The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars (64 page)

Ray Smith

(Melber, Kentucky, 30 October 1934)

Ray Smith & The Rock ‘n’ Roll Boys

On the same day Fulwood died, a man from a completely different musical background took his own life in Canada. For Ray Smith, there were no fancy nicknames or elaborate licks, his style was strictly downhome country-infused rockabilly – and, for a while at least, the kids loved it. Kentucky native Smith was a talentshow winner heard singing in the shower while serving with the US air force in California, and returned to Kentucky to form The Rock ‘n’ Roll Boys (with Raymond Jones on guitar, Dean Perkins on steel guitar, James Bardwell on bass and Henry Stevens on drums) after his discharge. They were popular, to say the least, landing their own local television show in 1957 and, a year later, a contract that most early rockers would have killed for, with Sam Phillips’s Sun label. For Sun, Smith recorded ‘So Young’ (1958, featuring a young Charlie Rich on drums) – considered by many to be the original rockabilly disc. Joining the Judd label (run by Judd Phillips, Sam’s brother), Ray Smith & The Rock ‘n’ Roll boys made a national breakthrough with the hit ‘Sweet Little Angel’ in 1960 but, with Judd deciding to follow it with a series of nondescript ballads, it was to be their only major chart success.

‘Don’t stick no fork in me - I ain’t done yet!’

Ray Smith, shortly before his death

Ray Smith remained in music for the rest of his days, but the continued lack of commercial acceptance clearly harmed him. Although he found brief success as a songwriter (composing a 1970 hit for Conway Twitty), Smith became a very quiet and reserved character, moving away from what little limelight there was, to Burlington, Ontario. It was there that he committed suicide by gunshot at his home.

DECEMBER

Saturday 15

Jackie Brenston

(Clarksdale, Mississippi, 15 August 1930)

The Delta Rhythm Kings

(Various acts)

Sam Phillips had a hand in Jackie Brenston’s career as well – the Sun Records impresario maintaining that Brenston’s ‘Rocket 88’ was the first bona fide rock ‘n’ roll record made. Brenston had been born and brought up in a musically fertile part of town, the local juke joints having hosted Son House and Robert Johnson – but it was sax, as opposed to guitar, that was Brenston’s instrument of choice. A chance meeting with flamboyant teenage musician/DJ, lke Turner (and his Kings of Rhythm/Delta Rhythm Kings) changed Brenston’s fortunes: he joined the band Phillips would find so irresistible, and in 1951 the Sun head was beckoning them to his Memphis studio. With lead vocals split between Brenston and Turner, one of four resultant tracks, ‘Rocket 88’ – an ode to the group’s preferred Oldsmobile – became a huge R & B number one for Chess. But because it featured Brenston’s voice, the disc was subsequently credited to ‘Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats’ – much to the annoyance of the rest of the band, especially Turner, and they turned their backs on the singer.

Finding success with another band proved hard, and Brenston drifted for many years from job to job (including both sax-playing and truck-driving), although Ike Turner forgave him enough to invite Brenston on tour with him and Tina during the seventies. But his health deteriorated through drink and lack of maintenance, and Jackie Brenston died of a heart attack at a Memphis army veterans’ hospice.

See also
Ike Turner (
Golden Oldies #59)

Lest We Forget

Other notable deaths that occurred sometime during 1979:

Everton DaSilva
(Jamaican percussionist/melodica-player, producer and head of the label Hungry Town; shot while recording with Horace Andy in New York)

Lester Flatt
(pioneering US bluegrass singer with Flatt & Scruggs; born Tennessee, 19/6/1914; died following open heart surgery, 11/5)

Rivers Jobe
(UK blues/rock bassist who played with The Anon - who became Genesis - and Savoy Brown’; born 1950; unknown)

Charles Mingus
(peerless US jazz/R & B bassist/pianist; born Arizona, 22/4/1922; Lou Gehrig’s disease, 5/1

Tuza Mthethwa
(South African guitarist with jive amalgamation The Soul Brothers; car crash - an unnamed sax-player also perished)

Bobby Napier
(US bluegrass mandolin-player with The Lost Creek Boys; born Kentucky, 24/12/1933; crushed by a falling boulder, 21/11)

Norrie Paramor
(top UK easy-listening bandleader turned producer of countless hits, also responsible for signing Cliff Richard & The Shadows to EMI; born London, 1913; unknown, 9/9)

Enrico Rosenbaum
(US singer/guitarist with The Underbeats, who became Gypsy; born 18/6/1944; suicide, following long battle with drug addiction, 10/9)

Shelly Siegel
(US head honcho of Mushroom Records who gave the world Heart and Terry Jacks; born California, 1946; brain aneurysm, 17/1)

Wayne Walker
(US country/pop songwriter whose songs were covered by Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Eddie Cochran and Waylon Jennings; born Oklahoma, 13/12/1925; unknown, 2/1)

Vernon Wray
(aka Ray Vernon, US guitarist with his brother Link Wray’s band, The Raymen; perhaps bitter about his brother’s extended success, he committed suicide by gunshot)

1980

JANUARY

Wednesday 2

Larry Williams

(New Orleans, Louisiana, 10 May 1935)

The Lemon Drops

Possibly the first of music’s several suicides in 1980, Larry Williams was found dead some days after apparently turning a gun on himself at his apartment in Los Angeles. The 44-year-old singer and keyboardist had grown up in a Creole community and taken his music/variety oneman act on the road from an early age (even employing a trained monkey at one stage). In his professional career, the largely underrated singer worked with a number of music legends such as Lloyd Price and the great Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, and finally made something of a name for himself on Lemon Drops hits like ‘Bonie Moronie’ (1957) and ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzy’ (1958) – songs that went on to become household favourites by better-known British stars.

Williams, who suffered deeply from a lack of confidence, did, however, become involved in narcotics dealing (which in 1959 had led Specialty Records to drop the young star) and, allegedly, prostitution; because of this, many still believe the singer may actually have been murdered by a cartel.

Sunday 6

Georgeanna Tillman

(Inkster, Michigan, 6 February 1943)

The Marvelettes

A founder member of the Michigan all-girl vocal group, Georgeanna Tillman was still at school when The Marvelettes found themselves signed to Motown having won a talent contest sponsored by the celebrated label. With the classic ‘Please Mr Postman’ (1961, augmented by a young Marvin Gaye on percussion), the group gained the not inconsiderable distinction of giving Motown its first million-selling record.