Paul Revere, the organist and bandleader for Paul Revere and The Raiders—one of the more under-appreciated gems of the rock 'n' roll era-has died, according to Rolling Stone. The band's official website didn't reveal a cause of death but it's believed that Revere had been dealing with cancer during the last year with his life.
Revere, actually born Paul Revere Dick, gathered acclaim and fame with his band The Raiders, who dressed in Revolutionary War attire when performing, with antics that would gather the nickname "The Madman of Rock 'n' Roll" for the bandleader. Appropriately, considering his penchant for American history during live performances, Revere was 76 when he passed away.
The band's biggest hit, a rehash of Marvin Rainwater's "The Paleface Indian" titled "Indian Reservation (The Lament of The Cherokee)" went to no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band also famously recorded a version of "Louie, Louie" around the same time as The Kingsmen, whose version would go on to acclaim.
Despite Revere acknowledging that he was dealing with some "ailments" on the band's site he continued to push for more touring. The site still lists dates going into January of next year. The announcement of his death was made with a letter from a fan, no date given.
"Sitting in an audience at my first Paul Revere and The Raiders concert introduced me to a larger-than-life dynamo of high-energy slapstick, outrageous and spontaneous humor and a genuine child-like joy," it read. "Everyone in attendance just knew that you MUST be a wonderful person offstage too, no doubt about it."
