Paul Revere, the organist and leader of the Raiders rock band, has died. He was 76.
Manager Roger Hart said Revere died on Saturday at his home in Idaho, from cancer.
“He’d been quiet about it for some time,” Hart said. “Treated at the Mayo Clinic, Paul stayed on the road as long as he could, then retired recently back to Idaho, where he and his wife, Sydney, always kept a home.”
Revere, born Paul Revere Dick, became known as “the madman of rock and roll” for his theatrical colonial wardrobe and infectious stage persona with the band.
The group launched its career in 1963 with a popular rendition of Richard Berry’s Louie, Louie before releasing hits like Kicks, Hungry and Good Thing. The band’s biggest hit arrived in 1971, with Indian Reservation.
Revere and the Raiders served as the house band for the Dick Clark TV show Where the Action Is.
“From day one, we’ve always been a party band that accidentally had some hit records and accidentally got on a hit television series,” Revere told the Associated Press in a 2000 interview.
While the band’s line-up changed over 50 years, Revere remained a constant presence with the group and continued touring until earlier this year.
“I don’t want to get into the details but let’s just say, it ain’t fun,” Revere wrote last year of his battle with cancer. “It’s been rough getting through the last few shows, but I would do whatever it takes to avoid missing a show.
“I’m giving it my all, and then some, and the band tells me I’ve been even more awesome than usual.”
