The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars (213 page)

Saturday 15

Rob Gretton

(Wythenshawe, Manchester, 15 January 1953)

Larger-than-life Rob Gretton was a key figure in the development of Manchester’s post-1977 music scene. Gretton was twenty-five when he discovered Joy Division (then known as Warsaw) at the Rafters Club, where he worked as a DJ, and offered to manage the band. Sagely, Gretton kept them away from major labels, issuing their records on Anthony Wilson’s Factory label; under his guidance, the band, despite its short life, became one of the most influential the country has ever produced. After singer Ian Curtis’s death
(
May 1980),
Gretton encouraged surviving members to relaunch as New Order (the choice of name was perhaps the only questionable decision he ever made). The band went on to further critical acclaim – and this time global stardom. Gretton later launched the legendary Hacienda Club as well as his own label, Robsrecords, which enjoyed a major 1993 hit with Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use)’ by the band Sub Sub (now better known as members of The Doves).

After the death of producer Martin Hannett (
April 1991),
hard-living Rob Gretton – who died from a sudden heart attack at his Manchester home – became the third Factory figurehead to pass on, with Wilson
(
August 2007
) the fourth.

Larry Cassidy of Section 25 - whose first single was produced by Gretton and Curtis -died in February 2010.

Tuesday 18

Augustus Pablo

(Horace Swaby - St Andrew, Jamaica, 21 June 1954)

A huge presence in the development of reggae and the diversification of its sound, Horace Swaby gave himself to Rastafarianism as a teenager, using his music to express his beliefs. Swaby was a self-taught pianist, often called upon by Bob Marley for early Wailers sessions, and joined a house band at Randy’s Studio, thereafter becoming known as Augustus Pablo. Before he was even out of his teens, the ambitious Pablo had recorded his own material, including ‘Iggy Iggy’ (1969) and ‘Java’ (1972). He was soon running four of his own labels and producing the work of Junior Delgado, Jacob ‘Killer’ Miller and Hugh Mundell (all of whom also died prematurely). Although the impact of Pablo’s ‘Far Eastern’ dub stylee was lessened by the rise of dancehall during the eighties, the genre effectively permeated British dance and rock during the early part of the next decade, and Pablo found himself in demand by bands such as Primal Scream.

Augustus Pablo suffered from myasthenia gravis – a rare condition that attacks the central nervous system. He left a partner and two young children.

Minsk-29/5/99

The deaths on this day of fifty-four young fans of Russian dance act Mango Mango represented the worst ever toll in rock concert history. In this case, those who died had been attempting to enter a tube station as they left the gig but, in common with most other major-event tragedies, the victims were crushed or asphyxiated when crowd movement could no longer be controlled. The events brought to mind the deaths of young fans Bernadette Whelan (crushed at a London David Cassidy show in 1974) and Dubliner Bernadette O’Brien (who died watching Smashing Pumpkins in 1996) - and, most significantly, the loss of eleven lives when The Who played Cincinnati, Ohio, on 3 December 1979.

These scenes were sadly to be repeated on 30 June 2000 at Sweden’s Roskilde Festival. As grunge behemoths Pearl Jam started playing the popular festival’s Orange stage, nine devotees were killed in a similar manner.

JUNE

Wednesday 2

Junior Braithwaite

(Franklin Delano Alexander Braithwaite - Kingston, Jamaica, 4 April 1949)

The Wailers

The pointless killing of Junior Braithwaite in June 1999 was the latest death to befall the world’s best-loved reggae outfit. Braithwaite was born in Kingston’s notorious Trenchtown ghetto, just a street away from Bob Marley’s house. As youths, Braithwaite and Marley – along with Peter Tosh (Winston McIntosh), Bunny Wailer (Neville Livingston) and backing singers Beverley Kelso and Cherry Smith– formed the earliest vocal version of The Wailers, emulating top harmoniz-ers Higgs & Wilson. Eventually superseding their heroes, The Wailers cut their first records when Braithwaite was only fourteen, the cheery young singer taking lead vocals on a number of songs such as ‘Habits’ and ‘It Hurts to be Alone’ – his was considered the best voice by no less an authority than Jamaican recording giant Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd. Braithwaite had other ambitions, however, and left his band and country for the US just months later to pursue a career in medicine in Chicago. The death of his close ally Bob Marley
(
May 1981
) prompted Braithwaite to return to Jamaica in 1984; Bunny Wailer was keen for him to join the surviving band members for a
Never Ending Wailers
album (finally issued in 1994). After the deaths of Tosh
(
October 1987)
and Braithwaite, one particular song – ‘Together Again’ – stands out from this poignant set, the last the singer was to record with The Wailers. An attempted solo comeback by Braithwaite faltered, although there are unreleased tracks that may someday see the light of day.

In an all-too-familiar scenario, Junior Braithwaite was visiting a friend’s Kingston home when three anonymous gunmen broke into the house. In the fracas that followed, the singer was killed with a single shot, as was his host, musician Lawrence ‘Chadda’ Scott. It was the second shooting at the address that year, and among the differing statements made by police were that the crime had been related to stolen weapons kept at Scott’s – and that Braithwaite had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.