Mike Mitchell, the musician best-known for his guitar solo on The Kingsmen’s Louie Louie and the last remaining original member
of the Portland, Oregon band died on his birthday, Friday April
16th. He was 77. No specific cause of death has been reported.
The Oregon Music Hall of Fame said in a Facebook post, “His
playing just got better as he aged.”
Don Wilson (above) continues to record with The Ventures, but
retired from touring at the end of 2015. With Nokie Edwards’
death in 2018, Wilson is now the lone surviving member of the
original group.
The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band, formed in
1958 in Tacoma, Washington, by Don Wilson (center) and Bob
Bogle (right) (January 16, 1934 – June 14, 2009). While their
popularity in the United States waned in the 1970s, the group
remains especially revered in Japan, where they tour regularly
to this day. The classic lineup of the band consisted of Wilson
(rhythm guitar), Bogle (initially lead guitar, switched to bass),
Nokie Edwards (front) ((May 9, 1935 – March 12, 2018) initially
bass, switched to lead guitar), and Mel Taylor (drums)
(September 24, 1933 – August 11, 1996).
Jack Sherman (January 18, 1956 – August 18, 2020)
Jack Sherman, a guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers during their
debut in the 1980s, has died. The cause of death is yet to be
determined.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame in 2012. However, neither Sherman nor guitarist Dave Navarro,
who had each played guitar on one of the band’s albums, were
inducted
The Kingsmen, from left, Don Gallucci, Jack Ely, Lynn Easton, Mike Mitchell and Bob Nordby. (Gino Rossi photo)
Based on outcry from parents who bought into what may have started as an
idle rumor, the FBI launched a formal investigation in 1964 into the so-called
pornographic lyrics of the song “Louie, Louie.” The investigation finally
neared its conclusion on this day in 1965, when the FBI Laboratory declared
the lyrics of “Louie, Louie” to officially unintelligible. The tune would go
on to become one of the most –covered songs in rock-and-roll history.
Jack Ely, the guitar player and lead singer for the Kingsmen, sang
the classic rock and roll song “Louie, Louie, ” died April 27, 2015
at age 71.
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