Birth name: Richard Marsh Birth Date: Eternal Birth Place: Origin Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. Died: June 25, 2009 Location: St. David's South Austin Hospital - Austin, Texas Cause of Death: Heart & kidney failure, due to an undiagnosed infection of his internal organs. Musician , Singer-songwriter Genre(s): Rock, psychedelic, garage rock Years active: 1962–2009 Label(s): GNP Crescendo GRA - www.gragroup.com Associated acts: The Seeds Sky Saxon Blues Band Yahowha 13 The Starry Seeds Band King Arthur's Court World Spirits Official Website: www.skysaxon.com
"Sky would like to always be remembered as eternal ... He didn't celebrate birthdays and when someone would ask him how old he was he would either say 39 or I'm eternal" ... Sabrina Saxon
Statement from Electric Prunes
As part of the seminal garage/psychedelic music revolution of 1966-67 Sky “Sunlight” Saxon, through his work with The Seeds, is guaranteed a place in the musical pantheon's garage. His recordings of “Pushin’ Too Hard”, “Mr. Farmer” and “I Can’t Seem To Make You Mine” remain prime examples of a musical genre and time.
Along with Love and The Electric Prunes, Sky “Sunlight” Saxon was to be part of the upcoming “California ’66 Revue” tour in August. He still is. His spirit and his music will be included in each show. He also contributed three songs to the tour’s limited edition CD, including an unreleased live version of “Pushin’ Too Hard”.
While his presence will be sorely missed by those who knew and loved him it helps to know that Sky died like he lived, as a musician. Every musician dreams of being able to play up until the very end. Sky got to live out that dream. Sky's last performance was just a few days before entering the hospital.
Those of us who were looking forward to the opportunity of seeing him perform just one more time are deeply saddened. With his passing another piece of the 1960’s passes into memory.
Here is what Sky thought of death in his words:
“Well, I think you could retire when you die. I don't, however, believe in death, so I guess I will retire when I leave my body. But I plan to continue writing and performing in heaven” Sky Sunlight Saxon March 2009
You can say our California 66 tour will be dedicated to Sky.
I have difficulty describing the influence Sky had on me. And will continue to have on me.
In the few years I knew him he taught me a lifetime worth of lessons. Sky taught me to never give up. Sky showed me the way of forgiveness and true love for my fellow beings of all sorts. Sky taught me patience. With his help he taught me how to make a great album (Pisces Rising was produced by him over the phone!).
The musical legacy he left us will continue to enrich our lives and the lives of those yet unborn for ages to come!
Right now I just want to reflect on the loss of my friend and teacher...Perhaps at a later time I will get into more detail, but more than likely I won't. So many people were always trying to ride his cosmic and very long coat tails. For me just having him as a friend and being blessed with having worked with him for a brief time is enough...If Sky taught me anything it was that with my heart in the right place and my mind unpolluted, I don't need to be anybody's side man. I can shine on my own.
So in closing I would like to say thank you Sky. Thank you for seeing something in me that I did not. Thank you for your influence and helping to shape my music. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your love.
California '66 will be dedicated to the memory of Sky...in fact, I remember talking with James Lowe from The Electric Prunes months back on my RADIO BASE CAMP show on WPKN radio in Bridgeport about trying to get a tour together...next thing you know James is sending emails to Patrick Hand in D.C (tour organizer) and Sky is lined up along with LOVE with Johnny Echols & Baby Lemonade. California '66 is launched, and I was so pleased to have it make a stop here in Fairfield, CT at The Quick Center where this concert was to be a benefit for listener-supported, non-profit radio station WPKN.
The death of Sky has been a huge loss...for all his fans...but the tour continues. As a tribute to Sky I will be doing a special 90 minute show that includes an interview (38 mins.) I did with my co- host Erik Cocks. The link to the WPKN archives is this: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/listen/1174
Steve di Costanzo co-host Radio Base Camp WPKN Radio 89.5 FM Bridgeport, CT
The Day The Sixties Died
by Rudi Protrudi
Although a precious handful of our Sixties icons are still with us, the spirit of the Sixties died on June 25, 2009, with the passing of Sky Saxon. As the originator of Flower Power, Sky embodied everything the Sixties youth movement once stood for - Freedom, Individuality, Spirituality. While others may have espoused the philosophy, Saxon lived it - every day, 24/7 - all the way up to his demise at an undetermined, but obviously ripe old age. As anyone who ever met him can attest, Sky was the eternal teenager - his contagious lust for life affecting all he encountered, and his steadfast rejection of Society's rules and regulations a constant inspiration (if Nancy Reagan's message to the youth was, "Just Say No To Drugs," Sky's would have to be "Never Say No To Drugs"). Not only was Sky one of my heroes, he was a friend. I'll miss him.
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