Died On This Date (May 24, 2010) Stella Nova aka Steve New / The Rich Kids
Stella Nova (aka Steve New)
May 16, 1960 – May 24, 2010

Stella Nova was an English punk/new wave singer and guitarist who, as Steve New, nearly became the Sex Pistols’ second guitarist before their recently fired bassist, Glen Matlock, invited him to join his new band, the Rich Kids. Born in London, New began playing music while still in grade school. By the late mid ’70s, he was fully entrenched in the city’s vibrant punk scene, which lead to his invitation to audition for the Sex Pistols and ultimate membership in the Rich Kids. Formed in 1977, the band was made up of Matlock, New, Rusty Egan, and front man and future Ultravox singer, Midge Ure. The new wave/power pop band who had more in common with the Small Faces than with the Sex Pistols, built a solid cult following before disbanding two years later. New went to work with the likes of Sid Vicious, Iggy Pop, and Public Image, Ltd. In recent years, he was going by Stella Nova and working as a composer, arranger, and producer. Stella Nova/Steve New was 50 when he died of cancer on May 24, 2010.
Thanks to Anne Bentley for the assist.
What You Should Own


Following in the tradition of Miss Pamela, Sweet Sweet Connie and Cynthia Plaster Caster, Sable Starr loved rock music and at times the rock musicians that moved her. She ruled ’70s Los Angeles and no doubt left many a-broken heart in her wake. Some may refer to her as a “groupie” but Starr transcended that by being part of a select club who have been memorialized in song. Iggy Pop’s “Look Away,” written about
Mark Linkous was the multi-instrumentalist leader of alternative rock group, Sparklehorse, who became an critics’ darling cult band after the release of their debut album, Vivadixiesubmarine- transmissionplot, in 1995. Prior to that, he was a member of the Dancing Hoods, who he co-founded in the mid ’80s. In 1996, while on tour with Radiohead, Linkous overdosed Valium, antidepressants and alcohol, causing him to lay unconscious with his legs pinned underneath him for fourteen hours. He literally died for two minutes when rescuers tried to straighten his legs which had been cut off from circulation for the duration of his unconsciousness. The incident left him with permanent damage to his legs. In 2009, Linkous collaborated on a Dark Night of Soul with famed indie producer Danger Mouse and iconic film director, David Lynch. The multi-media project also includes performance by Flaming Lips, Suzanne Vega, 



Screamin’ Jay Hawkins was a somewhat outrageous blues and rock ‘n roll singer and musician whose biggest hit, “I Put a Spell On You,” and spooky stage theatrics influenced the likes of Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath. Even Bruce Springsteen has borrowed from Hawkins by coming out of a coffin to kick off his shows around Halloween. After serving in WWII where he was reportedly captured and tortured, Hawkins came home to the U.S. where he became a middleweight boxing champ, and later, a recording artist. In 1956, he released “I Put a Spell On You,” which went on to become a radio staple each year in October and has since been recorded or performed by the likes of Creedance Clearwater Revival, 