Brian Leslie Cole (September 8, 1942 – August 2, 1972) was the bass guitarist, bass vocalist and one of the founding members of the 1960s

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

band

the Association The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the ''Billboard'' charts (including " Windy", " Cherish", " Never My Love" and "Along Comes Mary") and ...

Biography

Brian was born in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

to Perry Anthony Cole and Violet Elanor Cole. Before working as a musician, he was an Actor and Comedian. In 1966, he co-founded the Folk rock band

The Association The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the ''Billboard'' charts (including " Windy", " Cherish", " Never My Love" and "Along Comes Mary") and ...

. Brian rarely sang lead, most notably singing lead on their song Reputation, featured on their 1967 album

Insight Out ''Insight Out'' is the third album by the American pop band the Association and was released on June 8, 1967 on Warner Bros. Records. It was the band's first album release for the Warner Brothers label and it became one of the top selling LPs of ...

. Cole became a heavy drug addict in his final years and died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

of a heroin overdose at the age of 29, a few weeks before his 30th birthday. He has three sons, Jordan, Chandler, and Brant. Jordan Cole is now a member of the Association, and has provided keyboards, guitar, vocals and drums since 1999. Brant Cole is a drummer for the Los Angeles-based band Briana and the Fates. Brian is currently the only original member of the Association to have died.

References

1942 births 1972 deaths American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American rock singers American male pop singers Deaths by heroin overdose in California Musicians from Tacoma, Washington 20th-century American bass guitarists Drug-related deaths in California 20th-century American singers The Association members 20th-century American male singers Leodis V. McDaniel High School alumni {{US-bass-guitarist-stub

Biography

See also

References