Jim Seals was an American musician known for his work with Seals and Crofts and The Champs.
As a songwriter he is best-known for the composition “Summer Breeze” (1972), famously covered by Jackie Mittoo. “Summer Breeze” is in the Jahsonic 1000.
Tag Archives: rock music
RIP Sandy Nelson (1938 – 2022)
Sandy Nelson was an American drummer known for such compositions as “Let There Be Drums” (1961).
Incredible Bongo Band‘s oft sampled rendition of this instrumental was released in 1973.
RIP Hilton Valentine (1943 – 2021)
Hilton Valentine was an English guitarist, member of the The Animals.
Valentine played the electric guitar arpeggio introduction to the Animals’ 1964 signature song “The House of the Rising Sun”.
RIP Simeon ‘Silver Apples’ Coxe (1938 – 2020)
Simeon Coxe (1938 – 2020) was an American composer and musician known as a founding member of the electronic rock ensemble Silver Apples.
I guess I first stumbled upon Silver Apples when I bought the Underground Moderne cd by Nova Records. It had the track “Gypsy Love” on it, and I always skipped it. Silver Apples were undeniably of great influence, but none of their records would end up in my desert island selection.
RIP Little “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-wop-bam-boom!” Richard (1932 – 2020)
Little Richard was an American composer and singer best-known for shouting “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-wop-bam-boom!” at the beginning of the song “Tutti Frutti” (1955).
Without Little Richard, no Prince.
And without Little Richard no “Be-Bop-A-Lula”, “Diddy Wah Diddy”, “Da Doo Ron Ron” and ” Do Wah Diddy Diddy”.
But without “Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay”, no Little Richard.
The boom comes first. The cycle continues.
Over at Tumblr I posted the Paladin 1969 edition of Nick Cohn’s book Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom.
RIP David Roback (1958 – 2020)
David Roback was an American guitarist, best-known for co-writing “Fade into You” (1994). That was a song by Mazzy Star and it featured the vocals of Hope Sandoval.
Listening to this, I can’t help but think that Lana Del Rey has a very similar sound and voice. Not surprisingly, both Mazzy Star and Lana Del Rey are considered dream pop.
RIP Andy ‘gang of four’ Gill (1956 – 2020)
Andy Gill was a British musician famous for his work with Gang of Four.
Compositions of note are “I Love A Man In A Uniform” (1982) featured on the compilation Various – 80’s Underground Clubbing and “Damaged Goods” (1978) featured on the compilation How to Kill the DJ part 2.
Needless to say, these compilations are more interesting than the full albums of Gang of Four.
Trivia: the opening sequence of the track “What We All Want” (1981) is reminiscent of “Play That Funky Music (1976).”
RIP Nick Tosches (1949 – 2019)
Nick Tosches was an American writer, music critic, biographer, a jack of all trades.
I admit that although he had had an entry on my encyclopedia since 2008, I didn’t really know Nick Tosches.
He seems to have been a bit of a drug head, as Burroughs had been before him.
He was into country music and rock, a bit of a rockist it would appear.
He died relatively young.
I give you “Erebos” [above], a spoken word track from Fuck The Living Fuck The Dead (2004).
RIP Dick Dale (1937 – 2019)
Dick Dale was an American guitarist best-known for his 1962 arrangement of the Eastern Mediterranean classic “Misirlou“, the use of which in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction gained him a new audience.
“Miserlou” was originally a hit for Jan August in 1946 …
… but is believed to be first recorded in 1927.