The Smiley Smile Message Board

Died yesterday. Liver cancer.

Very sad. At least he was at home, which is maybe the best place to be.
RIP

John was a good guy and very talented. He'd seen it all, although I hate to see him go. For any of you who don't know much, here's some info about John.

He was Born John Maus 11/12/43 in NYC, he died 5/7/11 in Glendale, Ca (Liver cancer)

John's family moved to California in 1947 and he was a child actor in TV and film. He appeared in the TV shows Peck's Bad Girl, Playhouse 90, Eddie Fisher Xmas Special, Hey Mom, and in the films The Eddie Duchin Story (1956) and Missouri Traveller (1958).
In 1958 he formed the singing duo "John and Judy" with his older sister Judy Maus. "John and Judy" signed to Dore Records and had a So. Cal radio hit with the song "Hideout". They also recorded for the Arve and Admiral labels. John befriended and performed locally with Richie Valens in 1958. He became the first guitar teacher for Beach Boys Carl Wilson and David Marks in 1959. John partnered with singer/bassist Scott Engel in 1962. They changed their name to The Walker Brothers in 1964 and became a top draw at Gazzari's nightclub on Sunset Blvd. The Walker Brothers were regulars on TV's Shindig! in 1964/65 and were signed to Mercury Records in late 1964 by Nik Venet. John and Scott joined with drummer Gary Leeds of the Standells, who became the third Walker Brother in 1965. The trio moved to the U.K. Feb 1965. John also married popular singer Kathy Young in 1965.

The Walker Brothers released their classic hits  "Make It Easy On Yourself" and "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore", both reaching #1 in the U.K. in 1965 and 1966. After two years of massive success they broke up following a 1968 tour of Japan. John Walker released solo material for Phillips Records in 1968 and a 1969 solo LP on the Carnaby label in 1969. He recorded an unreleased solo LP with Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman producing, recorded in France in spring 1971 with appearances by Keith Richards, Bobby Keys, Jim Price and Nicky Hopkins. The Walker Brothers reunited in 1974 with their hit record "No Regrets". In the 1980's John performed in the Monster Rock and Roll Show oldies UK tour with Screaming Lord Sutch, Dave Dee and others. In the 2000's John performed regularly in the UK as a popular oldies act backed by The Dakotas.

We've lost a very important connection to the earliest days of the Beach Boys, and one of the major stars of sixties pop/rock. John's harmony voice and his cool guitar licks made an impact, I'm gonna miss him.

My condolences go out to David Marks and others who knew John.

I was with David Marks yesterday when he learned the news.  Very sad.