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Chip Taylor
FYI
Obituaries: Hit Singer-Songwriter Chip Taylor of 'Wild Thing,' Dash Crofts of Seals and Crofts
This week we also acknowledge the passing of guitar hero Ross 'The Boss' Friedman, Austin songsmith Jon Dee Graham and Pentangle drummer Terry Cox.
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Chip Taylor (born James Wesley Voight), the hitmaking songwriter behind such classics as “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning,” has died at age 86.
His record label Train Wreck Records announced the news on March 24. "Known for songs that captured the emotion and spirit of the times, Chip created a catalog over a six decade career that included works for a diverse range of artists including Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Linda Ronstadt, Shaggy, and Tina Turner," the tribute reads.
A Billboard obituary notes that "born in Yonkers, New York, Taylor was the youngest of three sons, including his older brother, actor Jon Voight. Taylor originally followed in the footsteps of his professional golfer dad Elmer, playing golf in college in South Carolina, before returning to New York and adopting his stage name to become a singer/songwriter.
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"His earliest success came with 'Wild Thing,' which was a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 three times: first as a No. 1 hit in 1966 by The Troggs; then as a comedy recording by Senator Bobby featuring Bill Minkin (No. 20 in 1967); and finally Fancy (No. 14 in 1974). It was also famously covered by the Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
"Another Taylor success story was 'Angel of the Morning,' a top 10 hit on the Hot 100 twice by two different artists: first by Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts (No. 7 in 1968) and then by Juice Newton (No. 4 in 1981). It was a top 40 hit twice on the Hot Country Songs chart as well, thanks to versions by Connie (No. 34 in 1970) and Newton (No. 22 in 1981). It was also interpolated in Shaggy’s 2001 No. 1 Hot 100 hit 'Angel, featuring Rayvon."
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Taylor was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016. During an interview with Billboard that year, he offered insight into his songwriting process. “I knew right then when I was writing ‘Wild Thing,’ just like with ‘Angel of the Morning’ and the interlude, that I wanted to reflect,” he recalled. “I wanted to stop and say something to this girl. I wanted to say, ‘Wild Thing I think I love you, but I want to know for sure. So come on and hold me tight.’ And then the silence. The silence in ‘Wild Thing’ is the most important thing.”
Taylor was also very active as a solo singer/songwriter, releasing more than 30 albums in his lifetime, starting in 1971 and extending through last year.
One Canadian artist who collaborated extensively with Taylor was fiddle player/singer Kendel Carson. While in Canadian folk/roots combo The Paperboys, she met Taylor and he became her mentor, musical partner and producer. She records for Taylor's Train Wreck Records, and they performed together extensively in North America and in Europe. Taylor produced and wrote most of the songs on Carson's debut album, Rearview Mirror Tears, named by Q Magazine as one of the five best roots albums of 2007. When contacted by Billboard Canada, , she offered this tribute: "Rest easy to a gentle wild thing. Thank you for the songs."
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A popular performer on the folk club and festival circuit, Taylor was a frequent visitor to Canada, befriending many Canadian artists and industry types.
Some of them posted tributes on social media. Acclaimed Albertan roots artist and producer Leeroy Stagger posted this on Facebook. "The great Chip Taylor has crossed over. I had the nervous pleasure to have Chip and [musical partner] Carrie Rodriguez in my old studio in Lethbridge Alberta. What struck me about Chip was how gentle and self-conscious he was, even after all his success."
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Veteran Toronto roots music publicist and promoter Richard Flohil (on Facebook): "So sad to read that Chip Taylor has left us. Chip was a fabulous songwriter (we all know 'Angel of the Morning' and 'Wild Thing.') I had the very real privilege of presenting him in Toronto on numerous occasions; he always gave warm-hearted shows, was easy to work with, and a pleasure to have dinner with. Safe home, Chip...we've all lost a good 'un!"
Hamilton club booker Brodie Schwendiman also paid tribute on Facebook: "·R.I.P. to the lovely and talented Chip Taylor. Had the pleasure of hosting him twice. He even remembered me the 2nd time, asking 'how's my fellow Guided by Voices fan doing?'"
Of note: Taylor was also a professional gambler. The obituary on his website notes that "Chip also loved to gamble, and was darn good at it. So good that he took a hiatus from music for nearly a decade to focus on betting on the horses with his gambling partner, Ernie Dahlman. He loved blackjack as well and was an expert card counter, a skill that got him banned from several casinos."
The family is requesting donations be made to the Metropolitan Golf Association Caddie Scholarship Fund, a charity important to Taylor and his father.
Dash (Darrell George) Crofts, one half of the hitmaking soft rock duo Seals and Crofts, died on March 26, at age 85, of heart failure.
The news was announced by producer Louie Shelton, shortly after which a member of Crofts’ family confirmed it to TMZ.
A Billboard obituary reports that "His passing comes about four years after former bandmate Jim Seals died in 2020 at the age of 80. Together, Seals and Crofts scored a number of Billboard Hot 100 hits, including top 10 singles 'Summer Breeze' (No. 6, 1972), 'Diamond Girl' (No. 6, 1973) and 'Get Closer' featuring Carolyn Willis (No. 6, 1976). One of their most controversial tracks, 'Unborn Child' — an anti-abortion song released the year after the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court verdict in 1973 — reached No. 66."
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"Both Texas natives, the two men had known each other since they were teenagers. Before their success as a duo, Seals and Crofts were members of the rock band The Champs. The pair also had success on the Billboard 200 albums chart. In 1972, Summer Breeze reached No. 7, after which Diamond Girl peaked at No. 4 in 1973. Seals and Crofts parted ways in 1980, but they would briefly reunite in the late ’80s/early ’90s, and again in 2004."
An Associated Press obituary notes that "Like many bands of the era, Seals & Crofts sang of love, peace, music and the natural world. But the inspirations were rooted less in the counterculture than in the Baha’i faith, a monotheistic religion advocating global unity that they both embraced in the 1960s.
"They worked Baha’i themes into their music — 'Hummingbird' is a metaphor for the Baha’i prophet Bahaullah — distributed literature after their shows, and sometimes preached from the stage, including during a performance on Tonight with Johnny Carson."
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Ross "The Boss" Friedman, the influential guitarist and co-founder of both The Dictators and Manowar, died on March 26, at the age of 72. He had been battling battle Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, which he had publicly disclosed in February.
Rolling Stone described him as a "Punk and metal great" in its obituary and the Metal Hall of Fame termed him a "Global Metal Ambassador" whose work left a lasting impact on both the punk and heavy metal genres.
After playing in a local New York City band, Total Crudd, Friedman formed the proto-punk rock band the Dictators with Andy Shernoff in 1973. Friedman recorded three albums with the Dictators, including the influential Go Girl Crazy! (1975) and Manifest Destiny (1977).
In 1979, Friedman went to France and worked for one year as lead guitarist in Fabienne Shine's rock band Shakin' Street, appearing on their self-titled 1980 album.
Later in 1980, Friedman helped form the metal outfit Manowar, with whom he recorded six albums before being asked to leave the band after the 1988 album Kings of Metal.
The Dictators started playing again in 1996, touring heavily, and in 2001, they released their album D.F.F.D. , followed by a live record, Viva Dictators.
In 2004, Friedman joined Albert Bouchard, the original drummer for Blue Öyster Cult, in his band Brain Surgeons. He also recorded an instrumental album with Dictators drummer JP Thunderbolt Patterson, called Thunderboss.
Other later projects for Friedman included Manitoba's Wild Kingdom (featuring his former Dictators bandmate Handsome Dick Manitoba), Death Dealer (they released two albums between 2013 and 2015), and his own solo group, Ross the Boss, who delivered four albums between 2008 and 2020.
In January 2017, Friedman was inducted into the Hall of Heavy Metal History for his contributions to Speed Metal while in Manowar.
Veteran Hamilton music booker and rock frontman Lou Molinaro had both a professional and close personal relationship with Friedman. In a Facebook tribute, he recalled that "I had the pleasure of hosting shows with Ross over the years. Prior to my working relationship with him, I saw Ross perform various times with the Dictators.
"His guitar playing ranks him as one of the best that I have ever seen. I can assure you, I have witnessed a lot of slingers. Ross told me how he started playing the violin when he was a kid, and then he learned how to play guitar. He said that his violin lessons had a tremendous impact on his guitar playing."
"Many of us know Ross as being like a warrior with his musical abilities. Although he is recognized by his metal and punk rock works, his influences were unique. During one of his visits to Hamilton, I was blessed to have uninterrupted time with Ross and we spoke about his guitar heroes. The first name that he mentioned immediately was Michael Bloomfield. He also name-dropped Elvin Bishop, Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck of course, Buck Dharma, Wes Montgomery, Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin. It all made sense as to why he was such a gifted player. He took pieces from his teachers and created his own style. No pedals either!"
"Ross and I kept in touch primarily via Facebook. However, when he learned that [Teenage Head guitarist] Gord Lewis passed away, he called me immediately. We had a very lengthy conversation and his respect and love for Gordie was overflowing. Ross told me that he looked at Gordie as an equal. I know how much that would have meant to Gord because he loved Ross' guitar playing.
"When Ross played This Ain't Hollywood [the club Molinaro booked and co-owned] during the second Manitoba visit, Gordie was watching Ross closely and studying his playing and posture. During this time, This Ain't Hollywood had a weekly residency called The Gord Lewis Songbook. The Songbook that followed Ross' visit, Gordie played guitar trying to replicate Ross' stance. During the break, I asked Gordie how it felt. He said it was a bit difficult for him, but he had to try it. During their second set, Gordie went back to embracing his own bearings."
"At the gigs — Dictators, Manitoba, Shakin' Street, Brain Surgeons — my spot was ALWAYS in front of Ross. A true master. When Spectacular Crash [a band featuring Molinaro and Rob Sweeney] opened up for Shakin' Street, Rob Sweeney and I reached out to Ross to ask him if he would join us onstage for a set of Dictators songs. His response? 'Of course!' Various times during that set, I was stepping out of my own skin to look at myself on stage with Ross! Thank you for the memories and the six string brilliance that you left us."
Jon Dee Graham, a Texan roots and rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, died on March 27, at age 67. He had faced many serious health issues in recent years.
Graham made a splash on the Austin rock scene with the band The Skunks in the late '70s, and then had a more national impact as a member of the famed True Believers, a group that also featured Austin roots/rock legend Alejandro Escovedo and his brother, Javier Escovedo.
The True Believers merged literate songwriting with punk, rock and country elements, and were prominent in the so-called cowpunk scene of the '80s. They released a 1986 self-titled album and a 1994 retrospective collection, Hard Road, released on Rykodisc and featuring recordings intended for a second album that never saw the light of day.
Graham went on to play with John Doe, Exene Cervenka, James McMurtry, Eliza Gilkyson, Kelly Willis, John Hiatt, Michelle Shocked, Patty Griffin, Calvin Russell, and Lone Justice.
Graham released ten solo albums, beginning with Escape from Monster Island (1997, Freedom Records) and concluding with Knoxville Skyline (2016, South Central). He earned critical acclaim for writing about heavy themes with poetic skill.
Graham's second son, Willie, suffered from a chronic, rare childhood disease called Legg-Perthes. In 2005, the Austin music community banded together in an effort to raise money for Willie's treatment. The resulting benefit concert at Austin's Continental Club became a CD/DVD release called Big Sweet Life: The Songs of Jon Dee Graham. Musicians like Alejandro Escovedo, Bob Schneider, David Garza, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Ian McLagan and Canadian Steve Poltz contributed by covering Graham's tunes.
In early 2006, production began on a feature-length documentary on Graham and his music. Entitled Jon Dee Graham: Swept Away, it was released on DVD on May 20, 2008 and later made available to stream on Amazon Prime.
In 2012, Susan Cowsill, Freedy Johnston, and Graham, working together as The Hobart Brothers and Lil' Sis Hobart, released a collaborative album on Freedom Records entitled At Least We Have Each Other.
Graham was a leading light on the Austin scene for many decades. He was named the Austin Musician of the Year during the South by Southwest (SXSW) music conference in 2006 and he was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame three times: as a solo artist in 2000, again in 2008 as a member of The Skunks, and again in 2009 as a member of the True Believers.
His music has been featured in soundtracks such as Ladder 49 and Veronica Mars. In 1992, Patty Smyth covered Graham's song "One Moment to Another" on her album Patty Smyth.
Read an extensive obituary in the Austin Chronicle here.
Terry Cox, the longtime drummer for the noted English folk rock band Pentangle and who also played on David Bowie’s legendary song “Space Oddity,” has died at the age of 89.
“Terry Cox R.I.P,” said a post on the band’s Facebook page. “One of Pentangle’s five points of light — a drummer of rare instinct and imagination. Alongside Danny Thompson, he formed a rhythm section that redefined the boundaries of folk, jazz and beyond. Our love and condolences go out to his family, friends, and all who knew him."
Cox co-founded the British folk rock band Pentangle in 1967 with bassist Danny Thompson, virtuoso folk guitarists Bert Jansch and John Renbourn and vocalist Jacqui McShee. He was with the ground-breaking band until 1973, then reunited with the group in the 1980s and also in 2008 and 2011.
American Songwriter reports that "Cox also recorded with a variety of other well-known musicians, including David Bowie and Elton John. He played on Bowie’s self-titled 1969 studio album, including on his breakthrough hit 'Space Oddity.' Cox also contributed to multiple tracks on two of John’s classic early albums—Elton John (1970) and Madman Across The Water (1971).
As an in-demand session drummer, Cox also worked with Rick Springfield, the Bee Gees, Alexis Korner, Mike Batt, Scott Walker, Rupert Hine, Long John Baldry and Charles Aznavour.
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