Monday, March 31, 2008
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Musicians Lost to Murder
John Lennon: Age 40 (9 October 1940-8 December 1980)
John Winston Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, in the Liverpool Maternity Hospital, Oxford Street, Liverpool, to Julia Lennon (née Stanley) and Alfred (Alf, or Freddie Lennon, during the course of a German air raid in World War II He was named after his paternal grandfather, John 'Jack' Lennon, and Winston Churchill.
John started The Quarrymen in March 1957, while attending Quarry Bank Grammar School.
On 6 July 1957, John met Paul McCartney at the Quarrymen's second concert at the St. Peter's Church Woolton Garden fête. Paul's father told his son that John would get him "into trouble", but later allowed The Quarrymen to rehearse in the front room at Forthlin Road. It was there that John and Paul began writing songs together. The first song John completed was "Hello, Little Girl" when he was 18 years old, which later became a hit for the Fourmost. Paul convinced John to allow George Harrison to join the Quarrymen (even though John thought Harrison to be too young) after George played the song "Raunchy" for John on the upper deck of a bus. George joined the band as lead guitarist, and Stuart Sutcliffe—Lennon's art school friend—later joined as bassist. After a series of name changes, the group decided on The Beatles. John was always considered the leader of the group, as Paul explained: "We all looked up to John. He was older and he was very much the leader - he was the quickest wit and the smartest and all that kind of thing.John left The Beatles in September 1969 to continue with a solo career.
On the night of 8 December 1980, Lennon was shot in front of the Dakota by Mark David Chapman. Lennon had autographed a copy of Double Fantasy for Chapman earlier that same night.
John was pronounced dead on arrival in the Emergency Room at the Roosevelt Hospital at 11:15 p.m. On the following day, 9 December 1980, Ono issued a statement: "There is no funeral for John. John loved and prayed for the human race. Please pray the same for him. Love, Yoko and Sean."
Chapman pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life. He is still in prison as of 2008, 27 years since his arrest, having been denied parole four times.
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for todayImagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peaceYou may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as oneImagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
magine all the people
Sharing all the worldYou may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as oneSam Cooke: Age 33 January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964)
Sam was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He added an "e" onto the end of his name because he thought it added a touch of class. He was one of seven children of Annie Mae and the Reverend Charles Cook, a Baptist minister. The family moved to Chicago in 1933.
Sam began his musical career as a member of a quartet with his siblings, The Singing Children, and, as a teenager, he was a member of the Highway QCs, a gospel group. In 1950, at the age of 19, he joined The Soul Stirrers and achieved significant success and fame within the gospel community.
Etta James claimed that she viewed Sam's body in the funeral home and that the injuries she observed were well beyond what could be explained by the official account of Franklin alone having fought with Cooke. James described Cooke as having been so badly beaten that his head was nearly separated from his shoulders, his hands were broken and crushed, and his nose was mangled.
Sam died at the age of 33 under mysterious circumstances on December 11, 1964, in Los Angeles, California. Though the details of the case are still in dispute, the official story was that he was shot to death by Bertha Franklin, manager of the Hacienda Motel in South Los Angeles, who claimed that he had threatened her, and that she killed him in self-defense. The verdict was justifiable homicide, though many believe that crucial details did not come out in court, or were buried afterward. Cooke was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California.
Marvin Gaye: born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. Age 44 (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984)
Marvin was born at Freedman's Hospital in Washington, D.C.. He was the first son and second eldest of four children to minister Rev. Marvin Pentz Gay, Sr. and schoolteacher/domestic maid Alberta Cooper. Sisters Jeanne and Zeola, younger brother Frankie and Marvin lived in the segregated section of Washington, D.C.'s Deanwood neighborhood in the northeastern section of the city. As a teen, he caddied at Columbia Country Club just outside of D.C.
On April 1, 1984, one day before his forty-fifth birthday, Marvin's father shot and killed him after an argument that had started after Marvin's parents argued over misplaced business documents. Marvin, Sr. later was sentenced to six years of probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Charges of first-degree murder were dropped after doctors discovered Marvin, Sr. had a brain tumor. Spending his final years in a retirement home, he died of pneumonia in 1998.
Cornell Gunther: Age 54 (14 November 1936 – 26 February 1990). He was born Cornelius E Gunter in Coffeyville, Kansas, and died in Las Vegas, Nevada, after he was shot.
Cornell was an American rhythm and blues singer.
Cornell was also an original member of The Platters
He also was a member of The Flairs and The Coasters.Cornell died in Las Vegas, Nevada, after he was shot.
For nor informationAl Jackson: Age 39 ( November 27, 1935-October 1, 1975)
Al is the son of Al Jackson, Sr. who led a huge jazz/swing dance band in Memphis, Tennessee. Al Jr. began playing on stage with his father's band in 1940 (aged 5)
On September 30, 1975, Al Jackson was scheduled to fly to Detroit, Michigan, to produce a Major Lance session when he heard the DJ on the radio reminding everyone of the Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali fight that night. Al called Detroit and said he was going to watch "The Thrilla in Manila" with his girlfriend on the big screen at the Mid-South Coliseum. (Though still married, Al was estranged from his wife Barbara. In July of 1975 his wife had shot him in the chest -- he decided not to press charges, but was in the process of a divorce and was planning to move to Atlanta, Georgia, to begin working with Stax singer/songwriter William Bell.)
After the Ali-Frazier fight, Al returned home and found intruders in his house. Al was reportedly told to get down on his knees and then shot fatally five times in the back. Around 3:00 a.m. on October 1st, Barbara Jackson ran out in the street, yelling for help. She told police that burglars had tied her up, and then shot her husband when he returned home. Mysteriously, police found nothing in the house out of place and Al Jackson's wallet and jewelry were still on him. The man police believed to have pulled the trigger – the then-boyfriend of R&B singer Denise LaSalle – had reportedly known someone in Memphis and after robbing a bank in Florida, told them to meet him over at Al Jackson's house. Indictments against Barbara Jackson, Denise LaSalle and her boyfriend were supposed to be served, but never were. Tracked through Florida to Memphis to Seattle, Washington, the boyfriend was killed by a police officer on July 15, 1976 after a gun battle.
In a newspaper interview given November 21, 1975, Memphis Police Director E. Winslow 'Buddy' Chapman said the police knew what happened, "But, what we know and what we can prove in court are two different things. We feel there are some individuals who are probably in a position to know first-hand or second-hand what happened. They were either there or came on the scene." Chapman appealed, "If we can get the black community to convince these certain people to come forward, the Al Jackson case could be solved." To this day, Memphis police won't talk about the case, claiming it's still an open investigation.
When Al was murdered, the heart of the Stax family was lost, and the once-mighty label officially closed its doors less than a year later.
Eddie Jefferson: Age 60 (3 August 1918 - 9 May 1979)
Eddie was born in Detroit, Michigan.Eddie was shot and killed at Baker's on May 8th 1979, two days after the Chicago performance. He had left the club with fellow band leader Cole around 1:35 a.m. and was shot while walking out of the building. A late-model Lincoln Continental was spotted speeding away from the scene. The driver was later picked up by Detroit police and identified as a disgruntled dancer whom Jefferson once worked with and had fired from a gig. The suspect did not have enough evidence against him to be held in jail and was later acquitted.
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