This is intended to be a homage to the musicians that sadly passed away. I'll be putting here some brief posts about his/her careers. Like Neil Young wrote in one of his songs, "he is gone, but he's not forgotten". I'd like this page to remain empty. This would be great news. It's just that 1997 was a year full of sad disappearances. I remember starting the year with the sad news about tragic Randy California's death, after saving his son's life, and along the year, we've lost great musicians and singers like Ronnie Lane, Nicolette Larson, Glen Buxton, Michael Hedges, Stephane Grappelli, Michael Hutchence and some others. This tribute starts in 1998.
If you know that I miss some musician here, please, send me an e-mail message at mterol@gva.es . Thanks.
Fine country singer and composer, he topped the charts in 1980 with two songs, "Drivin' my life away" and "I love a rainy night", both from his "Horizon" album. He has died in May (don't know the exact day), as he suffered from lung cancer. He was 53. I only have four of his albums: "Horizon" (1980), "Step by step" (1981), "Radio romance" (1983) and "The best year of my life" (1984).
Born Linda Eastman, she has been Paul McCartney's wife for 30 years. When Paul started his solo career in 1970, Linda was there with him. She was part of Wings band as keyboardist, but her most important task has been always support Paul. She suffered from breast cancer, and finally, she lost the battle. She was 56, and died in Santa Barbara, California, Paul, my heart is with you and your sons.
She was the lead singer in the band Plasmatics. he commited suicide in Connecticut. She was 48. She died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. She was out of the music business for a long time.
This great country singer has just died. Born in Alabama, she was 55. She suffered from a longtime liver illness. She had two Grammy Awards. Her biggest hit was the precious song "Stand by your man", who also was the title of his autobiography, and it was even released a movie about her life. She has more than 50 albums, and recently appeared in a benefit concert for the Rainforest Foundation, at the Carnegie Hall, along with Aaron Neville, Elton John, Whitney Houston, Luciano Pavarotti, Branford Marsalis and James Taylor.
I'm very sorry to say that one of my Olympus musicians has joined to the Eternal Olympus. For more details about his life and career, watch his own page.
Born Carl Dean Wilson on December 21, 1946, the youngest of the Wilson brothers, formed Beach Boys in December 1961, after playing under several other names (The Pendletones, Carl & The Passions). The original lineup included: Brian Wilson (vocals, bass), Dennis Wilson (vocals, drums), Carl Wilson (vocals, guitar), their cousin Mike Love, and Al Jardine. He stayed almost all his musical career in the band. He left the band in 1981 and released a solo album, but fortunately, he came back to the band soon after, until his sad death from complications of lung and brain cancer, diagnosed last year. He was 51.
The band hits are well world-wide known: "Good vibrations" (#1 in 1966), "I get around" (#1 in 1964), "Help me Rhonda" (#1 in 1965), "Barbara-Ann" (#2 in 1966), "California Girls" (#3 in 1965), "Surfin' USA" (#3 in 1963), and lots more. His albums were initially just compilations of these hits, but they grew up, and in my 'umble opinion, "Pet sounds" is a great album, conceived as an album, not just spare songs. Now it has released a 3CD box set, "The Pet Sounds Sessions", which I still haven't got.
My all-time favourite song: "Break away". I listen to it time after time without getting tired of. Another favourites: "God only knows" (later covered by David Bowie in a fantastic version), "Don't worry baby", "Do it again", and "Wouldn't it be nice".
I also have his album from 1980, "Keepin' the summer alive", with some songs co-written with the great Randy Bachman. Well, things weren't the same, but they were still great singers.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. They played in Spain for their first time 2 or 3 years ago, but if I'm not wrong, Carl didn't play (he was yet indisposed). We'll never have the chance to see him live. :( He'll be assembling another band with his brother Dennis in heaven.
Dedicated to Carl.
Austrian rock singer, he was killed in a car crash.
A great rock'n'roll pioneer. Born on September 4, 1932 (I've also read 9/April/1932), in Lake City, Tennessee, USA. The second of three brothers, he started playing and singing with his two brothers, Jay and Clayton, as the Perkins Brothers Band. When he finally signed with legendary label Sun Records in December 1954, he started releasing country songs, later to revert into rock'n'roll. He releases the immortal "Blue suede shoes" song in December 19, 1955. He seemed to have found the way to stardom, but on March 21, 1956, Carl and his brothers travel to New York to appear in Ed Sullivan Show, but they had an accident in Wilmington. His elder brother, Jay, died two years after the accident. Carl spent six months recovering himself from the accident. Meanwhile, Elvis Presley heard the song and recorded his own version, obtaining all the success.
Carl resumed his career sometime later, but never got the same success as Elvis. He deserved it, since he wrote many classical songs. I discovered him when I was 15, because of The Beatles. They recorded some covers of Carl Perkins songs ("Matchbox", "Everybody's trying to be my baby", and "Honey don't" in the official albums, plus "Blue Suede Shoes", "Sure to fall", "Lend me your comb", "Tennessee", "Your true love", "Glad all over", "Gone, gone, gone", not present in any Beatles official album).
Since the late 60s, he got serious problems with drinking, but he finally got cured. He then got a job backing country singer and friend Johnny Cash, who helped him to recover.
In 1981, Paul McCartney invited him to guest in sessions for his "Tug of war" album. He composed a song in tribute to Paul, "My old friend", that was recorded, but remains unreleased. :(
The last I knew from him was a video shot in October 1984, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of "Blue suede shoes". Carl is accompanied by several musicians who were hugely influenced by him: George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Earl Slick, Dave Edmunds, Rosanne Cash, Geraint Watkins and Mickey Gee, among others.
This great bluesman released several albums with Buddy Guy. (I'm working searching some biographical data).
Legendary country producer, he was responsible for Patsy Cline production in 1955 (Owen called Patsy 'his missing angel'), which earned him great fame. From those sessions we still can enjoy songs like 'Crazy' or 'I fall to pieces'. It's 35 years since Patsy died (a year before I was born), and the songs are still fresh to me.
Sorry, I haven't been able to find biographical data about him, so all I can say is that after an illness, he came back to music to produce an album for k.d. Lang in 1988, Shadowland. If someone can help with more info about him...
He was inducted to Country Music Hall of Fame, but don't know when.
I copy some parts from the Shadowland liner notes by Owen Bradley:
"But more than talent, to me she (k.d. Lang) was medicine ... invigorating therapy after an illness of mine. After working with k.d. for a while, I didn't need to take my pills".
"Well, k.d., I love you for digging me out of the woodwork and
getting me involved in music again just for the music. It's what my whole
life has been about. You've made me realize again".
Sonny Bono (05/January/1998)
Born Salvatore Bono on February 2, 1935 (or February 16, or February 12, I've seen the three different dates in different books) (Detroit, Michigan, USA), he started writing songs in the 50s, and teamed with producer Phil Spector. In 1964, The Searchers recorded his song 'Needles and pins'. He married same year with Cherilyn Sakasian La Pierre (world-wide known as Cher). They teamed under the monicker Caesar and Cleo, but later changed in 1965 their duo name to the logical Sonny and Cher, and got several #1 songs, being their most famous hit the song 'I got you babe', many years later covered by UB40 with Chrissie Hynde from The Pretenders. They had some other hits, like 'Just you', 'Baby don't go', 'All I ever need is you' and 'A cowboy's work is never done'. They even starred some films, "Good times" (1966, directed by William Friedkin) and "Chastity" (1968, named after their daughter's name). Sonny wrote a musical play, "The beat goes on" and made an anti-drug film for children.
They had his own TV show, called "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour", but their marriage broke. They divorced in 1975. They had a child, Chastity Bono, who years later formed duo with his father in the revival circuit (I have a videotape with them singing "I got you babe" in a concert with some other 60s acts like Peter Noone, The Righteous Brothers, etc.).
After Sonny and Cher separation, Sonny left the music business, opened a restaurant, and later he was involved in a political career. He was the major of Palm Springs (California) from 1988 to 1992.
He died supposedly after colliding with a tree in the "Heavenly Ski" station, near Reno, Nevada, USA.
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Page created by Miguel Terol on: 02/January/1998. Last modified on: 17/August/1998.