25. The 1970s Rocker Who Electrocuted Himself Live Onstage
Leslie Harvey (1944 – 1972), brother of 1970s glam rocker Alex Harvey, was a Scottish guitarist who played for a number of bands in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Most notably the blues rock band Stone the Crows, which he had co-founded in 1969. Born in Glasgow, Harvey’s career was full of mishaps and misfortunes, that culminated with a final one that took his life. In the 1960s, Harvey had been asked to the join The Animals, but turned down the opportunity in order to stay with his brother’s band. The Animals went on to become superstars, with hits that became classics such as House of the Rising Sun, We Gotta Get Out of This Place, and Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood. The gig with his brother’s band did not work out, so Harvey joined another band, Blues Council.
However, soon after their first album, the band’s tour van crashed, with its lead vocalist and bassist perishing. The survivors went their separate ways. In 1969, Harvey co-founded Stone the Crows, managed by Led Zepplin’s legendary Peter Grant. It steadily climbed the rock ladder, and by 1972, it was on the cusp of breaking out, fresh off a successful 1971 album, Teenage Kicks. On May 3rd, 1972, the band were preparing for a show before a crowd at the Swansea Ballroom in Swansea, Wales, when Harvey’s bad luck struck one last time. It was a rainy day, with puddles on the stage. The unfortunate guitarist came in contact with a poorly grounded microphone to perform a sound check as he tuned his guitar. Harvey touched the microphone with wet hands, and was electrocuted to death, live onstage before thousands of horrified onlookers. The band broke up soon thereafter.