MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN JULY 2020
MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN JULY 2020
THERE WERE SOME DELAYS CAUSED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BUT ALL THE SAD INFO WILL BE UPDATED SOON, SO COME BACK AND CHECK IT.
JULY 16
MR. CHI PIG (57) / (REAL NAME KEN CHINN) CANADIAN HARDCORE PUNK / SKATE PUNK LEAD SINGER AND ARTIST. BEST KNOWN AS THE LEAD SINGER OF THE BAND SNFU, A GREAT MELODIC HARDCORE GROUP AND A PIONEERING FORCE IN DEVELOPING THE SKATE PUNK GENRE. MR. CHI PIG WAS A BIG FAN OF SKATEBOARDING AND A SKATER HIMSELF. HE FORMED HIS FIRST BAND LIVE SEX SHOWS IN 1981, AND THEY LATER BECAME SNFU. HIS THREE OTHER SHORT-LIVED BANDS WERE THE WONGS, LITTLE JOE AND SLAVECO. SNFU INFLUENCED MANY OTHER HC GREATS LIKE JELLO BIAFRA OF THE DEAD KENNEDYS OR JOEY KEITHLEY OF D.O.A. WHICH THEY ADMITTED IN A BIO DOC OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND SAY... MR.CHI PIG (PREMIERE IN MARCH 2010). CHRIS WALTER, A CANADIAN PUNK ROCK HISTORIAN, NOVELIST AND INDEPENDENT BOOK COMPANY FOUNDER, PUBLISHED THE BOOK WHAT NO ONE ELSE WANTED TO SAY IN 2012.
JULY 21
ANNIE ROSS (89) / BRITISH-AMERICAN SINGER, SONGWRITER, ACTRESS. SANG IN A FAMOUS JAZZ VOCAL TRIO LAMBERT, HENDRICKS & ROSS (1957-1962) AND MADE SIX ALBUMS WITH THEM. IN 1959 THE TRIO RECORDED THEIR VERSION OF HER 1952 SONG "TWISTED" WITH HER LYRICS TO A WARDELL GRAY TENOR SAX SOLO. A BIO DOC NO ONE BUT ME WAS MADE ABOUT HER (2012).
TIM SMITH (59) / ENGLISH SINGER-SONGWRITER, MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST, RECORD PRODUCER, MUSIC VIDEO DIRECTOR, RECORDING STUDIO OWNER. WAS THE LEADER OF CARDIAC ARREST, A PSYCHEDELIC ROCK BAND WHICH HE FOUNDED WITH HIS BASSIST BROTHER JIM IN 1977. THEY ONLY MADE ONE, CASSETTE ONLY, ALBUM THE OBVIOUS IDENTITY IN 1980. THEN THEY CHANGED THEIR NAME TO CARDIACS. THEIR MUSIC WAS SOMETIMES DESCRIBED AS PRONK (PROGRESSIVE PUNK). AS CARDIACS THEY MADE EIGHT STUDIO AND FIVE LIVE ALBUMS BETWEEN 1981 AND 2005. TIM SMITH WAS ALSO INVOLVED IN OTHER PROJECTS LIKE THE SEA NYMPHS WITH HIS EX-WIFE AND WILLIAM D. DRAKE (MR AND MRS SMITH AND MR DRAKE) IN 1984, THE SPRATLEYS JAPS IN 1995 AND HIS SOLO TIM SMITH'S EXTRA SPECIAL OCEANLANDWORLD (1989-1990). HE INFLUENCED MIKE PATTON, TOOL, KORN, RADIOHEAD'S THOM YORKE AMONG OTHERS. CARDIACS INFLUENCED MARILLION, MATH ROCK THE BATTLES AND THE MONSOON BASSOON.
DOBBY DOBSON (78) / JAMAICAN ROCKSTEADY SINGER AND RECORD PRODUCER. WHILE AT KINGSTON COLLEGE WROTE A DOO-WOP HIT "CRY A LITTLE CRY" WHICH HE RECORDED WITH THE HARMONY TRIO DOBBY AND THE DELTAS (WITH HOWARD BARRETT, LATER IN THE PARAGONS ) IN 1959. LATER, IN THE MID-1960's, RECORDED HIS SIGNATURE SONG "THE LOVING PAUPER" FOR JAMAICAN SKA PRODUCER DUKE REID'S TREASURE ISLE RECORD LABEL. FOR COXSONE DODD (STUDIO ONE) RECORDED HIS NEXT HIT "SEEMS TO ME I'M LOSING YOU" (1968) AND FOR RUPIE EDWARDS "THAT WONDERFUL SOUND".
JULY 25
PETER GREEN (73) / ENGLISH BLUES AND BLUES ROCK SINGER-SONGWRITER AND GUITARIST. STARTED PROFESSIONAL CAREER AT 15. AT FIRST ON BASS GUITAR IN BOBBY DENNIS AND THE DOMINOES, THEN ON LEAD GUITAR IN PETER BARDENS' BAND PETER B's LOONERS, IN WHICH HE MET DRUMMER MICK FLEETWOOD (1965). IN 1966 GREEN JOINED JOHN MAYALL & THE BLUESBREAKERS, SOON FOLLOWED BY FLEETWOOD. THE ALBUM A HARD ROAD FEATURES HIS TWO COMPOSITIONS "THE SAME WAY" AND "THE SUPERNATURAL". IN 1967 FOUNDED FLEETWOOD MAC, A BRITISH BLUES BAND WITH MICK FLEETWOOD, JOHN McVIE, JEREMY SPENCER. THIS BAND WAS ALSO KNOWN AS PETER GREEN'S FLEETWOOD MAC AND MADE A SELF-TITLED DEBUT STUDIO ALBUM IN 1968. THAT YEAR A THIRD GUITARIST, DANNY KIRWAN JOINED AND IN 1970 SINGER AND PIANO PLAYER CHRISTINE PERFECT (LATER McVIE). PETER GREEN WROTE MANY OF FLEETWOOD MAC'S GREATEST HITS LIKE "ALBATROSS", "BLACK MAGIC WOMAN", "OH WELL", "MAN OF THE WORLD", "THE GREEN MANALISHI (WITH THE TWO PRONG CROWN)". AFTER YEARS OF FIGHTING SCHIZOPHRENIA AND DRUGS, HE STARTED A SOLO CAREER, HAD BANDS PETER GREEN SPLINTER GROUP AND PETER GREEN AND FRIENDS. WAS VOTED ONE OF THE THREE BEST GUITARISTS OF ALL TIME IN MOJO MAGAZINE. WORKED AND RECORDED ALSO WITH B.B. KING, WHO ADMIRED HIS PLAYING, AND WITH WILLIE DIXON, OTIS SPANN, BIG WALTER HORTON, J.T. BROWN, BUDDY GUY, RAY DOSET, VINCENT CRANE, COZY POWELL, DICK HECKSTALL-SMITH,JACK BRUCE, MICK TAYLOR AMONG OTHERS. PETER GREEN'S COMPOSITIONS WERE COVERED BY CARLOS SANTANA, ARTHUR BROWN, JOE JACKSON, BILLY GIBBONS, TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS, JIMMY PAGE & THE BLACK CROWES, KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERDS, GORDON GILTRAP, EELS, BIG COUNTRY, JUDAS PRIEST, RATT, THERION, MONKS OF DOOM AS WELL AS PUNK NAD HARDCORE PUNK BANDS CORROSION OF CONFORMITY (C.O.C.), THE FLESH EATERS, MELVINS. PETER GREEN'S "ALBATROSS" INSPIRED A BEATLES SONG "SUN KING".
CP LEE (70) / ENGLISH MUSICIAN, AUTHOR, BROADCASTER AND LECTURER FROM MANCHESTER. IN THE 1960's IN THE GREASY BEAR BAND. IN 1972 CHRIS "CP" LEE FORMED A COMEDY SKETCH GROUP, WHICH IN 1974 TRANSFORMED INTO A MUSICAL GROUP, A COMEDY ROCK BAND ALBERTO Y LOST TRIOS PARANOIAS. SUPPORTED HAWKWIND ON THEIR 1974 TOUR. PARODIED ROCK STARS LIKE STATUS QUO, LOU REED, THEN PUNK ROCK BANDS LIKE SEX PISTOLS, THE DAMNED, THE CLASH. BECAME VERY POPULAR AND WERE SUPPORTED BY THE POLICE, THE STRANGLERS, BLONDIE. MADE THREE ALBUMS AND IN 1982 SPLIT UP. IN 1979 DEBUT ALBUM AS GERRY & THE HOLOGRAMS WITH JOHN SCOTT. CP LEE ALSO WROTE BOOKS ON BOB DYLAN AND HIS OWN MEMOIR WHEN WE WERE THIN (2007). WAS A LECTURER AT UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD, TAUGHT FILM STUDIES.
JULY 27
DENISE JOHNSON (56) / ENGLISH ROCK SINGER WITH PRIMAL SCREAM. WAS BACKING SINGER AND CO-LEAD SINGER WITH BOBBY GILLESPIE'S SCOTTISH PSYCHEDELIC ROCK BAND PRIMAL SCREAM (1990-1995). GUESTING ON THEIR THIRD STUDIO ALBUM SCREAMADELICA (1991), DIXIE-NARCO EP (1992) AND FOURTH STUDIO ALBUM GIVE OUT BUT DON'T GIVE UP (1994).
MISS MERCY (71) / (REAL NAME JUDITH EDRA PETERS) AMERICAN GROUPIE AND SINGER, A MEMBER OF THE GTOs (GIRLS TOGETHER OUTRAGEOUSLY) AN ALL-GIRL GROUP FROM LA (1968-1970) WHOSE ONLY ALBUM PERMANENT DAMAGE WAS PRODUCED BY FRANK ZAPPA (1969). MISS MERCY WAS THE FIRST WIFE OF THE GUITARIST SHUGGIE OTIS, WHO PLAYED BASS ON PEACHES EN REGALIA ON ZAPPA'S ALBUM HOT RATS (1969). THEIR SON LUCKY OTIS PLAYED BASS WITH HIS GRANDFATHER, AN R&B LEGEND JOHNNY OTIS AND HAD HIS OWN BAND OTIS LEDBETTER WITH LOUIS LEDBETTER, GREAT-GRANDSON OF BLUES GIANT LEAD BELLY.
MICHAŁ GIERCUSZKIEWICZ (66) / POLISH BLUES AND ROCK DRUMMER ESPECIALLY KNOWN FOR HIS COLLABORATION WITH DŻEM BLUES BAND (1981-1986). BEGAN PLAYING IN THE EARLY 1970's IN APOGEUM. THEN WORKED WITH KWADRAT, KRZAK, SBB, FREE SURPRISES, CREE, BEZDOMNE PSY, ŚLĄSKA GRUPA BLUESOWA, RYSZARD RIEDEL, JAN SKRZEK, JÓZEF SKRZEK, ELŻBIETA MIELCZAREK..
JULY 29
BALLA SIDIBE (78) / SENEGALESE SINGER AND TIMBALERO, LEADER OF ORCHESTRA BAOBAB. ORIGINALLY FROM CASAMANCE, IN THE 1960's WAS IN THE STAR BAND IN DAKAR, LATER BECAME FRONTMAN OF ORCHESTRA BAOBAB.
MALIK B. (47) / (REAL NAME MALIK ABDUL BASIT) AMERICAN RAPPER, MC, SINGER, SONGWRITER, A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN JAZZ RAP HIP HOP BAND THE ROOTS. THEY WERE FORMED IN PHILADELPHIA IN 1987 WITH BLACK THOUGHT AND QUESTLOVE. MALIK B. WAS ON THE ROOTS FIRST FOUR ALBUMS, LATER ALSO RETURNING AS A FEATURED ARTIST. RECORDED TWO SOLO ALBUMS: STREET ASSAULT (2005) AND UNPREDICTABLE WITH MR. GREEN (2015). WORKED WITH THE JAZZ RAPPER MC SOLAAR ON HIS PROSE COMBAT (1994) AND WITH THE PHILADELPHIA RAP COLLECTIVE BEARD GANG.
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