- He was considered one of the more skilled players to emerge from CBGBs club in New York’s Bowery.
- The band scored three UK Top 40 hits in their heyday, but split in 1978.
- Verlaine’s death was announced by Jesse Paris Smith.
Tom Verlaine, a guitarist who became well-known in the 1970s New York punk scene as the lead singer of the rock group Television, has passed away at the age of 73.
In their prime, Television released the albums Marquee Moon and Adventure and had three UK Top 40 smash singles.
But they found greater success in Britain than in their own America, and they broke up in 1978.
Jesse Paris Smith, the daughter of longtime friend and colleague Patti Smith, made the announcement of Verlaine’s passing.
She stated that he passed away “after a brief illness,” although she did not give a cause.
Verlaine was regarded as one of the most accomplished musicians to come out of the now-defunct CBGBs bar in New York City‘s Bowery, where they shared the stage with Talking Heads, Blondie, and The Ramones.
Although they gained notoriety as a result of the punk movement, Verlaine and fellow guitarist Richard Lloyd’s music was more complicated than that of their competitors. They frequently traded lengthy solos and intricate jazz-inspired riffs.
Verlaine, who was actually named Thomas Miller and was born in New Jersey, took the stage name Verlaine in honor of the French symbolist poet Paul Verlaine.
Following the dissolution of Television, he put out a number of solo albums, and David Bowie used a rare cover of his song Kingdom Come on his Scary Monsters album.
Television, acknowledged as a major influence on the alternative music of the 1980s and 1990s, regrouped in 1992, released a self-titled third album, and continued to perform occasionally in the years that followed.
The Waterboys’ Mike Scott tweeted in honor of Verlaine, saying: “Tom Verlaine has crossed over to the beyond that his guitar playing always hinted to.
“Like Jimi Hendrix, he was the greatest rock and roll guitarist of all time and could dance from cosmic spheres to garage rock. That requires a unique magnificence.
Echo & The Bunnymen’s guitarist Will Sergeant said: “To me, Tom Verlaine’s playing was extremely important. I would be pleased if I could play something that sounded like him. Thank you Tom, he helped me find my way as a guitarist.”
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