Don Van Vliet (/vaen:’vlii:t/; born Don Glen Vliet on January 15, 1941 and died December 17, 2010, respectively) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and performer best known under the stage name Captain Beefheart. He recorded 13 studio albums with The Magic Band, a rotating group of musicians. They were active from 1965 to 1982. Van Vliet is known for his strong singing voice and wide range. He also played the harmonica, saxophone, and many other wind instruments. His music incorporated rock, blues, psychedelia, avant-garde, experimental composition, and free jazz. Beefheart was known for imposing a dictatorial control on his musicians and creating myths about his personal life. Van Vliet, a teen in Lancaster, California developed an eclectic musical taste. He also formed a “mutually useful, but volatile” friendship to Frank Zappa. They occasionally competed and collaborated. In 1964, he began to perform with Captain Beefheart and in 1965 he joined the original Magic Band, which was founded by Alexis Snouffer. Their cover of Bo Diddley’s “Diddy Wah Diddy” became a regional hit. Their debut album Safe as Milk was released on Buddah Records in 1967. They signed to Zappa’s Straight Records after being dropped by two record labels. Zappa was the producer and gave Beefheart complete artistic freedom to make 1969’s Trout Mask Replica. It ranked fifty-eighth on Rolling Stone’s 2003 500 greatest albums list. He released two albums of more traditional rock music in 1974 after being frustrated by the lack of commercial success. This move was combined with the fact that he had not been paid for a European tour and years of suffering Beefheart’s abusive behavior which led to the band’s dissolution. Beefheart formed a new Magic Band, which included a group of younger musicians. He regained popular approval with three albums: Shiny Beast(Bat Chain Puller), Doc at Radar Station (1980), and Ice Cream for Crow (1982). Van Vliet is regarded as “one the most innovative musicians in modern music” and has a unique body of work that is unmatched in its boldness and fluid creativity. Although he did not achieve commercial success or widespread critical success, Van Vliet maintained a cult following and was regarded as an “incalculable” and “highly significant” influence on a variety of New Wave, punk and experimental rock musicians. Van Vliet is well-known for his mysterious personality and close relationship with the public. He retired from music in 1982, along with his Beefheart persona. Van Vliet pursued a career as an artist, which was a passion that grew out of his childhood interest in sculpture. This venture proved to be the most secure financially. His expressionist paintings, drawings and photographs are highly sought-after and have been displayed in museums and art galleries around the globe. After many years of multiple-sclerosis, Van Vliet passed away in 2010.
