ROKY ERICKSON,
1947-2019
Roky Erickson, a progenitor of psychedelic rock as the leader of the 13th Floor Elevators who became one of Texas rock & roll’s most enduring legends, died Friday in Austin. He was 71.
In a statement, Erickson’s family wrote: “While he faced incredible challenges at different points in his life, his courage always led him on to new musical adventures, one he continued without compromise his entire life. The family asks for privacy while they deal with the loss of a son, brother, husband and father.”
Erickson co-founded the 13th Floor Elevators in 1965 and their debut single, “You’re Gonna Miss Me” was one the first records to engage psychedelic swirls and curly-q’s within a hard-charging blues-rock framework. It reached #55 in the U.S. and led to an appearance on American Bandstand.
The song enjoyed a second life when it was one of the stand-outs on the Lenny Kaye-produced compilation Nuggets that Elektra released in 1972.
“You’re Gonna Miss Me” appeared on their first of four albums, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, released in 1966 when Erickson was 19. It is widely accepted as the first use of the word “psychedelic” in reference to rock music; like many San Francisco bands of the mid-‘60s they were advocates of LSD.
Mental health issues led to Erickson being often hospitalized and he did not record during the 1970s and infrequently in the 1980s when his reclusiveness made one of rock’s great mysteries.
A tribute album released in 1990 was followed by a strong collection of new acoustic-rooted songs in 1995 All That May Do My Rhyme and Erickson started to return to the public eye via appearances during SXSW in the early 2000s.
In 2010, backed by Okkervil River, Erickson made his first record in 14 years, True Love Cast Out All Evil (Anti) and toured briefly with the band. The 13th Floor Elevators last reunited for a performance in 2015 at the Levitation festival in Austin.
One of the first tributes to Erickson came from ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons.
"Roky came to mean many things to many admirers and will continue to resonate with a legacy of remarkable style, talent, and poetic and artistic tales from beyond. … He created his own musical galaxy and early on was a true inspiration. Even now, Roky is a source of creative energy of the first order. It’s really a circumstance where he continues to provide the requisite ‘Reverberation.’ Something he predicted when he sang ‘You're Gonna Miss Me’: We certainly do know now that he’s at one with the universe.”
Queens of the Stone Age wrote: “No other artist has embodied a complex fragility like Roky Erickson. His purity of heart & intention could not be faked, filtered, restrained, mass produced nor equaled. Even with his good looks, God-given richness of voice & songwriting chops, Roky’s truth was a kaleidoscope far too terrifying for the mainstream mob to gaze into.”
