Captain Beefheart

Don Van Vliet (born Don Glen Vliet on January 15, 1941 in Glendale, California), is a musician and painter, best known under the pseudonym Captain Beefheart.

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Vliet's output is rooted in blues music and rock music, but his idiosyncratic, diverse approach largely defies classification. Much of his work was conducted with a rotating assembly of musicians called the Magic Band. He was mainly a singer and in possession of an astonishing four-and-a-half octave vocal range, but Vliet was also a capable harmonica player, and occasionally played noisy, untrained, free jazz influenced saxophone.

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Among the most important of "underground rock" musicians, Captain Beefheart's legacy is one of poor record sales, critical acclaim, and a devoted following. His many admirers include Beck, Tom Waits, Woody Allen, PJ Harvey, Peter Christopherson of Coil, David Lynch, David Byrne of Talking Heads, Gary Lucas (one of Van Vliet's former guitarists, and a member of latest incarnation of the Magic Band), Mark E. Smith of The Fall, John Lydon, Jack White of The White Stripes, Michael Balzary (a.k.a. Flea), Matt Groening, John Lecki, Radiohead, Muse and Devo.

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Vliet's music has been vastly influential. BBC disc jockey John Peel stated, "If there has ever been such a thing as a genius in the history of popular music, it's Beefheart ... I heard echoes of his music in some of the records I listened to last week and I'll hear more echoes in records that I listen to this week." http://www.beefheart.com/zigzag/articles/genius.htm

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January 15: January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 350 days remaining (351 in leap years)....

1941: :1941 is also the title of a Steven Spielberg movie made in 1979 see 1941 (film)....

Glendale, California: Glendale is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. It lies at the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley, is bisected by the Verdugo Mountains, and is an important suburb in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The city is bordered to the southwest by the Atwater Village district of Los Angeles...

Captain Beefheart related Images and Photos (experimental)

Captain Beefheart Rolling Stone no. 58 May 1970	Captain Rex , Cutout	Captain Yeah	Captain Blood
Captain Clegg	Captain Blood (DVD)	Captain Sinbad	Captain Apache
Captain Misson	Captain Sinbad (DVD)	Captain America	Captain Newman, M.D. DVD (Widescreen)