Reminds me of Randy California.
Played guitar in Jimi Hendrix's band and hanging with (influencing) Walter Becker.at age 15.
Had his own band and first album release at age 16.
Had Jeff Baxter, Rick Derringer, Brian Selzer, and several others appearing to have a blast in his music video
Died saving his son from drowning.
Quote:
California was born Randy Craig Wolfe to Robert Wolfe and Bernice Wolfe (née Pearl) and grew up in a musical Jewish[1] family in Los Angeles.
He was 15 years old when his mother and new stepfather, Ed Cassidy (later to become a founding member of the band Spirit, with Randy), moved to New York City in the summer of 1966 because Cassidy had a number of jazz gigs lined up. It was there, at Manny's Music, that he met Jimi Hendrix.[3]
He played in Hendrix's band Jimmy James and the Blue Flames that summer.
California, Cassidy and Pearl lived in an apartment building in Forest Hills, Queens called the Balfour, whose other residents included future Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker, who cited California's blues-based guitar style as an influence on his own playing.[4]
The stage name "Randy California" was given to him by Hendrix to distinguish him from another Randy in the band, Randy Palmer, whom Hendrix dubbed "Randy Texas".[1]
When Hendrix and California were invited to come to England by Chas Chandler, former bassist of British Invasion band the Animals—who became Hendrix's manager and producer—Randy's parents refused to allow him to go, insisting the 15-year-old stay and finish high school.[5]
Together with Cassidy, songwriter/front man Jay Ferguson, bassist Mark Andes (with whom California and Cassidy had initially formed a band called the Red Roosters) and keyboardist John Locke, California founded the band Spirit. Their first, self-titled album was released in January 1968, a month before California's 17th birthday.
Death
California drowned in the Pacific Ocean on January 2, 1997 at the age of 45 while rescuing his 12-year-old son Quinn from a rip current near his mother's home at Molokai, Hawaii. He managed to push Quinn (who survived) toward the shore.[17]
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