Musician Tribute

Joel Rundell (1965-1990) Joel Fronk Rundell was born on September 26th, 1965 and is best known as one of the 4 original members of the band Better Than Ezra. He and the other members formed the band while attending Louisiana State University. Nearly a year after the formation of the band they released their first album Surprise.  Achievements: Better Than Ezra circulated a demo cassette tape later in 1988, the Chimes Street Demo. While not an official release, this demo is sought-after by the band's fans, and traded by collectors. In 1990 the band released a cassette-only album, Surprise. Charity: Better Than Ezra Foundation

Steve Clark (1960-1991) Stephen Maynard Clark was born on April 23rd, 1960 in Hillsborough, Sheffield, England. He shown an interest in music at an early age, attending his first concert at the age of 6 (Cliff Richard and the Shadows). His father bought him his first guitar at the age of 11, studying classical guitar for a year before being introduced to the music of Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin. Upon leaving school he was employed with an engineering firm where he worked as a lathe operator. He was 3/4’s done with his apprenticeship by the time Def Leppard was signed to a record deal with Phonogram Records. Before Def Leppard he played cover songs with his small band Electric Chicken.  In 1978 Clark auditioned for Def Leppard and was accepted as a member of the group, while in the band he was nicknamed “The Riffmaster” because of his talent and ability to come up with some of the best guitar riffs in modern rock. Pete Willis would soon be replaced by Phil Collen in Def Le...

Ole Beich (1955-1991) Ole Beich was born January 1st, 1955 in Esbjerg, Denmark. During his youth he played with many local Danish bands before deciding to move to L.A. to attain a musical career. The first major band Beich was known for being in was L.A. Guns. He was a member of L.A. Guns from 1983 to 1985, once the band reformed they replaced Beich with Mick Cripps. In March 1985 L.A. Guns merged with Hollywood Rose and became known as Guns N’ Roses with a line-up that consisted of Rose, Guns, Stradlin, Beich, and Gerder. The only show Beich played as a member of Guns N’ Roses was on March 26th, 1985. After that he was fired and replaced by Duff McKagan.  Achievements: L.A. Guns were first formed in 1983 by guitarist Tracii Guns and drummer Rob Gardner. The first lineup included singer Mike Jagosz , bassist Ole Beich and drummer Rob Gardner. Guns, Gardner and Jagosz met at Fairfax High School and previously played in a band called Pyrrhus with bassist Dani Tull. Th...

Eric Carr (1950-1991) Paul Charles Caravello was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 12th, 1950. He attended the Highschool of Art and Design where he originally planned to be a cartoonist, but changed his mind to study photography. During high school his love of The Beatles was expressed by his choice of hairstyle and by playing in numerous bands that mostly performed covers of popular music. In 1967 he graduated from high school. Between his high school and before joining Kiss he was in many local bands. In 1980 he was encouraged to audition to be the drummer in the band Kiss after learning of Peter Criss’ departure. After he was accepted as a member of Kiss he took of the “fox” persona in the band. Carr was a member of Kiss from this time until he died. Achievements: Inducted into the Rock Walk Hall of Fame at Guitar Center in Hollywood. July 2005: Voted 10th best drummer of all time by Planet Radio Rock Charity: Have a Heart

Doug Hopkins (1961-1993) Douglas Owen “Doug” Hopkins was born in Seattle, Washington on April 11th, 1961. He formed his first rock band with Bill Leen in 1981, neither one of them knew how to play instruments but they both learned how to. Hopkins graduated from Arizona State in 1985 with a degree in sociology.  He co-founded The Gin Blossoms in the early 1990’s with Richard Taylor. He was the band’s lead guitarist and his most known songs are “Hey Jealousy”, “Found Out About You”, “Hold Me Down” and “Lost Horizons.” Doug was against the The Gin Blossoms signing to a major music label.  Achievements:  Gold record for the song “Hey Jealousy”. Hopkins' writing credits included the hits "Hey Jealousy", "Found Out About You", "Hold Me Down", and "Lost Horizons". His penchant for somber lyrics, matched with catchy guitar hooks and notable melodies, underscored his memorable style.  He graduated from Arizona State in 1985 with a ...

Bob Stinson (1959-1995) Robert Neil “Bob” Stinson was born in Waconia, Minnesota on December 17th, 1959. He is best known as being a founding member and lead guitarist of The Replacements. The Replacements were formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979. Throughout his time in the band he won acclaim for his lead guitar. In late 1986 Stinson left The Replacements due to unknown circumstances. After this he was in many bands after such as Model Prisoner, Static Taxi, Shotgun Rationale, Dog 994, and The Bleeding Hearts.  Achievements: The Goo Goo Dolls' vocalist and guitarist Johnny Rzeznik cites Paul Westerberg as an "obvious influence" on his music. The Goo Goo Dolls toured in support for The Replacement's final tour. They also co-wrote the song "We Are the Normal" with Westerberg for their 1993 album Superstar Car Wash. Members of The Cribs have cited The Replacements as a key influence. Members of the alternative country groups Uncle Tupelo a...

Tom Petty (1950-2016) Thomas Earl Petty was born October 20th, 1950 in Gainesville, Florida. He was 10 years old when he began having an interest in Rock and Roll music when he met Elvis Presley in the Summer of 1961 on the set of Follow That Dream in Ocala. Once he saw The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show he knew what he wanted to be a part of and do with his life. So, at the age of 17 he dropped out of highschool to play bass with his band. Petty was married twice, his first wife was Jane Benyo, they married in 1974 and had two daughters, they would later divorce in 1996. He then married Dana York in 2001. Musically, he was known for being the lead singer of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers which formed in 1976. He has also been the lead singer of the band Mudcrutch and co-founded the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys in the late 1980’s.  Achievements: -April 1996: Achieved UCLA’s George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement. ...

Jonathan Melvoin (1961-1996) Jonathan Melvoin was born December 6th, 1961 in Los Angeles, California. His father was a musician, Mike Melvoin, from the Wrecking Crew and has twin sisters named Susannah and Wendy. It is said that he was involved in music as young as 5 years old when he began playing drums. Melvoin performed in many bands throughout the 1980’s until his death; some of those bands are The Dickies, The Family (Prince’s side project), Smashing Pumpkins and many of his sister’s side projects. At the time of his death he was the touring keyboardist for the Smashing Pumpkins.  Achievements: He was also a member of The Family, a Prince side project band which produced the original recording of "Nothing Compares 2 U" 1996 – Best Rock MTV Video Music Awards 1996 – "Tonight, Tonight" – Video of the Year, Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography 1996 – "1979 – Best Alternative V...

Seth Gainer (1991-2018) Seth was born and raised in Levittown, Pennsylvania in 1991. He started playing bass guitar when he was young and was involved in a couple bands centered in New Jersey and Pennsylvania over the last 8 years. Playing the bass was one of his favorite things to do and playing music was a great passion of his. He was a long time Star Wars and metal music fan. His love of music led him to be a part of many bands such as Capone, Alita Scorned, Paradigms, Arcane Way and up until his death Dreams of Demise. Seth played bass on the Paradigms EP “Divergency” as well as on the Arcane Way album Muladhara and on the Dreams of Demise EP “51” and their stand alone single “Broken Promises.” He was also very passionate about playing for audiences and always gave his all during shows. He is described by bandmates as being loved by many and looked up to as a friend and brother and also that he was always willing to chat and listen or give guidance and never missed a mome...

Dolores O’Riordan (1971-2018) Dolores Mary Eileen O’Riordan was born September 6th, 1971 in Ballybricken, County Limerick, Ireland; she was the youngest of 9 children, 2 died during infancy. Her mother was a devout Catholic who named Dolores in reference to the Lady of the Seven Delours. In 2017 she went public talking about her struggles with being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and talked about sexual abuse she had been victim of as a child by someone close to her. In 1989 the band The Cranberry Saw Us put an ad up looking for a female singer and Dolores responded to the add and was hired after playing them a version of one of their songs that she had redone.  Some time after she joined the band they changed their name to The Cranberries. In 2003 the band went on a temporary hiatus to experiment with solo albums. On July 18th, 1994 Dolores married Bon Burton and the couple had three children. After 20 years of marriage in 2014, her and don ended their relations...

Mac Miller (1992-2018) Malcolm James McCormick was born January 19th, 1992 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Point Breeze, Pittsburgh and was raised Jewish. He began taking piano lessons at the age of 6, but decided to focus on his hip hop career during high school. He also taught himself how to play guitar, drums, and bass. In 2010, he signed a deal with Rostrum Records based in Pittsburgh and recorded his debut studio album “Blue Side Park” which was released on November 8th, 2011. This album debut at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. In 2013, he began his own record label named after a friend who had passed away, REMember Music. In 2014, he signed a record deal for his label and himself with Warner Bros. Records and would produce under the Pseudonym Larry Fisherman Accomplishments: First independently distributed debut Album to come out number 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with “Blue Side Park” since 1995. 2010 - Won 2 awards at the...

Scott Hutchison (1981-2018) Scott Hutchison was born November 20th, 1981 in Selkirk, Scotland. Hutchison was a founding member and primary songwriter for the band Frightened Rabbit. He was was also a member of the bands Owl John, The Fruit Tree Foundation and the ‘supergroup’ Mastersystem. Scott studied illustration at the Glasgow School of Art before forming Frightened Rabbit. Up until the age of 19 he considered himself to be only a guitar player, because he was always told that he couldn’t sing but he later found out that wasn’t the case.  Accomplishments: The Midnight Organ Fight at producer Peter Katis's Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut. This album was released 15 April 2008. It was critically acclaimed, receiving an 8.1 rating on music website Pitchfork.com  The band made their US television debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on 25 May 2010, performing "Nothing Like You". In June 2010, they appeared on The A.V. Club covering The Le...

Sid Vicious (1957-1979) Simon John Ritchie was born May 10th, 1957 in Lewisham, London, UK and was best known for singing and playing the bass. Shortly after his birth his mother and him moved to Ibiza and were awaiting his father to join them, but he never did. So, heartbroken, he and his mother moved back to Kent where his mother, Anne, met and married Christopher Beverly. His step-father passed away 6 months later due to cancer.  Sid achieved fame as a member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols, and replaced Glen Matlock as the lead singer after returning to the band after receiving treatment for hepatitis due to intravenous drug use.  Achievements: 2006 - Vicious and four others original members of the Sex Pistols were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. NME Award 1978 - Most Wonderful Human Being Charity:  In 1977, the Sex Pistols did a charity gig to raise money for the families of striking miners and firefighters in Huddersfi...

Keith Moon (1946-1978) Keith John Moon was born on August 23rd, 1946 in Wembley, Middlesex, England. He started playing drums in the early 1960’s he originally played with a local band called the BeachCombers before joining the Who in 1964. His drumming style was unique and got him much recognition as they grew so did Moon’s drum kit. He is credited as being one of the earliest drummers in rock to use a double bass drum. Aside for him being a skilled drummer, he was also known for smashing his drum kit during sets with the Who. Moon was also known for his touring behavior which included wild parties and almost violent activities. After the death of Neil Boland and going through a divorce he turned to alcohol for solace, mainly Brandy and Champagne. He recorded one solo album “Two Sides of the Moon” which was not very successful. Accomplishments: Been described numerous times as the greatest drummer in rock. Ranked #1 on the “50 Greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll Drummers” list by...