Category: Notable Obituaries

Two players in both rock and pop passed away recently: Tommy Hoehn died last Thursday. Hoehn was part of the Memphis music scene and an integral part of Argent studios work with Big Star. He played with The Scruffs as well and the 1977 single “Blow Yourself Up” was his biggest hit, eventually earning Hoehn a new generation of followers thanks to its inclusion on 1993 Rhino Records compilation D.I.Y.: Come Out and Play: American Power Pop I (1975-78). He also recorded two albums with another Memphis power popper, Van Duren. po*******@u..edu/msg08445.html”>This article mentions how that occurred.


Another rock legend, Pete Quaife passed away after a long bout with kidney disease. Pete was The Kinks original bassist. He left the band in 1969 becase of all the fighting among band members. In a 1998 interview, Quaife pointed to the band’s 1968 disc Village Green Preservation Society as his favorite. “For me, it represents the only real album made by the Kinks,” he said. “It’s the only one where we all contributed something.” The 2010 video below is Ray Davies’ tribute to Pete at Glastonbury.

It’s hard to believe, but musician Will Owsley is reported to have killed himself. He was currently working as a touring guitarist for Amy Grant and had a Grammy award for his solo power pop effort “Owsley.” This was followed up by the 2003 disc, The Hard Way. It’s a real shame if he’s really gone — a talent of Will’s caliber doesn’t come along every day. Condolences to the Owsley family.

Wow. I am crushed. This is one of the giants of the genre, so I am hard pressed to think of something to say, other than he will never be forgotten. To quote Jim DeRogatis: “Alex Chilton, a legend of the Memphis music scene and one of the founding fathers of the power-pop movement, died at a hospital in New Orleans on Thursday, the victim of an apparent heart attack. He was 59 years old. Chilton’s hugely influential band Big Star was about to be celebrated at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, partaking in a panel session and a showcase gig on Saturday. The band was experiencing the latest in a series of career resurgences, thanks to the recent reissues of its celebrated albums from the ’70s as the box set, “Keep an Eye on the Sky.” Read more of the obit here.

If you want more info on the box set and a book on Big Star check out my older post.

Here is the NY Times article about Chilton’s passing.

Lead singer for the Knack, Doug was battling cancer and was unable to make it to last year’s Charlotte Pop Fest, unfortunately the continuing battle took it’s final toll.  Let’s remember him as a part of the power pop pantheon and a hard working performer that never faded into musical obscurity. The Knack helped make the entire country aware of the power pop genre in 1979. Despite numerous come back attempts they never really got the respect they deserved  – the excellent albums they left behind deserve to be heard again and again. You will be missed Doug.