Louie Louie Guitarist Mike Mitchell of The Kingsmen Dead at 77 z94.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from z94.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
RS that Mitchell âpeacefully passed away.âÂ
The Kingsmen got their start in Portland, Oregon in 1959. In 1960, Mitchell and bassist Bob Nordby joined then-drummer Lynn Easton and vocalist Jack Ely (who died in 2015). In 1963, the group recorded their famed version of Richard Berryâs 1957 track âLouie Louie.â The song rocketed up the Billboard singles chart, spending six nonconsecutive weeks at Number Two on the Hot 100.
The Kingsmenâs version of âLouie Louieâ championed the garage rock stylings gaining traction at the timeâit was far more distorted and raucous than Berryâs melodic original. Mitchellâs iconic guitar solo and Elyâs inarticulate singing intrigued listeners, and even the FBI, who famously launched an investigation to determine whether or not Elyâs lyrics were littered with obscenities. They ultimately ruled that the song was âunintelligible at any speed.â The controversy didnât hur