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On April 15th my heart sank into my stomach. No it wasn't because of Tax Day or Easter, it was because the single biggest influence in rock music of the last twenty-five years, Joey Ramone had died of cancer. Formed in 1974 and releasing their first album in 1976, The Ramones single-handedly rejuvenated Rock music with the power of three chords, a stack of Marshal amps and the two minute and ten second song. To understand just how important The Ramones were you only have to look at the Billboard Charts for 1976. They could have been bigger than The Beatles, but the corrupt entertainment business was too freaked out (not to mention coked out) to comprehend the back to the basics music of The Ramones. As a lead singer, Joey knew his limitations. He didn't sing beyond his range and didn't jump around much, but he sang the best damn two-minute songs ever heard and I doubt that he knew that the leather jacket and ripped blue jeans would become the uniform of a movement. Joey's death shocked me as much as John Lennon's and Joey was every bit important to Rock music as Lennon. Joey, Rest In Peace.
RIP: The King is Dead!
John Lewis (John Aaron Lewis) - Died 3-29-2001-Prostate cancer (Jazz) Born 5-3-1920 in La Grange, Ill - Pianist - He was the composer and musical director for Milt Jackson Quartet later renamed The Modern Jazz Quartet (They did,"Django" and "Vendome") Worked with Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis.
Trinh Cong Son - Died 4-1-2001 - Diabetes (Pop) Born 1939 in the central province of Daklak, Vietnam (He did, "Ngu Di Con" (Lullaby) Called the "Bob Dylan of Vietnam'' by singer Joan Baez because of his anti-war songs.
Theodore M. "Ted" McCarty - Died 4-1-2001 - Born 1910 - Was a former president of Gibson Guitar Company where he helped bring to life the Les Paul, the Explorer and the Flying V guitars, and owned the Bigsby Company, which manufactures vibratos for guitars.
Lester "Big Daddy" Kinsey - Died 4-3-2001 - Prostate cancer (Blues) Born 3-18-1927 in Pleasant Grove, Miss, U.S. - Singer and guitarist - Was The leader of Big Daddy Kinsey And His Fabulous Sons - Worked with James Cotton, Buddy Guy, Sugar Blue, Pinetop Perkins and his sons, Donald, Kenneth and Ralph (Now of The Kinsey Report).
Paul Peek (Paul Edward Peek Jr.) - Died 4-3-2001 - Cirrhosis of the liver (Rock-Rockabilly) Born 6-23-1937 in High Point, NC, U.S. (He did, "The Rock-A-Round" and "Brother-In-Law") Worked with Gene Vincent ("Pink Thunderbird" and "B-I-Bickey Bi Bo Bo Go"), Esquerita, Joe South and Jerry Reed - Rockabilly Hall Of Fame Inductee.
Charles Pettigrew - Died 4-6-2001 - Cancer (Soul) Born 1964 - He was 1/2 of the duo Charles & Eddie (They did, "Would I Lie To You" and "Shine") He worked with Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz in The Tom Tom Club.
Dorothy Skaggs (Dorothy May Skaggs) - Died 4-6-2001 (Bluegrass) Born 1924 (She wrote, "All I Ever Loved Was You" which has been recorded by many bluegrass acts) She helped cultivate her son, Ricky Skaggs' talents.
Pedro Depestre (Pedro Depestre Gonzalez) - Died 4-8-2001 - After collapsing on stage (Cuban Jazz) Born 1945 in Cuba - Was a violinist for Orquesta Aragon and The Buena Vista Social Club. Worked with Ruben Gonzalez, Omara Portuondo and Ry Cooder.
Van Stephenson (Van Wesley Stephenson) - Died 4-9-2001 - Melanoma (Country) Born 11-4-1953, in Hamilton, Ohio, U.S. (He recorded, "You've Got A Good Love Coming" and "Modern Day Delilah") He was a founding member of BlackHawk (They did,"Goodbye Says It All" and "I Sure Can Smell The Rain") He also wrote songs for Restless Heart ("Bluest Eyes In Texas" and "Big Dreams In A Small Town").
Sandy Bull - Died 4-11-2001 - Cancer (Psychedelic Folk) Born 1941 in New York, U.S. (He did, "Blend")
Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Hyman) (aka Jeff Starship) - The King Of Punk - Died 4-15-2001 - Lymphoma (Punk Rock) Born 5-19-1951 in the New York City community of Forest Hills, N.Y., U.S. He was the lead singer and a founding member of The Ramones.
Walter Stanton (Walter O. Stanton) - Died 4-16-2001 (Engineer) Born 1915 in Canton, Ohio - Inventor of an easily replaceable phonograph stylus, which helped create a consumer market for audio equipment.
To see a complete listing of all the musicians who have died since the beginning of time, go to the Dead Rock Star Club:
http://users.efortress.com/docrock/2000.html |
