September 08

 George Tickner

September 8, 1946 – July 5, 2023

George Tickner became a founding member of Journey when the rock group came together in 1973. He played rhythm guitar for the band and helped shape their early progressive rock sound. He stayed as an official member through the recording of their self-titled debut album, which came out in 1975.

Even though he stepped away from the active lineup before their second album, he still contributed as a songwriter. His song credits appeared on their next two records, Look into the Future in 1976 and Next in 1977. Before his time with Journey, he played in a psychedelic rock band called Frumious Bandersnatch starting in 1967. He also performed briefly with the Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders group in 1973.

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Ron McKernan

September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973

Ron McKernan helped form Grateful Dead as an original frontman in 1965. He played keyboards and harmonica for the group while adding a strong blues influence to their psychedelic sound. Known widely by his nickname Pigpen, he also handled lead vocals on many of their early blues covers.

He performed on major early records like Anthem of the Sun in 1968 and Aoxomoxoa in 1969. His presence anchored their transition into acoustic music on the 1970 album Workingman's Dead. He continued touring and recording with the group through the release of Europe '72 in 1972 before health issues forced him to stop performing.

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Benjamin Orr

September 8, 1947 – October 3, 2000

Benjamin Orr formed The Cars alongside Ric Ocasek in 1976. He played bass guitar and sang lead vocals on many of the band's biggest hits. He played on their self-titled debut album in 1978 and stayed with the group until they broke up in 1988. He also released a solo album called The Lace in 1986. Before finding success with The Cars, he performed with a band named Milkwood and released one album with them in 1973.

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Morris Pert

September 8, 1947 – April 27, 2010

In 1977, Morris Pert joined the jazz fusion band Brand X as a featured percussion player. He brought a unique style to the group and performed on several of their major studio albums, including Masques in 1978 and Product in 1979.

He was also highly active as a session player for other major artists during this era. He played keyboards on the 1980 album Smallcreeps Day by Mike Rutherford. He also contributed parts to the 1978 debut album The Kick Inside by Kate Bush and the 1980 record QE2 by Mike Oldfield. Before finding success with Brand X, he formed his own progressive group called Sun Treader and released the album Zin Zin in 1973.

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Kelly Groucutt

September 8, 1945 – February 19, 2009

Kelly Groucutt joined Electric Light Orchestra as their new bass guitarist and backing vocalist in 1974. He also took over lead vocals on several of their popular tracks. His first recorded appearance with the group came on the Face the Music album in 1975. He remained an official member of the band through 1983, performing on major albums like A New World Record in 1976 and Out of the Blue in 1977.

Before joining Electric Light Orchestra, he played with several local groups including Sight and Sound. He also released a self-titled solo album in 1982 while still a member of his main band.

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