Died On This Date (December 18, 2011) Johnny Silvo / Folk Singer
themusicsover Johnny Silvo (Born John Woods)
1936 – December 18, 2011
Johnny Silvo was a folk singer who fronted the Johnny Silvo Folk Four during the late ’60s. The group also included Sandy Denny who went on to bigger fame with Fairport Convention. Silvo continued entertaining crowds and making records until recent years. He passed away on December 18, 2011. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Thanks to Paul Bearer for the assist.
Martin Lamble was the drummer on the first three Fairport Convention albums. Lamble was killed following a gig when the van in which the band was traveling was involved in an accident. He was just 19. The girlfriend of band mate, Richard Thompson was also killed.
By most accounts, Sandy Denny was THE British folk rock singer of her generation. Having been the only person outside of Led Zeppelin to sing on one of their albums doesn’t hurt that credential. Denny can be heard dueting with Robert Plant on “The Battle Of Evermore.” Putting aside a possible career in nursing, Denny set her sights on music and became the voice of British folk rock band, Fairport Convention. Within two years she and the band parted ways, which in retrospect, was probably not the wisest choice, as neither she nor the band were ever to match the greatness they had achieved together. Other than her involvement with Led Zeppelin, her ’70s solo material never garnered much more than a cult following. Her own personal insecurities along with a growing substance abuse problem kept her from attaining the fame she craved. Her excessive drinking and smoking began to damage her voice, and by her last few albums, heavy string arrangements were added to compensate. Sandy Denny died on April 21, 1978, a month after she fell down some stairs at her parents’ house. Cause of death was determined to be a traumatic mid-brain hemorrhage.
