More music deaths

There have been several music deaths of note over the last couple of weeks. The latest is Ben Moore, who took over as one half of James and Bobby Purify in 1974 after the original 'Bobby' - James's cousin Robert Lee Dickey - left the duo. The new pairing had several notable soul hits in the seventies, including a re-recording of I'm Your Puppet', 'Get Closer' and 'Morning Glory'. all of which were featured on the album 'Purify Bros' (pictured). Before joining up with James, Ben Moore worked with James Brown and Otis Redding and was one half of the duo Ben and Spence in the sixties. As a solo singer he recorded the album 'Purified' in 1977 but lost his sight to glaucoma in 1998. He returned to performing and appeared memorably at Porretta in 2006 where he sang five numbers. (see photo above).

Another recent death is that of country singer Mickey Gilley (86), a cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis. He recorded some unsuccessful singles with Huey Meaux in the sixties and eventually had success with 'Room Full Of Roses' in 1974. Other successful recordings included 'City Lights', 'Honky Tonk Memories', 'Chains Of Love' and 'Here Comes The Hurt Again'. I was never particularly interested in Mickey's musical output but was quite impressed when I visited Gilley's in Las Vegas, a plush honky tonk bar which is notable for its bucking broncos and scantily dressed waitresses (see photo below). Mickey's first bar in Pasadena, Texas, inspired the movie 'Urban Cowboy, starring John Travolta, and other similarly themed bars opened in Dallas and Durant, Oklohoma.

The Vinyl Word also says farewell to Susan Jacks, who was a member of the Poppy Family, who had a hit with 'Which Way You Going Billy', and seventies solo success with songs such as 'You Know What Love Is', 'I Thought Of You Again', 'Anna Marie' and 'Evergreen'.