Alex Chilton of Box Tops dead at 59

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Stephen Pate

Lifetime career of Memphis musician ends at SXSW

Alex Chilton

The lead singer of the Box Tops, Alex Chilton, died in his hotel room in Austin Texas of a heart attack. He was getting ready for a performance at the SXSW the mega conference of music and creative arts.

His band mates said he hadn’t been feeling well. “Alex passed away a couple of hours ago,” said band mate Jody Stephens. “I don’t have a lot of particulars, but they kind of suspect that it was a heart attack.” Exclaim.ca

Chilton had early big name success with the hit The Letter when he was 16. The Box Tops had a few lesser hits and broke up in 1970s. Chilton reformed a group as Big Star who became cult favorites. Other hits were In The Street and Thirteen. Continue reading →

Dr. Bob Romcke dies age 80

Posted on February 1, 2010 by Stephen Pate

Distinguished public health dentist and polio survivor passes away

By Stephen Pate, President of the PEI Polio Survivors

Dr. Bob Romcke passed away at the QEH on Thursday January 28th, 2010 at age 80. He was known as a gentleman and a man of courage and perseverance.

Dr. Bob was a dentist. While studying dentistry at McGill University in Montreal as a young man he contracted polio. The deadly illness, that was a scourge back then, affected his upper body.

He had to take a leave from his studies and spent sometime in an iron lung.

Dr. Bob endured his recovery and convalescence. He was able to leave the iron lung behind, return to McGill University and graduate as a dentist.

In 1965, Dr. Bob started what would become universal dental care for Island children. It was his vision and determination that drove the child dental program for decades.
Continue reading →

Bobby “Walkin to New Orleans” Charles dies at 71

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Stephen Pate

Songwriter who made fortunes for others lived like a recluse in a Louisiana bayou. I wanted to find out why.

Bobby Charles Guidry at home on the Bayou

Robert (Bobby) Charles Guidry died at age 71 in his home in Abbeville, Louisiana on January 14, 2010.

Why was the man who wrote so many hit songs for others living in the Cajun swamp west of New Orleans where he was born?

A songwriter and hit-maker for Fats Domino, Clarence Frogman Henry and friend of the Band, Charles was a recluse. The obituary notices left out that part of the story and I wanted to find out why his talent was virtually unknown outside the small world of musicians.

While he wrote hit songs for many famous artists and lived off his royalties most of his life, he was rarely seen in public performance.

Making it where rock and roll was born

Born in Cajun country Louisiana, Bobby Charles was a purveyor of that special brand of southern US rock called “swamp rock.” The Band were one of the more famous groups who made a career playing “swamp rock”, all the more ironic since all of The Band members were from Canada, excepting Levon Helm who hailed from Arkansas.
Continue reading →

Canadian Folksinger Kate McGarrigle Dead at 63

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Stephen Pate

One of the two McGarrigle sisters and mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright dies of cancer

Martha Wainwright, Kate McGarrigle, and Rufus Wainwright, photographed at the Paul Morissey estate in Montauk, New York, September 2006. Photograph by Mark Seliger.

Kate McGarrigle, part of the enchanting any idiosyncratic McGarrigle Sisters, has died of cancer Monday night. She was 63.

“McGarrigle’s brother-in-law, Dane Lanken, said the singer died at her Montreal home Monday night surrounded by her sisters, Jane and Anna, and her children, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, also singers. Entertainment Daily ”

The two sisters were from Quebec and combined distinctive harmonies with bilingual songs about love, life and the Quebec life. Kate married Louden Wainright III and had two children before their divorce.

Never destined for stardom, their songs gained a strong niche following of loyal fans.

Most Canadians know her from the song The Log Driver’s Waltz which the National Film Board turned into a short animation that played on Canadian TV for three decades as part of Canadian Vignettes.
Continue reading →

Prolific video poster “Barnesy” passes away

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Stephen Pate

LiveLeak community mourns one of their top video contributors.

Barnesy aka Raymond Barnes dead at

“Barnesy”AKA Raymond Barnes “Digger” was 45 and suffered from what he called a “terrible illness – LiveLeakitis”

“Thank you to all you LIVE LEAKERS for your support over my dad aka barnesy,” wrote his daughter on LiveLeak. “It means a great lot to see he had so many good friends. R.I.P DAD, I MISS YOU LOADS && I LOVE YOU.. 21ST JUNE 1965 – 17 JANUARY 2010.” He died of a heart attack in the early hours of January 17, 2010.

Continue reading →

Mary Travers of Peter Paul and Mary dies of leukemia

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Stephen Pate

Mary Travers the blond haired folk singer with the smoky voice has succumbed to leukemia at 72

Mary Travers on the cover of In The Wind the Peter Paul and Mary hit album

By Stephen Pate – Mary Travis died in hospital in Danbury, Connecticut four years after her diagnosis of cancer at the age of 72.

Mary Travers was a member of Peter Paul and Mary, one of the most famous folk groups of the 1960s.

Peter Paul and Mary rode the popularity wave of the 60s folk boom. They continued to be adored by their fans for the next 40 years.

They were a crossover from the less authentic Kingston Trio, blending protest songs and folk style guitar accompaniment with well crafted harmonies. PP&M sounded real to the white university audiences and were instrumental in spreading folk music to the pop world. Continue reading →

Senator Ted Kennedy dead at 77 from brain cancer

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Stephen Pate

Senator Ted Kennedy dead at 77

A great man who accomplished much for the average man plagued by his own humanity

Continue reading →

Les Paul musician and music innovator dies at 94

Posted on August 13, 2009 by Stephen Pate

Les Paul musician, entertainer and innovator dies at 94

Les Paul invented the Les Paul Gibson guitar and multi-track recording

Les Paul was a great musician and enjoyed over 30 hit successes from 1945 to 1961. He often recorded with his wife Mary Ford as vocalist. Their song “How High the Moon” is still revered as one of the great recordings of all time.

In the clip from the TV show Les Paul is demonstrating the multi-track recording technique he invented. Today we take multi-track recordings for granted.

Continue reading →