The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars (286 page)

Nick Hawkins: BAD boy in better days

Saturday 22

Franky Gee

(Francisco Gutierrez - Havana, Cuba, 19 February 1962)

Captain Jack

A former US soldier based in Germany, Francisco Gutierrez customized his uniform to become first ‘Westside’, then ‘Franky Gee’, the camp DJ turned Europop artiste who somehow captured the imagination of his adopted continent as one half of Captain Jack from 1995. Gutierrez had come to despise the military and, ably accompanied by female counterpart Sunny (Lisa da Costa), donned his jacket and red cap to satirize much of the lifestyle he’d been forced to adopt when money was short. Many of Captain Jack’s songs were based on marches, a gimmick that clearly worked as the duo shifted millions of records across Europe, their music often lifted for arcade games. Each of the act’s seven albums was declared at least gold during the frontman’s short lifetime, Gutierrez accompanied by three further Sunnys.

While out walking with his son Francisco Jr (an aspiring rap artist) during a holiday in Mallorca, Gutierrez collapsed and fell into a coma on 17 October, doctors citing a cerebral haemorrhage. The man who to all intents and purposes
was
Captain Jack passed away in hospital five days later.

Saturday 29

David Townsend

(California, 17 May 1955)

Surface

His father a soul producer and the co-writer of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’, David Townsend had much to live up to. But, around the turn of the nineties, he appeared to have done just that, his band Surface giving New Kids on the Block a run for their money as the US’s number-one pin-ups. With younger bandmates Bernard Jackson and lead singer David ‘Pic’ Conley, Townsend saw his compositions start to shift units with the Top Twenty ‘Happy’ (1987), a fairly upbeat tune that suggested good things ahead. Instead, the Columbia act trod the familiar path of saccharine R & B, nonetheless selling records in their millions: ‘Shower Me with Your Love’ (1989) was an airplay staple, its follow-up, ‘The First Time’ (1990), topping the national charts as Surface frenzy hit meltdown. Fame was not to last for the trio, however, more polished acts (Boys II Men, etc) stepping in to usurp them soon after. Despite this, Townsend had his lyric-writing to fall back on, penning tunes for Sister Sledge and New Edition, among others.

Just months after announcing a reunion tour, David Townsend – who outlived his father by just two years – was found dead at his home in Northridge, California, on 2 November; it was thought he’d lain undiscovered for three days. Though foul play was ruled out, his death remains a mystery at the time of writing.

NOVEMBER

Friday 4

China Nishiura

(Mana Nishiura - Hiroshima, 11 October 1975)

Shonen Knife

DMBQ

(Various acts)

The highlight of Mana ‘China’ Nishiura’s career was surely as drummer with internationally enjoyed pop-punk princesses Shonen Knife – though she’d joined noise-metal act DMBQ by the time she lost her life in dramatic circumstances while on tour in the USA. Nishiura had been a top session drummer in Japan for many years, sitting in for alternative bands such as Jesus Fever and Teem before joining sisters Naoko (vocals/guitar) and Atsuko Yamano (bass, formerly drums) in the John Peel and Kurt Cobain-approved band in 2001. Shonen Knife had been around for some twenty years by this time, their records appearing on many labels, including Sub

Pop.

Shonen Knife: Lost their edge?

China Nishiura remained with the Yamanos until 2004, when she joined DMBQ, which, like the previous act, pulled interest in the US. The group were on an American tour when their Econoline van was involved in a highway accident on the New Jersey Turnpike. The vehicle was struck from behind by a Mitsubishi Eclipse and rolled down an embankment. While other band members were hospitalized, the drummer was tragically thrown to her death.

Golden Oldies #30

Link Wray

(Frederick Lincoln Wray - Dunn, North Carolina, 2 May 1929)

He believed he was ‘too slow’ to play the guitar properly, so instead Link Wray invented the power chord, in so doing fathering punk and heavy rock. Wray -who was three-quarters Shawnee Native American - was very much a musician’s musician, cited as a key influence by almost every major rock star from David Bowie to Bruce Springsteen via Pete Townshend and John Lennon. Initially joining the family band The Palomino Ranch Gang, Wray began his solo career in 1956 as ‘Lucky’ Wray. He was to channel much of his natural aggression into music, writing the classic ‘Rumble’ in 1956 (Top Twenty, 1958 - later covered by The Dave Clark Five and Duane Eddy) after witnessing a fight at one of his shows. Wray - now fronting The Ray Men - was also known to punch holes in his amp to create the first ‘fuzz guitar’ effect. Despite one or two further hits, Wray was to suffer from a bad management deal and received few royalties.

The great Link Wray: Ready to rumble

After the wilderness years of the seventies and eighties, Link Wray returned to favour during the nineties after the inclusion of his work in the soundtrack of movies such as
Pulp Fiction
and
12 Monkeys.
Dying from a heart attack on 5 November 2005 (at his home in Copenhagen where he’d lived for twenty-five years), the guitarist nonetheless outlived many contemporaries and bandmates, including his brother Vernon, who committed suicide in 1979.

Rock
V
roll singer/bassist Chuck Bennett - who occasionally worked with Link Wray -died in January 2009.

Saturday 19

Mr Pit

(Steven Zorn - St Paris, Ohio, July 1983)

A remarkable story emerged from Ohio to make national headlines across America. Steven Zorn had spent a few years on the sidelines of rap, a decent enough performer who went by the name of Mr Pit, such was his affiliation with pit bulls. After something of a struggle, the 22-year-old white hip-hop artist - hotly tipped by Aaliyah/Will Smith producer Lemoyne Alexander – was finally to have his CD
Raw Meat
released through Koch Records in Atlanta. On the night of 18 November 2005, Zorn was intent on celebrating.

Together with high-school friends Shane Hanes and Cody Cornette, Zorn drank steadily into the night and, once the subject of his deal had been exhausted, drew their attention to a ‘zip’ pen gun he’d acquired the previous week. Although fascinated by the slimline weapon, Zorn expressed frustration that it appeared jammed: as though to prove his point, the rapper placed the piece against his head and popped the trigger three times. On the third occasion, the zip gun fired. Bleeding profusely, Zorn was flown by helicopter to hospital in Dayton, but was declared brain dead on arrival. Mr Pit’s album was still expected to be released in 2006, while the deceased’s mother launched a campaign to draw attention to the dangers of the weapon.