Died On This Date (January 15, 2015) Kim Fowley / American Musician, Producer & Manager

Kim Fowley
July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015

Photo by Nikki Kreuzer
Photo by Nikki Kreuzer

Kim Fowley was an American producer, musician, singer, songwriter, manager, disc jockey, music publisher, and film maker who is perhaps best remembered for forming and managing the Runaways.  And legend has it that he was the one who created the phenomenon of lighting one’s match/lighter at a concert.  Born in Los Angeles, Fowley got into the music business during the ’60s, initially producing and publishing novelty hits like “Alley Oop” by the Hollywood Argyles (which was basically just Fowley with mostly anonymous studio musicians) and  “Popsicles and Icicles” by the Murmaids.  The list of artists he either produce or write/co-write songs reads like a who’s who of ’70s rock and pop. That list includes Gene VincentKISS, Warren Zevon, Cat Stevens, Helen Reddy, Alice Cooper, the Byrds, and Kris Kristofferson.  In 1975, he met Joan Jett who was looking to put an all-girl band together. A couple of weeks later, he met Sandy West outside of The Rainbow Bar and Grill on Sunset Blvd.  Fowley gave Jett’s phone number to West, and the Ruaways were born.  In 2010, Fowley was portrayed by Michael Shannon in the film, The Runaways.  During his final years, he could be heard sharing his vast knowledge of pop music and pop culture via his regular program on Little Steven’s Underground Garage on SiriusXM.  Kim Fowley was 75 when he died of bladder cancer on January 15, 2015.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus at Bob Dylan Examiner for the assist.

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Died On This Date (February 16, 2013) Tony Sheridan / Early Beatles Collaborator

Tony Sheridan (Born Anthony McGinnity)
May 21, 1940 – February 16, 2013

tony-sheridanTony Sheridan was an early English rock and roll singer, guitarist and songwriter who is most often recognized for his work with the pre-fame Beatles.  He holds the honor of being only one of two non-Beatles to ever be credited on one of the groups recordings – the other being Billy Preston.  Sheridan is also the only non-Beatle to sing lead on a single with them that charted (“My Bonnie”). Sheridan took an early liking to music, and at age seven, already knew how to play the violin.  He soon switched to the guitar, and by the time he was 16, he was fronting his own band.  Within a few years, he was either backing or sharing the stage with American musicians while they toured through the UK.  That list includes Gene Vincent, Conway Twitty, and Eddie Cochran.  During the early ’60s, Sheridan was recording in Hamburg and generally hired pick-up bands to back him on stage.  In 1961, thanks to a mutual admiration, he hired the Beatles, who at the time, were made up of Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon and Pete Best.  Polydor producer, Bert Kaempfert, caught their act and convinced Sheridan to record with them.  The songs recorded during those 1961 sessions included, most famously, “My Bonnie,”  “The Saints,” “Cry For A Shadow,” and “Ain’t She Sweet.”  The latter two were utilized by the Beatles.  The 1st US pressing of “My Bonnie”/”The Saints” is one of the most collectible 45’s out there with a mint copy fetching $15,000 back in 2007.  During the mid-’60s, Sheridan moved his style to a more jazz and blues sound but unfortunately, most of his fans didn’t go along for the ride.  Although his record sales dwindled, he still remained a popular live act for many years.  In 1967, Sheridan went over the Vietnam to perform for the American troops.  During one such trip, he and his band were fired upon, killing one musician and leading to false reports that Sheridan himself, was killed. For his efforts during the war, the US Army made Sheridan an honorary Captain.  He continued to perform and record until heart surgery forced him into retirement in 2012. Tony Sheridan was 72 when he passed away on February 16, 2013.

Thanks to Brett Ortone at Go Aloha Entertainment for the assist.

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Click to find at amazon.com



Died On This Date (October 2, 2012) Big Jim Sullivan / Legendary UK Session Guitarist; Played On Over 1000 Charting Singles

Jim Sullivan
February 14, 1941 – October 2, 2012

Big Jim Sullivan was one of the most requested and prolific session guitarists that England ever produced.  Over a career that spanned over 50 years, he played on around 1000 records that charted in the UK, more than 50 reached number one.  Legend has it that he played on upwards of 3000 records a year during the height of his career.  Sullivan was just 14 when he started learning to play the guitar, and in just two years, he was playing professionally.  In 1959, he joined a band called the Wildcats who were backing Marty Wilde at the time.  The following year, the Wildcats backed Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent on the infamous UK tour that ultimately took Cochran’s life.  Over the next two decades, Sullivan became one of the most in-demand guitarists in the business.  He also gave a young Ritchie Blackmore guitar lessons and helped convince Jim Marshall to make his now famous amps.  During this time, Sullivan was one of the earliest to make use of feedback, the fuzzbox and talkbox, which was made into more or less a household name by Peter Frampton on his classic Frampton Comes Alive album of 1976. The short list who employed Sullivan to play on their records is made up of the Kinks, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, Marianne Faithfull, David Bowie, Donovan, and Frank Zappa.  He was also a familiar face playing alongside Tom Jones on his American variety show.  Sullivan also found time to record several albums of his own as well. Big Jim Sullivan was 71 when he passed away on October 2, 2012.  He was reportedly suffering from diabetes and heart disease at the time of his death.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus at Bob Dylan Examiner for the assist.

Died On This Date (September 5, 2012) Joe South / Popular ’70s Singer-Songwriter

Joe South (Born Joseph Souter)
February 28, 1940 – September 5, 2012

Joe South was an Atlanta-born singer-songwriter who penned some of the most popular songs of his era.  South was given his first guitar when he was just 11.  A quick learner, he was playing on his local radio station within a year.  Gifted electronically as well, South figured out how to build his own tiny radio station so he could broadcast his songs over the local airwaves.  He apparently mounted it in his car in order to stay one step ahead of the FCC.   In 1958, South scored a minor novelty hit with “The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor,” which generally resurfaces on the radio each year around Halloween.  By the early ’60s, South was making a name for himself as a songwriter.  His songs were either recorded or performed live by the likes of Billy Joe Royal (“Down In The Boondocks”), Gene Vincent (“Gone Gone Gone”), Elvis Presley (“Walk A Mile In My Shoes”), Deep Purple (“Hush”), and Lynn Anderson, who in 1971, scored a huge hit with his “I Never Promised You A Rose Garden.”  The song and record earned them each a Grammy.   In 1968, South released “Games People Play,” a protest song that cracked the Top 15 and earned him two Grammys including Song Of The Year.  The tune, which is one of the most iconic of the late ‘6os/early ‘7os, has been covered by Waylon Jennings, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dolly Parton, James Taylor, and Ike & Tina Turner, to name a few.  An in-demand session player as well, South can be heard on, among many others, Aretha Franklin’s “Chain Of Fools”, Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sounds Of Silence,” and throughout Bob Dylan’s Blonde On Blonde album. Joe South was 72 when he died of heart failure on September 5, 2012.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus at Bob Dylan Examiner for the assist.

What You Should Own

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Classic Masters (Remastered) - Joe South

Died On This Date (January 9, 2009) Dave Dee / ’60s British Pop Star

Dave “Dee” Harman
December 17, 1941 – January 9, 2009

davedee2

Dave Dee is best remembered as a police officer turned lead singer of ’60s pop band, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mich and Tich.  While he was a police officer, it was Dee who was one of the first on the scene of the infamous car accident that killed Eddie Cochran and seriously injured Gene Vincent.  Dee reportedly retrieved Cochran’s guitar from the scene and returned it to the dead singer’s  family.  With Dave Dee, Dozy, Beacky, Mick & Tich, he released several popular records, two of which, “The Legend of Xanadu” and “Bend It!” sold in excess of one million copies each.  After leaving the group in 1969, Dee released one moderately successful solo album, but then retired from performing to work as an A&R executive and later, businessman and charity fund-raiser.  Dave Dee died of prostate cancer on January 9, 2009.  He was 67 years old.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.

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Dave Dee