The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars (411 page)

Monday 21

Loleatta Holloway

(Chicago, Illinois, 5 November 1946)

(The Caravans)

It was her mother who encouraged little Loleatta Holloway to exercise that vast tower of a voice, first through her gospel troupe The Holloway Community Singers and then within the ranks of the more-established Caravans. This spiritual vocal act was led by Albertina Walker, and was to kickstart the careers of a number of soulful singers, including Shirley Caesar and The Reverend James Cleveland. (Holloway was often promoted as the group’s ‘teenage’ star, although she was twenty by the time she began recording with The Caravans.)

Next came musical theatre, which allowed Loleatta Holloway and her powerful lungs to be spotted by jazz guitarist Floyd Smith, who was to become the singer’s manager, producer and, later, her husband. Holloway’s career really took hold with the Curtis Mayfield-penned ‘Rainbow ‘71’ (Apache, 1971), which finally brought her to the attention of the majors. Holloway had to wait until the disco boom, however, to enjoy her first chart entry – ‘Cry To Me’ (1975, US Hot 100; US R & B Top Ten). Her label’s collapse delayed the singer’s next hit, but signing for Norman Harris’s Salsoul imprint Gold Mind proved a good move. Holloway released ‘Worn-Out Broken Heart’ (1977), the flip of which, ‘Dreamin’’ became a huge dancefloor favourite.

With the emphasis now squarely on this market, her brilliant delivery of ‘Love Sensation’ (1980) gave Holloway a deserved US Dance chart-topper and her best-recalled vocal performance. The song finally made pop number one – after a fashion – when ‘borrowed’ extensively by Black Box for ‘Ride On Time’, the UK’s bestselling single nine years later. The Italian studio group’s hijacking of her vocal brought about extensive litigation from Holloway’s lawyers. When further acts sampled this remarkable cut – including Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch on the US chart-topper ‘Good Vibrations’ (1991) and house producer Cevin Fisher on ‘(You Got Me) Burnin’ Up’ (1999) – they, at least, had the good sense to credit Holloway and pay her royalties.

There were many other dance hits during the singer’s long and varied career, among them ‘Hit and Run’ (1977) and ‘Crash Goes Love’ (1984). Shortly before the recording of the latter, Smith – who was by some distance Holloway’s senior – died at the age of sixty-five. Loleatta Holloway was just a few months younger herself when she passed away from heart failure almost thirty years later: the singer – who had significantly pared-down her live performances over the past two decades – is survived by four children.

Golden Oldies #135

Carl Bunch

(Big Spring, Texas, 24 November 1939)

Buddy Holly

Roy Orbison

Hank Williams Jr

Ronnie Smith & The Poor Boys

(Various acts)

It’s fair to say that Texan percussionist Carl Bunch endured some ‘close shaves’ of one sort or another. As a young teen, he’d overcome extensive surgery on a tumour in his right leg, using his love of drumming as vital exercise in mobilizing the limb that been injured playing football. At seventeen, Bunch won a talent show to join local rockabilly group Ronnie Smith & The Poor Boys. The band played the clubs until they were ready to record in Clovis, New Mexico – and as luck would have it, a major player in early rock ‘n’ roll was at work in an adjoining studio …

Lubbock hero Buddy Holly was struck by Bunch’s percussion work and persuaded guitarist Tommy Allsup – who’d played with the drummer – to ask him to join his new band: after all, they already had a series of dates lined-up as part of the Winter Dance Party package tour at the start of 1959. Although he jumped at such a chance, the drummer’s dreams of stardom and luxury travel were not immediately met. Instead, with the tour bus’s heater packing up, Bunch – who, of course, still needed to take care of his leg – was soon hospitalized with a serious case of frostbite. However, if he felt bitter about his own hardship, it wasn’t to last. Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper all flew in the former’s light aircraft, which crashed short of its destination, killing all three
(
Pre-1965).
As he lay in the hospital, Bunch remained unaware of the tragedy until his mother broke the news, and the drummer shared his grief with the fans who’d stopped by to visit him. Reeling from the news, the musician made a snap decision – and two days later, Bunch rejoined the tour.

‘Sometimes it’s still not real. Sometimes I still cry about it.’

Carl Bunch recalls ‘The Day the Music Died’

After a spell in the army, Bunch returned to play with, among others, Hank Williams Jr, Roy Orbison and country favourites The Cheatin’ Hearts. The drummer eventually left music, however, to pursue studies during the 1980s, eventually becoming ordained as a minister. Carl Bunch died in the hospital on 26 March 2011 from complications due to diabetes.

Tuesday 29

Ray Herr

(Arlington Heights, Illinois, 1947)

The Ides of March

He was a couple of weeks late for the Ides, but rock guitarist Ray Herr nevertheless chose the appropriate month to bid us farewell. And although his time in the spotlight wasn’t to be long, it did leave us with at least one memorable tune.

The Ides of March began as The Shon-Dels in 1964, the name change sought to avoid confusion with Tommy James’s break-ing band. The group quickly became favourites in their native Chicago, scoring big regional hits with ‘You Wouldn’t Listen’ and ‘Rollercoaster’, which were issued via their own Epitome label and then the more-established Parrot Records. Further 45s struggled to retain this momentum, however, and it took the addition of a brass section to see The Ides of March crack the national market.

A contract with Warner Brothers changed matters in 1970. The first Ides of March single here was the monumental ‘Vehicle’, a rock track that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in Stax’s catalogue, so prevalent and dynamic were its brass parts. (One or two critics felt that the track in some way resembled the then-huge Blood, Sweat & Tears.) No matter, ‘Vehicle’ raced to Billboard number two (Cash Box, number six), securing a gold disc and becoming Warner’s fastest-selling record in history. With a similarly titled album also charting, The Ides of March were – briefly – a hit, touring with Janis, Jimi and even a few artists that were to remain alive for the rest of that year. But, while follow-up singles made local listings (‘LA Goodbye’ topped Chicago’s charts for over a month), Ides of March were unable to repeat the success of their million-seller.

The Ides went on an extended hiatus in 1973, front man Jim Peterik finding greater fame as the leader of AOR giants Survivor. Herr continued to play also, but didn’t achieve further success beyond the clubs of Chicago. His death from oesophageal cancer came just months before that of former trumpeter John Larson, who passed on in September 2011, aged sixty-one. A revived Ides of March continues to tour.

APRIL

Monday 4

Scott Columbus

(New York City, 10 November 1956)

Manowar

When drummer Donnie Hamzik left Manowar after the group’s debut album, a fan of the popular New York metal combo came up with a good idea for a replacement as she passed a local foundry. Scott Columbus was earmarked for his abilities as an aluminium panel beater ahead of joining Manowar in 1983: indeed, so crude-but-effective was his style that the band even supplied the new percussionist with a stainless steel kit. (This set – perhaps inevitably – became known as ‘The Drums of Doom’.)

Columbus was in situ for five albums of ‘sword and sorcery’-flavoured rock, joining singer Eric Adams, Ross ‘The Boss’ Friedman (formerly of protopunks, The Dictators – guitar) and Joey DeMaio (bass/songwriting) for the band’s second release,
Into Glory Ride
(1983). Manowar’s fanbase grew particularly strong in Europe, the band holding almost God-like status in Germany, where at least four of their records went gold. (Oddly, Manowar never impacted the US charts.)

His son’s alleged illness (which the drummer later denied) forced Columbus to leave the group in 1990, although he was to rejoin a revamped version of Manowar some years later, offering yet more panel-beating magic to the albums
Louder Than Hell
(1996),
Warriors of the World
(2002) and
Gods of War
(2007). Scott Columbus – who had retired from both metal games by 2008 – marched off to Valhalla following an undisclosed illness.