but the songs live on forever

Judy Garland

Promoter

Died On This Date (August 21, 2013) Sid Bernstein / Legendary Concert Promoter; Brought The British Invasion To America

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Sid Bernstein
August 12, 1918 – August 21, 2013

sid-bernsteinSid Bernstein was a concert promoter who was largely responsible for the onset of the British Invasion by setting up the first US concerts by England’s biggest rock bands at the time.  In 1964, Bernstein felt the excitement building for the Beatles so he contacted their manager Brian Epstein, and convinced him to let him promote two shows at Carnegie Hall after their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The demand for tickets was so huge, that he arranged their legendary Shea Stadium concert the following year.  By doing so, he became the first promoter to ever set up a rock concert in a sports stadium.  Bernstein went on to organize the first five Rolling Stones shows in America.  He also brought fellow British Invasion groups, Herman’s Hermits, the Moody Blues, and the Kinks over for their first US shows.   The list of others Bernstein organized early major early concerts for include Judy Garland, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles,  Frank Sinatra, and James Brown who once credited Bernstein for being the only significant promoter to work with Black acts during the ’60s.  Sid Bernstein was 95 when he passed away on August 21, 2013.



 

New Wave Rock Singer

Died On This Date (April 21, 2013) Chrissy Amphlett / Lead Singer Of The Divinyls

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Chrissy Amphlett
October 25, 1959 – April 21, 2013

Photo by David Plastik - Click To Order Quality Prints - Discount code: 10OFF
Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

Chrissy Amphlett was an Australian singer who is best remembered for fronting the internationally famous rock band, Divinyls.  Formed in Sydney in 1980 as part of the blossoming New Wave movement, the Divinyls had their first Australian hit with “Science Fiction” in 1982.  The song has since been named one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).  The band released just five studio albums in all – four of which charted in Australia, while one, Divinyls, reached #15 in the U.S. thanks to the Top 5 single, “I Touch Myself” and its titillating video. In 1996, Amphlett, who was in a relationship with co-founder and lead guitarist, Mark McEntee, split with him, putting an end to the band’s initial run.  Following the break-up, Amphlett pursued acting.  She made her debut in the 1982 film Monkey Grip, and later appeared alongside Russell Crowe in the 1988 Australian stage production of Blood Brothers.  She went on to play Judy Garland in the original touring production of The Boys From Oz.  In 2006, she and McEntee reformed the Divinyls for the ARIA Hall Of Fame ceremony.  It was their first performance in a decade.  They recorded a yet-to-be-released album around 2007 and continued to perform select dates including the grand finale of 2007’s Australian Idol.  That same year, Amplett revealed that she was suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, and in 2010, she disclosed that she was battling breast cancer.  Unfortunately, the MS kept her from receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment which may have prolonged her life.  Chrissy Amphlett was 53 when she passed away on April 21, 2013.

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

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Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

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Easy Listening Musician

Died On This Date (April 20, 2012) Bert Weedon / Influential English Electric Guitarist

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Bert Weedon
May 10, 1920 – April 20, 2012

Bert Weedon was a popular British guitarist during the 1950s and 1960s.  Although he leaned more easy listening that rock, he was a direct influence on the likes of Brian May, Keith Richards, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Pete Townshend – many of whom learned to play from his Play In A Day tutorials.  Weedon was just 12 when he decided he wanted to be a professional musician, and by his late teens, he was already fronting his own band and sharing the stage with Stephane Grappelli and George Shearing.  During the ’50s, he played in the BBC Show Band, played on several early British rock and roll records as a session man, and accompanied American stars when they played in London and beyond.  In that capacity, Weedon performed with Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Judy Garland, to name a few.  Bert Weedon was 91 when he passed away on April 20, 2012.

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Once More With Feeling - Bert Weedon

Disco R&B Singer

Died On This Date (March 8, 2012) Jimmy Ellis / Lead Singer Of The Trammps; Had Huge Hit With “Disco Inferno”

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Jimmy Ellis
DOB Unkown – March 8, 2012

Jimmy Ellis is best remembered the lead singer for the popular disco group, the Trammps.  Formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1972, the R&B outfit first flirted with success with their unlikely cover of “Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart,” a song originally made famous by Judy Garland some 30 years earlier.  The following year, they released “Love Epidemic,” widely considered their first disco song.  In 1976, they put out what would become their signature tune, “Disco Inferno,” a high-energy dance number that went on to help define the disco era.  The song wasn’t initially a big hit, but when it was re-released as part of the Saturday Night Fever film and soundtrack in 1978, it hit the mainstream and landed at #11 on the pop charts.  The song then took on a life of its own as it was played in heavy rotation at discotheques around the world and virtually every disco-themed party ever since.  Its celebratory refrain can still also be heard at most major sports arenas around the US.   It has also been covered by the likes of Cyndi Lauper and Tina Turner.  In 2005, “Disco Inferno” was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame.  The Trammps’ other hits included “The Night The Lights Went Out” and “Disco Party.”   Jimmy Ellis was 74 when he passed away in a nursing home on March 8, 2012.

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The Trammps

Pop Rock Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (February 14, 2012) Dory Previn / Renowned Songwriter

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Dory Previn
October 22, 1925 – February 14, 2012

Dory Previn was an American singer-songwriter and lyricist who counted several Academy Award nominations to her credit.  Beginning in the late ’50s, Previn, along with her then-husband and songwriting partner, Andre Previn, wrote numerous songs for such films as Pepe, Two for the Seesaw, and Valley of the Dolls.  Their songs have been recorded by such music luminaries as Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Dionne Warwick, and Sammy Davis, Jr., to name just a handful.  After parting ways with her husband in 1969, Previn launched a successful career as a singer-songwriter.  Over the next decade, she released a half-dozen albums, including 1972’s Reflections in a Mud Puddle, which Newsweek magazine named one of the best albums of the year, while the New York Times lauded it as one of the best singer-songwriters of 1972.   She went on to win two Emmys for music she created for television, and wrote two autobiographies as well as a one-woman play.  Dory Previn passed away on February 14, 2012.  She was 86.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus for the assist.

 

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Dory Previn

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