Live Dead LIVE DEAD Onestar Press CHRISTOPH DRAEGER Onestar Press
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christoph draeger live dead LIVE DEAD onestar press CHRISTOPH DRAEGER onestar press DRAEGER_COVER.indd 1 31/10/2014 11:13 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 1 LIVE/DEAD In 1968, my parents reluctantly joined my mother’s younger sister, and her husband for a concert at a local catholic church near Zurich, a 1960’s concrete building. The singer was Champion Jack Dupree, who, like many american blues and jazz musicians, was touring Europe, where he could make a better living than in the US. There, the audience had long turned towards psychedelic and folk rock, losing interest in the older blues, soul and rock’n roll acts that had dominated the late 1950’s. At the time, I was only three years old, so I am not sure if I genuinely remember anything about that evening. But my parents told me that I was so thrilled with Champion Jack Dupree, that at one point, I slid out of the church bench and speeded towards the low stage where the singer played his piano. He picked me up with a big smile, and let me sit on his knee for the entire song. Maybe that was the moment when I was first infected with the virus that would stay with me my whole life: american pop music, especially blues, jazz, soul, funk, and rock. In 1991, I had already built a considerable record collection, wherever I went, I was roaming the record stores, thrift stores and flea markets. It was while I was living in Brussels, when I picked up a “Live” record by Lionel Hampton from 1954 at the marché aux puces. I contemplated the cover thinking that Hampton must be long dead, despite the word “Live” on the cover. (In fact, he was still alive, he would pass in 2002, aged 96). I bought the record and the project was born. The simple paradox of record sleeves claiming “Live” for artists who are dead intrigued me. So from then on, I would buy every record that had the word LIVE and a picture of the artist on the cover, whenever I suspected that its star was dead. Sometimes I was wrong, but by definition, that error is temporary. By 2014, the collection has grown to more than 230 records, and it keeps growing. I had shown it in various editions in Geneva, San Francisco, New York, Berlin, Warsaw and other cities. I always put a record player at the dis- posal of the audience, and sometimes I use the records for a DJ per- formance. When I got invited for this publication, I found myself in Cape Cod with a two week’s deadline, and only my laptop’s content at my disposal. Some- times in the past, I had photographed about one hundred of my “live” records, but the choice here is quite accidental. In the pages on the left side, one can find the complete list of all the artists in my “Live/Dead” collection, chronologically by dates of death, until October 2014. Naturally, that list will just keep growing in the future. I had the great chance to see some of the musicians featured in this book alive in concert: Frank Zappa, Albert Collins, Luther Allison, Lou Reed and Johnny Winter. I’d really wish they were all still alive. QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 2 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 3 Charlie Christian, Born July 29, 1916 in Dallas, TX / Died March 2, 1942 in New York, NY/ Tuberculosis Fats Waller, Born May 21, 1904 in New York, NY/ Died Dec 15, 1943 in Kansas City, MO / Passed of pneumonia aboard a train Glenn Miller, Born Mar 1, 1904 in Clarinda, IA / Died Dec 15, 1944 in English Channel / Disappeared aboard a plane in WW 2 Charlie Parker, Born Aug 29, 1920 in Kansas City, KS/ Died Mar 12, 1955 in New York, NY/ Charlie Parker, Born Aug 29, 1920 in Kansas City, KS/ Died Mar 12, 1955 in New Alcohol and heroin addiction York, NY/ Alcohol and heroin addiction QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 4 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 5 Buddy Holly, Born Sep 7, 1936 in Lubbock, TX/ Died Feb 3, 1959 in Clear Lake, IA / Plane crash Sidney Bechet, Born May 14, 1897 in New Orleans, LA / Died May 14, 1959 in Paris, France/ Cancer Billie Holiday, Born Eleanora Fagan Gough on Apr 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, PA / Died Jul 17, 1959 in New York, NY/ Drug and alcohol abuse Eric Dolphy, Jun 20, 1928 in Los Angeles, CA / Died Jun 29, 1964 in Berlin, Germany/ Diabetic coma Billie Holiday, Born Eleanora Fagan Gough on Apr 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, PA/ Died Jul 17, 1959 in New York, NY/ Drug and alcohol abuse QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 6 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 7 Sam Cooke, Born on Jan 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, MS/ Died Dec 11, 1964 in Los John Coltrane, Born Sep 23, 1926 in Hamlet, NC/ Died Jul 17, 1967 in New York, Angeles, CA/ Shot accidentally by the manager of the hotel where he was staying NY/ Liver cancer after alcohol abuse QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 8 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 9 Sam Cooke, Born on Jan 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, MS/ Died Dec 11, 1964 in Los Angeles, CA / Shot accidentally by the manager of the hotel where he was staying Sonny Boy Williamson, Born Aleck Ford Miller on Dec 5, 1899 in Glendora, MS, Died May 25, 1965 in Helena, AR / Heart attack John Coltrane, Born Sep 23, 1926 in Hamlet, NC/ Died Jul 17, 1967 in New York, NY/ Liver cancer after alcohol abuse Stuff Smith, Born Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith on Aug 14, Otis Redding, Born Sep 9, 1941 in Dawson, GA/ Died Dec 10, 1967 in Madison, WI/ Plane crash QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 10 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 11 1909 in Portsmouth, OH/ Died Sep 25, 1967 in Munich, Germany/ Cause unknown Otis Redding, Born Sep 9, 1941 in Dawson, GA / Died Dec 10, 1967 in Madison, WI / Plane crash Wes Montgomery, Born Mar 6, 1925 in Indianapolis, IN / Died Jun 15, 1968 in Indianapolis, IN/ Heart attack George Lewis, Born Joseph Louis Francois Zenon on July 13, 1900 in New Orleans, LA / Died Dec 31, 1968 in New Orleans, LA / Cause unknown George Lewis, Born Joseph Louis Francois Zenon on July 13, 1900 in New Orleans, LA, died December 31, 1968 in New Orleans, LA/ Cause unknown QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 12 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 13 Coleman Hawkins, Born Nov 21, 1904 in St. Joseph, MO/ Died May 19, 1969 in New York, NY/ Pneumonia Judy Garland, Born Jun 10, 1922 in Grand Rapids, MN / Died Jun 22, 1969 in London, UK / Accidental overdose of barbiturates Josh White, Born Feb 11, 1914 in Greensboro, NC, Died Sep 5, 1969 in Manhasset, NY/ Failed heart surgery Magic Sam, Born Samuel Maghett on Feb 14, 1937 in Grenada, MS/ Died Dec 1, 1969 in Chicago, IL / Heart Magic Sam, Born Samuel Maghett on Feb 14, 1937 in Grenada, MS/ Died Dec 1, attack 1969 in Chicago, IL/ Heart attack QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 14 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 15 Jimi Hendrix, Born Nov 27, 1942 in Seattle, WA/ Died Sep 18, 1970 in London, Janis Joplin, Born Jan 19, 1943 in Port Arthur, TX/ Died Oct 4, 1970 in Los Angeles, England/ Suffocated after overdose CA/ Overdose QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 16 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 17 Johnny Hodges, Born Jul 25, 1907 in Cambridge, MA / Died May 11, 1970 in New York, NY/ Heart attack Jimi Hendrix, Born Nov 27, 1942 in Seattle, WA / Died Sep 18, 1970 in London, UK / Suffocated after overdose Janis Joplin, Born Jan 19, 1943 in Port Arthur, TX / Died Oct 4, 1970 in Los Angeles, CA / Overdose Albert Ayler, Born July 13, 1936 in Cleveland, OH/ Died Nov 5, 1970 in New York, NY/ Drowned in the East River Jim Morrison, Born Dec 8, 1943 in Melbourne, FL/ Died Jul 3, 1971 in Paris, France/ Heart failure after drug and alcohol abuse QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 18 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 19 King Curtis, Born Curtis Ousley on Feb 7, 1934 in Fort Worth, TX/ Died Aug 14, 1971 Mahalia Jackson, Born Oct 16, 1911 in New Orleans, LA/ Died Jan 27, 1972 in in New York, NY/ Stabbed to death Evergreen Park, IL/ Heart disease QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 20 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 21 Jim Morrison, Born Dec 8, 1943 in Melbourne, FL / Died Jul 3, 1971 in Paris, France/ Heart failure after drug and alcohol abuse Louis Armstrong, Born Aug 4, 1901 in New Orleans, LA / Died Jul 6, 1971 in New York, NY/ Heart ailment Charlie Shavers, Born Aug 3, 1917 in New York, NY/ Died Jul 8, 1971 in New York, NY/ Throat cancer King Curtis, Born Curtis Ousley on Feb 7, 1934 in Fort Worth, TX / Died Aug 14, 1971 in New York, NY/ Stabbed to death Tubby Hayes, Born Edward Brian Hayes on Jan 30, 1935 in London, England/ Died Jun 8, 1973 in London, England/ heart condition QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:19 AM Page 22 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:20 AM Page 23 Gary McFarland, Born October 23, 1933 in Los Angeles, CA/ Died November 3, 1971 in New York, NY/ Poisoned in a NYC bar Mahalia Jackson, Born Oct 16, 1911 in New Orleans, LA/ Died Jan 27, 1972 in Evergreen Park, IL / Heart disease Kid Ory, Born Dec 25, 1886 in La Place, LA / Died Jan 23, 1973 in Honolulu, HI/ Old age Tubby Hayes, Born Edward Brian Hayes on Jan 30, 1935 in London, UK / Died Jun 8, 1973 in London, UK / Heart condition Duke Ellington, Born Apr 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C./ Died May 24, 1974 in New York, NY/ Lung cancer and pneumonia QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:20 AM Page 24 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:20 AM Page 25 Stan Kenton, Born Dec 15 1911 in Wichita, KS/ Died Aug 25, 1975 in Los Angeles, Tim Buckley, Born Feb 14, 1947 in Washington, D.C./ Died Jun 29, 1975 in Santa CA/ Stroke Monica, CA/ Heroin overdose QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:20 AM Page 26 QXLive_dead:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:20 AM Page 27 Ben Webster,