Paul Revere, The Raiders Leader and Organist, Dies at 76
Paul Revere, The Raiders Leader and Organist, Dies at 76
Provided by Variety Paul Revere , the organist and leader of long-running classic rock band Paul Revere and the Raiders , died on Saturday in his Idaho home, the bands official website confirmed in a letter. He was 76.
TMZ reports that he has been battling cancer since last year, though no official cause of death has been announced.
The Raiders got their start in 1963, when they released their cover of Richard Berrys Louie, Louie. They would go on to release four Top Ten singles in the 60s: Hungry, Good Thing Him or Me, Whats It Gonna Be and, one of their biggest hits, anti-drug song Kicks.
In 1971, the Raiders released Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian). The song became their biggest hit, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard chart in July 1971 and selling more than one million copies.
Despite several lineup changes in the band, including the exit of lead singer Mark Lindsay, Revere stayed with the Raiders for more than five decades.
The letter on the Raiders website, written from a fans perspective, remembers Revere for his memorable stage persona (the band wore outfits that were reminiscent of the Revolutionary way) and his high energy style.
Like most people, my initial introduction to you was on television, radio and records, but none of those mediums gave me a real clue to the one-of-a-kind life force that was Paul Revere, reads the letter.
Sitting in an audience at my first Paul Revere and The Raiders concert introduced me to a larger-than-life dynamo of high-energy slapstick, outrageous and spontaneous humor and a genuine child-like joy.
In July, Revere did give a glimpse to fans about his health concerns in a Facebook post .
Even though Ive had some health issues, nothing can stop the old man, he wrote. Im like the Energizer Bunny! I jump on my tour bus and go from city to city, packing a trunk full of great Raider songs, tight pants and bad jokes all against doctors orders, by the way!
Ive been the worst patient these guys have ever seen, and theyve been on me to take a break all year. So, we finally did take a break, and recorded two new singles (due out in September), but thats not good enough for them. They want a longer break. I told them, Hey, Ive got to hit the road, Im booked! And Im bored!!
Revere had booked dates through next year with the Raiders.
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RIP...You gave us some fantastic music to enjoy.
"Cherokee People" - always gives me chills.
RIP Paul.
RIP Paul.
Awesome Kavika - thanks for the link.
I am so sorry to hear this! He was a part of my childhood! What a shame!!!
I think Cherokee Nation is one of my favorite songs... Sigh!
This is a good song, too! Kicks--