Died On This Date (December 21, 2014) Joe Cocker / Iconic English Rock Singer

John “Joe” Cocker
May 20, 1944 – December 21, 2014

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

Joe Cocker was a much-beloved English singer-songwriter who, over a career that spanned over 40 years, gave us some of the rock era’s most memorable songs. That list includes, “Feeling Alright,” “Up Where We Belong,” “Cry Me A River,” “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window,” “You Are So Beautiful,” “Unchain My Heart,” and “With A Little Help From My Friends.”  With a gravelly voice and uniquely passionate live delivery, Cocker can only be described as one of a kind. In many cases, his interpretations of other superstars’ recordings were arguably better than – or at least equal to – the originals.  Born in Sheffield, England , Cocker gravitated to the music of Ray Charles and Lonnie Donegan at an early age He was just 12 years old when his older brother first brought him up on stage to sing with his skiffle band. Within a couple of years, he formed his first group, the Cavaliers.  Over the next four decades, Cocker released 23 studio albums and toured the world numerous times.  His most recent studio album, Fire It Up, was released in 2012.  Joe Cocker lost his battle with lung cancer on December 21, 2014.  He was 70 years old.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

On This Date (July 7, 2008) Hugh Mendl / Influential Decca Producder

Hugh Mendl
August 6, 1919 – July 7, 2008

Hugh Mendl started his music career in the early ’40s when his grandfather, then chairman of Decca Records gave him his first job as a producer at the label.  He stayed there for some 40 years.  Over the years, the label followed Mendl’s great ear by signing such acts as Lonnie Donegan, the Moody Blues, Genesis, David Bowie and John Mayall.  One act that the label famously did ignore his pleas to sign was the Beatles.  Mendl eventually grew disillusioned with business and retired to become an antique dealer.  He passed away in 2008 at the age of 89.

Died On This Date (November 3, 2002) Lonnie Donegan / The King Of Skiffle

Anthony “Lonnie” Donegan
April 29, 1931 – November 3, 2002

lonnieLonnie Donegan was one of the most popular performers of the ’50s and early ’60s skiffle scene of the UK.  Skiffle was a raved up version of traditional folk, blues, jazz and country influences from the US. British Invasion bands like the Beatles rose out of the skiffle scene and claim Donegan as a direct influence. Donegan began playing guitar at the age of 14, and in 1952, he formed his first band, the Tony Donegan Jazz Band.  He switched to “Lonnie” a few years later and began playing in bands that were evolving into skiffle music by adding such instruments as banjo and washboard.  His first recording was a 1956 rave up of Lead Belly’sRock Island Line” which became a massive hit, selling in excess of three million copies.  Donegan continued to release UK high-charting records into the early ’60s, but his sound never really caught on in the U.S.  He struggled to stay relevant during the ’70s and ’80s even with such fans as Elton John, Brian May and Ronnie Wood paying tribute to his work.  His last shots of major exposure came in 2000 when he appeared on Van Morrison’s acclaimed The Skiffle Sessions album, and peformed at the Glatonbury Festival.  On November 3, 2002, Lonnie Donegan, 71, suffered what would be his final of at least three heart attacks in his later years, this last one being fatal.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

King of Skiffle - Lonnie Donegan