Kim Fowley, one of Hollywood’s most colourful characters, has died at age 75 after a battle with bladder cancer.
Fowley released novelty records in the 60s. He was behind The Hollywood Argyles ‘Alley Oop’ and B. Bumble & The Stingers ‘Nut Rocker’.
Fowley’s The Murmaids’ had a US hit with ‘Popsicles and Icicles’ in 1963. His friend David Gates, who would later go on to form Bread, wrote the song.
Kim Fowley was a co-written of ‘Portobello Road’, the b-side of Cat Stevens first hit ‘I Love My Dog’.
Fowley featured on Frank Zappa’s first album ‘Freak Out’ and co-wrote ‘Wanted Dead Or Alive’ on Warren Zevon’s first album.
In the 70s Fowley produced three songs for Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids for the movie American Graffiti and wrote songs for Kiss ‘Do You Love Me’, Alice Cooper ‘Escape’ and Helen Reddy ‘Ear Candy’
In 2012 Fowley was awarded the Special Jury Prize from the Melbourne International Film Festival’ for Golden Road to Nowhere and Black Room Doom.
In 1975 he met a 15-year old girl outside LA’s Rainbow Bar named Sandy West. He put her together with Lita Ford, Cherie Currie and Jackie Fox and created The Runaways.
Kim Fowley also had a couple of Australian connections. He wrote The Seekers ‘Emerald City’. He also discovered a band called Beathoven from Hobart, changed their name to The Innocents, and despite a Countdown appearance followed by a minor hit with ‘Sooner Or Later’ the band failed to connect globally.
Only last September Fowley married his girlfriend Kara Wright. His final appearance was a cameo Beyonce’s ‘Haunted’ video in 2014.
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