Spirit drummer Ed Cassidy dead at 89

Ed Cassidy, founding member and drummer for iconic band Spirit has died of undisclosed causes. Our thoughts are with his family. Ed "Cass" Cassidy (May 4, 1923 - December 6, 2012) was an American jazz and rock drummer who, in 1967, was one of the founders of the rock group Spirit ("I Got A Line On You", 1969) Ed Cassidy was born in a rural area outside Chicago, Illinois on May 4, 1923. His family moved to Bakersfield, California in 1931. Cassidy began his career as a professional musician in 1937. He served in the Navy during World War II, and after his discharge held many jobs before becoming a full-time musician again. At one time in the late 1940s he played 282 consecutive one-nighters in 17 states. He worked in show bands, Dixieland combos, country and western bands, and on film soundtracks, as well as having a brief stint with the San Francisco Opera. In 1950 he enrolled at college to get a musical teaching credential, but after about a year decided to leave and move to southern California to meet more jazz musicians and perhaps form a group of his own. During this period he performed together with many leading jazz musicians including Art Pepper, Julian Cannonball Adderley, Roland Kirk, Lee Konitz and Gerry Mulligan. With Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder, he formed the Rising Sons in 1964. After that, he formed the Red Roosters in 1965, with his young stepson Randy California, Jay Ferguson and Mark Andes. Adding John Locke, they became Spirit in 1967. He sported a shaved head, which was unusual at that time; always wore black; and instead of the double-bass drum kit that was popular at the time, he used a single large parade bass drum turned sideways, with pedals on each side. He had a proclivity for playing extended drum solos with his bare hands instead of drumsticks, which influenced Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham to do the same; the bands toured together in 1969. Cassidy played with various line-ups of Spirit on almost 20 albums over almost 40 years, and, after Spirit finally disbanded after Randy California's death in 1997, also performed with Merrell Fankhauser. From the mid 1970s, Cassidy also worked as an actor, including live improvisation and appearances on the TV series General Hospital and in movies. He wrote, studied history, and continued to correspond with fans from his residence in Southern California until his death in San Jose at the age of 89 on 6 December 2012 If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band! Video