Roy Loney (April 13, 1946[1] – December 13, 2019) was an American rock musician, best known as the original lead singer of the Flamin' Groovies. The Groovies original line-up issued releases on Epic Records and Kama Sutra Records, which Rolling Stone magazine described as an "influence on power-pop and punk ..." Loney's albums with the Flamin' Groovies included Sneakers (EP), Supersnazz, Flamingo, and Teenage Head.[2] Billboard magazine contrasted their "gritty" sound to the "flower power" approach of their San Francisco contemporaries.[3]
After leaving the Flamin' Groovies, Loney remained in the music industry both as a performer and in other jobs such as a sales representative for ABC Records and in various San Francisco-area record stores. Besides solo projects, he fronted bands, often in collaboration with former Flamin' Groovies bandmates, performing and recording under band names including the Phantom Movers and the Longshots (which included Scott McCaughey, Jim Sangster, and Tad Hutchinson of the Young Fresh Fellows, and Joey Kline of The Squirrels[4][5]). In the last two years of his life, Loney appeared with a reunited Flamin' Groovies. Before his health failed in spring of 2019, he had expected to tour Europe with them later that year.[2][3]
He died December 13, 2019, of "severe organ failure."[3]
- ^ Väisänen, Tapio. "ROY LONEY". www.rockabilly.nl. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
- ^ a b Ilana Kaplan (2019-12-14). "Flamin' Groovies Singer Roy Loney Dead at 73". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
- ^ a b c Gil Kaufman (2019-12-16). "Flamin' Groovies Singer Roy Loney Dies at 73". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
- ^ Dave Pehling (2019-12-13). "Iconic Flamin' Groovies Singer Roy Loney Dies At 73". CBS San Francisco Local News (CBS SF). Retrieved 2020-01-13.
- ^ Dave Schulps, Scott Schinder. "Untitled page on Roy Loney". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2020-01-13.