FLASHBACK: T. Rex Leader Marc Bolan Dies In London Car Accident

09/16/2002 1:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Jerry Armor

(9/16/02, 1 p.m. ET) -- Twenty-five years ago Monday (September 16, 1977), T. Rex leader Marc Bolan was killed in a car accident in London.

Bolan, born Mark Feld on September 30, 1947, founded the band in 1967 with percussionist Steve Peregrine Took under the banner Tyrannosaurus Rex. Originally more of a '60s-based hippie act, the band's sound metamorphosed into the more electric style made famous on hits like "Bang A Gong (Get It On)," "Jeepster," and "20th Century Boy," the latter of which recently received massive exposure after being featured in a series of advertisements for Mitsubishi.

Bolan's son Rolan Bolan, a musician himself, usually goes to England in September, and he told LAUNCH that he goes to try and learn more about his dad. "Growing up as a kid out here in Los Angeles, my mom, she raised me kinda out of the shadow. I always kinda knew my dad was very famous, but I didn't realize--especially 'cause his music, the impact wasn't as strong in America as it is in England. 1997 was the first time, really, going over there and really trying to discover, and meeting people, and being a part of the whole Marc Bolan community. It's just nice to be able to go back and see how much people cared about his music," he said.

Rolan's mother is Gloria Jones, the American soul singer who first recorded "Tainted Love" in the mid-'60s (years later, the song would be a huge hit for Soft Cell).

Hip-O Records recently saluted the band with the release of a new 23-song career retrospective called Marc Bolan & T. Rex: 20th Century Boy - The Ultimate Collection.

-- Bruce Simon, New York

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