Died On This Date (June 19, 2014) Gerry Goffin / Celebrated Songwriter

Gerry Goffin
February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014

gerry-goffinGerry Goffin was arguably America’s most prolific hit lyricist. During the second half of the 20th century, no fewer than 50 songs that he penned the lyrics for made the Top 40.  Born in Brooklyn, New York, Goffin married Carole King who also happened to be his song writing partner throughout the ’60s. As part of the legendary Brill Building collective, Goffin and King wrote such pop and rock standards as “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “Take Good Care Of My Baby,” “The Loco-Motion,” “Go Away Little Girl,” and “Pleasant Valley Sunshine.”  The seemingly endless list of artists who made their songs into hits includes Little Eva,  the Shirelles, the Four Seasons, Bobby Vee, Dion & the Belmonts, Grand Funk Railroad, the Monkees, and Aretha Franklin.  Goffin also had successful writing partnerships with Barry Goldberg, Barry Mann, Michael Masser, and Russ Titelman.  He was nominated for an Academy Award in for his co-write on the theme song to the 1975 film, Mahogany, which was sung by Diana Ross. Goffin also wrote the Whitney Houston hit, “Savin’ All My Love for You.”  He and King were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.  Gerry Goffin was 75 when he died of natural causes on June 19, 2014.

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

Died On This Date (June 10, 2010) Barbara Skydel / Veteran Booking Agent

Barbara Skydel
DOB Unknown – June 10, 2010

Barbara Skydel was a well-known and respected booking agent for the better part of the last forty years.  She began her career with Premier Talent Agency where she immediately proved her worth by taking on Led Zeppelin’s legendary 1969 U.S. west coast tour.  Skydel soon found herself working with such acts as Bruce Springsteen, Grand Funk Railroad, Van Halen, U2, and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.  By the mid ’80s, she was a partner at the firm, which by then was one of the biggest in the world.  As the first female executive at a major talent agency, Skydel earned the respect of both peers and artists alike.  No less than U2’s Bono had referred to her as “Aunty Barbara.”  In 2002, Premier merged with the William Morris Agency where Skydel remained as Senior Vice President until her retirement in 2009.  Later acts that she handled included Sebastian Bach, the Pretenders, Keith Richards and the Who.  Barbara Skydel passed away on June 10, 2010.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

Died On This Date (April 15, 2008) Cliff Davies / Drummer For Ted Nugent

Cliff Davies
1948 – April 15, 2008

Cliff Davies, 2nd from right

Cliff Davies was a drummer and producer who played on and produced some of Ted Nugent’s greatest albums, Cat Scratch Fever, Double Live Gonzo, Weekend Warriors and Free For All.  Davies also produced Grand Funk Railroad’s What’s Funk, and in recent years, was the chief engineer at Equametric Studio in the Atlanta area. He also worked tirelessly on behalf of  Rock and Roll Remembers, an organization that helps rock artists that have fallen on hard times. Davies was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gun shot wound in his home on April 15, 2008.

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Cat Scratch Fever - Ted Nugent

Died On This Date (December 28, 1976) Freddie King / Texas Blues Great

Freddie King
September 3, 1934 – December 28, 1976

Freddie King was a Texas blues guitarist who directly inspired no less than Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton.  He, B.B. King, and Albert King were known as the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar.”  Over a career that spanned almost 30 years, King released over a dozen albums that included such classic blues recordings as “Hide Away,” “Have You Ever Loved a Woman,” and “I Love the Woman.” Rolling Stone magazine listed King at #25 on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.  In 1973, Grand Funk Railroad honored King by namechecking him in their classic song, “We’re an American Band,” an homage to life on the road for a rock ‘n roll band.  The lyric, “Up all night with Freddie King / I got to tell you poker’s his thing / Booze and ladies keep me right / as long as we can make it to the show tonight.”  Freddie King was just 42 when he died of heart failure on December 28, 1976.

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Ultimate Collection: Freddie King - Freddie King