Captain Beefheart Dies At 69

Captain Beefheart AKA Don Van Vliet a legendary figure in both music and the visual arts has died age 69. Growing up in Glendale, California, Van Vliet gained notoriety as a sculptor of life-like animal forms depicted in clay. He would continue to draw, paint and sculpt throughout his life, and in later years painted works which could be compared to Jean-Michel Basquiat. In the early 1960s music became his main passion. Performing under the stage name Captain Beefheart, together with his Magic Band Don Van Vliet produced a number of highly unconventional blues- and rock-inspired albums. He also collaborated with Frank Zappa a friend and fellow student at high school. Van Vliet ultimately secured a place in music history as one of the most original recording artists of his day. After two decades in the spotlight as an avant-garde rock composer and performer, Don Van Vliet turned his back on the music industry and from the early 1980s devoted his entire efforts to painting. Read More.....