Captain Beefheart

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART d2010. American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. He conducted a rotating ensemble called the Magic Band, with whom he recorded 13 studio albums between 1964 and 1982. His music blended elements of blues, free jazz, rock, avant-garde with idiosyncratic rhythms, absurdist word-play and his wide vocal range. Known for his enigmatic persona, he frequently constructed myths about his life and was known to exercise an almost dictatorial control over his supporting musicians. Although he achieved little commercial success, he sustained a cult following as a "highly significant" and "incalculable" influence on an array of new wave, punk and experimental rock artists. He began performing with his Captain Beefheart persona in 1964 and joined the original Magic Band line-up, initiated by Alexis Snouffer the same year. The group released their debut album Safe as Milk in 1967 on Buddah records. After being dropped by two consecutive record labels they signed to Frank Zappa's Straight Records where they released Trout Mask Replica (1969). This album would later rank at No58 in Rolling Stone magazines 2003 list of Greatest Albums of All Time. In 1974, frustrated by a lack of commercial success, he pursued a more conventional rock sound, but the ensuing albums were critically panned. This move, combined with not having been paid for a European tour and years of enduring Beefheart's abusive behavior, led the entire band to quit. He eventually formed a new Magic Band with a group of younger musicians and regained critical approval through three final albums : Shiny Beast (1978) / Doc at The Radar Station (1980) and Ice Cream for Crow (1982). Van Vliet made few public appearances after his retirement from music in 1982. He pursued a career in art, an interest that originated in his childhood talent for sculpture and a venture which proved to be his most financially secure. His expressionist paintings and drawings now command high prices and have been exhibited in art galleries and museums across the world. Van Vliet died aged 69 on December 17th 2010 having suffered from MS for many years