The Doors' Ray Manzarek Succumbs to Cancer at Age 74

Categories: Obituaries, RIP

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Bob Hakins
Although it was Jim Morrison who hoarded the spotlight and dominated their image, no single musician contributed more to the Door's iconic sound than keyboardist and co-writer Ray Manzarek. Manzarek -- who died in a German clinic yesterday after succumbing to bile duct cancer -- was not only an integral part of the Doors' musical persona, but one of the most influential organists of all time.


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Jeff Hanneman, Slayer's Legendary Axe-Man Dead at 49

Categories: Obituaries, RIP

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To say that Slayer has brought me moments of happiness is an understatement.

From the aggressive thrash to the hepped-up on meth speed metal with hardcore punk underlinings, Slayer's contribution to reducing the suck factor of the 1980s is undeniable. Proud of wearing '70s metal on his sleeve, as well as his punk rock roots, guitarist Jeff Hanneman was essential in influencing hundreds, if not thousands of young heshers to pick up the instrument and rock out.


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Kriss Kross's Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly Dead at 34

Categories: Obituaries, RIP

Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly was found dead in his Atlanta home yesterday. He was thirty-four years old. And while nothing is concrete, at the time of this writing, a drug overdose is suspected as the cause.

But first, a confession.

It is through the sheer power of thought and astral projection that I am responsible for the Mac Daddy's death.

See also
- Will the Kris Kross Reunion Feature Grown-Ass Men Jumping Around in Backwards Overalls?

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Richie Havens Found His "Freedom"

Categories: Obituaries, RIP

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Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman offers his insights, opinions, and observations about the local scene. This week: Looking back at a true musical master.

When Ian Hunter, the onetime mainstay of the band Mott the Hoople, famously sang "All of the good ones are taken," he was clearly referring to the diminishing supply of prospective mates that qualify as marrying material. Yet these days, that same phrase could refer to the fact that so many musical icons have been taken from us recently to join that heavenly choir.

The latest of these is Richie Havens, who passed away yesterday at age 72, the victim of a sudden heart attack. Although he retired from performing three years ago, the image of him furiously strumming his guitar and rallying the hordes at Woodstock remains etched forever not only in the minds of those who were there but also in the hearts and souls of the millions who saw the film that followed. Few knew it at the time, but Havens' relentless incantation, which came to be known as "Freedom," was largely improvised after he played all the material he knew following a three-hour set that kept the crowd entertained while buying time for other artists. Based on the traditional folk tune "Motherless Child," his impassioned performance became one of the most memorable moments of that great documentary and, in turn, Haven's signature song.

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RIP, Andy Johns, an Unsung Musical Hero

Categories: Obituaries, RIP
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guitarinternational.com
Rock stars get all the glory, but the weight of making great albums has always rested just as heavily on the shoulders of the unsung heroes of the music world. This includes the producers and engineers, the knob turners who would, once upon a time, spend long nights hidden away in bunkers of electronics, cutting tape by hand, scrutinizing the positions of microphones in an effort to provide songs with a presentation as artistically conceived as the songs themselves.

Regrettably, right on the heels of the loss of Phil Ramone, the recording world has lost yet another titan of the industry: Andy Johns. While an official cause of death has not been released, the 61-year-old British recording legend is believed to have succumbed to an "unspecified" liver ailment that had recently placed him in the hospital.

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Roger Ebert, the Screenwriter Turned Critic and Philosopher, Lives on in Us All

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via whyevolutionistrue.blogspot.com
"You will drink the black sperm of my vengeance." -- Ronnie Barzell in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

That line of dialogue, by itself, would have been enough to get a flick one of film critic Roger Ebert's notorious thumbs down.

Ebert, who died of cancer on April 4, is as responsible for anyone for the democratization of film criticism. His 1980's TV series Sneak Previews and At The Movies with fellow Chicago newspaper film critic, Gene Siskel, simplified opinions to three words, two thumbs up, two thumbs down, or occasionally the six worded one thumb up one thumb down. You could give Ebert partial credit for making it look like the 140 characters you get on Twitter is more than sufficient space to criticize a film.

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Jason Molina of Magnolia Electric Company and Songs: Ohia Passes Away at 39

Categories: News, RIP
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Jason Molina, 1973 - 2013
Melancholic indie-rock bard, Jason Molina, has passed away from complications related to alcoholism at 39. 

As the news makes its away around the internet via news sites, blogs, and status updates, the reaction to his passing has been as emotionally visceral as the songwriter, vocalist and guitarist's prolific catalogue. 

Molina didn't just write songs. He set spiritual despair to music and drafted cryptic lyrics around the audible, beautifully rendered sadness. And subsequently cultivated a cult fan base centered quite heavily around feelings. 
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Five Bands That Sucked More with New Singers; Misfits' Michele Graves Plays Propaganda

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It's pretty common for fans of the Misfits to shit on anything the band did following the departure of Glenn Danzig. All things considered, the re-animated Misfits was a totally different Frankenstein's monster than the original lineup, but we here at County Grind are secure enough to admit that there really is no such thing as a "guilty pleasure," and as such we submit that the Misfits albums featuring Michale Graves' velveteen croon were really fun records! They've got chugging guitars, pounding drums, plenty of horror film references, and more "whoa-oh-ohs" than you can shake a clenched fist at. 

And besides, there are plenty of legendary bands that continued to make records and tour with a fresh face on lead vox that sucked exponentially more relative to their previous lineups than the Graves era Misfits. Just to prove that point, here's a completely useless list to distract you from whatever constructive things you had planned to do on the internet today. 

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FAT Village Celebrates Day of the Dead; We Remember Musicians Who Passed Away in 2012

Categories: RIP
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Dia de los Muertes gets a lot of respect here in the U.S. Perhaps that's because Hallmark hasn't sinked their cheap teeth into the holiday... Yet. Or perhaps it's because the day is grounded in a Latin American celebration of remembrance of those who've passed, instead of a party atmosphere of getting girls to dress like hoochies and drink like drunks.  

See also
- Adam Yauch, We'll Miss You, Thanks for Everything

Dia de los Muertes, which has its roots in ofrendas, or shrines made in honor of the dead, is being celebrated, not yesterday, November 1, but tonight in Fort Lauderdale's FAT Village. Locals will take the time to create shrines of their own, a skeleton procession will march, and bands will perform. 

This year, many musicians have passed away, and we'd like to remember a few of them here. Our apologies for skipping right past Whitney Houston, Donna Summer, and Davy Jones, may they rest in peace.   


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Big Poppa E Tribute Tonight at Tobacco Road; Five Other Great Bluesmen Whose Music Influenced the World

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1948 - 2012

This August 25, the great bluesman Mutasim Ra'id "Big Poppa E" Faisal passed away suddenly from an apparent heart attack. At 64 years of age, he was a mere teenager when it comes to blues musicians. An eternal student of his craft, the tradition of blues was firmly cemented into Big Poppa's musical DNA, but it was also rife with sounds from around the globe.

To say his passing leaves a significant cultural void in South Florida is putting it simply. He touched the lives of so many with his music. Perhaps under-appreciated, his house was a frequent stop for national and international musicians who palavered with Big Poppa in the purest exchange of artistic idealism.

While some local talent like Felipe Lamoglia, Jowee Omicil, and Papa Joe will pay tribute tonight at Big Poppa's old stomping grounds, Tobacco Road, we'll take this opportunity to showcase other dearly departed bluesmen in hopes to expose the South Florida community to some great tunes and musicians. This is real American music.


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