Gary Charles "Gar" Samuelson (February 18, 1958 – July 14, 1999) was an American musician best remembered for being the drummer for

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

band

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

from 1984 to 1987, contributing to their first two albums, '' Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!'' (1985) and '' Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?'' (1986). He is considered one of the most influential drummers of thrash metal, having pioneered the incorporation of jazz fusion into the subgenre.

Career

Early career

Samuelson initially started out playing for The New Yorkers, which included himself, his brother Stew, Chris Poland and Robbie Pagliari, among others. The stint lasted from the late '70s into the early '80s.

Megadeth

After meeting with Dave Mustaine and Dave Ellefson of Megadeth in 1984, he was asked to join the band on October 24, 1984. Guitarist Chris Poland soon followed, and Mustaine referred to this as "the first real line-up" in the VH1 special on the band. Mustaine stated in an interview with Metal Forces, that Samuelson was able to "mix up a beat." Samuelson went on to serve as Megadeth's drummer until 1987. He appeared on the band's first two albums (''Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good,'' and ''Peace Sells... but Who's Buying'')'','' and played with them on both tours. However, Samuelson was ultimately fired due to his drug addiction. At the

Woodstock Festival The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

in 1999, Mustaine announced to the crowd that Gar had died. In honor of Gar, Megadeth played Peace Sells as the closing song in their set.

Later career

After leaving Megadeth, Gar formed a band with Megadeth touring musician, Mike Albert. The band, called Metalist, disbanded prior to signing to record label Combat Records. Gar later formed the band Fatal Opera, which featured his brother Stew on guitar. The first album, which was released in 1994, had Dave Inman on vocals, Travis Karcher playing bass and Billy Brehme on guitar. The band's second album, Eleventh Hour, was released in 1997 and featured Andy Freeman on vocals. Fatal Opera 3, which was a collection of demos, was worked on extensively by his former bandmates and released in 2022. Samuelson played on two full-length albums and two demos, and remained a member of the band until his death.

Death

Samuelson died in Orange City, Florida, on July 22, 1999, at the age of 41. The cause of death was reportedly liver failure. He was cremated. His former bandmates in Megadeth dedicated the 2002 remaster of ''Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good'' to "the memory of Gar Samuelson".

Discography

Megadeth * '' Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!'' (1985) * '' Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?'' (1986) Fatal Opera * ''Fatal Opera'' (1995) * ''The Eleventh Hour'' (1997) * ''Fatal Opera 3'' (2022) (Posthumous release)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuelson, Gar 1958 births 1999 deaths People from Orange City, Florida American jazz drummers American heavy metal drummers Megadeth members Deaths from liver failure People from Dunkirk, New York American people of Swedish descent 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from New York (state) American male jazz musicians 20th-century American male musicians Drummers from Florida Drummers from New York (state) Thrash metal musicians