Ron Bushy, drummer of Iron Butterfly, died at the age of 79

Ron Bushy, the usual drummer of Iron Butterfly, has died at the age of 79.

A message posted on the band’s Facebook page noted that the rocker “died peacefully, with his wife Nancy by his side.” TMZ reports that the musician had been battling cancer.

Born in Washington, DC in 1941, Bushy did not pick up the drums until he was at the University of San Diego. “I studied biology and psychology. I was going to become a marine biologist and go to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in La Jolla, ”the rocker recalled during a 2021 interview with Vinyl Writer Music. “I followed the music part-time. I rented a battery and learned to play the drums in Booker T. and the MG’s, ‘Green Onions’.

In 1966, Bushy joined Iron Butterfly. The Los Angeles-based group was part of the community of classical rock acts that emerged from the Laurel Canyon music scene at the time.

“We were a community of musicians and friends,” Bushy recalled. “We all lived in the same house in Laurel Canyon and everyone was together. We and all the other guys, like the Doors, Buffalo Springfield and many older ones from that time period. ”

Iron Butterfly would release six studio albums from 1968 to 1975, with Bushy as the only member of the band to appear on each release.

The group became known for their distinctive mix of psychedelic and hard rock sounds. Iron Butterfly’s commercial peak came in 1968 with the release of his second album, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. The LP’s lead song became a huge hit, which turned the band into a star. Bushy had a major presence on the song, which lasted 17 minutes, and contributed to a long, legendary drum solo within the piece.

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida it sold over 8 million copies worldwide during its first year of release, becoming the best-selling album in the history of recorded music at the time. Finally, it sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, including four times platinum in the United States

Iron Butterfly was initially broken in 1971 after the release of their fourth album, Metamorphosis. When the band reformed in 1974, only Bushy remained from the previous lineup (although guitarist Erik Brann, who had been in the band from 67 to 69, also returned). Iron Butterfly released two LPs in 1975, Fiery beauty i Sun and Steel, the latter will be his last release in the studio.

Although they did not record new albums, the band continued to tour for several decades. Bushy was a reliable presence in the group, which consisted consistently of the drums of the band’s live concerts. Health problems eventually forced Bushy to retire from the road in the mid-2010s, but the drummer still occasionally made appearances with his former group.