zeronyne
MP Hall of Fame Member
Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 6094
Loc: Chicago/NW Indiana
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Long John Baldry, the British blues legend who helped launch the careers of such rock greats as Rod Stewart and the Rolling Stones, has died, his agent and friends said. He was 64.
Baldry was admitted to a Vancouver hospital with respiratory problems in April and died of a chest infection Thursday, agent Frank Garcia said on the musician's Web site.
"The music world has lost an absolute legend," said close friend Anya Wilson, a Toronto music publicist who worked with Baldry in the 1970s.
"They've lost one of the first and most powerful white blues singers -- an innovator, an entrepreneur of new music and one of the most wonderful people you could hope to meet."
Baldry, nicknamed Long John because of his 6-foot-7 height, was born in East Maddon, England, but became a Canadian citizen in 1981.
Credited as one of the main forces in British blues, rock and pop music in the 1960s, he first hit the top of the U.K. singles charts in 1967 with "Let the Heartaches Begin."
One of his most memorable hits was "Don't Try to Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll," co-produced by Stewart and Elton John. Indeed, Elton John -- born Reginald Dwight -- took his last name in honor of Baldry.
Although Baldry released over 40 albums -- that included the songs "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," "Come and Get Your Love" and "A Thrill's a Thrill" -- singing was not considered his forte.
He was perhaps best known for nurturing the nascent talent of a host of musicians who are now worldwide superstars.
Baldry's early 1960s stage act featured the likes of Stewart, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Jimmy Paige and Ginger Baker.
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CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Eugene Record, founder of the legendary Chicago-based vocal group The Chi-Lites, died Friday after a long battle with cancer, the president of the group's booking agency said. He was 64.
Record was the composer of many hits including The Chi-Lites classic, "Have You Seen Her?" and "Oh Girl," among others.
The Chi-Lites were formed in Chicago in 1959, and Record slowly emerged as the group's lead singer, songwriter and producer, according to the group's Web site. He retired in the mid-1980s from the group.
Record started The Chi-Lites with Marshall Thompson and Robert "Squirrel" Lester.
In 2003, The Chi-Lites' song, "Are You My Woman?" was the basis for Beyonce's hit, "Crazy in Love."
The Chi-Lites and Record most recently appeared in the documentary "Only the Strong Survive," directed by D.A. Pennebaker.
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