Died On This Date (January 31, 2017) John Wetton / King Crimson; Asia

John Wetton
June 12, 1949 – January 31, 2017

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John Wetton was an English bassist and singer who is best remembered for his time with King Crimson and for fronting his own popular prog-rock band, Asia.  After several years of playing and singing in local bands, Wetton was invited by Robert Fripp to join King Crimson as bassist and lead singer.  The year was 1972, and over the next two-plus years, he performed on the band’s critically acclaimed Larks’ Tongues in AspicStarless and Bible Black, and Red.  Following the release of Red, King Crimson went on hiatus, s0 Wetton worked with several other groups, including Roxy MusicWishbone Ash, and Uriah Heap.  In 1980, he formed Asia, a super group with Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, and Carl Palmer.  The band’s self-titled debut of 1982 reached #1 on the US and UK charts and went on to sell over 8 million copies worldwide.  In later years, Wetton released several solo albums while collaborating with the likes of Steve Hackett and Renaissance. In 2006, he reunited with the original members of Asia to release Phoenix, their first since 1983.  They went on to release a handful of new studio albums over the next several years.   John Wetton died of colon cancer on January 31, 2017.  He was 67.

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Died On This Date (December 7, 2016) Greg Lake / Emerson, Lake & Palmer; King Crimson

Greg Lake
November 10, 1947 – December 7, 2016

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

As founding lead singer of both King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Greg Lake was an early architect of what would become known as progressive rock – a style that borrowed heavily from classical and jazz for its sound, and poetry for its lyrics.  Born in Dorset, England, Lake began playing the guitar as a young teen.  By high school, he was friends with another musical schoolmate, Robert Fripp, who later asked Lake to change to bass and sing lead for his own new band, King Crimson.  The year was 1968 and the group quickly found a sizable audience thanks in part to their acclaimed debut, In the Court of the Crimson King. Produced by Lake, it is one of earliest and most influential prog rock albums.  After leaving the group in 1970, Lake joined up with Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer to form one of rock’s early supergroups, Emerson, Lake & Palmer.  The band would become one of the most successful British bands of the era with such mind-bending albums as Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Tarkus, Trilogy, and Brain Salad Surgery, before parting ways in 1979.  During the ’80s, Lake played with Asia and Emerson, Lake &  Powell with drummer, Cozy Powell. Emerson, Lake & Palmer reunited for another album and a world tour during the early ’90s, and continued on in one form or another into 2010.  Greg Lake was 69 when he died of cancer on December 7, 2016.

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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 (August 26, 2005) Denis “Piggy” D’Amour / Voivod

Denis D’Amour
September 24, 1959 – August 26, 2005

Denis D’Amour was the guitarist for Canadian thrash metal band, Voivod who were one of the first Canadian thrash bands to gain popularity outside of Canada. They, along with Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax were ushered in the thrash metal movement of the mid ’80s. Trained in classical violin, D’Amour later switched to guitar, later adding more of a King Crimson, Pink Floyd and Rush approach to his unique guitar playing. D’Amour was diagnosed with colon cancer in the summer of 2005. Having progressed at an alarming rate, surgery was not an option, so D’Amour died as a result of the cancer on August 26, 2005 at the age of 45.

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Dimension Hatröss - Voivod

Died On This Date (May 30, 1993) Sun Ra / Acclaimed Jazz Innovator

Herman “Sun Ra” Blount
May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993

Jazz innovator Herman Blount (aka Sun Ra)was born either in Birmingham, Alabama or on another planet, as he would like us to believe. Wherever he came from, his influence on contemporary music is as big as the persona he created. Hard Bop, Swing, Poet, Avant Garde, Big Band Leader, Philosopher, Pianist, Composer, Organist, Cosmic, Educator, Student, American, Extraterrestrial…are all words that make up Sun Ra. Much of Blount’s life remained a mystery for decades. What is known is that he was a skilled pianist in his early teens, and by his mid teens he was performing semi professionally. At twenty, he joined a touring group that he eventually took over and renamed the Sonny Blount Orchestra. Two years later the band was dissolved when he accepted a scholarship to Alabama A&M. It is said that while in college, Blount experienced some sort of mind altering event that would start him on the journey that would lead him to eventually become Sun Ra. He and his “Arkestra” stayed extremely active into the early ’90s, only slowing down when Blount suffered a stroke in 1990. Within a couple of years Sun Ra was too ill to go on so he moved back to Birmingham where he passed away while suffering from a bout of pneumonia. He was 79 (maybe!).  Sun Ra been credited for being a direct influence on the likes of Sonic Youth, New York Dolls, George Clinton, King Crimson, Phish, Frank Zappa, and many many more.

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Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy & Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow - Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra