Lucy Vodden (Born Lucy O’Donnell)
1963 – September 22, 2009
Lucy Vodden was known by her maiden name, Lucy O’Donnell when she was a classmate of Julian Lennon, son of John Lennon. The story goes that one day, the four-year-old Julian came home from school with a drawing he made. He told his father that it was Lucy in the sky with diamonds. John, who was working with the other Beatles on Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club band took those words and that image and wrote their classic song, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.” Early on, many believed the song was actually about L.S.D. – “Lucy In The Sky With “Diamonds.” Vodden was diagnosed with Lupus in recent years, and when Julian discovered that in early 2009, he reconnected with her for the first time since childhood. He helped her deal with the illness by corresponding with her and sending her gift certificates for her local nursery since she had a fondness for gardening. Lucy Vodden was 46 when she passed away.
Gram Parsons (Born Cecil Connor)
November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973
Gram Parsons was a highly influential singer-songwriter who helped launch what would later be called country rock and then alt-country or Americana. Parsons began playing the guitar as a teenager to escape a less than ideal home life. The first group he played with, the Shilohs, were a folk band in the tradition of the Kingston Trio. When the band broke up, he and other Boston area folk musicians formed the International Submarine Band with whom he began to develop a sound the borrowed the best from country, folk and rock. They enjoyed moderate success, primarily getting airplay on the up-and-coming progressive radio stations. In 1968, Parsons was asked to join the Byrds as a replacement for David Crosby and Michael Clarke. He started on keyboards but soon switched to guitar, helping guide the group down a more country rock path. Parsons left the Byrds in the summer of 1968. He joined back up with the Byrds’ Chris Hillman soon after to form the Flying Burrito Brothers whose debut, The Gilded Palace of Sin would be a direct influence on the likes of the Eagles, Dwight Yoakam and later, Wilco and Ryan Adams. By the early ’70s, Parsons was working as a solo artist while recording and performing with good friend, Emmylou Harris. It was during this period that Parsons’ inner demons were taking control in the form of substance abuse. He was also spending more and more time in an area he had become fond of, Joshua Tree National Monument in the desert outside of Los Angeles. He liked to go thre and take LSD while searching for UFOs. It was during one of these trips that Gram Parsons apparently overdosed on morphine and alcohol and died at the age of 26.
Mel Galley is best remembered as a guitarist for David Coverdale’s Whitesnake. Galley joined the band in 1982, contributing to their most fruitful years. His guitar can be heard on such hits as “Here I Go Again” and “Crying In The Rain.” Galley later had to leave the group due to a bad arm injury made worse by a botched surgery. For a time, he likely could never play the guitar again, but was able to come back thanks to a device he had fitted over his hand. Prior to his stint with Whitesnake, Galley played alongside Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes in a band called Trapeze. Galley died of esophagus cancer at the age of 60.
Marie Castello was the real life “Madam Marie” character in the Bruce Springsteen song “4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy).” The 1973 song finds Springsteen asking, “Did you hear the cops finally busted Madam Marie for tellin’ fortunes better than they do,” even though in real life, she never was. Castello began telling fortunes in her small Asbury Park boardwalk shop in 1932, and by the late ’60s, a young Springsteen reportedly visited with her often and would play his guitar outside her shop. According to Springsteen lore, it was during one of those visits that Castello told him he would one day be famous. Springsteen continued to stop by and visit in recent years. Over the years, Castello read fortunes of many famous entertainers who came to town. That list included Ray Charles, Elton John, Woody Allen, Perry Como and Vic Damone. Marie Castello died suddenly of natural causes at the age of 93.
Lucy Vodden was known by her maiden name, Lucy O’Donnell when she was a classmate of Julian Lennon, son of John Lennon. The story goes that one day, the four-year-old Julian came home from school with a drawing he made. He told his father that it was Lucy in the sky with diamonds. John, who was working with the other Beatles on Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club band took those words and that image and wrote their classic song, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.” Early on, many believed the song was actually about L.S.D. – “Lucy In The Sky With “Diamonds.” Vodden was diagnosed with Lupus in recent years, and when Julian discovered that in early 2009, he reconnected with her for the first time since childhood. He helped her deal with the illness by corresponding with her and sending her gift certificates for her local nursery since she had a fondness for gardening. Lucy Vodden was 46 when she passed away.
Marie Castello was the real life “Madam Marie” character in the Bruce Springsteen song “4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy).” The 1973 song finds Springsteen asking, “Did you hear the cops finally busted Madam Marie for tellin’ fortunes better than they do,” even though in real life, she never was. Castello began telling fortunes in her small Asbury Park boardwalk shop in 1932, and by the late ’60s, a young Springsteen reportedly visited with her often and would play his guitar outside her shop. According to Springsteen lore, it was during one of those visits that Castello told him he would one day be famous. Springsteen continued to stop by and visit in recent years. Over the years, Castello read fortunes of many famous entertainers who came to town. That list included 