John Hinch, Judas Priest’s Drummer on their Debut Album “Rocka Rolla” Has Died


Sad news as Blabbermouth.net has reported that John Hinch, early drummer for Judas Priest has died. He was 73 years old. Hinch’s passing was confirmed by Priest vocalist Rob Halford on Instagram. Hinch played on Priest’s debut album “Rocka Rolla.” Hinch originally joined Priest in 1973 along with  Halford from the local band Hiroshima but left the band in 1975 over musical differences.  According to Wikipedia, Hinch later pursued a career in music management. He was mentioned prominently and for the most part positively in both the recent autobiographies of former member KK Downing and Halford. RIP.

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Bassist and Classic Rock Legend Tim Bogert of Vanilla Fudge has Died 


Klaus Hiltscher - https://www.flickr.com/photos/khiltscher/4921150642/in/faves-24788065@N02/ 1972 - Tim Bogert, bass & vocals - Beck, Bogert & Appice  CC BY-SA 2.0view terms File:Tim Bogert 1972 (cropped).jpg Created: 23 August 2010 (Upload date) Actual photo date: 1972

 

As first reported by Piercing Metal and shared by his friend and bandmate for 50 years, Carmine Appice, rock legend Tim Bogert has died. Tim was 76 years old but had been battling cancer in the last few years. Getting his start in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s, Bogert pioneered classic rock bass guitar with virtuoso playing in bands such as Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, and the power trio Beck, Bogart and Appice with Rock And Roll Hall of Famer, Jeff Beck. In addition to his playing, he was one of the signature players of the original Fender Precision “P-bass” and made great use of distortion, which would later influence Geezer Butler, Lemmy, Cliff Burton, and others. Tim formerly retired from touring the last ten years of his life but continued to form bands and record albums, notably blues projects. Vanilla Fudge helped innovate a psychedelic sound and proto-heavy metal that has been imitated and copied endlessly. Rest in power, Tim Continue reading


Rapper MF Doom Has Died, Aged 49


Sad news at this late day in the year, as legendary Rapper and underground Hip-Hip icon MF Doom has died. No cause of death was revealed. The news was broken on Facebook in a post to his page by his wife. According to the post he died on Halloween, but that information is being verified as of now. Born Daniel Dumile in the United Kingdom, he changed the world of rap in ten years of releases from 1999 to 2009 with inventive, ground-breaking albums such as Operation: Doomsday, Take Me to Your Leader, Vaudeville Villain, Venomous Villain, Mm..Food, and Born Like This. inspired by Marvel Comics character Doctor Doom, with his mask, great rhyme skills, and dynamic stage persona, he gained critical acclaim, and commercial success. In an age of disposable MC’s and dumbed down styles, MF Doom was a leader who had great tracks and brilliant lyricism. RIP.  

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Early King Crimson Member Gordon Haskell Has Died


Sad news as Gordon Haskell, a one-time member of King Crimson, and vocalist for such classic-era albums In The Wake Of Poseidon (Island, 1970), and Lizard (Island, 1970), has died. He was 74. No cause of death was revealed, but hew had been ill for some time Haskell also had an impressive solo career and was in the proto-prog rock group Fleur De Lys in the mid-1960s. Although his split with Crimson was acrimonious, the band announced his passing with several thoughtful posts today. We send our sympathies to Gordon’s family and friends at this difficult time. 

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NJ Bloodline Vocalist Enrique “Wreak” Maseda Dies


Sad news as NJ Bloodline vocals Enrique “Wreak” Maseda has passed away. No cause of death has been revealed. The band shared the news on their Facebook page. In a series of messages the band shared their grief at the loss of their friend and sent their support to Enrique’s family. Continue reading


Legendary Film Score Composer Ennio Morricone Has Died at Age 91


A giant of the music world has left us as Italian-born Ennio Morricone has died. He was 91. The news was broken to the media in a statement from Morricone’s lawyer and Variety. Morricone was hospitalized last week after falling and breaking his leg. Best known for scoring Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Westerns such as “The Good The Bad, and The Ugly”, the Oscar winner also produced the sounds and music for ‘Days of Heaven,’ ‘The Mission,’ ‘Cinema Paradiso’ and ‘The Hateful Eight.’. His composition “The Ecstacy of Gold” from “The Good The Bad, and The Ugly” has been the opening music for every Metallica show since 1984, and the band even recorded a full metal band version of it and performs it live every so often, their last being “S & M 2” concerts in September of 2019 Continue reading


Former UFO Guitarist Paul Chapman Has Died, Age 66


Welsh rock legend and guitarist Paul Chapman, perhaps best known for his work in UFO and Waysted, has died at the age of 66. His passing was confirmed by his son, who wrote on Paul’s Facebook page: “It is with a heavy heart writing this, today is my dads 66th birthday. He passed away earlier this afternoon. He was a brilliant, energetic, loving and most carefree person and the First man I ever loved. Everyone he came in contact with loved him. no ADORED him. will keep everyone posted on his celebration of life. I appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers as his family grieves and processes everything at this time. I love you Dad. So much.” In Paul’s early career, his first notable band was the Welsh outfit UNIVERSE. Chapman then joined SKID ROW (not to be confused with the 1980s band from New Jersey) in December 1971 replacing Gary Moore as a guitarist. His tenure was fairly short and only lasted until July 1972. His next band was KIMLA TAZ, with whom he was guitarist from December 1972 to May 1974. In recent years, Chapman had been teaching music at his studio in Melbourne, Florida. We send our condolences out to Paul’s family, friends and many fans at this time. Continue reading


Rock N Roll Originator Little Richard Has Died at Age 87


Arguably the architect of the Rock music genre that spawned Rock N Roll as a cultural phenomenon, Little Richard, has passed away. He was 87 years old. The musician’s son, Danny Penniman, confirmed the pioneer’s death to Rolling Stone but said the cause of death was unknown. Born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, Georgia in 1932, Richard’s incredible songwriting, unmatchable singing voice, and flamboyant androgynous, yet taboo-shattering mix of sexual energy and religious music in his personality became the playbook for all young rockers to follow. Rolling Stone Magazine eloquently said his “fervent shrieks, flamboyant garb, and joyful, gender-bending persona embodied the spirit and sound of that new art form.” His influence can be felt from The Beatles, to The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Elton John, Billy Joel, Keith Emerson, KISS, Motörhead, MotörheadLed Zeppelin, Tom Jones, Van Morrison, as far back as Elvis, and even into the early stages of Heavy Metal with Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Rainbow, and Pentagram, his musical touch will be eternal. Starting a string of hits to start his career with ‘Tutti Frutti’, ‘Long Tall Sally’, ‘Rip It Up’ all in 1956,’Lucille’, ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’ those early hits shaped generations of fans. We send out sympathy to Little Richard’s family, friends, and fans at this time. 

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Falling In Reverse Guitarist Derek Jones Has Died, Age 35


Sad news to report at this hour as we have learned that Falling in Reverse guitarist Derek Jones has died at the age of 35. No cause of death is available at this time. Derek’s passing was confirmed by FIR singer Ronnie Radke in ap ost on social media. Radke Tweeted the news of Jones’ passing, writing, “I’ll never forget when you picked me up from jail in your old tour van to start Falling in Reverse. Your spirit will be interwoven through the music I write forever. Rest in peace Derek Jones. My heart is broken.” The message was accompanied by four photos of the late guitarist, who formally joined the band in 2010 and has been featured on all four of Falling in Reverse’s albums. Falling in Reverse’s, most recent album, their fourth, Coming Home, came out in 2017. We send our sympathies out to Derek’s family, friends, and fans at this difficult time.Continue reading


Jimmy Webb – Rock N Roll Fashion Icon Has Died, Age 62


A legend of Rock N Roll has died. Jimmy Webb, who dressed four generations of rockers and fans from his East Village boutique Trash and Vaudeville. He was 62. At press time there has been no official cause of death. Jimmy spent many years as the manager and primary buyer for Trash and Vaudeville before opening his own boutique, I Need More, in 2017 on Orchard St. Over the years Webb had styled for MTV, Rolling Stone, and Vogue, and regular customers/clients were a Who’s Who of punk and rock, including Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Debbie Harry, Slash and many more. One of the holdovers from the 1980s punk and metal spirit of the era, he helped define that class of that era, and Jimmy continued to innovate and create looks synonymous with the rock, punk and metal ethos. We met Jimmy several times over the years, notably when we interviewed his friend Doyle on his tour bus in 2018. Continue reading