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Musician Mike Mitchell passed away on Friday on what was his 77th birthday
The news was shared on Monday by a publicist for his band the Kingsmen
Mitchell served as the lead guitarist for the successful band for over 60 years
The band was best known for the hit 1963 recording of Richard Berry s song Louie Louie
It tells the story of a sailor returning to Jamaica to see his lady love
The tune went on to be covered by the Beach Boys, the Grateful Dead and R.E.M.
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
Javier Escovedo: “It’s go time. This is not a drill. The Zeros documentary is in production.”
“It’s go time. This is not a drill. The Zeros documentary is in production,” says Javier Escovedo, who is working with filmmakers Anthony Ladesich and Michael Webber on a movie about his influential 1970s punk band. “Interviews with Baba Chenelle are in the can, and Robert Lopez will be interviewed in Seattle in April.”
Escovedo lived in Huntington Beach before moving to Chula Vista in his teens and forming the Zeros, aka “the Mexican Ramones,” in 1976. After debuting at a dance in Rosarito, Mexico, their first major gig was the following year in Los Angeles at the Orpheum Theater, with the Germs and the Weirdos. Their debut vinyl single, “Wimp” b/w “Don’t Push Me Around,” released by Bomp Records in 1977, is now a highly collectible punk rarity. They went on to play storied venues such as CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City in New York City, the Masque and the W
Early Detroit Rocker Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels
Mitch Ryder has recorded more than 25 albums over four decades. He’s a singer and musician and in real life he’s known as William Sherille Levise Jr. Mitch had a gruff, wailing style of singing, complemented by his awesome energy onstage. His first band called Tempest, was formed while he was attending Warren High School, and often played at a club called the village.
Mitch Ryder s next adventure was his band called Billy Lee and the Rivieras, which was the band he was in when they met songwriter and producer Bob Crewe. (You may remember The Bob Crewe Generation with the song Music to Watch Girls By used in a Diet Pepsi Commercial in the 60s) Meeting and working with Bob Crewe changed everything, including their name. They had to drop the Rivieras because there was already a band with that name. So with the help of a phone book, Levise took the stage name of Mitch Ryder, and at that point Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels