Died On This Date (July 13, 2011) Jerry Ragovoy / Wrote Numerous Pop Hits

Jerry Ragovoy
September 4, 1930 – July 13, 2011

Photo by Fernando Leon

Jerry Ragovoy was a prolific hit songwriter who over a career that spanned some 50 years, wrote or co-wrote some of popular music’s most iconic songs.  As one of the most important songwriting figures in the Philadelphia and New York soul scenes of the ’60s, his songs have been enjoyed by millions.  His most famous tunes were “Time Is On My Side” (Irma Thomas, the Rolling Stones), “Cry Baby,” and “Piece Of My Heart” (Janis Joplin).  His songs have also been recorded by Garnet Mimms, Howard Tate, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Costello, the Yardbirds, the Small Faces, Dusty Springfield, Chaka Kahn, the Moody Blues, Barry White, Bonnie Raitt, and many more.  Ragovoy also produced several records throughout his career as well.  Those he worked with in that capacity include Dionne Warwick and Paul Butterfield.  Jerry Ragovoy died on July 13, 2011 of complications from an earlier stroke.  He was 80.

Thanks to Benji Isabel for the assist.

What You Should Own

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Died On This Date (July 10, 2011) Travis Bean / Innovative Guitar Maker

Clifford Travis Bean
August 21, 1947 – July 10, 2011

Photo by Rick Oblinger

Travis Bean was a Los Angeles, California area electric guitar maker who helped revolutionize the instrument during the 1970s.  In 1974, he launched Travis Bean Guitars to mass produce high-end electric guitars that had solid aluminum necks instead of the customary wood ones.  Besides giving the instruments a unique tone and durability, the metal added heft and cost to the guitars, upwards of $1000 each, which was a fairly large sum at that time.  Loyal fans of Bean’s guitars included Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Keith Richards and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones, and jazz great, Stanley Jordan.  Bean also constructed a similar bass guitar that was used by the likes of Bill Wyman.  Bean halted production of the guitars in 1979 rather than compromise on the quality to meet lower cost demands.  Over 3600 guitars and basses came off the line during the five years of production.   Bean returned with another round of similar guitars and basses during the late ’90s.   Travis Bean was 63 when he died on July 10, 2011 following a long battle with cancer.

 



Died On This Date (June 8, 2011) Alan Rubin / Mr. Fabulous; The Blues Brothers Band

Alan Rubin
February 11, 1943 – June 8, 2011

Alan Rubin as an American trumpet player who was commonly referred to as Mr. Fabulous.  A gifted musician since childhood, Rubin started at the esteemed Julliard School of Music on a scholarship at the age of 17.  In 1975, he was hired on as the trumpet player in the original Saturday Night Live band.  In 1980, he backed fellow cast members, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in the Blues Brothers, in both the film and beyond.  His resume throughout the years reads like a pop music VIP list, having played with likes of Frank Sinatra, Frank Zappa, the Rolling Stones, Duke Ellington, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Miles Davis, Sting, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Eric Clapton.  Alan Rubin died of cancer on June 8, 2011.  He was 68.

Thanks to Benji Isabel for the assist

What You Should Own

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Briefcase Full of Blues - The Blues Brothers

 

Died On This Date (May 7, 2011) John Walker / Lead Singer of the Walker Brothers

John Walker (Born John Maus)
November 12, 1943 – May 7, 2011

John Walker was a the co-lead singer of the Walker Brothers, a popular California-born “British” rock band during the ’60s.  Ironically, the band moved to England while British bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were taking over America.  As a sort of rock version of the Righteous Brothers, the band became immensely popular in England, with a fan club that once counted more members than even the Beatles’. During the early ’60s, Walker began building a name for himself throughout the hip Hollywood night spots while working with the likes of Phil Spector, the Monkees, and Ritchie Valens in the studio.  Meanwhile, he was forming the Walker Brothers with co-lead singer Scott Walker (born Noel Scott Engel) and drummer Gary Walker (born Gary Leeds) while playing in the house band at Gazzari’s on the Sunset Strip.  The band soon moved to England where they helped fill a void that was created when the popular British bands were trying to conquer America.  Over the course of their run, the Walker Brothers reportedly sold some 20 million records with hits like “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore,” “My Ship Is Comin’ In,” and “Love Her.”  In recent years, Walker regularly toured the UK as part of nostalgia tours.  In December of 2010, he was diagnosed with liver cancer.  John Walker was 67 when he died of cancer on May 7, 2011.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at number1albums for the assist.

What You Should Own

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Died On This Date (April 3, 2011) Richard Patterson / Respected Canadian Rock Drummer

Richard Patterson
1944 – April 3, 2011

Richard Patterson was a Canadian drummer who is perhaps best remembered for his time playing in the Esquires, a popular Ottawa band during the 1960s.  Formed in 1962, the band also included Bruce Cockburn at the tail end of its run.  A year after forming, the band signed with Capitol Records, making them one of the first if not THE first Canadian band to sign with a major label.  Over the next few years, the band released such hit records as “Atlantis” and “So Many Other Boys.”  In 1964, the band won an RPM award, which was basically a Canadian Grammy in those days.  And when major recording artists of the day came to Canada, it was likely that the Esquires opened for them.  Such acts included the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, and the Dave Clark Five.  The band broke up in 1967, but briefly reunited in 1987.  Richard Patterson, who had been suffering from a neurological disorder, passed away on April 3, 2011.

Thanks to Gerald Dewan for the assist.