Mike Mitchell, founding member and guitarist of The Kingsmen, is no more.
As reported by
Rolling Stone
magazine
, the artist died on Friday April 16, his 77th birthday.
The group's drummer, Dick Peterson, confirmed the sad news in a statement, saying the artist
"died peacefully"
without providing any indication as to the cause of death.
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“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mike. He was the nicest, most generous man on the planet, ”
said Peterson, a member of the Kingsmen since 1963.
“ For the past fifty-seven years we've performed at colleges, fairs and festivals, vintage car shows, rock 'n' roll concerts across the United States.
Mike is irreplaceable and he will be sadly missed, not only by us, but by the fans as well. ”
Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh said of Mitchell:
“My sincere condolences.
I learned to play guitar thanks to Mike Mitchell.
I know each of his solos, his mistakes and everything in between.
We are losing the good guys. ”
Louie Louie's
success
The group, formed in 1959 in Portland, Oregon, rose to prominence in 1963 with their cover of Richard Berry's song
Louie Louie
, which tells the story of a sailor trying to get home. to see his wife. But the words of the Kingsmen, incomprehensible so much their recording is low-end - one and the same microphone was used -, were the object of all the fantasies. In Indiana, the single, suspected of pornographic comments, was banned in 1964. The FBI, alerted by this strange wave, opened an investigation into its meaning, before finally judging the lyrics
"unintelligible at any speed
.
"
Paradoxically, the publicity generated pushes American youth to want to get hold of the said piece.
To read also: To be 20 years old in 1960: cramped, young people make their voice heard
The song, it will spend six weeks - not consecutive - as number two of the Hot 100 of the American magazine
Billboard
, the weekly ranking of the hundred most popular songs in the United States, all musical categories combined.
Since then, the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, the Troggs, the Sonics, the Beatles, Mothers of Invention, Motörhead, Black Flag and Iggy Pop have taken over
Louie Louie
, considered, since the Kingsmen, as the founder of the garage rock style.
Mike Mitchell was the last founding member still present in the group. Most left in 1963, before
Louie Louie's
success
. With various Kingsmen formations, the one who was the guitarist of the formation for sixty-two years recorded six albums between 1963 and 1966. Although it is often considered a "one-hit wonders" - a formation synonymous with a one and only hit - the group actually had a number of hits in the first half of the 1960s, notably thanks to the covers of
Little Latin Lupe Lu
and
Money (That's What I Want)
, and their song
Jolly Green Giant
.
