Captain Beefheart

Born: 15th January 1941, Glendale, California, USA. Died: 17th December 2010, Arcata, California, USA. Captain Beefheart, aka Don Van Vliet; vocalist, harp-player, saxophonist, flautist, songwriter, lyricist, poet & painter. As a frontman of "Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band" or working without The Magic Band, the captain recorded a dozen official albums. Several live releases would follow, some of them perhaps not entirely official. Van Vliet's career path was also interwoven with that of Frank Zappa, and was followed by secluded 'retirement' with his wife in 1982 when he began painting full time. He maintained an affinity for wildlife throughout his life and was a keen conservationist. He forged a successful career as a painter, exhibiting in galleries in New York, the UK and Europe, before dying of complications from multiple sclerosis. First recorded appearance: "A Low Forceps Delivery," featuring Don Glen Vliet, at Glendale Research Hospital 16:25 hours on 1941-01-15.