Died On This Date (October 4, 2014) Paul Revere / Paul Revere & The Raiders
themusicsover Paul Revere Dick
January 7, 1938 – October 4, 2014
Paul Revere was the founder, keyboardist and iconic face of late ’60s/early ’70s rock and roll band, Paul Revere & the Raiders. Formed in Boise, Idaho in 1958 as the Downbeats (with Mark Lindsay on lead vocals), the band scored its first regional hit in 1961 with “Like, Long Hair.” The song eventually found enough of a national audience to crack the Top 40 of the national charts. By the mid ’60s, the group, now known as the Paul Revere & the Raiders, relocated to Los Angeles and began working with producer, Terry Melcher. What followed was a string of future garage rock classics that positioned the band as America’s answer to the British Invasion. Records like “Just Like Me,” “Hungry,” “Good Thing,” and “Kicks” became radio staples throughout the second half of he 1960s. For at least the year of 1967, the band was Columbia Records’ biggest-selling rock band. The early ’70s found the Raiders’ style of music falling out of fashion, so they responded with 1971’s socially conscious “Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)”, a #1 hit that went on to sell over six million copies. The album from which it came, Indian Reservation, reached #19 on the album charts. It was the band’s final appearance of any significance on the charts. In 1976, Revere announced his retirement, only to return to the stage with a new Raiders lineup in 1978. He continued to perform in front of cheering crowds along the oldies circuit until his second retirement in August of 2014. In recent years, Paul Revere & the Raiders enjoyed a resurgence in popularity thanks to carefully curated reissues and Hall of Fame type accolades. Paul Revere was 76 when passed away on October 4, 2014. Cause of death was not immediately released.
What You Should Own
Steve Popovich was a long-time music industry powerhouse who, over a career that spanned some 50 years wore many hats. He started in the Columbia Records warehouse in 1962, and quickly moved into radio promotion, sales, TV promotion and even inventory control. In those early years, he helped promote the likes of Blood, Sweat & Tears, Simon & Garfunkel, and Paul Revere & The Raiders. In 1972, he became Columbia’s Vice President of Promotion – appointed by Clive Davis. At just 26, he was the youngest VP there ever. In 1974, he moved over to Epic Records where he helped launch the careers of Boston, Cheap Trick, and Ted Nugent, to name just a few. In 1977, Popovich founded Cleveland International Records where he would release Meat Loaf’s landmark album Bat Out Of Hell, which went on to sell upwards of 40 million copies during an era when most new releases sold at best, 5000 copies. He later went on to work as Sr Vice President at Polygram Nashville where he was responsible for numerous other successes. In recent years, Popovich found himself embroiled in a legal battle with Sony Music over royalties and failure to put the Cleveland International logo on millions of CDs. Steve Popovich died of an apparent heart attack on June 8, 2011. He was 69.
Kent Morrill was the lead singer and keyboardist for Seattle, Washington-area ’60s rock band, the Fabulous Wailers. Having been with the group since inception, Morrill was the only original member still playing with the group in recent years. Formed at the tail end of the ’50s, many consider the Fabulous Wailers THE first garage rock band due to their down-and-dirty mix of saxophone driven R&B and rave-up rock ‘n roll. The band released several albums and 45s throughout the years, but it was their late 50s/early 60s output that is generally included in any respectable first generation garage rock collection. Records like “Tall Cool One,” “Dirty Robber,” and “Out Of Our Tree” received significant airplay during their peak years, but it was their recording (with Rockin’ Robin Roberts) of 
Tony Peluso was a producer and musician who is perhaps best remembered as the lead guitarist for the Carpenters for the better part of 12 years. As a producer or engineer, Peluso worked with the likes of