Home » Jazz News » Obituary

153

Count Five Singer John Byrne Wrote "Psychotic Reaction" Dies

Source:

View read count
John Byrne, the lead singer of garage-rock band Count Five and the writer of their 1966 hit “Psychotic Reaction" died on December 15th following kidney and liver failure in San Jose, California. He was 61.

Inspired by the Yardbirds “Im a Man",Psychotic Reaction peaked at Number 5 on the Billboard charts and became a radio staple during the Vietnam War era. “Psychotic Reaction" was also listed among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fames 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll.

The song proved to be the bands biggest hit, as the band broke up in 1969 so its members could pursue college educations. “Psychotic" lived on as a live staple for bands like Television, the Cramps and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, who included a cover version on their Playback box set. Byrne went on to become an accountant but never stopped playing music, even forming the Count with some former Count Five bandmates in 2002. The Count Five reunited for one night only in 1987, and were among the first inductees into the San Jose Rock Hall of Fame in 2006.

Continue Reading...

For more information contact .

Tags



Comments

News

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.