When Ringo Starr left Rory Storm and The Hurricanes for The Beatles, it was Keef Hartley who replaced him. Later he became John Mayall's drummer. Ultimately, his own Keef Hartley Band performed their rock-blues-jazz fusion at Woodstock in 1969.
Hartley dropped off the radar in the mid '70s, eventually leaving the music industry and opening a cabinet making business. His autobiography, Halfbreed (A Rock and Roll Journey That Happened Against All the Odds) was released in 2007, but in recent years his performances were few and far between.
Hartley died this past weekend (11/26) in the town where he was born 67 years ago, Preston, England. The cause of death is still being determined.
