Ex-13th Floor Elevators frontman Roky Erickson, influential psychedelic rocker, dead at age 71

Posted By: Staff
June 1, 2019 @ 4:22 pm
Music News

Venla Shalin/Redferns

Venla Shalin/RedfernsRoky Erickson, frontman of the pioneering 1960s Texas psychedelic rock band The 13th Floor Elevators and later a solo artist, died Friday in Austin at the age of 71.

Erickson’s death was announced in a post on his official Facebook page, which that described him as a “heroic icon of modern rock & roll and one of the best friends the music ever had.”

The message includes a statement from fellow Texas rock legend Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, who writes, “Roky…will continue to resonate with a legacy of remarkable style, talent, and poetic and artistic tales from beyond. As a long standing friend and follower of Roky’s amazing performing abilities and as a guitarist and singer, I can only relate the far reaching impact he and his mates in The Thirteenth Floor Elevators brought to the fore with their eerily magnetic psychedelic sounds.”

The 13th Floor Elevators formed in 1965, and were considered one of the first psychedelic rock bands. Their debut single, the garage-rock classic “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” was released in January 1966 and reached #55 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band broke up in 1969. That year, Erickson, who battled drug and mental health issues, was arrested for marijuana possession and pleaded insanity to avoid a potential 10-year jail sentence. Instead, he was committed to a psychiatric hospital where he remained until 1972.

During the 1970s and ’80s, Erickson released a variety of albums featuring many songs that reflected his fascination with aliens, demons and monsters. In 1990, a tribute album titled Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye was released that included covers by ZZ Top and R.E.M.

Erickson struggled with mental health issues for many years, but his condition improved after his brother, Sumner, became his guardian in 2001. Starting around 2005, Roky began performing full concerts again for the first time in 20 years. His last studio album, True Love Cast Out All Evil, recorded with Austin indie-rockers Okkervil River, was released in 2010.