Died On This Date (November 7, 2016) Leonard Cohen / Canadian Singer-Songwriter
themusicsover Leonard Cohen
September 21, 1934 – November 7, 2016
Leonard Cohen was a revered Canadian poet, author, and most famously, singer-songwriter. Over a career that spanned almost 50 years, Cohen provided the dimly-lit smoky-bar soundtrack for people who needed hope, lost faith, felt despair, or longed for love. Initially planning a career as an author and poet, Cohen wanted to reach more people, so he switched gears and found himself singing and performing in New York City at the relatively late age of 33. He quickly became an unlikely pop star – rugged baritone voice, simple chord structures, and a private, guarded life within a profession that celebrated extroversion. His career might have seemed over when upon the release of his most famous song, 1984’s “Hallelujah,” his label head reportedly told him, “Look, Leonard; we know you’re great, but we don’t know if you’re any good,” before dropping him. But his songs eventually caught on, and younger generations of singer-songwriters borrowed them to include in their own canons. “Hallelujah” alone was recorded by over 200 artists, including Bob Dylan, Justin Timberlake, k.d. lang, John Cale, and most famously, Jeff Buckley. In all, Cohen’s tunes have been covered by more than 2000. That list includes such greats as Johnny Cash, Nick Cave, Willie Nelson, R.E.M., and Tori Amos. In 2008, at the age of 74, and facing financial ruin, Cohen embarked on an ambitious (and triumphant!) world tour that would last about three years before his health started to get the better of him. After getting well, he hit the road again doing a seemingly endless series of impassioned shows that ran north of three hours a piece. That lasted through December of 2013, when he fell ill again. But Cohen refused to be bound by his health and set out to record what would be the final two albums of his lifetime, 2014’s Popular Problems, and this year’s You Want it Darker, recorded in his home with him in a wheelchair and singing many of the sessions in physical pain. That album was released just two weeks before his death, and served as a profound self-eulogy in much the same way as David Bowie‘s Lazarus. It has been reported, thankfully, that excluding his last album, his late-life career revival earned him around $10 million. Leonard Cohen was 82 when he passed away on November 7, 2016.
What You Should Own
Known by the stage name, Sleazy, Peter Christopherson is best remembered as a founding member of British avant-garde industrial band, Throbbing Gristle. He was also part of such projects Psychic TV, Coil, Soisong, and The Threshold HouseBoy’s Choir. Throbbing Gristle formed in 1975, with Christopherson mostly handling synthesizers and vibraphone. The group developed a very loyal following thanks in part to their sometimes controversial shows that often included disturbing visuals of Nazi concentration camps and pornography. Throbbing Gristle were pioneers of incorporating prerecorded tapes, or “samples” into their shows, and paved the way for such bands as Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails, Front 242. The group broke up in 1981 but then reformed in 2004. Remarkably prolific, they recorded numerous albums for the highly influential Mute Records, also the one-time home for Depeche Mode, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and Erasure, to name a few. While he wasn’t making music, Christopherson was a video director, graphic artist, and photographer. Peter Christopherson passed away in his sleep on November 24, 2010. Cause of death was not immediately released. He was 55.
Lee Hazlewood was a country singer, songwriter, musician and producer whose work with Nancy Sinatra during the ’60s are essential records of the era. Hazlewood settled in Arizona as a disc jockey after being leaving the military in the early ’50s. He soon partnered with Duane Eddy as a songwriter and producer on such hits as “Peter Gunn.” During the mid ’60s, he began working with Nancy Sinatra, writing and producing “These Boots Are Made For Walking,” and many more. Hazelwood all but retired from music during the ’70s, but his songs lived on having been covered by such unlikely artists as Megadeth, Beck, Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch and the Tubes. He died of renal cancer at the age of 78.
Bobby Hebb was a Nashville singer-songwriter who had a huge pop hit with “Sunny” in 1966. No less an authority than Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) lists it at #25 on its list of the top 100 songs of the century. “Sunny” is also one of the most covered songs in pop music history. It has been recorded by 