411 Music Presents...2007 Year In Review: Part 3 – Tributes
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 01.09.2008
411 Music takes a look back at the music heroes we lost in 2007, from opera stars to rappers to legendary rockers…
Several musical icons left us in the year 2007. 411 would like to take a moment now to look back at their stellar careers and the indelible mark they left on their fans.
DAN FOGELBERG
Dan Fogelberg's life was filled with music and it had always been that way. From his early piano lessons to his later fascination with the guitar and the pioneers of rock ‘n' roll, Dan Fogelberg seemed born to absorb and create songs. When Dan finally decided to give a music career a try during his college years (he was also an aspiring painter and actor), it took a few years for his style of country-rock to catch on. His first album, Home Free, was held high by critics, but never made its way to the record buying public's ears. Fortunately, by the time Fogelberg returned with Souvenirs in 1974, bands like the Eagles and James Taylor had helped successfully prime the market for Fogelberg's mellow singer/songwriter style. Souvenirs eventually went double platinum and it kicked off an amazing streak of hit albums by Fogelberg in the 70's. In fact, all five of Fogelberg's albums from the 70's have been certified platinum or double platinum. This was especially surprising given that Fogelberg was constantly changing directions with his sound, whether it be an album of nearly stripped down demos, orchestral collaborations, or duets with jazz flutists. It seemed that, no matter what, Fogelberg's audience was willing to go with him.
Fogelberg continued his success in the 80's, especially on the Pop Singles charts, where he had the classic Top 10 hits "Longer", "Hard To Say", "Leader Of The Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne". However, as the 80's progressed, so did the popular musical landscape. Fans began turning away from the big names of the 70's in favor of dance and new wave artists. Fogelberg continued to follow his muse, though, trying on even more new styles such as bluegrass and political/environmentally conscious material. Epic Records continued to back Fogelberg, too, and remastered CD's of his 70's records became hot sellers. A 1982 Greatest Hits album became Fogelberg's best selling set ever around this time, going triple platinum and proving that people were still enjoying his back catalog.
Dan Fogelberg continued recording and touring throughout the 90's and, in 2003, returned to his singer/songwriter roots with the well received Full Circle album. Unfortunately, Fogelberg was forced to retire the next year after being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. Despite lengthy treatment, he died at his home in Maine on December 16, 2007 at the age of 56.
Ike Turner
If you look at all the things he's accomplished in his career, he would've left behind such a great legacy. In fact, he's actually brought about more to music than you think. It would surprise you to know that Ike was one of the many people who built the foundations on which rock & roll was built!
Ike was paying his dues working with a band called The Kings Of Rhythm when a wonderful accident happened. While setting things up, they wound up dropping one of the amplifiers. The result was that it gave the guitar a rough, crunchy tone that would become a rock music staple. The group would put out a song called "Rocket 88", an ode to the Oldsmobile Rocket 88, which was credited as one of the first Rock & Roll songs. Years later, Ike would be instrumental in starting the careers of other rock & roll luminaries such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and of course, Tina Turner, the latter whom he has had a huge string of hits with.
Unfortunately, all these great accomplishment would be overshadowed by one thing…
"I DID NOT HIT HER!!! Okay…Sure, I've slapped Tina... There have been times when I punched her to the ground without thinking. But I NEVER BEAT HER!!!"
It's weird that something like spousal abuse can render a huge legacy like this completely worthless. It makes you wonder if the world would've given him the "Legend" status that a man with his resume deserved if he had held that "pimp hand" in check.
What a waste.
Casey Calvert
When Hawthorne Heights broke out in 2004 with The Silence In Black And White, they had been a band and friends for many years, predating even their band name. Along with Eron Bucciarelli Matt Ridenour, J.T. Woodruff, and Micah Carli, Casey Calvert helped Hawthorne Heights develop their screamo style, adding a crunching guitar and even louder screams to the mix that helped Black And White become a gold record. He was also, by all accounts, a fun, likable guy and a quirky, lovable bandmate.
Hawthorne Heights' follow-up, 2006's If Only You Were Lonely, reached #3 on the Billboard charts and produced the Top 10 Modern Rock hit "Saying Sorry". In 2006, Hawthorne Heights made headline during their controversial split from Victory Records and also through their headlining spot on the Nintendo Fusion tour. This November, they had just kicked off their Wintour '07 dates when, sadly, Casey was found dead in his bed on November 24th in Washington, DC on the afternoon before the tour's second date. He was only 26 years old.
Hawthorne Heights cancelled their tour but have vowed to continue as a four-piece band in honor of Casey.
Porter Wagoner
Wagoner might be best remembered for his flashy rhinestone suits, but at heart he was a country music traditionalist. Through his syndicated "The Porter Wagoner Show" he brought traditional country music into millions of homes over a twenty-year span while introducing to the world such superstars as Mel Tillis and Dolly Parton. Wagoner had several duet hits with Parton and inspired her iconic song "I Will Always Love You" when Wagoner suggested that she spread her wings and leave his show in 1974. Wagoner charted 81 songs over his long career including the number one country hits "Satisfied Mind" and "Misery Loves Company." Wagoner became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1957 and was a driving force of it for several years. He not only hosted the show and the "Opry Backstage" series, but brought James Brown in to perform in 1979.
Wagoner was nicknamed Mr. Grand Ole Opry and the King of Country Gospel. In fact, he won three Grammy awards for his gospel recordings. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002.
Wagoner went through a career revitalization shortly before his death this year with release of his album Wagonmaster, produced by Marty Stuart. He even opened for the White Stripes at a sold out show in Madison Square Garden. Wagoner died on October 28th of lung cancer. He was 80.
Paul Raven
Many metal musicians count several bands in their resume. It's just the nature of the beast. But few of those players were as in demand as Paul Raven. Raven was born in the UK in 1961. He played with a few different bands (including Kitsch, which featured a pre-Dogs D'Amour Tyla) before catching his break in 1982. At that time, Raven had met up with established metal act Killing Joke, who had been recently deserted by their bassist Youth. Raven's addition came just as Killing Joke were about to enter their most successful period, which culminated with 1987's Brighter Than A Thousand Suns, their only album to chart on the Billboard 200.
By 1990, tensions within the group led to the dissolution of Killing Joke and Paul Raven was on to other ventures. He formed a band with other ex-Killing Joke alumns called Murder Inc., as well as a sideproject called Pigface. When his Murder Inc. bandmates left to reform Killing Joke in 1992, Raven instead joined hardcore pioneers Prong. Like Killing Joke, Prong entered their most successful period during Raven's tenure. Their two albums (which would prove to be their final two) Cleansing and Rude Awakening would be their best selling albums of their career.
When Prong ended in 1996, Raven became a fixture on the metal scene, moving from band to band. For the next decade, he had tenures in Zilch, Society 1, Goldflesh, Killing Joke (for their 2003 reunion) and, finally, worked with Ministry on their final album and tour.
On October 20th, 2007, Raven died of an apparent heart attack in Geneva, Switzerland at the age of 46. At the time, he was working with his own new band, Mob Research, as well as with French industrial act Treponem Pal.
Beverly Sills
From 1932 (at the age of 3) until 1980, Beverly Sills put together one of the most impressive resumes ever for an opera star. She starred in over 90 different opera roles, including Georges Bizet's Carmen, Johann Strauss' Die Fledermans, Mozart's The Magic Flute and Georg Handel's Guilio Cesare. Like the greatest of ambassadors, Sills was also responsible for bringing opera to the mainstream, be it through her work in films, commercials or TV shows.
Among Beverly's many accomplishments, she held three honorary doctorates in music from Harvard, Temple and NYU, won several humanitarian awards, scored two Emmys and won a Grammy for 1976's The Music Of Victor Herbert. In 1980, she retired from singing, though she remained active with projects like the New York City Opera and the March of Dimes. In 2005, the annual Beverly Sills Award was established at The Met. On July 2nd, 2007, Sills passed away after being diagnosed with lung cancer. She was 78.
Tony Thompson
Born in Waco, Texas, Tony Thompson was one of the founders of R&B act Hi-Five, who released their first album in 1990 for Jive Records. At that time, Thompson was only fifteen years old. Their self-titled debut reached gold status, thanks especially to the gold #1 single "I Like The Way (Kissing Game)". The band followed up with a second gold hit, Keep It Goin' On, in 1993, which featured the #5 single "She's Playing Hard To Get".
After their third album faltered, Hi-Five disbanded in the mid-90's. Thompson released his solo debut, Sexsational in 1995. After that, Thompson remained fairly quiet. Eventually, he founded his own label, N'Depth, and reformed Hi-Five with new members. They released an album, The Return, in 2005. This year, Thompson was working on a new solo album when he died suddenly from a Freon overdose on June 1st. He was only 31.
Kevin DuBrow
When Kevin DuBrow passed away on November 19th, the condescension was palpable. The elite music magazines and websites acknowledged DuBrow's death, but you could almost see the smirk on the writer's face as he was typing the obit. After all, Kevin was the lead singer for Quiet Riot, and Quiet Riot was a living, breathing Spinal Tap. It was as if they couldn't fathom why anyone would care.
Quiet Riot never had much credibility to the rock elite. They were never the heaviest band or the sleaziest band. Other bands had much cooler frontmen than the balding, cartoonish DuBrow. However, Kevin DuBrow and Quiet Riot deserve much more respect than they are given. Quiet Riot was the first metal band to hit number one on the Billboard charts, and their success paved the way for dozens of bands. Def Leppard, Metallica, Guns n' Roses and Pantera all owe Quiet Riot a debt of gratitude, because they cemented metal as a commercially viable genre. For many people, Metal Heath was their first exposure to the genre.
I saw Quiet Riot a few years ago at the Recher Theatre in Baltimore, MD. The club was half full, but DuBrow performed like he was onstage at Madison Square Garden. After the show, he stuck around and signed autographs for anyone that wanted one. He was grateful for every fan that came out to support him.
Kevin DuBrow never set out to be a serious rock musician. All he wanted to be was a rock star, and for a few fleeting years he was one of the biggest. He might not have made any "important" albums, but he certainly had a lot of fun. I think that is one thing that music has lost, and will never get back.
Rest in peace my friend.
-John Nagle
Pimp C
Born in 1975, Pimp C (ne Chad Butler) began his rise to fame as part of rap duo UGK with Bun B. The pair began rapping in their hometown of Houston, Texas in the late 80's, bringing a hardcore style that the city would later become known for. UGK released their major label debut, Too Hard To Swallow, in 1992. In 1996, they scored their first Top 20 album with Ridin' Dirty. Things would only escalate from there. By the end of the 90's, they had a string of Rap and R&B/Hip-Hop hits, including "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)".
Unfortunately, UGK's career was stalled when Pimp C was sentenced to eight years in prison following a parole violation in 2002. While he was incarcerated, Bun B continued to spread the word on UGK. The Bun B created "Free Pimp C" T-shirt became an underground sensation. In 2005, Pimp C released Sweet James Jones Stories, his solo debut which he recorded much of while still in jail. Upon his release in 2006, he released Pimpalation, which reached an unprecedented #3 on the Billboard charts. He then reconvened with Bun B to release UGK's double album Underground Kingz, which hit #1 in the spring of 2007.
Sadly, on December 4th, Pimp C was found dead in an L.A. hotel room at the age of 33. Reasons for his death have yet to be released.
John Pike
When a legendary musical figure dies, you're left with an extensive back catalog and fond memories, but when a young talent is taken, you're often left with a sense of what might have been. John Pike's bandmates in Ra Ra Riot describe him as "the perfect balance of compassion, talent, humor and intelligence all wrapped up in one great package with an infectious smile as his bow." A talented drummer, he had also written and recorded over 400 songs.
Pike helped form Ra Ra Riot with friends from Syracuse University in 2005. By 2006, they were opening for notable underground acts like the Horrors and Bow Wow Wow. Sadly, just a few months after the band released their self-titled debut EP, John Pike went missing following a gig afterparty in Massachusetts. His body was drug from a nearby bay two days later on June 3rd, 2007. He was 22 years old. The surviving members of Ra Ra Riot have decided to continue the band.
Brad Delp
Brad Delp was the lead singer of the popular hard rock band Boston. The band became a huge sensation, selling seventeen million copies of their self titled debut album. While the band would never again match that success, Delp's vocals were always a highlight of every album and his voice, along with guitarist Tom Scholz's unique guitar harmonies, became what Boston was all about.
Boston was always a band I respected. I remember in second grade when we had a talent show for one of our classes. My two friends and I decided to sing a song. The song we picked was "More Than a Feeling." We had the instruments, but none of us knew how to play them. So we brought them into school and just pretended to play them, as the song played in the background. I was the vocalist and I remember trying to hit those high notes that Delp was known for, only to fail miserably. Eventually, I had to mime the vocals, as it was just too embarrassing trying to match Delp's vocals.
I wasn't the biggest Boston fan, but I knew the major impact they had on music. When I heard of Delp's death, I could only think back to that one moment in second grade and I honestly felt sadden over what happened. It was a shame the way Delp ended his life and I know that his legacy and his vocals will be remembered for generations to come.
- Dan Marsicano
Bobby "Boris" Pickett
Pickett might have been a one hit wonder with the "Monster Mash," but it was one hit that kept coming back. Outside of Bing Crosby with "White Christmas," there is no other song that is so closely identified with a holiday and gets so much airplay when in season. It has become the unofficial theme song of Halloween, being covered several times, even by the Beach Boys. Pickett followed up his major hit with "Monster's Holiday" for Christmas of 1962 and "Climate Mash" about global warning in 2005. He also had some minor novelty hits with "Star Drek" after the long running series and "Graduation Day."
In 1995Monster Mash: The Movie was produced by Joel Coen and Alec Sokolov of Toy Story fame basedon the musical "Frankenstein Unbound" written by Pickett. Pickett died on April 25th, 2007 of leukemia. However, he will always be remembered every Halloween with the familiar beat and rattling chains of his one monster hit.
Faustino Oramas
In early 1900's Cuba, Faustino Oramas was born into poverty. He left home at the age of 15 and became a traveling troubadour, eventually performing his own material. Audiences around Cuba were entertained by his racy lyrics and as he traveled, his legend as both a writer and womanizer grew. He gained a great deal of notoriety when famed Cuban vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer famously covered some of his best songs.
Unfortunately, following the Cuban Missile Crises, Faustino was no longer able to make a living as a musician thanks to the lack of tourism in his country. Fortunately, Oramas found favor with the Cuban government, and received money from them to continue his career without having to seek a real job. It was with this assistance that Oramas was able to tour in Spain in 1996, causing him to miss participation in the iconic platinum Buena Vista Social Club album, though he did participate in the documentary. The success of the Buena Vista Social Club ensured Oramas' place in the history of world music. On March 26th, 2007, he died at home at the age of 95 after battling cancer.
Denny Doherty
While best known for his work in seminal 60's folk rock act The Mamas & The Papas, Denny Doherty left his mark on several musical projects. Born in Halifax, Canada in 1940, Doherty grew up around and appreciating music. He joined a folk trio while still in his teens, which eventually led to a record deal for the band the Halifax Three. He then joined a group called The Big Three, which also featured singer Cass Elliott. Both he and Elliott left that band in 1965, when they finally struck musical gold by forming The Mamas & The Papas with John & Michelle Phillips.
Over the course of their brief career, The Mamas & The Papas scored six Top 10 singles, including the #1 hit "Monday, Monday". They also released four Top 5 albums, three of which were certified gold. When the foursome felt the band had used up its shelf life in 1969, Doherty set out on a solo career and also found time for working in television and playacting.
In 1979, The Mamas & The Papas reunited, but without Michelle Phillips and Cass Elliott, who had died years before. While the reunion was unfruitful, demand for the Mamas & The Papas back catalog remained strong. In 1997, the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Doherty remained active but out of the public eye, up until his death on January 19th, 2007 following kidney failure. He was 66.
Alice Coltrane
Alice Coltrane (born Alice McLeod) was born into a musical family and began pursuing music herself at the age of 7. By the time she was attending music school, she was already an established pianist, especially in the Detroit area bebop bands. She left the US in 1959 to study under jazz piano great Bud Powell in Paris. It was while overseas, while touring with Terry Gibbs, that Alice met jazz sax legend John Coltrane, who she eventually married. She also became the pianist in Coltrane's band and can be heard on his later albums. Alice remained with the group until Coltraine's death in 1967.
Following John's death, Alice formed her own band and began recording an extensive jazz catalog, first for Impulse Records and later for Warner Bros. While with Impulse, she released several charting Jazz albums, including Universal Consciousness and Illuminations, both of which found their way onto the Pop charts.
In 1975, Coltrane founded a center for Eastern spirituality, after which she more or less withdrew completely from the public eye, only making sporadic appearances to play one-off gigs. She didn't begin recording again until 2000, when she released a series of critically acclaimed albums for Verve. She also began performing more regularly. Sadly, amidst her resurgence in activity, Alice Coltrane died of respiratory failure on January 12th, 2007 at the age of 69.
Sneaky Pete Kleinow
Born in Indiana in 1934, steel guitarist Sneaky Pete Kleinow was one of the unsung heroes of country rock. In his late 20's, he left his job as a road maintenance worker and moved to L.A., where he began gigging at local clubs. He worked a variety of odd jobs in Hollywood before making his studio debut, backing surf legends The Ventures on a single. Around that time, he met Byrds principles Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons, who asked if he'd be interested in joining their side project. Kleinow agreed and, after working some with The Byrds themselves, The Flying Burrito Brothers were born.
Sneaky Pete remained with the Burritos for three landmark albums before exiting the band in 1971. By this time, Kleinow was a renowned studio musician, playing on records by everyone from Joe Cocker to John Lennon to Stevie Wonder to Frank Zappa. He also formed a short-lived band called Cold Steel before rejoining the Burritos in 1976. During his second stint with the band, he recorded his first solo album, Sneaky Pete.
Kleinow gave notice to the Flying Burrito Brothers once more in 1981, also leaving the music industry to focus on the world of sound effects. His Hollywood effects resume includes The Empire Strikes Back, The Right Stuff, Gremlins and Terminator. During his later years, Kleinow only made occasional returns to music, including leading a Flying Burritos Brothers tour in 1994. In 2006, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He died on January 6th, 2007 in California at the age of 72.
Luciano Pavarotti
In the 20th century, there was no greater opera star than Luciano Pavarotti. His instantly recognizable voice and charisma brought opera to the mainstream and his tenor was and remains unmatched. He starred in operas by composers from Verdi, Bellini, Donizetti, and Puccini, leaving the roles he played as richer in the minds and hearts of his public.
His awards over his 40 year career are too numerous to mention, but in the popular music world he was a mainstay on the Billboard Classical charts and, at over 100 million albums sold, is one of the Top 100 selling recording artists worldwide. Aside from his genre, he charted eight albums on the Billboard 200. His solo performances and concerts with the Three Tenors were major media events.
On September 6th, 2007, Pavarotti died after a long bout with pancreatic cancer at the age of 71. Possibly the greatest opera star of all time, the world is richer for the time he spent here and the music that he made.
Never forget the music.
And that'll do it for our look back at 2007. Keep checking back to 411mania, as we cover the music history being made each day!
Nice tribute to these fallen heroes. You might want to note, though, that Beverly Sills died after a short bout of cancer (not long). If you can, please make the change.
Posted By: Tansui (Guest) on January 08, 2008 at 11:51 PM
