Left us on this day (Jan. 6) in 2006: American guitarist, trumpeter & drummer Alex St. Clair (heart attack, age 64), best remembered as a founding member of the experimental & influential Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band; he came to prominence playing on the groups first two albums, Safe as Milk (1967) & Strictly Personal (1968), left in 1968, then rejoined for the 1972 Clear Spot tour of North America & Europe; in high school (Lancaster, California), Alex had played trumpet in the school band, alongside Frank Zappa on drums (!); he later played in Denny Kings Boogie Band, appearing on their album Evil Wind Blowing; he was referenced in the Captain Beefheart song Owed TAlex - written in the mid-60s though unreleased until the 1978 album Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)...
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 22:01:04 +0000