Simeon Coxe formed the group Silver Apples in the 1960s, becoming one of the first musicians to perform with a synthesizer
Photo: Gary Wolstenholme/Redferns Simeon Coxe, an innovator in electronic music and synthesizer performance, died at 82 on September 8, according to AL.com. The Guardian reported he had pulmonary fibrosis.
Coxe formed the group Silver Apples in the 1960s, becoming one of the first musicians to perform with a synthesizer. He introduced a 1940s oscillator when he performed with the Overland Stage Electronic Band, prompting all other members to quit except for Danny Taylor. Coxe and Taylor formed Silver Apples and released two albums of psychedelic electronic music, Silver Apples in 1968 and Contact in 1969, often cited among the best of the ’60s. Silver Apples logged fans across the rock landscape, including John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix, the latter of whom jammed with Coxe ahead of his iconic “Star Spangled Banner” performance at Woodstock in 1969. A lawsuit from Pan Am forced the group to disband after Contact — the airline had allowed Coxe and Taylor to shoot the album cover in one of its cockpits, but they put a plane crash on the back cover. Born in Tennessee, Coxe moved to Alabama after Silver Apples disbanded, working as an ice-cream-truck driver and a newscaster. He reformed the band with Taylor and new member Xian Hawkins in 1996, and in 1998 released The Garden, the album they shelved after the Pan Am lawsuit. Taylor died from a heart attack in 2005, and Coxe continued to sample his drumming for live performances and the group’s final album, 2016’s Beacon. Bands from Stereolab to Portishead have cited Coxe and Silver Apples’ influence in electronic music.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Oscar-winning Czech director Jiri Menzel dies at age 82Jiri Menzel, a Czech director whose 1966 movie “Closely Watched Trains” won the Academy Award for foreign language film, has died.
Read more »
Oscar-Winning Czech Film Director Jiří Menzel Dies at Age 82His lusty and hilarious Closely Watched Trains is one of the greats from the Czech New Wave.
Read more »
Sandrine Charles Found Her Passion Early on — and Has Been Paving Her Own Path Ever SinceThe founder of Sandrine Charles Consulting and co-founder of the Black in Fashion Council talks how she navigated her career in PR and what inspires her about fashion.
Read more »
Marc Jacobs Drops Polysexual Collection, Heaven.MarcJacobs aims to celebrate polysexuality with a new clothing collection.
Read more »
Simeon Coxe, Synth Pioneer With Silver Apples, Dead at 82Band released just two albums during initial late-Sixties run, but left a lasting mark at the outset of a new digital age in music
Read more »