Edna Hicks: Age 29
Blues
(Born 10-14-1895 in New Orleans, LA; Died 8-16-1925 Chicago, IL).
Edna Hicks was a New Orleans native, and is first heard from in 1916 when she is listed in the cast of a black vaudeville show in New York in 1916. She toured on the TOBA circuit and was quite popular in her day, especially in the Midwest, appearing in Chicago and Cincinnati. Edna Hicks was not a particularly artistic Blues singer, but had a loud, clear voice and a good sense of timing. Her recording career began in March of 1923 and lasted exactly one year...  Edna Hicks was on tour to Chicago when, on August 16, 1925, she was cleaning an old pot bellied stove with gasoline. When the rags she was using ignited, Edna Hicks burned to death. She was 29 years old. — Uncle Dave Lewis

Ken Jensen: Age 28
DOA
(Born: 1966, Died: January 29, 1995)
(Taken from the liner notes of DOA's album "The Black Spot")
At 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 29th, 1995, I got a phone call from Tom Holliston. He informed me that Ken Jenson, D.O.A.'s drummer, had just died in a house fire. I thought Tom was joking, so I made him tell me three more times before I believed it.  When Laurie Mercer and I arrived at Ken's house in east Vancouver, we were immediately greeted by two firemen. "A seven dollar smoke detector would have saved your friends life," Said one fireman. I stared at the charred remains of Ken's house - further disbelief overwhelmed me. What a waste. Ken was gone and it could have easily been prevented with a simple little smoke detector. In short order,
the firemen surmised, the fire probably started from a cigarette being dropped into a couch.   Fortunately, four other friends escaped the blaze in the nick of time: Cosi, Rob, Karen and our old pal, Craig Bougie.  I'd like to thank all of the thoughtful people who helped out or played at the Mclean Street Fire Victims Benefits that where held in Regina, Portland, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver in the spring of 1995.   On behalf of D.O.A. and all of Ken's friends, I'd especially like to thank Ken's parents- Elizabeth and Curt- for giving us a chance to share some time and humor with such a good guy. (The D.O.A. album "The Black Spot" was dedicated to Curt, and Elisabeth and the memory of Ken.)  -Joe Keithley for D.O.A.

Ty Longley, Age 31
Great White
(Born: September 4, 1971, Sharon, PA; Died: February 20, 2003,Warwick, RI)  Great White Guitarist Declared Dead by Josh Grossberg
Ty Longley, the lead guitarist for heavy metal band Great White, is among the latest victims confirmed dead in last week's devastating Rhode Island nightclub fire. The guitarist's name was one of 13 added to the list of fatalities on Monday, bringing the number of those killed to 97. Longley, who joined Great White in 2000, took to the stage of the Station with his band mates accompanied by a burst of pyrotechnics, which touched off a blaze that engulfed the venue in less than three minutes. Nearly 100 fans were injured and taken to a local hospital in the town of West Warwick. As of Monday, about 80 were still hospitalized, half of those listed in critical condition. The 31-year-old Longley was reported missing soon after the event, but his death was not confirmed until today. A native of Sharon, Pennsylvania, the musician was not an original member of Great White during its heyday in the late '80s and early '90s, but joined the band on tours three years ago. Longley was planning to move in with his pregnant girlfriend, Heidi, after the end of this tour. His family was said to be in shock over the tragedy. They and other families of victims traveled to the site this weekend to grieve over the loss of their loved ones. A message posted Monday on Great White lead singer Jack Russell's official Website (www.planetjr.com) expressed the band's condolences to all the victims in the tragedy and mourned the loss of Longley, who members called their "best friend."  "The thoughts and prayers of everybody associated with the band goes out to every person affected by this tragedy," the message reads. "There are no words to express our sadness at the loss everybody has suffered."  Speaking on Good Morning America, Great White attorney Ed McPherson added, "The band's a mess."  The group has returned to its home base in Los Angeles and is said to be cooperating with authorities--the same apparently can't be said for Station owners Jeffrey Derderian and his brother Michael Derderian. According to State Attorney General Patrick Lynch, the siblings have not exactly been forthcoming in answering investigators' inquiries into what happened Thursday. In fact, Jeffrey Derderian has not spoken with authorities since the night of the fire, while his brother hasn't talked at all.  Facing the possibility of criminal charges and million-dollar civil suits, the Derederians and Great White have been playing the blame game, focusing on whether the band had permission to set off a pyrotechnics display in the venue.  Russell, has said repeatedly that the Station's management gave the rockers the okay to do so, a claim refuted by the Derderians in a statement released on Friday.  Club owners who've previously hosted Great White on this tour have come forward with conflicting accounts over whether the band sought approval to use pyrotechnics.  Dominic Santana, owner of New Jersey's famed Stone Pony, said the band used the sparklers during a show there on Valentine's Day without asking, while club owners in other cities have said just the opposite.  On Sunday, about 400 family members of the victims gathered around the blackened remains of the Station to mourn privately. They hugged, prayed and left flowers, photographs and stuffed animals. Officials put up black fabric around them to keep out the news media and other gawkers.  "These families are going through such a tragedy, such an emotional odyssey right now, and their hearts are broken, and they still don't know in many cases whether their loved one has been positively ID'd," Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri said Monday.  Of the 97 people who lost their lives, only 55 have been positively identified. 

Steve Marriott: Age 44
Small Faces, Humble Pie
(b. 30 January 1947, London, England, d. 20 April 1991, Essex, England).
Steve Marriott died April 20 1991 in his sleep when fire swept his home in England...  The Small Faces were the best English band never to hit it big in America. On this side of the Atlantic, all anybody remembers them only for is their sole stateside hit, "Itchycoo Park" -- but in England, the Small Faces were one of the most extraordinary and successful bands of the mid-'60s; their music remains some of the most valuable and enjoyable of the era.  Lead singer/guitarist Steve Marriott's formal background was on the stage; as a young teenager, he'd auditioned and won the part of The Artful Dodger in the Lionel Bart musical Oliver!. Marriott was earning his living at a music shop when he made the acquaintance of Ronnie Lane (bass, backing vocals), who had formed a band called the Pioneers, which included drummer Kenney Jones. Lane invited Marriott to jam with the Pioneers at a show they were playing at a local club -- the gig was a disaster, but out of that show the group decided to turn their talents toward American R&B. The band -- with Marriott now installed permanently and Jimmy Winston recruited on organ -- cast its lot with a faction of British youth known as the Mods, stylish posers who, among their other attributes, affected a dandified look and a fanatical love of American R&B. The quartet, now christened the Small Faces ("face" being a piece of Mod slang for a fashion leader), began making a name for themselves on stage, sparked by the group's no-holds-barred performance style.  The quartet was signed by manager Don Arden, and brought to Decca/London to record. The band's debut single, "What'cha Gonna Do About It," was released in August of 1965 and reached number 14 on the charts...~ http://www.geocities.com/ederveen2/bio.html  discography

Michael Menson: Age 30
Died on 13 February 1997
Michael Tachie-Menson, had five hit singles during the 1980s with his group Double Trouble.

"A black musician died after being torched by three men, one of whom stole his personal stereo while he was in flames, the Old Bailey has heard.  Michael Menson, 30, was found on fire on the North Circular Road, Edmonton, north London, in January 1997. He died on 13 February 1997, from complications and two heart attacks caused by 30% burns to his back. The court heard that police at first believed Mr Menson had set fire to himself, and failed to seal off the area as a crime scene. Mr Sweeney said that it was not until Mr Menson told his brothers at his hospital bedside that he had been attacked, that an investigation began. Mr Menson, the son of a Ghanaian diplomat, had been a successful musician in the 1980s, but had suffered psychiatric problems. Just before the attack, he had moved to supported accommodation in Arnos Grove, north London, from a hospital. Mr Sweeney told the jury that in the early hours of 28 January, Mr Pereira and Mr Constantinou and their friend Mr Cevat set fire to the back of Mr Menson's anorak, near some telephone boxes on an Edmonton street. Mr Constantinou stole his personal stereo. They then fled in a red Metro car which belonged to Pereira's mother, and which was later sold. Mr Menson made his way, still on flames, to the nearby North Circular Road where two passing motorists, and later the emergency services, went to his aid. "~http://news.bbc.co.uk

Luther Perkins, Age 40
Johnny Cash's Tennessee Two
Birth--Jan. 8, 1928 Death Aug. 5, 1968.
Luther Perkins was Johnny Cash's lead guitarist during the 1950's and 60's.  Here are the statistics....Luther died in a house fire, (fell asleep smoking).  A picture of his grave and more info is available at the following: www.findagrave.com/pictures/12214.html.  A good biography is available at the following: www.rockabillyhall.com/LutherPerkins.html  (except for wrong date of death)

Stan Rogers: Age 33 
(Born:November 29, 1949 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Died:  June  2 , 1983)
Stan Rogers came from Hamilton, Ontario, a six-foot-four poet who started out as a rock bassist  before turning to folk music.  With his rich voice, he used his music to call to life all of the wonder and  mysticism of his native Canada.  His singing is occasionally mistaken for that of Gordon Lightfoot, but  it's huskier and earthier than Lightfoot's, and his repertoire -- made up of song cycles drawn from  throughout Canada -- is also more tradition-oriented and more mystical. Rogers died in a fire aboard  an Air Canada flight in Cincinnati, OH, in June 1983, leaving behind a half-dozen albums. -- Bruce  Eder, All-Music Guide
On June 2, 1983, Rogers was headed home from the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas. A fire started in the restroom on Air Canada flight 797. It was forced to land in the Greater Cincinnati Airport. Rogers was one of 23 people who died of smoke inhalation. He was 33. ~Stephen Ide ([email protected]) This article ran in The Patriot Ledger

Vivian Stanshall: Age 52
Bonzo Dog Band
(B. Vivian Anthony Stanshall, March 21, 1943 in East London; D. March 5, 1995)
Dubbed the "court jester of the underground rock scene in the 1960s" by influential DJ John Peel, Vivian Stanshall earned his greatest notoriety as the original tenor in the absurdist Bonzo Dog Band, although he was also a noted artist and comedian. Stanshall was born on March 21, 1943 in East London, England before World War II forced him and his mother to evacuate to Oxfordshire.  While attending art school under the well-known pop artist Peter Blake (the designer of the Beatles' famed Sgt. Pepper album cover), Stanshall formed the Bonzo Dog Dada Band with flatmate Rodney Slater and fellow student Larry Smith in 1962...In 1981, Stanshall issued the autobiographical Teddy Boys Don't Knit, followed three years later by the spoken word project Henry at Ndidis Kraal...Another autobiographical radio play, Essex Teenager to Renaissance Man, followed in 1994, along with film and voiceover work.  Vivian Stanshall died in a house fire on the morning of March 5, 1995. -- Jason Ankeny, All-Music Guide  

Mitar Subotic aka Suba
Died: November 2, 1999
Suba was a producer who had important participation in the process of inserting electronic sonorities in the Brazilian pop sound in the '90s. Suba (Mitar Subotic) arrived in Brazil on March 15, 1990, with a UNESCO scholarship. No one knew him, but he opened his way and began to display his work in music, theater, dance, fashion, and advertising. Among his several notable works as producer are the albums Tanto Tempo (Bebel Gilberto), Pierrot do Brasil (Marina Lima), Benzina (Edgard Scandurra), and Fuá na Casa de Cabral (Mestre Ambrósio). His first solo album, São Paulo Confessions (released in the U.S. by Ziriguiboom, 1999), was praised by international specialized publications. Suba died in a fire in his apartment in São Paulo on November 2, 1999. The SUBA Institute was created to celebrate his memory. — Alvaro Neder

In November 1999 came horrible news: Mitar Subotic died in a fire in his studio while he was trying to save original recordings of Bebel Gilberto new album "Tanto Tempo". That is the legend and we didn't want to investigate. Heroic death, chivalry gesture, some would say "an authentic ironic death of music" after which remains only silence. ~ http://suba.isallineed.net/biography_eng.htm