Died On This Date (November 17, 2008) Guy Peellaert / Album Cover Artist

Guy Peellaert
April 6, 1934 – November 17, 2008

Photo: AFP/Getty

Guy Peellaert was a Belgian arstist and illustrator how created some of the most iconic album covers in rock history.  After studying art in Brussels, Peellaert set out to work as a comic strip artist.  His love of American pop culture and pulp fiction books became very evident in his early works.  In 1973 he collaborated on a pop music themed book entitled Rock Dreams.  Peellaert’s fantastic images throughout found many fans including actor, Jack Nicholson, who purchased many of the originals.  Following the success of Rock Dreams, Peellaert found himself in demand for doing album cover artwork.  His was he who created the images that adorn David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs and the Rolling Stones’ It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll.  He also created the original movie posters for Taxi Driver and Short Cuts.  Guy Peellaert, 74, died of cancer on November 17, 2008.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums

On This Date (September 11, 2008) Jamie Cohen / Former A&R Executive

Jamie Cohen
June 1, 1953 - September 11, 2008

Jamie Cohen was a one-time A&R man at Columbia Records and EMI Records, though he began his career in the mid ’70s as a product manager at A&M Records.   He was also a musician.   Cohen died of a heart attack at the age of 55.

Thanks to Craig Rosen Number1Albums for the info.

RIP, Tom Wilkes (June 28, 2009) Album Cover Artist

Tom Wilkes
July 30, 1939 – June 28, 2009

Photo by Fritz Drumm

One of the many unsung heroes of popular music, Tom Wilkes was a desinger who created the covers for, among others,  Janis Joplin’s Pearl, the Rolling Stones’ Beggar’s Banquet, Neil Young’s Harvest, and the London Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Tommy, for which he won a Grammy.  Throughout his career, Wilkes was the art director for the Monterey Pop Festival, A&M Records and ABC Records.  Wilkes passed away in his home at the age of 69.  Cause of death not immediately released.

On This Date (June 1, 2008) Alton Kelley / Famed Psychedelic Rock Poster Artist

Alton Kelley
June 17, 1940 – June 1, 2008

Alton Kelley, was a  graphic artist who created some of the most iconic images in rock history.  Along with partner, Stanley Mouse, Kelly created the “skull and roses” logo for the Grateful Dead.  He was also designed or co-designed album covers or posters for such acts as Steve Miller Band, Journey, Jimi Hendrix, Big Brother & The Holding Company, and Quicksilver Messenger Service.   He helped launch concert poster as a legitimate art form.  Alton Kelley died after a long struggle with osteoporosis at the age of 67.

On This Date (May 25, 2003) Jeremy Michael Ward / The Mars Volta

Jeremy Michael Ward
May 5, 1976 – May 25, 2003

Member of the 27 Club

Jeremy Michael Ward was the sound technician and vocal operator for The Mars Volta and for the dub outfit De Facto. He created many of the soundscapes heard on The Mars Volta’s album De-Loused in the Comatorium. Jeremy, aside from his role in The Mars Volta and De Facto, was a talented guitar player, as well as an artist (working mostly in pen and ink).  He was found dead in his Los Angeles home by his roommate on the evening of Sunday, May 25, 2003 of an apparent heroin overdose. He was 27 years old at the time, and his death came less than a month before the release of De-Loused in the Comatorium. A journal Jeremy found while working in the repossession business in Los Angeles served as a source of inspiration for The Mars Volta’s album Frances the Mute. Ward also coined the term “amputechture,” which served as the title of The Mars Volta’s third LP. He was the cousin of At the Drive-In and Sparta member Jim Ward, and brother of El Paso punk rock bassist Jered Ward.  Ward’s death was the impetus for The Mars Volta members Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez to quit using opioids. – From wikipedia