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Message
re: Endless Sleep - The Obituary Thread
Posted on 7/2/23 at 12:59 pm to TFTC
Posted on 7/2/23 at 12:59 pm to TFTC
One of the original Rock and Roll D.Js Dick Biondi passes away.
Richard Orlando Biondi[1] (September 13, 1932 – June 26, 2023) was an American Top 40 and oldies disc jockey. Calling himself The Wild I-tralian, he was one of the original "screamers," known for his screaming delivery as well as wild antics on and off the air.In a 1988 interview, Biondi said he had been fired 23 times, with both fits of temper and jokes gone wrong part of the tally.Over many years and many frequencies, Dick's closing line was, "God bless, bye, bye, Duke. Thanks a million for dialing our way."
RIP
Richard Orlando Biondi[1] (September 13, 1932 – June 26, 2023) was an American Top 40 and oldies disc jockey. Calling himself The Wild I-tralian, he was one of the original "screamers," known for his screaming delivery as well as wild antics on and off the air.In a 1988 interview, Biondi said he had been fired 23 times, with both fits of temper and jokes gone wrong part of the tally.Over many years and many frequencies, Dick's closing line was, "God bless, bye, bye, Duke. Thanks a million for dialing our way."
RIP
This post was edited on 7/2/23 at 1:07 pm
1
Posted on 7/2/23 at 5:17 pm to hogcard1964
Posted on 8/9/23 at 3:51 pm to Kafka
LINK
quote:
Sixto Rodriguez, the Seventies rocker known as Rodriguez whose music enjoyed a renaissance after the 2012 Oscar-winning documentary 'Searching for Sugar Man,' has died at age 81.
quote:
Rodriguez only released two studio albums: 1970’s Cold Fact and 1971’s Coming From Reality. They made almost no impact when they were released in America, but became enormously popular in Australia and South Africa in the latter part of the decade. He came to Australia in 1979 and 1981 for concerts where he was treated like a God, sharing a bill with megastars Midnight Oil at one point.
“The man himself seemed almost embarrassed onstage,” noted Billboard in a review of a 1979 show. “He spoke no more than a dozen short lines throughout each show. When returning to the stage for an encore at his first Sydney show, he mumbled emotionally to his audience, ‘Eight years later … and this happens. I don’t believe it.’”
What he wouldn’t learn for years was that South African fans also latched onto his music, where his politically charged songs would spread across the country. When a group of dogged South African fans tracked him down in 1998, he finally learned the truth. He played a series of enormous South African concerts that year and continued to tour there throughout the 2000s.
Posted on 9/2/23 at 2:24 am to Kafka
LINK
quote:
Jimmy Buffett, 'Margaritaville' musician and mogul, dies at 76
quote:
With his crinkled smile, breezy tunes and barefoot stage presence, Jimmy Buffett encompassed the persona of a beach bum.
But a 50-plus year recording career that spawned unparalleled devotion from fans as well as branded restaurants, books, beer, resorts, a Broadway show and cruise line established Buffett as a bona fide mogul.
Posted on 9/4/23 at 7:42 pm to Kafka
'DREAM WEAVER' SINGER GARY WRIGHT DEAD AT 80 ...
9/4/2023 3:23 PM PT
Justin Wright, Gary's son, tells us his father passed away Monday morning at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, CA -- which is in the South Bay. We're told he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's about 5 or 6 years ago, as well as Lewy body dementia shortly thereafter.
Gary's Parkinson's progressed rapidly over the past year, and Justin says his dad eventually lost the ability to move around and speak. Over the past few days, we're told, nurses who were working at Gary's home told the family he was entering his final chapter.
His family and loved ones were by his side at the time of his death -- word of which has already started to spread in the music world, including to singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop.
Bishop posted 2 shots of him and Gary, adding ... "The attached photos hold precious memories from the very first and last time we shared the stage together, alongside our mutual musical pal John Ford Coley. Gary's vibrant personality and exceptional talent made every moment together truly enjoyable. His legacy will live on for many years to come."
He adds, "I will always cherish the warmth and kindness shown to me by Gary and his wife Rose, and I will forever hold dear the stories he shared with me about days gone by. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and fans during this difficult time."
Gary will, perhaps, best be remembered for two massive songs he churned out in the mid-1970s -- "Dream Weaver" and "Love is Alive" -- but his catalog goes well beyond just that.
He ended up producing 12 different albums dating back to 1970 ... not to mention a ton of compilations and collaborations he did with other musicians. One of the famous partnerships he was a part of for a while was with none other than former Beatle George Harrison.
Gary served as the keyboardist on George's album "All Things Must Pass" and is credited with helping out on other solo songs of George's too. George returned the favor for one of Gary's albums, having worked on "Footprints."
Gary has done a lot for music in general -- he's also known as one of the first mainstream artists to introduce the synthesizer in pop ... which has become a staple in the biz today.
He was 80. RIP
https://www.tmz.com/2023/09/04/dream-weaver-love-is-alive-gary-wright-dead-dies/
Gary Wright w/ Stone Temple Pilots - Dream Weaver - Grand Warner Theatre 5/13/16
9/4/2023 3:23 PM PT
Justin Wright, Gary's son, tells us his father passed away Monday morning at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, CA -- which is in the South Bay. We're told he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's about 5 or 6 years ago, as well as Lewy body dementia shortly thereafter.
Gary's Parkinson's progressed rapidly over the past year, and Justin says his dad eventually lost the ability to move around and speak. Over the past few days, we're told, nurses who were working at Gary's home told the family he was entering his final chapter.
His family and loved ones were by his side at the time of his death -- word of which has already started to spread in the music world, including to singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop.
Bishop posted 2 shots of him and Gary, adding ... "The attached photos hold precious memories from the very first and last time we shared the stage together, alongside our mutual musical pal John Ford Coley. Gary's vibrant personality and exceptional talent made every moment together truly enjoyable. His legacy will live on for many years to come."
He adds, "I will always cherish the warmth and kindness shown to me by Gary and his wife Rose, and I will forever hold dear the stories he shared with me about days gone by. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and fans during this difficult time."
Gary will, perhaps, best be remembered for two massive songs he churned out in the mid-1970s -- "Dream Weaver" and "Love is Alive" -- but his catalog goes well beyond just that.
He ended up producing 12 different albums dating back to 1970 ... not to mention a ton of compilations and collaborations he did with other musicians. One of the famous partnerships he was a part of for a while was with none other than former Beatle George Harrison.
Gary served as the keyboardist on George's album "All Things Must Pass" and is credited with helping out on other solo songs of George's too. George returned the favor for one of Gary's albums, having worked on "Footprints."
Gary has done a lot for music in general -- he's also known as one of the first mainstream artists to introduce the synthesizer in pop ... which has become a staple in the biz today.
He was 80. RIP
https://www.tmz.com/2023/09/04/dream-weaver-love-is-alive-gary-wright-dead-dies/
Gary Wright w/ Stone Temple Pilots - Dream Weaver - Grand Warner Theatre 5/13/16
This post was edited on 9/4/23 at 7:47 pm
Posted on 9/16/23 at 8:45 pm to Mizz-SEC
John Stanley Marshall (28 August 1941—16th September 2023) was an English drummer and founding member of the jazz rock band Nucleus. From 1972 to 1978, he was the drummer for Soft Machine, replacing Phil Howard when he joined.
Marshall was born in Isleworth, Middlesex, and worked with various jazz and rock bands and musicians, among them J. J. Jackson, Allan Holdsworth, Barney Kessel, Alexis Korner, Graham Collier, Michael Gibbs, Arthur Brown, Keith Tippett, Centipede, Jack Bruce, John McLaughlin, Dick Morrissey, Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, John Surman, Charlie Mariano, John Abercrombie, Arild Andersen, and Eberhard Weber's Colours.
John Marshall fondly remembers an occasion from early in his career when he depped with Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band, one of the most popular and successful ‘trad’ bands of the day. ‘I got a last-minute call to do one gig with Acker. The band bus picked me up in Charing Cross Road and we drove to an American air base in great comfort, with aircraft-style seats that you could swing round to form a circle – very handy for passing the whisky bottle round after the gig. Acker had a good band, all went very well, and I really enjoyed myself, mainly thanks to the pianist Stan Greig, a fine drummer himself, who led me through the arrangements. On the way back to London, Acker looked at me and said, “Sorry I didn’t speak to you on the way up, but you didn’t look like a drummer to me.
Marshall was born in Isleworth, Middlesex, and worked with various jazz and rock bands and musicians, among them J. J. Jackson, Allan Holdsworth, Barney Kessel, Alexis Korner, Graham Collier, Michael Gibbs, Arthur Brown, Keith Tippett, Centipede, Jack Bruce, John McLaughlin, Dick Morrissey, Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, John Surman, Charlie Mariano, John Abercrombie, Arild Andersen, and Eberhard Weber's Colours.
John Marshall fondly remembers an occasion from early in his career when he depped with Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band, one of the most popular and successful ‘trad’ bands of the day. ‘I got a last-minute call to do one gig with Acker. The band bus picked me up in Charing Cross Road and we drove to an American air base in great comfort, with aircraft-style seats that you could swing round to form a circle – very handy for passing the whisky bottle round after the gig. Acker had a good band, all went very well, and I really enjoyed myself, mainly thanks to the pianist Stan Greig, a fine drummer himself, who led me through the arrangements. On the way back to London, Acker looked at me and said, “Sorry I didn’t speak to you on the way up, but you didn’t look like a drummer to me.
Posted on 9/19/23 at 5:54 pm to bleeng
LINK
quote:Apparently "The Last Farewell" was a US hit in the '70s. I remember he had Slim Whitmanesque TV commercials in the '80s. "Operators are standing by..."
Folk singer Roger Whittaker, famous for his 1969 hit song Durham Town and expert whistling, has died at the age of 87.
His other hits included The Last Farewell and New World in the Morning, and he sold nearly 50 million records around the world, his website said.
Posted on 9/20/23 at 3:43 pm to Kafka
Oh, yeah, I remember those, too.
Posted on 9/20/23 at 7:50 pm to Kafka
quote:the record’s rise to popularity was kind of unique.
Apparently "The Last Farewell" was a US hit in the '70s.
Whitaker used to have a radio show in the UK, and used to have a feature where he would set poems submitted by listeners to music. “The Last Farewell” was such a tune, and turned out so well that Roger decided to record it in 1971, but it didn’t chart.
The wife of the PD at WSB-AM in Atlanta heard it while traveling in Canada in 1975 (four years after Whitaker recorded it) and liked it. When she got home she persuaded her husband to play it (WSB still played music in those days). He did, more than once (gotta keep the wife happy). After a few airplays the requests started coming in, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Posted on 9/24/23 at 10:16 pm to FearlessFreep
LINK
quote:
Terry Kirkman, a founding member of the Association who penned the band’s Sixties classics “Cherish” and “Everything That Touches You,” died on Saturday. He was 83.
Kirkman’s wife, Heidi Berinstein Kirkman, confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that he died in his home in Montclair, California of congestive heart failure following a long illness.
Kirkman was born in Salina, Kansas and later studied music in California at Chaffey College. His foray into the professional music world began when he had a chance meeting with guitarist Jules Alexander in Hawaii in 1962. A year later, while they were both in Los Angeles, they began to assemble what would eventually become the Association following forming Inner Tubes (which included Cass Elliott and David Crosby), which later grew to become a 13-piece group called the Men.
After the Men disbanded in 1965, Kirkman and five of the members formed their own group, with strong harmonies and arrangements at the fore. Naming themselves the Association, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kirkman penned several of the band’s most memorable songs, including their biggest hit “Cherish,” and “Everything That Touches You.” He also contributed his vocals to their other hits, including “Never My Love” and their first hit written by Tandyn Almer, “Along Comes Mary,” which appeared on their debut album alongside “Cherish,” from 1966’s And Then… Along Comes the Association.
Posted on 9/25/23 at 4:22 am to Kafka
(no message)
This post was edited on 9/25/23 at 4:22 am
Posted on 9/25/23 at 10:52 am to Kafka
Sad to hear. The Association were a great group.
Posted on 10/14/23 at 5:57 pm to hogcard1964
LINK
quote:Rudolph, O'Kelly, & Randolph Isley
Rudolph Isley, A founding member of the Isley Brothers who provided backing vocals on the majority of the legendary soul group’s hits, has died at the age of 84.
quote:
Rudolph, along with brothers Ronald (“Ronnie”), Vernon, and O’Kelly (“Kelly”), formed the Isley Brothers as teenagers in Cincinnati in 1954; Vernon was killed when his bike was struck by a car the following year. The surviving brothers briefly disbanded before reuniting with Ronald on lead vocals and Kelly and Rudolph behind him.
As a trio, the three Isleys landed a contract with RCA Victor and penned their breakout hit together, the 1959 smash single “Shout,” followed three years later by their own hit rendition of “Twist and Shout.”
quote:
While Rudolph infrequently sang lead vocals, he contributed songwriting and backing vocals to many of the group’s hits, including “That Lady,” “Nobody But Me,” and “Testify,” the latter featuring a young guitarist named Jimi Hendrix.
Following a brief stint on Motown’s Tamla label, where they primarily recorded Holland-Dozier-Holland compositions, the trio founded their own T-Neck Records in 1966 and promptly released their first Top 10 hit, the Isleys-penned “It’s Your Thing.”
Joined in the late Sixties by younger brothers Marvin and Ernie, Rudolph remained with the Isley Brothers throughout their many genre shifts, from funk and disco to quiet storm and R&B.
Posted on 10/19/23 at 6:52 am to Kafka
Dwight Twilley RIP
The guy rocked. I saw him in a small club on the south side of Chicago in 93 or 94 and he killed it on stage.
Dwight Twilley
The guy rocked. I saw him in a small club on the south side of Chicago in 93 or 94 and he killed it on stage.
Dwight Twilley
This post was edited on 10/19/23 at 6:54 am
Posted on 10/23/23 at 2:11 pm to hogcard1964
Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; (May 11, 1936 – October 17, 2023) was an American jazz composer, pianist, organist, and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she was perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator over the Hill (released as a triple LP set), as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other artists, including Gary Burton, Jimmy Giuffre, George Russell, Art Farmer, John Scofield, and her ex-husband Paul Bley. She was a pioneer in the development of independent artist-owned record labels, and recorded over two dozen albums between 1966 and 2019.
Bley and Mantler founded their own record company, WATT, in 1972, and it became her main outlet from 1974's Tropic Appetites through 2009's Carla's Christmas Carols, the latter made with the Partyka Brass Quintet. Throughout the years, she kept evolving — recording three albums for ECM in a trio with Swallow and British saxophonist Andy Sheppard, and leading a horn-heavy ensemble in the 1980s and '90s, one of her most enduring projects.
Bley and Mantler founded their own record company, WATT, in 1972, and it became her main outlet from 1974's Tropic Appetites through 2009's Carla's Christmas Carols, the latter made with the Partyka Brass Quintet. Throughout the years, she kept evolving — recording three albums for ECM in a trio with Swallow and British saxophonist Andy Sheppard, and leading a horn-heavy ensemble in the 1980s and '90s, one of her most enduring projects.
Posted on 10/23/23 at 5:29 pm to hogcard1964
quote:
Dwight Twilley RIP
Damn. I listen to "Girls" all the time...
Posted on 10/24/23 at 12:17 pm to deernaes
Dusty Frances Street, (Died October 21, 2023) one of the first female disc jockeys on the West Coast, died Saturday in Eugene, Ore. She was 77.
She was most recently the host of SiriusXM Deep Tracks, but is best known for her time working at KROQ-FM, known as K-Rock. The station became a force in punk and new wave music in the late ’70s into the 1980s.
“We have lost one of our own. Dusty Street has passed away after 77 joyous trips around the sun. And yes, Dusty Street was her real name,” SiriusXM Deep Tracks, Street’s most recent employer, shared Sunday in a Facebook post.
After some time at smaller stations, Street joined KROQ in 1978. She briefly left KROQ in 1980 and spent time at local rock stations KLOS and KWST, before returning to anchor KROQ’s evening programming from 1981 to 1989.
Street departed KROQ in 1989, claiming that she was a “renegade” to the increasingly tightened programming demanded. She also was a vehement opponent of the Parents Music Resoure Center, which was then attempting to impose a ratings system on music recordings.
She landed on her feet in Cleveland at the Rock Hall of Fame, joining upstart SIriusXM on its fifth floor studios.
She was most recently the host of SiriusXM Deep Tracks, but is best known for her time working at KROQ-FM, known as K-Rock. The station became a force in punk and new wave music in the late ’70s into the 1980s.
“We have lost one of our own. Dusty Street has passed away after 77 joyous trips around the sun. And yes, Dusty Street was her real name,” SiriusXM Deep Tracks, Street’s most recent employer, shared Sunday in a Facebook post.
After some time at smaller stations, Street joined KROQ in 1978. She briefly left KROQ in 1980 and spent time at local rock stations KLOS and KWST, before returning to anchor KROQ’s evening programming from 1981 to 1989.
Street departed KROQ in 1989, claiming that she was a “renegade” to the increasingly tightened programming demanded. She also was a vehement opponent of the Parents Music Resoure Center, which was then attempting to impose a ratings system on music recordings.
She landed on her feet in Cleveland at the Rock Hall of Fame, joining upstart SIriusXM on its fifth floor studios.
Posted on 12/11/23 at 4:33 pm to bleeng
Jeff Foskett replaced the high harmony of Carl Wilson after he passed.
Here he is (rear left) singing on "Surfer Girl" during their 50th Annuversay publicity tour.
---------------
Brian Wilson
@BrianWilsonLive
I’m so heartbroken that my dear friend Jeff Foskett has passed. Jeff was always there for me when we toured and we couldn’t have done it without him. Jeff was one of the most talented guys I ever knew. Love and Mercy to Jeff’s family and friends, we will remember him forever.
11:55 AM · Dec 11, 2023
Jeffrey Foskett, Whose Falsetto Powered Brian Wilson’s Band and the Beach Boys, Dead at 67
Foskett joined the Beach Boys touring band in 1981 and his voice became an integral part of their sound over the past four decades
ANDY GREENE
DECEMBER 11, 2023 2:25PM EST
Jeffrey Foskett, a singer-guitarist that spent decades in the Beach Boys and played a pivotal role in Brian Wilson‘s late Nineties comeback thanks to his soaring falsetto and effortless ability to harmonize, died Monday after a long battle with anaplastic thyroid cancer. He was 67. A spokesperson for Wilson confirmed Foskett’s death to Rolling Stone.
“Jeff was always there for me when we toured and we couldn’t have done it without him,” Brian Wilson said in a statement. “Jeff was one of the most talented guys I ever knew. He was a great musical leader and guitarist and he could sing like an angel. I first met Jeff in 1976 when he knocked on my door in Bel Air and I invited him in, and we were friends ever since. I don’t know what else to say. Love and Mercy to Jeff’s family and friends, we will remember him forever.”
Fosekett grew up in San Jose, California, and became a huge Beach Boys fan from the moment he heard “I Get Around.” On the day he turned 20 in 1976, he gathered up the courage to knock on Brian Wilson’s door on Bellagio Road in Los Angeles. “Brian opened the front door and said, ‘Come on in,’” Foskett recalled to Rolling Stone in 2019. “He had no idea who we were and I was in awe. There was a bass guitar laying around, a piano in the living room. He just started playing music.”
A few years later, Beach Boys singer Mike Love came into a restaurant where Foskett was playing with his band. He impressed Love that night and earned an invitation into his Endless Summer Beach Band for the recording of his solo album Looking Back With Love. Right around this time, Carl Wilson took a break from the Beach Boys to focus on his solo career, and Love, who saw similarities to Carl’s falsetto in Foskett, invited him into the group to fill the void.
“Two months later Carl came back and I assumed that I would be gone,” Foskett said in 2019. “We had a big rehearsal at the Beach Boys’ building on Lincoln Boulevard. We got out four songs and Carl stopped it. I remember this very clearly. He said, ‘First of all. I’m not responsible for anyone’s personal financial situation. I’m responsible to make this band sound as good as it can sound. So there will be some changes made.’ And everybody left with their tails between their legs, thinking that no one was coming back. So fortunately Dennis [Wilson] pulled me aside and said, ‘You’re good, man, you’re in the band, don’t worry.’ I felt really good about that.”
Foskett spent the bulk of the Eighties in the Beach Boys touring band as they relentlessly toured the oldies circuit and scored a shock comeback hit in 1988 with “Kokomo.” He left the group in 1990, but remained close with the band. And in 1998, when Brian Wilson was receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Foskett was asked to play guitar with him. “The place went nuts hearing Brian sing, because he had been out of the public eye for some time,’ Foskett said. “So then I walked the Wilsons back to their limo and [Brian’s wife] Melinda said, ‘We would like to go out on tour with this album, but we just don’t know how to go about putting a band together. Would you be interested in helping us?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, absolutely.'”
Foskett reached out to his buddies Darian Sahanaja and Nick Walusko in the L.A.-based band the Wondermints, lifelong Beach Boys fanatics who Foskett knew would be perfect for the job. A 1999 Brian Wilson solo tour with Foskett and the Wondermints was an astounding success and led to a 15-year odyssey for Foskett, which included tours honoring the albums Pet Sounds and Smile (long before complete album shows were common in the classic rock world). He also joined Wilson in the studio for his solo albums Gettin’ in Over My Head, Brian Wilson Presents Smile, What I Really Want for Christmas, That Lucky Old Sun, Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, and In the Key of Disney.
In 2012, Foskett joined Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys when they reunited to celebrate their 50th anniversary. He resumed his work with Wilson the next year, but was burned out by the demands of the road and parted ways with him in 2014. Not long after, he teamed up with America’s Gerry Buckley to front the band on tour when band co-founder Dewey Bunnell wanted time off.
When Love learned that Foskett was no longer in Brian Wilson’s band, he invited him to his house in San Diego for a chat. “He said, ‘You know, we’re thinking about making some changes in the band, would you consider coming back in?'” Foskett said in 2019. “We worked on a couple different details and I was back in the Beach Boys.”
He lasted four years in Love’s Bach Boys, but had to step away shortly after getting diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer. He was originally told the cancer was terminal but lived for five years by taking part in an experimental drug trial at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
“He was so talented on so many different levels but it was his wonderful sense of humor that kept him balanced and helped him navigate all the hard knocks you get in the music business,” Beach Boy Al Jardine said in a statement. “Jeff had a contagious positive spirit and never gave up hope. God bless his beautiful spirit and zest for life, we will really miss him and cherish all the great times we shared together. Keeping his wife Diana, his daughter and family and fans everywhere in our thoughts. Rest in peace Jeff and thanks for always making us smile.”
Here he is (rear left) singing on "Surfer Girl" during their 50th Annuversay publicity tour.
---------------
Brian Wilson
@BrianWilsonLive
I’m so heartbroken that my dear friend Jeff Foskett has passed. Jeff was always there for me when we toured and we couldn’t have done it without him. Jeff was one of the most talented guys I ever knew. Love and Mercy to Jeff’s family and friends, we will remember him forever.
11:55 AM · Dec 11, 2023
Jeffrey Foskett, Whose Falsetto Powered Brian Wilson’s Band and the Beach Boys, Dead at 67
Foskett joined the Beach Boys touring band in 1981 and his voice became an integral part of their sound over the past four decades
ANDY GREENE
DECEMBER 11, 2023 2:25PM EST
Jeffrey Foskett, a singer-guitarist that spent decades in the Beach Boys and played a pivotal role in Brian Wilson‘s late Nineties comeback thanks to his soaring falsetto and effortless ability to harmonize, died Monday after a long battle with anaplastic thyroid cancer. He was 67. A spokesperson for Wilson confirmed Foskett’s death to Rolling Stone.
“Jeff was always there for me when we toured and we couldn’t have done it without him,” Brian Wilson said in a statement. “Jeff was one of the most talented guys I ever knew. He was a great musical leader and guitarist and he could sing like an angel. I first met Jeff in 1976 when he knocked on my door in Bel Air and I invited him in, and we were friends ever since. I don’t know what else to say. Love and Mercy to Jeff’s family and friends, we will remember him forever.”
Fosekett grew up in San Jose, California, and became a huge Beach Boys fan from the moment he heard “I Get Around.” On the day he turned 20 in 1976, he gathered up the courage to knock on Brian Wilson’s door on Bellagio Road in Los Angeles. “Brian opened the front door and said, ‘Come on in,’” Foskett recalled to Rolling Stone in 2019. “He had no idea who we were and I was in awe. There was a bass guitar laying around, a piano in the living room. He just started playing music.”
A few years later, Beach Boys singer Mike Love came into a restaurant where Foskett was playing with his band. He impressed Love that night and earned an invitation into his Endless Summer Beach Band for the recording of his solo album Looking Back With Love. Right around this time, Carl Wilson took a break from the Beach Boys to focus on his solo career, and Love, who saw similarities to Carl’s falsetto in Foskett, invited him into the group to fill the void.
“Two months later Carl came back and I assumed that I would be gone,” Foskett said in 2019. “We had a big rehearsal at the Beach Boys’ building on Lincoln Boulevard. We got out four songs and Carl stopped it. I remember this very clearly. He said, ‘First of all. I’m not responsible for anyone’s personal financial situation. I’m responsible to make this band sound as good as it can sound. So there will be some changes made.’ And everybody left with their tails between their legs, thinking that no one was coming back. So fortunately Dennis [Wilson] pulled me aside and said, ‘You’re good, man, you’re in the band, don’t worry.’ I felt really good about that.”
Foskett spent the bulk of the Eighties in the Beach Boys touring band as they relentlessly toured the oldies circuit and scored a shock comeback hit in 1988 with “Kokomo.” He left the group in 1990, but remained close with the band. And in 1998, when Brian Wilson was receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Foskett was asked to play guitar with him. “The place went nuts hearing Brian sing, because he had been out of the public eye for some time,’ Foskett said. “So then I walked the Wilsons back to their limo and [Brian’s wife] Melinda said, ‘We would like to go out on tour with this album, but we just don’t know how to go about putting a band together. Would you be interested in helping us?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, absolutely.'”
Foskett reached out to his buddies Darian Sahanaja and Nick Walusko in the L.A.-based band the Wondermints, lifelong Beach Boys fanatics who Foskett knew would be perfect for the job. A 1999 Brian Wilson solo tour with Foskett and the Wondermints was an astounding success and led to a 15-year odyssey for Foskett, which included tours honoring the albums Pet Sounds and Smile (long before complete album shows were common in the classic rock world). He also joined Wilson in the studio for his solo albums Gettin’ in Over My Head, Brian Wilson Presents Smile, What I Really Want for Christmas, That Lucky Old Sun, Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, and In the Key of Disney.
In 2012, Foskett joined Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys when they reunited to celebrate their 50th anniversary. He resumed his work with Wilson the next year, but was burned out by the demands of the road and parted ways with him in 2014. Not long after, he teamed up with America’s Gerry Buckley to front the band on tour when band co-founder Dewey Bunnell wanted time off.
When Love learned that Foskett was no longer in Brian Wilson’s band, he invited him to his house in San Diego for a chat. “He said, ‘You know, we’re thinking about making some changes in the band, would you consider coming back in?'” Foskett said in 2019. “We worked on a couple different details and I was back in the Beach Boys.”
He lasted four years in Love’s Bach Boys, but had to step away shortly after getting diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer. He was originally told the cancer was terminal but lived for five years by taking part in an experimental drug trial at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
“He was so talented on so many different levels but it was his wonderful sense of humor that kept him balanced and helped him navigate all the hard knocks you get in the music business,” Beach Boy Al Jardine said in a statement. “Jeff had a contagious positive spirit and never gave up hope. God bless his beautiful spirit and zest for life, we will really miss him and cherish all the great times we shared together. Keeping his wife Diana, his daughter and family and fans everywhere in our thoughts. Rest in peace Jeff and thanks for always making us smile.”
This post was edited on 12/11/23 at 8:30 pm
Posted on 1/19/24 at 8:20 pm to Mizz-SEC
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This post was edited on 1/19/24 at 8:21 pm
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