|
Bill Pitcock IV's history with members of The Cowsills goes back to the band 1970's. Susan had become the girlfriend of Dwight Twilley and Bill was part of Dwight's band. John also was part of the band as the drummer for a time. Bill and Susan last worked on Dwight's 2010 CD Green Blimp.
Susan commented on Bill's passing: "What is on my mind is, I...no, we just lost yet another one of our very best friends, Bill Pitcock IV. To stage" 600" Cancer. I fIIIing hate these "stages" things and I hate Cancer. All of our hearts are broken ever since Jerry (Naifeh) died and now...I can not even say how we all feel. Bill Pitcock was one of a kind and I for one would not be who I am without having had him in my life.
It is just to much on the tiny, fragile, sweet hearts of us all."
|
|
Bill's obituary in the Tulsa World reads:
Bill Pitcock IV, a guitarist and 45-year veteran of the Tulsa music scene, died Friday at a Tulsa hospital of complications from cancer. He was 58.
Pitcock, who was best known for his work with Tulsa rocker Dwight Twilley, was taken to the hospital Tuesday and was discovered to have advanced cancer, family members said.
A memorial service has been scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday at Moore's Eastlawn Funeral Home.
"Bill was the greatest guitar player in the world ... so generous with his humor and heart," Twilley said.
"The candle has flickered out. The world is just not as bright a place as it was yesterday."
A Tulsa native, Pitcock was the lead guitarist for the Dwight Twilley Band in the 1970s and continued to work with Twilley and late bandmate Phil Seymour during their subsequent solo careers.
Twilley said: "In the early days of the Dwight Twilley Band, sometimes a manager would come backstage to tell us a major act was in the audience. We'd say 'To see us?' And he'd say, 'Well, no - they're here to see Bill Pitcock.'
"As a musician he was simply a genius, a super extraordinary talent who was an integral part of my sound. He influenced guitarists everywhere."
Pitcock recently played on a yet-to-be-released album of Twilley's.
Pitcock also recently released his own first solo CD, "Play What You Mean," and besides Twilley had been working on local projects with Michelle Brown and Musicians of Mass Destruction, according to information on Pitcock's My Space page.
Pitcock made his professional debut in 1964, playing guitar for his father's dance band, Billy Pitcock and His Orchestra.
Pitcock's sister, Laura Schaub, said her brother's first instrument was the drums - their father was a drummer - but when he discovered the guitar in elementary school, "it was like the music came out of his fingertips," she said. "It became his forte. He played by ear and was completely self-taught."
Pitcock performed with various Tulsa-area bands before joining with Twilley in 1971.
In addition, from 1983 to 1998, he played with the Tulsa-based Mystery Band.
A Rogers High School graduate, Pitcock held a bachelor's degree from Langston University.
He is survived by one son, William Pitcock V; two sisters, Laura Schaub and Diane Stephens; and many nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to Music Care.
|
