Died On This Date (November 5, 2011) Patsi Bale Cox / Music Journalist
themusicsover Patsi Bale Cox
DOB Unknown – November 5, 2011
Patsy Bale Cox was a Nashville music journalist and author who penned the popular book, The Garth Factor: The Career Behind Country’s Big Boom, that examined the success of country icon, Garth Brooks. Born in Kansas, Cox settled in Nashville in 1983 and started out doing freelance work while editing bios and such for Capitol and Polygram Records. She eventually became a popular writer of autobiographies in the “as told to” role. Her two such books with Ralph Emery were best sellers. Over the course of her career, Cox wrote books about such music greats as Pat Benatar, Tanya Tucker, Wynonna Judd, Tony Orlando, and Loretta Lynn. As reported by CMT, Patsi Bale Cox died of emphysema on November 5, 2011. She was 66.
Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number 1 Albums for the assist.
Hank Medress will always be remembered as the singer of American pop classic, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” but his contributions to popular music go much deeper. As a singer or producer, he’s worked directly with such artists as Neil Sedaka, the Chiffons, the Happenings and Tony Orlando. He was also instrumental in the creation of New York Dolls singer, David Johanson’s popular 80’s alter ego, Buster Poindexter. Medress died of lung cancer on June 18, 2007 at the age of 68.
Dee Clark was a soul singer who started his professional career in 1952. Over the next few years, he sang in a handful of groups until he went off on his own in 1957. By 1961, he had released a couple of top 20 hits but then went to the next level with the single, “Raindrops,” which went all the way to #2 on the pop charts and #3 on the R&B charts. The record sold over 2 million copies and has been covered by Tony Orlando and David Cassidy. It still receives regular airplay on oldies stations around the U.S. Clark was barely surviving financially by the late ’80s, performing in oldies shows whenever possible. He suffered a stroke in 1987, but still performed despite the fact he was partially paralyzed and had acquired a speech impediment. On December 7, 1990, Dee Clark suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 52 when he died.