So long to two rock stars, Richard Lopez of Cannibal and Richie Hayward of Little Feat.
Sometimes, it takes an addict:
Richard “Scar” Lopez, a founding member of Cannibal & the Headhunters whose claim to fame was the mid-‘60s hit “Land of 1000 Dances,” dead from lung cancer at age 65. Although the band was a one-hit wonder (“na, na-na-na-na”), they were among the first popular Mexican-American musical groups, appeared on “American Bandstand,” “Hullabaloo,” “Shebang” and other popular TV shows in 1965 and opened for the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and the Righteous Brothers. However, Lopez didn’t appear with the Beatles because he quit the band after the late Eddie Davis, Cannibal’s producer and manager, found Lopez gambling with the Beatles and “started yelling at me in front of everyone. I’m from East L.A., and I don’t take that from nobody….I was so angry at him for embarrassing me in front of the Beatles that I made up my mind right then and there that I would not continue on the tour.” Lopez never returned to the group after the incident. Hector A. Gonzales, the current owner of Rampart Records, said that Lopez “later overcame a drug problem.” Which could explain the rocket ship to the moon and the flame-out after, fueled by an irrational resentment that cost him a pretty darned good job. (Former band-member Frankie “Cannibal” Garcia died in 1996 and Joe “Yo Yo” Jaramillo died in 2000 of “liver-related” illness. The fourth original band-member, Bobby Jaramillo, may be alive, but I can’t confirm it. When three of four close friends die at young ages, we can pretty much figure that alcoholism fueled both their successes and failures.)
So long too, to Richie Hayward, the drummer and a founding member of Little Feat, dead from liver cancer at 64. The band became known for an eclectic mix of rock, country, blues, folk, jazz and funk, which likely would not have been possible without Hayward’s inventive and unique drumming style—which may have been due to an alcoholic willingness to take risks many sober musicians wouldn’t consider.