Died On This Date (March 17, 1990) Rick Grech / Blind Faith, Traffic

Rick Grech
November 1, 1946 – March 17, 1990

grech.jpgAs a much in-demand bass guitar journeyman, Rick Grech landed the ultimate rock dream job in 1969 when he was nabbed to play alongside Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Steve Winwood in the newly formed Blind Faith. After a disappointing start, Blind Faith disbanded so Grech stayed on with Winwood in the reformed Traffic. However, Grech’s drug use got in the way, so he was let go from the band and went on to do session work for the likes of Rod Stewart, Muddy Waters and Ronnie Lane. By the mid-70s, Grech grew frustrated with his career and tired of the music industry in general so he retired and went into the carpet business. His drug of choice became alcohol which reportedly led to his death from liver and kidney failure at just 43.

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The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (Bonus Tracks) - Traffic

Died On This Date (March 6, 2009) David Williams / Acclaimed Session Guitarist

David Williams
November 21, 1950 – March 6, 2009

David Williams was one of pop music’s most in-demand session rhythm guitarist since the ’80s.  Playing guitar since he was a teenager, Williams’ big break came when he was hired to play on Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall album.  For the next several years he played on other Jackson family albums, including Michael’s Thriller, where his familiar guitar parts are featured on “Billie Jean.” Over the course of his highly successful career, Williams either recorded or toured with, to name just a small portion, Madonna, Rod Stewart, Bryan Ferry, Paul McCartney, Lionel Richie, Jessica Simpson, Genesis, and Diana Ross.  His guitar work was such in demand, that he is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the guitarist who appears on the most #1 hit records in the world.  David Williams was 58 when he died of a heart attack on March 6, 2009.



Died On This Date (February 3, 1967) Joe Meek / Successful Producer and Songwriter

Robert “Joe” Meek
April 5, 1929 – February 3, 1967

Joe Meek was a legendary English record producer who played a key role in the development of British rock ‘n roll during the early ’60s.  Many of his records are considered the foundation of the punk and garage movements of later years.   His earliest claim to fame was 1962’s “Telstar” by the Tornados.  It was the first record by a British group to top the U.S. singles chart.   The seemingly endless list of artists that Meek produced during those early years includes Screaming Lord Sutch, Gene Vincent, Billy Fury, Tom Jones, the Honeycombs and Shirley Bassey.  Perhaps more famous than the bands he worked with, were those on whom he passed.  That list includes the Beatles, Rod Stewart and David Bowie.  During the final years of Meek’s life, he suffered from severe depression and paranoia.  Perhaps because of that, he was not getting much work and his finances were drying up because of it.  He was also the victim of at least one blackmail plot and had been accused of plagiarism.  On February 3, 1967, Joe Meek unexplicably shot and killed his landlady and then turned the shotgun on himself.  He was dead at 37 years old.  It should be noted that he died on the eighth anniversary of  the death of Buddy Holly, Meek’s biggest hero.

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Joe Meek

Died On This Date (February 3, 2009) Tom Brumley / Steel Guitar Great

Tom Brumley
December 11, 1935 – February 3, 2009

brumleyTom Brumley was an accomplished steel guitarist who played with two of California’s most beloved recording artists, Buck Owens and Rick Nelson.  As part of Owens’ Buckaroos from 1963 to 1969, Brumley played on such landmark country records as “Act Naturally” and “I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail.”  By doing so, he helped popularize the so-called “Bakersfield Sound.”  After leaving Owens, Brumley joined up with Nelson to record and perform for the better part of a decade.  His playing was instrumental in the development of Nelson’s latter-day country rock sound.  Over the course of his career, Brumley also played with the likes of Rod Stewart, Martina McBride, Waylon Jennings, and Reba McIntire.  Tom Brumley passed away on February 3, 2009 as the result of an earlier heart attack.  He was 73 years old.



Died On This Date (January 1, 1984) Alexis Korner / Founding Father Of British Blues

Alexis Korner
April 19, 1928 – January 1, 1984

Alexis Korner has been rightfully called the “Founding Father of British Blues.”  In 1955, Korner and fellow blues enthusiast and musician Cyril Davies opened the London Blues and Barrelhouse Club so there would be a place in town for American blues artists to play.  It would be the first exposure to American blues music that many young Londoners ever  had.  Korner and Bond soon formed Blues Incorporated, an electric band whose ever-changing roster included Charlie Watts, Ginger Baker, Long John Baldry, Graham Bond, and Jack Bruce.  Future greats like Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, John Mayall, and Jimmy Page and Brian Jones were all fans and occasionally sat in with the band.  By 1966, Blues Incorporated was over and Korner moved over to British television where he was an entertainment news correspondent for a children’s program.  The ’70s and ’80s found Korner working in a few different jazz- and blues-centric groups.  He died of lung cancer on January 1, 1984 at the age of 55.