Mike Mitchell, founder and guitarist for the hitmakers of “Louie Louie” the Kingsmen, died Friday on his 77th birthday.
Kingsmen drummer Dick Peterson confirmed Mitchell’s death Rolling stone in a statement. No cause of death was given other than Mitchell’s ‘peaceful death’.
“We are deeply saddened by Mike’s passing. He was the nicest and most generous man in the world, ‘said Peterson, a Kingsmen since 1963, in a statement:’ For the past 57 years we’ve played at colleges, fairs and festivals, vintage car shows and rock n ‘roll shows across the US. Mike is irreplaceable, and he will be greatly missed not only by us but also by the fans. Mike was a favorite for his comedic nature and his musicality. “
Guitarist Joe Walsh said of Mitchell, who delivers the iconic guitar solo to “Louie Louie,” in a statement: “My heartfelt condolences. I learned to play guitar thanks to Mike Mitchell. I know all of his solos, mistakes and all. We’re losing the good guys. . “
Mitchell was the sole surviving founding member of the Kingsmen, formed in Portland, Oregon in 1959, four years before the garage band scored an unlikely hit with their casual rendition of Richard Berry’s 1957 song “ Louie Louie. ” The song spent six non-consecutive weeks at number two on the Hot 100.
“An explosion of raw guitars and semi-audible screams recorded for $ 52, Kingsmen’s cover of Richard Berry’s r & b number two in 1963 – thanks in part to supposedly pornographic lyrics that caught the attention of the FBI,” Rolling stone wrote about “Louie Louie” for the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, where it placed number 55.
“The Portland, Oregon group accidentally obscured the decidedly non-controversial lyrics (about a sailor trying to get home to see his lady) by crowding around a single microphone.” The single was so illegible that it was banned in Indiana and investigated by the FBI for its allegedly obscene lyrics. In the end, the FBI found the song to be “in any case unintelligible.” “When ‘Louie Louie’ was banned by then-Governor Walsh in Indiana in 1964, every child had to have a copy, and the record rose like wildfire across the country!”
“I always thought the controversy was a record label hype,” said then-Kingsmen singer Jack Ely, who died in 2015. Rolling stonePeterson added in his statement Saturday, “When ‘Louie Louie’ was banned by then-Governor Walsh in Indiana in 1964, every child had to have a copy and the record went like wildfire across the country!”
The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, the Troggs, the Sonics, the Beatles, Mothers of Invention, Motörhead, Black Flag and Iggy Pop would all later record covers of “Louie Louie,” one of the most influential rock songs.
While the Kingsmen founders would split in 1963 – Ely (who formed another The Kingsmen, leading to a legal battle for the band’s name) and bassist Bob Nordby both left before ‘Louie Louie’ became a hit – Mitchell would stay the band. guitarist for the next 62 years.
With different Kingsmen line-ups, Mitchell recorded six albums between 1963 and 1966, and while the band is often considered ‘one-hit wonders’ due to the success of ‘Louie Louie’, they released in the early half of the 1960s , including covers of ‘Little Latin Lupe Lu’, ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ and the novelty hit ‘Jolly Green Giant’.