Died On This Date (February 3, 2017) Robert Dahlqvist / The Hellacopters

Robert Dahlqvist
April 16, 1976 – February 3, 2017

Photo by Roger Workman/Wikipedia

Robert Dahlqvist is best remembered as the longtime guitarist for Swedish garage band, the Hellacopters.  His tenure with the group ran from 1999 to 2008, and again for a recent live album set to come out at a later date.  Born in Uddevalla, Sweden, Dahlqvist learned to play the guitar at a very young age.  In 1999, he joined the Hellacopters who were already a popular band across Sweden and beyond.  He played on their next several releases over the following decade.  The Hellacopters built a loyal legion of fans worldwide due to their fiery loud-guitar, and pounding drum/bass sound that draws influence from the likes of KISS, the Ramones, MC5, and the Stooges, to name a few. While playing with the Hellacopters, Dahlqvist also found time for two side-project bands, Thunder Express and Dundertåget, two bands that were not sonically dissimilar to the Hellacopters.  Robert Dahlqvist passed away on February 3, 2017.  Cause of death was not immediately released. He was 40.

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Died On This Date (April 10, 2012) Ritchie Teeter / Former Drummer For The Dictators

Ritchie Teeter
March 16, 1951 – April 10, 2012

Ritchie Teeter was a rock drummer who made is mark playing behind the Dictators during some of the band’s glory years.  With a sound and vibe that was not that far removed from the Ramones, MC5, the Stooges, or the New York Dolls, the Dictators built a dedicated following that remains loyal to this day.  Teeter joined the band following the release of their first album, Go Girl Crazy, and can be heard playing  on 1977’s Manifest Destiny and 1978’s Bloodbrothers. Both are considered essential for any respectable early New York punk collection.  Teeter went on to play in Twisted Sister in late 1980/early 1981, but never appeared on any of their albums.  He did participate in later Dictator reunion shows, though not much is known about his more recent life. It appears that Teeter retired from the business some time ago, or he at least kept a very low profile.  Ritchie Teeter was 61 when he died of esophageal cancer on April 10, 2012.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus for the assist.

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Died On This Date (July 13, 2004) Arthur “Killer” Kane / New York Dolls

Arthur Kane
February 3, 1949 – July 13, 2004

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Arthur “Killer” Kane was the original bassist for the New York Dolls, the ’70s glam proto-punk band that unknowingly launched thousands of bands in their fiery wake.  Just after graduating high school, Kane joined Actress, a group that consisted of future Dolls, Billy Murcia, Johnny Thunders and Rick Rivets.  When Thunders grew tired of being lead singer, David Johansen came on board and the band was rechristened, New York Dolls.   Sylvain Sylvain soon followed.  Influenced equally by American R&B, punk, early Rolling Stones and the Detroit rock of the Stooges and MC5, the Dolls, delivered a sonic blast of primitive rock ‘n roll and a dynamic stage show fronted by the wild antics of Johansen.  And as in-your-face as Johansen was, Kane stood stoic by his side, earning the tagline, “the only living statue in rock-and-roll.”  In 1975, Thunders and Nolan left and Kane was fired, leading to the break-up of the band.  Not really able to get much going post-Dolls, Kane moved to Los Angeles and for the most part, moved on from music. In the late ’80s, Kane became a Mormon and eventually found work in their Family History Center at their Los Angeles temple.  In 2004, Morrissey offered the surviving Dolls (Kane, Sylvain, and Johansen)  a slot at the Meltdown Festival in London.  The band reunited, for the show and went on to record their first album in over 30 years.  Sadly, just three weeks after the Meltdown show, Kane went to a Los Angeles hospital believing he caught the flu on the trip.  He learned he actually had leukemia and was dead within a few hours.  A fascinating and heartfelt documentary entitled New York Doll chronicles Kane’s post Doll’s life and his reunion with the band.

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Died On This Date (April 30, 1982) Lester Bangs / Music Journalist

Leslie “Lester” Bangs
December 13, 1948 – April 30, 1982

bangsAs a writer for Cream and Rolling Stone magazines, Lester Bangs was a highly influential rock music journalist.  Bangs’ first review to be published came in 1969 when he answered a Rolling Stone ad looking for readers’ reviews.  He sent in a negative critique of the MC5’s Kick Out The Jams, and never looked back.  Bangs wrote for the magazine until 1973 when he was fired for allegedly being too critical and disrespectful toward the musicians he wrote about.  Bangs relocated to Detroit where he edited and wrote for Cream.  It was Cream that Bangs began to build his reputation as a brilliant if not confrontational music journalist.  In the ensuing years, he contributed to Playboy, the Village Voice and NME.   Bangs died of an accidental overdose at the age of 33.  Drugs he had been taking to treat a cold adversely interacted with each other.

Died On This Date (November 4, 1994) Fred “Sonic” Smith / The MC5

Fred “Sonic” Smith
September 14, 1949 – November 4, 1994

Fred “Sonic” Smith was the founding guitarist for Detroit proto punk band, the MC5.  Formed in 1964 with Wayne Kramer, Rob Tyner, Michael Davis and Dennis Thompson, the MC5 were one of the architects of garage rock and were a direct influence on punk rock. Their “Kick Out The Jams” remains one of rocks truest anthems to this day.  After MC5 disbanded in 1972, Smith went on to form Sonic’s Rendezvous Band which included Scott Asheton of the Stooges.  In 1976, Smith met punk poetess, Patti Smith while she and her band were in Detroit.  They hit it off and eventually became romantically involved.  They married in 1980 and both settled into a family life in the suburbs of Detroit.  Fred and Patti Smith collaborated on record in the coming years, but were for the most part, retired from the music industry.  Fred “Sonic” Smith was 45 when he died of a heart attack on November 4, 1994.  Patti Smith went on to see some of her most productive and successful years back in the music business.

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