Died On This Date (August 14, 2005) Esther Wong / The Godmother Of Punk; Owned Madame Wong’s in L.A.
themusicsover Esther Wong
August 13, 1917 – August 14, 2005
Esther Wong was a Chinese immigrant who landed in Los Angeles in 1949. By the mid ’70s, Wong and her husband were running Chinese restaurant that presented a Polynesian floor show in L.A.’s Chinatown. When business started to slow down by the end of the decade, Wong reluctantly allowed a local promoter to start booking local punk bands on her stage. At the time, most of the city’s venues were banning such acts. The promoter and Wong soon parted company and Wong started bringing music she enjoyed – the more pop leaning new wave. In 1985, the club was seriously damaged in a fire and within a few years, Wong opened Madame Wong’s West in Santa Monica where she continued building her reputation as the “Godmother of Punk.” The list of acts that played Madam Wong’s during their early years includes Guns ‘N Roses, Black Flag, Blondie, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Oingo Boingo, Fear, the Ramones, the Go-Gos, and the Police. Esther Wong died of emphysema on August 14, 2005, the day after her 88th birthday.
Rammellzee was a popular and influential New York City based performance artist, sculptor, graffiti artist, and hip hop singer. His vocal style, which dates back to the early ’80s, is said to have influenced the likes of the Beastie Boys and Cypress Hill. He released several records, though under different monikers, throughout his career, and had collaborated with Buckethead of Guns ‘N Roses fame. Rammellzee was 49 when he died on June 28, 2010. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Frank C. Starr was a charismatic lead vocalist for hard rock bands, Alien, SIN, and most famously, the Four Horsemen. Raised on Long Island, NY, Starr eventually landed in Los Angeles to take his shot at the big time. After a short run in a band called Alien, Starr began to make a name for himself fronting a band called SIN through the mid ’80s, but struggled to get noticed in the same Sunset Strip scene that gave us Guns ‘n Roses, Ratt, and Great White. After the band called it quits in 1984, Starr landed in the Four Horsemen, a rock band that took its cue more from ’70s rockers like Lynyrd Skynyrd or AC/DC than such contemporaries as Poison or Faster Pussycat. After self-releasing a four-song EP in 1989, the band were snatched up by Rick Rubin’s Def American label and went into the studio with Rubin producing. The resulting album Nobody Said It Was Easy, garnered enough critical praise and fan support to land them on the road touring with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Black Crowes as well as regular video rotation on MTV. But all this wasn’t enough to translate into significant album sales. At the same time, word was getting around that Starr was developing a reputation for his drug use and subsequent run-ins with the law, reportedly leading to a stint in jail on drug charges forcing the label to drop the band. But all were false claims according to the band, the only reason they were dropped was because of poor record sales. The sudden rise of grunge as well as some internal fighting seemed to be the end of the Four Horsemen, but after some personnel changes, they regrouped and began working on a new album in 1994. But after losing original drummer, 
Ragamuffin was a really cool cat whose connection to popular music goes back to the Spring of 1989 when bands like Guns ‘n’ Roses, Poison and his favorite treat, Ratt ruled the boulevards near his first home in Glendale, California. Even within those first few weeks of his life, it was quite apparent that Ragamuffin was taken with the music that constantly played throughout his apartment, and in particular, the dancehall reggae of such artists as Yellowman, Buju Banton, and Luciano. He therefore became known as Ragamuffin, a form of dancehall whose sound is primarily made up of electronic music. in 1995, Ragamuffin moved with his family to Cleveland, Ohio, the so-called birthplace of Rock & Roll and home to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. While in Cleveland, Ragamuffin lived through the most snowfall in Cleveland history. Back in Southern California in 1999, Ragamuffin reached an international audience when he was featured in a short essay called “The Cat Doctor,” in the best selling book, Chicken Soup For The Cat & Dog Lover’s Soul. Throughout his long and healthy life, Ragamuffin survived the torment of three dogs, the 1994 Northridge earthquake, a hot drive across the country, and countless hairballs. Sadly, Raggamuffin’s health began to deteriorate as he neared 20 years old. He was laid to rest on June 9, 2008, leaving behind canine brother and sister, Marley and Nicki.
