Guitarist Tim Krekel Dies at 58

Songwriter/guitarist Tim Krekel passed away June 24 at his home in Louisville, Kentucky after his health deteriorated following surgery for abdominal cancer, Reuters reports. He was 58. During his career, Krekel performed with Jimmy Buffett, Bo Diddley and Kris Kristofferson, serving as Buffett's lead guitarist during the late '70s and early '80s and appearing on the album Son of a Son of a Sailor. Krekel released his first solo album Crazy Me in 1979, his official site writes. Artists like Canned Heat and Rick Nelson also covered Krekel's songs. Krekel was diagnosed with cancer in March 2009, and his condition worsened over the past few months.

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Song Stories

“Tonight's the Night”

The Shirelles | 1960

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."

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