MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN MAY 2019
MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN MAY 2019
MAY 2
SUSAN BESCHTA (67) / AMERICAN PUNK ROCK MUSICIAN AND JUDGE. IN THE 1970's AS THE FRONTWOMAN SUSAN SPRINGFIELD SHE PERFORMED IN THE PUNK ROCK GROUP THE ERASERS. LATER BECAME A HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER AND AN IMMIGRATION JUDGE.
MAY 14
MIKE WILHELM (77) / AMERICAN GUITARIST, SINGER AND SONGWRITER. JERRY GARCIA'S FAVOURITE GUITARIST. AS A TEENAGER LEARNED TO PLAY BLUES GUITAR FROM LEGENDARY WALTER "BROWNIE" McGHEE. IN 1964 WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE IMPORTANT BAY AREA FOLK ROCK / PSYCHEDELIC ROCK BAND THE CHARLATANS. CONSIDERED THE FIRST GROUP TO PLAY IN THE SAN FRANCISCO SOUND STYLE. TWO BAND MEMBERS PRODUCED "THE SEED" FOR THEM, WHICH WAS THE FIRST PSYCHEDELIC CONCERT POSTER. THEIR DEBUT ALBUM THE CHARLATANS HAD TWO SONGS BY WILHELM. SOON AFTER HE WENT TO PRISON FOR MARIJUANA POSSESSION. FOLLOWING THE GROUP'S BREAKUP, WILHELM FRONTED A TRIO LOOSE GRAVEL (1969 - 1976). THEN FOR SIX YEARS HE WAS LEAD GUITARIST WITH PROTOPUNK / GARAGE ROCK FLAMIN' GROOVIES AND IS ON THEIR TWO STUDIO ALBUMS, FLAMIN' GROOVIES NOW (1978) AND JUMPIN' IN THE NIGHT (1979). IN THE YEARS 1976 - 2007 RELEASED SIX SOLO ALBUMS.
MAY 21
ROSŁAW SZAYBO (85) / POLISH GRAPHIC DESIGNER, ILLUSTRATOR AND PHOTOGRAPHER. DESIGNED POSTERS, EXHIBITIONS, BOOK AND RECORD COVERS. AMONG HIS MOST FAMOUS RECORD COVERS ARE PUNK LEGEND DEBUT ALBUM THE CLASH (1977), ASTIGMATIC: THE MUSIC OF KOMEDA (1965) BY THE POLISH JAZZ GENIUS KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA (THE BEST POLISH JAZZ ALBUM OF ALL TIME) OR BRITISH STEEL (1980) BY UK METALLERS JUDAS PRIEST. SZAYBO DESIGNED OVER 2000 RECORD COVERS FOR CLASSICAL MUSIC AND POP ARTISTS LIKE JANIS JOPLIN, SANTANA, ELTON JOHN, SOFT MACHINE, CZESŁAW NIEMEN, MOTT THE HOOPLE, ROY ORBISON, CHICAGO, LEONARD COHEN OR JOHN WILLIAMS.
ROSŁAW SZAYBO STUDIED AT THE ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS IN WARSAW (1955 - 1961) UNDER OUTSTANDING ARTISTS: HENRYK TOMASZEWSKI (POSTER) AND WOJCIECH FANGOR (PAINTING). 1966-1993 LIVED IN GREAT BRITAIN, WORKING FOR MAJOR COMPANIES, THEATRES, BOOK COMPANIES, MUSEUMS ETC., AND AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR FOR ADVERTISING AGENCIES. WAS CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF CBS RECORDS (1972-1988).
MAY 29
JEFF WALLS (62) / AMERICAN PUNK ROCK, ALTERNATIVE ROCK AND JANGLE POP GUITARIST. STARTED PLAYING IN A PUNK BAND CALLED STRICTLY AMERICAN. HIS MAIN ACTIVITY, THOUGH, WAS PLAYING IN GUADALCANAL DIARY, A GEORGIA COLLEGE ROCK / JANGLE POP GROUP FORMED IN 1981. THEIR 1983 DEBUT EP WATUSI RODEO INCLUDED A COVER OF "LIWA WECHI" BY MIRIAM MAKEBA AND THEIR OWN "I WISH I KILLED JOHN WAYNE".
MAY 30
LEON REDBONE (89) / (BORN DICKRAN GOBALIAN) AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITER, GUITARIST, ACTOR AND VOICE ACTOR. BORN IN NICOSIA, CYPRUS TO ARMENIAN PARENTS. BY 1961 THE FAMILY MOVED TO LONDON, BY 1965 TO TORONTO. PLAYED JAZZ, BLUES AND TIN PAN ALLEY CLASSICS (FROM THE PERIOD ca.1890 - 1910). AT THE MARIPOSA FOLK FESTIVAL IN 1972 HE MET BOB DYLAN, WHO WAS SO IMPRESSED BY REDBONE'S GIG THAT RECOMMENDED HIM IN ROLLING STONE AND THEY DID A FEATURE ON LEON WHO WAS STILL UNKNOWN. COVERED "SHINE ON HARVEST MOON", "WALKING STICK", "PLEASE, DON'T TALK ABOUT ME WHEN I'M GONE", "AIN'T MISBEHAVING".
MAY 31
ROKY ERICKSON (71) / AMERICAN PROTOPUNK / GARAGE PUNK / PSYCHEDELIC SINGER-SONGWRITER, GUITARIST, HARMONICA PLAYER. A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS, A PIONEERING PSYCHEDELIC / PROTOPUNK BAND FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS (1965). THEY WERE THE FIRST PSYCHEDELIC ROCK BAND IN HISTORY. THEIR JANUARY 1966 DEBUT SINGLE "YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME" WRITTEN BY ROKY ERICKSON INFLUENCED THE DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHEDELIC ROCK AND GARAGE PUNK AND BECAME A CLASSIC OF THE COUNTERCULTURE. THIS CHARTING HIT WAS A SONG FROM ROKY'S EARLIER BAND THE SPADES. BEFORE THE BREAKUP IN 1969 THE ELEVATORS MADE FOUR ALBUMS: THE PSYCHEDELIC SOUNDS OF THE 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS (1966), EASTER EVERYWHERE (1967), LIVE (1969), BULL OF THE WOODS (1969). IN 1968 ROKY ERICKSON WAS DIAGNOSED WITH PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA AND FORCED TO RECEIVE ELECTROSCHOCK THERAPY. THEN IN ORDER TO AVOID A TEN-YEAR IMPRISONMENT FOR POSSESSION OF JUST ONE MARIJUANA JOINT, HE AGREED TO BE SENT TO THE AUSTIN STATE HOSPITAL. AFTER SEVERAL ESCAPES, HE RECEIVED MORE ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY AND THORAZINE MEDICATION WHICH MAY CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO YOUR HEALTH. AFTER YEARS IN HOSPITAL, ERICKSON FORMED A NEW, MORE HARD ROCK SOUNDING, BAND CALLED BLEIB ALIEN, LATER RENAMED ROKY ERICKSON AND THE ALIENS. THIS BAND MADE TWO ALBUMS: THE SELF-TITLED FIRST (1980) AND THE EVIL ONE (1981). IN 1979 ROKY FRONTED THE TEXAS PUNK ROCK BAND THE NERVEBREAKERS ON A FEW DATES AT THEIR REQUEST, AND THIS WAS DOCUMENTED ON LIVE IN DALLAS 1979. THE N THE AUSTIN BAND THE EXPLOSIVES BECAME HIS NEXT BACKING GROUP. IN 1982 ERICKSON DISCOVERED THAT A MARTIAN HAD INHABITED HIS BODY AND HUMANS STARTED ATTACKING HIM. IN 1995 HE RELEASED ALL THAT MAY DO MY RHYME ON BUTTHOLE SURFERS DRUMMER LABEL. OPENERS II, A COMPLETE COLLECTION OF HIS LYRICS WAS PUBLISHED BY HENRY ROLLINS AND HIS 2.13.61 PUBLICATIONS.
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