Died On This Date (December 3, 2014) Ian McLagan / Legendary Rock Keyboardist

Ian McLagan
May 12, 1945 – December 3, 2014

Photo by Theresa Dimenno
Photo by Theresa Dimenno

Ian McLagan was a much respected and highly influential English keyboard player who is perhaps best remembered for his years in the Small Faces/Faces, and for his collaborations with the Rolling Stones.  He also recorded several albums with his own band throughout the years.  Launching his career during the early ’60s, McLagan’s first band of note was Boz People, playing alongside Boz Burrell of future King Crimson and Bad Company fame. In 1965, McLagan was invited to join the Small Faces which morphed into the Faces when Rod Stewart joined the group in 1969.  Each version of the group had numerous hits during their runs while influencing a generation of musicians along the way. When the Faces broke up in 1975, McLagan continued on primarily as a session player and touring keyboardist for the Rolling Stones – a position he would hold for decades.  He also recorded with the likes of Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few.  He also released nearly a dozen albums with his own band over the course of his career, the most recent being 2014’s United States, for Yep Roc Records.  Ian McLagan ultimately passed away on December 3, 2014, and according to an official statement by Yep Roc, he died “surrounded by family and friends in his adopted hometown of Austin, TX, due to complications from a stroke suffered the previous day.  He was 69 years old. His manager Ken Kushnick says,  ‘He was a beloved friend to so many people and a true rock n roll spirit. His persona and gift of song impacted the music across oceans and generations.’ Ian’s bandmate in Small Faces and Faces, Kenney Jones said, ‘I am completely devastated by this shocking news and I know this goes for Ronnie [Wood] and Rod [Stewart] also.'”

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Died On This Date (June 4, 1997) Ronnie Lane / The Small Faces

Ronnie Lane
April 1, 1946 – June 4, 1997

Photo by Craig Petty

Ronnie Lane was born in the east end of London, and from an early age, he wanted to be a musician. Meeting drummer Kenney Jones at 16, Lane formed his first band, the Outkasts with him initially on guitar, but quickly switching to bass. Lane soon met Steve Marriott and together with Jones and Jimmy Winston, they formed the Small Faces in 1965. In 1972, Lane broke from the Small Faces to embark on a solo career. During that time, he hooked up with Pete Townsend to record an album called Rough Mix that was released in 1977. It was during the Rough Mix sessions that Lane discovered he was suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, which barely slowed him down for a bit as he continued to tour and record. In fact he spent most of those days as a gypsy minstrel, traveling the highways of England playing acoustically along the way. In 1983, Lane’s then girlfriend, Boo Oldfield helped arrange an MS benefit concert (A.R.M.S Concert) that featured performances by Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Jones and Andy Fairweather-Low. Joe Cocker and Paul Rodgers were added to a US tour. Suffering from the effects of MS, Lane moved to the better climate of Austin TX, where he continued to work with the likes of Alejandro Escovedo. Since he wasn’t earning royalties from his days with the Small Faces, friends like Jimmy Page and Rod Stewart generously helped with the medical bills. Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan were able to arrange Small Faces royalty payments to Lane, before he died of pneumonia as a result of the MS on June 4, 1997.

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Small Faces

 

Died On This Date (April 20, 1991) Steve Marriott / Small Faces, Humble Pie

Steve Marriott
January 30, 1947 – April 20, 1991

Steve Marriott is best known for his aggressive guitar playing in the Small Faces and later, Humble Pie. Growing up, his parents encouraged him to act in live theater, and at the age of 13 he auditioned for and was cast in the role of the Artful Dodger in the London cast of Oliver.  Following his successful run, his parents enrolled him in a prestigious acting school which led to numerous parts in British films, TV and radio. But Marriott’s first love was always music, and in 1965, he was fronting the Small Faces with Kenney Jones, Ronnie Lane and Jimmy Winston (replaced by Ian McLagan). The Small Faces quickly became a hit in the UK, even being noted as a major influence in the formation of Led Zeppelin. By the late ’60s, when the band should have been basking in the success of a number one album, they were growing more and more unhappy with each other. Marriott was suggesting the band bring on a new singer by the name of Peter Frampton, but the others balked at the idea. Marriott soon left the band and joined up with Frampton in Humble Pie. As the ’70s dawned, they were touring the US to a growing legion of fans, and with the release of Performance: Rockin’ The Fillmore they were bona fied rock stars. By now, Marriott was suffering from substance abuse and reportedly showing signs of schizophrenia. The heavy drug use within the band no doubt contributed to its demise in 1975.   In the late ‘7os, Marriott started making noise about his belief that former manager, Dee Anthony was secretly pocketing large amounts of Humble Pie money in order to promote Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive.  It has been alleged that Marriott and his wife were called to New York’s Little Italy to discuss the matter.  John Gotti and other members of the Gambino family were said to have been in the meeting.  He was apparently told once and for all that he would be getting no money.  Throughout the late ’70s and ’80s, Marriott continued to forge on despite financial and personal struggles, playing in no fewer than five bands. But nothing seemed to click. In the early morning of April 20, 1991, after a night of apparent indulging, Steve Marriott was found dead of smoke inhalation from a fire in his home that was presumed to have started by a lit cigarette in his bed.

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Steve Marriott