RIP, Blue Cheer frontman Dickie Peterson

Blue Cheer were arguably one of the first "heavy metal" bands. They had a hit with their cover of "Summertime Blues". While their career was pretty short, they nonetheless played an important part in the birth of heavy music.

Metal Underground reports that singer Dickie Peterson passed away at the age of 61 Monday morning:

http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=49135

Dickie Peterson, the singer and bass player of Blue Cheer, who are considered another one of the first heavy metal bands, sadly passed away this morning in Germany at the age of sixty one. The cause of death has yet to be announced but he had been ill for some time.

Blue Cheer released their first album, "Vincebus Eruptum" in 1968 and released a further five albums until a hiatus. The band returned with a new album in 1984 and released two more albums in 1990 and 1991 before another break. The bands last record was a collection of re-recorded material entitled, "What Doesn't Kill You..." in 2007. Peterson himself had also recorded two solo albums entitled, "Child Of The Darkness" and "Tramp."