Archive for Singers

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Tom Petty

Posted in Cremated with tags , , , on March 3, 2018 by Cade

petty1
October 20, 1950 – October 02, 2017

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
You belong with your love on your arm
You belong somewhere you feel free

“Wildflowers”  – Tom Petty

Thomas Earl Petty was rock and roll’s everyman. Whether fronting the eponymous Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, jangling along with his friends as a member of the Traveling Wilburys or simply selling millions of albums as a solo artist, Petty’s 40-year career was nothing short of legendary. Petty won 3 Grammys and worked with everybody who was anybody in music. Continue reading →

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Andrew Wood

Posted in Miller-Woodlawn Memorial Park with tags , , on August 26, 2015 by Cade

awood1January 8, 1966 – March 19, 1990

It’s completely understandable if the casual music fan doesn’t know Andrew Wood’s name. It’s also a distinct possibility that the same fan might not know Mother Love Bone, the band Wood fronted. But, Wood’s influential work in the late-1980’s Seattle music scene and his tragic death touched off much of what the landscape of the 1990’s alternative music would come to look like.

In 1988, Andrew Wood formed the Seattle-based post-metal/pre-grunge alternative rock band Mother Love Bone with bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard, both formerly of the locally-influential band, Green River. MLB showed massive promise in the burgeoning Seattle circuit. They recorded their debut album in 1989, but Wood never saw it released. After years of battling substance abuse, he died of a heroin overdose at the age of 24.

But, Wood’s story doesn’t end there. Continue reading →

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Janis Joplin

Posted in Cremated with tags , , , on July 8, 2015 by Cade

joplin1January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970

“The Queen of Psychedelic Soul”

Janis Lyn Joplin worked her way through the 1960’s Haight-Ashbury scene with her Blues-influenced power-rock voice. Her love for Blues standards helped her make a name for herself in San Francisco and her native Texas. She was asked to join the psychedelic rock band Big Brother and Holding Company which, with Janis on lead vocals, collectively impressed the crowd at 1967’s Monterrey Pop Festival. Record labels came calling and Janis spent the next year on the road and in the studio with Big Brother. Audiences and critics couldn’t get enough of her unique power as a performer. Her public persona surpassed the band and she quickly went solo. During her brief time on top of the music world, she recorded dozens of songs including hits like “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Mercedes Benz.”

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Denny Doherty

Posted in Gate of Heaven Cemetery (NS) with tags , , , on August 4, 2014 by Cade

doherty1November 29, 1940 – January 19, 2007

The story of the eventual creation of the Mamas & the Papas reads like a laundry list of formations, break-ups and reorgs – just listen to their song “Creeque Alley” for a little insight. There are no fewer than a dozen band names that finally led to the group that famously charted Top 10 hits all throughout the late 1960’s. All you need to know here is that Denny Doherty of the Halifax, Nova Scotia band The Colonials (aka, The Halifax Three,) met Cass Elliot while touring the folk circuits. Denny seemed to always be there to fill in when Elliot or John Phillips needed help with a new lineup or a lost group member. Eventually, Doherty landed a permanent spot in The Magic Cyrcle…which became the Mamas & the Papas.

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Amy Winehouse

Posted in Cremated with tags , , , on June 4, 2014 by Cade


winehouse1September 14, 1983 – July 23, 2011

<insert “Rehab” joke here>

An eclectic and immensely talented singer, Amy Jade Winehouse stormed onto the British music scene in 2003 with her debut album, Frank. But, it was her sophomore effort, 2006’s Back to Black that made her an international sensation. Combining old-school genres like jazz and soul with her distinctive style and sultry voice, Amy blew through the Grammys that year collecting five awards. Her singles “Rehab” and “You Know I’m No Good” were Billboard chart mainstays for months. As troubled as she was talented, Winehouse struggled with drugs and alcohol throughout her career. Add to this her meteoric rise to stardom and (allegedly) poor grasp on moderation and self-control…well, you know where this is going or you wouldn’t be reading this blog. Continue reading →

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Jeanette MacDonald and Gene Raymond

Posted in Forest Lawn Glendale with tags , , , on April 23, 2014 by Cade

Disclaimer: The last time I visited Forest Lawn Glendale and the Freedom Mausoleum, this blog wasn’t even a thought in my mind. So, there were a number of graves I visited but didn’t photograph. I hesitated to write a post about these celebrities, but, in the end, figured “why not?”. This is one of those posts.

 macdonald1June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965

Jeanette MacDonald was one of the most popular singer/actresses throughout the golden age of the Hollywood musical. Her legendary professional partnership with Nelson Eddy produced memorable classics (including Naughty Marietta and Sweethearts) for MGM. Rumors of off-screen romance plagued the duo throughout their lives. After her death from multiple heart ailments at the age of 61, Eddy all but confirmed the rumors were true. MacDonald was a powerful soprano who worked her way out of the Broadway chorus lines to become one of the most successful screen performers of her era. She used her talent and influence to help introduce opera to many who had never heard it before. When not making movies, she toured extensively giving concerts all around the world and was noted for her work with the U.S. Army throughout World War II. In addition to her maybe/maybe not secret affair with Nelson, she was married to… Continue reading →

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Dobie Gray

Posted in Woodlawn Memorial Park (TN) with tags , on March 7, 2014 by Cade

gray1July 26, 1940 – December 6, 2011

Dobie Gray was a singer/songwriter who’s career spanned a number of genres. His biggest hit was 1973’s “Drift Away” which peaked at #5 on the Billboard pop chart. Later in his career he found himself in Nashville writing successful songs for many other artists like Ray Charles and George Jones. He was also wildly popular in South Africa for some reason and successfully toured there. Which was odd, because…well, apartheid. Nevertheless, Gray continued to record modest hits on the pop and country charts well into the 1990’s. Continue reading →

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Marty Robbins

Posted in Woodlawn Memorial Park (TN) with tags , , , on March 5, 2014 by Cade

robbins1September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982

Martin David Robinson (Marty Robbins) was a singer, actor and sometime NASCAR driver who found his career by way of the Navy and a small-time Phoenix television show. His major country hits “El Paso” and “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation” were also successful on the pop charts. Robbins appeared in a couple of films such as Guns of a Stranger and the Clint Eastwood movie, Honkytonk Man. In his spare time, Marty liked to race cars. Like, professionally. Continue reading →

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Dan Seals

Posted in Woodlawn Memorial Park (TN) with tags , on March 3, 2014 by Cade

seals1February 8, 1948 – March 25, 2009

Dan Seals was a popular music and country artist who, like his big brother Jim (of Seals and Crofts fame,) scored a number of hits throughout his career. His biggest crossover hit was as a member of the soft rock duo, England Dan and John Ford Coley. Their “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” reached as high as #2 on the Billboard pop chart. After England Dan (a childhood nickname given to him by Jim) and Coley parted ways, Seals embarked on a pretty successful solo country career. Continue reading →

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Johnny Paycheck

Posted in Woodlawn Memorial Park (TN) with tags , , , on February 28, 2014 by Cade

paycheck1May 31, 1938 – February 19, 2003

Donald Eugene Lytle, known to the world as Johnny Paycheck, was a country singer/songwriter whose biggest hit became an anthem for disgruntled employees for generations. Paycheck recorded “Take This Job and Shove It” in 1977 and it became his only number 1 hit. Though, Johnny had a number of smaller hits throughout his career, too. He was part of the “outlaw” movement of country music in the 1970’s. But, unlike many of his other outlaw contemporaries, Johnny lived it. Continue reading →

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