Some Figures From The 1950's & 60's

GEORGE MARTIN (90);
Known as "The Fifth Beatle" Martin was record producer for them on all their recordings. Martin had been known for recording comedy acts including Peter Cook & Dudley Moore but he had also been recording Skiffle bands like The Vipers and was actively looking for a R&R combo when he was assigned to the Beatles by EMI with whom he would work for the rest of their careers. Martin is credited with introducing them to more sophisticated recording techniques and arrangements. He would also work with a number of other bands like Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas, Shane Fenton & The Fentones, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Cila Black and the young Gary Glitter in his pre-glam years. Martin would later work with America, Ultravox, Jeff Beck, Cheap Trick, UFO, Elton John, Neil Sedaka and Celine Dion.

THE BEATLES ~ "PENNY LANE";


BILLY J KRAMER & THE DAKOTAS ~ "FROM A WINDOW";


GERRY & THE PACEMAKERS ~ "I LIKE IT":


PAUL KANTER (74) & SIGNE TROLY ANDERSON (74);
Kanter was a singer/guitarist/songwriter and founding member of Jefferson Airplane, the iconic band of the San Francisco Psychedelic scene of the 1967 Summer Of Love. The Airplane were not the first Psychedelic band, The Charlatans and the Greatful Dead claimed that honour, but the Airplane were the first band of the scene to score serious international hits with the still classic "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love" off the album "Surrealistic Pillow".
Paul Kanter was one of the founding members although at first the band's leader was singer Marty Balin. One their first album, 1966's "Takes Off" the Airplane were a typical folk-rock band of the time, not as inventive or distinctive as The Byrds but solid enough. They also lacked a charismatic frontman. Balin and female singer Signe Troly Anderson had good looks and a strong tenors and but lacked the larger-than-life persona of a great frontman. That problem would soon be found when rival band The Great Society broke up and freeing up their singer (and former model) Grace Slick to replace Signe Anderson who had gotten pregnant and decided to retire from band life for motherhood. Slick would also bring two songs from her previous band, the afore mentioned "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love", along with a soaring ice queen voice and stunning looks.

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE ~ "WHITE RABBIT";


Kanter may not have appeared essential to the early airplane's sound. Balin had started the band and Kanter's rhythm guitar lacked the flash of Jorma Kauconen's leads or Jack Cassidy's rumbling bass. But Kanter contributed to the songwriting and after a few years Balin became dissatisfied with the band's direction and started to absent himself, eventually stalking out entirely leaving Kanter in charge. The Airplane became more focused on Kanter's favored themes of politics and science fiction. This led to later hit songs like "Volunteers", "Mexico" and "Have You Seen The Saucers".

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE ~ "WHITE RABBIT" & "SOMEBODY TO LOVE";


By the 1970's the band had changed their name to Jefferson Starship and they continued to score hits through the decade. Eventually Kaukonen and Cassidy left followed by Slick but Kanter continued to slog away for a time as the last original mamber before he too packed it in and went off to a low key solo career. A version of the band would carry on into the eighties, even luring back Grace Slick for a time and managed to score a couple of surprise hits in the late eighties with a bland ballad "Sara" and the much despised "We Built This City On Rock & Roll", a song on most people's lists of the worst top ten hits (and videos) of all time.

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE ~ "THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS LIFE";


DAN HICKS ~ 74;
The Charlatans were the fist San Fransico Psyche bands to get attention with their combination of Folk-Rock, Garage and Psyche along with their Victorian/Cowboy/Art Nouveau/Thrift Shop image in both their clothes and poster art. They didn't really score any major hits but they were a popular live act in California and Nevada from 1964 to 1966. Dan Hicks was not an original member but he joined in 1967 as a drummer then moving to guitar, vocals and songwriting. He left in 1968 with to form his own folk group Dan Hicks & Hot Licks which me would maintain on and off until recently.

THE CHARLATANS ~ "32/20 Blues";


Keith Emerson ~ 71 ~ Keyboardist with British 1960's & 70's Prog-Rock bands The Nice and Emerson, Lake & Palmer

THE NICE ~ "HANG ON TO A DREAM";


THE NICE ~ "AMERICA";


Gilli Smyth ~ 83 ~ Singer with 1960's Psychedelic Rock band Gong
GONG ~ "I NEVER GLID BEFORE";


GONG ~ "WITCH'S SONG/I'M YOUR PUSSY";


GONG ~ "DYNAMITE";


GONG ~ "DREAMING";


Teddy Rooney ~ 66 ~ Bassist w/Los Angeles 1960's Psychedelic Garage Band American The Yellow Payges

THE YELLOW PAYGES ~ "COPY THE BOUNCING BALL";


Gary Loizzo ~ 71 ~ Singer/guitarist with 1960's Pop band the American Breed

THE AMERICAN BREED ~ "BEND ME SHAPE ME":


Andy Thunderclap Newman ~ 73 ~ British singer of one-hit-wonder "Something In The Air" (1969) written & produced by Pete Townsend, guitarist Jimmy McCullagh later played in Wings

THUNDERCLAP NEWMAN ~ "SOMETHING IN THE AIR";


Sverre Kjelsberg ~ 69 ~ Singer and bassist with 1960's Norwegian rock band The Pussycats

THE PUSSYCATS ~ "GONNA SEND YOU BACK TO GEORGIA";


Tommy Brown ~ 84 ~ American 1950's R&B singer with The Griffin Brothers

THE GRIFFIN BROS & TOMMY BROWN ~ "WEAPIN' & MOANIN";


Lee Andrews ~ 79 ~ American doo-wop singer w/Lee Andrews & the Hearts ("Teardrops", "Long Lonely Nights" and "Try the Impossible")

LEE ANDREWS & THE HEARTS ~ "LONG LONELY NIGHTS";


Carlo Mastrangelo ~ 77 ~ American Doo-Wop singer w/Dion & The Belmonts

DION & THE BELMONTS ~ "A TEENAGER IN LOVE";


DION & THE BELMONTS ~ "I WONDER WHY";


Jack Hammer ~ 90 ~ American 1950's R&R performer and songwriter ("Great Balls Of Fire", "Fujiyama Mama" (for Wanda Jackson), "Rock & Roll Cal" (for Louis Jordan) as well as solo. Joined the Platters in the 60's.

JERRY LEE LEWIS ~ "GREAT BALLS OF FIRE";


WANDA JACKSON ~ "FUJIYAMA MAMA";


Dorothy Schwartz ~ 89 ~ American singer w/ 1950's Pop vocal group The Chordettes ("Mr Sandman" & "Lollipop")

THE CHORDETTES ~ "LOLLIPOP" & "MR SANDMAN"


Gogi Grant, 91, American pop singer ("The Wayward Wind")

GOGI GRANT ~ "IT'S A WONDERFUL THING TO BE LOVED";


L. C. Ulmer ~ 87 ~ American Delta blues singer/guitarist from the 1950's onward but did not actually record until 2011

L.C. ULMER ~ "CC RIDER";

Some Punk & Post Punk Figures

John Stabb ~ 54 ~ Singer w/1980's Washington DC Hardcore band Government Issue, one of the early bands on Discord Records, Later with Emma Peel, Brace and Stabb as well a spoken word artist.

GOVT ISSUE ~ "TIME TO ESCAPE";


GOVT ISSUE;


John Berry ~ 52 ~ Guitarist with the Beastie Boys in their original Hardcore days

THE BEASTIE BOYS ~ "EGG RAID ON MOJO";


Vi Subversa ~ 80 ~ British musician with Anarchist Punk band Poison Girls from 1976 to the 1990's. Aligned with label-mates Crass, Subversa was notable for standing out in the youth culture of punk by being a chubby middle-aged housewife.

POISON GIRLS ~ "STATE CONTROL";


POISON GIRLS ~ "ANOTHER HERO";


Marlane Marder ~ Guitarist with Swiss 1980's All-Girl Punk bands LiliPUT later known as Kleenex

LILIPUT ~ "BOATSONG";


LILIPUT ~ "TURK/SPLIT";


Andrew Loomis ~ Drummer with 1980's & 1990's garage punks Dead Moon

DEAD MOON ~ "DOA";


Brandon Farrell ~ Bassist with Virginia Hardcore bands Municipal Waste, Direct Control, Government Warning and Wasted Time, owner of No Way Out Records

MUNICIPAL WASTE ~ "THE FATAL FEAST";


Ross Shapiro ~ Singer/Guitarist with 1990's Athens, Georgia indie band The Glands

THE GLANDS ~ "WHEN I LAUGH";


Thomas Fekete ~ 27 ~ American guitarist w/Florida Indie-Rock band Surfer Blood

SURFER BLOOD ~ "I CAN'T EXPLAIN";


Jody Taylor ~ 43 ~ Vocalist with Vancouver 1990's Hardcore bands Strain and Kersey

STRAIN;


Heiko Schrepel ~ 39 ~ Bassist w/California Punk bands The US Bombs, Screw 32, One Man Army, The Revolts

THE US BOMBS ~ "WE ARE THE PROBLEM";


THE US BOMBS;


Micheal Montano ~ 46 ~ Bassist w/San Francisco Hardcore/Crust band Filth

FILTH;


FILTH ~ "SCARRED FOR LIFE";


Nick Menza ~ Drummer with Megadeth and later with Orphaned to Hatred, Deltanaut and OHM

MEGADETH ~ "SWEATING BULLETS";

White Line Fever

In the week of Feb.13 & 14 there were a series completely unrelated car crashes leading to the deaths of members of two bands.

Saturday Feb.13 British indie band Viola Beach were on tour in Sweden when their van skidded off a bridge killing all four members of the band Kris Leonard (guitar and vocals), River Reeves (guitar), Tomas Lowe (bass), and Jack Dakin (drums)plus their manager Craig Tarry.

VIOLA BEACH ~ "GET TO DANCING";


That same day American hardrock band Counterflux were on their way to a gig in Dayton Ohio when they were in a two car wreck killing three of five members of the band, Kyle Canter, Earl Miller II, Devin Bachmann and a friend. Their driver had earlier been charged with DUI and alcohol is believed to have been involved, however in this case it was the other driver (also killed) who was at fault.

COUNTERFLUX ~ "ASSASSIN";


The next day Toronto Metal band Cauldron crashed their van while on tour in Texas fortunately all member survived although guitarist Ian Chains suffered serious back injuries and their van was totaled forcing them to cancel the rest of their tour.