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules albums, among others.  Dio finally began recording under his own name in 1980, and as Dio, released such landmark metal albums as Holy Diver, The Last In Line, and Sacred Heart.  It is no doubt that Dio was one of the driving forces of heavy metal, but his contributions to the genre went beyond his instantly recognizable voice.  During his tenure with Black Sabbath, Dio began flashing what would become known as the “devil horns” hand gesture from the stage, perhaps not inventing the symbol, but definitely making it heavy metal’s own.  In November of 2009, it was announced that Ronnie James Dio was suffering from stomach cancer.  On May 16, 2010, the cancer took his life at the age of 67.

Further Reading: Ronnie James Dio’s Greatest Album Moments

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Stand Up and Shout - The Anthology - Dio

Died On This Date (March 4, 2001) Glenn Hughes / The Village People

Glenn Hughes
July 18, 1950 – March 4, 2001

glenn-hughesGlenn Hughes (not to be confused with Glenn Hughes of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple) was an original  vocalist in one of disco music’s most famous and most lasting institutions, the Village People.  He was primarily known for his leather biker outfits and awesome handlebar mustache which made him a pop culture icon well beyond the group.  And although straight himself, Hughes was cast in a gay leather archetype, thereby becoming a face of that subculture.  Around 1976, Hughes responded to producer, Jacques Morali an ad looking for “macho” types for a new disco vocal group.  Immediately hired and taught to dance, he became bass voice that can be heard in such disco staples as “In The Navy,” “Y.M.C.A.,” and “Macho Man.” Those songs, along with numerous television appearances and their starring roles in the film, Can’t Stop The Music,  helped the Village People become icons of the disco era, and be affectionately parodied ever since.  Hughes left the group in 1996 and formed a successful cabaret act.  He also managed the Village People in later years.  On March 4, 2001, Glenn Hughes died of lung cancer at the age of 50.

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