Music lost a true pioneer today. Don Van Vilet, aka Captain Beefheart died of complications from multiple sclerosis at a hospital in Northern California this morning, he was 69.
He was avant-garde and often very much ahead of his time, covering genres including blues, jazz and psychedelia essentially creating "art rock." He was probably most famous 1969's for Trout Mask Replica, (although hard core fans may disagree). Captain Beefheart influenced many artists including Tom Waits, The Pixies, Nirvana, John Frusciante, The White Stripes, The Black Keys, The Kills and Beck.
Van Vilet was also a critically acclaimed visual artist in his later years.
Here's one of my favorites: China Pig