Rock Mysteries is BACK with Season 2, and our first episode revolves around one of the strangest and most troubling rock mysteries: the murder of former Elf and Rainbow drummer Gary Driscoll. Driscoll first connected with Ronnie James Dio (Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio) in 1965 and his career peaked with the first Rainbow album before Ritchie Blackmore fired him after that record's release. He then left the music business and became a working-class tile layer in his hometown of Ithaca, New York. In 1987, he was brutally murdered and the case is unsolved today. We welcome rock-n-roll historian and author Staci Layne Wilson to discuss this mystery and why it remains a cold case today. Staci Layne Willson Websites: StaciLayneWilson.com Rock-N-Roll Nightmares Podcast Ventures Documentar
Perhaps one of the most influential musicians of the 1970s and 80s, former New York Doll Johnny Thunders was a textbook rock star. With a biting guitar style and strong songwriting skills, Thunders was everything you could want in a rock star. After the demise of the Dolls, Thunders, and his band, the Heartbreakers, wowed critics and built a cult following. Later, Thunders found fleeting success as a solo artist, seemingly a step behind larger fame. Then, in 1991, it all came to a tragic and troubling end as Thunders died in a hotel room in New Orleans. We explore the life and death of rock legend Johnny Thunders.