History

The Band Called Death

DEATH, one of Rock-N-Roll’s most unique and inspiring bands, hailing from Detroit, Michigan, was established in 1974. Three brothers, who started out playing some of the hardest driving Rock-N-Roll music of all time, recorded a now classic album in 1975. Rejected for their sound, name and their color, DEATH is now receiving world wide recognition thirty four years later for the music they created in their hometown of Detroit. Their music, message and legend is universal; their sound is unique and tight!

The 45 Vinyl Record That Started It All

After being rejected by nearly every record label in the US and abroad,  in 1976 the three Hackney brothers took matters into their own hands by aquiring their master recordings and released 500 copies of a vinyl 45 from their collection of studio recordings done at Detroit’s legendary Untied Sound, featuring the songs “Keep On Knocking” and “Politicians In My Eyes”. Still rejected by Rock radio stations, rock performing clubs, and record distributors, the Hackneys (mainly David), self-distributed the records around Detroit placing some in small record shops, but mostly giving them to anyone who would accept. Over the next three decades (80s, 90s, 2000, and beyond) those records became highly sought after collector’s items. In 2008, Rock historians credited Death with pre-dating the sound of Punk music by 5 years, and not only were the records highly sought after, but the members of the original group as well by national and international media and press. David Hackney passed away in 2000, but the remaining two brothers Bobby and Dannis were found in New England still playing music (Reggae). Death today enjoys world-wide recognition and tours the world playing to packed houses of adoring fans. The whole story is in the book.

A FAMILY STORY: DETROIT, THE HACKNEYS, AND ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

In   1960,   the   Hackney   family   moved   into   a   modest   residential   home   situated   in   a   all- white   neighborhood   on   the   East   side   of   Detroit   Michigan.      Instilled   from   the   very beginning   by   two   loving   parents,   the   Hackney   brothers   Earl,   David,   Dannis,   and Bobby,   along   with   their   sisters   Margaret,   Shelia,   and   Yvonne,   stayed   close-knit   in love,   togetherness,   and   spirit   and   continue   to   do   so   to   the   present   day.   The   house where   the   Hackney   family   grew   and   where   the   music   of   the   band   Death   was   born, still stands on the East Side of Detroit to this very day. Growing   up   in   Detroit,   music   was   an   essential   element   in   the   daily   lives   of   the Hackney   family,      as   the   music   of   Motown,   Gospel,   Jazz,   The   Blues,   and   what   became known   as   Detroit   Rock   would   saturate   the   radio   airwaves,   local   television   shows, streets,   and   street   corners.   Centered   from   Downtown   Detroit   and   spanning   East, West,   North,   and   South   of   all   of   Detroit   and   the   surrounding   areas,   the   musical heart   of   Detroit   City   was   beating   in   time   syncopated   rhythm   with   the   machinery   at the   Detroit   auto   factories   and   the   Hackney   boys   grew   up   with   the   pulse   of   both rhythms in their blood.

DEATH COMES ALIVE

When the world came knocking for the remainding Hackney brothers, Bobby    and    Dannis,    it    found    them    still    active    and    involved    with    the    music industry   playing   and   producing   Reggae   music   with   their   band   Lambsbread.   It was   as   if   they   were   just   waiting   for   the   roads   to   meet   where   they   would   be   able to play the Death music once again. Since   reviving   the   band   Death   in   2009   (with   Guitarist   Bobbie   Duncan),   Death   has played   on   stages   in   Festivals,   venues,   concert   halls   and   tours,   along   with   radio and    television    appearances    throughout        America,    Europe,    Mexico,    Spain, Canada,   and   many   other   parts   of   the   world.   Death   is   currently   performing   and has   released   one   current   LP   and   three   45   vinyl   singles,   and   is   recording   new   and archived material from the songwriting catalog of Detroit.