Some More Rockers From the 1950's & 60's

Brian Wilson ~ 82 ~ Singer, songwriter, bassist and producer with the Beach Boys

THE BEACH BOYS ~ "I GET AROUND";


THE BEACH BOYS ~ "CALIFORNIA GIRLS";


THE BEACH BOYS ~ "GOOD VIBRATIONS";


Chuck Girard ~ 81 ~ Pianist & singer with California 1950's Pop vocal group the Castells 1960's Surf band The Hondells and Christian Rock band Love Song

THE CASTELLS ~ "DANCING IN THE DARK";


THE HONDELLS ~ "HOT ROD HIGH";


THE HONDELLS ~ "LITTLE HONDA";


Dick Addrisi ~ 84 ~ Singer with American 1960's Pop duo the Addrisi Brothers) and songwriter ("Never My Love")

THE ADDRISI BROS ~ "CHERRYSTONE";


Chris Dreja ~ 79 ~ UK bassist and uitarist with the Yardbirds

THE YARDBIRDS ~ "FOR YOUR LOVE";


THE YARDBIRDS ~ "DAZED & CONFUSED";


THE YARDBIRDS ~ "HEART FULL OF SOUL";


Viv Prince ~ 84 ~ Drumer with 1960's UK band The Pretty Things and later Denny Laine, Jeff Beck, Chris Barber, Screaming Lord Sutch and illin drummer for the Who, Honeycombs, Hawkwind

THE PRETTY THINGS ~ "ROADRUNNER";


THE PRETTY THINGS ~ "MIDNIGHT TO SIX MAN";


THE PRETTY THINGS ~ "DON'T BRING ME DOWN";


Bobby Hart ~ 86 ~ American singer/composer with Boyce & Hart and the Monkees ("We're The Monkees", "Last Train To Clarksville", "Valleri")

BOYCE & HART ~ "WE'RE THE MONKEES";


THE MONKEES ~ "VALLERI";


THE MONKEES ~ "LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE";


BOYCE & HART ~ "OUT & ABOUT";


BOYCE & HART ~ "I WONDER WHAT SHE'S DOING TONIGHT";


John Lodge ~ 82 ~ Bassist/singer/songwriter with UK 1960's band The Moody Blues

THE MOODY BLUES ~ "RIDE MY SEE-SAW";


THE MOODY BLUES ~ "GO NOW";


THE MOODY BLUES ~ "NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN";


THE MOODY BLUES ~ "TUESDAY AFTERNOON";


Terry Reid ~ 75 ~ Singer/guitarist with 1960's UK band Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers and later solo

PETER JAY & THE JAYHAWKS ~ "PARCHMAN FARM";


TERRY REID ~ "SUPERLUNGS";


TERRY REID ~ "RICH KID BLUES";


John Moorshead ~ 82 ~ Guitarist with UK 1960's band Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, Shotgun Express (w/Rod Stewart), Denny Laine, Heavy Jelly

JOHNNY KIDD & THE PIRATES ~ "SHAKIN ALL OVER";


JOHNNY KIDD & THE PIRATES ~ "A SHOT OF RHYTHM & BLUES";


AYNSLEY DUNBAR RETALIATION ~ "WARNING";


AYNSLEY DUNBAR RETALIATION ~ "I'M TOER DOWN";


Poli Palmer ~ 82 ~ Piano, synthesizers, vibraphone, flute with UK Pyschedelic and Prog Rock bands Blossom Toes and the Family

BLOSSOM TOES ~ "POSTCARD";


THE FAMILY ~ "THE WEAVER'S ANSWER";


Joseph Byrd ~ 87 ~ Keyboardist with American 1960's Psychedelic band The United States of America and later film composer

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ~ "GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS";


Herman Deinum - 79 - Bassist w/Dutch 1960's band Cuby + Blizzards

CUBY & THE BLIZZARDS ~ "JAZZ BLITZEN";


CUBY & THE BLIZZARDS ~ "APPLEKNOCKERS FLOPHOUSE";


CUBY & THE BLIZZARDS ~ "ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER ROAD";


Col Joye ~ 89 ~ Australian 1950's R&R singer, later PR manager with the Bee Gee's & Andy Gibb in the 70's

COL JOYE ~ "BEE BOP A LULA";


COL JOYE ~ "PEGG SUE" & "SHAKE RATTLE & ROLL";


COL JOYE ~ "OH YEAH UH HUH";


Mark Volman ~ 70 ~ American singer with 1960's Pop group the Turtles ("Happy Together"), The Mothers Of Invention and as Fo & Eddie backup singers with T-Rex, The Psychedelic Furs ("Love My Way"), Blondie "Autoamerican"), the Ramones, Bruce Sringsteen ("Hunry Heart"), Alice Cooper, Gavin Friday, John Taylor

THE TURTLES ~ "IT AIN'T ME BABE";


THE TURTLES ~ "HAPPY TOGETHER";


Bobby Sherman ~ 81 ~ American singer ("Little Woman", "Julie, Do Ya Love Me") and actor

BOBBY SHERMAN ~ "I'M INTO SOMETHING GOOD";


BOBBY SHERMAN ~ "SHE'S NOT THERE";


BOBBY SHERMAN ~ "EASY COME EASY GO";


Warren Williams - 85 - Australian 1950's & 60's Pop singer (Warren Williams & the Squares)

WARREN WILLIAMS ~ "THE YOUNG ONES";


Margie Latzko - 96 - Singer with 1950's Pop vocal group The Chordettes

THE CHORDETTES ~ "MR SANDMAN";


THE CHORDETTES ~ "LOLLIPOP";


Connie Francis ~ 87 ~ American pop singer ("Everybody's Somebody's Fool", "Pretty Little Baby", "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own")

CONNIE FRANCIS ~ "WHERE THE BOYS ARE";


CONNIE FRANCIS ~ "WHO'S SORRY NOW";


CONNIE FRANCIS ~ "STUPID CUPID";


Jane Morgan ~ 101 ~ American singer ("Fascination", "The Day The Rains Came", "Two Different Worlds")

JANE MORGAN ~ "FASCINATION";


JANE MORGAN ~ "THE SECOND TIME AROUND";


Alice & Ellen Kessler ~ 89 ~ German singers & actors (Kessler Twins)

THE KESSLER TWINS ~ "I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER FOR YOU";


THE KESSLER TWINS ~ "MAS QUE NADA/THE LOOK OF LOVE";

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";